Baton Rouge news

• Louisiana voters will decide who sets university tuition

  05-06-2016 23:46
  
  If the voters approve this proposal, it would permanently shift power over college costs from the Louisiana Legislature to the university boards.
  
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• Bicycling advocates put Kenny Havard on blast after safety bill voted down

  05-06-2016 23:14
  
  The bike advocates went after Havard on Facebook for working to kill a bike safety bill.
  
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• Lawmakers approve budget, look to raise taxes in special session

  05-06-2016 21:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - State lawmakers passed a budget Sunday evening that slashes funding for both TOPS scholarships and hospitals.The approved cuts means the TOPS scholarship would be cut in half, costing an LSU student about $1,800 to go to school next year. The healthcare cuts could hurt health for the poor across the state.Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards says this budget is not what he, or "the vast majority of the legislature," wanted to pass."Our state continues to face a serious budg
  
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• Clinton wins Democratic primary in Puerto Rico

  05-06-2016 20:57
  
  WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton has overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic primary, putting her within striking distance of having enough delegates to capture the Democratic presidential nomination.While Puerto Ricans don't cast ballots in the November election, their voice could be decisive.After a blowout victory Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a decisive win in the U.S. territory, Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nominati
  
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• Man faces attempted murder charges after wild chase from Texas

  05-06-2016 20:32
  
  LAKE CHARLES – Police say a Texas man is facing a slew of serious charges, including attempted murder of a police officer, after he led authorities on a chase from Texas into Louisiana Sunday.According to Louisiana State Police, troopers joined Orange County Sheriff’s Office in a pursuit around 3 p.m on I-10 east Sunday. Multiple agencies, including Port Neches Police, Beaumont Police and deputies were chasing a stolen pickup truck pulling a boat and trailer.At some
  
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• Bell hits 2 HRs, LSU beats Georgia in WCWS elimination game

  05-06-2016 16:57
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY - Bianka Bell hit two home runs and LSU beat Georgia 4-1 on Sunday in an elimination game at the Women's College World Series.Bell hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo homer in the fifth for the Tigers (52-17).Carley Hoover pitched a complete game for LSU. She allowed three hits and struck out five.Georgia's only run came in the fourth inning. Alyssa DiCarlo singled and scored on a fielder's choice.Chelsea Wilkinson went the distance for Georgia (46-20). She gave up s
  
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• Lawmakers agree to relinquish tuition control

  05-06-2016 16:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - As they wind down their work in the regular session, lawmakers have agreed to give public college management boards the ability to raise their own tuition and fees without needing legislative approval.Voters would need to back the idea in the November election before legislative authority would be relinquished.With a 36-1 vote Sunday, the Senate gave final passage to the constitutional amendment proposal.Higher education leaders pushed for the change.Senators also gave fin
  
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• Louisiana's legislative session winding down, another looms

  05-06-2016 16:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - While lawmakers continue to haggle over the budget, they are trying to resolve other issues as the clock winds down on the regular legislative session.The House and Senate held rare Sunday debate time to sift through remaining bills, on topics ranging from juvenile justice reform to college tuition oversight.The regular session must end by 6 p.m. Monday.But that doesn't mean lawmakers are going home.Gov. John Bel Edwards has called a special session to begin 30 minutes after the cu
  
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• Shoppers evacuated after reported bomb threat at Port Allen Walmart

  05-06-2016 15:51
  
  PORT ALLEN – Workers and shoppers were briefly evacuated from the Port Allen Walmart Sunday afternoon.Witnesses at the scene say the evacuation happened after a bomb threat was made. Port Allen Police responded to the scene and blocked the entrance to the building.Workers at a nearby Cato clothing store say Walmart workers were pushed away from the building and shoppers were told to leave. Around 4:15 p.m., workers were allowed to re-enter t
  
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• New Orleans police officer injured in traffic accident

  05-06-2016 14:48
  
  NEW ORLEANS  - The New Orleans police say one of their officers has been seriously injured during a traffic accident.Multiple news outlets reported that Superintendent Michael Harrison said the officer was inside her police vehicle on the side of the road with the emergency lights on when she was hit.He identified the officer as Natasha Hunter, a 12-year veteran of the police force.Hunter was taken to the hospital where she remains in critical condition in an unresponsive state.Permalin
  
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• One injured after SUV flips over on Staring Lane

  05-06-2016 14:34
  
  BATON ROUGE – First responders say one person was injured after a vehicle flipped over on Staring Lane Sunday afternoon.The wreck happened on Starring Lane near Essen Lane around 2 p.m. Sunday. Pictures from a WBRZ News 2 viewer show Baton Rouge Police on the scene and crews working to clear the accident.EMS confirmed that one person was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.Permalink| Comments
  
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• New Orleans WWII museum plans events for D-Day anniversary

