BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT | Staff writer Blue Bayou and Dixie Landing are a microcosm of the economic roller coaster we've all been on the past few years. The water park and theme park closed in 2020 due to COVID, and only partially opened last year because of worker shortages. They've opened again this year, but there are still some limitations. Check out the details here. You've probably read plenty about how gun violence has increased in cities like Baton Rouge and New Orleans. But Donaldsonville, with fewer than 7,000 people, is also seeing a spike in shootings, local law enforcement leaders say. They blame it on feuds between rival organized groups, which the sheriff says are basically gangs. Here's what law enforcement plans to do about it. Here's one possible effect of the larger increase in homicides: A few years ago, Louisiana leaders of both parties passed a wave of criminal justice reform bills, aimed at scaling back harsh jail terms and other laws that gave Louisiana one of the highest incarceration rates in the country. Now some lawmakers are trying to roll back those changes. Here's their argument, and why others think that's not the right response. | 