Baton Rouge news

• Bobby Jindal says he would vote for Donald Trump on CNN: VIDEO

  03-05-2016 23:40
  
  Jindal thinks Donald Trump would make a better president than Hillary Clinton.
  
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• Google, Chrysler to build self-driving minivans, USA Today says

  03-05-2016 23:20
  
  Google's self-driving technology would be added to Chrysler's new Pacifica minivan.
  
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• Watch: Emotional mom's stirring testimony before vote on medical marijuana

  03-05-2016 20:32
  
  The most sweeping medical marijuana bill to move through the legislature is now headed for a vote of the House of Representatives, where it faces a tough fight.
  
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• TOPS gets checked by Louisiana Legislature while corporate welfare still runs amok

  03-05-2016 20:07
  
  Louisiana legislators managed to cap TOPS -- the gushing financial well that's the scourge of an out-of-balance state budget -- Monday (May 2) and now it's only a Gov. John Bel Edwards signature away from being official. Whew! We can all breath...
  
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• Cruz campaign over, clearing path to Trump's nomination

  03-05-2016 19:40
  
  INDIANA - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has ended his presidential campaign, essentially clearing Donald Trump's path to the Republican nomination.Trump beat Cruz by more than 20-points in Indiana's primary Tuesday. Earlier in the week, Trump had predicted a win there would all but guarantee him the nomination. More details to come on WBRZ News 2 at 10.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Baker schools bracing for potential employee layoffs

  03-05-2016 18:59
  
  BAKER- Baker school board members voted on Tuesday to allow the superintendent to reduce school workers if needed in July.The vote is an effort to brace for the possibility of budget cuts.Baker Public Schools Superintendent Herman Brister said that school administrators have been planning for months, for the potential cuts.“Last minute crisis is one thing you want to try to stay away from,” Brister said. “We're planning and have been planning since January.
  
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• Watch Sen. J.P. Morrell's closing argument on his 'Raise the Age' bill

  03-05-2016 18:46
  
  The bill would raise the age for prosecution for most crimes from 17 to 18, moving most 17-year-olds out of adult prison and into juvenile facilities.
  
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• La. can't open its front doors

  03-05-2016 18:37
  
  BATON ROUGE-  Lawmakers and building maintenance officials maintain the long-lasting closure of the state capitol's main entrance has less to do with state budget problems and more to do with other priorities.May 16th marks the 84th anniversary of the dedication of the building and a few weeks later, inspectors will start repelling down the sides of the building to look for failures in the facade - the exterior masonry work that has been plagued with problems. Stonework is known to fall
  
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• Moving to a new home opens commute, transit options, website says

  03-05-2016 17:21
  
  Experts said eco-mindedness was a factor of lower car usage after changing homes.
  
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• Johnson & Johnson ordered to award $55 million in talc-powder cancer lawsuit

  03-05-2016 16:02
  
  ST. LOUIS- A St. Louis jury awarded $55 million in damages to a woman in a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson claiming that its talc-powder causes cancer.The woman who filed, Gloria Ristesund, used Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder for more than 35 years before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011.Ristesund’s lawyers argued that the company knew of possible health risks associated with talc, but failed to warn customers."Internal documents from J & J show it
  
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• BRPD: Elderly woman found badly beaten outside of home

  03-05-2016 15:37
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police say officers found an elderly woman badly beaten in her home in the Sherwood-area, and detectives are currently following up on leads.Baton Rouge Police reported they found the 70-year-old woman on the ground outside of her home in the 13100 block of Jennifer Lynn Avenue around 1 a.m. Sunday.Detectives said she was taken to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for further treatment for multiple injuries that were acquired at the location.BRPD reports detectives found
  
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• Knife-wielding suspect could be behind multiple armed robberies

  03-05-2016 15:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Detectives are looking to identify a man suspected of robbing the Exxon Station in the 5200 block of Highland Road on Tuesday morning, who appears to be the same man wanted for robbing a CVS on Sunday.On Tuesday, the suspect walked into the Exxon station while armed with a knife and demanded money from the clerk. The suspect obtained an undisclosed amount of money before fleeing on foot.
  In the CVS incident on Sunday night, the suspect entered the store on Burbank Drive around 6:30
  
