BATON ROUGE — Raymond Crane lives in a house with no running water, a hole in the bathroom floor, and no kitchen. Despite many people offering to help, Crane has been living this way for several years.

"I just wanted some simple house repairs made," Crane said.

Richard Mahoney has been helping him try to find a new home.

"How are we going to rehabilitate a man in a house that has floors with holes in it, windows have holes in it? This is unconscionable," said Mahoney.

Crane went to rehab. There, it was discovered he had high blood pressure and was sent to the emergency room. After a visit to the ER, he was dropped back off at the house where he has lived for over 20 years.

A glimmer of hope was crushed when Crane was denied an apartment at a senior living facility in Baton Rouge. The facility said Crane didn't meet the criteria for a tenant, following a two-month application process and an in-person interview.

"They said I could appeal," Crane said.

Crane, who is blind and in a wheelchair, receives food donations from members of the community who stop by to check on him. Mahoney's Easter wish is for Crane to find a new home with basic amenities that some might take for granted.

If you would like to help Crane, please get in touch with Mahoney via email.

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CENTRAL - A neighborhood in Central continues to lose power. It's been out four times since 2 On Your Side was there about the same issue one month ago.

Teresa Golden moved into Morgan Place West subdivision a year ago and says she loses power weekly.

"It's not about fair; it's about what's right," she said. "We pay for a service, we should have the service!"

Instead, Golden can't rely on the service she pays for monthly. The power went out last Friday for several hours. Entergy says a tree limb fell on their equipment on Tuesday, April 15, causing another outage. Last month, the power company says crews performed equipment upgrades and addressed vegetation issues to reduce outages.

"We should not be out of power once a week," said Golden.

When the power goes out in the neighborhood, 197 households are in the dark. It's gotten to the point that neighbors keep their generators readily available just in case they need to power up their refrigerators or other electronics.

"We're losing money and Entergy doesn't seem to care," said Golden. 

An Entergy truck was in the subdivision Wednesday and said they were performing inspections. Entergy says, "In order to improve reliability, additional infrastructure will be upgraded in the coming weeks to address the recent outages seen by residents."

State Representative Lauren Ventrella has been looped into the troubles in Morgan Place West and says what's going on is unacceptable.

"If this is not fixed in a timely manner, I'll be putting my boots on and walking out there myself trying to get some answers," said Ventrella.

Golden says she's looking for action and accountability and a clear timeline on the work to expect.

"Let's turn Mr. May's power off every time we lose power, I bet he'll have a different perspective," said Golden.

On Tuesday, WBRZ asked Entergy for a more concise timeline about the power upgrades to the neighborhood and the planned outages that will come with them and did not hear back.

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UPDATE The water has been turned off at a home with a water leak. The neighbor had contacted 2 On Your Side when she noticed the water puddling and leaking down the sidewalk.

BATON ROUGE - A homeowner in Forest Heights called 2 On Your Side after waking up to find water flowing down her sidewalk, driveway, and into the street. 

Drena Webb says it's not the first time it's happened during a dry time of year.

"Nope, no rain."

Webb lives on Glen Oaks Drive in Baton Rouge. She has no idea where the water is coming from but suspects it's next door. The last time Webb saw someone at the property was last week when a crew cut the grass. Monday morning she noticed the water leak.

In 2022, Webb contacted 2 On Your Side about a similar situation, but says the leak was addressed. On Tuesday, there was no obvious source of the water other than it pooling in her neighbor's yard and running down the driveway. A look at the meter shows it's spinning.

The water is in Webb's yard and around her foundation. Unable to get in touch with the property owner, she's not sure what to do.

"It's just water everywhere and it's all settling in front of my door," she said.

Baton Rouge Water says they have a service request for the address. If they determine the leak is on the customer's side there isn't much they can do other than try to contact the property owner.

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BATON ROUGE - Dozens of radar signs installed across Baton Rouge are targeting speeders who cut through neighborhoods to get a jump on traffic.

In addition to alerting drivers to their speed, the signs also collect data including traffic volume and the number of violators driving during a specific period.

Fred Raiford, director of transportation & drainage for the city-parish, says he hopes the new radar speed signs will encourage drivers to slow down.

"It's been very beneficial. People have called and said, 'I didn't realize how fast I was driving,'" said Raiford.

