Baton Rouge news

• John Bel Edwards talks Medicaid expansion in visit to University Medical Center

  01-06-2016 23:42
  
  Edwards heard from a UMC medical resident who said some of her patients were in tears when she told them they could enroll in Medicaid on Wednesday.
  
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• Real men drive pink: Fire chief paints truck pink

  01-06-2016 21:31
  
  LOBDELL - The Lobdell Volunteer Fire Department Chief painted his rescue vehicle pink to show solidarity with his crew.It has all of the bells and whistles a firefighter and first responder needs to do their job, but its stands out on any scene. The rescue truck is painted rose, the official color of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.Lobdell Fire Chief Tim Crocket says he painted his rescue truck pink for the ladies. Women make up 15% of the firefighter population in Louisiana, but in Lobdell, women
  
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• Louisiana Senate passes budget $450 million short of sum needed for TOPS, hospitals, more

  01-06-2016 21:06
  
  The budget prioritizes services for medically fragile and elderly, but leaders say it's $450 million short of what is needed to adequately fund state government.
  
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• Veteran denied ride on CATS bus because of service dog

  01-06-2016 20:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - An Iraq War veteran says a CATS bus driver wouldn't let him on the bus because of his service dog."Operators said 'No, no...He ain't coming on," Darren Nickols told News 2's Brett Buffington.Nickols got to Baton Rouge via a Greyhound bus before catching a ride on a city bus to dinner during a two hour layover last Thursday."My father died," Nickols explains. "We were coming back from my father's funeral."When the time came for them to return from dinner to the Greyhound station on
  
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• Police investigating shooting off Plank Road

  01-06-2016 19:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - BRPD is investigating a shooting that occurred in the 3100 block of Pampas Street, off Plank Road Near Mohican just after 7 p.m. Wednesday.#BREAKING: Emergency crews on the scene of a reported shooting near the intersection of Pampas and Plank Rd. @WBRZ— BrettBuffingtonWBRZ (@BrettBuffington) June 2, 2016
  According to a police spokesperson, preliminary reports indicate a man was shot in the leg, and the injuries are considered non-life threatening. Sources confirm the vic
  
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• Mike the Tiger taken to OLOL Wednesday for radiation treatment

  01-06-2016 19:32
  
  BATON ROUGE - Mike the Tiger was taken to Our Lady of the Lake Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Wednesday for SRT, a form of radiation treatment, a spokesperson for the LSU Vet School confirmed to WBRZ.JUST IN: MikeVI taken to hospital for scheduled cancer treatment. @WBRZ— BrettBuffingtonWBRZ (@BrettBuffington) June 2, 2016
  Veterinarians say the treatment isn’t a cure, but it should be able to extend Mike’s life and allow him to live comfortably for some time. As fo
  
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• Medicaid expansion sign-up begins

  01-06-2016 18:48
  
  BATON ROUGE- Sign up for Medicaid expansion started Wednesday at South Care Health Clinic in Mid-City.There weren't lines out of the door since many people are signing up over the phone or by mail."We're not being bombarded. A lot of people thought that would happen because today is the first day," Rayven Forrest, Medicaid specialist, said.The state hopes to have 300,000 people enrolled into the program by July.As of Wednesday, June 1, the state is more than half way to that goal.Governor John B
  
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• What's at risk in Louisiana budget fight? (Besides TOPS and hospitals)

  01-06-2016 18:12
  
  While cuts to TOPS and hospitals for the poor and uninsured are getting the most attention in the state budget fight, there are several other government services that are on the chopping block as Louisiana faces a $600 million shortfall. This is a look at what might also be slashed.
  
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• Canadian woman attacks deputy at Bayou Country Superfest

  01-06-2016 18:12
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Sheriff’s Office arrested a Canadian woman Friday after they say she attacked a deputy at Bayou Country SuperFest inside Tiger Stadium.According to arrest documents, event goers complained that 34-year-old Veronique Bourgault from Quebec, Canada, was making inappropriate sexual gestures while sitting on a man’s lap at Bayou Country SuperFest. After security told the couple to stop, deputies say Bourgault started cursing and making vulgar g
  
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• First aerial mosquito spraying of the season to begin Wednesday

  01-06-2016 18:01
  
  BATON ROUGE- The East Baton Rouge Parish Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control will conduct aerial mosquito spraying for the first time of the season on Wednesday night.The aerial spray trails will either be over the area north of Zachary or the southern part of the parish near the County Club, according to assistant director, Randy Vaeth.Sprays will be conducted depending on the number of mosquitoes in various areas and disease activity, according to Vaeth.Vaeth also said that starting at the e
  
