BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer Superintendent Sito Narcisse will have to go back to the well to try to figure out how to solve the East Baton Rouge Parish school district's ongoing transportation crisis after his proposal to change school schedules was rejected. The school board meeting Thursday night drew a crowd of more than 500 upset parents and school employees. Narcisse's proposal to start high schools earlier and middle and elementary schools later prompted immediate criticism, with critics saying it would upend the plans of 40,000-plus school students and more than 5,000 employees. Hundreds of wildfires were burning in western Louisiana on Thursday, fueled by weeks of unrelenting drought and extreme heat. Officials in Beauregard Parish issued a mandatory evacuation Thursday evening for the entire town of Merryville, about 1,000 residents, as well as the community of Singer due to the Tiger Island Fire. It was estimated to have burned 16,000 acres. Fire departments from Baton Rouge, Scott and several towns in Texas have provided equipment and reinforcements. Those who work with Baton Rouge's homeless population have seen a marked increase in shelter usage and a general clamoring for extra resources as Louisiana's record-setting temperatures continue. Addie Duval, vice president of the Greater Baton Rouge chapter of Start Corp, a nonprofit organization that provides resources to the most vulnerable members of the community, said homeless people face a range of risks brought on by excessive temperatures. According to the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care, roughly 430 people are currently experiencing homelessness in the Baton Rouge Region. | 