By KELLY P. KISSEL | State news editor Want a felon on your jury? Under Louisiana law, felons aren't automatically disqualified as jurors, but not every parish is putting them in jury pools. At least five courts have sent out a summons or jury questionnaire suggesting that people with previous felony convictions cannot serve as a juror. Some lawyers say the exclusion could cost their clients a fair trial by a jury of their peers. LSU students are seeking a way to improve safety on and around campus. The push comes after Allie Rice and Madison Brooks had high-profile deaths miles from the campus environment. What's being done to make the community safer? A Baton Rouge couple is suing BREC, the city's park system. They say a free-roaming bird, possibly an egret, clamped down on their daughter's hand at the Baton Rouge Zoo last year and nearly severed a finger. Their lawyer says the zoo needs to do a better job of warning people that there are potentially damaging animals around. |