Baton Rouge news

• Trump celebrates Hanukkah, Jerusalem at White House

  07-12-2017 21:20 via wbrz.com
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is celebrating an 'especially special' Hanukkah at the White House a day after declaring Jerusalem Israel's capital and setting off criticism and clashes.
   Trump says he's thinking about "the love that's all over Israel and all about Jerusalem."
   Trump's decision on Jerusalem put the United States at odds with most other countries.
   But inside the White House Thursday, Trump got only applause, cheers and thanks from the crowd, which
  
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• Baton Rouge residents prepare for winter weather

  07-12-2017 21:04 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE - The Cotter family has been hard at work this week helping people to stay warm."This weeks been cold all week, so it's been pretty busy," said Sonja Cotter.Their fire wood business has been thriving in the recent wintry weather."Cold weather is super important. In south Louisiana we only get a month of cold weather, so its important to be prepared and ready to go because you only get that certain break," said Cotter.but while we'll be safe and warm in front of our fireplaces tonigh
  
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• State welcomes new probation, parole officers

  07-12-2017 20:23 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections is welcoming 23 new probation and parole officers to the department.
   The new officers took the oath of office Thursday during a swearing-in ceremony in Baton Rouge. They will be stationed in 13 of the 20 districts across the state covering areas including Alexandria, Amite, Baton Rouge, Covington, Feliciana, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Leesville, New Orleans, Shreveport and Ville Platte.
   The acad
  
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• Search for BR's next police chief narrowed down to five finalists

  07-12-2017 18:41 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE - The search for Baton Rouge's next police chief was narrowed down even further Thursday afternoon.The committee commissioned by Mayor Sharon Weston Broome selected five finalists for the position Thursday evening. Those finalists are Myron Daniels, Darryl Honore, Robert McGarner, Murphy Paul and Ronald Stevens.The next step for the finalists is a set of one-on-one interviews with the mayor, who is expected to select the new chief by the end of the year.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Package poachers strike single mom's house

  07-12-2017 17:45 via wbrz.com
  GEISMAR - With holiday shopping in full swing, package poachers are on the hunt.A single mother of two says more than $800 worth of gifts were stolen from her home."Like everything I've been working for to get my girls these gifts... like that it was gone," said Angela Bateman.Surveillance video shows the UPS driver dropping the packages off. About 30 min later someone snatches them and runs away."I think they're following the delivery vehicles," said Bateman.The subject seen on the surveillanc
  
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• Homeowner holds burglar at gunpoint until police arrive, broadcasts live on facebook

  07-12-2017 17:34 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE- A homeowner held a burglar at gunpoint and broadcast the entire thing on Facebook live Wednesday until police arrived.
  Caesar Ray said his daughter's car alarm went off in the middle of the night. They were working on their home that flooded. That's about the same time that a neighbor called to let them know that she saw a man mulling around their house.
  Ray, who has law enforcement training and past experience working for the Department of Corrections, met Roberto Garcia head on i
  
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• Classic car falls from truck, blocks part of I-10 Thursday evening

  07-12-2017 17:21 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE – What appears to have been a classic car dating to the 40s or earlier fell off the truck hauling it and blocked part of I-10 Thursday evening.The car slid into traffic just before 5 o'clock in the middle, westbound lane of the interstate over the lakes. Cars behind it quickly avoided a collision and eventually stopped as a Baton Rouge Police officer pushed the car to the shoulder.As the officer pushed the car, the truck hauling the classic car and others waited in the mid
  
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• Gonzales man facing 150 child pornography charges

  07-12-2017 17:20 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE - The Attorney General's Office has announced the arrest of a 34-year-old man accused of possessing more than 150 images depicting child pornography.On Thursday, a search warrant led to the discovery of the images in Joey Opperman's transitional home on Shireburk Avenue. Authorities say images were found across multiple electronic devices in Opperman's room. They allegedly depicted mostly young females, along with some males between ages 2 and 8, engaging
  
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• Pesky dispute between customer and Terminix resolved

