Baton Rouge news

• Former LSU WR Brandon LaFell agrees to deal with Bengals

  30-03-2016 22:33
  
  Has played six seasons with two teams.
  
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• Flash flood watches, severe weather through Friday

  30-03-2016 22:30
  
  Forecasters expect as much as 4 inches of rain, with 1 to 2 inches an hour in some locations
  
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• Confederate monuments debate delayed in Louisiana Legislature

  30-03-2016 21:32
  
  Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, said she delayed discussing Senate Bill 276 because she had not been aware it was coming up in the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs agenda until hours before it was scheduled to be heard.
  
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• Louisiana Senator talks about need of God in schools

  30-03-2016 21:31
  
  Julia O'Donoghue, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune...
  
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• Hundreds protest after DA decides not to charge two Minneapolis officers in fatal shooting

  30-03-2016 21:08
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Hundreds of people have converged at the Hennepin County Government Center to protest the lack of charges against two Minneapolis officers involved in the fatal shooting of a black man in November.
      
  Some demonstrators initially gathered at the site of the Nov. 15 shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark in north Minneapolis. Others gathered at a park on the southeast side of downtown.
      
  The two groups marched through down
  
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• Alabama lawmaker threatens to impeach Governor after top aide resigns

  30-03-2016 20:59
  
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. -  A Republican Alabama lawmaker says he plans to start the impeachment process against Governor Robert Bentley.This comes after the announcement Wednesday, that one of his top political aide's is resigning.
  Rebekah Caldwell Mason said in a statement Wednesday that she is resigning as Bentley's senior policy analyst. The decision comes a week after Bentley apologized for making inappropriate remarks to her.Rep. Ed Henry says, he plans to introduce a bill to impeach the
  
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• Louisiana Senator talks about creationism

  30-03-2016 20:29
  
  Louisiana Sen. John Milkovich, D-Shreveport, said not teaching creationism in public schools would be an "anti-academic" notion. Another senator had brought legislation to repeal an unconstitutional law that requires schools teach creationism.
  
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• Lawmaker wants to prove politicians are lying about Medicaid

  30-03-2016 18:37
  
  BATON ROUGE- State Senator Ryan Gatti is taking a bold step, he sponsoring a bill he actually opposes. The Bossier City Republican wants to steal the thunder from opportunistic politicians who like to blame Medicaid patients for Louisiana's budget woes.The freshman senator said he's tired of hearing rumors about Medicaid patients getting emergency room care for things like poison ivy. He wants to know if all that is true."If you listen to people running for office, you would think every
  
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• Voluntary teen sex survey rejected by Louisiana Senate committee

  30-03-2016 18:01
  
  Sponsor had hoped to learn why rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases remain stubbornly high
  
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• Police: Man arrested twice in one night for DWI released by mistake

  30-03-2016 17:26
  
  BATON ROUGE – Denham Springs Police say the man who was arrested for two DWIs in one night earlier this month was released by mistake.Jeffrey Blough, 51, was first arrested in Denham Springs on March 19. Investigators say they showed up to a motel in the city limits where he had been involved in a crash. Blough was taken to the Denham Springs Police Department and charged with DWI, parking in a handicap spot and having an open container. Blough was administered a Breathalyzer 
  
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• Senate votes to curb last-minute pay raises from governors

  30-03-2016 17:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - Governors would have limited ability to dole out last-minute pay raises, if the House agrees to a measure that won unanimous support from state senators.The bill by Republican Sen. Gerald Long would require the joint House and Senate budget committee to approve any salary boosts in the executive branch during the last 90 days of a governor's term.The Senate backed the proposal Wednesday without debate.Long's bill is a response to millions in raises given out by former Gov. Bobby Ji
  
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• After Brussels, leaders tackling threat of nuclear terrorism

  30-03-2016 17:08
  
  WASHINGTON - Still reeling from attacks in Brussels and Paris, world leaders are wrestling this week with the chilling prospect of the Islamic State group or other extremists unleashing a nuclear attack on a major Western city.Preventing terrorists from obtaining nuclear materials is the central focus as President Barack Obama hosts leaders from roughly 50 countries for a nuclear security summit starting Thursday. Despite three previous summits and six years of Obama's prodding, security officia
  