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• Medical marijuana expansion effort edges ahead in La. House

  03-05-2016 14:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - A year after lawmakers created the framework for a medical marijuana program in Louisiana, medicinal-grade pot hasn't reached the hands of a single patient amid regulatory hurdles built into the law.A new effort in the Legislature aims to jumpstart the growth and dispensing of medical marijuana and to expand the program's reach. The bill has won support from the Louisiana Senate and began advancing Tuesday in the state House, with an 8-6 vote of the House Health and Welfare Committ
  
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• Man killed on LA 437 after crashing into ditch

  03-05-2016 14:47
  
  CONVINGTON- A single-vehicle crash on LA 437 took the life of 38-year-old Mohssen Hajighassem Jr. of Westwego on Monday night.The crash occurred on Monday at 11 p.m. when Louisiana State Police Troopers from Troop L learned that Hajighassem was driving a Lexus northbound on LA 437.According to state police, Hajighassem’s car crossed into the southbound lane and traveled off the left side of the roadway.Hajighassem over-corrected to the right, causing his car to re-enter the roadway and
  
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• New digital sign gives WBR commuters leg up on travel time

  03-05-2016 14:14
  
  BATON ROUGE - Travelers who commute into the Metro area from West Baton Rouge across the Mississippi River are very familiar with just how bad traffic can be. Now, the State Department of Transportation is hoping to give motorists a leg up on which routes will take the least amount of time with a first-of-its-kind sign on the interstate.The sign went live Tuesday morning at LA-1 near Port Allen. It uses Bluetooth technology to let drivers know just how long it'll take them to get from the sign's
  
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• 2016 Miss USA Competition will not return to BR this year

  03-05-2016 14:05
  
  BATON ROUGE- The 2016 Miss USA Competition will not return to Baton Rouge this year, according to the competition’s website.Instead the competition will take place from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  The event will take place on Sunday, June 5th.The competition was held in Baton Rouge at the River Center in July 2015 and back in 2014.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Former Metro Councilman Sharper joins BR Mayor-President race

  03-05-2016 13:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Former Metro Councilman Byron Sharper has made his candidacy for Mayor-President of Baton Rouge official as of Tuesday.Sharper says he's going to focus on reinforcing communication between education, businesses and traffic leaders as he tries to push city-parish leaders toward alleviating the main problems that plague the Capital City."We look into our commiunities and out on Plank and Scenic road where you have potholes everywhere," said Sharper. "On Gus Young, Acadian Thruway and
  
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• Former Metro Councilman Byron Sharper joins BR mayor's race

  03-05-2016 13:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Former Metro Councilman Byron Sharper has made his candidacy for Mayor-President of Baton Rouge official as of Tuesday.Sharper says he's going to focus on reinforcing communication between education, businesses and traffic leaders as he tries to push city-parish leaders toward alleviating the main problems that plague the Capital City."We look into our commiunities and out on Plank and Scenic road where you have potholes everywhere," said Sharper. "On Gus Young, Acadian Thruway and
  
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• TOPS bill that would cut link to tuition wins final passage

  03-05-2016 13:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - A bill that would put the value of TOPS awards in the deep freeze rather than allow them to rise with tuition was met with House approval Monday.It’s the first reform to the popular tuition program of the legislative session so far to win final passage.The governor has already said he’ll sign the bill to make it law.Senate Bill 174, designed by Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, will rein in the cost of TOPS, which officials say has jumped to nearly $300 million this y
  
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• Ban on fetal tissue sales, donations nearing final passage

  03-05-2016 13:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's lawmakers are close to enacting a prohibition on collecting, selling, transporting or donating fetal tissue from an abortion.
      
  The Senate-approved bill was backed by the House health committee without objection Tuesday. It heads to the full House for debate.
      
