Baton Rouge news

• Louisiana House votes for more budget negotiations, over John Bel Edwards wishes

  03-06-2016 23:50
  
  A version of the budget is supposed to be ready on Monday, when the three-month regular session ends.
  
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• House passes bill urging no contact with Islamic group for law enforcement

  03-06-2016 22:42
  
  The bill was controversial among some House members, who said it was designed to spread fear.
  
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• University Medical Center in New Orleans names new hospital president

  03-06-2016 20:00
  
  Florida native Bill Masterton arrived at the hospital on Monday from a hospital in South Carolina.
  
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• Baton Rouge man jailed in Iran released, but can't come home

  03-06-2016 17:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - A friend of a Baton Rouge man who had been in jail in Iran since the fall told WBRZ Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto Friday, the individual has been released but can't leave the country.Hamed Ghassemi flew with his mother's remains for a burial following her murder last spring. Tahereh Ghassemi, Hamed's mother, was killed in a murder-for-hire plot in April 2015. Hamed Ghassemi never returned to the United States and friends said he had been arrested and speculated if his life stat
  
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• House spurns Senate version of next year's $26B budget

  03-06-2016 15:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers in the Louisiana House have refused to agree to the Senate's rewrite of next year's $26 billion budget.Instead, the House voted 102-0 Friday to send negotiations over a spending plan for the financial year that begins July 1 behind closed doors, to a six-member conference committee.Appropriations Committee Chairman Cameron Henry says the two chambers are "not that far off" in reaching a deal.Whatever emerges and may gain final passage before the legislative session ends M
  
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• Wreck in median causing I-12 East delays at Satsuma

  03-06-2016 15:23
  
  SATSUMA - I-12 East is seeing delays at the beginning of a rainy Friday commute due to an accident involving multiple vehicles in the median.Congestion began to build on the interstate from LA 447 to Satsuma due to the wreck, which involved an 18-wheeler and other vehicles.As of 3:20 p.m., traffic officials tweeted that motorists could expect three mile delays in connection with the crash.Permalink| Comments
  
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• US-led summit to seek to double number of resettled refugees

  03-06-2016 14:39
  
  WASHINGTON - The White House says an international summit hosted by President Barack Obama will seek to double the number of refugees resettled around the world.Obama plans to host the summit on refugees in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. White House national security adviser Susan Rice says the summit's goals include a 30 percent increase in funding for humanitarian support. She says the leaders will also seek to increase by 1 million the number of refugees attending sc
  
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• Paper urges readers to write-in Ronald Reagan over Trump

  03-06-2016 14:38
  
  SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Union-Tribune is urging its Republican readers to write in late former President Ronald Reagan's name at the polls during Tuesday's California primary to send a message to Donald Trump.The newspaper explains in an editorial that it can't endorse the presumptive GOP nominee, it can't recommend voters don't vote and it can't suggest voting for another candidate "because it accomplishes nothing."The editorial praises Reagan for famously urging the Soviet Union to tear down
  
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• Woman charged after body found in freezer sold at yard sale

  03-06-2016 14:35
  
  GOLDSBORO, N.C. - Police in North Carolina are looking for a North Carolina woman after authorities say her mother's body was found in a freezer that she sold in a yard sale.Media outlets reported that 56-year-old Marcella Jean Lee of Goldsboro is being sought on a charge of failure to report the death.An autopsy revealed no signs of foul play in the death of 75-year-old Arma Ann Roush, who lived with her daughter. Roush was last seen in August.Police said a neighbor bought the freezer from Lee
  
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• America's beauty hasn't faded. Has its greatness?

