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American Press
01-08-2025
- Business
- American Press
HUNT Tech: SW La. startup catches the eye of the governor
Southwest Louisiana startup HUNT Tech, the makers of scent- and DEET-free insect repellent sprays and lotions, is making a name for itself across the region and around the country — and the governor of Louisiana is taking notice. Gov. Jeff Landry declared Aug. 1 HUNT Day in Louisiana, honoring the company's contributions to 'entrepreneurial innovation and rural business expansion across the state.' The winners of last year's Gator Tank business pitch competition, HUNT c o-founders Gabriel Fontenot and his brother-in-law, Burns Mulhearn, said the initial idea behind the business was to help hunters stay protected without scent. That goal was met and then some. 'Growing up in Southwest Louisiana, being an outdoorsman is a way of life. It's part of the culture,' Fontenot said. 'But you're surrounded by mosquitoes and other insects. We thought, 'What can we do? How can we get innovative in this space?' That's what started the whole journey.' Over two years, Fontenot and Mulhearn developed a repellent that won't damage the equipment used by hunters while protecting them in Sportsman's Paradise. 'It will not damage any of your gear – including plastics, metals, leather. It's not going to corrode your rifle. It's not going to damage anything you have,' Fontenot said. 'Also, you're not going to notice you have it on.' Today, HUNT Refined Repellent is offered in a growing list of retail locations — including Nichols Dry Goods and Lake Charles Tackle and will soon be on shelves in eight Stine Home & Yard locations. It also has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seal of approval and its endorsement of 14 hours of protection. 'It's been a long road,' Fontenot said. 'We won the competition back in October and we were anticipating launching in January but we had a long, uphill battle with the EPA and getting all of our licenses and manufacturing lined up and, more importantly, figuring out how we were going to keep a steady supply.' The company hit the ground running and began taking orders on the Fourth of July and already are sending shipments to customers in Pennsylvania and Montana. 'Our focus is building a very strong Louisiana brand,' Fontenot said. 'We're focusing very heavily on the I-10 corridor and then we'll eventually move up north, as well.' While the HUNT leadership team works out of the Henning SEED Center on the McNeese State University campus, they have been renovating a vacant Dollar General store in Elton — Fontenot's hometown — to set up a packaging and distribution facility. 'We bought the property in Elton to really invest a lot of money into the community there,' Fontenot said. 'We're a Louisiana company through and through.' Fontenot said the products are bottled in West Palm Beach, Fla. — the closest EPA-certified facility to Louisiana — and are packaged here in Southwest Louisiana. 'I think people underestimate the size and importance of this market,' Mulhearn said. 'What we started out trying to do was to help hunters but this also helps workers, families, anyone spending time outdoors. You can put it on every day and have protection all day.' Mulhearn said the repellent is made from a derivative of a black pepper plant. 'It's safer and it doesn't have the toxicity that other products have,' Mulhearn said. 'It's better all around.' Since January, the company has been developing its team and go-to-market strategy. Part of the team has included three McNeese interns — Jake Armand, Jagger Morvant and Kaden Marshall. 'From the jump I really liked the fact that this is a family owned company. Family has always been a huge part of my life,' said Armand, a business administration major. 'I really like that also from the jump they really have valued our opinions. They would ask us questions and we're involved in a lot of conversations — which I think not only helped the company but helped me learn a lot.' Armand said his internship has been hands-on with tasks such as marketing and sales. 'We got to see how hard it was to start a business in Louisiana but then we got to reap the rewards and launch the company and we're doing way better than we expected. It's only up from here.' His enthusiasm hasn't gone unnoticed. Armand, who graduates in December, was recently promoted to general manager. Morvant said his internship has given him the opportunity to dip his toe in marketing, cost accounting, package orders and sales meetings. 'It's been cool to see something from the very early beginning at a start-up level actually get going, launch products, make money,' Morvant, an accounting major, said. 'We've been able to go all across the state trying to spread the name and it's cool to see where it has gone in such a short amount of time.' Morvant said Fontenot and Mulhearn have 'put their money where their mouth is' by keeping the company local and hiring local people. 'We're right across the street from McNeese, working at the SEED Center, that's what it's there for,' Morvant said. 'It's a good opportunity for other businesses to learn and see that there are opportunities here and there's good students they can hire who are already here. You don't have to hire from out of state.' Fontenot and Mulhearn said the governor's proclamation came as a surprise to them. 'We opened the mailbox yesterday and we noticed it,' Fontenot said. 'We're not too sure how it happened, but we're thrilled to have the support of the governor and our community.' Fontenot said it's 'a powerful moment for our company and for rural innovation across Louisiana.' 'This recognition isn't just for us — it's for all the entrepreneurs and innovators in small towns doing big things,' Fontenot said.