  05-06-2016 14:28
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The National World War II Museum in New Orleans is planning a slate of events to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the invasion of Normandy.June 6 will also mark the 16th anniversary of the museum that is considered one of the city's top tourist attractions.For the D-Day anniversary, the museum will host a special program and ceremony at 11 a.m.Throughout the day, visitors can also tour a Higgins boat. The boats were named after New Orleans businessman Andrew Jackson Higgins who
  
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• Trooper injured responding to deadly crash on Bonnet Carre Spillway

  05-06-2016 14:27
  
  ST. CHARLES PARISH - One person is dead following a crash on the Bonnet Carre Spillway early Sunday morning. A trooper responding to the crash was also injured in a separate accident.State Police say Louis R. Hernandez, from Meridian, MS, stopped his car on the right shoulder so he could urinate, leaving a passenger, David E. Vasquez-Dueno inside the car. According to troopers, a truck swerved to miss Hernandez who was walking near the right lane of the interstate and smashed into the back of th
  
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• He's out there! Bigfoot hunters gather in Mississippi

  05-06-2016 14:19
  
  HATTIESBURG, Miss. - A group of people interested in learning more about the mythical creature Bigfoot attended a rally in Hattiesburg.The event Saturday was called the 10th annual Down South Bigfoot Rally and was held at the Paul B. Johnson Park.Don McDonald, from the Gulf Coast Bigfoot research organization, hosted the event. He told WDAM television that he has spent 20 years trying to track down the creature he calls Bigfoot.During the event, he showed what he described as evidence of Bigfoot
  
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• Gas prices jump 6 cents over past 2 weeks, averages $2.37

  05-06-2016 14:16
  
  CAMARILLO, Calif. - The average price of gasoline has jumped by six cents over the past two weeks to $2.37 a gallon for regular grade.Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that the hike is mostly due to a continuing increase in crude oil prices. The price at the pump has risen 60 cents over the past 15 weeks.In the Lower 48, the highest average price of regular gasoline was $2.87 per gallon in San Francisco. The lowest was $2.04 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.The U.S. average diesel price is $2.39 pe
  
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• Miss USA back on stage after turbulent year, Donald Trump

  05-06-2016 14:14
  
  LAS VEGAS - A new Miss USA will be crowned Sunday night after a series of controversies last year with the beauty pageant organization, including a breakup with former owner Donald Trump and the mistaken crowning of Miss Universe.Fifty-two contestants will participate in the 2016 Miss USA competition will be held at the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip. The Fox network will carry the broadcast at 7 p.m. EDT. Last year, the show aired on cable's Reelz network.In addition to contestants repr
  
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• Taylor Swift gives surprise show at fan's wedding reception

  05-06-2016 14:10
  
  LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. - New Jersey newlyweds got an unexpected gift at their wedding reception: a performance by Taylor Swift.The superstar played a stripped down version of her song "Blank Space" at Max Singer and Kenya Smith's reception in Long Beach Township on Saturday as amazed guests looked on and sang along.Swift agreed to attend after getting a letter in April from the groom's sister.She wrote about how her brother was a huge fan and how he and their ailing mother had danced to Swift
  
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• US cities see unexplained rise in violent crimes this year

  05-06-2016 14:07
  
  CHICAGO - Violent crimes ranging from homicides to rapes to robberies have been on the rise in many major U.S. cities so far this year.But experts can't point to a single reason why and the jump isn't enough to suggest there's a trend.Law enforcement officials are seeking a way to combat the problem.Americans have grown accustomed to low crime rates since a peak in the 1990s. But law enforcement started seeing a spike last year that has continued unabated.What's unusual is that it's not happenin
  
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• Chris Christie has Trump's esteem but is scorned at home

  05-06-2016 13:58
  
  TRENTON - New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie had hoped to be his party's nominee for president at this stage of the 2016 race.Instead, Christie is at a crossroads, supporting the provocative front-runner Donald Trump while struggling to earn approval at home.Christie's term ends in 2018, but there's the possibility of a potential administration post under Trump if the billionaire businessman succeeds in November.At the same time, the governor faces hurdles that show no sign of going away
  
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• Patchy reporting undercuts national hate crimes count

  05-06-2016 13:56
  
  An Associated Press investigation finds that more than 2,700 city police and county sheriff's departments have not filed a single hate crime report with the FBI over the last six years. And thousands more had gaps in reporting.Each year, the FBI issues a report on the number of hate crimes in the U.S. It's based on reports submitted voluntary by law enforcement agencies.Some of the non-reporting agencies say they thought they were reporting, while others thought they didn't have to file.Activist
  
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• BRPD: woman speeds 100 mph on Florida Blvd, strikes another car

  05-06-2016 12:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police say a woman was arrested Saturday after driving 100 mph on Florida Blvd while drunk and crashing into another vehicle.Police say the incident happened around 10:54 p.m. Saturday. Courtney Queen, 30, was seen driving at 100 mph eastbound on Florida Blvd when she failed to stop for a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle.Baton Rouge Police say Queen then got out of her vehicle and started running down the street. Police caught up to her and
  
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