BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Abandoned houses have been an issue in Baton Rouge, hurting property values and attracting crime. Officials have begun demolishing those empty properties.

So far, 125 blighted homes are gone, but 82 more are still in progress. Mayor-President Sid Edwards said removing them will open the door for safer neighborhoods across Baton Rouge.

For years, abandoned homes have been a challenge in Baton Rouge neighborhoods.

"You don't want to have a blighted house," said councilmember Anthony Kenney. "You know you want a beautiful home, a beautiful neighborhood, you know I believe neighbors don't want their homes to be affected by blighted buildings in the communities."

So far this year, the city has demolished more than double the number of blighted homes torn

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