Baton Rouge news

• Baton Rouge Council on Aging needs better management, not a dedicated tax

  12-05-2016 23:17
  
  Here's what you need to know about the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging's request for a dedicated property tax: 1) management of the quasi-public agency borders on mismanagement; 2) ridiculously bad investments, escalating salaries along with less than standard...
  
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• UMC warns LSU, Tulane medical schools of deep cuts to residency programs

  12-05-2016 22:55
  
  LCMC Health, the parent company that runs the hospitals, warns of "drastic expense reductions" as a result of legislative budget proposal.
  
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• Louisiana's revenue problem tied to weak employment, economists say

  12-05-2016 21:41
  
  Louisiana's revenue projections have not improved over the past few weeks the Revenue Estimating Conference decided Thursday morning (May 12). The state is still facing a $600 million financial shortfall in its budget cycle that starts July 1.
  
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• Louisiana House members wary of budget proposal

  12-05-2016 20:29
  
  No one has come up with a budget plan that can fund both Louisiana's popular college scholarship program and the nine hospitals set up to serve the poor and uninsured yet.
  
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• Livingston adopts new gravel pit ordinance

  12-05-2016 19:43
  
  LIVINGSTON - The Livingston Parish Council has approved a new ordinance regulating how gravel pits are allowed to operate.The proposed ordinance was amended to change legal hours of operation for loading or transporting to Monday-Friday from 2:30 a.m. - 4:30 a.m. if the pit is adjacent to a named subdivision.There shall be no loading or production of gravel and sand on any major holiday if the gravel pit property line is adjacent to a named subdivision.The hours of operation are different if the
  
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• Neighbors support deaf family after losing home in fire

  12-05-2016 18:33
  DENHAM SPRINGS- A family lost their entire home in a massive fire, but neighbors have rallied around them to help them rebuild.The family, however, has already had to overcome challenges. The parents of the family are both deaf and use their 13-year-old son, Eli Einhorn, to translate for them.Einhorn has been helping his parents navigate through the insurance process as they pick up the pieces, however the process has not been as quickly as expected."She thought the process would be a lot faster
  
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• CATS to get Medicaid money

  12-05-2016 18:22
  
  BATON ROUGE- CATS bus system has entered a contract with the state health department to be reimbursed for a handful of Medicaid riders.CATS will get $20 every time it provides at-home pickups for qualifying patients.The reimbursements will bring in almost half a million dollars a year for the bus system and will be retroactive for all qualifying rides since December 2015."It's a win-win proposition for both the state and us," said CATS CEO William Deville. "The state i
  
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• Watch lawmaker's moving speech on incarceration, addiction crisis

  12-05-2016 17:31
  
  State Rep. Tanner Magee, R-Houma, delivers an impassioned speech on Louisiana's criminal justice situation.
  
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• Defense doesn't want pictures of gruesome murder scene shown in court

  12-05-2016 16:37
  
  BATON ROUGE - An attorney for a man accused of killing a sex offender who abused his girlfriend submitted motions to prevent photos of the murder scene from being shown at the trial and asking the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office to recuse itself from proceedings.Jace Crehan, 21 at the time, is charged with 2nd Degree Murder in the death of Robert Noce. His girlfriend, Brittany Monk, 17 at the time faces murder charges too. Noce was found stabbed, strangled and stuffed in a 55-
  
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• Was a high ranking parish employee fired over campaign promise?

  12-05-2016 15:57
  
  GONZALES- Tonight, there are allegations the "good ole boy" network is running strong in Ascension Parish. A prominent land owner claims he brought Parish President Kenny Matassa money to fire a high ranking parish employee.
  That land owner donated hundreds of dollars to Kenny Matassa. What is unclear tonight was whether the donor was able to influence others to support Matassa by extension of his own agenda.
  With a hand on a bible and a smile, Kenny Matassa proudly took over as Ascension Parish
  
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• Neighbors rally behind disabled couple, displaced by fire