So far, 32 new radar signs have been placed in locations where residents have complained about speeding. The locations were selected by Metro Council members and neighborhood HOAs.

Eight of them can be found on Kenilworth Parkway, a busy thoroughfare between Highland Road and Perkins Road.

Raiford says at one time, officials were debating whether to add a roundabout to Kenilworth Parkway to deter speeding. The idea wasn't popular among residents. Speed humps in the area would create noise and can cause vehicle damage.

"In today's society, everyone's in a hurry," he said.

Something needed to be done, which is why Kenilworth has been given so much attention.

The Bluetooth-enabled radar signs collect data, including vehicle counts, average speed, average number of speeding vehicles, speeding violations, and minimum and maximum speeds.

"Some of this data is to look at future development plans. Maybe we look at roundabouts or other mechanisms to try to find ways for people to slow down on the streets," Raiford said.

The radar signs don't take photos or read license plates. Raiford says that's not the purpose of the project.

"We're trying to make people a little more attentive about what you're supposed to be doing when driving through subdivision areas," he said.

Other radar signs can be found on Riverbend Boulevard, Hickory Ridge Boulevard, Woodland Ridge Boulevard, Lobdell Avenue, Cedarcrest Avenue, Fairway Drive, Brentwood Drive, and at the intersection of Sherwood Forest Boulevard and Mollylea Drive.

The signs cost about $7,900 each. Most are solar powered, but some require electric power. The funding came from the city-parish MoveBR investment under the enhancement program.

Raiford says most, if not all, of the signs will be operational by the end of the week.

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BATON ROUGE - If you've traveled down or driven on Choctaw Drive at night any time in the last few years, you may have noticed the lack of adequate lighting along the roadway. One woman reached out to 2 On Your Side for help in getting some of those lights back on. 

Carlas Williams has reached out to the city multiple times and she says her requests have gone unanswered. She says she refuses to drive on Choctaw after the sun goes down. 

"It's pitch black," she told Brittany Weiss. The lights have reportedly been out for years. 

"Since 2016," Williams said. "We're talking about nine years. That's a very long time."

She's reached out to 311 and Entergy for help and was nearly ready to flag down an Entergy truck when Brittany Weiss spoke with her. She says it's a safety hazard - someone walking along the road at night is almost invisible. 

"You can get killed coming through here," Williams said. 

Within two days of 2 On Your Side investigating, Entergy says it performed repairs to 16 lights on Choctaw Drive.

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GONZALES - The state has approved the partial closure plan submitted by Ascension Parish and LALumina, and work has begun to cap a red dust issue that's plagued residents in the area for several years.

While Ascension Parish does not take ownership or responsibility for the partial closure of the facility, it is working to help address the issue affecting its residents.

It's been almost eight months since Ascension Parish entered into a cooperative agreement with LALumina and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to work together and put and end to the red dust that's been flying around Gonzales and other parts of the parish for years.

The dust is a waste product from a closed aluminum plant, which many people have complained about to 2 On Your Side.

The agreement was signed on August 19, 2024, and in November, Ascension Parish submitted an initial plan to the LDEQ. In December, the parish followed up with a very detailed plan of what is to happen, including a cost breakdown and timeline. Now in April, the parish is working toward testing that plan on a four-acre site, close to Pelican Crossing.

A year ago, 2 On Your Side visited with Armando Keller and his neighbors about the efforts and nuisance they go through constantly to avoid the dust.

"Every day that stuff comes out it's highly corrosive, it's high in alkaline, it's bad for the environment, it's bad for people's health," Keller said.

A solution can't come fast enough. That plan includes bringing in six inches of dirt/fill across approximately 100 acres of the LALumina bauxite solid waste site and cover it with seed for grass. It'll cost about $5.3 million, which is nearly the entire budget LALumina has available for the project.

The material will come from various public and private construction projects, which have offered the dirt and fill free of charge. To get the job done, a team of people will need to be hired, heavy machinery will need to be purchased, along with fuel, materials, supplies, and PPE. The plan estimates 6,725 truckloads of dirt is needed for the job, which would be completed one acre at a time.