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• Katt Williams arrested after fight with Georgia teen

  30-03-2016 16:31
  
  GAINESVILLE - Police say actor Katt Williams has turned himself in at a Georgia jail to face charges following a fight with a teenager.Gainesville police Sgt. Kevin Holbrook says Williams was arrested Wednesday. Police in Gainesville, just northeast of Atlanta, said the 44-year-old Williams and 17-year-old Luke Wash are charged with disorderly conduct after fighting at an apartment complex.Wash is charged as an adult. Holbrook said video of the fight and witness statements led to the charges.Wil
  
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• Microsoft pitches 'intelligent' conversations with computers

  30-03-2016 16:28
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft wants people to have more intelligent conversations with their computers.The giant software company is promoting new tools for software developers to build intelligent "bots" or commercial programs that will work with Cortana, its voice-activated digital assistant, to perform tasks like booking a hotel room, ordering a meal or arranging a delivery.Microsoft recently shut down an experimental messaging bot after some Twitter users taught it to make offensive statements.
  
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• DOTD holding meeting about Walker roundabout plans

  30-03-2016 15:57
  
  WALKER - While the state is considering plans that feature multiple roundabouts along Highway 447, Walker leaders are voicing concerns.The Department of Transportation and Development will hold a public meeting Thursday to go over the three options to address traffic and safety on Highway 447. Two of the options contain roundabouts and J-turns while the third option is to build nothing. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett says roundabouts limit the number of high-impact crashes."Because it is very eas
  
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• Two injured in fire at multi-million dollar home

  30-03-2016 15:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - A fire at a multi-million dollar home in the exclusive Country Club of Louisiana injured two people Wednesday.Firefighters with the St. George Fire Department said the fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. at 18433 N Mission Hills in the southwestern area of the gated community. Flooring work was being done when a flash fire occurred, the department said. A flash fire is a rapid, intense fire - almost like a combustion explosion - caused when items ignite.It took firefighters about si
  
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• Chipotle files for 'Better Burger' trademark for new food chain

  30-03-2016 15:39
  
  NEW YORK - Chipotle apparently has burgers on its mind.
      
  The Denver-based chain applied for a trademark for "Better Burger" earlier this month, according to a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A spokesman for Chipotle, Chris Arnold, noted the company has already started a pizza chain concept called Locale and an Asian food chain concept called ShopHouse.
      
  Arnold said the company has noted the "Chipotle model could be a
  
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• Ascension to hold Hazardous Material Collection Day in May

  30-03-2016 15:11
  
  ASCENSION - Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa announced the Household Hazardous Materials (Haz Mat) Collection Day for the parish will be held on Saturday, May 14.The event will be held at the Lamar-Dixon Center at 9039 St. Landry Road in Gonzales.The event is for only Ascension Parish residents and will require a valid ID.President Matassa said that the event make a “huge difference for a safer, cleaner community.”“This event gives parish residents a chance
  
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• DOTD: LA-1 at I-10 East now open after closed due to car fire

  30-03-2016 14:42
  
  BATON ROUGE - DOTD announced that drivers can expect heavier than normal delays on I-10 East Wednesday afternoon.According to DOTD, the delays are due to an earlier incident.Also, LA-1 South (Port Allen) is closed to traffic at I-10 East due to a car fire. Traffic is not passing through.Multiple fire trucks were at the scene responding to the fire.UPDATE: All lanes are now open on LA-1 South (Port Allen) to I-10 East.This story will be updated with traffic alerts all evening. Check back for upda
  
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• High court sympathetic to property owners in wetlands case

  30-03-2016 14:38
  
  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court seems likely to make it easier for private landowners to challenge the federal government's designation of property as protected wetlands.The justices heard arguments Wednesday in a case involving a Minnesota company that says it has no effective means to contest an Army Corps of Engineers decision that a peat bog is off-limits to mining under the Clean Water Act.The Hawkes Company Inc. wants to challenge the decision in federal court. But the government says Hawke
  
