Local

A Shreveport car dealership is now stocking a Dodge Ram Hemi crew-cab truck that runs on compressed natural gas or CNG. It’s the first truck in the United States that comes with a factory-made CNG option, an $11,000 add-on.

Hebert's Town and Country manager Beau Hebert has three of these trucks on his lot, and he’s ordered 10 more. With 11 fueling stations now in Louisiana, he’s betting on a much higher demand for CNG, especially among people who haul stuff as part of their job.

The Caddo Council on Aging has launched a weekly slate of activities for seniors at the Randle T. Moore Center in Shreveport. The stately Shreveport home, built by Swiss crafters in 1920, was donated to the city for the sole purpose of benefiting senior citizens. Caddo Council on Aging executive director Mary Alice Rountree said the programs will cater to seniors, like musical acts, exercise demonstrations, and personalized instruction on using smartphones and other high-tech gadgets.

The grassroots coalition Tar Sands Blockade took its peaceful protest of the Keystone XL pipeline to Houston this week to occupy the lobby of a building where TransCanada has offices. Dozens of protesters have used civil disobedience tactics to try to slow down construction of the pipeline through East Texas. The activists, who come from all over the country, have also found their way into church pews in Nacogdoches.