Baton Rouge news

• Louisiana colleges still waiting on workforce development money Bobby Jindal promised

  11-05-2016 22:52
  
  Louisiana's public universities and college are stilling waiting on workforce development funding Gov. Bobby Jindal promised them through the WISE fund back in 2014.
  
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• 'Raise the Age' bill headed to House floor after committee vote

  11-05-2016 22:25
  
  The bill would raise the age a juvenile could be charged as an adult from 17 to 18.
  
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• Watch Louisiana lawmakers talk about LGBT discrimination

  11-05-2016 20:34
  
  tate senators JP Morrell and Karen Carter Peterson, both Democrats from New Orleans, talk about a bill that would prohibit discrimination against the LGBT community.
  
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• Watch Louisiana lawmakers debate LGBT discrimination

  11-05-2016 20:20
  
  State Sen. J.P. Morrell talks about a conversation he had with his father, Orleans Parish Clerk of Court Arthur Morrell, about discrimination against the LGBT community.
  
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• House passes bill expanding use of cannabis oil, heads back to Senate

  11-05-2016 19:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - The State House of Representatives approved a bill that would expand the legal use of cannabis oil. The bill now heads back to the Senate. Lawmakers made cannabis oil legal in 2015 but only for certain diseases. There has been a push this session to expand the law to include other conditions, specifically those seizure-related. Katie Corkern has been one of the main advocates of the use of cannabis oil. She believes it could give her son, Connor, a better quality-of-life a
  
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• House moves toward major medical marijuana vote Wednesday

  11-05-2016 18:33
  
  The bill before the Legislature would set in motion a sequence of events that could lead to medical marijuana being dispensed in the state after September.
  
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• No charges for Addis reserve deputy connected to shooting of wife

  11-05-2016 18:12
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE- A grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to formally charge an Addis reserve deputy in connection to the shooting of his wife.
   According to investigators, 29-year-old Ivy Thibodeaux, a reserve officer for the Addis Police Department shot and killed his wife Emiley Gassie Thibodeaux while cleaning out his gun.The incident happened back in February.
  State Police took over the investigation the night of the shooting and have not released any further details abo
  
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• LSU Mass Comm Dean named fellow of Society of Professional Journalists

  11-05-2016 17:38
  
  BATON ROUGE- Jerry Ceppos, dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication, was named a fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists.The recognition is the society’s highest honor and honors those who have made an “extraordinary contribution to the profession.”The society said in its announcement that Ceppos is “an advocate for the industry.”“With a 45-year career of accomplishments under his belt, Ceppos has been an advocate for
  
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• Man who drew BB gun at Capitol ordered to held in jail

  11-05-2016 16:39
  
  WASHINGTON - A man who drew a BB gun at a screening checkpoint at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in March made his first appearance in federal court and has been ordered held in jail.
      
  Larry Dawson appeared Wednesday in federal court in Washington and was ordered to be held pending a hearing set for Monday.
      
  Police say that on March 28, Dawson drew what appeared to be a handgun at the visitor center. He was shot by police and hospita
  
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• Study says Tylenol could decrease empathy in users

  11-05-2016 16:26
  
  Tylenol might get rid of a headache, but it could also numb a person’s feelings, according to a study published by The Ohio State University.The study shows that when people took acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, they were less likely to empathize with people experiencing pain or unfortunate circumstances.
  “Pain might actually decrease empathy as well. So, there are other factors that need to be taken into account,” Dominik Mischkowski, co-auth
  
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• Gov. Edwards and DHH outline proposed cuts to health care services

  11-05-2016 15:54
  
  BATON ROUGE- Governor John Bel Edwards and the Department of Health and Hospitals outlined proposed changes to the budget would threaten health care services in the state.This week the House Appropriations Committee chairman unveiled the changes to the budget without prior consultation with legislators and the administration.The plan would likely close hospitals across the state, including hospitals that train medical professionals, eliminate waiver program and limit the state ability to provide
  
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• Louisiana lawmakers boost wait for an abortion to 72 hours

  11-05-2016 15:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana will become the sixth state to make women wait three days before they can have an abortion after meeting with the doctor.Lawmakers in the House gave final passage Wednesday to the mandatory 72-hour waiting period. The 83-0 vote sends the bill to Gov. John Bel Edwards, who intends to sign it.A woman in Louisiana currently has to wait 24 hours from the time she consults with a doctor and gets a mandatory ultrasound until getting an abortion. That wait time will continue onl
  
