BATON ROUGE — Dozens of people gathered outside the Super One on Coursey Boulevard for a $25 gift card as part of a community food event.

The event was organized around the "Healthy Food, Healthy Community" initiative, which works to fight food insecurity in Baton Rouge. Representatives also offered resources to help people enroll in Medicaid.

According to Feeding Louisiana, more than 16 percent of residents in East Baton Rouge struggle to put food on the table.

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BATON ROUGE — A new exhibit called "We the People" has been unveiled at the Capitol Park Museum.

The display uses nearly 200 photographs to show what life in America looks like in the 21 century, featuring everything from farm life to city streets.

The photos were taken across the country and several of them include American flag-themed objects.

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BATON ROUGE — More than 100 students graduated from a skilled trades program at Baton Rouge Community College in the Magnolia Theatre.

The students completed the North Baton Rouge Industrial Training Initiative, a tuition-free program that prepares graduates for work in fields including electrical, pipe fitting and welding.

Each student received a certificate to help them get hired in high-demand jobs.

BRCC launched the program in 2012 in partnership with ExxonMobil.

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PONCHATOULA - A former Ponchatoula High School basketball player was selected in the first round by the Toronto Raptors in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Allen Graves, the 6-foot-9 forward who played for Santa Clara in college, was the 19th overall pick.

Graves averaged 11.8 points per game; he was also named the West Coast Conference's Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.

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BATON ROUGE — A large Saharan dust plume is moving across the Atlantic Basin and could reach the Gulf Coast by next week. Multiple impacts could be noted across the region. 

The Storm Station Team says no tropical development is expected over the next seven days because of the dry air mass coming off the African continent. Saharan dust marks hot and dry desert air and can be associated with bursts of wind shear. It also shields sunlight, cooling the ocean surface, which makes it difficult for tropical systems to develop.

The tan shades visible on tracking maps show the dust keeping the basin dry. Storms struggle to develop in that type of atmosphere.

As the plume moves closer to the United States, it could bring hazy skies and colorful sunrises and sunsets to the Gulf Coast. It could also potentially lower air quality in the region.

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 - The Dunham Tigers are looking to win back-to-back state titles, but they understand that in order to do that they will need to focus on this season and forget about the last.

Head coach Neil Weiner says his Tiger team will lean on a senior class that has come up through the program together and understands what is required to reach their team goals.

However depth is a concern for the Tigers who play in 2A football here in Louisiana and have multiple players who will play on both sides of the football on both offense and defense.

The Tigers have eleven starters back from last years team headlined by quarterback Elijah Haven who returns for his senior season at Dunham.  After four years at the helm of the offense, Haven is expected to once again lead this offense to great success.

Haven spoke with us about his recruitment and eventually landing on Alabama and the Crimson Tide.

"I think they were just the most consistent throughout the whole recruitment," Haven said of choosing the Tide.

"They got on me you know around last summer and offered me, Coach (Kalen) Deboer, Coach (Nick) Sheridan, even after he left and went to Michigan State, you know after he left, just the consistency with communication and things like that, that went a long way for me and my family."

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GONZALES - A routine financial update at a Gonzales City Council meeting turned into a heated exchange between council members and the mayor's chief of staff over more than $680,000 in salary funding that remained in the city's budget.

The dispute also centers on whether the mayor's office or the city council has the final say over the chief of staff position.

Councilwoman Cynthia Gray James said they unanimously voted to reduce salaries they believed were overpaid. Councilwoman Terri Lambert raised the issue when she questioned why the funding was still in the budget.

"We felt this budget was completely settled because all five council members voted on the reduction," said James.

Chief of Staff Wade Petite said the only approved changes were three specific line items.

"Those three line items were adjusted in the budget. The rest of it, them saying they were saving $680,000, did not address any specific line items," Petite said.

Lambert argued the council has the authority to make changes to employee salaries. Petite countered that a recent attorney general opinion says otherwise.

Three weeks ago, Attorney General Liz Murrill issued an opinion stating the mayor has the authority to create positions within the executive branch but the elected council must approve funding for new positions.

The exchange at the meeting grew tense, with Councilwoman Terri Lynn Lamber telling Petite, "You're meaningless without our approval in the budget. You're not even approved to be here or have a car and a city credit card."