India Today
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
The Hunt director Nagesh Kukunoor: Nearly impossible to make something political now
Nagesh Kukunoor-directed 'The Hunt- The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case' has been receiving a lot of love from audiences. However, the filmmaker had his doubts before taking up the SonyLiv show, as he was hesitant to venture into anything political. In an exclusive chat with India Today, Kukunoor opened up about adapting 'Ninety Days' into a series, and why he typically refrains from handling sensitive how the series came about, Nagesh Kukunoor shared that the initial conversation began between Applause and Anirudhya Mitra around his book 'Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi's Assassins'. The production house then approached him to direct the show, but his initial reaction was a firm no."When Sameer Nair called me, my initial response was a no because I did not want to do anything political. He told me, 'Just give the book a read, it has nothing to do with politics'. And literally, it came out as a true crime thriller. After reading the book, I knew how I would position this show as - a police procedural. Once in my head, I was clear that I wouldn't put my finger on any kind of politics, then I knew I was okay. But it didn't make the job any less challenging. Each scene that you write it's so arduous at times because you know you're writing scenes based on real-life characters. Some of them were still alive. And that stress is always there, and I hope they're not misrepresented. I hope it's not showing them in a [bad light]. It was something new for me. And so yes, it was lovely to just go back into fiction and write whatever the crap it is," he shared with a loud also spoke to him about the challenges filmmakers face when dealing with political themes today. Calling it 'nearly impossible', the director said, "The self-censorship is so high. No one wants to, and sometimes it doesn't need to be political. It will be some random person somewhere who sets something off, and then the media picks it up, and it gets into the political scene. So, it's an unfortunate side product of the times that we're in."Kukunoor added that this was also the reason why he has chosen to stay away from social media. "Because you put a picture of just yourself, and 20 guys will say, 'Do you think of yourself as a hero?' I don't want this. I don't want people pumping hot air and saying, 'Sir, you look amazing, what do you do?' I don't want either of those. Go watch my work.. If it's good, it will make it to the news. I don't need to hear compliments from a random person, sitting in a city miles away. I have zero desire for that kind of input into my life." READ THE HUNT REVIEW HEREThe 'Iqbal' director also touched upon the pressure on public figures expected to take a stand on every topical subject. He shared that he doesn't understand why it's important for his voice to be heard. "If you ask me about filmmaking, I'll say, okay, I have a voice. I make films like this, and that's my breakdown. There's a process. But if you ask me about, like, rocket science, I wouldn't have an answer. Also, why is my opinion so important? People are so driven by opinions and what others say. I may have opinions, but I need not voice them," Kukunoor Amit Sial, Danish Iqbal, Bhagavathi Perumal, Sahil Vaid, Vidyuth Gargi, and Girish Sharma, The Hunt is streaming on SonyLiv.- Ends
Associated Press
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
Photos of Camp Mystic for girls after the deadly flash floods in Texas
HUNT, Texas (AP) — Camp Mystic was overrun by flash flooding that started on Independence Day. Rapidly rising waters ripped through the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp, killing at least 27 people. Others are still missing. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Simply walking 100 minutes a day can reduce the risk of back pain, a study finds
Chronic low back pain can be the result of a strain in the muscles or tendons in the back, injuries or fractures, curvature of the spine or heavy indulgence in work or sports. According to a published in The Lancet Rheumatology, it is the leading cause of disability globally. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the US, back pain is the leading cause of disability, estimating about 80% of people will experience the problem at least once in their lifetimes. According to a 2022 , 8.2% of American adults have chronic severe back pain. An innovative study Image credits: Getty Images According to a new published in the JAMA Network Open journal, walking 100 minutes a day can reduce the risk of chronic low back pain by 23%. According to Rayane Haddadj, a doctoral candidate in the department of public health and nursing at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the lead study author, 'This is an important finding because walking is a simple, low cost, and accessible activity that can be promoted widely to reduce the burden of low back pain.' An estimated 600 million people worldwide experience low back pain, which is considered the leading cause of disability, said physiotherapist Dr Natasha Pocovi, a postdoctoral research fellow in health sciences at Macquarie University in Sydney to CNN Health. It is predicted by the that by 2050, 843 million people are projected to suffer from the problem. And yet prevention of low back pain is often overlooked in research and clinical practice, added Pocovi. The shocking results The study results state that there is a possibility of using physical activity as a form of prevention. The research also "suggests that we don't need to complicate our exercise routines to protect ourselves against chronic low back pain.' The ideal solution Image credits: Getty Images To analyse the connection between walking and back pain prevention, the team of researchers analysed data from more than 11,000 participants between the ages of 20 and older from the Trøndelag Health, or HUNT, Study in Norway. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Between 2017 and 2019, HUNT researchers asked participants to wear accelerometers for seven days to track their walking patterns. They then followed up from 2021 and 2023 and questioned if participants experienced back pain, as per a new study. The people were divided into four groups according to the time they walked: less than 78 minutes a day, 78-100 minutes a day, 101-124 minutes and more than 125 minutes. As the amount of daily walking increased, so did the risk of chronic low back pain, revealed the findings. Additionally, moderate or brisk walking was more protective than a slow pace, said Pocovi. 'Start with short walking sessions, either by planning specific walks or finding small ways to integrate a brief stroll into your daily routine,' she said. 'The key is to gradually increase your walking in a sustainable and enjoyable way,' she said in an email. 'Additionally, it can be helpful to have a friend, partner, or colleague join you for walks to keep yourself motivated and accountable.'
Scottish Sun
15-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Urgent search for missing girl, 14, who vanished on her own after night with pals in major UK city
Police are urging anyone with information about the teenager's whereabouts to get in touch immediately FRANTIC HUNT Urgent search for missing girl, 14, who vanished on her own after night with pals in major UK city POLICE are urgently searching for a 14-year-old girl who disappeared after spending the night with friends in a major UK city. Lucia, from Swansea, was last seen in Cardiff on June 14, just before midnight near Penylan Library, heading towards Wellfield Road. The teenager had been with friends but left the area on her own. She has been described as 5ft 6, with a slim build and long black hair. Lucia was wearing a white skirt, a cream puffer jacket, an orange top and possibly white Converse trainers at the time she went missing. Anyone with information about Lucia's whereabouts is urged to contact South Wales Police, quoting reference 2500188167. 1 Lucia, 14, is described as 5ft 6, with a slim build and long black hair Credit: South Wales Police More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
