BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer Two bodies have been found in separate abandoned Baton Rouge apartment buildings in recent weeks. While authorities do not think the cases are related, they underscore the connection between crime and blight, even as a push is underway to change how the city handles abandoned homes and buildings. District Attorney Hillar Moore said the killings have caught people's attention and that abandoned properties "give the space" for crimes to take place undetected. Falon Brown, spokesperson for the Mayor's Office, said "blight and crime go hand-in-hand, and we're committed to addressing both with urgency." Read more about the work being done to battle blight. Facing the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana, Baton Rouge Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts on Friday acknowledged failures in judgment and admitted to embellishing her military service record, but she told the panel she should not be stripped of her judgeship. The commission will recommend what kind of discipline she should face in her misconduct case. The state’s Office of Special Counsel has asked that Foxworth-Roberts be booted off the bench, a rare step that has not been taken against a Louisiana judge in more than a decade. Read more about her testimony. Gail Woodrow Richardson of Gonzales was the oldest living World War II veteran in Louisiana before his death May 19 at 105 years old. A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered at a Baton Rouge cemetery on Friday to celebrate a man known for serving his country and his family. Read about the service for "a very exceptional man." |