  07-12-2017 16:53 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE - A woman who hired Terminix to take care of some pests is facing a large bill she says she shouldn't have to pay.Bernice Lodge has been disputing the bill since June. It's a $1,700 charge to her Discover card from Terminix. Lodge says she hired the company to spray her daughter's house and agreed on a price of $350.Lodge says the Terminix employee started to spray along the floorboards of one room and then suddenly had to go."He said, 'I'm sick, I'm going to have to come back,'" sa
  
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• State offices closed Friday due to winter weather

  07-12-2017 16:43 via wbrz.com
  BATON ROUGE - Officials say a number of state government offices will be closed on Friday due to possible winter weather.Offices in in Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Lafayette, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes will be closed Dec. 8.The East Baton Rouge and Ascen
  
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• WBRZ LIVE: Here's where to get live news, forecasts today and tomorrow

  07-12-2017 15:05 via wbrz.com
  Newscast timesWBRZ's 2une-In, 5 a.m. - 7 a.m.WBRZ News 2 at NoonWBRZ News 2 at 4:00WBRZ News 2 at 5:00WBRZ News 2 at 6:00WBRZ News 2 at 10:00WBRZ News broadcasts on television Live on WBRZ 2.1 (Local news and ABC programming) – all cable and satellite providersLive on WBRZ 2.2 (24-hour news cable channel by WBRZ News) – antenna on 2.2, Cox 11/1011, Eatel 2WBRZ News broadcasts streaming via internet connectionWBRZ.comWBRZ mobile appWBRZ Channel 2 on Facebook LiveWBRZ on Roku
  
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• Woman pleads guilty to stealing $97K from animal shelter

  07-12-2017 14:17 via wbrz.com
  GRETNA - A Harvey woman admitted stealing more than $97,000 in cash from customers at the West Bank Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter.  NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune reports 38-year-old Laquita Goudy pleaded guilty to felony theft Tuesday before state District Judge Danyelle Taylor.  Taylor suspended an eight-year prison sentence and ordered Goudy to serve five years of active probation. Court records show Taylor also ordered her to repay the money taken within
  
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• Shooter among dead in New Mexico school shooting

  07-12-2017 13:58 via wbrz.com
  AZTEC, N.M.- New Mexico State Police say the suspect in a high school shooting is among the three dead.Police didn't release details about the shooter but confirmed the other two people killed Thursday at Aztec High School were students.The school was cordoned off as deputies with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office and other police agencies cleared the buildings. Students were taken to another location.Other schools in the area also were locked down as a precaution. Authorities say it could b
  
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• Man killed in high-speed crash on LA 1054

  07-12-2017 13:58 via wbrz.com
  KENTWOOD- Troopers with the Louisiana State Police Department investigated a fatal crash on LA 1054 early this morning.The crash occurred at 4:45 a.m. on LA 1054 near the intersection of North Road. Authorities say the crash claimed the life of 21-year-old Derek Martin.Trooper determined that the crash occurred as Martin was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier westbound on LA 1054. Martin lost control of his vehicle as he negotiated a left-hand curve. The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the l
  
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• Secret Santa couple pays off $10K in layaway orders in Maine

  07-12-2017 13:46 via wbrz.com
  SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine— Representatives for a Maine Toys R Us store say a husband and wife stopped in to pay off $10,000 in layaway orders for other families.News outlets reports the couple is local and desired to remain anonymous when making the payment at the South Portland store. Store manager Jay Roes says the money is enough to pay off the balance on about 100 layaway accounts. The gift will help make Christmas more affordable for dozens of families in the area.The total layaway b
  
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• Ford shifts production of electric SUV to Mexico

  07-12-2017 13:35 via wbrz.com
  DETROIT- Ford says that shifting production of an electric SUV from the U.S. to Mexico will allow the company to make more self-driving vehicles in Michigan.Ford announced last January that it would invest $700 million and hire 700 workers to make electric and autonomous vehicles at its Flat Rock plant near Detroit. Among those vehicles is an all-electric SUV that will go on sale in 2020.Ford said Thursday it now plans to make the SUV at its Cuatitlan, Mexico, factory.Ford said it plans to add
  