  03-06-2016 14:12
  
  Americans agree on this much: They are disgusted with politics.They look toward Washington and see a broken federal government, a place where politicians seem more interested in self-preservation than We the People. Things don't seem much better in state capitals, and, who knows? Lead-tainted water may be pouring out of their kitchen faucet next.Yet Americans say they still believe in America, the experiment in democracy that the founders described as a place where the government should protect
  
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• Bills to criminalize peeping drones sent to governor

  03-06-2016 14:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers want to bar trespassers and peeping Toms from using drones to gain access to Louisiana homes and schools under two measures sent to the governor's desk.With a 96-0 vote for each bill, the House unanimously voted Friday to give final passage to proposals from Reps. Marcus Hunter, a Monroe Democrat, and Stephen Dwight, a Lake Charles Republican.Hunter's measure would add the use of unmanned aircraft to video voyeurism crimes. Hunter said he wanted invasion of priv
  
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• Governor sent bill to stop personal Wi-Fi hotspot blocking

  03-06-2016 13:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisianans would be free to use mobile phone hotspots despite attempts from hotels, convention centers or trade shows to block personal access, if the governor approves a measure sent to his desk.With a 33-0 vote Friday, the Senate gave final passage to the House-backed bill to bar Wi-Fi hotspot blocking proposed by Sen. Eric LaFleur, a Ville Platte Democrat.LaFleur says his bill saves people from having to buy into a company's daily Wi-Fi access program in order to have wireless
  
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• $5,000 rewards offered as three murdered in Natalbany in 24 hours

  03-06-2016 13:54
  
  NATALBANY - Two separate $5,000 rewards are being offered for information leading to the arrest of the individual or individuals behind the murder of three men within the span of 24 hours in Tangipahoa Parish. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office reported the first incident, a double homicide, happened in Natalbany at around 3 a.m. Thursday. 31-year-old Randy Darnell Bickham, of Springfield, and 31-year-old Charleston, Mitchell of Hammond were found unresponsive at the scene
  
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• Pet store record-keeping measure sent to governor's desk

  03-06-2016 13:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana pet owners could have a better idea where their dogs and cats were bred, under a bill headed to the governor's desk.With a 30-1 vote Friday, the Senate gave final passage to the House-backed proposal to regulate pet store sales from Sen. Danny Martiny, a Kenner Republican.The measure would make the stores post breeders' names and addresses, as well as federal and state licensing information, for each animal sold. The proposal would also bar Louisiana pet stores from selli
  
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• Bill to punish grave robbers sent to governor's desk

  03-06-2016 13:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Columbia lawmaker's bill to outline a legal framework and set penalties for prosecuting Louisiana grave robbers is headed to the governor's desk.The Senate voted 31-0 Friday to give final passage to the proposal from Republican Sen. Neil Riser. The House unanimously supported the measure, which was described as an effort to curb the trafficking of human remains.It outlines who could possess remains and where they could be possessed. The bill would not punish museum collections or
  
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• Ag department in line for portion of medical marijuana sales

  03-06-2016 13:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's agriculture department will get a slice of revenue from medical marijuana sales, if the governor agrees.With a 91-4 vote Friday, lawmakers in the House gave final passage to the measure giving the department up to 7 percent of the revenue, to cover agency costs of regulating the drug.The bill by Rep. Major Thibaut, a New Roads Democrat, also includes a list of fees the agriculture department would charge the medicinal plant's state-sanctioned grower, including a $100,00
  
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• Panel OK's penalties against lawyers over BP damage claims

  03-06-2016 13:36
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Federal appellate judges have upheld an order barring two lawyers from handling damage claims over BP's 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill because they allegedly set up a system of payments to help speed claims through the process.On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier properly issued sanctions against lawyers Jonathan Andry and Glen Lerner. Neither of the lawyers has been charged with a crime.In February 201
  
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• Two wanted for stealing propane tanks from gas station on Airline Hwy.

  03-06-2016 13:18
  
  BATON ROUGE- Baton Rouge Police are attempting to identify two men who are involved in the theft of eight propane tanks.One May 18 around 1:45 a.m. the suspects cut the padlock off of the propane tanks cage at a Circle K located in the 9900 block of Airline Highway. The two loaded the tanks into a red or maroon colored four-door sedan and fled the scene.The first suspect is a black male, with a bald head, full beard and 5'8 in height and 180 pounds in weight.The second suspect is a black male wi
  
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• Take a virtual tour of the St. Jude Dream Home

  03-06-2016 13:13
  
  BATON ROUGE- Haven’t seen the St. Jude Dream Home yet? You can take a virtual tour of it below:Also don’t forget to purchase your tickets here. The winner will be announced live on WBRZ’s television special on Sunday, June 12.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Cops: Boy, 14, was driving drunk with intoxicated dad in car

