Baton Rouge news

• Louisiana House votes to require students to recite Declaration of Independence every day

  02-06-2016 23:54
  
  Students would have to recite a portion of the document that specifically references God.
  
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• Abortion bills prompt debate over lawsuits, Constitution

  02-06-2016 23:17
  
  Gov. John Bel Edwards signed legislation on Thursday that will bar public funding for any clinic that performs abortion.
  
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• Leah Chase, queen of Creole cuisine, is honored by Louisiana House

  02-06-2016 23:10
  
  It was her first visit to the Louisiana Capitol.
  
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• WATCH: 10:00 news on Facebook, WBRZ.com tonight

  02-06-2016 21:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Due to Game 1 of the NBA Finals on ABC, the television broadcast of WBRZ News 2 at 10:00 will be delayed.The 10:00 news on TV is scheduled to air beginning at 10:30 p.m. Thursday.  However, WBRZ will broadcast an internet and Facebook edition of the news at 10:00. Permalink| Comments
  
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• School board to revisit Lee HS naming issue later

  02-06-2016 21:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - An East Baton Rouge Parish School Board committee decided not to pursue renaming Lee High School Thursday night.The issue was first reported by WBRZ and WBRZ.com earlier in the week when the school board agenda was released.  At a separate meeting Tuesday, a committee came up with recommendations for new names in an attempt to distance the school from its confederate namesake, Robert E. Lee.The school board was to recommend the naming change Thursday nigh
  
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• Three dogs living alone, cause concern among neighbors

  02-06-2016 17:41
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - For months, three dogs have been living alone in the backyard of a home, without supervision.Residents tell News 2 the owner of the home, located on Hawks Cove, moved away months ago."I don't ever see anyone feeding them, giving them water, how are they getting their proper nutrition?" said Ashley Tingle, a neighbor.The Department of Public Works says it has been in contact with the property owner and according to the department, the owner visits the p
  
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• Raise the Age bill wins final House approval

  02-06-2016 17:26
  
  BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana House of Representatives gave final passage to the Raise the Age bill, that will allow juveniles, including 17-year-olds, to be placed in the juvenile justice system.
  The bill passed the House by a vote of 97-3 with 21 co-authors."This is a significant step forward for Louisiana as we work to reform our criminal justice system," Gov. John Bel Edwards said."We know that at 17 a young person's brain is still developing. We recognize this when it comes to voting, joining
  
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• Firefighters investigating conveyor belt fire at Burnside facility

  02-06-2016 17:19
  
  BURNSIDE – Officials say a conveyor belt fire damaged property and caused traffic issues near a facility at a facility near Burnside Thursday afternoon.Emergency officials said the fire happened before 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Investigators are not sure what caused a conveyor belt inside the Impala terminal at the Ormet-Burnside Facility to catch on fire.No one was injured and the fire did not spread to other properties.The Ascension Parish Office of Homeland Security warned driver
  
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• Landry says Senate budget proposal would damage his office

  02-06-2016 16:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - Senators have proposed to reverse a $7 million oil spill recovery payment given to Attorney General Jeff Landry's office.Landry says the cut could damage his office's operations, including work to fight cybercrime and crimes against children. He's trying to get lawmakers to scrap the Senate-approved proposal, awaiting debate in the House.Senators say the recent $7 million transfer of oil spill money wasn't handled properly.Finance Committee Chairman Eric LaFleur says the money woul
  
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• Louisiana Senate votes to ban abortions based on abnormality

  02-06-2016 16:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Senators have agreed to a proposal aimed at prohibiting abortions performed because the fetus has a genetic abnormality, rejecting concerns such a ban would lead the state to a court battle it cannot win.Republican Sen. Dan Claitor usually votes for bills adding new restrictions on abortion. But the Baton Rouge lawyer said he couldn't vote for the proposal, saying it clearly runs afoul of court decisions upholding a woman's right to an abortion.North Dakota and Indiana ha
  
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• Blue Angels pilot killed; no civilians hurt

  02-06-2016 15:40
  
  SMYRNA, Tenn. -An official in Tennessee says a pilot was killed when his Blue Angels fighter jet crashed, but no civilians were hurt on the ground.Harry Gill, the town manager in Smyrna just outside Nashville, said Thursday that the pilot was the only casualty. Some power outages were caused by the crash, but no civilians were hurt.A U.S. official says the pilot was identified as Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anon
  
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• Extinct otter species named after Grateful Dead guitarist

  02-06-2016 15:25
  
  BOISE, Idaho - A U.S. National Park Service paleontologist and Grateful Dead fan has been credited with identifying an extinct species of otter found in south-central Idaho and named it after the band's guitarist.Self-described Deadhead Kari Prassack says traveling the country to see Bob Weir and the band gave her confidence to pursue her career.When fellow scientists in April credited her with properly identifying the new species from a jaw bone found in the late 1980s at Hagerman Fossil Beds N
  
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• TOPS held political hostage in Louisiana budget negotiations

  02-06-2016 15:20
  
  Here's what we know as Louisiana's regular legislative session careens toward its merciful June 6 conclusion: 1) Gov. John Bel Edwards and state legislators believe TOPS -- in the eyes of the tax-paying public -- is pretty much the most important government...
  
