🌱 ‘Don't Say Gay’ Bill Advance To Senate + Tracking Device Arrest

Hello, Baton Rouge! I’m Nicole Fallon-Peek, your new host of the Patch newsletter. Now, here are all the most important things to know about what's happening locally, in five minutes or less.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: A shower and thunderstorm. High: 83 Low: 72.
• Friday: Couple of thunderstorms. High: 86 Low: 71.

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Here are the top three stories in Baton Rouge today:

1. East Baton Rouge deputies arrested a man for reportedly placing a tracking device on the underside of a woman's car. The woman called the police about an "unknown object" underside of the rear-passenger side of her car, which officials established was a Spytec GPS tracking device. The police officer tracked the device back to the tracker and arrested him. (WBRZ)
2. Louisiana lawmakers advance their "Don't Say Gay" bill, advancing it to the Senate. The bill would ban K-12 public school staff from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in school and during extracurricular activities. It would also require teachers to use a student's name and pronouns aligned with the sex assigned at birth. (BRProud.com)
3. The Baton-Rouge Metro Council is considering new rules to crack down on illicit massage businesses in the city parish. In March, several individuals were arrested after an investigation into prostitution. The new proposal will require new massage establishments to register with the city-parish and go through a background check. (WAFB)

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Today and tomorrow in Baton Rouge:

Thursday, May 11

• Bluebonnet Knitting Nook At Bluebonnet Regional Branch Library (10:30 AM)
• Mini Mother's Day Banner Storycraft At Fairwood Branch Library (4:30 PM)

Friday, May 12

• Blood Drive At East Baton Rouge Parish Library (11:30 AM)
• Jazz Night: FSB At Holiday Inn Baton Rouge (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Did you know that Baton Rouge had 12 National Merit Scholarship winners? Baton Rouge Magnet High is one of the top five high schools with the most seniors receiving the scholarships as part of the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. (The Advocate)
• Prepare for the swarm of termites to hit the Baton Rouge area this Mother's Day. Formosan termites tend to swarm at night and can be extremely damaging to homes. It is suggested to avoid using bright lights at night around the home and keep light wood items like mulch from touching the house. (The Advocate)
• Franciscan High School in Baton Rouge will shut its doors at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. The school opened back in 2016, when the land was donated after the former high school closed. (WAFB)

You're officially in the loop for today! I'll be back in your inbox soon with a new update.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.