Baton Rouge news

• Louisiana House Republicans push additional budget cuts

  24-02-2016 23:36
  
  The Louisiana House Appropriations Committee moved to nearly quadruple upcoming state budget cuts through a mostly partisan vote Wednesday (Feb. 24).  Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards had proposed reducing state spending by $30 million before June 30 when the current budget cycle ends. But the...
  
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• United Way raising funds to help tornado victims in Convent

  24-02-2016 21:36
  
  CONVENT – United Way is raising funds to help relieve the victims in Tuesday's deadly storms.  Residents are searching through the mangled mess, hoping to save what ever they can. Most people lost everything, or almost everything after an EF2 tornado ripped through the area.United Way has started a donation fund to help. The fund is already up to $100,000, but United Way's Michael Williamson said it is unclear how much money will be needed to help the community recover."The th
  
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• Baton Rouge lawmaker Ronnie Edwards has died

  24-02-2016 18:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Newly-elected State Rep. Ronnie Edwards has died, sources confirmed to WBRZ Wednesday.Edwards, who won the election to state government last year, had been a member of the Metro Council."We lost a member of our body this afternoon," House Speaker Taylor Barras announced to House members while asking for a moment of silence for Edwards, the Associated Press reported.“Rep. Edwards will long be remembered and admired for her commitment and tireless effort to improve her comm
  
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• 5th Circuit ruling allows admitting privileges law to take effect

  24-02-2016 18:10
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A unanimous decision from a panel of three judges of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an emergency stay of the district court’s opinion that struck down the state’s admitting privileges law.The panel accepted all of the state’s arguments that the court did not follow 5th Circuit precedent, ignoring the state’s rebutted evidence that more than 90 percent of women in the state would still be within 150 miles of a provider, and also i
  
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• Assumption Parish schools to reopen Thursday

  24-02-2016 18:05
  
  ASSUMPTION PARISH - Schools in Assumption Parish are set to reopen Thursday after they were closed Wednesday behind a series of strong storms.All schools in parish will be back open with classes resuming as regularly scheduled.School administrators said if anyone is in need of assistance due to the severe weather or would like to make a donation or volunteer, they can contact Carol Ann with the Red Cross at (504) 444-2792.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Downtown BR museum adds massive dinosaur fossil to collection

  24-02-2016 17:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge welcomed an authentic Triceratops skull to its collection this week. The fossil will be the only one of its kind on display in the state when public viewing begins on Saturday.The skull was discovered on a private ranch in Montana at a site that is well-known for excellent fossil finds. It’s on loan from Raising Cane’s and the Graves family. The skull is a prime Triceratops fossil that weighs in at more than
  
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• Louisiana House Republicans look to cut K-12 education, Superdome funding

  24-02-2016 17:15
  
  The Louisiana House Appropriations Committee wants to take an additional $44 million from K-12 education and about $4.6 million from a fund that supports the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.
  
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• Apple's Cook: Complying with FBI demand 'bad for America'

  24-02-2016 16:45
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - Apple CEO Tim Cook is defending his company's decision to resist an FBI demand for help cracking an encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.Cook told a television interviewer Wednesday that it was both the "hard" and "right" thing to do. He also said complying with the demand would be "bad for America."Cook made his statements to ABC News in his first public interview since Apple's standoff with federal authorities erupted last week.Federal officials have said
  
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• Residents in Convent credit their faith for saving their lives

  24-02-2016 16:44
  
  CONVENT - Residents in Convent spent their Wednesday picking up the pieces and trying to salvage items from their homes. It comes after a tornado swept through the area reducing homes to rubble in a matter of seconds."I'm thankful," Wallace, a Convent resident said. "Thankful to be alive!"Wallace was inside the front of his home when the walls collapsed around him. His house was leveled. Along Water Tower Street, power lines are down, debris is strewn all over the place and people are trying to
  
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• Excitement for Trump breaks Nevada GOP turnout record

  24-02-2016 16:42
  
  LAS VEGAS - First time caucus-goers, many energized by Donald Trump's angry outsider campaign, flooded the polls driving turnout to record levels in Nevada's first-in-the-West presidential preference event.Trump received 34,531 votes in Tuesday night's contest, more than the total number of people who caucused four years ago. The Nevada Republican Party said Wednesday that attendance at its latest caucus set a record with more than 75,000 voters who cast ballots, more than double the 33
  
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• NWS confirms tornado touchdowns in Prairieville, Livingston

  24-02-2016 15:22
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - The National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday afternoon that a pair of tornados touchdowned near the capital city area during Tuesday's bout of severe weather.NWS survey teams reported that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Prairieville and a stronger, EF-2 tornado hit Livingston area.The Livingston tornado brough winds up to 120 mph, destroying houses and knocking down powerlines in the area Tuesday afternoon. Over a thousand people were without power as the storm passed over.Th
  
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• Bundys, others plead not guilty to Oregon refuge charges