  12-05-2016 15:18
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - After a massive fire destroyed a disabled couple's home, neighbors have come together to help the family get back on their feet.Jessica Medero and her husband are deaf, and their 13-year-old son is acting as the family representative, helping his parents navigate through the insurance process."Our motto is take one day at a time because there's so many things we have to take care of," said Medero, as her son translated for her.Concerned neighbors have been communicating
  
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• House backs separate budget bill for AG's office

  12-05-2016 15:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - The House has agreed to split Attorney General Jeff Landry's office into a separate budget bill that will give the governor less oversight over his spending.Lawmakers voted 69-26 Thursday for the breakaway budget bill, which was requested by the attorney general.Critics say the move is unconstitutional. Gov. John Bel Edwards has threatened to veto the measure if it passes.Landry defended the move on the House floor, telling lawmakers that he's a "statewide constitutional officer" w
  
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• Louisiana House state budget proposal: What's at stake?

  12-05-2016 14:46
  
  The House is expected to vote on a state budget plan for the fiscal cycle that begins July 1 either Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.
  
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• Federal grand jury indicts BR man on child porn charges

  12-05-2016 14:44
  
  BATON ROUGE - A federal grand jury has returned an indictment for a part-time owner of a hotel accused of the distribution and possession of child porn.According to U.S. Attorney Walt Green, 53-year-old Christopher Young, of Baton Rouge, was the part-time owner of a hotel in Costa Rica where he frequently traveled for business and vacation.Young allegedly received two videos of young boys engaging in bestiality from an associate in Costa Rica.He also allegedly distributed child porn vid
  
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• Edwards agrees to fee exemption, ag department advertising

  12-05-2016 14:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has agreed to exempt veterans from having to pay a state fee to get a concealed carry permit and to let the state agriculture department sell ads for its property.Those were among the bill signings announced by the governor's office Wednesday.A five-year concealed carry permit costs $125 and a lifetime permit costs $500, with veterans currently charged half the fee's price tag. Edwards signed a bill to do away with the fees for veterans.The governor also agree
  
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• Lawmakers cut penalties for people caught with drug supplies

  12-05-2016 13:57
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to cut the penalties for possessing, selling and using drug paraphernalia to conform with lessened marijuana penalties passed last year.Someone caught with the drug supplies will face up to 15 days in jail and a fine up to $300 on a first offense.A second offense will carry a jail term of no more than six months and a fine up to $1,000. Someone convicted for a third or subsequent offense will face prison time of up to two years and a fine as high as
  
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• Baton Rouge Community College seeks new chancellor

  12-05-2016 13:45
  
  BATON ROUGE - A board overseeing the Baton Rouge Community College says it will do a national search for the college's next chancellor.The board of supervisors for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System announced the search on Thursday.The board hopes to have a recommended candidate by mid-December. The chancellor search will be managed by the Association of Community College Trustees.Currently Dennis Michaelis is serving as interim chancellor. He was appointed last July.The colleg
  
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• Trump, Ryan cite productive first meeting

  12-05-2016 13:42
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan say they had a productive meeting and see a great chance to unite the Republican Party and win the presidential election in November.The presumptive GOP nominee and the party's top elected official said in a statement after their meeting on party headquarters on Capitol Hill that they are "totally committed to working together" to achieve that goal.They say they were "honest about our few differences" but also recognize "many important areas
  
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• Zimmerman gun removed from auction website

  12-05-2016 13:41
  
  SANFORD, Fla. - An online auction for the gun that former Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman used to kill unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin appeared to have been halted Thursday, with the weapon's listing removed from the auction site.It was not immediately clear why the website, GunBroker.com, took down the listing.The auction was set to begin at 11 a.m. EDT Thursday and end 24 hours later. The bidding started at $5,000.But by about 11:18 a.m. the listing was no
  
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• McDonald's testing fresh beef at 14 Dallas restaurants

  12-05-2016 13:28
  
  NEW YORK - McDonald's says it's testing fresh beef at 14 restaurants in Dallas, but says it's too early to say whether fresh beef could replace its frozen patties nationally.The Oak Brook, Illinois company says the test is limited to its quarter pounder patties."Like all of our tests, this one too is designed to see what works and what doesn't within our restaurants," said Lisa McComb, a McDonald's spokeswoman, in a statement.The test comes as McDonald's Corp. fights to turn around its business,
  