  03-06-2016 13:07
  
  WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Police have charged a 14-year-old Pennsylvania boy with driving drunk while his even more intoxicated father rode in the passenger seat.WNEP-TV reports the boy was stopped by Wilkes-Barre (WILKS'-ba-ree) police for driving erratically on Wednesday night. His blood-alcohol content was .106 percent, more than the state's .08 percent limit for adult drivers.Police have charged his father, 34-year-old Ramon Calva-Marin, with child endangerment and corruption of minors. His blood-
  
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• Gov. Edwards trying to sell lawmakers on need for taxes

  03-06-2016 13:02
  
  BATON ROUGE- Gov. John Bel Edwards has been meeting with groups of lawmakers over the last week, trying to build support for a fast-approaching special session on taxes.
      
  The Democratic governor wants to raise an additional $600 million for next year's budget in the special session that begins Monday, 30 minutes after the current regular session ends, to stave off cuts across education and health programs.
      
  He continues to face Republ
  
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• More charges against ex-pharmaceutical executive Shkreli

  03-06-2016 12:54
  
  NEW YORK- Federal prosecutors in New York have filed additional criminal charges against a pharmaceutical executive who separately was heavily criticized for raising the price of a lifesaving malaria medication.
      
  A new indictment filed Friday in Brooklyn says Martin Shkreli and his former attorney Evan Greebel schemed to defraud potential investors of his former drug company Retrophin Inc., based in San Diego. They say the two allocated company stock to seven emplo
  
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• Trump claims Trump University judge has 'absolute conflict'

  03-06-2016 12:44
  
  NEW YORK - Donald Trump says the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit brought by former Trump University students has an "absolute conflict" in handling the case because he is "of Mexican heritage."The presumptive Republican presidential nominee tells The Wall Street Journal that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel has "an inherent conflict of interest" because Trump is "building a wall," a reference to Trump's proposal to build a wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.Trump has brou
  
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• Man accused in The Cottages shooting now faces murder charges

  03-06-2016 12:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - One of the men arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at The Cottages apartment complex in April now faces murder charges, according to BRPD.Police said the charges against 22-year-old Ernest Felton were upgraded to second degree murder and obstruction in connection with the shooting deaths of two women on Apr. 10 at the apartments located just off Burbank Drive.Investigators said they were able to obtain additional information while further examining the case which led to t
  
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• Family: Blue Angels pilot killed in crash dreamed of flying

  03-06-2016 12:39
  
  SMYRNA, Tenn. - Relatives say a Blue Angels pilot who died when his jet crashed near Nashville, Tennessee, had wanted to fly since he was a child.A U.S. official identified the pilot killed Thursday as Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.Dolph Kuss says his grandson dreamed of being an aviator since a young age. And Kuss' mother, Janet Kuss, said in a 2014 newspaper interview that her son had "wanted to be a Bl
  
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• Ohio prosecutor reviews Cincinnati Zoo case

  03-06-2016 12:37
  
  CINCINNATI - An Ohio prosecutor plans to announce next week whether to pursue charges against parents of a 3-year-old boy who got into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla exhibit, leading to the fatal shooting of an endangered gorilla to protect the child.Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters' office said Thursday he is reviewing the Cincinnati police investigation of the family's actions in last Saturday's incident.Deters said he'll announce a decision on charges Monday.Legal experts have said that pr
  
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• Edwards agrees to ban sex offenders from door-to-door sales

  03-06-2016 12:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - Convicted sex offenders in Louisiana won't be able to work in door-to-door sales.Gov. John Bel Edwards' office announced this week that the governor has signed a bill enacting the prohibition. It will take effect Aug. 1.Already in Louisiana, registered sex offenders can't drive a bus or taxi or work in an industry that requires going into someone's home to provide a service. The bill by Republican Sen. Gerald Long, of Winnfield, bans registered sex offenders from soliciting door to
  
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• Edwards agrees to raise threshold human trafficking age