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• DOTD making plans to address flooding spots for drivers in BR

  01-06-2016 17:51
  
  BATON ROUGE- Tuesday night, streets flooded causing drivers to get stranded, but there may be a solution in the future for one area in particular.Jefferson Highway near Corporate Boulevard, Essen Lane between I-10 and Perkins Road and Burbank Drive at Nicholson Drive are notorious spots for flooding.At Walk-On's on Burbank Drive, the flooding problem causes trouble for diners and workers."We have, unfortunately, a few months ago we had a few cars that were floating out there, you never want to s
  
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• Bridge traffic causes problems for WBR school system

  01-06-2016 17:29
  
  PORT ALLEN - The West Baton Rouge School System is evaluating the possibility of increasing teacher pay, in order to keep teachers from leaving the West bank.Superintendent Wesley Watts says traffic on the new Mississippi River Bridge is driving teachers away."I had a teacher ask if she could fly an Ultralight into work everyday 'cause she lives on the other side of the river," said Watts. The school board is considering a $5,000 increase in salary for certified employ
  
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• Bill for temporary concealed carry permits sent to governor

  01-06-2016 17:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - There's a 4 month backlog for a concealed carry permit in Louisiana, but with the governor's approval, domestic violence victims may only have to wait 72 hours.The state Senate voted 31-2 Monday to give final legislative passage to a proposal from Rep. Valarie Hodges, a Denham Springs Republican, to create expedited, temporary concealed carry permits. The House unanimously supported the measure in a previous vote.If signed by the governor, the bill will create the 45-day permit for
  
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• Subcontractor pays $33,000 in back wages after probe

  01-06-2016 16:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - Officials say a Louisiana subcontractor was erroneously paying laborer's wages to three skilled workers on a federally-funded housing project in Baton Rouge and has agreed to pay more than $33,000 in back wages.The U.S. Department of Labor, in a news release Wednesday, said investigators found Pete's Plumbing of Livingston Parish LLC in violation of laws requiring employers to pay prevailing wages on federally-funded projects. The investigators say the Denham Springs subcontractor
  
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• Department of Education sues citizens who file public records requests

  01-06-2016 15:56
  
  BATON ROUGE- Tonight, there are new allegations the Department of Education is hiding public information from you. State Superintendent of Education John White is suing two citizens who filed public records requests this year.Last year, the WBRZ Investigative Unit showed the Department paid out thousands of dollars in settlements for not turning over public records to citizens.Dr. James Finney is an educator, self proclaimed watchdog and someone who is passionate about the education of children.
  
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• BRPD looking for suspects in restaurant theft on North Foster

  01-06-2016 15:37
  
  BATON ROUGE- Baton Rouge Police Department detectives are attempting to identify suspects who are involved in stealing $1,200 from Mom’s Seafood & Deli.The incident happened Mar. 22 around 9 p.m. in the 1700 block of North Foster Drive, according to BRPD.Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact the Financial Crimes Division at 389-3871 .Permalink| Comments
  
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• Two dead in California campus shooting Wednesday

  01-06-2016 14:53
  
  LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Police Chief says the UCLA shooting was a murder-suicide and the campus is now safe.A LAPD statement says the two people who are dead were both male, but provides no other identification.Police reported an hour after the shooting that two people were shot and had died.  In an interview with L.A. TV station KABC, a police spokesperson asked people in the L.A. area to move out of the way of a large-scale response to the campus.Mobil
  
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• Two arrested after shooting on Pecan Street

  01-06-2016 14:19
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE- West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office made two arrests after a Tuesday night shooting on Pecan Street.On Tuesday, May 31 around 11:40 p.m. 18-year-old Tristan Chauvin and Hunter St. Romain had a verbal altercation at LA Express in reference to an ongoing feud. The altercation escalated and they decided to meet at a designated location to engage in a fist fight.St. Romain and Ryan Higdon, another man who was with him, decided to go to their home in the 12000 block o
  
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• Texas teacher impregnated by student, 13, turns self in

  01-06-2016 14:17
  
  HOUSTON - A Houston-area teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy who impregnated her has surrendered at a suburban jail.
  Harris County authorities had issued an arrest warrant for 24-year-old Alexandria Vera, an English teacher in the Aldine School District. The boy was an eighth-grader she met last summer.
  She appeared Wednesday at the jail in adjacent Montgomery County. Sheriff's spokesman Brady Fitzgerald says Vera posted a $100,000 bond and was released.
  Court
  
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• LA 1 North at Intracoastal Canal open after car fire caused closure

  01-06-2016 13:48
  
  BATON ROUGE- LA 1 North at the Intracoastal Canal Bridge re-opened after it was closed to traffic due to a vehicle fire.Traffic is still backed up to three miles in length.Stay with WBRZ on Facebook and Twitter for traffic updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Body camera public records bill headed to Louisiana governor

  01-06-2016 13:35
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police would be allowed to shield body camera footage from release without a court order if the video is deemed to violate a "reasonable expectation of privacy," under a bill headed to the governor.
      
