BATON ROUGE - Aging fountains around the University Lakes and the LSU campus have mysteriously vanished. Runners specifically use them to hydrate during long training runs. 

Lisa Rogers finished marathon No. 17 over the weekend and trains around Baton Rouge. She maps out her run, knowing there are water fountains nearby. 

"I don't carry water; I rely exclusively on the water fountains around the Baton Rouge area," she said. 

She went out late last year and was in the middle of doing a 20-mile run when she arrived at a location on Dalrymple Drive. 

"I showed up and went, there's no water fountain," said Rogers.

For weeks, the disappearance has been a mystery. At least three fountains were removed, and the holes have been filled in with concrete. According to LSU Facilities Staff, the water fountains were no longer operational. Rogers said the one in front of The Chapel was working fine, and she used it often.

Another fountain across from the LSU President's Office was in bad shape for a long time and did not function. LSU said the fountains were not repairable and they currently do not have the money to replace them. However, the water fountain in front of The Chapel did not belong to the university. The school said it's working with The Chapel to get it replaced.

"It definitely puts a damper on our running and activities we want to do outside," said Rogers.

LSU said it is reaching out to several groups for funding to replace the remaining fountains.

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GONZALES - Changes are happening at the Wendy's in Gonzales after shift managers spoke with 2 On Your Side about their poor work environment. Hours after the story aired on WBRZ, exposing mold concerns, a leaking roof, and other work hazards, Haza Foods and the Louisiana Department of Health arrived to inspect the store.

A video taken by employees during the last rainstorm showed how water was dripping down from the ceiling and pooling onto the floor.

"We get rained on, in the office, we have to keep garbage bags over our stuff because when it rains everything gets soaking wet," said Lisa Bowlin.

The corporate representative says they checked the roof of the building. While they didn't find holes or signs of a roof leak, they did uncover a blocked drain.

Bowlin had told 2 On Your Side's Brittany Weiss that there were signs of mold detected under the sandwich maker in the kitchen and the walk-in cooler. A Haza Foods representative on site on Thursday told WBRZ that they didn't find any black mold in the kitchen. 

The Louisiana Department of Health conducted an inspection on Thursday. That report will be available in the next seven days. The state says it is addressing the non-critical issues with the floors, walls, and ceilings through its normal enforcement process. 

"Maybe it will open up Wendy's eyes, and that's what I want to do; open their eyes to where they can see what we're dealing with and what we smell when we walk in the store," said Bowlin. "It is keeping us sick, but we still have to come to work."

One shift manager tells 2 On Your Side, "Everything is getting fixed."

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PRAIRIEVILLE - For several years, communities along Bluff Road have lost power dozens of times. They reached out to 2 On Your Side last summer, and since then, Entergy has made significant reliability improvements in that area.

Last week, Jamie Lagattuta purchased a new refrigerator.

"The ice maker died during a power surge," said Lagattuta.

Lagattuta's power in Fountain Hill has been on and off frequently. Sometimes it would go out for a few minutes, then pop back on, other times it would be out for several hours, and Lagattuta would have to power up her generator to save her groceries or run a window  unit. 

"We lost power for no reason, on a beautiful day like today," she said.

With confidence and her power restored, Lagattuta bought a new fridge with a working ice maker. 

"I'll say that the work they've done really has changed," she said.

Other neighborhoods along Bluff Road in Prairieville reported the same power troubles. Josh Rosenstern is the HOA President of Manchac Place, which is just down the street from Fountain Hill. He got so tired of the unreliable power service he installed a home generator in 2024. 

"You got involved, and you got things moving along with the other homeowners lodging frequent complaints," said Rosenstern.

Entergy responded to an inquiry regarding outages along Bluff Road on June 17, 2025. A full assessment of the area wasn't completed by Entergy until July 11, 2025. In December, Entergy completed an underground conversion of electrical lines to above-ground infrastructure. The final phase of the project includes improving lighting in the area. 

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GONZALES - Several employees at a fast food restaurant in Ascension Parish say they are dealing with cleanliness issues at their store. After receiving an unsatisfactory response from corporate, they reached out to 2 On Your Side.

Lisa Bowlin is a shift manager at the Wendy's near the Tanger Outlet Mall just off I-10. She was transferred to that location about five months ago. Heather Messer is also a shift manager at the same location and has been there for four months. The two gave a tour to Brittany Weiss on Wednesday morning and pointed out the issues that they've been trying to get addressed within their store.