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• Denham Springs Police officer accused of abusing ex-wife

  11-05-2016 15:19
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - Detectives in Livingston Parish say a Denham Springs Police officer was arrested Tuesday after a domestic battery incident involving his former wife.According to Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard, deputies arrested 30-year-old Landon Blake Groger for one count of misdemeanor domestic abuse battery. Ard said the alleged physical abuse occurred between May and June 2015."We were furnished with a compact disc. This disc contained photos and an audio conversation between Mr. Groge
  
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• Trump says he was inspiration for patriotic Budweiser name change

  11-05-2016 14:39
  
  Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says he is the reason why Anheuser-Busch has decided to relabel its Budweiser beer “America” for the upcoming election season.Yesterday, it was revealed that the beer producer will change the name of its traditionally popular brew for the summer through the upcoming presidential election this fall.During a Wednesday morning phone interview on Fox and Friends, Trump launched his claim on the world.The marketing stunt, re
  
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• Clinton: Trump's tax plan is for billionaires

  11-05-2016 14:39
  
  WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump's tax agenda was "written by a billionaire for billionaires" and will benefit the wealthy at the expense of middle-class workers.Clinton says in Blackwood, New Jersey, that Trump would add trillions to the debt in exchange for tax cuts for people earning more than $1 million a year.The Democratic presidential candidate says Trump should also release his tax returns. The Republican candidate told The Associated Press in an interview that he
  
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• Representative says actress Emma Watson had offshore company

  11-05-2016 14:33
  
  NEW YORK - A representative for "Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson said she had an offshore company for privacy reasons only.The company, Falling Leaves Ltd., was named in the so-called Panama Papers, a series of leaked documents that revealed how some politicians and celebrities hide money. More files were made available this week by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.Watson created the company in the British Virgin Islands three years ago "for the sole purpose of protect
  
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• Four La. plants announce mass employee layoffs

  11-05-2016 14:27
  
  BATON ROUGE- Four Louisiana plants have announced anticipated mass layoffs within their facilities.The Hexion Inc. facility in Norco, La., two Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas divisions in New Orleans, the Offshore Specialty Fabricators facility in Houma, and the Martin Mills distribution center in Vidalia all issued Worker Adjustment and Retaining Notifications (WARNs).On Apr. 28, Hexion, Inc. issued a WARN announcing the closure of its facility in Norco, resulting in 97 employees losing their jo
  
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• Funds being raised to find Tulane graduate's killer

  11-05-2016 13:53
  
  NEW ORLEANS- Friends and family of a Tulane graduate that was killed in New Orleans over the weekend are now raising funds to help find the killer responsible.Thomas Rolfes, 25, was found shot to death Saturday morning near Amelia Street in New Orleans after being robbed. He and his fiancee were in town to look for a venue for his upcoming wedding.
  The money being raised is to increase the $2,500 reward for information that will lead to an arrest in the case.Funds are being raised through a GoFu
  
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• Colorado theater trial could prompt tight security at movies

  11-05-2016 13:53
  
  Movie theaters across the U.S. could be forced to adopt costly security measures - and ticket prices could rise significantly - if a jury finds a Colorado theater at fault in the 2012 shooting rampage that left 12 people dead, industry experts say."I don't think there's anything more important in the motion picture industry than what's happening in this case right now," said theater-security consultant Howard Levinson.The trial - unfolding in the same courtroom where gunman James Holmes was conv
  
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• Ascension commission to discuss AG's opinion on subdivision denial

  11-05-2016 13:49
  
  DONALDSONVILLE - The Ascension Parish Planning and Zoning Commission will meet Wednesday night to discuss recent developments in the battle over the commission’s ability to deny subdivision development in the parish. The commission just received documentation from the Attorney General’s Office that represents an evaluation of how much discretion the commission has when it comes to denying plats in Ascension Parish.Attorney General Jeff Landry’s response com
  
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• Ambulance hits alligator on Scenic Highway

  11-05-2016 13:48
  
  BATON ROUGE - An alligator was hit by an ambulance on Scenic Highway in Baton Rouge late Wednesday night, sources tell News 2.The accident happened near the intersection with New Rafe Mayer Rd., north of Southern. It appears the alligator got the worst of the collision, but it appears to still be alive at the time of this post.The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is on the scene.Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Houma man arrested after shooting neighbor's pit bull