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• Lawmakers back 1-year delay on new pediatric health centers

  12-05-2016 13:24
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to block the creation of new Medicaid-financed centers aimed at helping "medically fragile" children.With an 85-0 vote Wednesday, the House gave final legislative passage to a measure placing a one-year moratorium on pediatric day health care centers, not allowing any new ones into the state-funded program until July 2017.The moratorium will begin July 1.The bill by Rep. Rogers Pope, a Denham Springs Republican, heads next to the governor's desk.Supp
  
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• Missing person identified after Whiskey Bay boat crash

  12-05-2016 13:12
  
  IBERVILLE PARISH - A person reported missing has been recovered and identified after a boat crash on the Whiskey Bay boat landing Thursday afternoon.The victim's name is 30-year-old Justin Viator. According to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Viator and his father were having motor trouble when the boat got stuck on a bridge pylon and ejected both of them from the boat.Wildlife agents say both of the men were not wearing life vests.
  News 2 is at the scene. This is a devel
  
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• Report: LSU fraternity put on probation until 2019

  12-05-2016 12:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - The LSU chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity won't be suspended. Instead, the chapter will be placed on probation until 2019, the student newspaper reports.LSU began investigating the chapter last month due to an “alleged incident,” according to university officials.The university released this statement about the investigation: "Based on the information presented and discussed, the Upsilon Zeta chapter of LAMBDA CHI ALPHA Fraternity has been
  
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• Budget debate begins Thursday in the Louisiana House

  12-05-2016 12:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers in the Louisiana House are expecting a long day as they debate how to craft next year's budget and close a $600 million shortfall.The biggest disagreement for the financial year that begins July 1 centers on whether to prioritize the TOPS free college tuition program and give it full funding at the expense of health services for the poor, elderly and disabled.That's the approach the House Appropriations Committee took, led by its chairman, Republican Rep. Cameron Henry.Th
  
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• Two arrested for using heroin in front of child

  12-05-2016 12:48
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man and woman were arrested after using heroin in front of a six-month-old child Wednesday.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance in the 11000 block of Morgan Hill Court.Deputies say a man returned to his home to find his wife, 33-year-old Corinne Southern, and two unidentified men in the home. The husband told EBRSO that the men sold heroin to his wife.According to EBRSO, 22-year-old Dylan Lowe and his friend were in the home to meet Southern
  
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• Driving instructor accused of molesting student

  12-05-2016 12:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - Deputies arrested a Baton Rouge driving instructor Wednesday after they say he grabbed a female student’s chest during a driving class.East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputies arrested 59-year-old John Melvin Williams, Sr. for an incident that allegedly happened on Apr. 19.According to EBRSO, a 16-year-old victim said her mother dropped her off at a local driving academy to complete a required two-hour driving class. While she was driving, Williams made several state
  
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• Coast Guard responds to oil spill in Gulf of Mexico

  12-05-2016 12:37
  
  NEW ORLEANS -- On Thursday, the US Coast Guard responded to a crude oil spill from an underwater Shell pipeline.Shell officials said they believe about 2,100 barrels of oil were released as a result of the spill. Authorities said Shell has isolated the leak and shut down production of both fields, located about 90 miles south of Timbalier Island, Louisiana.Shell added there are no drilling activities at the Brutus platform, close to where the leak occurred, and the spill is not a well
  
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• Clergy put to the test by BRPD

  12-05-2016 12:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - Clergy members got to see what it's like to walk in the shoes of police officers.BRPD gave the ministers a crash course on making split-decisions in their annual Cops & Clergy event. The scenario Thursday night: a suspicious man looking into the window of cars."We try to put them in a scenario where they just get a little bit of that experience where you make that split-second decision and you're judged on the outcome," one of the officers said."The biggest thing is education a
  
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• Firm gives glimpse of super-speed transportation

