BY DEANNA B. NARVESON | Staff writer Big changes for Baton Rouge schools: East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent LaMont Cole is recommending closing four elementary and one middle school as well as merging Capitol middle and high schools. The closures are found in Cole's new, far-reaching "realignment" plan, which he unveiled Tuesday at a special meeting of the parish School Board. A total of 28 schools would see changes and 16 attendance zones would be redrawn. More than 10,000-children and and 1,400-plus staff would be impacted. Read the full story about what could change. At the Capitol: Bills that insurance companies and business interests say would address Louisiana’s car insurance crisis advanced their first step in the legislative process Tuesday. The measures approved by the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee would “level the playing field,” according to state representatives who blame Louisiana’s high car insurance rates on a legal system that they say encourages too many lawsuits and big payouts to people injured in wrecks. Read more. Major project: Fidelis, a Texas-based energy company, is partnering with Microsoft on a proposed $800 million facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge which aims to capture carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and either store it underground or use it to create fuel. See the full story. | 