"I can smell the mold," said Bowlin.

While walking through the Wendy's kitchen, Bowlin pointed to several locations where mold is growing and can't be cleaned with bleach. 

"It's just a complete wreck," said Messer.

A recent storm was the final straw for the employees, who worked while water was raining down from the ceiling. It's soaked ceiling tiles, saturated overhead lighting, pooled on the floor, dropped through the security cameras, and onto their computers. 

"We get rained on; in the office, we have to keep garbage bags over our stuff because when it rains, everything gets soaking wet," said Bowlin.

Last week, a wall fell from behind the drink station. The shift managers say the ongoing water issue has created safety issues in the walk-in cooler, where mold is also forming.

"It is keeping us all sick, but we still have to come to work," said Bowlin.

Messer adds she is constantly worried about the quality of the food. 

The Louisiana Department of Health has conducted inspections previously, as recently as November 2025. All violations during that visit have been addressed.

HAZA Foods, which owns and operates this Wendy's location, did not return a request for comment by the time this story aired.

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GONZALES - A new development in Ascension Parish's post-moratorium era will be presented at the Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday. It's the preliminary plat for Harvest Fields, a Dantin Bruce Development, is made up of 112 homes.

The proposed major subdivision is on the west side of Highway 44, south of Highway 929. The land, currently used as a cow pasture, is zoned Mixed Use 2 and Medium Intensity Residential.

Residents living on Cotton Field Avenue, across from the proposed development, are hoping the developer and the Planning Commission will take their concerns into consideration. Bill Guidry moved to to dead-end street two decades ago and says this development will drastically change the street they're used to.

"Nobody's coming down here unless you live down here," Guidry said.

That could change. The preliminary plat for Harvest Fields shows Guidry's dead-end street being extended into the new neighborhood. He fears it will eliminate the safe, quiet dead-end they've enjoyed for decades. 

"It kind of destroys what we have as a neighborhood," he said.

Homes on Cotton Field Avenue are built on half-acre lots. Harvest Fields lots would be much smaller to fit in a denser area, built on 38 acres. 

Guidry and his neighbors haven't had much time to react, only learning about the proposed development about a week ago when a large yellow sign was posted nearby. But they're working fast. They are compiling signatures to prevent the neighborhood connection and keep their street a dead-end. 

Mark Wilson's home is next to the cow pasture. While Dantin Bruce Developer has included park space and several ponds for drainage, he worries about flooding and if all the requirements have been met.

"We're not in a flood zone right now, but we very well could be; the water's got to go somewhere," said Wilson.

The preliminary plat shows that 25% of the development is in AE Flood Zone, an area with a 1% chance of flooding annually and a 26% chance during a 30-year mortgage.

"It feels like they're trying to fit way more than the space can handle or is designed to handle," Guidry said.

Wednesday's Planning Commission meeting starts at 6 p.m. At this stage, the Planning Commission can approve, deny, or continue the item for a designated amount of time. According to a parish spokesperson, if the Planning Commission considers a postponement to allow the applicant more time to meet with residents or make revisions, that must be agreed by the applicant. If the applicant does not agree, the Planning Commission is required to move forward with a vote for approval or denial. 

Tuesday, 2 On Your Side reached out to Dantin Bruce for comment and that call was not returned.

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ST. GEORGE - Pecue Lane's new Diverging Diamond Interchange is now open to drivers. Motorists will now switch to the opposite side of the road, which will eliminate left-turning drivers from having to cross traffic.

The Department of Transportation and Development says this will reduce crashes. 

"It's safer; it minimizes the amount of conflict points, especially when you're making left turns at a signal, you don't have that anymore," said DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallet. 

Drivers are guided by traffic signals, signs, and road markers. It's a project that's years in the making and finally nearing completion. While many drivers are excited to have the new Pecue Lane open, one resident of the Lakes at Jamestown is raising concerns about taking a left-hand turn out of his neighborhood.

"I have a safety concern," said Andy Greco.

There are about 220 homes in the Lakes at Jamestown. The neighborhood has two exits, one onto Perkins Road and another onto Pecue Lane. He's concerned about drivers making a left turn onto Pecue Lane heading toward the interstate. Those drivers now have to cross several lanes of traffic to navigate that turn.