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• New Mexico man stabbed friend over lack of beer

  07-12-2017 13:33 via wbrz.com
  LAS CRUCES, N.M.— A New Mexico man is facing charges after police say he stabbed a friend over a lack of beer.News outlets reports 23-year-old Isaac Avalos was arrested late Saturday following a fight with his friend who suffered multiple, non-life-threatening stab wounds.According to police, Avalos was at a friend’s home when he became upset he could not find any beer in the kitchen. He reportedly became angry when he learned he and his friend already drank all of the beer.
  
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• Southern California wildfires burn with little containment as conditions worsen

  07-12-2017 13:23 via wbrz.com
  Firefighters across Southern California are battling four major wildfires, and brutal Santa Ana winds are expected to continue fanning the flames through Thursday.ABC News reports that the weather is not cooperating with the hundreds of officials trying to contain the flames in the region.Red flag warnings have been extended across much of Southern California through Saturday, and high winds warnings are in effect for mountains and valleys in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.Sustained winds wer
  
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• Livingston sheriff thanks Bass Pro for its help during 2016 flood

  07-12-2017 12:28 via wbrz.com
  DENHAM SPRINGS - The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office took to a local Bass Pro Shops Thursday in order to thank the store and its workers for their help during last year's historic flood.With water levels reaching a record high in Livingston Parish last August, the sheriff's office was spread thin and looking for all the help it could get. Sheriff Jason Ard says Bass Pro did just that.The store gave deputies full access to its entire boat inventory so they could get on the water and
  
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• Authorities arrest 20 in child support roundup

  07-12-2017 12:23 via wbrz.com
  LAFOURCHE PARISH- Deputies from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office and District Attorney Kristine Russell were on hand Thursday morning in Thibodaux as multiple agencies participated in a roundup of "deadbeat" parents.Authorities say arrest warrants were prepared on 66 individuals who are collectively in arrears of their child support payments for over $1.1 million."The efforts made by law enforcement this morning will make a dramatic difference in our ability to recover the outstanding supp
  
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• Franken quits amid sexual misconduct allegations

  07-12-2017 12:00 via wbrz.com
  WASHINGTON- Minnesota Sen. Al Franken is resigning amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations.Once a rising star in the Democratic Party, Franken made the announcement in a speech Thursday on the Senate floor.Sen. Al Franken: "There is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office." https://t.co/HgnJl4IPml pic.twitter.com/zSfxqKtgEo— ABC News (@ABC) December 7, 2017The two-term lawmaker has rep
  
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• Paul Ryan's GOP challenger tells columnist to 'eat a bullet'

  07-12-2017 11:36 via wbrz.com
  MADISON, Wis.- House Speaker Paul Ryan's Republican primary challenger told a columnist for the New York Post in a Twitter message to "Eat a bullet."Paul Nehlen sent the tweet on Wednesday night. It came after a back and forth with Post columnist John Podhoretz that stemmed from a tweet Nehlen sent about a bill passed by the House that would make it easier for gun owners to legally carry concealed weapons across state lines.Podhoretz tweeted to Nehlen: "Maybe you should eat something. Your brai
  
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• Thibodaux man killed in St. John the Baptist crash

  07-12-2017 11:17 via wbrz.com
  VACHERIE - A 69-year-old man was killed in a crash in St. John the Baptist Parish Thursday afternoon.Louisiana State Police troopers said 69-year-old Louis Duet was involved in a crash on LA 3127 east of LA 3213. Investigators said Duet was traveling west in a pick-up truck when he crossed the center line and struck an eastbound 18 wheeler.Duet was wearing a seatbelt but died on scene, according to the St. John the Baptist Coroner's Office.Troopers said Duet's wife was sustained minor injuries
  
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• Gay man denied marriage license by Kim Davis challenging her for county clerk

