BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Even St. Julien has been known to break a news story before other media outlets in his hometown in rural Acadia Parish, sometimes even upsetting spokespeople for agencies when he shares information before they do.

The pushback doesn't bother the 13-year-old. He's not one to shy away from controversy or back down when others try to silence him.

"Don't worry about what people say if someone is hating on you," he said. "I always view it as jealousy — either that or they're just having a bad day and taking it out on somebody else."

Even has developed followers and helpful s...