"I would like to see some form of traffic management for this intersection," said Greco.

Whether that be a traffic signal, J-turn, or a roundabout. Greco says one of those options would allow drivers to exit the neighborhood safely. Adjacent businesses making a left turn onto Pecue Lane have supported Greco's concerns. 

"Now I'm being told that it's a St. George issue, if there's any type of traffic management to come, that St. George is the responsible party to look at it so I implore St. George to look at it," he said.

The Pecue Lane interchange is expected to become increasingly busy, particularly when the I-10 ramps open in the coming weeks, with a target date of mid-February. 

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BATON ROUGE - The city wants the OYO Hotel off of Sherwood Forest Boulevard in Baton Rouge cleaned up. They gave the property owner 60 days to clean it up, and that deadline has passed. It's been abandoned for months, but still appears on booking sites with available rooms for purchase.

David Lewis booked a room in October and drove in from Texas for the LSU-Texas A&M football game. He arrived late at night, but there was no mistaking what he saw.

"Just utter chaos," said Lewis.

Every room has been trashed. The exterior walls are missing, and every window has been broken. There are mattresses, furniture, and other trash all around the property, and it reeks of urine.

The property is far worse than it was in November, when 2 On Your Side last reported the conditions.

Lewis booked a two-night room through Hotels.com for $177.12. 

"At first I thought, we're not at the right place," he said.

Immediately, he contacted Hotels.com to let them know about the property's condition and that he was unable to stay the night. Getting a refund hasn't been easy, and Lewis has been fighting the credit card charges for weeks.

"I'm not getting a refund because they say I was a no-show," said Lewis.

Even sending the company photos of the property along with a current newspaper in the photo didn't work. Lewis learned they couldn't open the attached files and were unable to use photos as evidence.

Frustrated, Lewis reached out to 2 On Your Side. After 2 On Your Side emailed Expedia, the parent company of Hotels.com, the OYO Hotel on Mead Road in Baton Rouge has been removed from its websites. There are other websites that continue to offer the hotel as a booking option, including the OYO website. After calling OYO properties, a representative confirms the Mead Road hotel is closed, and apologized for not having an updated website.

"It's fraud," said Lewis.

Expedia issued an apology to Lewis for his experience and has issued him a full refund. The company says it's investigating OYO and has removed the property from its websites. The City of Baton Rouge is putting the project out for bid to get it boarded up, which will be costly. 

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BATON ROUGE - One man is recovering after being shot in the head three months ago. The incident has turned Ronnie Weaver's life upside down, he is now unable to work.

"Things have been a lot different for me," said Weaver.

Weaver was picking up a pack of cigarettes for his neighbor at a convenience store along Staring Lane on October 1, 2025. That's when he saw someone steal his electric scooter, which was parked outside. 

"I ran after him, when I caught up to him, he had a backpack and pulled it out and started shooting at me, and he shot me like eight times, one of them striking me in the head," said Weaver.

Weaver fell into a ditch, yet somehow got up to alert someone. Then he passed out.

"I knew if I lay in that ditch I'd be dead," he said.

He woke up days later, pieced together by dozens of staples. Part of his skull was removed to allow for the swelling to go down. He has another surgery in February to put his skull back together.

Jamal McKenzie, 17, is in jail for the crime. McKenzie is facing attempted first-degree murder and armed robbery charges. He's being held on a $150,000 bond.

Weaver later learned someone had followed McKenzie and says that's how police were able to track him down. 

"A good Samaritan found them, and if it wasn't for that, he might still be out there," said Weaver.

Three months after the incident, Weaver is walking and talking. He's thankful for that.

"I thank God, that's for sure," he said.

But now he's unable to work and his bills are stacking up. Weaver is worried about losing the home where he's lived for seven years.

"I'm three months behind in rent, my landlord has been good, but I know he wants his money, too," he said.

Weaver has a caseworker, who has helped him file for emergency assistance and is working to apply for disability. Weaver is still waiting on those funds and, in the meantime, has set up a GoFundMe to help pay the bills.

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BATON ROUGE - Last week, Herman Banks was a walking, talking dead man. The bass fisherman says his life changed in a matter of weeks, unbeknownst to him. 

It wasn't until Banks went to withdraw cash from his checking account did he learn something was wrong. His account didn't have its typical balance. He was missing two deposits from the Social Security Administration.