"And yet, here I am," Petite responded. 

The city council has not made any decisions on the next steps for the budget. Council members tell WBRZ those steps could include requesting a state legislative audit, or filing legal action against the mayor's office.

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NEW ROADS — The Louisiana Department of Insurance has set up at Pointe Coupee Parish government offices to help residents with flooding-related insurance claims.

Department representatives were available to answer questions one-on-one about coverage, the claims process and more.

"First thing is now they are scrambling because they have damage and they maybe haven't read the policy. Most people don't read those policies until something happens," a department representative said. "One of the commissioners... his big thing is about making us make sure we get out and talk to people prior to a storm or some sort of event happening. This, we didn't have a chance to get here to do that, but now that we're here, it's okay. This is how it works."

All residents who have had flooding or storm damage are being encouraged to go to damage.la.gov.

The flooding in Pointe Coupee Parish followed Tropical Storm Arthur, which brought an estimated 14 to 17 inches of rain north of Highway 15. Four families in Lettsworth were evacuated after water entered their homes and about 30 residents' homes took on water overall.

Gov. Jeff Landry ordered a state of emergency for Pointe Coupee Parish and several other parishes in the area. The parish government concluded its search and rescue efforts and said no one was hurt or killed.

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ZACHARY — A new restaurant called The Spicy Nacho has opened on Plank Road in Zachary.

The menu includes loaded nachos, hot dogs, snowballs and other sweet treats. Family, friends and community members gathered for the grand opening to celebrate the new business and show their support for the Zachary native behind it.

Owner Carlette O'Dell says she hopes customers leave with more than just a full stomach.

"You actually get to make a difference in people's lives," O'Dell said. "You get to actually talk to the customers, you get to ask about their day, you know in the world we live in is so corrupt so chaotic, it's nice just to see a smiling face."

The Spicy Nacho is open Monday through Saturday from noon until 7 p.m.

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DENHAM SPRINGS — Brandon Chenevert, the man accused of hitting and killing 20-year-old Jody Mann in a hit-and-run crash on Reinninger Road, was back in court for a preliminary examination on Tuesday.

The hearing was continued to August after Chenevert's lawyer was unable to attend. His bond had been revoked in February.

Mann's family and friends were outside the courtroom that morning holding signs demanding justice for her.

Mann was walking along Reinninger Road on March 29 around 9 p.m. when she was struck by a vehicle. She died April 16 in the hospital after fighting for weeks to survive.

Troopers say she was struck by Chenevert, who was arrested days later after two anonymous tips reportedly identified him as the driver. He was booked on charges including felony hit and run, negligent injuring and obstruction of justice.

For three weeks, Mann was in and out of surgeries until she suffered a stroke and was declared brain dead.

Her mother, Holly Crow, has been fighting for change since her daughter's death. She worked with State Rep. Vanessa Lafleur earlier this year to push a bill through the Louisiana legislature.

"This bill, 806, is intended to strengthen Louisiana's hit-and-run statute. We're hoping to get it through the process and it will become Jody's Law," Lafleur said during a committee meeting in April.

Gov. Jeff Landry signed the bill into law and Jody's Law goes into effect Aug. 1. It creates an alert system that shares information like the description of the vehicle, injuries and the direction the car took off in with all law enforcement agencies in the state after a hit-and-run occurs. That system will be managed by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections along with State Police.

"That essentially gets the information out quicker, so the people can be found quicker. It gives them less time to destroy evidence or hide or anything else they might do," Crow said.

The law also requires the accused to go before a judge before getting bail.

"With Jody's case, the person was arrested and was out by the time we were even notified that they had been arrested," Crow said.

Crow says she plans to continue working on more legislation related to hit-and-run laws in the next legislative session.

"We will be there at every court date. We're not letting this go; we're not backing down on it. My daughter deserved way better than she got and I will fight for that," Crow said.

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KILLIAN - Voters in Killian will decide on a proposition that could help rebuild the town's small police department.

Back in Aug. 2025, Killian's Board of Aldermen voted to suspend the entire police department. Under Louisiana's Lawrason Act, the town must have a police chief even if it does not actually have a police department.

