A taxpayer-funded, problematic development in Baton Rouge failed 3 occupancy inspections with a slew issues. The very next day, a different inspector passed all 3. Turns out, that 2nd inspector was taking Cash App payments to fraudulently pass permits.

In newly obtained bodycam video, the pastor uses the f-slur twice to refer to the man he beat up two days prior.

Big four firm Ernst & Young has contracted with the Louisiana AG. Sources familiar have told me they are assisting with investigations related to the ongoing Baton Rouge corruption probe and former New Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson.

Staff at a private prison in Louisiana said “We don’t sent people to the hospital for seizures” after pretrial inmate Jaleen Anderson suffered his 6th in 36 hours. He died 2 hours later. Is a shell game allowing the jailer to avoid liability?

Here’s the latest info from Baton Rouge officials on the Mall of Louisiana shooting investigation.

One suspect is still at large. Baton Rouge police detained four persons of interest yesterday. They have been released, but could still later be charged, the chief said.

A 17-year-old has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection to yesterday’s Mall of Louisiana shooting in Baton Rouge.

A few weeks ago, Rome announced his retirement. Last night, some Metro Council members tried to ask him to reconsider in a public meeting but the move was blocked. All of this while some interesting candidates are being floated. More on that later.

In order to kill the mayor's police pay raises set for a vote on April 22, the five Democrats on Baton Rouge's council would need to pick up a dissenting vote from one of seven Metro Council Republicans.

Metro Council Democrats will be holding a press conference at 10 AM related to city worker pay. Mayor Sid Edwards recently announced his plan for BRPD raises that is set for a council vote on April 22. Story to come following the presser.

A few weeks ago, I found and wrote about records showing taxpayers paid for a man facing murder charges to teach kids about gun safety. Yesterday, the AG issued subpoenas to Baton Rouge City Hall about it.

Today, Mayor Edwards was able to deliver on a major campaign promise, thanks in-part to a solution found by the Baton Rouge Metro Council. “Jen (Racca) was the quarterback on this, and the rest of the council helped chop this up too,” Edwards said.

Mayor Sid Edwards is about to announce major raises for Baton Rouge police, sources say. Presser starts at 11. Full story to follow.

In June 2022, the mayor’s nonprofit paid for “Madd Marvin” to talk to gun safety and violence with kids. Madd Marvin is Marvin Payne, a Zion City gang member. He was charged with murder 4 months prior, accused of shooting and killing a man.

Former Sharon Weston Broome staffer Courtney Scott was indicted yesterday along with a contractor. AG Liz Murrill’s office says the two were involved in a kickback scheme from 2021-24. Scott got about $200k in taxpayer funds, officials say.

Because this public money goes from the city-parish into this nonprofit, it’s hard to find out what happens with it from there. But we’re starting to see that huge amounts of it were - at best - not being spent how the feds said it could be spent.

Last night, an effort to remove indicted councilman Cleve Dunn Jr. from the Baton Rouge airport board by some of his colleagues fell short. Dunn faces 9 counts in the AG’s corruption investigation into alleged bribery and kickbacks in BR government.

All of the AG’s corruption charges so far have stemmed from a previous FBI probe into Baton Rouge government. Could a federal subpoena from 2024 targeting the mayor’s Safe, Hopeful, Healthy initiative signal that City Hall is the next target?

Councilman Cleve Dunn Jr. has just been booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He has a pre-set bond of $25,000.

Quite the news day in Baton Rouge yesterday. ICYMI, Councilman Cleve Dunn was indicted. He is currently in Washington DC at DC Mardi Gras. There is a warrant out for his arrest.

BREAKING: Councilman Cleve Dunn Jr. has been indicted. Dunn is charged with 9 total counts, including bribery, money laundering and several conspiracy charges in the AG’s Baton Rouge corruption probe.

This grand jury has been busy. Yesterday makes it 4 people who have now been indicted as part of the AG’s probe of an alleged conspiracy to defraud tax dollars tied to Baton Rouge’s public transit system.

Last week, Baton Rouge councilman Cleve Dunn was implicated as a co-conspirator in an AG indictment related to company’s contract to receive tax dollars. Turns out, his ties to the company go pretty deep. He founded the thing.

Documents detail an FBI and Louisiana Attorney General’s office investigation into an alleged scheme that resulted in two indictments Wednesday. A sitting Baton Rouge councilman is also implicated in the corruption probe.

A source with direct knowledge of the AG's investigation has just identified Baton Rouge Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr. as the unindicted co-conspirator named in yesterday's indictment.