"That's when I made the appointment to go to the Social Security Office, and that's when they told me I was declared deceased," Banks said.

The people working at the Baton Rouge office couldn't believe it either. Banks says several people were gathered around a computer, trying to figure out what had happened. Unfortunately, the problem couldn't be fixed that day in the office. That's when Banks contacted 2 On Your Side.

On Dec. 30, the Social Security Administration responded to a WBRZ email, stating that Banks' situation had been resolved. No further explanation about his case was provided. His Social Security award for November and December was deposited into his account.

"Thanks to you all, I think everything's going to work out, and I appreciate it to the highest," he said.

The problem may have begun nine months ago, when Banks misplaced his Social Security card. He mailed in for a new one but has yet to receive a replacement. 

Banks is waiting for his January Social Security funds. The Social Security Administration said it couldn't reveal case-specific information. If you find yourself incorrectly listed as deceased, the SSA recommends you visit a local office with identification.

The SSA collects death information from a variety of sources, including funeral homes, financial institutions, and postal authorities.

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BATON ROUGE - One man recently discovered that he's been declared dead by the Social Security Administration. Herman Banks is walking and talking and definitely not dead.

The 83-year-old recently went to withdraw money, only to find that his account was nearly drained. He quickly learned that he had not received his Social Security benefits for the past two months.

"I know it'll always hit the bank on the third of the month," he said.

Banks made an appointment at the Social Security office in Baton Rouge last Friday. There, he learned that his benefits had stopped because he had been declared deceased.

"When's the last time you saw a talking dead man?" he asked.

The people at the Baton Rouge Social Security office couldn't believe it either.

"I said something ain't right there, I'm still alive and kicking," Banks said.

The last benefit he received was on Oct. 3, 2025. Soon after that, something changed, and his benefits stopped. The Social Security office was unable to tell Banks when he "died," what happened, or when his benefits would be reinstated.

He has been having trouble since many of his bills are automatically drafted from the same checking account where his benefits are deposited.

"I didn't have any other idea what to do, but when I left church on Sunday, I knew who to call; I said I'm going to see if I can get in touch with Brittany to see if she can do something about this," he said.

Banks is waiting to hear from the SSA to see when he will be alive and receive benefits once again.

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BATON ROUGE - All Cleveland Parks wants to know is what it has to do with him. It's something he's been asking Entergy over and over again since a large utility bill stands between him and getting his power connected.

"It's not my bill," Parks said.

Several weeks ago, Parks signed a lease to own contract for a home off of Sherwood Forest Boulevard. He first contacted the water company to get his water turned on, then he called Entergy. At first, Parks said Entergy scheduled an appointment to visit his home and turn on his power. When they didn't show up, Parks called the electric company to learn that there was an outstanding balance owed at the address.

Parks has been saddled with a $3,500 electric bill under the previous tenant's name. He's since learned that person died in a car wreck earlier this year. It's a balance Parks doesn't think he should have to pay.

"That makes as much sense as going to the grocery store and someone in front of you does all their checking out and you have to pay for it," he said.

Since he's moved in, Parks has spent a lot of time on the phone with Entergy trying to get his electricity turned on. In the meantime, he's unable to enjoy his new home to its full extent.

"I wouldn't think Entergy would hold us liable for something we had nothing to do with," he said.

WBRZ has been in contact with Entergy about this situation for a week and it is not resolved.

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BAKER - After a woman's dream project was delayed by a contractor's incomplete job, she got a welcome surprise on Friday. 

In October, 2 On Your Side took a tour of LaWanda Young's Baker home. She had recently discovered that her contractor was being untruthful and had falsified a receipt for materials. Her addition wasn't even close to being complete, and Young said most of it would need to be scraped and redone. 

"I've been overwhelmed by it all," said Young.

In July, Young's son Justin was tragically killed in a single-vehicle car accident along with his girlfriend. His life was cut short at 21 years old. It was a dream of Young's and her late son's to build an addition onto their Baker home. 

Young hired Kelvin Carey for the dream job.

"I trusted him, that's why he got away with all that money," she said.

Soon after her story was shared on WBRZ, a group of people reached out to help. 

"Today is about a great celebration," said Tremaine Sterling of 29:11 Academy.

Sterling helped to assemble a village of people to complete the work on Young's home. 

"They were saying they wanted to finish the work here, and they did just that," said Young.

