 BY DEANNA B. NARVESON | Staff writer Path of crime: Young men in East Baton Rouge Parish who committed violent crimes typically spent their childhood growing up in the poorest neighborhoods and although enrolled in parish public schools, were frequently absent never earned a high school diploma. These insights are drawn from a new report released Thursday and published by The Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Entitled “Community Safety: New approaches for preventing violence in Baton Rouge,” the 13-page report pools together 15 years of education and criminal justice data. Read the full rundown of BRAF’s report from education reporter Charles Lussier.
‘Not enough’: On Thursday, critics blasted a plan by the city-parish to offer a group of BRAVE Cave victims a combined $385,000 in proposed settlements. Standing on the steps at the entrance outside City Hall, local social justice advocates stood with attorneys involved in the court cases over the so-called BRAVE Cave and members of the NAACP's Baton Rouge chapter. The plaintiffs in these ongoing cases alleged Baton Rouge police officers in 2020-2023 took them to the notorious police interrogation warehouse off Plank Road and abused them. Read the full story.
Shutdown averted: For the second time in two weeks, House Speaker Mike Johnson succeeded in wrangling his narrow and often dysfunctional Republican House majority into passing legislation sought by President Donald Trump. Tuesday’s successful effort to approve a resolution that would avert a government shutdown was a joint effort from Louisiana’s congressmen, and passed with a narrow margin. Read the latest out of D.C. | 
