Baton Rouge news

• If we were all vegetarian, the planet would be healthier, Reuters reports

  27-03-2016 21:44
  
  The news organization described a new study that's the first to gauge the health and climate change impacts that would happen if people everywhere moved toward a "more plant-based diet."
  
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• Global Catholic Network founder Mother Angelica has died

  27-03-2016 21:36
  
  HANCEVILLE, Alabama - Mother Mary Angelica, a Roman Catholic nun who started a global religious media empire in a garage in Alabama, has died. She was 95.EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw said Sunday that the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network died at the monastery where she lived about 45 miles north of Birmingham.Mother Angelica had been in declining health after suffering a series of strokes over the last 15 years.Mother Angelica was born Rita Rizzo in Oh
  
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• Official: 2 more Americans identified as Brussels victims

  27-03-2016 20:30
  
  WASHINGTON - A State Department official says 2 more Americans have been identified as killed in the attacks on Brussels, bringing the total number confirmed so far to 4.An official confirmed the deaths on grounds of anonymity Sunday night because this person was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.The official says "we express our deepest condolences" to those who lost loved ones in the attack.The official adds that the U.S. Embassy in Brussels "is providing consular assistance. We ha
  
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• Missing Mandeville woman found dead

  27-03-2016 20:23
  
  NEW ORLEANS (WWLTV) - The New Orleans Police Department has confirmed a missing Mandeville woman has been found dead in New Orleans.NOPD made the announcement Sunday afternoon. Haley Saltaformaggio was found unresponsive in her locked car around 5 p.m., according to authorities. Police said her car was found in the 2500 block of Elysian Fields Avenue. Authorities also added a handgun was found in the front seat near Saltaformaggio's body, and authorities said she suffered from a single gunshot w
  
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• US rep says he wants Louisiana to pursue commerce with Cuba

  27-03-2016 17:22
  
  MONROE - A Louisiana congressman says he wants the state to quickly become a trading partner with Cuba once the U.S. finishes normalizing relations with the island nation.The News Star reports that Republican U.S. Reps. Ralph Abraham of Louisiana and Rick Crawford of Arkansas are traveling to Cuba on April 6 with agriculture producers from both states.Meryl Kennedy Farr, whose family is one of the largest rice growers in the state, is among those going. Farr says trade with Cuba has long been a
  
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• Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland was a star early on, classmates say

  27-03-2016 17:22
  
  Smartest guy in the room, self-confident, easygoing and thoughtful are some of the compliments his Harvard classmates still pay him 40 years later.
  
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• Georgia Religious Freedom Bill could boost New Orleans' 2019 Super Bowl bid

  27-03-2016 14:54
  
  NEW ORLEANS (WWLTV) - Atlanta is widely believed to be the favorite in the high-stakes competition for the 2019 Super Bowl.  That's because of its new retractable-roof stadium now set to open next year.   New Orleans, Tampa and Miami are also in the running.  But a controversial bill, now awaiting Gov. Nathan Deal could dramatically change Atlanta's front-runner status.  The so called "Free Exercise Protection Act" would not only allow religious officials to r
  
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• Salt Lake City Lyft driver fired over anti-Muslim comments

  27-03-2016 14:46
  
  SALT LAKE CITY - Ride-sharing company Lyft says it has fired a Salt Lake City driver who's seen on video disparaging Muslims in profanity-laced remarks.Lyft spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna confirmed to the Salt Lake Tribune Friday that the driver, who the company did not identify, has been terminated.LaManna says the company does not tolerate discrimination and racism.Samuel Grenny says he and his girlfriend used Lyft on Wednesday to attend a rally for Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sand
  
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• Sanders wins Hawaii; Clinton leads in delegates

  27-03-2016 14:06
  
  WASHINGTON - Bernie Sanders netted nearly three dozen delegates after his win in Hawaii, having swept three states. It's a solid showing, but it didn't significantly tighten Hillary Clinton's overall big lead.Sanders needs to win 67 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates through June to be able to clinch the Democratic nomination. So far he's only winning 37 percent.With 25 Hawaii delegates at stake, Sanders picked up 17. Clinton gained eight. That means in Sa
  
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• Is algebra an unnecessary stumbling block in US schools?

