SAINTS SECONDARY FACING KEY TEST AFTER LOSING TOP CB 1C
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T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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S at u r d ay, J u ly 25, 2026
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH
Mayor, council at odds over St. George suit Edwards comment about ‘agreement in principle’ questioned
Livingston council OKs development code For the first time, parish has single rule book
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER
Staff writer
East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ criticism Thursday of the parish attorney for seeking to involve the city-parish government in a lawsuit about St. George drew icy reactions from East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council members that night and through the day Friday. And, while the mayor appeared to have mended some fences by the end of the day, some council members were still asking questions about his comment that city leaders had reached an “agreement in principle” with St. George about significant disputes over the cities’ “I was certainly finances. caught off guard “I was certainly caught to learn that there off guard to learn that there was a potential was a potential on the table agreement on the agreement and the council had no table and the council knowledge,” said council had no knowledge. member Laurie Adams. “I would like to at least have I would like to at some knowledge about least have some what’s taking place.” knowledge about The roughly 24-hour what’s taking place.” spat began Thursday afternoon. In a legal filing, LAURIE ADAMS, Parish Attorney John East Baton Rouge Parish McLindon asked a Baton Metro Council member Rouge judge to bring the city-parish government into a lawsuit filed by a developer challenging the city’s zoning laws. McLindon argued the city-parish has a significant interest in one question the lawsuit raises: When was St. George officially incorporated? If the city was incorporated in 2019, when voters approved its creation, East Baton Rouge could owe St. George tens
$2.00X
BY GIGI LIMAN Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards criticized the parish attorney for seeking to involve the ä See SUIT, page 5A city-parish government in a lawsuit about St. George.
The Livingston Parish Council on Thursday adopted a Unified Development Code, capping a yearslong effort to control how and where land is developed — and prevent flooding in one of the state’s fastest-growing parishes. For the first time, the parish has a single rule book for development. It includes what can be built where, how land may be split into lots, how new construction must handle drainage and flooding, and detailed processes for getting projects approved. Applause filled the room as the vote was announced, and the people in the public gallery who had spent years assisting the “This UDC is council with the code turned to shake hands. the last step “This UDC is the last step in in getting our getting our parish in the right parish in the direction,” council member right direction.” John Wascom said. Council members likened JOHN WASCOM, it to a constitution for develLivingston Parish opment: a central document Council member that holds all the rules in one place but can be amended over time. The 243-page document also includes new restrictions for developers. Large commercial, industrial and residential projects must now produce drainage and traffic studies before they can be approved. Carving land into multiple lots will face stricter review. And waivers, which grant exemptions from established rules, must now pass through a multilayered approval process, including a checklist and review by the Planning Commission and the council. “Because we did not have this in place, it created so many challenges for our people with
ä See CODE, page 5A
Fields sees no path for reelection to Congress He announced last week that he’ll Rouge, said at a news conference Democrat eyed other ton Friday. “I was in deep conversations run to finish the term of the late state districts before deciding with members of Congress in Wash- Sen. Larry Selders, a Democrat from and there was a lot of push. But Baton Rouge who unexpectedly died to seek state Senate seat atington, the end of the day, I didn’t see the earlier this month from a heart condi-
winning path.” Fields said he did not consider a bid in the two New Orleans-area congresStaff writer sional districts represented by DemoBefore deciding that he would not cratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter and Rerun for Congress again, U.S. Rep. Cleo publican House Majority Leader Steve Fields looked at running in four differ- Scalise, but he evaluated the other four. “I had to run in one of the four or not ent districts — but, after Republican state lawmakers redrew Louisiana’s run at all, and that was a tough decicongressional map this spring, he said sion,” he said. he realized he couldn’t win. Now, Fields says he is returning to “When I run for office, I don’t run his roots and wants to continue in pubjust to run; I run to win,” Fields, D-Ba- lic service “closer to home.”
BY ALYSE PFEIL
WEATHER HIGH 93 LOW 77 PAGE 6A
tion. “The moment has called me to do this,” Fields said. “We’re gonna do our best to fill those shoes of Larry Selders.” A special primary election for the vacant District 14 state Senate seat is scheduled for Dec. 12 with a runoff on Jan. 9 if needed. All seats in the Legislature are up for election for full fouryear terms in fall of 2027.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields announces his decision Friday not to run for reelection but rather to seek a seat in the Louisiana ä See FIELDS, page 5A Senate.
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