  12-05-2016 09:02
  
  LAS VEGAS - And off it went.
  A company that hopes to zip people and cargo through tubes at hundreds of miles an hour provided a glimpse of its propulsion system for the first time Wednesday in North Las Vegas.
  The seconds-long, outdoor demonstration by Hyperloop One featured what appeared to be a blip of metal gliding across a small track before disappearing into a cloud against the desert landscape.
  Developers say it could whisk people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes and could b
  
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• Troopers look for leads in Hammond hit and run that killed skateboarder

  12-05-2016 08:46
  
  HAMMOND - Troopers have asked for the public’s help in investigating a fatal hit and run crash that happened Wednesday night in Hammond.State Police said the crash happened shortly after 10 p.m. on LA 3234 (University Avenue) west of US 51. The crash claimed the life of 26-year-old Erin Gerhard, of Independence.On-scene investigation by Troopers led them to believe that Gerhard was riding a skateboard in the right westbound lane of University Avenue when he was struck by an unknown veh
  
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• Google wants new emojis to represent professional women

  12-05-2016 08:35
  
  MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.- Google wants professional women to be better represented in emoji form.In a proposal to the Unicode Consortium, which controls specifications for emojis, Google says it wants to create a new set "with a goal of highlighting the diversity of women's careers and empowering girls everywhere." The proposal says women - and those under 30 in particular - are the most frequent users of emojis.Sample emojis provided by Google in the proposal show several female characters in prof
  
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• Claims for jobless aid reach highest level since early 2015

  12-05-2016 08:14
  
  WASHINGTON - The Labor Department says the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since February 2015, more sobering news for the labor market after a disappointing April jobs report.
  Applications for jobless aid rose by 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 294,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose by 10,250 to 268,250, highest in nearly three months.
  Jobless claims are a proxy for layoffs. Despite last week's increase, they rema
  
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• Man's sentence delayed after killing 5 in road rage-fueled I-10 chase

  12-05-2016 08:12
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sentencing has been delayed on Thursday for a man convicted of killing five people during an alcohol and road rage-fueled high speed chase in 2011.The sentencing was delayed until Aug. 18.34-year-old David Leger was scheduled to be sentenced for five counts of vehicular homicide for his involvement in what investigators called a high-speed game of cat and mouse on Interstate 10. He could face 30 years for each count, meaning Leger could be behind bars for up to 150 years.Leger was
  
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• May 12, 2016 Morning News Pop

  12-05-2016 07:19
  
  Here are today's top stories:UPDATE: All lanes opened on I-110 after being closed from deadly crashMan to be sentenced for killing 5 in road rage-fueled I-10 chaseAmbulance hits alligator on Scenic HighwayApproaching front, few showers lateUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• Louisiana House passes sweeping medical marijuana legislation

  12-05-2016 02:56
  
  The bill seeks to expand access to medical marijuana in Louisiana and allow producers to move forward with plans to
  
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• UPDATE: All lanes opened on I-110 after being closed from deadly crash

  12-05-2016 02:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - All lanes are opened on I-110 North at Government and the I-110 North Exit Ramp on I-10 East at the 10/110 Junction after being closed from an early morning accident.The accident happened at around 2:14 a.m. and caused a vehicle to flip.He's a pic of the flipped over car that has I-110 NB closed. Coroner on the scene. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/AE6UY4w96b— BrettBuffingtonWBRZ (@BrettBuffington) May 12, 2016All lanes are open on I-110 North at Government and the I-110 North Exi
  
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• BRPD identified person killed from early morning fatal crash

  12-05-2016 02:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge Police have identified the person killed from the crash that happened around 2:15 a.m.21-year-old Evan Junker was ejected from his vehicle after losing control and striking a guard rail. The car was overturned.The accident caused the closure of I-110 North near Government.He's a pic of the flipped over car that has I-110 NB closed. Coroner on the scene. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/AE6UY4w96b— BrettBuffingtonWBRZ (@BrettBuffington) May 12, 2016All lanes are
  
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• DHH secretary blasts Appropriations for 'faux,' 'nonsensical' budget proposal

  12-05-2016 01:32
  
  The Department of Health and Hospitals is in the midst of a push to convince legislators to prioritize hospital funding.
  
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