On Friday morning, December 19, what would have been Justin's 22nd birthday, Young stepped into her new home addition for the first time. It had been furnished and decorated with artwork of her son. The sight brought tears to her eyes.

"He would have loved it, he would have brought his friends over and said 'I'm proud of you, mom,' and I'm proud of him; I've always been proud of him," said Young.

With her home project completed, Young is excited for her new beginning. 

As for Kelvin Carey, there's a warrant out for his arrest.

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ST. GABRIEL - Kristie Mascarella's Hellcat was stolen from her Iberville Parish home in May. Inside that car was her custom wheelchair. Ever since, she has been in a battle with insurance, trying to replace the chair.

"It seems like I just keep getting the run around," Mascarella said.

It was just days ago that Mascarella received a letter in the mail from Humana explaining why the cost of the chair hadn't been approved yet. It's been months since she first started working through the claims process, and she still doesn't know whether or not her custom LSU wheelchair will be replaced and paid for by insurance. 

Mascarella's 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat was her dream car. She saved up to make it special, detailing it black and red. It was equipped with hand controls to accommodate her needs.

"I was born with Spina Bifida, I've kind of had one challenge after the other; I've been in a wheelchair my whole life," she said.

Insurance cut her a check, and she was able to purchase a used vehicle to get her to and from work. A new wheelchair will cost about $19,000 and it's been a little tougher getting it replaced. 

"I had to prove that I needed to be in a wheelchair," Mascarella said.

Since the theft, Mascarella has worked to acquire the necessary documentation needed by Humana to prove her need. Last week, Humana let her know that the facility she has been working with to design her new chair is out of network.

"I would have to start completely over," she said.

Her backup chair, which she has been using since the theft, is in rough shape. 

"I'm having to baby this chair because I don't know when I'll have another," Mascarella said.

Back to the Hellcat - it was found stripped for parts in a tow yard days after it had been stolen. Two teens, Jaron Collins and Jereme Thomas, have been arrested in connection with the theft. A third teen, Calvin James, has not been taken into custody. 

Mascarella continues to see her stolen car's parts on other vehicles around the Baton Rouge area. One of the car doors, identified with her VIN, was listed for sale on Facebook marketplace.

"They are taking pictures of the parts of my car with the VIN on it, and the police haven't done a thing about it," she said.

The custom wheelchair is nowhere to be found. Mascarella has filed an appeal with Humana. A GoFundMe to assist with the costs remains open. 

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BATON ROUGE - Mayor-President Sid Edwards jumped back in the seat of an excavator Monday morning to tear down the parish's 200th condemned property in 2025. 

Edwards operated the machinery to remove the blight along Comish Drive in Baton Rouge. He was there for the demolition of the first property in January, an abandoned property on Curlew Street.

"You can see the neighbors are all out here and they're excited; this is a milestone and we hope to continue getting better," Edwards said.

The City-Parish spent at least $1.5 million on demolitions in 2025, a tenfold increase over the $140,000 spent in 2024 when 49 properties were demolished under the previous administration. Rachael Lambert, director of the Department of Development, relied on Community Development Block Grants and Office of Community Development dollars to accomplish the feat. By utilizing these resources, the city is hopeful to reach the 200 property goal again in 2026.

The parish is working through a backlog of at least 500 properties awaiting condemnation.

"We want things to be done quickly, but yet, these are people's investments, people's lives; though they might not be living here there's still some sentimental value and we still have to provide some due process," Lambert said.

Once a property is demolished, it still belongs to the owner. The city will place a lien on the property for the cost of demolition. If the lien is not paid, it will roll over to property taxes and if those aren't paid the property will end up adjudicated and could go to tax sale. To avoid further blight, the goal is to bring properties back into commerce.

"We're going to do our part, but people need to take pride in the area they're living in and to keep up with it and to not tolerate the litter and the tires and the trash," Edwards said.

In the first quarter of the new year, Edwards plans to take a closer look at increasing blight fines.

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DENHAM SPRINGS - Last month, 2 On Your Side shared a story about an EMS paramedic who was denied coverage after a car wreck. State Farm denied the claim over a paperwork issue. That issue has since been resolved, and the paramedic's car has been repaired.

Justin Crochet's car is as good as new, and he can drive it again. It was picked up by a tow truck driver and repaired in a couple of weeks at a body shop in Livingston Parish.