  07-12-2017 09:04 via wbrz.com
  Two years after Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis denied a marriage license to David Ermold and his partner of 15-plus years, Ermold and Davis are crossing paths once again.He is now challenging Davis for her seat.ABC News reports that Ermold filed on Wednesday to run for Rowan County clerk, with his husband, David Moore, by his side.Ermold is a professor at the University of Pikeville, and formerly a professor at the Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, where he was awa
  
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• Israeli city to name park after Trump

  07-12-2017 08:42 via wbrz.com
  JERUSALEM-An Israeli city plans to name a park after U.S. President Donald Trump in honor of his decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move the embassy there.David Even Zur, the mayor of the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Yam, calls Trump's move "historic." He says it was "a brave, unprecedented step which none of his predecessors were prepared to do.""Donald Trump proved to the entire world that Jerusalem is in his heart and we will prove to him in this way that he is in our
  
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• Suspect steals assault rifle and more from police unit in Florida

  07-12-2017 08:23 via wbrz.com
  PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - Officers from the Pembroke Pines Police Department say a suspect broke into a Opa Locka Police Department patrol vehicle and stole police equipment.The incident occurred Tuesday at approximately 3:20 a.m. within the Sunswept community. The suspect was caught on surveillance video.Items that were removed included a taser and cartridges, a tactical vest with police markings, a 16-round .45 caliber magazine and a AR-15 assault rifle with three fully loaded magazines.Authorit
  
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• Plan to block invasive fish worries Louisiana business group

  07-12-2017 07:48 via wbrz.com
  NEW ORLEANS- A business lobbying organization in Louisiana is expressing concerns about proposals to block an invasive species of fish from the Great Lakes.The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has released a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urging consideration of alternatives to proposed structures that could affect maritime traffic from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes.LABI's letter acknowledges concerns that Asian carp could harm the Great Lakes fishing indust
  
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• 20 items to be added to Taco Bell's $1 menu in 2018

  07-12-2017 07:32 via wbrz.com
  Taco Bell announced Tuesday that the fast-food chain restaurant plans on adding 20 items to their dollar menu by December 2018.WWL-TV reports that the first items to join the dollar menu will be the $1 Stackers on Dec. 21."We believe passionately that people should have more than just the ability to eat for $1," said Chief Marketing Officer Marisa Thalberg. "They should feel like they can feast for $1. We are (and always have been) completely committed to coming up with the most craveable, crea
  
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• Remembering Pearl Harbor 76 years later

  07-12-2017 06:26 via wbrz.com
  PEARL HARBOR- Today many will mark the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.It's been 76 years since hundreds of Japanese warplanes swooped down to attack most of the U.S. Pacific fleet anchored at the station. The attack would force the United States into WWII.Nearly 2,400 Americans lost their lives in the attack. There were 45 Louisianians among the thousands killed.The USS KIDD Veterans Museum will commemorate the anniversary with a ceremony beginning at 11:55 a.m. Tha
  
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• New cutter to be commissioned in New Orleans

  07-12-2017 06:07 via wbrz.com
  NEW ORLEANS- The U.S. Coast Guard is getting ready for a ceremony in New Orleans to commission a new fast response cutter.After Friday's commissioning, the Cutter Jacob Poroo will be home-ported on the Mississippi coast at Pascagoula. However, it will operate throughout the Coast Guard's vast 8th District.The Coast Guard says in a news release that the Jacob Poroo is a Sentinel-class fast response cutter. It's designed for a variety of missions including drug and migrant interdiction;
  
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• Police looking for missing 18-year-old out of New Orleans

  07-12-2017 05:51 via wbrz.com
  NEW ORLEANS- Police are looking for an 18-year-old girl who has been missing from her New Orleans East home since Friday.WWL-TV reports that Endia Rodney was last seen at her home in the 4600 block of Sandalwood Street on Dec. 1.Police say a friend reported seeing Rodney later that night at a daiquiri shop on Crowder Boulevard.Rodney is described as a black female, 5'4'' and weighing about 135 pounds with long blonde and brown hair.Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is urged to c
  
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