Appointed in November, Killian Police Chief Vicki Corkern serves a department that's been largely dissolved. Seven months into the job, the chief still finds boxes and decades worth of official documents she must sort through, helping her figure out how the department got to the point where it is today.

“We’ve located some weapons, police radios. We’re missing two police radios. We’re still in the process of taking inventory. It’s hard to tell you what’s missing,” Corkern said.

Corkern's appointment is also historic, telling WBRZ she is the town's first female police chief.

“As a female police chief and as a female in law enforcement period, I think all the female law enforcement officers would appreciate this, you actually have to do a better job than your male co-parts,” Corkern said.

The June 27 election is fast approaching. Killian residents will be asked to approve a one-percent sales tax on the ballot to help in part fund the new department. The tax is estimated to generate a little more than $38,000 annually and is set for ten years. Of the funds proposed to be raised, half would go to public safety efforts. The rest of the sales tax would pay for infrastructure improvements, parks in the area and legal obligations.

“That would be my goal, to have a department that people could be proud of and trust,” Corkern said.

Killian Mayor Caleb Atwell said the board will revisit the future of the suspended police department in August and said the results of Saturday's election will play a role in whether the police department will remain suspended or be revived.

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Gov. Jeff Landry increased his control of the LSU Board of Supervisors by quietly appointing two donors to the university oversight board. 

Chad Moody and Jennifer Settoon were named to the board earlier this month though neither appointment was publicly announced, which is typical when Landry makes higher education board appointments. 

Moody was a safety on the roster of LSU’s 2007 national championship football team. He is the founder and CEO of the Lafayette-based nursing care company Crossroads Area Management. He previously held a seat on the Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges Board of Supervisors.

Moody and companies he is connected have made campaign donations to Landry, according to state ethics administration records. 

Moody replaces Patrick Morrow of Opelousas, who Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed to the LSU and is a major Democratic donor. 

Jennifer Settoon and her husband, Russ, of Ascension Parish own several businesses, including Settoon Towing and Settoon Capital, through which they have made significant donations to Landry and other Republicans. 

Settoon replaces Laurie Lipsey Aronson of Baton Rouge, also a major Democratic donor who Edwards appointed. Aronson is among the few members of any higher education board who have voted contrary to Landry’s board appointees since he took office in 2024. 

Landry also reappointed Collis Temple Jr. to the LSU board. Temple is a former basketball star who played on the Tigers’ first integrated team and now owns several businesses. He has donated to Democrats and Republicans, including Edwards and Landry.

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GONZALES - An Ascension Parish man who tried to rape a female employee behind a Gonzales grocery store pleaded guilty to charges in two separate cases. 

District Attorney Ricky Babin's office says Samuel Lane pleaded guilty to home invasion, attempted first-degree rape, and attempted first-degree robbery. 

WBRZ previously reported Lane was arrested after attacking an employee at Lamendola's Supermarket. Documents said the woman was feeding cats by the store when Lane demanded money from her before hitting her and dragging her across the pavement and behind a building, where he attempted to rape her. 

Lane was arrested in a separate incident where he walked up to an apartment, knocked on the door and told the person inside that he was having car troubles. Documents say the victim asked Lane to leave before he pushed into the home and grabbed the victim by the throat.

The DA's office said Lane will be sentenced in August, but "faces decades in state prison."

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BATON ROUGE — Police have charged a man with first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of a 15-year-old, even though the teenager's body has not been found.

Maurice Parms was arrested Saturday and charged in the case of Ja'Derrius Minnieweather, who has been missing for three weeks. Search crews are still looking for Minnieweather.

East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards addressed the case Saturday.

"We will hunt you down. We will find you. Don't fool with our babies in Baton Rouge," Edwards said.

Defense attorney Franz Borghardt, who works on criminal cases in the area, said murder convictions without a body are possible. He said murder can be proven without a body.

"You still have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person accused of a crime did it," Borghardt said. "But it is not impossible to prove it, and in fact nationally and locally, we've had cases where people have been convicted of murder when there is no body."

According to arrest documents, a witness saw a "very tall black man" beating a smaller person, police believe fit Minnieweather's description on the night of June 4. Parms told police he visited Minnieweather briefly that night and then returned home and did not leave until the morning.

Security video contradicted that account, reportedly showing Parms riding a "small kid's bike" from the scene where police also found a large blood stain.