Next to the red dust site is Pelican Crossing, where new homes are still being built. People in the neighborhood continue to submit complaints to LDEQ about the damage done to their properties. One person says they have repainted their home several times, others repeatedly pressure wash to keep the red hue from seeping in.

It's stained the sidewalks, the street lights, and settled into pools.

Paul Nizzo is the Pelican Crossing HOA President and gets an earful from residents.

"It's definitely causing some problems," Nizzo said.

When Nizzo moved into Pelican Crossing in 2011, the plant had closed but the dust was still being kept wet. Several years later, 2 On Your Side learned the sprinklers had stopped working.

"I hope DEQ realizes what we're dealing with," Nizzo said.

Trucks on top of the red dust site Tuesday could be a sight that things are changing.

"The parish gave us word in the subdivision that they started Monday doing work to cap a test site of four acres," Nizzo said.

The four acre site is an area closest to Hackett Canal Drive in Pelican Crossing. Once the area is covered with dirt and seed parties involved will evaluate and then clearance could be given to get to work on the rest of the waste area.

Once the green light is given by LDEQ, the plan will take three to four years to complete. While that's ongoing, the parish's plan includes dust mitigation with available resources like temporary and mobile spraying units. 

The plan does not include a complete closure of the site. LDEQ says ultimately a plan for full closure of the LALumina site must be submitted by or on behalf of the company. This has not been done and there's no word on where funding for that portion of the project will come from.

LDEQ provided 2 On Your Side with the following statement Tuesday:

LDEQ approved the partial closure plan submitted by L’Alumina in collaboration with Ascension Parish. This milestone was reached within a year of LDEQ establishing a Tiger Team — a dedicated group of expert employees — to work alongside L’Alumina and the Parish to identify economical and viable closure solutions. The Tiger Team has invested more than 1,000 man hours into addressing the issue, which has plagued the surrounding community for over a decade. Now, with the plan approved, L’Alumina and the Parish will move forward with initial closure activities at the site.

“This marks a critical step forward in our efforts to protect our residents and begin the process to mitigate this area,” Parish President Clint Cointment said in a statement. “Our administration has been relentlessly pushing for action, and I’m proud of our progress in partnership with the State of Louisiana and LDEQ. We are committed to seeing this project through
until we bring lasting relief to the communities affected.”

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BAKER - A concrete-lined canal is failing and swallowing up one man's property. For over two decades, Mr. James has been watching his yard wash away.

"I'm doomed," he said.

He lives off of Magnolia Drive in Baker and his property backs up to Baker Canal. He moved into the house in 2000 and two years later identified a spot along his fence line that was disappearing. He started throwing any debris he could find into the hole to stop it from eroding, but more sinkholes formed.

"It's just getting deeper and deeper," said James.

He's fought tooth and nail trying to stop the erosion, calling the City of Baker, the City-Parish, and elected officials.

"Me and my wife wrote letters to senators and congressman, we had one reply back from Mary Landrieu and she said when they build the Diversion Canal they'd bring the dirt over and fill this in... I'm still waiting," said James.

Baker Canal was built in the late 1960s under the Woody Dumas administration. There are large sections of the canal that are broken up and eroding the dirt underneath. Mr. James says the trouble really started after the 2016 flood. That's when a large hole formed and since has swallowed trees and at least 30 feet of his property. The hole can fit several cars inside.

Since no one else has helped him, Mr. James has thrown every piece of debris he can find into these holes to stop the erosion.

"I threw everything in there I ain't gonna lie to you," he said.

He was given a load of dirt from Baker and two barricades. That was a long time ago and that load of dirt is long gone and the barricades have both fallen deep into the hole below.

Mr. James says his grandchildren aren't allowed to play in the yard. He's considering putting up a new fence and forgoing several feet of his property, but wonders how long before that falls into the canal too. He'd like to downsize soon, but worries that he'd have trouble selling because of the land erosion.

"I'm doomed; if I sold this house tomorrow I'd have to put that fence up just to sell my house and look at the land I'm going to lose if I put up that fence," said James.

The City-Parish says it's aware of the issue and is looking into what can be done. The parish has been aware of the issue for several years. James says he has been told before that there is no funding to tackle the job.

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BATON ROUGE - Imagine taking your car to a mechanic for a repair you'd saved up for only to get it back in pieces. It happened to one woman in Baton Rouge who wants a refund.

