GONZALES — Starting in August, Ascension Parish Schools will require all students to use fully transparent backpacks, a move they say coincides with their implementation of weapon detection systems.

Students of all grade levels will no longer be able to have colored, tinted, iridescent or patterned backpacks, as well as backpacks with logos, patches, decals or stickers that obstruct visibility of the contents.

Students in elementary schools are required to have clear bags, but middle and high school students can have mesh backpacks. 

The new guidelines also say that students may continue to bring a non-transparent small hand-held clutch or privacy bag for personal items.

"In addition, band instrument cases and non-transparent, sport-specific athletic bags will still be permitted, but they will be subject to daily inspection," school officials said on Monday. 

Water bottles will also be restricted to being clear on school campuses.

Assumption Parish is implementing a similar policy at the start of the 2026-27 school year as well.

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BAKER - If you are looking to launch into a new future, the City of Baker has just what you need to get started. 

The City of Baker is hosting its annual career fair on Thursday, May 21, giving you the chance to get your resume in the hands of employers and the opportunity to get hired the same day.

Baker Mayor Darnell Waites and Dr. Barbara Parker are organizing this year's event, and they joined 2une-in's John Pastorek with a special invitation.

"Get hired right on the spot," Mayor Waites said. "This is a regional event for Baker; we want everybody from all the areas to come because these community partners are looking for people."

The event is happening from 10 am to 2 pm at the Baker Municipal Auditorium, located at 3325 Groom Road. All skill levels are encouraged to attend.

While pre-registration is not required, you do need to register once you get to the event. This year, anyone who registers on-site will have the option to receive follow-up sessions on financial literacy and advice for navigating their new industry.

"We have over 50 vendors that will be there," Parker said. "Come with your attitude correct and resume in hand."

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BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge man was arrested after he locked a woman inside a room, raped her and struck her face several times, police say. 

On April 29, 26-year-old DeVaughn Tyler asked a woman with whom he had a relationship to meet him at his mother's house to pick up some items that were left there, an affidavit says.

Once the woman arrived, Tyler allegedly locked the deadbolt to the door before telling the woman that her belongings were in his closet. Tyler then locked the bedroom door once the woman was inside and proceeded to demand that the woman have sex with him. She denied these advances, but Tyler began forcibly grabbing her and removing her clothes. 

During this time, Tyler took her keys and phone, and while she was resisting, he punched her in the face several times.

The woman then began bleeding from her nose, the affidavit says. Tyler unlocked the bedroom door to grab a towel, but during this time, the woman was able to escape the bedroom. She was unable to leave the home because the deadbolt was still locked, police said. 

Her cries of distress alerted Tyler's mother, who then tried to convince Tyler to let the woman leave. Tyler, police say, then grabbed the woman and tried to move her back to his room. 

Tyler's mom said that she saw marked police units, and after Tyler unlocked the deadbolt, the woman ran to her car and got inside, locking the doors. Despite Tyler trying to stop her from leaving, the woman backed up and drove to the police station. 

Several weeks later, on Tuesday, Tyler was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on several charges, including false imprisonment, battery of a dating partner, second-degree rape, simple robbery and theft. 

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GONZALES — The Ascension Parish government says that its plans with a contractor for a roundabout at the intersection of La. 929 and La. 930 are no longer moving forward.

The cancellation, announced Monday, came after "careful evaluation of the project status and construction progress," government officials said. They added that they have ended their contract with the project's contractor and were moving in a different direction to complete the project. 

The roundabout was already under construction at the time of the cancellation of the contract, with two other roundabouts in Gonzales also being worked on at the same time.

The parish government said it will work with state officials and project teams to assess what work still needs to be done to reopen the intersection as quickly as possible while developing a plan to finish construction. 

"Our priority is making sure this intersection is safe, functional, and completed in a way that best serves our residents,"  Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment said. "We understand residents have experienced inconvenience during construction, and we are committed to moving this project forward responsibly and transparently."

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Rain/storms will become a common occurrence starting today, lasting all the way through this Memorial Day weekend. Afternoon commutes, and even weekend plans could get affected!

