Baton Rouge news

• Higher GPA requirements for TOPS stipends moves to Louisiana House floor

  10-05-2016 23:11
  
  Senate Bill 329 won't raise the requirements for the basic TOPS award, but it does increase the GPA standards for the more exclusive TOPS awards that include additional stipends.
  
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• Your desire to save and pay down debt is hurting the economy

  10-05-2016 21:48
  
  We have met the enemy of the American economy ... and it is us -- the consumer. Ditto for right here in Louisiana. Not to put too fine a point on it, but we're not spending enough of our hard-earned...
  
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• Off-duty cop kills man who went on stabbing rampage, killing 2

  10-05-2016 21:47
  
  TAUNTON, MA - Authorities have identified a man who they say killed two people and wounded four others in stabbing attacks at a home and a shopping mall in Massachusetts before being shot dead.The Bristol County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday that 28-year-old Arthur Darosa crashed a car outside a home, walked inside and stabbed an 80-year-old woman and another woman. The 80-year-old was taken to a hospital, where she later died. The other woman is being treated for life-threatening inju
  
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• Senate committee OKs surrogacy bill twice vetoed by Bobby Jindal

  10-05-2016 20:59
  
  "I'm putting a contract that protects four people: The intended mother and father, the gestational carrier and the child," Rep. Stuart Bishop said during floor debate last week. "I'm not legalizing in vitro fertilization. It's been legal in Louisiana for 30-plus years."
  
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• Ascension Parish breaks ground on Conway Plantation development

  10-05-2016 18:58
  
  ASCENSION-Ascension Parish broke ground on an upscale neighborhood development on Tuesday. The development is called the Conway Plantation and is more than 300 acres land located right off of Highway 44.It is expected to include about 1,000 single homes and 500 apartments with restaurants and shops. Mayor of Gonzales, Barney Arceneaux, said that the development is a "jewel.""I like the term now 'The Jewel of the South,' and other people may take claim of that but right now it's our day
  
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• 'Blue Lives Matter' bill heads to full Louisiana Senate

  10-05-2016 18:35
  
  The Louisiana Senate will take up a bill to make attacks on law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel hate crimes in state law.
  
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• New ramp on I-12 from Millerville still under construction

  10-05-2016 18:10
  
  MILLERVILLE- A ramp on I-12 West from Millerville appears to be near completion, however the state says otherwise.The new ramp is being constructed by an independent contractor with a permit from DOTD.The developer plans to add several businesses to the area, but the roads first need to be repaired to address congestion and safety concerns.Drivers say that the new ramp will make getting on the highway easier."I think the new way makes more sense. Because you just get on the highway so easy. Just
  
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• Watch John Alario use his power to mess with House members

  10-05-2016 18:02
  
  The Senate president used the chamber's microphone to rib House members as they gave up their annual basketball trophy.
  
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• John Bel Edwards signs permanent TOPS change into law

  10-05-2016 16:51
  
  Starting for the fall semester of 2017, students and their families will be expected to pay for any future tuition hikes, unless the Legislature specifically votes to raise the TOPS award again.
  
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• Police looking for suspects in Chevron gas station robbery

  10-05-2016 16:41
  
  BATON ROUGE- Baton Rouge Police detectives are attempting to identify individuals accused of robbing the Chevron Station in the 7500 block of Florida Boulevard.The incident occurred on Monday around 10:20 a.m. when two suspects walked into the store while the clerk was counting money for the store's deposit.A female suspect distracted the clerk while the male suspect snatched the money from the clerk’s hand.The two suspects fled the business with an undisclosed amount of money. Police
  
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• NEW INFO: Man sentenced to life in prison after brutal 2013 attack

  10-05-2016 16:18
  
  BATON ROUGE -A man responsible for a brutal racial attack of a family in 2013 has been sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday.Donald Dickerson was found guilty of second degree battery in a brutal attack of a family at a gas station as they were on their way home from St. Francisville.David Ray was brutally attacked and knocked unconscious. Ray testified Dickerson told him he was "in the wrong neighborhood and wouldn't make it out" when he attacked him. The case drew national attention
  
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• Hearing for man guilty of brutal 2013 attack starts Tuesday

  10-05-2016 16:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - The hearing for a man responsible for a brutal racial attack of a family in 2013 has started on Tuesday where he could face a life sentence.
  The hearing is for Donald Dickerson who was found guilty of second degree battery in a brutal attack of a family at a gas station as they were on their way home from St. Francisville.David Ray was brutally attacked and knocked unconscious. Ray testified Dickerson told him he was "in the wrong neighborhood and wouldn't make it out" whe
  
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• Louisiana medical marijuana ad campaign launched ahead of vote

  10-05-2016 15:43
  
  The ad campaign, announced Monday by Sensible Marijuana Policy for Louisiana, comes as lawmakers prepare a vote on the bill as early as Wednesday.
  