The parts to Olivia Hayes' 2010 Volkswagen EOS are scattered in a garage at her parents' home in Slidell. It has no top, no trunk closure, and no back windshield. Hayes' contacted 2 On Your Side hoping to bring attention to what she's gone through.

Hayes took her car to Moberly's Car Repair in Baton Rouge. It's a mechanic she brought her car to before. She had saved up to get her convertible top fixed. Moberly's told her the work would take two weeks and it would cost $1,300. She paid half up front.

Several problems arose and Moberly's needed a part and weeks turned into months.

"I get a call from them saying, 'Hey, we have unfortunate news, your car is broke beyond repair,'" said Hayes.

She found her car in pieces and was told nothing could be done.

"It's too broken, they can't put anything back together," she said.

Hayes took a video while she sat in the front seat showing how the car had been stripped and there was a box of parts in her passenger seat. She had to call a tow truck to get the rest of the parts, including the top of the vehicle.

David Moberly has spoken about Hayes' situation with WBRZ and says he'd like to work with her to help find a solution.

"I told her I would help her, I'd accommodate her, work with her, try to help her find a car, give her money toward a car," said Moberly.

Moberly tells WBRZ he had told Hayes upfront once they started working on the convertible top there would be no going back. Hayes had no idea that could mean her car might be damaged beyond repair. 

Moberly says he had a similar car on the lot and offered to swap out the engine and transmission with Hayes and sell it to her. Hayes says the offer was $3,500 and she declined.

Now she is out a car, relying on Lyft and friends for rides to get her to and from work.

"I don't want anyone to be scammed by Moberly's ever again," said Hayes.

She wants a refund for all the money she has spent at Moberly's fixing up her car, which is several thousand dollars. Moberly's has not agreed to that, but maintains they'll continue to work with her. Hayes is considering legal action if they do not agree.

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INDEPENDENCE - A small community in Tangipahoa Parish has been dealing with a fishy smell in the air for years. People say the smell gets stuck in their noses and mouths and trapped in their homes.

It's coming from a shrimp processing plant's wastewater in the Town of Independence.

Sharon Vedros and her neighbors live outside the town limits, in Tangipahoa Parish on Casen Road.

"Like rotten shrimp, that's the only way we can explain it," says Vedros.

Independence is home to about 1,600 people. It has a busy Piggly Wiggly, a handful of restaurants, and a City Hall. It's also where Big Easy Foods and Gulf Island Shrimp & Seafood have a plant. The seafood processing facility generates waste and contributes to the stench neighbors complain about. The waste is sent to an oxidation pond and mixed with the rest of the town's wastewater.

That wastewater treatment facility is also on Casen Road, where Vedros lives. The smell doesn't permeate the air every day, but when it does it's nearly unavoidable.

"I can't even sit on my front porch, the smell is that horrific," she said.

If the wind blows in their direction, they get a whiff of the fishy smell. Their complaints date back years and include a lawsuit and countless visits from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

"I can't tell you how many complaints we've put in - I've put in to DEQ," said Vedros.

Across the street, Victor Coslan has his home up for sale. Coslan says the only reason he put it on the market a year ago is because of the smell. He thinks that's also the reason why it hasn't sold.

"People pull up and they're like, 'Oh, what's that smell?' and they get back in their car and they leave," he said.

Donald Badon lives next to Vedros and is asking for change.

"That plant wasn't designed for the amount of wastewater they're pumping through it from that facility," said Badon.

The smelly problem is not new; it's been passed down from mayor to mayor. Mayor Jim Paine says there's a special meeting Thursday night that will address the seafood smell and try to bring the company into compliance. The board will decide on a timeline at that meeting and the community is invited to attend to provide comment. It's at 6 o'clock on Thursday, April 3 at Independence City Hall.

Gulf Island Shrimp & Seafood declined to comment.

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BATON ROUGE — An abandoned property off Longfellow Drive that caught fire in January has been torn down following a series of 2 On Your Side reports.

The property was condemned by the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council last week. The property is owned by CEG Inc., which is a Collis Temple property located in District Five.

Over the last few months, the property has had a homicide reported near it in January and caught fire later that month. The fire was later ruled arson.

