Pete Earley, author of One Book One Community’s 2011 summer selection, “Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness,” will speak to the public on Thursday, July 28, at 7 p.m.

The event is being held at LSU’s Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes, located on the corner of Fieldhouse and North Stadium Drives at LSU. The event is free and open to the public. Free parking will be available throughout campus the night of the event.

Earley will also be available for media interviews that night.

The mission of One Book One Community, or OBOC, is to use a common and compelling reading experience to inspire dialogue among readers about issues relevant to the community and to raise awareness of community resources related to that issue.

In an ongoing effort to combat impaired driving within the city limits, Baton Rouge Police Department’s DWI Task Force will conduct four sobriety and compliance checkpoints, beginning Friday July 22 and Saturday July 23.  Task Force oficers will implement two checkpoints each night.

 Task Force officers will be screening drivers for signs of impairment as well as checking proof of vehicle liability insurance, current registration, current inspection stickers, seat belt and child restraint compliance and any open containers of alcohol in motor vehicles as well as any other violations present. 

 Impaired drivers not only take the risk of injuring or killing themselves or someone else, the trauma and financial costs of an alcohol-impaired-driving crash or an arrest can be significant.  Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver licenses, higher insurance rates and dozens of other unanticipated expenses. 

On July 23, The Capital Area Phoenix Initiative, in conjunction with EMKAY Solutions and the Varsity Theatre, will offer the city of Baton Rouge its first HIV and AIDS awareness concert. The event, entitled Band AIDS, is an attempt to draw attention to the dire need to eradicate and ban AIDS and HIV in  Baton Rouge and its surrounding areas.