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• House bill to rework paternity timeline advances in Senate

  10-05-2016 15:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Senate will consider whether to expand the length of time a man has to challenge his paternity after a child's birth.
      
  Current law grants Louisianians one year to contest paternity from the time they learn of the birth. But a Senate judiciary committee advanced a proposal Tuesday without objection to begin that time period once a person learns the child may not be his.
      
  Rep. Patrick Jefferson, a Homer Democ
  
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• House Appropriations budget proposal: Winners and losers

  10-05-2016 15:06
  
  The Louisiana House Appropriations Committee approved a state budget plan for the next fiscal cycle on Monday (May 9). Learn who benefits -- and who loses -- under its proposal.
  
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• Incredible video shows school bus engulfed in flames, no injuries reported

  10-05-2016 14:55
  
  LAFAYETTE - Incredible video shows a raging school bus fire on the side of I-10 where, luckily, everyone escaped.The bus burst into flames near the I-10/I-49 interchange in Lafayette Parish. KATC TV, the ABC affiliate in the area, reported thirty children from an elementary school were headed back to school from a field trip when the bus caught on fire.No one was hurt, the TV station reported.KATC.com | Continuous News Coverage | Acadiana-LafayetteVideo captured by a phone from a passing bus sho
  
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• Bocage shopping center considering options, Dearman's

  10-05-2016 14:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - A neighborhood family restaurant owner says he's submitted a proposal to occupy his old location, following a devastating fire and lease termination by the building's management.Dearman's owner, David Van Gelder, says he's submitted renderings and a proposal to the manager of Bocage Village Shopping Center.In a statement sent to WBRZ Van Gelder says, "For more than 58 years Dearman's has been a part of Baton Rouge's history, its culture and family memories. The Dearman's team has b
  
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• Baton Rouge teen to be tried in grandmother's death

  10-05-2016 14:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - A state judge has ruled that the granddaughter of an 82-year-old Baton Rouge woman found dead in her wheelchair is competent to stand trial on a manslaughter charge.
      
  19-year-old Lauren Looney was evaluated by a psychiatrist and a psychologist, both of whom determined she was sane when Bessie Looney died Sept. 29, 2014.
      
  Her mother, 54-year-old Joleslie Looney, also is charged with manslaughter in the case, but she remai
  
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• Edwards orders flags flown at half-staff to honor WWII vet

  10-05-2016 13:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has ordered U.S. and Louisiana flags to be flown at half-staff at the Louisiana State Capitol and all public buildings in honor of a World War II veteran who died last week.Frank Levingston, of Lake Charles, was the oldest living man in the U.S. and oldest verified American World War II veterans when he died on May 4. He was 110.Levingston enlisted in the Army in 1942 and fought in Italy during WWII.Edwards, in a statement, said Levingston lived to see the gov
  
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• Anti-discrimination bill narrowly advances to Senate debate

  10-05-2016 13:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - A New Orleans senator's proposal seeking to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or disability has narrowly passed its first test.Democratic Sen. J.P. Morrell's bill would rework Louisiana's existing anti-discrimination laws and broaden them to cover LGBT groups and people with disabilities.A Senate judiciary committee voted 2-1 Tuesday to advance the measure for full Senate debate, with several senators absent.Supporters say the public widely supports an
  
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• Juvenile arrested for beating elderly woman who refused to give oral sex

  10-05-2016 13:38
  
  THIBODAUX- Thibodaux Police Department arrested a juvenile for beating a 61-year-old woman who refused to give him oral sex.On Monday, around 6:15 p.m., the victim, a 61-year-old woman, was walking in the 300 block of Federal Circle when she was approached by the juvenile.The juvenile told her to perform oral sex him and when she refused, he began beating her, striking her in the head and neck area.Several other juveniles were with the attacker at the time of the incident, according to Thibodaux
  
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• Juvenile arrested for beating 61-year-old woman who refused to give oral sex

