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In an Oct. 5 press conference, the sheriff of Caddo Parrish in Louisiana expressed his disdain for the state's new criminal justice reforms that will begin next month. Steve Prator criticized the new measures and said it would release the "good" inmates who they use on a daily basis for prison labor.

Steve Prator criticized the new measures and said it would result in the release of "good" inmates who are used on a daily basis for prison labor.

Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the nation and "on the global scale, Louisiana's incarceration rate is more than five times higher than most of the countries in the world," local ABC News affiliate KTBS noted.

The new measures would reduce the state's prison population over the next decade by 10 percent and save the state $265 million, by lowering the threshold for nonviolent offenders who are eligible for parole, The Advocate reported.

But Sheriff Prator made it clear that he takes issue with that.

WATCH.

In 38 seconds Steve Prattor, Sheriff of Caddo Parish in Louisiana, tells you why he REALLY likes keeping "good" Black men in jail. pic.twitter.com/7YtxixE1rU

- Shaun King (@ShaunKing) October 12, 2017

"The [prisoners] that you can work, the ones that can pick up trash, the work release programs - but guess what? Those are the ones that they're releasing!" Prato exclaimed in the press conference. "In addition to the bad ones... they're releasing some good ones that we use every day to wash cars, to change the oil in our cars, to cook in the kitchen... well, they're going to let them out!"

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Louisiana sheriff's "good" prison laborers admission exposes an ugly truth about America'...

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In an Oct. 5 press conference, the sheriff of Caddo Parrish in Louisiana expressed his disdain for the state's new criminal justice reforms that will begin next month. Steve Prator criticized the new measures and said it would release the "good" inmates who they use on a daily basis for prison labor.

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The Pride Parade in Seattle had hundreds of thousands of people participating in downtown Seattle

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The Pride Parade in Seattle had hundreds of thousands of people participating in downtown Seattle

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Nonprofit that brings fresh produce to local classrooms expanding to seven schools

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NEW ALBANY - Nearly a year after its inception and six months after bringing its first aeroponic garden into a public school, Good to Grow Green is taking root in Floyd County.

The student-led nonprofit brings gardening into schools with high rates of free and reduced lunches. Teachers use the garden as a hands-on way to show science and math and the garden is a natural segway to learn about food and nutrition. All of the produce grown in the garden, save for what the students sample during their seven-week lesson plan, goes home with those in the Blessings in Backpack program.
THE SEED
Last November, local nonprofit Miles for Merry Miracles held a food drive to help families in need.

The drive was a success on paper, more than 8,000 food items were collected, but when volunteers sifted through the donations there was an obvious problem: they had 3,466 packs of Ramen noodles.

"Some families went home with more than 100 packs of Ramen noodles," student member Parker Romney said.

That food drive started the conversation that led to Good to Grow Green (G2GG), a nonprofit under the Miles for Merry Miracles umbrella that brings vertical aeroponic gardens into classrooms so that children can learn more about healthy choices.

"That's when we thought we need to help the youth in our community and the families as well," Romney said.

Floyd Central junior Tori Floyd, another student who helped start G2GG and president of the youth leadership board behind it, says personal experience drove her to participate. Growing up, Floyd was often on the receiving end of food drives and typically received junk food that was unhealthy.

Another student member of Miles for Merry Miracles, Annalise Zeinenemann, an eighth-grader at Highland Hills, decided to join because she had volunteered with Blessings in a Backpack since second grade.
THE SPROUT
The student members of G2GG are the ones who apply for grants and lobby for donations. Once they've brought in about $1,500 they're all set to bring the tower and seven-week program to a school.

The aeroponic garden tower G2GG purchases for the classroom is a soilless system that allows students to grow produce throughout the whole school year, according to Zeinenemann. The system takes up less space, requires less water and can hold 25 plants at one time.

"Students get to experience something that they don't get to for the most part," Green Valley Elementary School Principal Brian Kehrer said. "Farming and gardening is not an experience most kids have in the city. Even in the county gardening is [happening] less and less. To have kids come in and see the seeds being planted, watch them grow. It's a neat experience and teaches them more about the life cycle of plants and nature is so important."

The students learn science and math through planting the seeds and measuring growth as well as food nutrition. Each classroom samples their fresh produce during the seven-week learning period but will continue to grow produce for the duration of the school year. The rest of the year their bounty will go to Blessings in a Backpack in their school, giving students both more food to get them through the weekend and healthier options.

As long as the classroom is producing, it can keep the tower.
THE HARVEST
The first tower was installed in Georgetown Elementary School in April. Since then, three have been placed at Green Valley Elementary School and there are enough funds to purchase three more. The students in G2GG often get to go to those schools and see the impact they make and so far, they say it's paying off.

"It's absolutely amazing to see the looks on the kids faces and seeing them learn about healthy thing," Floyd said.

The fact that chocolate milk does not come from brown cows and kids can be responsible for their own nutritional choices are all health lessons that have resulted from the G2GG.

"It's worth it. If we can [apply for grants], take our time out to help as many people as we can in a strong, positive way, then we will do it," Romney said.

The students will have seven towers in local schools by December and hope to have nine total by the end of this school year. According to Zeinenemann, they're focusing on getting Floyd County thoroughly covered before branching out, though conversations are already taking place at other schools.

"I've been in contact with my school and we are talking about vertical gardens not only for the elementary school but for the high school gardening club that we have," Romney, a freshman at Rock Creek Community Academy, said

Hebert says Rock Creek looks like the next school outside the NA-FC school system to get a garden tower, but Floyd says she would like to bring them to Greater Clark County Schools.

"Personally, I'd love to go to Greater Clark because I know there are students there that struggle," she said.

No matter which direction they go, it's clear that the members of G2GG aren't slowing down. For more information on the program or to donate to the cause, head to tinyurl.com/M4MM2017.

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'Good to Grow Green' expands in Floyd County

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NEW ALBANY - Nearly a year after its inception and six months after bringing its first aeroponic garden into a public school, Good to Grow Green is taking root in Floyd County. The student-led nonprofit brings gardening into schools with high rates of free and reduced lunches.