83 posts
When West Baton Rouge fired special education teacher Melissa Durham in March, her students were left without a certified instructor for the rest of the school year, according to a federal lawsuit. The district strongly disputes the allegations.
June 01, 2026
PORT ALLEN — A former Port Allen High School special education teacher is suing the West Baton Rouge Parish School System and Superintendent Dr. Chandler Smith, claiming the district fired her in retaliation for reporting that a paraprofessional was bullying a student with disabilities. Melissa Durham filed the lawsuit on March
April 23, 2026
ADDIS — It wasn't just the April 12 golf cart flip on Boulevard Acadian that brought the issue to a head. It's been building for years. Juvenile riders were involved in Sunday's crash. Nobody was seriously hurt. But for Addis Police Chief Jason Langlois, it
April 20, 2026
Brusly Smoke Shop Owner Arrested Twice, Loses ATC License
April 17, 2026
An Addis homeowner says surveyors entered his property without notice, a horse panicked, and his goats died. Now he's at the center of a drainage access dispute the town has no written record of — and a $32,000 demand nobody agrees actually happened.
April 16, 2026
Mrs. Ray Helen Lawrence was the first African-American woman appointed and elected to the Port Allen City Council. She served 20 years, taught science for more than 30, and left a mark on nearly everyone she met. Port Allen lost her on April 13, 2026.
April 14, 2026
WBR Fire District No. 1 reached a settlement with former Deputy Chief James Hartley Jr. after a packed civil service hearing — but the amount won't be public until the Board of Commissioners votes. The legal questions it raised aren't going away.
April 13, 2026
Theodore "Mr. Teddy" Melancon, an 84-year-old Korean War veteran, walked into a Port Allen City Council meeting facing the loss of his home. Three months later, West Baton Rouge showed up — and brought him back to Gladiolus Street.
April 13, 2026
West Baton Rouge Parish Council approved new rules that could pull a hotel's operating permit over excessive police calls, overhauled building permit fees, and moved to buy land near the jail — all while residents continued pressing the council on an ICE facility proposal it still hasn't acted on.
April 09, 2026
