Baton Rouge news

• John Bel Edwards calls 2nd special budget session for June 6

  27-05-2016 23:06
  
  In an announcement Friday (May 27), the governor set the second special session to start June 6 and end June 23.
  
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• Officials caution safety for boaters during Memorial Day weekend

  27-05-2016 18:11
  
  BATON ROUGE- The Coast Guard along with Wild Life and Fisheries officials are have warned boaters of the dangers of boating under the influence as Memorial Day weekend begins.In every state, it is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Coast Guard along with other officials enforces boating under the influence. The law pertains to all boats and includes foreign vessels that operate in U.S. waters.Penalties for BUI can include large fines, suspension or revoc
  
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• Near-normal 2016 Atlantic hurricane season predicted by NOAA

  27-05-2016 18:07
  
  Forecasters predict there will be a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms, with 4 to 8 hurricanes, and 1 to 4 major hurricanes
  
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• No evidence found in arrest of Parkview Baptist student accused of rape

  27-05-2016 17:24
  
  BATON ROUGE- An Orleans Parish magistrate commissioner has found that police did not have enough evidence to support the arrest of a former Parkview Baptist High School student who had been accused of a rape in New Orleans.Pryce Fletcher, 19, was arrested in April on one count of simple rape that reportedly occurred in December.The victim in the incident reported to law enforcement that she was in New Orleans in December to attend her high school football team's game i
  
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• Pimp, prostitutes picked up during BRPD sting operation

  27-05-2016 16:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police arrested six alleged prostitutes and a pimp during a Friday string operation focused in North Baton Rouge.42-year-old Steven Stafford, of Holden, was booked on charges inciting prostitution and obscenity after he was taken into custody during the operation. Officers said Stafford was masturbating inside of his vehicle which was parked in front of a business in the 400 block of Roselawn at the time of his arrest.Stafford is accused of “pimping” various wom
  
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• No fireworks in hearing on Common Core standards rewrite

  27-05-2016 15:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's use of the Common Core education standards has provoked passionate arguments and lengthy hearings in recent years.But revisions to those English and math standards sparked nothing similar Friday. Instead, a public hearing on the proposed standards rewrite was over in less than 30 minutes.Only a half-dozen speakers showed up for a gathering ordered by state lawmakers seeking to end controversy over the once white-hot issue.A 26-member panel of mostly ed
  
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• Use environmental impact 'bank' to fund coast restoration, congressman says

  27-05-2016 15:00
  
  Federal-state panel overseeing Restore Act money from BP disaster would set up, operate bank, with money to fund restoration projects.
  
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• Marijuana, Confederate monuments, strippers: The legislative session so far

  27-05-2016 14:49
  
  A look at what's happened in the Louisiana Legislature so far as lawmakers go into the home stretch of the regular session.
  
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• How can I help Mike the Tiger fight cancer?

  27-05-2016 14:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - Tigers fans, or animal lovers in general, can now contribute to the effort to give Mike VI the best fighting chance possible as the big cat prepares to undergo treatment for a rare form of cancer.A university spokesperson says LSU has set up a contribution page for information on how the public can help. The page also includes great resources to learn more about Mike’s treatment plan and the disease he faces. A link to a donation page is in the right sidebar and includes
  
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• Heavy delays after car stalls on Mississippi River Bridge

  27-05-2016 14:17
  
  BATON ROUGE – Traffic officials say a drivers should expect heavy delays on I-10 east after a stalled car on the Mississippi River Bridge caused congestion for hours Friday morning.The Department of Transportation reported around 9:30 a.m., a stalled vehicle blocked the right lane on I-10 East. Although traffic passed through two left lanes, and the right lane was later cleared, the incident caused heavy congestion for hours.HEAVY DELAYS I10 EB from LA 415 to Washington pic.twitter.com
  
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• Bill would end possible jail time for underage drinkers

  27-05-2016 14:04
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers don't think underage drinkers should face jail time.A bill sent to the governor's desk this week would remove the possibility that someone under the age of 21 could be jailed up to six months if caught in possession of an alcoholic beverage.The violation would still carry a fine up to $100.The House supported the measure by Rep. Franklin Foil, a Baton Rouge Republican, with a 99-0 vote. The Senate sent it to Gov. John Bel Edwards with a 33-1 vote.If the governor agrees to
  
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• Emotional budget hearing as people plead for health services

  27-05-2016 13:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Parents of children with developmental disabilities chastised state lawmakers, describing it as unconscionable they have to return year after year to plead for financing for children's health services.
  The comments Friday came in an emotional day of public testimony in the Senate Finance Committee, as people who rely on the state for care begged senators to protect health programs that are on the chopping block.
  Elaine Harmon, of Lake Charles, broke down in tears as she urged senat
  
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• When will some churches stop treating transgender people as modern-day lepers?

  27-05-2016 13:40
  
  Theodore Parker, the 19th century Unitarian minister and abolitionist, was right: "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice." History takes a circuitous route, but it inexorably gravitates toward acknowledging the dignity and inherent worth...
  