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BATON ROUGE - An item shipped from Illinois appears to be lost in the mail. One man doesn't want it falling into the wrong hands and reached out to 2 On Your Side.

Harrison Beasley is a firearm collector and, in his spare time, searches the internet for bucket list items.

"I will sit there and research a firearm like my mom would research recipes to cook with," Beasley said.

Recently, he found a firearm he's been looking for at a licensed firearm dealer in Illinois. The gun — a combo package .44 magnum, .50 action express Desert Eagle — was shipped by USPS in early March, intended to arrive at a Federal Firearms License location in Denham Springs. It has yet to get there.

According to tracking information, the item was last scanned at the USPS General Mail Facility on Bluebonnet Boulevard at 1:37 a.m. on March 15. It was in transit on March 20 and a missing mail search request was initiated a day later. Beasley says he has spent hours calling multiple 800 numbers trying to locate the item.

"I've put in two different escalations, both were canceled without my knowledge as well as the missing mail search that was canceled without my knowledge and have not gotten any answer whatsoever," he said.

USPS says it's working diligently to resolve the matter. Beasley says it's not the first time he's had an issue with a package delay that went through the Bluebonnet Boulevard location. A couple of years ago he had another firearm-related product that appeared to have sat at the Bluebonnet location for a week before it was found and delivered.

"They don't seem to have trouble delivering my bills," he said.

While he might be out money, Beasley says he's more concerned about what might happen if his item is not found.

"Until it passes through the FFL, we have an unregistered firearm floating around that could potentially be in the hands of someone that's not going to do anything good with it," Beasley said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which oversees the FFL, has been notified just in case.

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WALKER - One man in Livingston Parish is trying to get someone to take responsibility after remaining issues at their brand new home.

The City of Walker responded immediately following a story in February, but it appears they have done all they can do.

Karl Molden says he's now looking for a lawyer. He tells 2 On Your Side it takes three hours for his shower to drain after finding trouble with the pitch and fall of the plumbing in the house. Anytime Molden flushes the toilet, it could be the time it overflows.

"It's literally backing up," Molden said.

In February, Molden contacted 2 On Your Side unsure of what to do. The home was purchased by his parents, but in that time stress got the best of his dad, who died of a heart attack in early March.

"I need justice for my father," he said.

Molden thought someone would have done the right thing and fixed the home. The City of Walker came out to see if there was a blockage and even made space for a second clean-out, but they determined that wasn't the problem.

Plumbing isn't Molden's only issue. The back patio is sinking and a crack has formed in the center due to no footings underneath. The weight of the roof is taking a toll. There's also trouble with the upstairs HVAC.

"It's been a nightmare, and I call it the house from hell," he said.

The Moldens looked at more than 200 homes before settling on the new build in Walker. They invested money in cosmetic changes to the interior and exterior and removed 18 trees from the backyard. They had big plans for an outdoor space.

A city inspector signed off on the property and issued a certificate of occupancy. A home inspector didn't catch the problems, either.

"Even though they passed my house, they failed me. They failed my family and if I were a resident of Walker I would be concerned if my home is up to code," he said.

Molden is seeking justice and thinks someone should pay to make it right.

The builder, Chad Robinson, says he plans to address the footing issue and that work has already started. Robinson says he is unable to confirm the plumbing trouble is his responsibility to fix. In February, 2 On Your Side spoke with Saucier's Plumbing, which says there was no trouble with their work. The rough-in plumbing passed city inspection in October 2023.

Molden intends to file a lawsuit.

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LIVONIA - A man trying to get an internet company to take care of their equipment says he was told he'd need to become a customer to submit a work order.

Phil Hoffman has a utility pole at the corner of his front yard. That utility pole, owned by Entergy, is leaning and at risk of falling. Entergy replaced the pole and moved their utilities over in late December. The old pole is still standing, secured with a rope to the new pole. Hoffman says there's nothing more Entergy can do until Zito Media moves it's utility line from the old pole to the new one.

"You know, eventually that rope is going to break," said Hoffman.

Despite Hoffman's efforts, the old pole is still there months later.

"I've made several attempts, I've talked to several people and I was just getting the run around," he said.

Hoffman has called, explained the situation, provided the location and his contact information. He says his wife had been calling weekly. They've even been told a work order's been made to move the utility, yet nothing's happened.