  The measure by Sen. Ryan Gatti, a Bossier City Republican, stems from outcry over undercover videos, released by an anti-abortion group, that purported
  
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• Courthouse flooded by Katrina still houses evidence

  03-05-2016 13:38
  
  NEW ORLEANS - More than 10 years after Hurricane Katrina flooded the New Orleans courthouse's ground floor and destroyed evidence in thousands of criminal cases, evidence is still being stored there -- and a watchdog group says a less-vulnerable storage space is needed.Court Watch NOLA says city officials should form a working group to find an alternative storage site.The group says flooding destroyed evidence in thousands of cases in 2005. While court officials say they have a plan in place to
  
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• Two parents arrested after child accused of hitting principal

  03-05-2016 13:24
  
  BATON ROUGE-  The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office arrested two parents for causing a disturbance at their children’s school after their child reportedly struck the assistant principal. Deputies say the incident occurred on Monday at Glen Oaks High School when a deputy was contacted by the assistant principal, stating that a student struck him while he was trying to break up a fight.The step-mother, 31-year-old Cindell Sims and father, 37-year-old Davis Sim
  
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• Medical marijuana expansion effort edges ahead in House

  03-05-2016 13:06
  
  BATON ROUGE - A year after lawmakers created the framework for a medical marijuana program in Louisiana, medicinal-grade pot hasn't reached the hands of a single patient amid regulatory hurdles built into the law.
      
  A new effort in the Legislature aims to jumpstart the growth and dispensing of medical marijuana and to expand the program's reach.
      
  The bill has won support from the Louisiana Senate and began advancing Tuesday in the stat
  
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• After Miss USA moves on, mayor blames Trump

  03-05-2016 12:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Miss USA Pageant is not returning to Baton Rouge this summer, and East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden blames Donald Trump.Baton Rouge hosted the competition in both 2014 and 2015, but mayor says the city didn't submit a bid for 2016 because of chaos caused by Trump's comments about illegal immigrants. Hosts dropped out and both NBC and Univision decided they weren't going to carry the contest."The bottom line you have to understand is, it was not so much the people," Ma
  
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• EBR to host auction for tax delinquent properties

  03-05-2016 12:43
  
  BATON ROUGE- East Baton Rouge Parish will host an online auction on Wednesday for tax adjudicated properties.The auction is a part of an effort to collect delinquent real estate taxes.
  “Placing properties online has proven a successful method for the parish. Citizens are either paying their delinquent taxes or investors are returning these properties to the tax rolls through their purchases,”  Special Assistant Parish Attorney William R. Aaron said.The online auction
  
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• You'll want to avoid College Dr. because of lane closures Thursday

  03-05-2016 12:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - Work on the city's sewer system will likely cause heavy delays on College Drive since southbound lanes will be closed and northbound lanes will be shifted later this week.A stretch of College near Webb Park will be closed for twelve hours Thursday. Southbound lanes will be shutdown. Northbound traffic will be moved to one flowing lane north to accommodate southbound traffic on the other usually northbound lane toward.The closure will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 5th. The closure
  
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• District Judges face Supreme Court for inappropriate behavior

  03-05-2016 12:19
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A pair of District Judges appeared before the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans Tuesday to face possible sanctions for complaints of previous inappropriate behavior.West Baton Rouge Parish District Judge Robin Free is facing up to a year of suspension along with $11,000 in fines after he was accused by the Judiciary Commission of inappropriate actions involving individuals that appeared before him in court. The commission has leveled accusations of interference in civil and cr
  
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• State health officials offer tips to prevent Zika virus transmission

  03-05-2016 12:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Officials with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals have developed a plan to protect the public should a Zika outbreak occur in the state.The plan is to reduce mosquito populations and mobilize against transmission of the virus.Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary for DHH, said that the state has the emergency management, public health and health care infrastructures to respond if Zika transmission begin to occur,“Louisiana is home to the particular mosquitoes that can
  
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• World's largest atom smasher shut down by weasel

  03-05-2016 12:07
  
  GENEVA, Switzerland - Officials say a weasel-like rodent managed to shut down the world’s most powerful atom smasher after the vermin apparently gnawed through a power cable.CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is a 17-mile long machine that sits deep underground on the border of France and Switzerland. Engineers investigating the shutdown said they found the charred remains of what was once a somehwat adorable, furry animal near a chewed-up power cable."We had electrical problems, a
  
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• UL Lafayette and nonprofit plan to resettle 220 retired research chimps