  10-05-2016 13:38
  
  THIBODAUX- Thibodaux Police Department arrested a juvenile for beating a 61-year-old woman who refused to give him oral sex.On Monday, around 6:15 p.m., the victim, a 61-year-old woman, was walking in the 300 block of Federal Circle when she was approached by the juvenile.The juvenile told her to perform oral sex him and when she refused, he began beating her, striking her in the head and neck area.Several other juveniles were with the attacker at the time of the incident, according to Thibodaux
  
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• UPDATE: LA 73 now open after overturned 18-wheeler caused closure

  10-05-2016 13:25
  
  ASCENSION-  Highway 73 between Highway 30 and River Road in Geismar now open after being closed for about 6 hours due to an overturned 18-wheeler, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.Hazmat was on the scene due to a small leak coming from a safety valve. According to DOTD, the leak was sulfuric acid.
  Deputies and State Police were also on the scene. According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office the re-opening of the road would take up to six hours
  
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• Trooper: Teen killed in crash involving empty school bus

  10-05-2016 13:19
  
  MARKSVILLE - Louisiana State Police say a Marksville teen died when his car struck a school bus.Master Trooper Scott Moreau said in news release the accident happened on Louisiana Highway 107 north of Marksville early Tuesday morning.Moreau says 19-year-old Joshua Frank lost control of his car and cross the centerline hitting the southbound bus.He says the bus was on its way to begin picking up students.Moreau says Frank died at the scene and the bus driver suffered minor injuries.Permalink| Com
  
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• Louisiana officials shelve plans to open new juvenile prison

  10-05-2016 13:16
  
  BATON ROUGE -  Plans to open a new juvenile prison in Avoyelles Parish have been put on hold amid a state budget crisis that is expected to squeeze the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice.State officials are closing dormitories at juvenile detention centers in Jefferson Parish and Monroe ahead of anticipated cuts, even though those facilities are filled to capacity. They also are becoming more selective about which troubled teens will be taken into long-term custody.Mary Livers, the ag
  
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• APSO issues several arrest warrants for failing to appear in court

  10-05-2016 13:00
  
  ASCENSION- The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is continuing its efforts in the parish to arrest individuals that are failing to appear in court after being arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges.The pairsh is calling the effort "Operation No Show."
  People who are arrested on criminal charges are entitled to a bond, but upon bonding from jail the individual is given notice to be in court on a specific date.If a court date is ignored, then a bench warrant is issued by the court for failure
  
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• Several bills signed into law by Gov. Edwards on Monday

  10-05-2016 12:32
  
  BATON ROUGE- Governor John Bel Edwards signed several bills into law on Monday.
  The following bills signed into law are:Act 13- Senate Bill 32: Authorizes the city of Carencro to levy a sales and use taxAct 14 – SB 63: Removes the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum from the jurisdiction of the Department of StateAct 15 – SB 110: Re-creates the Department of Culture, Recreation and TourismAct 16 – SB 139: Removes the Schepis Museum from the jurisdiction of the De
  
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• Sanders picks up another win; still a long shot

  10-05-2016 12:29
  
  WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Republican-side of the Presidential Race is all but decided with Donald Trump the presumptive nominee. Nonetheless, he picked up victories Tuesday night in both West Virginia and Nebraska.The race is tighter on the Democratic-side. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) remains a long-shot to win the nomination but continued a recent hot-streak Tuesday, defeating Hillary Clinton in West Virginia.Clinton did pick up a win in the primary in Nebraska, but it doesn't matter. The stat
  
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• Man accused of kidnapping woman from casino, raping and robbing her

  10-05-2016 12:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police say they’ve arrested a man accused of robbing, kidnapping and raping a woman after he picked her up at an area casino while she was intoxicated.42-year-old John Mack, of Baton Rouge, was booked on charges of simple robbery, second degree kidnapping, simple battery, unauthorized use of an access card and first degree rape after police arrested him.Authorities said the 36-year-old victim was gambling at Hollywood Casino on Apr. 26 at around 10 p.m. She told police th
  
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• School board denies only bid for historic school

  10-05-2016 12:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - The East Feliciana Parish School Board will have to once again discuss what to do with the old Clinton High School after declining the only bid they received Tuesday night.Superintendent Carlos Sam told News 2 the bid for roughly $10,000. The school board had previously said they were seeking $200,000.The school system opened bidding on 2 previous occasions but received none. This time, a committee recommended the board seek a lease-purchase agreement, meaning the person r
  
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• Gov. Edwards signs TOPS cost containment bill into law

  10-05-2016 12:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - Awards from Louisiana's TOPS program are no longer guaranteed to fully cover tuition if the costs grow.
      
