Latest news for October 16, 2012

• BRPD investigating Sharp Lane shooting

  Baton Rouge police were investigating a shooting Tuesday evening at an apartment complex in the 600 block of Sharp Lane near Florida Boulevard, a police spokesman said. Continue reading →

• BR-area home sales rise in September

  Baton Rouge-area home sales rose 12 percent in September, according to figures released by the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors. Realtors sold 698 homes in the eight-parish metro area compared to 622 that month the year before. Dollar volume rose 21 percent to $137.3 million.

• Fairfield files apartment plans

  The developer of a proposed $29 million student/multifamily apartment development at Burbank Drive and Ben Hur Road has filed plans with the city-parish Department of Public Works. If approved, Fairfield at Baton Rouge would be a 299-unit complex with 898 beds on 40 acres, primarily along Burbank …

• Former West Feliciana police juror’s trial begins

  ST. FRANCISVILLE — The trial began Tuesday for a former West Feliciana parish police juror accused of converting a nonprofit organization’s funds to his personal use by routing the money through church accounts. John Cobb, 54, who served on the jury for 24 years …

• Oak Hills home fire Tuesday was accidental

  More than 30 St. George Fire Department firefighters battled a Tuesday morning house fire at 1731 Twisted Oak in the Oak Hills community, according to a St. George Fire Department news release. The fire’s cause was deemed accidental due to the improper disposal of ashes and embers.

• 2012-13 enrollment declines

  The nine schools in the greater Baton Rouge area managed by the state-run Recovery School District have collectively lost more than 850 students compared with a year ago, according to preliminary enrollment numbers. Istrouma High and Crestworth Middle, two Baton Rouge schools that have undergone …

• La. high court rules Johnson will be chief justice

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that Bernette Johnson will be the court’s next chief justice, resolving a legal dispute that wound up in federal court. The court’s ruling Tuesday says Johnson’s years of appointed and elected service on the court give her …

• Camp Minden explosion causes boom

  MINDEN (AP) — Authorities in Webster Parish in northwest Louisiana say an explosion at the Camp Minden industrial site was the source of a loud, ground-rattling boom late Monday. The Webster Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that the explosion happened in an underground bunker at a Camp Minden …

• I-10 east on-ramp from La. 1 now open

  The Interstate 10 eastbound on-ramp from La. 1 in both directions is now open after crews retrieved an overturned tractor trailer, according to the state Department of Transportation and Development.

• Governor’s future forecast

  Gov. Bobby Jindal would likely be offered and accept a Cabinet job if Republican Mitt Romney is elected president next month, political analyst Elliott Stonecipher said Monday. Stonecipher, who has criticized Jindal on government openness and other issues, said a Cabinet job would be the best …

• Police investigate man’s death

  LAFAYETTE — Lafayette police are investigating the death of a 24-year-old man whose body was found Monday behind some shrubs next to a lawyer’s office downtown. The victim appeared to have been involved in a struggle prior to his death, according to Cpl. …

• Lawyers debate timing of CATS suit

  Capital Area Transit System attorneys argued in state court Monday that a lawsuit attempting to invalidate the recently passed bus tax should be dismissed because it was filed after a deadline set in state law for challenging votes on tax measures. In April, residents in the …

• Tulane eclipses LSU on bar exam pass rates

  The LSU Law Center has relinquished the top spot on state bar passage rates after nearly two decades of dominance, coming in second to Tulane University Law School based on the most recent exam administered in July. The Loyola University College of Law ranked third, while …

• Teachers: Reviews threaten their jobs

  An increasing number of educators say Louisiana’s new evaluations make it more likely that teachers at high-achieving public schools will get poor reviews, which would threaten their job security. “You are looking at trouble,” said Norma Church, principal of Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School in Baton Rouge, …

• Boustany claims lead in funds with $500,000 in 3rd quarter

  WASHINGTON — In advance of the Federal Election Commission releasing all campaign filings later this week, Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, on Monday touted raising $500,000 in the third quarter. Boustany is attempting to assert the fundraising lead he has …

• Students explore career options

  CARENCRO — Eighth-grader Jessica Hawkes said she wasn’t confident in her interest in animal science until she dissected a pig. “I had my doubts until I got to do that,” she said. Hawkes, 14, has a chance to explore her interest in animal …

• Crestworth campus reopens

  After spending more than two months at another middle school campus, Crestworth Middle School students will return to a much-improved campus at 10650 Avenue F on Monday. The state-run Recovery School District assumed control of the middle school on July 1 and concluded later that month …