Today & Tonight: After a morning round of showers and a few storms, we should see a relative lull through the mid-morning. As we approach the middle of the day, and especially this afternoon, storms will begin to fire. Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected, with some of this rain heavy at times. Nuisance street/poor drainage flooding will be possible. Highs will reach into the mid-80s under mostly cloudy skies. Although the overall rain coverage will decrease after sunset, isolated showers/storms are still expected overnight. Lows will reach near 70°. 

Use the slider to advance through the next 24 hours of Futurecast

Up Next: The rain is not going anywhere all the way through this Memorial Day weekend. Moisture in our atmosphere will stay very high as upper-level disturbances continue to swing through. This will cause numerous showers and storms on a daily basis. Most of this activity will be confined to the afternoon and evening, but overnight rounds are still possible. 3-6" of rain is expected through early next week. Some localized locations could see even higher totals. 

The main commute affected will be the PM commute, so be very careful on the roadways. Ponding on the roads will be possible, which could lead to hydroplaning if driving too fast. If you have outdoor plans this Memorial Day weekend, do not cancel just about yet. Make sure you have an indoor backup option ready just in case!

Because of all the clouds and rain, highs will only top out in the low to mid-80s over the next 7 days. Lows will be quite muggy, in the lower 70s.

Get the latest 7-day forecast and real-time weather updates HERE.

Watch live news HERE.

– Balin 

The Storm Station is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and X for even more weather updates while you are on the go.

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BATON ROUGE — LSU's environmental science department is using wastewater to track drug trends across the community.

The water collected includes samples from homes, businesses and even stormwater runoff. It all flows to a wastewater plant where researchers analyze how much of various drugs are being used daily.

Professor Bikram Subedi has been studying wastewater analysis for 15 years at universities and now shares that knowledge with his students at LSU. Results from the method developed at LSU come back within 24 hours.

One of the more notable findings involves a class of opioids the team has detected in the water.

"We found very highly potent opiates called nitazines, which can be potent up to 50 times more than fentanyl," Subedi said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says methamphetamine remains one of Louisiana's top drug threats and the wastewater technology gives a clearer picture of what drugs are circulating in the community.

The team has shared its findings with law enforcement and the Louisiana Department of Health, with the goal of helping officials respond to emerging drug trends.

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Welcome to your Team 2 Traffic morning commute guide. This story will be updated as traffic occurs in and around the capital area to help you know what to expect on the roads each day.

The main Plaquemine ferry is in service 4:30am- 7:45pm. A second ferry runs from 5:15- 9am and 3:15- 7pm

5:50a: Accident. Right lane blocked in Addis on La 1 SB at Bird Heights Avenue; CLEARED

6:30a: Accident in right lane in off ramp in Baton Rouge on I-12 WB off-ramp to EB 10/12 Split, stop and go traffic back to Sherwood Forest Blvd/Exit 4; CLEARED

7:15a: Accident in Central on Greenwell Springs Rd SB at Magnolia Bridge Rd; CLEARED

7:15a: Disabled vehicle in Zachary on Blackwater Rd at Mccullough Road; CLEARED

7:35a: Accident in Baton Rouge on Highland Rd WB at Pecue Ln; CLEARED

7:40a:  Highland Rd EB at Pecue Ln

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INNIS — In Pointe Coupee Parish, two of its five fire districts believe they could run out of money in just a matter of months.

During Saturday's election, Fire Districts 1 and 2, which cover about 300 square miles around the Morganza Spillway, each had a millage on the ballot to fund their operations.

For District 1, which covers the Innis, Batchelor, and Lettsworth area, residents were asked to renew the fire district's millage rate of 6.8 mills, which would generate about $240,000 annually. It failed to pass by just 17 votes.

"It's roughly 50% of district one's revenue," District 1 and 2 Fire Chief Jeremy Waldrop said.

In District 2, which covers the Morganza area, residents were asked to vote on a millage increase to 15 mills, generating $285,000 each year. It also failed by 17 votes.

"There aren't many more cuts we can make. We cut $300,000 out of last year's budget here. We've had cuts as far as insurance, we've cut their time, and they've stuck it out," Waldrop said.

