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A group of Alexandria business and civic leaders is preparing to build a Holocaust Memorial in front of Rapides Regional Medical Center. Rabbi Arnold Task, president of the Alexandria Holocaust Memorial Fund, said the site also will recognize Alexandria’s unique history in helping liberate Europe. The massive Army training exercises and mock battles to prepare soldiers for World War II took place in central Louisiana.

The cost of the traditional Thanksgiving spread is up 13.2 percent in Louisiana. Analysis from the LSU AgCenter found a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people will cost $44.35. Kurt Guidry, LSU AgCenter extension economist, said that’s an increase of $5.16 from last year’s Baton Rouge average.

Guidry said it’s mainly due to the drought in the Midwest, which drove up the cost of feed for turkeys. The USDA projects a 2.5 to 3.5 percent price increase in all at-home food from 2011 to 2012.

A Natchitoches, La.-based businesswoman aims to open a business incubator in the town, which will include a marketplace for fresh produce and cottage industries. Donna Isaacs launched a fundraising campaign this week to renovate a warehouse in Natchitoches. It would be home to what she calls “The Green Agora.”

"It's based on the concept of the Greek public square and the center of the community," Isaacs said. "Not only were ideas and individuals nurtured, but so were businesses."