  Supporters said the measure aligns the body camera footage with Louisiana's existing public records law.
      
  The Senate gave final passage to the proposal by Sen. Ronnie Johns, a Lake Charles Republican, with a 37-0 vote Wednes
  
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• Jeep launches into Georgia home

  01-06-2016 13:19
  
  SMYRNA, Ga. - No injuries were reported after a Jeep crashed into a Georgia home early Wednesday morning.Police said the jeep was traveling on Powder Springs Road when the driver lost control and the vehicle hit the curb. The impact then catapulted the Jeep into the side of a nearby home.KHOU-TV said the driver was trapped in the Jeep for about an hour but was removed without injuries. Two people were in the house at the time, but neither of them reported injuries, according to police.Police sai
  
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• Motorcyclist dies after crash in Iberville Parish

  01-06-2016 13:13
  
  IBERVILLE PARISH- A crash on LA 386 in Iberville Parish took the life of a motorcyclist.On May 30 around 2 p.m., Troopers from Louisiana State Troop A began investigating a single-vehicle fatality crash that occurred on LA 386 west of LA 77.The initial investigation revealed that the crash occurred as 35-year-old Ronnie Badon of Maringouin was driving his 2010 Kawasaki motorcycle eastbound on the interstate. For unknown reasons, Badon failed to negotiate a right hand curve and ran off the left s
  
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• Judge rules out next Louisiana execution before 2018

  01-06-2016 12:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - A federal judge's order bars Louisiana from carrying out its next scheduled execution before January 2018.Attorney General Jeff Landry's office asked U.S. District Judge James Brady to extend an earlier order that kept Christopher Sepulvado's execution on hold. Brady granted the 18-month extension in an order dated Tuesday.Brady's order only applies to five death-row inmates who are plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Louisiana's method of lethal injection. But others can join the
  
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• Man arrested after River Road chase ends in flames

  01-06-2016 12:32
  
  BATON ROUGE - A police pursuit ended on River Road Wednesday morning as a fleeing vehicle caught fire and was forced to stop.Baton Rouge Police arrested 26-year-old Jeffrey Simon, Jr. for aggravated assualt, criminal damage to property, illegal use of a weapon and possession of marijuana and a schedule II drug. Baton Rouge Police said they responded to a shots fired call in the 4700 block of Earl Gros Avenue to find a suspect vehicle leaving the scene when officers arrived.Officers said attempts
  
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• Senate to debate $26B operating budget proposal Wednesday

  01-06-2016 12:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's state senators are readying to debate a nearly $26 billion state operating budget for next year that looks strikingly different from the House version.The Senate proposal up for debate Wednesday places a greater priority on health services for the elderly and disabled than the TOPS college tuition program.Whatever the Senate approves will set up final negotiations between the two sides with only five days remaining in the legislative session. Disagreements center on how
  
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• Body found under I-12 overpass at Holden

  01-06-2016 12:24
  
  HOLDEN - Sheriff’s deputies say a body was discovered under an I-12 overpass in Livingston Parish Wednesday morning.LPSO spokeswoman Lori Steele says the human remains were located under the I-12 overpass at Holden.Foul play is not suspected at this point in the investigation, according to deputies.Check back with this story for more updates as information is released.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Bill would limit last-minute raises from outgoing governors

  01-06-2016 12:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's lawmakers want more say over a governor's ability to dole out last-minute pay raises.A bill by Republican Sen. Gerald Long requires the joint House and Senate budget committee to approve executive branch salary increases during the last 90 days of a governor's term.The measure would only affect political appointees known as unclassified workers. It wouldn't affect rank-and-file employees, known as classified employees, who are governed by civil service guidelines.Long's
  
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• Edwards signs penalty drop for drug paraphernalia charges

  01-06-2016 12:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has agreed to lessen the penalties for possessing, selling and using drug paraphernalia, to conform with reduced 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
  
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• Woman arrested after trying to use car as deadly weapon

  01-06-2016 09:44
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police said a woman is facing an attempted murder charge after she tried to hit another woman with her car.40-year-old Deon Pullins was booked into the parish prison on charges of attempted second degree murder and criminal damage to property in connection with the May 11 incident.BRPD reports Pullins drove a Toyota Camry at the victim in an effort to injure or kill her at around 4:12 p.m. The victim was able to identify Pullins by name and out of a photographic line up that was pr
  
