Local

All East Baton Rouge city-parish employees are set to receive a raise soon, after the Metro Council approved a plan in a 10-1 vote Wednesday.

Markel Lee, 17, was arrested on Friday and charged with one count of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder and one count of illegal use of a weapon.

All officers will receive at least a 15% raise, non-sworn employees will receive a 3.5% raise and the police chief will receive a 5.9% raise. The base pay for a sworn officer would be kicked up from about $41,000 to about $58,000 under this plan.

Members of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council have asked Mayor-President Sid Edwards to revise his proposal for a historic pay raise for Baton Rouge Police Department employees to instead spread the money to most city-parish workers.

East Baton Rouge Parish public schools could lose more than 5,500 students and $100 million in state and local funding if the City of St. George forms its own school district, according to EBR Schools.

Baton Rouge Police Department employees could soon get the largest across-the-board pay raises in department history if East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards latest ask of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council is successful.

The East Baton Rouge Public Defender remain underfunded despite a $500,000 allocation from the parish. High case loads and small pay checks remain the norm

Changes made at the federal level to the food assistance program will cost millions in the coming years and make management of the program more complex.

Voters will decide whether or not to grant new millages — essentially funding through property taxes — to both organizations this summer.

The nonprofit started in 2006 with a Christmas and back-to-school event for children. Today, it runs a free after-school program in the neighborhood.