  11-05-2016 13:40
  
  HOUMA - Police in Houma say a man faces animal cruelty charges after he reportedly killed his neighbor’s pit bull in an act of revenge after the canine bit his son.60-year-old Karl Kohman, of Houma, is now accused of shooting the 2-year-old dog with a .22 caliber handgun on Saturday, according to The Courier.The newspaper reports that officers later learned that Kohman’s 34-year-old son was walking in his neighbor’s yard when the pit bull bit him on the ankle.KATC-T
  
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• New play explores life, legacy of slain teen Trayvon Martin

  11-05-2016 13:39
  
  PHILADELPHIA - A play debuting at Philadelphia's New Freedom Theatre will explore Trayvon Martin's life and the moments before his death."The Ballad of Trayvon Martin" was co-written by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, a playwright and activist who says he could not shake the 17-year-old's fatal shooting in Sanford, Florida, in 2012. Maharaj wrote the play six months after neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman was acquitted in Martin's death in 2013. It includes spoken word and dance.Maharaj says Marti
  
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• Congress putting daily fantasy sports games under scrutiny

  11-05-2016 13:36
  
  WASHINGTON - Congress is conducting a fact-finding mission into the loosely regulated world of fantasy sports games - a multibillion-dollar business that seemingly advertised everywhere during the pro football season.Lawmakers at a House hearing Wednesday are exploring whether safeguards are needed to protect players in daily fantasy leagues. Most players ending up losing at the hands of better-informed players who often have a technological edge.States are beginning to enact laws regulating the
  
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• Madonna to honor Prince at Billboard Awards

  11-05-2016 13:25
  
  NEW YORK - The Material Girl will pay tribute to The Purple One with a live performance at the Billboard Music Awards this month.Billboard and dick clark productions told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Madonna will honor Prince at the May 22 show. Specific details about the performance weren't revealed.Prince was found dead on April 21 in his suburban Minneapolis home at age 57.The Billboard Awards will air live on ABC from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ludacris and Ciara will host th
  
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• New sheriff takes office in Assumption Parish

  11-05-2016 13:18
  
  PIERRE PART- The new Assumption Parish Sheriff was sworn in at a ceremony in Pierre Part Wednesday night.Leland Falcon took the oath of office. He defeated incumbent Mike Waguespack in an election last fall, and takes over for interim Sheriff Bruce Prejean, who stepped down more than a month early. Falcon says residents can expect big changes."I think you're going to see an immediate increase in our narcotics personnel," he told News 2. "We've already reduced the sheriff's salary. When I came in
  
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• Former St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Captain to run for elected office

  11-05-2016 13:17
  
  LAFAYETTE - Former St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office captain and current Lafayette Deputy Marshall Captain Clay Higgins, is announcing that he will be announcing his campaign for either Congress or Senate.
  Higgins has been dubbed the “Cajun John Wayne" after a video that went viral of Higgins addressing a gang that he and authorities were trying to capture at the time. Higgins later resigned from his position of sheriff captain after he was told to turn down
  
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• UPDATE: Man from Geismar wanted for aggravated assault turns himself in

  11-05-2016 12:46
  
  ASCENSION- A man from Geismar who was wanted by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office for illegal use of weapons, aggravated second-degree battery and aggravated assault with a firearm turned himself into authorities on Wednesday afternoon.45-year-old Andre Scott was wanted by authorities following an incident that happened on May 10th.According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the Geismar Grocery after a male victim walked into the grocery stor
  
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• Man from Geismar wanted for aggravated assault with a gun

  11-05-2016 12:46
  
  ASCENSION- A man from Geismar is wanted by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office for illegal use of weapons, aggravated second-degree battery and aggravated assault with a firearm stemming from an incident that happened on May 10th.According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the Geismar Grocery after a male victim walked into the grocery store with a laceration to his head.Deputies learned that the victim was hit over the head with a handgun by 4
  
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• Google to ban payday lending ads, calling industry 'harmful'

  11-05-2016 12:44
  
  NEW YORK - Google says it will ban ads from payday lenders, calling the industry "deceptive" and "harmful."Google said Wednesday it will no longer allow ads for loans due within 60 days and will also ban ads for loans where the interest rate is 36 percent or higher. The ban is effective July 13.Payday lenders have come under criticism for charging high interest rates to customers, who are often poor, for short-term loans that wind up being difficult to pay off, leading many to be stuck in a cycl
  
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• Judge set to rule on clinic shooting suspect's mental state