  03-05-2016 09:15
  
  LAFAYETTE - A partnership with the University of Lafayette has announced an agreement to relocate more than 200 retired research chimpanzees to its new sanctuary in northern Georgia.Project Chimps, the nonprofit organization, along with the university’s New Iberia Research Center began negotiating the agreement more than two years ago with the ultimate goal being to resettle the largest population of apes from a U.S. research center. The chimpanzees were retired from research in 2015,
  
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• The Pledge of Allegiance: St. John Catholic School

  03-05-2016 09:13
  
  BATON ROUGE- Today's Pledge of Allegiance comes from the Kindergarten class at St. John Catholic School.Be sure to watch The Daily Pledge every weekday on 2une In at 5:58 a.m. to see if your child's school is featured!Permalink| Comments
  
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• Former St. Tammany DA convicted in conspiracy case

  03-05-2016 09:06
  
  NEW ORLEANS- Former St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Walter Reed has been convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and making false statements on his tax returns.A federal court jury of six men and six women deliberated for about 4 1/2 hours Monday before returning guilty verdicts on 18 of 19 counts.U.S. Judge Eldon Fallon set sentencing for Sept. 15.The jury also returned guilty verdicts against Reed's son, Steven Reed, on one count each of conspiracy, wire fraud an
  
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• Freak accident takes life of man at Mississippi casino

  03-05-2016 09:03
  
  TUNICA, MS - Sheriff’s deputies in Tunica County, Mississippi confirmed a man died inside of a local casino Sunday night due to a freak accident.Deputies say a pack of cigarettes and a fountain were related to the death of 48-year-old Bob Murray, of Birmingham, Alabama, at the Hollywood Casino.While the cause of his death remains unclear, investigators say Murray died after falling into the fountain at around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses described their confusion as they saw first respo
  
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• Cross-bearing 'Jesus' arrested at Apple store for trespass

  03-05-2016 08:24
  
  PHILADELPHIA - A man who calls himself "Philly Jesus" has a new cross to bear: He was arrested at a Philadelphia Apple store on a trespassing charge.
  Philly Jesus' real name is Michael Grant. He dresses like Jesus, carries a large cross, preaches on sidewalks and poses for photos. He also performs baptisms in city fountains.
  Police say the Apple store's manager told them Grant refused to leave Monday night despite being asked multiple times. They say his cross was blocking an aisle. He was handc
  
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• Man convicted in 1989 quadruple murder wants new trial

  03-05-2016 08:19
  
  BATON ROUGE - One of two men serving life prison terms in the 1989 drug-related slaying of four people inside a Zachary mobile home is asking a federal judge to reverse his second-degree murder convictions.
  47-year-old Freddie King Jr. claims the performance of his court-appointed trial attorneys was constitutionally deficient - an allegation each of his former lawyers disputed Monday.
  Mike Walsh told The Advocate he and his co-counsel were successful in persuading prosecutors to drop the death-
  
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• May 3, 2016 Morning News Pop

  03-05-2016 06:59
  
  Here are today's top stories:Tornado victims counting on FEMA assistance; it's not comingNew Orleans to clean up sinkholeFired LSU band director files lawsuit against universityWinds of changeUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• Louisiana Legislature approves major, permanent TOPS change

  03-05-2016 02:06
  
  TOPS recipients will likely have to pay some of their tuition bills after the 2016-2017 school year if the governor signs the legislation.
  
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• Senate agrees to 'Raise the Age' in treating juveniles as adults

  03-05-2016 02:00
  
  The legislation is a major criminal justice reform measure being supported by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
  
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• John Bel Edwards debuts 'Healthy Louisiana,' the replacement for Bayou Health

  03-05-2016 01:26
  
  The initiative is part of the administration's push to roll out Medicaid expansion.
  
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• John Bel Edwards says no to another Louisiana sales tax hike

  03-05-2016 00:42
  
  The governor said an additional sales tax hike was not on the table for fixing Louisiana's budget woes. He wants to eliminate some corporate tax exemptions instead. The governor has talked about changes to income tax brackets and benefits.
  
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• House committee OKs bill on deceased people's social media, but stalls on encrypted phones

  03-05-2016 00:42
  
  The committee was unable to pass a bill aimed at forcing companies to provide access to law enforcement on cell phones.
  
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