  Gov. John Bel Edwards' office announced Tuesday the governor has signed a bill that locks in the TOPS payment rate at next year's tuition level.
      
  If tuition grows larger but lawmakers don't agree to raise TOPS payments, students will have to pay more in the 2017-18 school year and beyond.
     &nbs
  
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• Business owner fed up with graffiti

  10-05-2016 12:11
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge business owner is angry with those who've been using her building as their own art canvas.In a Facebook post Tuesday morning, Marsha Rish, owner of Honeymoon Bungalow expressed her frustration.
  She was still fired up Tuesday afternoon."We're hoping someone who knows this individual will go to them and say 'dude, seriously, grow," she told News 2. "You're going to get caught, you're going to go to jail or pay fines, and do you really want to do that?"Permalink| Comment
  
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• Fallen trooper's son reads poem at ceremony Tuesday night

  10-05-2016 12:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - State Police honored members of the force who died in the line of duty during a ceremony Tuesday night. Two fallen troopers had their names added to a memorial.One of the names added: Louisiana Highway Commission Patrolman Frank Brown, Jr. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1934. The other: Senior Trooper Steven Vincent who was shot and killed on the side of a highway near Lake Charles in August 2015." Never dreamed it would be me. My name for all eternity. Recorded here at this h
  
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• Budweiser to rename its beer 'America'

  10-05-2016 09:32
  
  In what Anheuser-Busch, Inc. is calling “maybe the most American summer ever,” the beer giant has decided to take things even further with the decision to change Budweiser's name to “America.”With patriotism experiencing a major groundswell in the face of an upcoming and incredibly polarizing election paired with the Olympics in Brazil, some marketing specialists say the move is “potentially ingenious” but als
  
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• Proposed Comite River Diversion Canal gets land boost

  10-05-2016 09:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Officials who are trying to dig the proposed Comite River Diversion Canal have purchased more than 300 acres of wetlands to offset the ecological impact of the construction.The $1.5 million purchase last week is by far the largest land buy so far. While the deal represents a step forward, the canal, which has been discussed since the 1980s, is still years away, says 
  Dietmar Rietschier, Amite River Basin Commission director.
  If and when it is built, the canal will connect
  
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• Assumption Parish sheriff-elect taking office early

  10-05-2016 09:07
  
  NAPOLEONVILLE - Assumption Parish sheriff-elect, Leland Falcon, will be sworn in earlier than originally planned, following the resignation of former sheriff Mike Waguespack in February.
  Falcon, who defeated incumbent Waguespack in October, was to take office July 1.Falcon was working in a transition capacity with Waguespack, when Waguespack, a certified public accountant, resigned in February to take a job in the private sector.
  Falcon's swearing-in will be held Wednesday evening at the hall of
  
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• Grand jury indicts man in fatal shooting in Denham Springs

  10-05-2016 09:04
  
  LIVINGSTON - A Livingston Parish grand jury has indicted a 24-year-old man in the March 28 shooting death of Derick Stewart in Denham Springs.
  Brian K. Allen was indicted Monday on a count of second-degree murder.
  Allen had been scheduled for a preliminary exam hearing Monday afternoon, but the indictment made the hearing moot. His next court date will be July 18.
  Police say Allen shot Stewart and another man after a confrontation and a brief car chase.
  Stewart died that night of injuries sustai
  
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• Pro-medical marijuana billboard goes up ahead of final vote

  10-05-2016 08:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - As lawmakers prepare for the final vote on medical marijuana legalization, a pro-pot group has placed a billboard in the Capital City featuring a local mother and her child.The digital signage goes live at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and displays Baton Rouge residents Brittany Osborne and her daughter Kalie. Kalie suffers from a seizure disorder, and her mother feels certain medical marijuana could be in a tremendous aid in combating the condition. Beneath a picture of the mother a
  
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• May 10, 2016 Morning News Pop

  10-05-2016 06:50
  
  Here are today's top stories:LISTEN: 911 call prior to deadly officer-involved shootingLa. troopers killed in the line of dutySC woman found alligator at front porchWarmer with more sunUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• Louisiana House committee approves budget that funds TOPS, but not hospitals

  10-05-2016 00:32
  
  With a $600 million financial gap to contend with, the House committee ended up pushing as much money as it could find toward TOPS while leaving the hospitals for the poor and uninsured still short on cash for the budget cycle that begins July 1.
  
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