 BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT | Assistant Metro Editor East Baton Rouge Parish is set to ban camping on public property after a tense, two-hour debate in the Metro Council. Supporters say the ban will help coax homeless people into getting social services, but critics argue it is simply criminalizing poverty. That criticism led the law's sponsors to take some steps to soften it. Here's what changed, and what the new rules will be.
One person was killed and another was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting on Madison Avenue near Plank Road. It's the same place where, earlier this month, three people were shot, including a three-year-old. We talked to residents of the neighborhood who are tired of living in constant fear of gunshots.
Shell's decision to close its Convent refinery sent economic shockwaves through an area where jobs at oil and chemical plants long put food on families' tables. We're now getting hints of what the company might be doing with the facility, and it involves "sustainable fuel." Here's what we know so far. | 
