The new year brings change

One of the things I love about working in the magazine business is the team we have assembled and the ideas we are constantly kicking around here at the office. We are always looking at how people consume media and how the best magazines around the country deliver great journalism. We analyze research and surveys from you, our readers, to tell us what you value most about 225. Through our stories, designs and photography, we work hard to help you discover more about our city and the people that live and work here.

One of our core values at LBI—the parent company of 225, Business Report and inRegister—is innovation. Finding a “better way” to serve our readers and advertisers is always at the forefront of our minds. This passion has been the driving force behind the launches of our e-newsletters, Weekender and Dine, as well as Menu Guide, the Avenue Rouge Runway fashion show, our Hot off the Press parties and a host of other ancillary products and events. I share this with you because we have more new things in store for 2014—starting with a new event called MPAC! Mark your calendar for Thursday, May 1, at the Shaw Center for the Arts downtown.

On May 1, 225/inRegister and our event sponsors will inhabit every floor of the Shaw Center and encourage visitors to move from floor to floor to explore and experience it all. MPAC will be the perfect opportunity for Baton Rougeans to come together for a variety of local music, art, food and the best attraction of allour people.

More details are to come, but save the date now.

Also in 2014, we will be launching a new 225 Dine app to help you experience the best restaurants in the Capital Region. Stay tuned for even more surprises this year that will be sure to feed your inner foodie. The best is yet to come!

Diet fads come and diet fads go, but one current trend has come a long, long way. Perhaps you’ve heard the term “paleo” in passing. Short for “Paleolithic,” it’s a pretty intense diet, though one with just a few simple rules that more and more Baton Rougeans are trying out. Contributing editor Amy Alexander investigates the tenets of this new fitness faith, and highlights a few locals who, to various degrees, have “gone paleo” with great results.

Did you know that Louisiana leads the nation in cesarian section births? There could be many reasons for this. Contributor April Capochino Myers took a look at this phenomenon by profiling Dr. Betsy Buchert, a local OB-GYN on a campaign to reduce elective inductions, and interviewing several local mothers, some of whom say they felt talked into getting a C-section by their doctors.

What’s more important than the best possible care and decision-making during the birth of a child? Myers’ story is an essential read for mothers and all future moms-to-be in Baton Rouge.

As we approach Valentine’s Day, what is supposed to be the most romantic time of the year can often be stressful, frantic or even a complete downer for some singles. In light of that, 225 decided to look at Baton Rouge’s status as a dating city, the pros and cons of being single in the Red Stick, and locals from all demographics and walks of life—from young singles not looking to settle down, to recent divorcees back on the scene and wanting to socialize with potential partners—to examine what it’s like to be dating in Baton Rouge.

We’ve also included some helpful advice for singles from a local dating counselor and author, dos and don’ts for a first date, the winners of our first Most Eligible Bachelor and Bachelorette contest, and much more in this month’s cover story.

Recently, a friend sent a note to me that read: “Good advice not just for the New Year but for life.” It continued, “Study hard. Laugh often. Keep your honor.” The more I processed these thoughts, the more I liked them. This advice was taken from the book Wisdom of Our Fathers, written by late journalist Tim Russert, the former moderator of Meet the Press. He gave his son Luke this advice when he dropped him off at college his freshman year: “Keep an open mind to new ideas and people with different views. Study hard. Laugh often. Keep your honor.”