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• Trader Joe's settles cookie lawsuit with Pepperidge Farm

  30-03-2016 14:35
  
  HARTFORD, Conn.  - A clash over chocolate-filled cookies has culminated in Trader Joe's settling a lawsuit filed by Pepperidge Farm.Norwalk, Connecticut-based Pepperidge Farm sued in federal court in Hartford in December, saying Trader Joe's Crispy Cookies filled with Belgian chocolate too closely resembled Pepperidge Farm's Milano brand.Ira Levy, a New York lawyer representing Pepperidge Farm, said on Wednesday that the two companies reached a "mutually satisfactory resolution" and agr
  
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• FDA grants use of experimental blood test for Zika screening

  30-03-2016 14:30
  
  WASHINGTON - Federal health officials are granting use of an experimental blood test to screen blood for Zika virus, an emergency step that will help protect local blood supplies from the mosquito-borne virus.The action means U.S. territories with active Zika infections, primarily Puerto Rico, will be able to resume collecting and screening their own blood. Previously, the island of 3.5 million barred local donations and began importing blood from the U.S., following recommendations from the U.S
  
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• Lawmakers pushing work mandate for food stamp recipients

  30-03-2016 14:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers have advanced a proposal aimed at enacting work requirements on food stamp recipients, requirements that Gov. John Bel Edwards kept from taking effect earlier this year.
      
  A proposal by Rep. Jay Morris, a Monroe Republican, would require legislative approval to seek a federal waiver of the work requirements for "able-bodied" childless adults. The House health committee advanced the bill Wednesday, sending it to the full House for consideratio
  
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• Trump: Women who abort should be 'punished'

  30-03-2016 14:05
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump says women who get abortions should receive "some form of punishment" without indicating specifically what the punishment should be."There has to be some form of punishment," Trump told MSNBC's Chris Matthews at the taping of a town hall in Wisconsin Wednesdays in a heated exchange over whether abortion should be banned.Pressed by Matthews on the nature of that punishment, Trump responded: "I haven't determined what the punishment should be."Trump described him
  
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• Man arrested on 13 counts of child pornography

  30-03-2016 14:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Department of Justice Cyber Crime Unit investigators arrested 34-year-old Rory Faust on 13 of counts child pornography charges.According to the EBR Sheriff’s Office, investigators of the Cyber Crime Unit located Faust on Wednesday at his home on Kaitlyn Drive where they found 3 videos of child pornography.Faust admitted to distributing the videos using Dropbox and admitted that child pornography was also on his cell phone.Investigators discovered 10 videos of ch
  
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• Squirrel hunters cause lockdown at Arkansas primary school

  30-03-2016 14:02
  
  HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - A report of armed men near an Arkansas elementary school led to a campus lockdown before police confirmed the three were actually pest control employees chasing squirrels.A teacher at Gardner STEM Magnet School in Hot Springs saw the men about 8 a.m. Wednesday and notified administrators. According to a statement from the Hot Springs Police Department, the teacher said it looked like three men carrying rifles were running toward the school.Officers determined the men, who wer
  
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• Bill against peeping drones goes to full Louisiana House

  30-03-2016 14:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - A bill to keep peeping Toms from extending their range with drones has received unanimous support from a Louisiana House committee. One representative described it as helping Louisiana keep up with the times.Rep. Marcus Hunter, a Monroe Democrat, says his bill will join and, in some ways duplicate, laws already on the books by adding use of unmanned aircraft to video voyeurism crimes.The House criminal justice committee sent the measure Wednesday to the full House for debate.Rep. C
  
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• Still upset about delegates, Trump says La. primary is 'bad politics'

