 BY VICKI FERSTEL | Staff writer Rising crime in East Baton Rouge. For the past two years, the number of homicides in East Baton Rouge had been dropping from a spike in 2021, when the parish saw 149 killings amid social and economic disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. So far this month, there have been two homicides in the parish: a 14-year-old died Friday after being injured in a drive-by shooting days earlier and a 27-year-old was killed Saturday. That gives a 2024 total so far of 102 homicides as of Sunday. Staff writer Gabby Jimenez explores what's being done to tackle the uptick in violence.
Two killed, 10 wounded in St. Roch second line. Two shootings broke out 45 minutes apart during the crowded second line parade Sunday afternoon. Thousands had gathered for the 26th annual Nine Times Social Aid & Pleasure Club event. "This kind of lawlessness will NOT be tolerated, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a prepared statement Sunday. "I’m hopeful the perpetrators are caught soon & prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Murrill said. Read the story from our colleagues at nola.com.
The Rizzi gris-gris. That's Darren Rizzi, the Saints' interim head coach. After Sunday's 35-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns, staff writer Jeff Duncan opined that Rizzi has some "serious mojo" working for him, having notched two wins in his NFL head coaching tenure. In Rizzi's debut, Duncan says, the Saints' inspired performance against the Atlanta Falcons "eliminated any concerns that he might be a one-hit wonder." But Voodoo? Perhaps.
| 
