 Matthew Albright | Assistant metro editor In terms of the sheer spectacle of it all, the meeting between LSU and Southern was one to remember. The long-awaited mingling of two beloved Baton Rouge institutions lived up to the hype. First, there were the crowds from both schools all over campus. Then there was the game, which set some records. But above all else, there were the bands. The Golden Band from Tigerland and the Human Jukebox played all night, then joined forces in a spectacular halftime show, dancing, blasting the Cupid Shuffle — and forming a huge 225 to show off their shared hometown.
As Baton Rouge's suburbs grow, Ascension Parish's once-rural roads are getting more and more gridlocked. Parish leaders have big plans to widen roads, add roundabouts, and take other traffic-calming measures, but sometimes that work takes way longer than residents hope. In one recent case, a big fight between parish government and DEMCO over how to pay for moving power lines has tied up road projects for years. Here's a look at what's going on, and why it matters.
Floods like the ones in 2016 and 2021 have made clear just how important it is for Baton Rouge to keep its drainage systems clear and functioning. But maintaining a whole parish's worth of drains, streams and other infrastructure costs a lot of money. The parish has spent millions in the last few years to do that, but a huge chunk of that money has come from one-time federal sources. For a more long-term solution, leaders want to turn stormwater systems a public utility, like water or sewer, and charge residents fees. Here's how it would work.
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