  27-03-2016 14:02
  
  NEW YORK - Who needs algebra? Most U.S. educators would say everyone does.But political scientist Andrew Hacker offers an opposing view in a provocative new book, arguing algebra has become an unnecessary roadblock that forces millions of students to drop out of high school or college.Opponents say math just needs to be taught better, though some support changes to the curriculum, especially at the community college level, where as many as 80 percent of students test into remedial math and most
  
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• Pushy parents at Easter egg hunt create 'a mess'

  27-03-2016 13:58
  
  ORANGE, Conn. - An Easter egg hunt organizer compared pushy parents to locusts after the hunt turned into a shoving match at the visitor center of candy company Pez.Saturday's event in Orange, Connecticut, drew hundreds of people, some of whom ignored the rules and didn't wait for the starting time.Pez General Manager Shawn Peterson told WFSB-TV that people "rushed the field and took everything."Event organizers placed more than 9,000 eggs on three fields with the intention of having staggered s
  
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• Obama and family attend Easter service at historic VA church

  27-03-2016 13:53
  
  ALEXANDRIA, Va. - President Barack Obama and his family are attending Easter service at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church, which traces its origins to when Thomas Jefferson was president.Howard-John Wesley, the church's pastor, is telling the congregation that it's wonderful to welcome back the Obamas, "the gorgeous family" who visited the year before as well.The congregation, led by a choir clad in red, gold and white robes, has joined in song early in the service, with the pastor askin
  
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• 'Batman v Superman' shrugs off bad reviews, opens to $170 M

  27-03-2016 13:50
  
  NEW YORK - "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" shrugged off lousy reviews to debut with an estimated $170.1 million in North America, the sixth best weekend opening.The stakes were high for the Warner Bros. superhero showdown, which cost $250 million to make and nearly as much to market. But the studio's bid to kick start a DC Comics universe to rival Marvel's empire fought against skepticism over Ben Affleck's casting as Batman and a barrage of bad reviews earlier in the week.Audiences gave th
  
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• Tea party activists hail federal appeals court ruling vs IRS

  27-03-2016 13:48
  
  CINCINNATI - Tea party activists are heartened by a federal appeals court ruling that strengthens their legal push against the Internal Revenue Service for alleged targeting in past election cycles.A three-judge panel of the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals chastised government foot-dragging while ordering the agency to give attorneys for tea party groups details on tax-exempt applicants. A U.S. district court judge in Cincinnati earlier this year certified the case as a class
  
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• Traffic backed up? Bridge out? More states deploying drones

  27-03-2016 13:46
  
  BOSTON - State transportation departments across the country are increasingly studying the use of unmanned aerial vehicles - better known as drones - for everything from inspecting bridges to helping clear car accidents.Michigan transportation officials are set to begin a two-year drone study. Minnesota has tested a drone to help conduct safety inspections of bridges. Vermont is using federal grant dollars to study how to use drones to figure out how much fill is needed to repair damaged roadway
  
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• 1 killed, 1 wounded in I-10 shooting in New Orleans

  27-03-2016 13:46
  
  NEW ORLEANS  - New Orleans police say one man has been killed and another wounded in a shooting on Interstate 10.
      
  The shooting shut down part of the interstate for a while Saturday night.
      
  Police say Sunday one man that was found shot to death inside a Toyota 4Runner that had a windshield full of bullet holes.
      
  The second victim, a 35-year-old man, was shot and taken to a hospital. Details abou
  
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• Attention drawn to lawmakers' vote changes in the La. House

  27-03-2016 13:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Republican state lawmaker from Norco is trying to draw attention to a practice little-known to the public. House lawmakers can change their votes after bills have passed or failed, as long as the switch doesn't change the outcome.Rep. Greg Miller says he thinks people should "live with their votes." He's taken to questioning lawmakers about switched positions on bills when they ask for permission to change their votes, rather than allowing it to be routine.Critics say vote-switch
  
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• 7 Cuban migrants with gunshot wounds interdicted at sea

  27-03-2016 13:41
  
  MIAMI - Seven Cuban migrants, all with gunshot wounds, were interdicted at sea and taken to South Florida hospitals.
      
  According to the Keynoter, the wounded Cubans were found Saturday afternoon.
      
  The U.S. Coast Guard District 7 public affairs office told the newspaper the wounded were on a makeshift raft with another 19 migrants without injuries
      
  The ones not needing medical attention will likely be rep
  
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