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• Air Force jet crashes after flyover at Colorado Obama speech

  02-06-2016 15:09
  
  AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - An Air Force Thunderbird jet crashed south of Colorado Springs just after a flyover for a graduation of Air Force Academy cadets where President Barack Obama had spoken.Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michal Kloeffler-Howard said Thursday the pilot ejected. There was no information on the pilot's condition. No injuries on the ground were reported.Obama was still at the graduation site at the time of the crash, taking photos with attendees prior to returning to Washingto
  
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• Timeline of key events in last 2 weeks of Prince's life

  02-06-2016 14:34
  
  MINNEAPOLIS  - Prince died of an accidental overdose of the powerful painkiller fentanyl, autopsy results released Thursday show. In the month before his death, a Minnesota doctor saw Prince twice - including the day before he died - and prescribed him medication, according to contents of a search warrant.Some key events in the last two weeks of Prince's life:April 7 - Dr. Michael Schulenberg, a Minnesota primary care physician, sees Prince, according to the search warrant. Also, two Pr
  
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• Speaker Ryan: 'I'll be voting for' Trump

  02-06-2016 14:30
  
  WASHINGTON - House Speaker Paul Ryan says he's going to vote for Donald Trump.The Wisconsin Republican declared his support in a newspaper column published Thursday afternoon. It's the first public backing Ryan has given the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.Ryan writes in the Janesville Gazette that Trump "would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws to help improve people's lives. That's why I'll be voting for him this fall."Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck says the statement mar
  
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• Two BR gas stations have lowest gas prices in the state

  02-06-2016 14:17
  
  BATON ROUGE- Two Baton Rouge gas stations have the lowest gas prices in the state.According to The Advertiser, Costco off of Airline Highway and Sam's Club at Cortana Place are the two gas stations that have the lowest prices in the state at $1.85 per gallon of regular unleaded gas.Gas prices continued to increase this week with the average cost for a gallon of regular gasoline in the state rising by 2 cents to $2.11. However, Louisiana is the state with the fourth-lowest price of gas in the nat
  
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• CATS responds to service dog controversy

  02-06-2016 13:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - A former serviceman, his wife and service dog will be bound home for Rhode Island tomorrow after mishap with the Baton Rouge bus system left them stranded here last week.Darren Nickols and his family were told they couldn't board a CATS bus after grabbing dinner in the city during a layover. The denial caused them to miss their connecting bus at the Greyhound station.The Investigative Unit has learned that driver is now under investigation. In an email Thursday, a CATS spokesperson
  
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• Police: Suspect in Indiana killings inspired by 'Purge' film

  02-06-2016 13:44
  
  INDIANAPOLIS - A 19-year-old Indianapolis man has been charged with killing three people over four days, and authorities say he was inspired by the horror movie "The Purge."A witness told detectives that Johnathan Cruz told her he had been "purging" by shooting and robbing people, according to court documents filed Wednesday. Police said this referred to the 2013 movie starring Ethan Hawke, in which during one night a year, all crime is legal.Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said the attacks
  
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• Greensburg mayor officially steps down after WBRZ report

  02-06-2016 13:29
  
  GREENSBURG – The longtime Mayor in the Town of Greensburg stepped down after a WBRZ News 2 Investigative Unit report last month.Burke Jones officially stepped down as Greensburg Mayor at midnight Wednesday. In May, the Investigative Unit uncovered that Jones has been living in a completely different parish than the town he represents.A town ordinance requires that “the Mayor of the Town of Greensburg shall continue to be legally domiciled in and shall actually reside within t
  
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• Two whooping cranes killed, reward being offered

  02-06-2016 13:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents are looking for leads regarding two endangered whooping cranes that appear to have been shot and killed in Acadia Parish.The department said in a news release Thursday the cranes were found just south of Rayne off of Louisiana Highway 35 on May 20.  The cranes were recovered and sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensics lab.The state says up to $9,000 is being offered by various groups fo
  
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• Official says Prince died of opioid overdose

  02-06-2016 13:05
  
  CHICAGO - A law-enforcement official tells The Associated Press that tests show the music superstar died of an opioid overdose.The 57-year-old singer was found dead April 21 at his Minneapolis-area estate.The official, who is close to the investigation, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.Investigators have been reviewing whether Prince died of an overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before his death.Permalink| Comme
  
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• Woman on 'kill list' in UCLA shooter's home dead

  02-06-2016 13:03
  
  LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles police chief says the man who carried out a murder-suicide at UCLA left a "kill list" at his Minnesota home that led authorities to find a woman's dead body.Speaking on KTLA-TV, Chief Charlie Beck says Mainak Sarkar drove to Los Angeles from Minnesota with two guns and killed Professor William Klug before killing himself.Beck says when authorities searched Sarkar's home in Minnesota, they found a "kill list" with the names of Klug, another UCLA professor and a woman
  