Waldrop says it cannot operate at their current capacity without funding.

"In theory, we were supposed to be out of money last summer, and in theory we might be able to go through next summer, but that's optimistic," Waldrop said.

He added that the results of the two millage votes could negatively affect the district's fire rating, which could subsequently increase insurance premiums for residents.

"This is going to be catastrophic to the rating. Right now, District One is in a rating year. This could possibly lead to us cutting from two firefighters a day to one. This could catastrophically impact insurance rating," Waldrop said.

Every fire district in the state is evaluated and assigned a protection class rating from 1 to 10. Waldrop says District 1 is at a 5. The lower the number, the lower the homeowners' insurance premiums.

Pointe Coupee Parish President Major Thibaut says conversations about whether Pointe Coupee's fire protection setup needs to change have gone on for two years. Currently, the parish has five protection districts with five separate millages.

"I think that this expedites that conversation, and the policy makers are going to have to decide whether or not there needs to be some type of change. Do you need to merge some of the districts? Should we go to a consolidated parish tax where everybody has the same millage?" Thibaut said.

Morganza Mayor Clarence Wells says he feels confident that if these millages go back on the ballot, possibly in November, that they'll pass, saying the fire district is important for more than just fire response.

"Eighty-five percent of the emergency calls are for medical. An ambulance in Pointe Coupee Parish may be 40 miles away. It may take them 45 minutes to get here, but if I call the fire department, they will be here within three to four minutes," Wells said.

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HOOVER, ALABAMA - The LSU Tiger baseball team was already facing back-to-the-wall adversity in their SEC Tournament opening game against Oklahoma on Tuesday night in Hoover, Alabama but then they got the news that expected starting pitcher William Schmidt would be a late scratch on the mound.

The Tiger staff rallied and pitched an impressive six hit, one earned run game between three pitchers that kept the teams season alive as LSU pulled out the 6-2 win over the Sooners.

According to head coach Jay Johnson in a SEC Network television broadcast Schmidt was feeling tightness in his back and the coaching staff would not risk any further injury by running him out there against the Sooners.

Grant Fontenot made the start for the Tigers and did a solid job as he threw 2.1 innings allowing just one run. 

Gavin Guidry relieved Fontenot and threw 3.1 innings of three hit, one run baseball and Devin Sheerin shut down the Sooner bats down the stretch throwing 3.1 scoreless innings as both relievers collected six strikeouts each against Oklahoma.

The Tigers showed some continued miscues but overcame them early in the game to take a 4-2 lead over the Sooners in the fifth inning.

LSU must win the entire SEC Tournament to earn an automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA postseason tournament.

The Tigers will now will face sixth-seeded Auburn in the late game on Wednesday night.

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BATON ROUGE - Last month, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore and several other district attorneys across the state asked the state legislature to help fund more assistant district attorney positions and a salary increase for starting ADAs, but Moore says that funding may no longer be on the table.

"We need relief, and we thought we saw relief coming pretty soon. We thought we saw some substantial relief, but it looks like that's probably not going to happen," Moore said.

Five constitutional amendments were on Saturday's ballot. One of those amendments would have reallocated money from education funds to give teachers and support staff a permanent pay raise. 

But they all failed, leaving Governor Jeff Landry to take to social media on Monday, saying if teachers don't get a permanent raise this year, no state government employees will get a pay raise.

"Besides parents, teachers are there, and then there's police and district attorneys that have to fill in when there's no parents or when things fail. So I think that we clearly understand there will probably be no raise in sight," Moore said.

 Moore went to the Capitol last month requesting 25 additional assistant district attorney positions.

 He says it's not just the failure of the amendments 3 and 4 that could impact funding for more positions in his office.

He says it's also the fact that the revenue estimating conference's projection of the amount of money the state has to spend came back 200 million dollars less than what they thought.

"That surely set a lot of people's hopes and dreams and programs back, particularly district attorneys. So, that's something that we knew going in, that we were waiting on the estimation, and it came in a lot less than what everyone thought it'd be," Moore said.

