BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore says he has "no choice" and must ask voters for a new property tax, as caseloads for his prosecutors are steadily growing while his budget requests have not been met. If the ballot item is approved, property taxpayers would be charged an additional 4 mills over the next 20 years. The tax would give Moore's office about $24 million annually, and cost an East Baton Rouge Parish household an average of $5 more per month. The tax proposition appears on the May 3 ballot. Early voting starts today. Read more about why Moore says the tax is necessary. Lawmakers and state officials are reworking how voters register for a political party in Louisiana — including abolishing the Independent Party altogether. The state's recent switch to closed primaries for several major races means that voters registered as Independent will be locked out of some votes. Read why new rules may lead to the change. A Baker woman spent five years stealing more than $334,000 in checks while entrusted to keep the accounting records for a small, family-owned trucking company near Central. The kicker: The couple who owned the company were her close friends. Read more about what happened in her case. | 