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• UCLA shooter thanked professor he killed

  02-06-2016 13:03
  
  LOS ANGELES - The man who carried out the UCLA murder-suicide wrote a dissertation in which he thanked the professor he fatally shot.The 2013 dissertation by Mainak Sarkar includes two lines about professor William Klug. It says: "I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. William Klug, for all his help and support. Thank you for being my mentor."The document thanks several other professors and three friends, with Sarkar saying, "I will always remember all the good time we had together."The dissertat
  
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• Man wanted for impersonating owner of company to get re-hired

  02-06-2016 12:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Metairie man is wanted by detectives in East Baton Rouge Parish after it was determined he falsified his identity online to obtain employment with a local company.According to reports, 31-year-old Thomas Alston McKowen previously worked for Turner Industries but quit in July 2015, citing personal reasons. McKowen was re-hired in October 2015, but never reported to the company's Shell Norco location, resulting in his employment being dismissed.McKowen would apply with Turner Indus
  
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• Man accused of punching woman holding baby at meat market

  02-06-2016 12:31
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sheriff’s deputies in East Baton Rouge Parish arrested a man after he was accused of pushing a woman holding his infant child into a door frame repeatedly.29-year-old Carl Robertson was booked at the EBRSO Gardere Substation on charges of second offense domestic abuse battery and cruelty to a juvenile.The victim told investigators that she was outside the Gardere Meat Market when she was approached and physically assaulted by Robertson. When the assault happened, the woma
  
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• Police: Argument over gas money leads to stabbing

  02-06-2016 12:25
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge police say an argument over gas money sparked a knife fight in which a man was stabbed several times.Police said in a news release 35-year-old Jeffery Allen Upkins was arrested Tuesday on a count of aggravated second-degree battery in the stabbing on May 17.The police report says Upkins and the unidentified man were sitting in a vehicle when they began fighting over money, and Upkins pulled out a pocket knife that had been tucked in his clothing.Upkins is being held on
  
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• Fish without a license for one weekend in La.

  02-06-2016 12:23
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says Louisianans and non-residents can participate in this year's free fishing weekend on June 11-12.Free fishing weekend provides an opportunity for anglers to fish without a fishing license on any of the state's public waters.The department hopes the weekend will help recruit new anglers and encourage those who haven't been fishing recently to enjoy one of Louisiana's most popular sports.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Lawmakers agree to allow college student ID cards for voting

  02-06-2016 12:19
  
  BATON ROUGE - In a few years, Louisiana college students would be able to use their university ID cards to vote in state elections, if the governor agrees to a proposal passed by lawmakers.The bill by Rep. Randal Gaines, a LaPlace Democrat, calls for the higher education system governing boards to ensure that the student identification cards they issue meet voter ID requirements within less than three years.Louisiana's community and technical colleges are excluded from the measure.If signed, the
  
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• Edwards signs 1-year moratorium on pediatric health centers

  02-06-2016 12:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - New Medicaid-financed centers aimed at helping "medically fragile" children won't be created in Louisiana for one year.Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed into law 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 begins July 1.Edwards' office says the governor signed the bill by Rep. Rogers Pope, a Denham Springs Republican, this week.Supporters say the temporary halt to
  
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• Sex offender accused of molesting 16-year-old, 3 boys

  02-06-2016 09:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police reported the arrest of a man accused of molesting a 16-year-old girl and three boys between the ages of four and nine last month.50-year-old Craigory Armstrong was booked on three counts of sexual battery and one count of failure to notify law enforcement of change of address after he was taken into BRPD custody at the end of May.Investigators said Armstrong committed the offenses at his residence in the 4200 block of Dawson Drive on May 7. They said he is accused of touchin
  
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• June 2, 2016 Morning News Pop

  02-06-2016 08:45
  
  Here are today's top stories:Board upholds firing of ex-police chiefMarcelle announces mayoral runTickets available for NCAA Baton Rouge RegionalStormy days ahead, area to watch in the GulfUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• AP Exclusive: How candy makers shape nutrition science

  02-06-2016 08:07
  
  NEW YORK - It was a startling scientific finding: Children who eat candy tend to weigh less than those who don't.Less startling was how it came about. The paper, it turns out, was funded by a trade association representing the makers of Butterfingers, Hershey and Skittles. And its findings were touted by the group even though one of its authors didn't seem to think much of it."We're hoping they can do something with it — it's thin and clearly padded," a professor of nutrition at Louisi
  
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• John Bel Edwards says Legislature needs to raise at least $450M in 2nd special session

  02-06-2016 01:35
  
  "When you are looking at a $600 million shortfall, it would be a whole lot easier to deal with a $150 million instead," Edwards said in an interview Wednesday.
  
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