After visiting a Zito Media location in Maringuoin, Hoffman learned there is no work order.

"The last person said, 'You don't have a work order, you're not a customer so I don't know who told you that, you need a work order and you can't have that if you're not a customer,'" said Hoffman.

Hoffman explained to 2 On Your Side that in order to get something done about the leaning pole, he'd have to become a Zito Media customer. It's not something he's considering and instead called WBRZ.

On Wednesday, 2 On Your Side sent an email to Zito Media and a response was provided within minutes. They asked for a photo of the leaning pole supported with a rope. Once that photo was received, Zito Media said they'd send it to the appropriate department to get it handled.

Each day that goes by, Hoffman drives by the pole hoping someone will take it down before it falls.

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PRAIRIEVILLE - Following road and drainage improvements along Germany Road, one homeowner is experiencing flooding and sewage backup. After contacting Ascension Parish for help without a solution, she emailed 2 On Your Side.

Maudie Lewis says the issue started over two years ago when the street she lives on was widened to make way for a turn lane. In the process, the drainage ditch in front of her home was replaced with a pipe and two large storm grates. The problem appears to be with the storm grates that are built ever so slightly above her front yard.

"It floods, the whole yard; you could fish in it if it was deep enough," said Lewis.

Lewis suspects, because of the configuration her septic tank can't drain either. Instead, the sewage is backing up into her home.

"The drains should not be that high, it's almost on the street," she said.

A plumber dug a hole in her yard near the septic tank for a temporary fix. Lewis says she's looking for a permanent solution, but after multiple calls to the parish, she is still waiting.

Ascension Parish says after looking into the matter at Lewis' home, it discovered that the original work order was misplaced during a transition to its new work order software. A surveying firm has been tasked with gathering the necessary data to come up with a solution to solve Lewis' problem. 

Lewis says she received a call from the parish last week and expects the firm to look at her drainage problem in the next few days.

A solution can't come soon enough for Lewis, who is looking to downsize.

"I've already got a realtor and everything but I can't do anything until they come out and correct that," she said.

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ZACHARY - Along Highway 61, just north of the Comite Diversion Canal, a developer is eyeing a large piece of property for an industrial warehouse. Neighbors to the land say they're unhappy since no one came to talk to them about the project prior to it going before the Planning Commission. Now, it appears to be moving on to the next step despite their input.

Several property owners opposed the project at last week's Planning Commission meeting. Even so, the commission approved the changes and it now goes to the Metro Council. 

Clovie Strickland has lived next to the property for decades and feels like he's been left in the dark about what could happen feet from his front porch.

"A little in the dark, I would have liked to have heard about it earlier. None of the neighbors heard about it," Strickland said.

Two weeks before the Planning Commission meeting, some neighbors surrounding the property received postcards in the mail alerting them to the agenda items. The Beau Box listing of 217 acres of land along Highway 61 is under contract. Right now, it's home to livestock.

"It's quiet and peaceful," Strickland said.

The property at 18510 Samuels Rd. went before the commission March 17 and it was recommended for approval to rezone it from rural to light industrial and change the land use plan from agricultural rural to employment center.

Developer Scott Sanders of Ambrose Property Group and Zach Schmidt of CSRS spoke before the Planning Commission regarding the requests to rezone the property. Ambrose is a nationwide developer that develops e-commerce distribution-type warehousing.

"Our goal is to develop warehousing, distribution-type facilities that attract large businesses, that attract jobs, and attract investment," Sanders said.

The Ambrose Property Group representative says the buildings they develop are clean and have sustainable features. The developer is eyeing the site because of the location, which is important to some of their traffic.

"Really the only use of these buildings is automobiles, people coming to work, and trucks moving goods in and out of these facilities," Sanders said.

No site plan documents have been submitted, but the people involved in the project say the main access will be off Highway 61. The road on the east side of the property is Barnett Road, where residents including Strickland live, and Carney Road. If required for emergency use, another access point could be added to Barnett Road or Carney Road could be extended. That is concerning to Dale Aucion, who says he and his neighbors have complained to the City-Parish for years about Barnett Road's inadequate conditions.

"Nothing was brought up about contacting the maintenance group about existing problems with this road," Aucion said.