  03-06-2016 12:28
  
  BATON ROUGE - The threshold age for victims when determining penalties in Louisiana human trafficking cases will soon be 21.Gov. John Bel Edwards' office announced this week that the governor has signed a bill to expand the state human trafficking statute by increasing the threshold age of victims by three years - from 18 to 21. It will take effect Aug. 1.The bill from Sen. Ronnie Johns, a Lake Charles Republican, also requires people convicted of human trafficking offenses under the provision t
  
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• Mississippi River coalition gains pledges to protect rivers

  03-06-2016 12:27
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A coalition of mayors of cities and towns along the Mississippi River says it has added new organizations to an international pledge to protect the world's rivers in the face of threats from climate change and population growth.The Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative says new groups signed the pledge Thursday at an assembly of the International Network of Basin Organizations in Merida, Mexico.The new signatories are the North American Network of Basin Organizations, the
  
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• Museum visitor breaks priceless clock

  03-06-2016 12:00
  
  COLUMBIA, Penn. - A timeless moment of heartrending agony happened at a museum in Pennsylvania when an overly touchy visitor got hands-on with a priceless clock, causing it to fall from the wall and smash into pieces.Security camera footage was posted online by employees from the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania, where the incident happened.The video shows a couple checking out the clocks before the male visitor decides to take a photo of a one-of-a-kind sculptural piece
  
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• Ascension Parish ride-sharing ordinance met with unanimous approval

  03-06-2016 08:44
  
  DONALDSONVILLE - Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa says the Parish Council voted unanimously to adopt his proposed ride-sharing ordinance.“I am ready to welcome a new business to Ascension Parish,” President Matassa said. “With this ordinance, companies like Uber can provide alternate transportation services to our residents and visitors. From public safety to new jobs to innovation, ride sharing is a great addition to our community.”Uber, which cur
  
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• June 3, 2016 Morning News Pop

  03-06-2016 08:11
  
  Here are today's top stories:School board to revisit Lee HS naming issue laterUPDATE: LSU softball postponed by rain at the Women's College World SeriesLSU baseball takes on Utah Valley, weather permittingSeveral inches of rain possible through the weekendUpdates all day, every day:FACEBOOK | TWITTERPermalink| Comments
  
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• US hiring falls to worst in 5 years; rate drops to 4.7 pct.

  03-06-2016 08:03
  
  WASHINGTON - U.S. hiring plunged in May to its lowest level in more than 5 years, a sign that employers turned cautious after the economy barely expanded in the first three months of the year.
  The Labor Department says employers added just 38,000 jobs last month, the fewest since September 2010. Yet the unemployment tumbled to 4.7 percent from 5 percent. That is the lowest rate since November 2007.
  The rate fell for a problematic reason: Nearly a half-million unemployed Americans stopped looking
  
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• 2 sentenced in Medicaid fraud scheme

  03-06-2016 07:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - The convicted owner-operators of a Zachary health care company has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution to the state for their roles in a Medicaid fraud scheme.
  U.S. Attorney Walt Green said in a news release Extraordinary Care Network Inc. owner, 63-year-old Barbara Sadler, has been sentenced to 44 months, and company Chief Financial Officer, 42-year-old Sedric Blakes, was ordered to spend three years behind bars on Thursday.
  In addition
  
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• Livingston board to interview candidates for superintendent

  03-06-2016 07:57
  
  LIVINGSTON - The Livingston Parish School Board will hold a special meeting June 9 to interview four candidates who applied to be the district's next superintendent.The board hopes to announce a successor to retiring Superintendent John Watson before July 1. Watson's last day will be June 30.
  The applicants are:
  -Arronza LaBatt, executive director to the deputy superintendent of schools for Montgomery County Schools in Maryland.
  -Elizabeth "Liz" Swinford, superintendent of schools/consultant for
  
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• Louisiana voters will probably decide whether universities get to set their own tuition rates

  03-06-2016 05:18
  
  Look for the question on your ballot in the fall.
  
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• 'Raise the Age' bill passes House of Representatitves

  03-06-2016 00:42
  
  "Raise the Age" proposes changing the minimum age to charge someone as an adult from 17 to 18.
  
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• Flash flood watch for River Parishes, B.R., until Saturday morning

  03-06-2016 00:00
  
  Flash flood watch could be extended eastward to include New Orleans on Friday, forecasters warned.
  
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