"I'm thankful it's over," he said.

Crochet was involved in a car wreck in October. An uninsured driver with an unregistered car hit the driver's side. At the time, he wasn't concerned about those details because he had full coverage... or so he thought. 

"They told me they weren't covering me because I didn't have full coverage on my car, which was a shock to me," Crochet said.

As a paramedic for East Baton Rouge EMS and the Louisiana Air National Guard, Crochet stays busy. He shipped out for the Air Force last year. State Farm dropped his coverage to liability while his car sat parked in his garage. 

"They said let them know when I got back, and they'd put everything back," he said. 

Prior to his return, Crochet emailed State Farm and let them know he'd be returning in February. His monthly payments increased, and he didn't think anything about it until the wreck. He didn't know what to do when he received the coverage denial, so he contacted 2 On Your Side.

Soon after, the corporate office stepped in.

"Someone else from higher up in State Farm called, and he was like, 'Yes, we do see the agent responded to everything but failed to put it in.' So they backdated my insurance to February and called a tow truck to come get my car," Crochet said.

The repair happened quickly after that, and he's happy to be back on the road driving his car.

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ADDIS — Several residents along a two-lane road in West Baton Rouge Parish say 18-wheelers are tearing up their street, speeding, and disrupting their sleep.

Kevin Scott has been keeping a tally of how many trucks drive on Addis Lane between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Those numbers can exceed 30 trucks in four hours. 

"Boom, boom, you can hear it hitting," he said.

Once Scott's sleep is disturbed by a truck, he can't go back to sleep. He's become increasingly frustrated since the truck traffic got busy about eight months ago. 

"They ain't got no respect for people in this neighborhood," Scott said.

He's not alone; his neighbors agree. Scott went door-to-door asking neighbors to sign a petition to reroute the traffic to Sid Richardson Road, and 13 of his neighbors wrote their names. 

"The trucks are too heavy for this road," he said.

Several years ago, Sid Richardson Road was repaved by the parish. The road is surrounded by farmland and non-residential areas. 

Friday morning, a radar sign was placed outside of Scott's home to monitor the 40 mph speeds, but slowing down the traffic is only part of the solution.

"Come out here when no one's around, in the morning, that's when they're coming through here," he said.

Addis Lane is also known as LA 990, a state route. Heading toward LA 1, it has a dedicated turn lane and a stoplight, making it a safe way to manage truck traffic. A spokesperson for Dow Chemical says that while it can't confirm that all the traffic on Addis Lane is from Dow, it values an open dialogue with its neighbors and will collaborate on bringing potential solutions.

Scott says he received a call from a Dow spokesperson this week explaining that Sid Richardson Road was not the optimal route because it lacks a dedicated turn lane. 

Scott and his neighbors are requesting help so they can get a full night's rest.

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ST. GABRIEL - A wastewater treatment company with a facility in Iberville Parish responds to 2 On Your Side after a resident reached out for help.

Quinton Picard purchased a home in the Meadow Oaks subdivision in St. Gabriel in 2018. The house backs up to the wastewater treatment facility across the pond. Then, there were far fewer homes, and he enjoyed the sounds of nature in his backyard. Those sounds vanished when more homes were built and came online to the neighborhood's wastewater treatment plant. 

"The plant would run maybe 10 minutes every hour, which was noticeable but bearable, and didn't interfere with my sleep or usage of the backyard much," said Picard.

Originally owned by Ascension Wastewater, Picard says that when he called to lodge a complaint, he never got past the administrator answering the phone. He was told adjustments would be made, but they remained to be seen. 

A few years ago, the plant was acquired by National Water Infrastructure and has undergone expansions as the neighborhood continued to grow. It now runs non-stop, 24/7. Picard reached out to 2 On Your Side after his pleas to the city, and NWI went unaddressed. 

He had been living with the noise and mitigating it with a white noise machine. 

"There's really nowhere in the house where you can't hear it," he said.

In his backyard, he uses a RadioShack decibel reader and captures a reading of approximately 60 decibels. 

"It's just a low-frequency noise that really travels well," said Picard.

The noise makes Picard unhappy and prevents him from hearing the sounds of nature or sleeping in silence. He reached out to 2 On Your Side, and last week, NWI visited the site to investigate Picard's readings. 