  24-02-2016 15:11
  
  PORTLAND  - Ammon Bundy and another 15 defendants have pleaded not guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge.U.S. District Judge Anna Brown reminded the defendants Wednesday that they are considered innocent until proven guilty. Several of the accused doubted that assertion. One of them, Jason Patrick, said: "You're the federal government; you're going to do whatever you want."The judge set an April 29 trial date, though that seems
  
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• 200 homes and buildings damaged in LaPlace, many unlivable

  24-02-2016 14:39
  
  LAPLACE, La. (WWLTV) - St. John the Baptist Parish remained under a state of emergency Wednesday as clean up continued in LaPlace as residents pick up the pieces of their homes after a violent storm charged through the parish Tuesday afternoon. Parish President Natalie Robottom said that 200 homes or businesses suffered damage, several left with only a slab.The homes were damaged when a suspected tornado cut a swath through the parish, hitting areas such as&am
  
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• LSU's big spring question, Donte Jackson's speed, and more: Your questions answered

  24-02-2016 14:30
  
  A look back at the highlights from Tuesday's LSU football chat.
  
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• Breaking down LSU players at NFL Scouting Combine: Scout's Take Podcast

  24-02-2016 14:00
  
  Four Tigers trying to improve draft positions.
  
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• College students rally against cuts at the Louisiana Capitol

  24-02-2016 13:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - College students worried their campuses could close their doors mid-semester swarmed the Louisiana Capitol steps to protest the threat of deep budget cuts.Higher education leaders estimated 2,000 students attended Wednesday's rally, which featured chants of "No more cuts!" Students also held signs saying "Louisiana Needs More College Graduates" and "S.O.S: Save Our Schools."The state's four public college system presidents urged students to reach out to lawmakers and pressure them
  
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• Harry Reid endorses Clinton over Sanders

  24-02-2016 13:41
  
  WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is endorsing Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.A spokeswoman for the Nevada senator said Wednesday that Reid was making the endorsement. Reid participated in his state's Democratic caucuses Saturday but voted as "uncommitted." Clinton won the contest.Reid said he took pains to remain neutral in the competition between Clinton and Bernie Sanders so he would not be accused of rigging the caucuses.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Proposed budget cuts would hit public education financing

  24-02-2016 13:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers in the House will consider making $87 million in deeper cuts to state spending this year than Gov. John Bel Edwards proposes, more than half of that to public school financing.The proposal was approved with a 14-9 vote Wednesday by the Appropriations Committee and heads next to the full House for debate.The measure strikes at the governor's efforts to shield K-12 education from most cuts. Education officials say the plans could damage classroom instruction and jeopardize
  
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• National Emergency Alert System to be tested Wednesday afternoon

  24-02-2016 13:30
  
  2:20 p.m. broadcast: 'This is a national test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test'
  
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• Some say tough talkin' sheriff star might be too harsh

  24-02-2016 13:23
  
  OPELOUSAS - The tough talkin' spokesperson for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's office has been told to turn it down, state-wide radio reported.Captain Clay Higgins has become an internet superstar because of his weekly Crimestoppers segment on a Lafayette TV station. In May, his viral videos were highlighted by the Washington Post. He uses one-liners to sucker-punch wanted suspects: "You can't hide from what you've done, and you'll never escape the long arm of the law," Higgins has said.Most rec
  
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• WATCH: SkyEye2 finds wide spread destruction in Assumption Parish

  24-02-2016 13:01
  
  PAINCOURTVILLE - Rays of sunshine won't help ease the mood, but they're giving people light to clean up wide-spread damage after tornadic activity Tuesday.Aftermath in Assumption Parish/Paincourtville @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/WSYxGfi6Ae— Jessica LeBlanc (@JessLeBlancNews) February 24, 2016Assumption Parish was hit hard by the storm that moved through the region after lunch Tuesday. Wednesday, the governor, his staff and the National Weather Service surveyed the areas. The storm system ble
  
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• Worse damage in Livingston surveyed at daylight

  24-02-2016 12:58
  
  LIVINGSTON - People are taking advantage of clearer weather Wednesday to clean up from suspected tornadic weather and tell stories of survival.Here's aftermath of the tornado in #Livingston. The homeowner took shelter in the bathroom and survived. #LAwx @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/O0uZpXgw33— Troy Gaulden WBRZ (@TroyGaulden) February 24, 2016On North Willow Street in Livingston, a home was blown away. Inside, the homeowner took cover in a bathroom.On Twitter, people reported family and frien
  
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• White House considers Republican governor for Supreme Court

  24-02-2016 12:54
  
  WASHINGTON - Two people familiar with the process say the White House is considering Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada as one of several potential nominees to the Supreme Court.The nomination of a Republican would be seen as an attempt by President Obama to court the Senate GOP. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said they will not hold hearings or vote on Obama's pick.Sandoval is a former federal judge who supports abortion rights. He met with Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
  
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• Obama says he seeks nominee guided by real-life perspective

  24-02-2016 12:54
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he's looking for a Supreme Court nominee with a sterling record, a deep respect for the judiciary's role and an understanding of how the law affects real people.Obama is offering his most expansive description of the qualities he's seeking in a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.He writes on the legal blog SCOTUSblog that he's looking for someone who approaches decisions with no "particular ideology or agenda." But Obama says he's also seekin
  