  30-03-2016 13:24
  
  MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin - Presidential hopeful Donald Trump angrily discussed his disdain for the outcome of the Louisiana primary Tuesday night.Trump, along with Ted Cruz and John Kasich, participated in a cable TV political discussion. At one point during the program, Trump called the situation involving Louisiana's delegates bad politics."When someone goes in and wins the election and gets less delegates than the guy that lost? I don't think that's right," Trump said, upset that he could get few
  
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• Archive: Crack house one of first in area; ran by BR man whose sentence was commuted today

  30-03-2016 13:14
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sitting beneath a skinny pine and healthy oak Wednesday afternoon was a sleepy, unassuming home that upon further inspection has a busy, illegal past.The notion of the previous activity that once unfolded under the roof was only dusted off because of a prisoner's shortened sentence. Wednesday morning, the White House announced President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 61 people serving time for drug-related offenses. Among the three from Louisiana was John E. Milton I
  
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• MLB teams allowed to use iPads in dugout all season

  30-03-2016 12:50
  
  NEW YORK - After allowing iPad Air 2s with restrictions in dugouts during the final two weeks of last season and the postseason under a pilot program, Major League Baseball reached a deal with Apple that gives iPad Pros to all teams this year along with a new scouting, analytics and video app called MLB Dugout.
      
  Each team's devices, which can be used in dugouts and bullpens, have been customized to use the club's proprietary statistical report and advance scouting
  
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• Obama shortens prison time for 3 Louisiana drug offenders

  30-03-2016 12:30
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is commuting the prison sentences of 61 people serving time for drug-related offenses, including three from Louisiana.White House counsel Neil Eggleston says more than a third of the inmates were serving life sentences. Obama's commutation shortens their sentences. Most will be released July 28.All of the inmates are serving time for drug possession, intent to sell or related crimes. Most are nonviolent offenders, although a few were also charged with firearms
  
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• Fire at New Orleans restaurant in French Quarter

  30-03-2016 12:27
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze at a restaurant in the French Quarter. New Orleans Fire Department are on the scene of a fire at Fiorella's at 1136 Decatur Street. Smoke could be seen billowing out of the building. It is unclear whether adjacent businesses were damaged in the fire. No injuries were reported. Fire officials said the fire started in the kitchen of the restaurant.  Traffic on Decatur near the fire is shut down and is being
  
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• Survey: US companies added strong 200,000 jobs in March

  30-03-2016 12:24
  WASHINGTON - U.S. companies added a solid 200,000 jobs in March, buoyed by strong gains in construction, retail and shipping, according to a private survey.Payroll processor ADP says that financial services firms also posted solid gains, while manufacturing employment barely rose.The figures suggest the U.S. economy is continuing to generate steady hiring, despite worries that growth slowed in the first three months of this year, held back by weak overseas growth and cautious consumers.The ADP r
  
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• Clinton takes aim at Trump in ad ahead of New York primary

  30-03-2016 12:21
  
  WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton is taking aim at Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies and the violence at some of his rallies in a new television ad that her campaign says will run in New York.Clinton says in the ad that while some people say America's problems can be solved by "building walls" and "banning people based on their religion," New Yorkers know better. The spot also shows a clip of a man being punched at a recent Trump rally and briefly flashes a sign from one of the billionaire
  
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• House to consider longer waiting period for abortion in La.

  30-03-2016 12:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana women would have to wait 72 hours for an abortion if state lawmakers agree to a proposal that sailed through the House health committee.The bill would lengthen the current 24-hour waiting period by another two days, with an exception for women who live 150 miles from the nearest abortion clinic.Five other states have similar waiting periods.The bipartisan House Health and Welfare Committee sent the measure by its chairman, Republican Rep. Frank Hoffmann, to the full House
  
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• La. sales, cigarette and alcohol tax hikes kick in Friday

  30-03-2016 12:11
  
  BATON ROUGE - Smokers, drinkers, car renters and every shopper around Louisiana will be paying more for their purchases beginning Friday.
      
  Tax hikes on cigarettes, alcohol and car rentals are among many tax changes that take hold April 1.
      
