BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer The Capital Area Ground Water Conservation Commission is set to decide Thursday how to determine whether salt water is intruding faster than expected on an important Baton Rouge Water Co. drinking water pump station. Data from one of two wells along North Street show chloride levels — which reflect how much salt is in the water — have increased 16% in three years after having been being relatively stable. The Southern Hills aquifer, the area's main source of drinking water, has faced a long-term threat from salt water moving north underground across the Baton Rouge Fault, a geological crack that generally tracks Interstates 10 and 12. Read more about what the commission faces. State Sen. Rick Edmonds is planning a news conference Thursday to announce plans to file legislation to create a St. George school system. If successful, it would be the fifth public school district in the parish and could be open for student instruction at earliest in fall 2026. Read what the move could mean for residents of St. George and East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools. With summer approaching, it's almost time for Louisianan residents to start planning for the arrival of eastern monarch butterflies in their yards. You can expect to begin seeing them by late June and early July as they migrate north. The species may be beginning to rebound, but the butterflies still need your help. See what you can do. | 