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• Senate confirms Robert Califf as head of FDA

  24-02-2016 12:51
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has confirmed President Barack Obama's nominee to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.Senators voted 89-4 Wednesday to confirm Robert Califf after a handful of Democrats delayed action in a protest over the agency's inaction on the abuse of opioid painkillers.Califf was a prominent cardiologist and medical researcher at Duke University for more than 30 years. He has been the FDA's No. 2 official.With only a year left in Obama's presidency, Califf is tasked
  
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• Man arrested for causing December train crash in Gonzales

  24-02-2016 12:17
  
  GONZALES - Police say they arrested a Baton Rouge man accused of causing a train collision in Gonzales back in December.39-year-old Harry White was booked on charges of driving while intoxicated and reckless operation after he was arrested on Monday.According to Gonzales PD, White was traveling eastbound on Felix Street at around 6:40 a.m. on Dec. 14 when his vehicle was hit by an oncoming train as he attempted to cross the tracks.White was assessed for injuries at the scene before he was transp
  
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• Communities come together to help victims of Tuesday's storms

  24-02-2016 11:57
  
  BELLE ROSE – The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado hit Assumption Parish, and now the community is coming together to help the victims.Crews are working to clean up, but there is still a lot left to do. Many are still without power, and structures are damaged and destroyed.Now the community is pulling together, to help the victims. People like Ronald Legleu and Floret Blanchard were handing out hot meals, to anyone who needed them. They didn't have damage to their homes, and
  
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• EXCLUSIVE: Devon Gales says 'I will walk again'

  24-02-2016 11:30
  
  ATLANTA – A Southern University Jaguar, injured in a football game in September, is one step closer to returning home to Baton Rouge.WBRZ News 2 was the only station there as Devon Gales completed his last day of physical therapy Wednesday.  Also Wednesday, Gales was discharged from the Shepherd Medical Center in Atlanta.
  In an exclusive interview with WBRZ reporter Brett Buffington, Gales remembered the last time he took a step on his own.
   
  "I remember the whole thi
  
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• Suspects in double murder plead not guilty Wednesday

  24-02-2016 11:24
  
  BATON ROUGE - The two suspects in the double murder of Denis and Suzanne Duplantier pleaded not guilty to murder charges Wednesday morning.Ernesto Alonso and Frank Garcia appeared before Judge Trudy White for their arraignments. Alonso and Garcia were arrested in Florida after authorities said they killed the couple and fled.The couple was attacked at their Highland Road home in October. Their bodies were found at a truck stop in Hammond.The suspects' attorneys told a judge the
  
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• Facebook's 'like' button gets 'angry' and 'sad' as friends

  24-02-2016 11:22
  
  NEW YORK - Facebook's "like" button isn't going away, but it's about to get some company.Facebook has been testing alternatives to "like" in about a half-dozen countries. On Wednesday, the social network will start making "haha," ''angry" and three other responses available in the U.S. and the rest of the world.In changing a core part of Facebook, the company says it tried to keep things familiar. The thumbs-up "like" button will look just as it long has, without the other choices cluttering the
  
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• GOP says no hearings, no votes for Supreme Court nominee

  24-02-2016 11:14
  
  WASHINGTON - No hearing. No vote. Don't even bother knocking on our door.That's the message Senate Republicans delivered to President Barack Obama and his sometime-soon nominee for the Supreme Court, an extraordinary election-year rebuff as the GOP insists that replacing Justice Antonin Scalia rests with voters in November's election and the next president.Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that his 54-member GOP caucus was united against taking any step in the Senate's "advise and con
  
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• Officers plead guilty in roles of inmate beating

  24-02-2016 07:16
  
  NEW IBERIA- Three former and two current employees of the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office have pleaded guilty to their roles in the beating of an inmate at an Iberia Parish jail.
      
  The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday that 46-year-old Robert E. Burns, 34-year-old Byron Benjamin Lassalle, 40-year-old Wade Bergeron, 35-year-old Bret Klein Broussard and 36-year-old Wesley Hayes each pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of deprivation of civil rights. Lassalle and
  
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• February 24, 2016 Morning News Pop

  24-02-2016 07:04
  
  Here are today's top stories:2 confirmed dead, 30 hurt after tornado rips through St. James RV park Water spout forms over New OrleansState police will handle deadly deputy-involved shooting investigationQuieter and much cooler Updates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• New Orleans police building bilingual team

  24-02-2016 03:54
  
  NEW ORLEANS- New Orleans police are creating a team of bilingual officers to improve communication with communities whose English is limited.
      
  Superintendent Michael Harrison says the team will help officers work safely and effectively, and will build trust among people who speak other languages.
      
  The Civil Service Department and a registered interpreter are giving the department's first certification exams this week, for officers who
  
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• Louisiana House committee moves tax bills forward: Winners and losers so far

  24-02-2016 02:30
  
  The Louisiana House Ways and Means Committee moved 32 tax bills forward Tuesday (Feb. 23) that could result in businesses and consumers paying more.
  
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