CEO Myron Lambert, who joined NWI earlier this year, says NWI is committed to the safety and well-being of the communities it serves and appreciates the opportunity to address Picard's concerns.

"We are here to serve the customers and make them happy, and I'm going to do the best I can to make these people happy," said Lambert.

NWI performed acoustic noise level testing at the site during a four-day period and says the maximum recorded noise level attributable to the facility measured 50-53 decibels at the property line and compares it to ambient sounds such as a "typical conversation or a running refrigerator."

NWI has plans to build a six-foot cinder block wall around the second blower to enclose the sound. The work should begin after Thanksgiving. 

"There's definitely more that they can do, and I'm glad that they're taking action now," Picard said. 

While NWI is not in violation of the St. Gabriel city ordinance, Picard is holding them to a higher standard. The city's industrial standards say the weighted sound level shall not exceed 45 dBA during the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Picard gets a reading of about 51 dBA inside his home.

"And to me that's not an acceptable amount of noise," said Picard.

He's hoping NWI's plan will be effective and reduce the noise level. NWI says it's dedicated to being a responsible community partner and continues to monitor its facilities to make sure they stay in compliance. 

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PRAIRIEVILLE - Some private property owners living along White Road say a drainage ditch that runs through their land is being taken advantage of. They blame development in the area and say the cost to fix it shouldn't be on them.

David McRae and Kirk Resweber are neighbors. McRae says he spends several hours each week during the summer weed-eating the ditches to keep them clear of tall grass and weeds. 

"It's very time-consuming for me," said McRae.

Over the past couple of years, McRae says he has observed those ditches growing. When it rains, the ditches swell with cloudy water. It rushes through the land, toppling over culverts and eroding property. 

"Something the parish should take ownership of, given that they're pushing more water this way," said McRae.

Resweber recalls something similar happening several years ago when he first moved in. 

"I got a call from the drainage superintendent to meet me out here and sign some paperwork. I asked for what? Well, we need you to sign a release giving us the right of way to fix and maintain the ditch running through your property," said Resweber. 

That's something Resweber and McRae do not want. The proposal would include widening the ditch several more feet, lining it with rip rap, and grant the parish access to their private property.

The neighbors didn't sign the paperwork saying it would devalue their property. 

"I didn't know this situation would get worse and start eroding property," said Resweber.

McRae and Resweber met with the parish and councilman to discuss closing in the ditch through their properties. Resweber said he asked the parish what it would take to make the drainage work. They were given a report that included three drainage area locations for a total of 350' of pipe with 48" culverts. The work would be done at the landowner's expense. 

"This is easily a quarter of a million dollar project through here," said McRae.

The culverts currently on their properties range from 30" to 36". McRae and Resweber say those pipes worked just fine before recent development in the area. Delaune Estates is being built adjacent from their properties, and there are other new homes that have recently been built along White Road. They fear some of the runoff water from those new properties is being diverted their way. 

"There is way more water coming our way for whatever reason," said McRae.

It's something the parish denies. Ascension Parish says engineering for the adjacent development shows a decrease in water volume, which was confirmed by a third-party engineer.

"According to the parish, there's less water. Why are these culverts too small now?" said Resweber.

In an email between McRae and the Ascension Parish Director of the Office of Planning and Development, it says, "The only water that will flow north from this property once the project is complete is the rear yards of 14 lots in the second filing."

They'd like to know where all the water is coming from.

"We need some help, and we need this water directed somewhere else," said Resweber.

Councilman Brett Arceneaux tells 2 On Your Side that installing pipe and filling in a ditch doesn't fall within parish ordinance. The parish says Delaune Estates will be inspected for compliance with the approved plans.

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BATON ROUGE - Sweeping changes are happening behind the scenes at the Department of Children and Family Services, prompting some workers to submit their resignations.

Melanie Mann is one of those employees and fears that changes at DCFS are putting children's lives at risk. Mann, who has worked at DCFS for six years, says the agency has not been appropriately staffed during her tenure, and it's more concerning than ever.

"There are urgent cases that need to be responded to in a timely manner, or people could die, that's the reality of this situation," Mann said.

For the past three and a half years, Mann has worked for the Louisiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. She's part of what's called the Centralized Intake, where initial reports are received and processed within 24 hours. Nov. 5, Mann says that Secretary Harris instructed employees to prioritize phone calls to maintain a five-minute wait time. To achieve this, online reports were not tended to at the same rate and started to stack up.