Yesterday brought the latest indictment from the AG office’s corruption probe of Baton Rouge government. The most interesting piece might be the unnamed, unindicted co-conspirator mentioned. Referred to only as “C.D.”

Sid Edwards returned last week energized to employ some of the Motor City’s blight strategies in Baton Rouge. But BR’s blight ecosystem has a significant factor Detroit doesn’t: it exists in a starkly segregated city separated by race.

A group of Baton Rouge leaders spent time in Detroit yesterday learning about the city’s quick blight elimination process. But back home, some took issue, with one leader accusing the Metro Council of not following new blight laws.

From Detroit: Sid Edwards saw a much quicker process for blight removal in the Motor City yesterday than what he’s used to. Can Baton Rouge remove some red tape and speed up its process?

Coach Sid is headed to Motown. Keep an eye out for more coverage. I'll be traveling with the mayor's staff to cover the trip and hear what lessons from Detroit's turnaround Edwards and his team think might apply in Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards' own security detail detained a man wielding a knife outside of Edwards' office this morning. No one was hurt during the incident, and officials said the man "appeared to be mentally ill and intoxicated."

JUST IN: LSU's efforts to build an arena could face another new hurdle. A suit was filed today claiming the taxes tied to the arena were created to dodge voter approval and that LSU misled the public about taxpayer money going to the developer.

DEVELOPING: The developer behind an $11 million low-income Baton Rouge housing deal with the city-parish has just been charged by AG Liz Murrill on 7 counts of financial crimes. The project was also the subject of federal subpoenas served last year.

Kelly LeDuff is now Baton Rouge’s community development director. But back in February, he was a contracted employee for Sid Edwards’ office, something state law prohibits, as his father is - and was - a senior mayoral aide.

In 2018, St. George committed to cover 19% of the East Baton Rouge DA, court, coroner and prison budgets. In court in 2022, they again said they'd pay. But in 2025, operating as an actual city for more than a year — St. George has yet to pay a dime.

With Baton Rouge bracing for hundreds of city layoffs, council members called out one of their own last night. “It's just a slap in the face … to the 4,000 employees that are sitting there wondering whether or not they're going to have jobs next week.”

Today was one of the most difficult days I have faced as Mayor-President," Sid Edwards said. "These were people I care about, respect, and who worked tirelessly to make a difference for our City-Parish."

The tears at Sid Edwards' watch party last night were not because a candidate lost or simply because the Thrive measures failed. For his employees, a brutal truth was setting in: The realization that some of them would be losing their jobs.

All 3 of the mayor’s tax rededications known as Thrive are going to fail. Will be a rough day at Baton Rouge city hall Monday. Lots of layoffs coming.

It is finally Thrive decision day in Baton Rouge. Will Mayor Sid Edwards major tax overhaul buck the odds and get voter approval?

Former speaker of the Louisiana State House of Representatives has been indicted on theft charges after related to the disappearance of an ancient cypress board that used to hang at the state capitol.

The mayor says his proposed budget for 2026 is the last one in which his office/the city-parish will fund Baton Rouge’s public defender’s office. After that, they’ll need to fund themselves, he says.

JUST IN: Mayor Sid Edwards has named Christel Slaughter his full-time Chief Administrative Officer. Slaughter has served as acting CAO — the top job in the mayor's office — since Sept. 9.

Last night, Edwards brought the Baton Rouge Metro Council a 2026 budget that includes hundreds of layoffs and double digit % point cuts to almost every agency. But BRPD and fire - who together account for about half the budget - are unscathed.

From cops vs. libraries to paying down debt. Sid Edwards’ “Thrive” tax plan has changed a lot in the past 8+ months, and now voters are finally about to weigh in.

“If it's just ICE agents we would like to wait till at least after thrive election. I think it will hurt us getting passed," Edwards texted a consultant last month. The mayor now says he’s completely against ICE in Baton Rouge.

Councilwoman Coleman to the mayor's OCD Director Kelly LeDuff last night: "If this thing was executed in August, and here we're getting almost to Thanksgiving, and … no monies have been issued, something's wrong with this picture."

The latest from @faimon: "To say that Edwards doesn’t need this right now risks underplaying the pivotal moment of his first year."

UPDATE: Mayor Sid Edwards has placed senior staffer Monique Appeaning on leave, as an investigation into her conduct is underway. A complaint filed last week claims she runs the office “like a mafia boss” and used a slur against an employee.

Autopengate — Baton Rouge edition: Several council members are questioning the use of Mayor Sid Edwards’ autopen and whether a staffer currently under scrutiny is authorized to operate it.