BY DEANNA B. NARVESON | Staff writer Louisiana is one of the worst states for child well-being, ranking 48th in the country behind only Mississippi and New Mexico, according to a new report. The state has made some progress, including in reading achievement, but the Louisiana still struggles with high childhood poverty rates and low math scores. Read more. Who will lead Baton Rouge schools? Seventeen people, including Interim Supt. Adam Smith, submitted applications to become the next permanent leader of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, the second largest in the state. Read the latest in the search for a new superintendent. A chemical known to increase the risk of cancer is far more prevalent in the air along the Mississippi River corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans than previously thought, a new study has found. Read more about the study from Johns Hopkins University. | 