Bourghardt said that kind of evidence can help build a criminal case.

"If it's reliable and credible, then we can draw conclusions from it," he said. "Based on the affidavit, it would seem that we have physical evidence in a place that it shouldn't be. We also have direct evidence, someone saw something."

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A couple of showers and thunderstorms will develop and move across the region Wednesday afternoon. Beyond that, a long stretch of mainly dry and hot weather is ahead.

Midweek T-Storms: best rain chance on Wednesday, especially north and east of Baton Rouge

Weekend Sizzle: several highs in the mid-90s possible

Dusty Tropics: Saharan layer stops tropical development, brings colorful sunsets

Tonight & Tomorrow: A muggy night is ahead, and low temperatures will only bottom out in the mid 70s under partly cloudy skies. Wednesday will kick off with plenty of sunshine, sending high temperatures into the low 90s by early afternoon. Late in the day, we will need to keep an eye on the sky. A cluster of thunderstorms will develop northwest of the region and move toward the Metro Area. There is some question as to how far south the storms will survive. At the very least, neighborhoods north and east of Baton Rouge could get clipped, but any location along and north of I-10 should be aware of the potential. Any thunderstorm could produce gusty wind and a quick downpour.  

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

Up Next: For the rest of the workweek, rain coverage will dip into the 20% range, meaning only a spotty, pop-up shower will be possible during the afternoons. Most will stay dry. Very hot temperatures will become the main weather story with highs getting well into the 90s and feels-like temperatures eclipsing 100 due to ample humidity. A ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere will tighten its grip on the region this weekend into next week. The ridge overhead results in warm, sinking air that squashes major thunderstorm development and causes warmer temperatures. Afternoons will soar into the mid 90s and combine with typical summer humidity to create a heat index, or feels-like, between 108 and 112 degrees outside. Use those common sense practices to beat the heat—including hydrating more and taking breaks in cooler spots.

The first major Saharan dust plume will track across the Atlantic Basin and could reach the Gulf Coast by next week. This dry air mass acts as a natural shield against tropical development by choking out the moisture that storms need to grow and thrive. Additionally, dust particles create hazy daytime skies before scattering the light rays to produce vivid, fiery-orange sunsets.

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

Watch live news HERE.

The Tropics: For the North Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean, all is quiet. No development is expected over the next seven days.

– Josh 

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 — The chief judge of the 19th Judicial District Court is pushing back against what he calls a misconception that his court is soft on crime.

It is rare for a judge to speak to the media, but Chief Judge Donald Johnson sat down with the WBRZ Investigative Unit for an hour-long interview to address the criticism directly.

Johnson said he is acutely aware of how some state leaders and much of the public currently view the 19th JDC. 

"I would just ask the executives who make such profound statements — you're not accurate with the facts," Johnson said. "Get your facts before you speak, and after you get your facts, align your statements with the facts."

Johnson addressed Governor Jeff Landry's recent characterization of the Baton Rouge judiciary. Landry made those remarks in April, hours after a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana that killed one person and wounded five.

"I watched nothing but 'hug-a-thug' policies in this state, a watering down of our criminal justice system, not quite holding those accountable, accountable. I'm done with them," Landry said.

The comments came after reports emerged that a teenager on a court-ordered monitoring system may have been involved in the mall shooting. That teenager was never charged in connection with the shooting.

Johnson called Landry's public critique a "knee-jerk reaction."

"The concept presumes a fact. What does 'hug-a-thug' mean? What in the world does that mean? Soft on crime? Is that what the word suggests?" Johnson said. "Let me tell you this — I'll 'hug a thug' as long as he stays his behind out of trouble and do what I tell him to do." 

Johnson said some of the public outrage following the governor's statements was pointed at the commissioner in the teenager's case.

"My colleague was exposed to safety concerns for himself and his family, and no one is going to jeopardize the safety of my judges because of comments that are off base and not supported by data or evidence-based statements," Johnson said.

Other recent cases have drawn attention to alleged bond violations. Xavier Williams, 18, was out on bond and on an ankle monitor on aggravated assault charges when he allegedly shot a high school student at a bus stop. Johnson says those types of cases remain in the minority.