Now, the legislature could still approve the additional positions for the district attorney's office, but they would still need the money to bring on more assistant district attorneys.

"We're still hopeful that the state can find some money to fund those positions, particularly for Baton Rouge, cause we are way behind and being very needy for assistant DA spots," Moore said.

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WALKER - The Walker Police Department arrested a man following a domestic disturbance call that turned into a standoff, according to officials.

The police department said that, around 5:10 p.m. on Tuesday, police arrived to see Marcus Paul Groves, 42, arguing with other occupants of the residence. He then displayed a firearm and threatened officers with violence, officials said.

Officers then moved back from the door of the residence while Groves remained inside, refusing police orders to surrender. Other people were also reported to be inside the residence. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office was called to assist.

After deputies arrived, they were able to talk to Groves and persuade him to come out of the house, with a K-9 apprehension bringing an end to the standoff.

Groves was booked for aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. He was booked on a $226,500 bond.

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CENTRAL - Two people, including Central Mayor Wade Evans, were injured in a crash on Hooper Road and Blackwater Road in Central, emergency officials confirmed to WBRZ.

The Central Police Department, at around 8:24 p.m., said to avoid the road due to a "serious crash being investigated."

Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran confirmed Mayor Evans was one of the people injured in the crash; he described Evans' injuries as "minor," saying he went to the hospital as a precaution.

The two injured people were listed as being in stable condition. No other information was immediately available.

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PORT ALLEN — A hiring fair at GXO Logistics drew a large crowd today, with lines stretching out the door.

On-site interviews were held for more than 30 positions. GXO is looking for people with experience operating reach trucks, forklifts and other heavy equipment, as well as those with customer service backgrounds.

Requirements include appropriate equipment certifications, reliable transportation, strong communication skills and a dedication to workplace safety. Starting pay for the open positions begins at more than $20 an hour.

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BATON ROUGE — A coalition focused on early education gathered at the state capitol to push lawmakers to keep funding childhood programs during this year's legislative session.

The Ready Louisiana Coalition hosted an Early Education Day event, calling on legislators to continue investing in early childhood programs and the state Early Childhood Education Fund.

A bill tied to that effort has already cleared the House and the Senate Education Committee. Rep. Freiberg's HB 992 is now awaiting a final vote on the Senate floor.

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BATON ROUGE — An Oklahoma man was arrested after he allegedly sent sexually inappropriate messages to a Louisiana State Police trooper who was posing as a 15-year-old. 

LSP said it, with help from the FBI, began an undercover operation in January targeting people sexually exploiting children on social media. 

Jason Edgar Daniel, a 40-year-old registered sex offender in Oklahoma, allegedly sent an undercover trooper several explicit messages. 

On Monday, FBI agents arrested Daniel on charges of indecent behavior with juveniles, attempted production of child sexual abuse material and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. LSP said he also admitted to having child pornography on his phone. 

Daniel now awaits extradition to East Baton Rouge Parish. 

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BATON ROUGE — An 18-year-old was arrested for allegedly trying to bring a gun into a high school graduation ceremony after a fight broke out. 

The Baton Rouge Police Department said an officer saw Allen Applewhite fighting several people inside the F.G. Clark Activity Center at Southern University, while the Istrouma High School graduation ceremony was going on. 

According to arrest documents, the officer watched Applewhite leave the ceremony and walk out to his car, where he grabbed a large drum magazine and put it under his jacket before heading back toward the activity center. 

When police approached Applewhite, documents say, he turned around and put the weapon back inside the car. He was placed under arrest, but not before police say he locked the car door and said he didn't know where the keys were, so that police could not get the gun.

The car was towed to BRPD's evidence shed, and investigators plan to search it once a judge signs off on a warrant. 

Applewhite was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of carrying a firearm on school property, negligent carrying of a concealed handgun and disturbing the peace. 

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BATON ROUGE - Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Gary Crockett and Jamie Davis are headed to a runoff after Nick Albares announced Tuesday that he is conceding.

According to the Secretary of State's office, Davis received 47% of the votes from registered Democrats across the state. Crockett won 90,764 votes and Albares grabbed 90,480, sparking an automatic recount between the two. 