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• Man accused of raping 8-year-old girl

  01-06-2016 09:35
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sheriff’s deputies reported the arrest of a man accused raping an 8-year-old girl numerous times in recent months.29-year-old Anthony Tipton was arrested Tuesday and booked on charges of first degree aggravated rape.Detectives said the victim told them during a forensic interview on Tuesday that at around 1 p.m. that day Tipton forced her to perform oral sex on him. She said he had been forcing her to perform various sex acts since she turned 8 in October of last year.The
  
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• Googling yourself now leads to personal privacy controls

  01-06-2016 09:12
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - Now all you need to do is Google yourself if you're wondering how deeply Google has been digging into your digital life.Starting Wednesday, a shortcut to personal account information will appear at the top of Google's search results whenever logged-in users enter their own names in the query box. The feature is part of an update to the "My Account" hub that Google introduced a year ago to make it easier for people to manage the privacy and security controls on the internet compan
  
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• Gov. signs law banning second-trimester abortion

  01-06-2016 08:58
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a ban on the second-trimester abortion procedure called dilation and evacuation, making Louisiana the sixth state to prohibit the commonly used method.The procedure, known as D&E, will only be allowed if necessary to prevent "serious health risk" to the mother when the ban takes effect Aug. 1.Edwards' office announced Tuesday that the Democratic governor had signed the prohibition, sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Bossier Ci
  
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• Car allowance bills for local tax assessors stall in House

  01-06-2016 08:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - The debate over whether local tax assessors should receive car allowances on top of their salaries appears to have ended in the Louisiana Legislature.Lawmakers proposed eight bills to give more than a dozen parish assessors car allowances up to 15 percent of their annual salaries. But only two bills managed to pass both chambers before lawmakers, primarily in the House, began to raise objections and stalled the remaining measures.The proposals would give assessors between about $2
  
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• Lawmakers vote to allow direct access to physical therapists

  01-06-2016 08:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Patients would have direct access to physical therapists without needing a doctor's referral, under a bill that has won final legislative approval.The measure received final legislative passage with a 33-2 Senate vote this week, sending it to Gov. John Bel Edwards' desk.Patients now have to obtain a referral from a licensed doctor to see a physical therapist.Bill sponsor Sen. Fred Mills, a Republican from Parks, says by doing away with that recommendation requirement, access to phy
  
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• Family of toddler who fell into gorilla enclosure thanks zookeepers

  01-06-2016 08:46
  
  CINCINNATI - The family of the toddler who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo said their child is “doing well” and thanked zookeepers who fatally shot an endangered gorilla in order to rescue the 3-year-old boy.“Our child has had a checkup by his doctor and is still doing well. We continue to praise God for His grace and mercy, and to be thankful to the Cincinnati Zoo for their actions taken to protect our child,” the family said in a st
  
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• Families displaced in Hawthorne Heights apartment complex fire

  01-06-2016 08:35
  
  BATON ROUGE - Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire at a Baton Rouge apartment complex early Wednesday morning.Baton Rouge firefighters were called to the scene at the Hawthorne Heights apartment complex just after 4:30 a.m. The apartments are located in the 2100 block of North Lobdell Avenue.According to BRFD, the apartment office was already engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was quickly put out before it could spread to other units in the c
  
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• Blind man sues McDonald's over car-only drive-thru policy

  01-06-2016 08:18
  
  CHICAGO - A blind Louisiana man is suing McDonald's for the right to get served at the chain's drive-thru windows.The Chicago Tribune reports the lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court on behalf of Scott Magee claims McDonald's is violating the American with Disabilities Act by refusing to serve customers at its drive thru windows who aren't in a vehicle.Many McDonald's locations only serve customers at the drive-thru window during late night hours. Magee's lawyer, Roberto Costales, tells the Tr
  
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• June 1, 2016 Morning News Pop

  01-06-2016 07:04
  
  Here are today's top stories:Enrollment for Louisiana's Medicaid expansion opens Wed.Hurricane season begins WednesdayRemoving the "Robert E." from "Robert E. Lee High School"Moving to a more active pattern and the official hurricane seasonUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• Forecasters focus on storm surge threat to New Orleans area

  01-06-2016 02:00
  
  Half of all tropical weather deaths are caused by storm surge, and another 27 percent by rain-caused flooding.
  
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• Louisiana begins enrolling 375,000 people into Medicaid

  01-06-2016 00:40
  
  Louisiana will have three ways for people to get enrolled.
  
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