Kathy Rogillio has two properties adjacent to the 217 acres, which flooded in 2016. She tells 2 On Your Side she's not only concerned about what could happen to Barnett Road but also the increase in traffic along Highway 61 and surrounding roads.

"It's gridlock sometimes now," Rogillio said. "We would like to be left alone and continue to live a quiet life."

The neighbors would have liked to have had a meeting with the developer before it went to planning, but hope that their concerns are addressed before dirt is turned.

The developer intends to submit a drainage impact study, as well as a sound and lighting reduction plan. It's set to be on the mid-April Metro Council agenda. The property is in Councilman Brandon Noel's district, who says the item will be deferred until project plans are submitted and the council has time to review them.

Both Sanders and Schmidt were contacted for further comment before the airing of this story but did not respond to requests.

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BATON ROUGE - How long does it take to fix a sinkhole? Bridget Lee has been waiting for two years. What started as a small hole between her backyard and the concrete lining of a creek has grown considerably.

In November, the city placed orange fencing around the area and used zip ties to secure it to Lee's fence and wooden posts. She has since covered the growing hole with wooden boards to prevent further erosion.

"All of this has washed away since then," said Lee.

Her home backs up to Hurricane Creek in the Lakewood Subdivision. In March of 2023, Lee says she called the city and made a work order. Someone from the city visited her home to take a look at the damage, they took photos and made a phone call.

"He left and about 10 minutes later I got an email saying it was closed out with no explanation or anything," said Lee.

Each time Lee calls the city, someone visits to view the sinkhole. What started as a small hole has now grown into a large one, that's damaged the concrete lining of the creek and exposed washed-out soil and exposed tree roots below.

Things got a little strange last week when Lee called the city for an update. She was given a number to a third party and told to contact them.

"They had no idea what I was talking about," she said.

The number led her to the American Rescue Plan Drainage Initiative Stormwater Repair hotline, which was unfamiliar with Lee's case. The hotline was created under the Broome Administration. That's when she called 2 On Your Side.

"I've been trying to get someone to come out and I'm just not getting anywhere," she said.

All she has been left with is a growing hole and a whole lot of frustration. Lee would like to know who is responsible for maintaining the creek and fixing the sinkhole.

"I just don't know where to go from here," she said.

The city says there is a plan to fix the problem behind Lee's house and work should begin mid-summer. It's one of five projects where a concrete-lined canal needs repairs. The parish has completed work on 66 of these calls.

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BATON ROUGE - For at least a year, fountains across from The Raising Canes River Center have been turned off. Inside the large basins, trash and debris have accumulated. It's an area that Denise Hatcher used to visit.

"Especially sitting around this area listening to the waterfalls and watching the water with kids," Hatcher said.

The fountains are sandwiched between the USS Kidd and the Louisiana Arts and Science Museums. Built in 1984, it was once a prominent fixture on the Mississippi River levee. It was last March when Hatcher first noticed the fountains weren't working.

"It should be a place where not only the community comes and shares time together, but our tourism," she said. "It's a big tourism spot and it's disappointing that you tell people to go downtown and they go... OK... that fountain wasn't working."

The fountains are off because they're broken and leak water from years of use. They were intended to be fixed during a renovation of the River Center under the previous administration, but it didn't happen. Now, the mayor's office is looking to make temporary repairs with funding under the Thrive! Baton Rouge plan.

The entire Downtown Baton Rouge riverfront is being redesigned. Sasaki, a planning and design firm, has been selected to lead Plan Baton Rouge III, a master plan to revitalize Downtown Baton Rouge. The planning process should take a year with significant community involvement.

The Downtown Development District says the fountains will be part of the master plan. It will include connecting the River Center to other parts of downtown, including the levee. The DDD says it's working on ways to modernize and beautify the area, but has no timeline for completion. Sasaki's design could take a year to complete.

In the meantime, the Buildings and Grounds Department is exploring a cost-effective, interim solution to enhance the fountains until the comprehensive master plan is implemented. The city says there were repairs made to the fountains in November 2024, but they remain inoperable.

The Office of Mayor-President Sid Edwards provided more saying in part, "The fountains along the Mississippi River levee serve as a prominent gateway to the city, reflecting its vibrancy and character. The Edwards administration remains committed to presenting Baton Rouge at its best and recognizes that these fountains are not currently utilized to their full potential."

