DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer Troy Lawrence Jr., who had a history of abuse complaints as a Baton Rouge police officer, resigned Tuesday after two more lawsuits were filed accusing him of excessive force, including one tied to what attorneys called a "torture warehouse." Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome ordered the department to stop using the interrogation site while it investigates the allegations made in a lawsuit. In a second lawsuit, Lawrence was accused of battering four different people in 90 seconds. Schedule disruptions at the beginning of the school year due to transportation problems mean some students at East Baton Rouge Parish schools will have to make up more than 22 hours of instructional time before Christmas. By the end of this week, students in local middle and high schools will have foregone 1,340 minutes of class time overall, school officials calculate. The state spells out the minimum time that school-age children need to be in school each year, meaning all the time missed will have to be made up by December. Starting in September, Lafayette-based Roy's Lemonade will be available in bottles, meaning people craving the festival favorite will be able to pick it up in a convenience or grocery store. Read about the path the family-owned business took to reach this milestone. |