BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer During his first few months on the job, East Baton Rouge schools Superintendent LaMont Cole has remade the district's leadership team and continues to shape a new organizational chart. The moves have included rehiring a former district communications director and demoting the personnel director. He also is working through the 100 Day Plan he issued when he started in the position. Read more details about the changes made by Cole. After a recent burst of violent activity in the area, the school district in Madison Parish in northern Louisiana made a bold move in hopes of protecting students: a ban on backpacks. Superintendent Charlie Butler Jr. said the goal was to prevent students from bringing weapons — and retaliatory violence — into school. Read more about how school officials are ratcheting up security protocols in the name of student safety. If you are in the market for specialty plants — such as orchids, bonsai or even carnivorous plants — you can find them today at the Fall Plant Society Jamboree in Baton Rouge. Find out how the event can help you find new green friends. | 