<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">I overheard someone say they have flower gardens in the Gulf of Mexico. What were they talking about?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Probably the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, a 56-square-mile area that is made up primarily of three coral reefs — the East, West and Stetson banks.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The East and West banks — which together cover nearly 460 acres — “are two of the least disturbed coral reefs in the Caribbean and western Atlantic and among the few reefs anywhere that can be considered nearly pristine,” reads the sanctuary’s website.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“East Flower Garden Bank, West Flower Garden Bank, and Stetson Bank are actually small underwater mountains created by salt domes,” reads a sanctuary fact sheet. “The tops of these banks are covered in gardens of coral, sponges, and algae that provide habitat for a variety of tropical wildlife.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The East and West banks, which lie a dozen miles from each other, are about 115 miles south of the Texas-Louisiana border. The Stetson Bank sits 70 miles south of Galveston, Texas. The first two became a sanctuary in 1992; the third was added in 1996.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed expanding the sanctuary to include 15 more banks, which comprise about 380 square miles of coral reefs and other features.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Currently Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary protects only three among dozens of reefs and banks scattered along the edge of the continental shelf of the northern Gulf of Mexico. …,” reads the sanctuary’s site.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The proposed expansion alternatives would provide for more comprehensive management and protection of important habitat sites and cultural resources, and would provide opportunities for research and recovery of resources from observed impacts.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Officials plan to hold several public meetings on the expansion proposal in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. The nearest such meeting will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. July 21 at the Estuarine Habitats and Coastal Fisheries Center, 646 Cajundome Blvd. in Lafayette.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">http://flowergarden.noaa.gov.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AHeadBrief">Waitr delivery area recently expanded</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">I live in north Lake Charles. I was very disappointed to find out that Waitr will not do service in my part of the city, just one block east of Enterprise Boulevard. I understand they will only serve people who need service on U.S. 171 — no residential areas in this area. Why?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“With the addition of new restaurant partners in the north Lake Charles area, we have recently expanded our delivery area, with hopes of further expansions in the future,” Waitr spokeswoman Katie Davis wrote in an email.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“We are excited to work with our additional restaurateurs in that area, and look forward to servicing more customers in the Lake Charles community.”</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">http://experience.waitrapp.com.</span>

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<span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">The I</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nform</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">er answers questions from rea</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ders each Sunday, Monday a</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nd Wednesday. It is re</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">searched and written by</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Andrew Perzo</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">, an</span> <span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">American Press</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">staff wri</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ter. To ask a question, call</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">494-409</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">8 and leave voice mail, or ema</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">il informer@americanpress.com.</span>