Baton Rouge News

More than 170 soldiers from the 205th Engineer Battalion of the Louisiana National Guard received the War Cross Medal for their service overseas Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge.

Advocate staff photo by RICHARD ALAN HANNON -- Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Service Office have complained to the Metro Council that its building at 4560 North Boulevard is in "deplorable conditions," on Friday in Baton Rouge.

Outgoing PJAL President Melvin Haymon of Vernon Parish hosted the convention. The new president is Lisa Nelson of St. Martin Parish.

When they crossed the finish line together Saturday morning clad in identical pink shirts and clutching matching pink flowers, sisters Teal Wintz and Angela Watts smiled.

A rescue van drove all through the night to deliver seven dogs to Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Mo.

HABITAT HOME EXPO: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Baton Rouge River Center, 275 S. River Road.

When jail inmate William "Billy" Bates Colvin's mother expressed concern about bringing her son face wash last year, he told her not to worry, saying the guards at the Pointe Coupee Parish Jail never search him after he meets with visitors.

"I would rather address the problem on the front end rather than on the back end, because we're not going to adopt our way out of this mess."

For 30 years, twice a day, Michell Bond has been feeding ducks at Capitol Lake. But, today she noticed a strange film covering the surface of the water.

It began at 7:00 p.m., and it included a parade of athletes and the lighting of the Olympic Flame of Hope.

Baton Rouge police on Friday arrested a 34-year-old woman accused of serving as the lookout and getaway driver in the armed robbery of several thousand dollars from a man on Plank Road in June.

Already accused of placing the weapon that killed 5-year-old Jon'Qualon Pitre last week underneath the boy's home, a 16-year-old Opelousas boy is now charged with pulling the trigger.

Advocate staff file photo by PATRICK DENNIS -- The exterior of the East Baton Rouge School Board offices building on South Foster Drive.

West Baton Rouge Parish welcomed a new tool on Friday, Project Lifesaver. It includes a device that can be placed on anyone who wanders --- including autistic children, making it quicker and easier for officials to track them down.

Is Hollywood worried? A new report shows Louisiana surpassed California in the production of feature films for 2013.

A 33-year-old Baton Rouge woman died Friday in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Livingston Parish, State Police said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal said his top priority in the upcoming legislative session is aligning Louisiana's educational systems to state workforce needs.

A grand jury has declined to indict a 23-year-old Baton Rouge man on a murder charge in the death of his 6-month-old son, who showed signs of previous abuse, including having been burned in a scalding bath.

Cops from Addis and Brusly pull out their tasers and nearly used them on an off-duty major from the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office after the major shoved one of them at a traffic stop, and it's all caught on an officer's dash camera.

Baton Rouge Primary Care Collaborative, Inc. is hosting an enrollment and community outreach, Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event will be held at the Jewel J. Newman Community Center, 2013 Central Road, Baton Rouge, 70807.