"I want to say the highest number I saw was 370, where we had unprocessed reports going back as far as five days," said Mann. "I felt that children's lives would be in danger."

According to another Centralized Intake employee who wishes to remain anonymous, this week there were at least 30 tips in the backlog that included fatalities, juvenile sex trafficking, and serious head injuries like skull fractures and brain bleeds.

"We were told they couldn't assign them, that we had to focus on call wait times," said the anonymous staff member.

To keep up with the growing backlog, Mann says that DCFS instructed staff to start answering online reports outside of their normal shift. An email sent to DCFS staff from a Centralized Intake manager on Tuesday acknowledges the backlog and alerts the unit that they are under a "directive" to clear the queue. The email instructed employees to work overtime until the backlog is cleared. Overtime at DCFS consists of time off, not extra pay.

"That was mandatory," Mann said.

On Tuesday, 2 On Your Side asked Secretary Harris about the concerns. In response, she said the information WBRZ had received was not accurate and provided the following:

I want to be transparent about the steps we are taking to strengthen the operations of our Child Safety Response Center. This Center is where urgent and life-threatening reports come in, and both phone calls and online reports must be handled quickly. Our children cannot wait, and neither can the people trying to protect them. 

Our job is to protect children. That requires urgency, accountability, and a call center that is responsive and reliable.

DCFS has not directed staff to prioritize one reporting method over another. Instead, we have set a clear expectation that the Center must actively manage both by moving staff between call-taking and online reports based on real-time needs to prevent delays.

At this time, there is no backlog of online reports and no wait time to speak with an agent.

These efforts are part of our broader plan to modernize and stabilize child safety operations, which includes adding a second shift, improving management oversight, and increasing frontline staffing.

Staff working overtime to make sure this critical child safety work is completed receive compensatory time, a standard and lawful state practice.

I want to publicly thank the many hotline professionals who continue to take calls, process reports, and support their colleagues. Their commitment reflects the mission of this department.

In October, WBRZ first learned that all staff would be moving back to the office at the end of the year. Up until now, many positions have been fully remote. Those employees have been given options to commute to Baton Rouge or return to field positions with local offices. Mann lives in Hammond.

"We believe that the plan is to replace the majority of us with AI," Mann said.

For the past few months, Mann says staff have been training on an AI transcript tool. As reports are taken over the phone, a transcript is auto-generated and then uploaded to the cloud. 

"It has completely destabilized and shaken our entire hotline unit," Mann said.

Other policy changes within Centralized Intake include access to case records beyond 12 months. As Mann explains, this limits an investigator's available history and could prevent someone from properly investigating a phone call or tip.

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BATON ROUGE - This year, the City-Parish has torn down at least 160 blighted properties compared to the 46 demolished in 2024. Even by tripling the number, the city continues to work through a list of blight complaints and properties that qualify for condemnation. 

One such property is the OYO Hotel on Mead Road in Baton Rouge, where nearly every room of the building has been ransacked and vandalized. The property spanning four and a half acres, visible from I-12, has been left unsecured creating a large eyesore in the city. 

Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Public Works William Daniel describes the look as "a sad situation."

"It was a valuable property that was allowed to go into decline," Daniel said.

Many rooms still have beds and other furniture inside. Shattered glass covers the ground and the second floor. Several dozen tires have been dumped in the back parking lot. 

The City-Parish took the property owner, Rajesh Patel of Baton Rouge Hoteliers, LLC, to blight court in November. The city fined them $900 and gave them 60 days to clean up. Baton Rouge Hoteliers stopped paying on a $3.6 million loan in 2021 and hasn't paid the property taxes.

It was leased to a group out of state, which also stopped paying, claiming they were sold a "bad deal." The property was purchased in a September sheriff's sale to Bloom 24, LLC. An officer based in Delaware said, "No comment" when asked about the property plans. 

The city says the shuttered OYO Hotel can't stay the way it is and plans to cover the cost of boarding up the property, something that could cost anywhere from $75,000 to $100,000. 

"We're diverting income that we need for other places because people are not being accountable," said Daniel. 

The city has plans to change that and make people take responsibility by increasing fines and blight offenses. To recoup the costs of boarding up the OYO Hotel, the city will place a lien on the property. It will remain boarded up until someone else brings it back into commerce. 

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