The court's own statistics show an eight percent re-arrest rate. The 19th JDC defines re-arrest as a suspect being charged after bonding out of jail when the new offense occurs during the bond release.

"We are the guardians of public safety in terms of risk with defendants, and we take that very seriously," Johnson said.

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LIVINGSTON — Officials in Livingston Parish unveiled a new media studio inside the health unit along Government Boulevard.

The studio is meant to improve communications between parish officials and the public.

The space was named in honor of Jeff McHugh David, a longtime news publisher in the parish.

His family said they were thrilled by the honor.

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BATON ROUGE — Companion Animal Alliance is continuing its temporary closure of dog adoptions through Monday, June 29, as the shelter continues testing and monitoring following cases of canine distemper. 

Canine distemper is a highly contagious viral disease that affects dogs and certain wildlife species. The veterinary team has implemented enhanced disease-control measures, including isolation protocols, expanded testing, increased monitoring, and additional vaccination efforts.

"This is our first time experiencing a distemper outbreak, and we are working closely with shelter medicine experts while making decisions based on the most current information available. We appreciate our community's patience and support as we navigate this challenging situation,” Executive Director J.T. Hackett said. "We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from our community as we work to protect the health and welfare of the animals in our care."

Cat adoptions remain open, with dog intake limited to emergency cases only, CAA added. 

Despite the temporary restrictions, Food Truck Friday will proceed as scheduled on Friday, June 26. A limited number of adoptable dogs that have been living in foster homes and have not been exposed to the shelter dog population will be available to meet potential adopters at this event.

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CENTRAL - A controversial pastor was arrested Tuesday after allegedly attacking a person who lives across from his church. 

Mark Anthony "Tony" Spell, the pastor of Life Tabernacle Church along Hooper Road, was arrested and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for second-degree battery on Tuesday. 

WBRZ spoke with the Sherwins, who live across the street. They said Spell ran across the four-lane highway and started attacking their son.

Video from the Sherwins' home security system showed Spell and their son punching one another off the shoulder of the highway. Footage appears to show the pastor throwing the victim to the ground, getting on top of him and continuing to hit him. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries. 

Woody Jenkins, the editor of Central City News, posted that the alleged beating was sparked by the victim making threats against the pastor and his family. Jenkins said the threats had been reported to the Central Police Department, and no action had been taken. 

However, WBRZ reached out to Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran, who said no reports had been made to them.

"Woody Jenkins is a coward that hides behind a keyboard," Corcoran said. 

The Sherwins say Tuesday's arrest is tied to the recent end of a years-long legal battle that began when Spell was holding church services through the Coronavirus pandemic. 

"This is Pastor Spell lashing out, like he always does, when he doesn't get his way," the Sherwins said. 

Spell sued the couple in 2023, adding them to a lawsuit he filed against former Governor John Bel Edwards, Corcoran and East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux following statewide COVID mandates. 

The suit, which was dismissed in 2024, was thrown out for the second time recently. It centered around Spell's interactions with the Central Police Department.

Spell was issued six misdemeanor summonses by Central Police officers in 2020 when he continued holding church services while COVID cases across the state were rising. In the same year, he was arrested for aggravated assault for allegedly trying to hit a protester outside of Life Tabernacle Church with the church's bus.

Arrest paperwork says the ordeal was caught on camera by his neighbor's home security system, which is why he added the Sherwins to the lawsuit in 2023. An updated court filing says the couple was "cooperating with those officials to install sophisticated cameras and monitoring devices on and in their home for the purposes of monitoring the activities of Pastor Spell, his family, and Life Tabernacle Church members and attendees." 

Spell was bonded out of East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Tuesday night.

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MORGAN CITY — A man on parole after being convicted on drug charges has been arrested again in Morgan City after he was found with cocaine and synthetic marijuana. 

On Monday, Morgan City Police officers were patrolling a residential neighborhood within the city and saw a man later identified as 52-year-old Keith Allen Clark walking. After he noticed the patrolling officers, Clark tried to run away on foot and tried to discard illegal narcotics, police said. 

The drugs were later recovered and found to have been suspected crack cocaine, suspected powder cocaine and suspected synthetic marijuana. Police said they believe Clark intended to sell the cocaine throughout the Morgan City area. 

He was booked on possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, as well as possession of synthetic marijuana. 

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