 BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT | Staff writer Baton Rouge has shattered its record for fatal drug overdoses for two years in a row. As our reporters dug into the data, they noticed a stark trend: Almost all of the top locations for overdoses were budget hotels along the interstates. Here's our investigation into why that's happening — and what can be done about it. It's part of our ongoing investigation into how some hotels have become crime hotspots.
It was a tragic weekend at some beaches along the Gulf Coast. A 14-year-old from Baton Rouge who was celebrating his birthday and middle school graduation got dragged away by a rip current Saturday; a search is still underway. Then, on Sunday afternoon, a two-year-old from Louisiana drowned in a swimming pool.
A state audit has found that the Department of Education may have broken the rules by giving $486,050 worth of contracts to a former top leader of the East Baton Rouge Parish school district. This story explains what raised the red flags, and what it might say about how the department doles out taxpayer money. | 
