BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer The relationship between Superintendent Sito Narcisse and the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board seems to be improving. The budget is finally nearing final approval, and contract talks between the district's top administrator and board members are set to start in August. On Saturday, the board is holding an all-day retreat where it plans to start sketching out in broad strokes what it expects in a superintendent and what it wants from Narcisse. It is not guaranteed that the board will agree to re-up with Narcisse, but the chances of that occurring have grown substantially. Hot summer temperatures can contribute to low dissolved oxygen levels in bodies of water and ultimately lead to fish kills, such as one visible Wednesday in University Lakes. “These summer fish kills are actually very predictable, especially in heat waves or if we have heat waves combined with storms," said Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries fish kill coordinator Robby Maxwell. Maxwell said the University Lakes project, designed to help deepen the lakes as one of its stated goals, could help lessen fish kills in the lakes over time. With writers and actors unions out on strike, Kevin O'Neil, executive director of marketing and operations at Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge, has mapped out a plan for how Celtic, one of the largest film studios in the South, will operate. His solution: community outreach. One aspect of the strategy: The studio's staff of five plans one or two free camps for children and their parents before school resumes. The children will be instructed in acting basics, while adults will learn how to be the parent/manager of a young actor. |