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• Suspect arrested in shooting death of East Feliciana School Board member

  27-05-2016 13:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - A suspect was arrested last night in connection with the shooting that left an East Feliciana Parish school board member dead in his car on Wenonah Street.
  Police announced Friday the arrest of 19-year-old Jacquez Tremaine Griffin.Police reported that he was booked Thursday night for first degree murder of 34-year-old Broderick Brooks of Jackson, LA.According to autopsy reports, Brooks’ cause of death was a result of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and upper extremit
  
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• NOAA releases Atlantic hurricane season predictions, will be "near-normal" season

  27-05-2016 13:19
  
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Prediction Center announced Friday that the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season will most likely be near-normal.The season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.NOAA predicts that a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms, with four to eight of those becoming hurricanes including one to four major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 winds 111mph or higher).According to Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s C
  
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• NOAA releases Atlantic hurricane season predictions, says it will be "near-normal"

  27-05-2016 13:19
  
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Prediction Center announced Friday that the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season will most likely be near-normal.The season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.NOAA predicts that a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms, with four to eight of those becoming hurricanes including one to four major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 winds 111mph or higher).According to Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s C
  
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• Developer chosen to remake old Entergy site

  27-05-2016 13:00
  
  BATON ROUGE – City officials have chosen who will redevelop an abandoned Entergy site on Government Street in Baton Rouge.The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority announced Friday that Weinstein Nelson Development was chosen to remake the site.Weinstein Nelson Development proposed using the site into a blend of retail, offices and residences. Developers also proposed housing around the current existing building as well as a possible train station for a commuter line between Baton R
  
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• Pregnant woman arrested for having sex with juvenile

  27-05-2016 12:54
  
  THIBODAUX- Thibodaux Police arrested a pregnant woman for having a sexual relationship with a juvenile.
  On Mar. 31, the juvenile victim and the mother of the juvenile reported that 24-year-old Alison Thibodaux had sex with the victim over a period of several months until Dec. 2015.During this time frame, Thibodaux sent inappropriate photos of herself to the victim via text message.Thibodaux is currently pregnant and became so during the time frame she and the juvenile had sex. The father of the
  
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• Divers looking for plane crash pilot find body in Hudson River

  27-05-2016 12:02
  
  NEW YORK - Police say divers searching for the pilot of a small World War II vintage plane that crashed in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey have recovered a body.They say the body came from the one-seater plane but they haven't confirmed the body is that of the pilot.The Federal Aviation Administration says it received a report about the vintage P-47 Thunderbolt going down near the George Washington Bridge on Friday night. Firefighters say the plane had engine trouble be
  
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• US consumer sentiment jumps in May to highest in year

  27-05-2016 09:30
  
  WASHINGTON - Americans turned more optimistic about the economy in May than the previous month, buoyed by low interest rates on home and car purchases.The University of Michigan says its index of consumer sentiment rose to 94.7 in May, the highest in nearly a year. That's up from 89 in April.A more optimistic consumer is typically more likely to spend, which drives greater economic growth. Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. The economy slowed to a crawl
  
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• Former policer officer who shot dog gets 1 year probation

  27-05-2016 09:10
  
  LAKE CHARLES - A former southwest Louisiana police officer convicted of shooting and killing a dog has been sentenced to one-year supervised probation, five days of community service and a fine of $250 plus court costs.
  The American Press reports Brian Thierbach, who pleaded no contest in April to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, shot the dog after he responded to a call about two men in the Southwest Daily News' parking lot in Sulphur on April 28, 2014.
  Thierbach said the dog tried
  
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• Louisiana man dies after 1,000+ bees attack in Arizona

  27-05-2016 08:48
  
  PHOENIX - A Louisiana man died Thursday after he and a friend were attacked by bees while hiking in Arizona.Medical examiners reported 23-year-old Alex Bestler, of Elton, Louisiana, was stung more than 1,000 times by the bees.Bestler and his friend were hiking the Merkle Trail near Mesa, Arizona when the large swarm of bees appeared without warning. Investigators said the friend was able to make it to a nearby restroom safely, but Bestler was overtaken by the swarm before he could take shelter,
  
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• Impairment suspected in deadly Ascension Parish motorcycle crash

  27-05-2016 08:15
  
  GONZALES - Troopers say a Baton Rouge man was killed in a motorcycle wreck in Ascension Parish early Friday morning.57-year-old Brion Landry died from injuries sustained during the single-vehicle crash that happened on LA 429 (Weber City Road) near the intersection of Roddy Road at around 2 a.m. Friday.State Police say Landry was driving his Honda motorcycle when he failed to negotiate a left-handed curve and ran off the right side of the road into a ditch. As his bike entered the ditch, Landry
  
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• May 27, 2016 Morning News Pop

  27-05-2016 06:59
  
  Here are today's top stories:Overnight emergency prompts shelter in place in Ascension ParishLSU baseball puts away Miss State early, advances on to SEC semisBayou Country Super Fest begins FridayCapital City to coast warm and humid for Memorial Day WeekendUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• President Obama visits Hiroshima

  27-05-2016 05:30
  
  HIROSHIMA, Japan - President Barack Obama says the world has a shared responsibility to ask how to prevent the suffering that took place in Hiroshima more than 70 years ago from happening again.
      
  Obama spoke today at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan, making him the first U.S. sitting president to visit the city since the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in 1945.
      
  Obama then spoke briefly with some Hiroshima survivors.Permalink| Comme
  
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• Deeper cuts to TOPS, hospitals back on the table for Louisiana budget

  27-05-2016 03:04
  
  Gov. John Bel Edwards administration is asking the Louisiana Senate to completely scrap the budget approved by the Louisiana House two weeks ago and revert back to an original financial proposal made by the governor.
  
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