Kate Archer Kent

The pools in Longview have closed for the summer, so now the dogs will have their turn to make a splash. The Longview Swim Center will host its annual Dog Days of Summer dog swim Saturday, Aug. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Longview's recreation manager Seth Pyle expects dozens of canines to hit the pool.

About 25 teenagers from the Stoner Hill neighborhood of Shreveport will show off their summer vegetable garden harvest today with a food tasting event at Valencia Community Center. LSU AgCenter extension agent Grace Peterson created a program called the Food Initiative Taskforce for Kids. Peterson's 10-week curriculum shows how to create a healthy food system from seed to harvest. She'll present her work at a food access summit  in Baton Rouge later this year.

The Willis-Knighton Health System has completed a $3.9 million assisted living expansion. The hospital system's Savannah at The Oaks community will nearly double in size to 52 apartments. Executive manager Janice Latvala says it fills a gap between independent living and a nursing home. She says the new units are nearly all leased, and she began taking contracts on them five months ago.

Twenty teens from military families across Louisiana participated in a new leadership camp expressly for teenagers, put on by the LSU AgCenter's 4-H Youth Development program. Half of the teens came from central Louisiana. One activity involved making videos aimed at raising public awareness of military kids.

A California-based healthy vending machine company is spreading across Louisiana, with franchisees in Shreveport, Lafayette and now Alexandria. The owners of Cenla Healthy Vending, Graves and Anna Theus, launched their business earlier this summer by pitching the concept to local school principals. Two Rapides Parish high schools have signed on and will have vending machines with healthier snacks this school year.