  The biggest tax increase will hit nearly every person and business. The 1 percent increase in the state sales tax will boost Louisiana's average state and local sales tax rate to more than 10 percen
  
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• Woman arrested for leaving child in hot car while in Walmart

  30-03-2016 12:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office arrested 33-year-old Tarsha Wright for leaving her child in a hot car for over 30 minutes.The incident occurred at the Walmart in the 9300 block of Cortana Place around 5 p.m. when witnesses saw Wright exit her car and walk around to the back passenger side. Wright opened and then closed the door and went inside the store.According to the EBR Sheriff’s Office, witnesses walked passed the car and saw a child inside of the car
  
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• DOTD: LA 30 near Gonzales now open after closed due to down power lines

  30-03-2016 09:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - DOTD tweeted that LA 30 is closed due to down power lines Wednesday morning.DOTD states that both directions of LA 30 will be closed east of I-10 (Gonzales) and advises drivers to take an alternative route.LA 30 is closed in both directions east of I-10 (Gonzales) due to downed power lines. Motorists are advised to take an alternate route.— Baton Rouge Traffic (@BR_Traffic) March 30, 2016UPDATE: All lanes are open on LA 30 east of I-10 (Gonzales)
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• Teen pepper sprayed as Trump protesters, supporters clash at Wisconsin rally

  30-03-2016 08:27
  
  JANESVILLE - Police are looking for a man who pepper-sprayed a 15-year-old girl as opponents and supporters of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump clashed outside a Wisconsin rally.
      
  The altercation is the latest in a series of confrontations that have marred recent Trump events.
      
  Janesville Police Sgt. Aaron Ellis said Wednesday that investigators have photos taken by participants at the demonstration outside the Holida
  
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• March 30, 2016 Morning News Pop

  30-03-2016 07:23
  
  Here are today's top stories:Victim identified in Zachary fire FEMA opens shop in Livingston; Ascension is next State demands answers over Donaldsonville water problem Thunderstorms developing today, continuing through FridayUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• New York Archdiocese auctioning papal hatchback for charity

  30-03-2016 06:58
  
  NEW YORK  - The Archdiocese of New York is auctioning off one of two vehicles Pope Francis used during his trip to New York City in September.The Associated Press reports the auction on CharityBuzz.com began March 17 when the Fiat 500 Lounge hatchback appeared in the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York. It ends Thursday afternoon.Bidding had reached $130,000 by Tuesday afternoon, surpassing the $82,000 fetched by the papal Fiat used to carry Pope Francis around Philadelphia during his
  
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• North Baton Rouge residents to address crime in tonight's meeting

  30-03-2016 06:44
  
  BATON ROUGE - Several community leaders will host a meeting on reducing crime in North Baton Rouge Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the BREC's Gus Young Park. The meeting is part of the Bryne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Grant the city received in 2014. It was awarded to address crime problems in six Baton Rouge communities which residents call "Hope Zones." These zones include Istrouma, Midtown, Eden Park, Greenville Extension, Smiley Heights and Melrose East.Residents will have t
  
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• Atlanta leaders ask NBA to change All-Star Game site

  30-03-2016 06:17
  
  ATLANTA- Atlanta city leaders are asking the NBA to move the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte after North Carolina lawmakers passed legislation seen as limiting LGBT protections.
      
  Atlanta's City Council introduced a resolution Tuesday asking the NBA to move the game to Atlanta after North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a law critics called discriminatory against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
      
  The North Carolina la
  
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• Senators refuse to change Louisiana's absentee voting rules

  30-03-2016 04:47
  
  BATON ROUGE- Senators have refused to loosen Louisiana's absentee voting rules.
      
  Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, a New Orleans Democrat, proposed to allow any people who expect to be away from their home parishes on Election Day to be able to vote absentee by mail.
      
  Currently, people can only vote absentee by mail if they meet a list of specific criteria, like being in the military or in college away from home.
     &n
  
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• Severe weather, heavy rain, expected Wednesday through Thursday night

  30-03-2016 01:54
  
  Dangers could include severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, high winds, hail, and 2 to 4 inches of rain, and rain expected to continue through Friday
  
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