Albares conceded Tuesday afternoon. He sent the following statement: 

“While votes are still being tabulated and results are currently unofficial, I’ve decided today that it is time to end my campaign for the U.S. Senate and continue my work for dignity, solutions, and results through other means. I’m grateful to everyone who supported this campaign which was rooted in building an authentic community. Our campaign was focused on the dignity of every person, lowering healthcare costs, protecting Medicaid for the hundreds of thousands of families who rely on it, ending the corruption in Washington that is driving up costs, and ensuring that billionaires pay their fair share." 

Democratic voters will have to choose between Crockett and Davis at the polls on June 27. The winner of that election will go head-to-head against the Republican nominee, either Julia Letlow or John Fleming, in November. 

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ST. GABRIEL — An Iowa man known as "Santa Ames" was arrested for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a Louisiana woman. 

The St. Gabriel Police Department said a woman reported $37,000 missing from her retirement account on March 31. Police say they tracked the stolen funds to an account in Ames, Iowa. 

After getting in touch with the involved bank, the police department identified David Greulich as a suspect. St. Gabriel Police Chief Kevin Ambeau said he was arrested in Iowa and will soon be extradited to Louisiana to be booked on charges of money laundering, theft over $25,000, bank fraud and identity theft. 

"We were able to gain evidence that he took part in this crime and how much he was going to get paid," Ambeau said. "So I want him to know I'm not making any mistake arresting Santa. We did our homework, we followed the leads, and I'm sorry, Santa will have to come back to Louisiana."

On his website, Greulich claims to be a trusted Santa in the Ames community with more than 20 years of experience. He is also listed as the contact for the Iowa chapter of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, an organization whose website says it plans to "become the preeminent Santa Community in the World." 

"We're definitely going to arrest Santa. I know that it's May, but Santa Claus is coming to town," Ambeau said. 

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BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana State Supreme Court unanimously rejected a writ that would've prevented the use of body camera footage against three former BRPD officers that allegedly showed two of them discussing disposing evidence after roughing up a person.

The Supreme Court rejected the request without comment and did so unanimously. District Attorney Hillar Moore confirmed that, because of this ruling, the prosecution can use the body camera footage in court.

Former Street Crimes Unit members Douglas Chutz, Todd Thomas and Troy Lawrence Sr. are accused of roughing up a person during a 2020 strip search before disposing of a body camera video that documented the encounter. Lawrence briefly pulled his TASER, leading to multiple of the officers' body cameras being activated, court documents said.

According to court documents, while talking about disposing of another officer's body camera that caught the encounter, Chutz's body camera in the trunk of his patrol car caught him saying, "Cameras don't cost but $80," with Thomas agreeing to a plan to dispose of the evidence.

Thomas said, "I'm going to stay and f***ing smash it and scoop it up... and take it to the Mississippi River."

The camera that caught the encounter with the suspect was never docked, uploaded to the BRPD server or returned, court documents said. Chutz, however, later placed his camera that recorded the conversation into the docking station, and it automatically uploaded the video and audio content to BRPD's server.

In April 2025, the defense argued that the recording occurred without the officers' consent in a circumstance in which they had a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Chutz and Thomas' cases were previously rejected unanimously in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. In Lawrence's case, he still lost, but one of the judges said the lower court should have looked at the video before deciding.

Chutz and Lawrence are scheduled to appear in court for a status conference on June 25. Thomas has not been scheduled for an appearance at this time. All three, and Martele Jackson, are being tried for malfeasance in office.

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BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge police are asking for the public's help identifying the people who robbed a man at gunpoint outside a convenience store.

According to police, the robbery happened at around 10:15 p.m. on May 2 in the 6400 block of Harry Drive. Investigators say the victim had just walked out of a convenience store when the suspects confronted him.

The suspects physically assaulted the victim and robbed him at gunpoint. Before running away on foot, they also took items from his vehicle.

Anyone with information on the identity of the suspects can contact Crime Stoppers by calling 344-7867, downloading the P3 Tips App or visiting crimestoppers225.com. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

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