The DDD adds that the aging infrastructure of the fountains has created a fiscal challenge to restoring them to their original state. While the long-term vision of Plan Baton Rouge III is being developed, the DDD says the short-term and cost-effective interventions it's currently exploring will soon breathe life into the space.

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BATON ROUGE - Almost seven months after a truck pulled down an electrical line to his house and knocked out his power, Eric Washington finally has a new meter. He can now use his electricity again after spending thousands of dollars out of pocket for a mistake that wasn't his.

"I can take a hot shower, be able to cook for myself, watch a little TV," Washington said.

It's been a long few months. In August, 2 On Your Side met with Washington soon after the incident happened. Around 5:30 a.m. on August 23, a Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits truck turned down his street from Fairfields Avenue and got tangled in the Entergy line leading to Washington's home.

"I was minding my own business in my bed and it came through here and tore the pole out," he said.

At no fault of his own, Washington found himself in a tough situation and the companies involved were not quick to react.

"It was like a back and forth rat race trying to get them to take care of their problem or contact me," Washington said.

Even though both Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and Entergy pitched in to fix Washington's house, neither of them accepted responsibility for what happened.

The expenses have added up over the months. Washington was unable to foot the bill up front and made due to spending some hot and freezing nights in a hotel. While the electricity was out, he was unable to cook at home.

"I'm glad I'm done with this and I can move on," he said.

Washington hopes never to see a large truck turn down his small residential street again.

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CENTRAL - Imagine losing your electricity a dozen times so far this year. It's reality for one neighborhood in Central, where they're always prepared to be in the dark.

"Last week alone we lost power three times," said Teresa Golden.

It's an ongoing problem in Morgan Place West where about 200 homes lose power no matter the weather.

"It could be crystal clear sun, no wind, no rain, and the power goes out," said Chris Matloz.

The lights go out so often, Golden plans her grocery shopping around the weather.

"This happened to me twice, I've gone grocery shopping, fill my refrigerator with meat from Oak Point and the power goes out," she said.

Instead of packing up and putting away generators, homeowners have them ready to use. Antoinette Lee is a fifth grader at Central Intermediate School and says the outages disrupt her homework.

"It just gets very aggravating and frustrating," said Lee.

Entergy responded to WBRZ's request for comment about the frequent outages in Morgan Place West. The power company says it's aware of the recent outages impacting the subdivision and apologizes for the inconveniences associated with the disruptions. Entergy recently performed a walkdown inspection of the area and made repairs, including equipment replacement and vegetation trimming, but says additional maintenance work will be needed.

To perform the additional maintenance, service will be interrupted for brief periods. Prior to the planned interruptions, Entergy says it will notify customers via the HOA. To stay informed, ensure your contact information is up to date by visiting myEntergy.com.

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GONZALES - Construction traffic on LA 44 in Gonzales has hit a nerve for people living and working there. They tell 2 On Your Side progress has stalled and fear the project hasn't moved along in weeks.

The stretch of LA 44 from I-10 to Pelican Crossing has been torn up for months. LuAnn Daniel moved into the neighborhood around Christmas and says she hasn't noticed much change.

"Like, when are we going to see definitive progress?" she said.

Most of her frustration is over the temporary road leading to her neighborhood, which leaves drivers zero room for error.

"That has been carved down to basically a lane width and a on nice day it's tricky, at night or in bad weather it's super dangerous to drive," said Daniel.

There is limited lighting at night. Daniel says she's witnessed two car accidents recently and has seen drivers run off the road and tear up their tires. The busy highway dotted with construction signs will have to do for now.

"That's our road to get in and out on this end of town and it's just frustrating that nothing's moving forward," said Daniel.

According to the Department of Transportation and Development, the LA 44 project is estimated to wrap in August 2025. The state has been in communication with the contractor, KCR Contractors, for additional signs and road striping to enhance visibility. The speed limit has been dropped to 35 mph.

DOTD says it understands the public's frustration as the project has had its share of issues including utility problems, poor weather, and poor soil.

The project started in the summer of 2024. More than 15,000 motorists travel this section of LA 44 daily, with an expected increase of about 24,000 by 2040.

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