  11-05-2016 12:36
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS - A judge is set to rule on the mental state of a man who acknowledged killing three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado.Judge Gilbert Martinez is expected to announce Wednesday whether criminal proceedings should continue against 57-year-old Robert Dear.If the judge decides Dear isn't mentally competent, the case would be put on hold while Dear undergoes treatment at a psychiatric hospital designed to restore his competency.Dear is charged with 179 counts, includi
  
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• Trump narrows VP list as he moves into general

  11-05-2016 12:34
  
  NEW YORK - Donald Trump says he's narrowed his list of potential running mates to "five or six" people, and is leaning against accepting public money to finance a fall campaign against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.But in a break from recent major party nominees, Trump does not plan to invest heavily in a data-driven effort to target voters in the fall campaign.Nor does the billionaire businessman expect to release his tax returns before the November election. He's cited an ongoing a
  
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• Warrant reveals details on Prince investigation

  11-05-2016 12:32
  
  MINNEAPOLIS - A search warrant reveals that a Minnesota doctor saw Prince twice in the month before his death - including the day before he died - and prescribed him medication.The warrant says Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg treated Prince on April 7 and April 20. The warrant was obtained by at least two news outlets before authorities moved to ensure it was sealed.The warrant did not specify what medications were prescribed or whether Prince took them.The warrant was carried out last Thu
  
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• Fate of abandoned Six Flags amusement park delayed

  11-05-2016 12:25
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The latest effort to redevelop the site of the abandoned Six Flags amusement park in eastern New Orleans has hit a snag.Several local news outlets report the Industrial Development Board, a public corporation that manages the property, decided Tuesday against selecting an outside firm to appraise the property's value. Members were concerned about whether the lowest bidder for the job might have a conflict of interest.That bidder, Thorns Consulting, wanted to charge the board $22,50
  
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• 20-years for driver in death of Carnival float driver

  11-05-2016 12:22
  
  GRETNA - A Gretna man received a 20-year prison sentence for a drunk-driving accident that killed a Westwego man.A Jefferson Parish District Attorney's news release said the sentence was handed down Tuesday for 56-year-old Michael Burrle.Burrle had pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide.The victim was 53-year-old Don Dauzat. The collision happened on Feb. 7, 2015. Dauzat was among a convoy of tractors that had just towed some Mardi Gras floats to a storage area after a parade the previous night.Pr
  
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• Veteran burial fee bill receives final legislative passage

  11-05-2016 12:19
  
  BATON ROUGE - A $745 fee has been set by Louisiana lawmakers for burials in state veterans' cemeteries. But the cost won't be shouldered by veterans.The Department of Veterans Affairs says the federal government has been paying for veterans' burials. But the agency says a recent attorney general's opinion suggested the fee rate needed to be set in law by the Legislature.The same charge is being set for a veteran's spouse or relative to be buried in the veterans' cemetery. That fee, too, already
  
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• City-Parish and DOTD to share traffic data with Waze

  11-05-2016 09:20
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Mayor’s Office announced Wednesday a formal data-sharing partnership between the City-Parish, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Waze to improve traffic efficiency and gain deeper insights that could lead to a better understanding of traffic conditions in the Capital City.Waze is a free, real-time crowdsourced navigation app powered by the world’s largest community of drivers. The Waze Connected Citizens program was established by the app developer w
  
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• Trump camp: Computer glitch caused white supremacist delegate pick

  11-05-2016 09:01
  
  Donald Trump is blaming a “database error” after it was revealed that a white supremacist was a delegate for the presidential hopeful at the Republican National Convention.William Johnson, head of the white nationalist American Freedom Party, has been politically active since an unsuccessful first run in a 1989 congressional campaign.Trump was slow to distance himself from the Ku Klux Klan earlier in 2016, which many white supremacists took as a subtle nod of approval in thei
  
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• May 11, 2016 Morning News Pop

  11-05-2016 07:11
  
  Here are today's top stories:Former Iberville Teacher of the Year heads to court for sentencingIncredible video shows school bus engulfed in flames, no injuries reportedHouse could vote to pass medical marijuana legislationStill and stickyUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• Second LGBT nondiscrimination bill makes it to the Senate floor

  11-05-2016 01:22
  
  The bill broadens all of Louisiana's state laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination to include protections for people based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
  
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• House committee gives thumbs down on license plate scanners

  11-05-2016 00:04
  
  The bill was opposed by privacy activists and legislators
  
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