Claire Grunewald

1 week ago | theadvocate.com | Quinn Coffman |Claire Grunewald

As the world experiences waves of digital transformation year after year, children in Louisiana are being victimized in a rising tide of internet sex crimes. The state has seen tips for these crimes hit record highs, soaring from 171 reports in 2010 to 16,000 in 2024. These trends have caught the attention of law enforcement across the state and have amped up efforts from the statewide Internet Crimes Against Children task force to recruit more departments.

2 months ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Grunewald |Jan Risher

Tens of thousands of Louisiana residents convened in Livingston this past weekend to rock out to Nickelback, Kid Rock and other country artists. But for a big festival in a small town, there were bound to be some complaints - and not just the ones over the $66 six-pack of beer. The "Rock the Country" two-day festival kicked off its national tour in the small town of Livingston on April 4 and 5.

Jan 18, 2025 | theadvocate.com | Claire Grunewald

As Louisiana braces for a rare winter weather event in the coming days, one animal shelter is rushing to find homes for its furry residents before the temperatures drop. The Denham Springs Animal Shelter in Livingston Parish for the past week has sent out a call for help across social media: It needs people to foster dogs from the overcrowded shelter ahead of the freezing temperatures. Since posting, the shelter has received quite a few new fosters, shelter secretary Angel Guy said.

Jan 16, 2025 | theadvocate.com | Claire Grunewald

A fire that burned down an apartment building and displaced four people Thursday morning may have been arson, Baton Rouge fire officials say. The Baton Rouge Fire Department arrived at 5455 Longfellow Drive about 3:30 a.m. to find flames engulfing the roof of the apartment building. The fire allegedly started in Apartment 4. Firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to neighboring homes, but the building was completely destroyed, according to a fire department release.

Jan 15, 2025 | theadvocate.com | Claire Grunewald

More federal money is coming to Louisiana to help school districts add electric buses to their fleets — keeping up with a national trend that has schools replacing diesel with a cleaner alternativeThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Jan. 8 that Jefferson and Livingston parishes were the latest Louisiana recipients of federal funds to replace buses with electric-powered ones. The state was reported to have nearly 300 electric school buses as of this past summer.