Baton Rouge news

• Is murder a leading cause of death in Louisiana?

  13-06-2016 23:51
  
  State recorded 577 homicide victims in 2013, far fewer than the number of people who died from heart disease, cancer and even septicemia
  
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• Taxes on Girl Scout cookies, high school games trapped in Legislature's dispute

  13-06-2016 23:01
  
  The Senate is angry with the House and won't act on these taxes until the lower chamber moves some other bills.
  
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• One taken to hospital after reported double shooting

  13-06-2016 21:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - One person was taken to an area hospital after a shooting just before 10 p.m. Monday.Police responded to an initial call that two people had been shot at 3135 Madison between Plank and North Acadian Thruway. Only one person was taken to the emergency room, though. Sources described injuries as moderate and did not elaborate much about the reported second vicitm.Police roped the street off with yellow crime scene ribbon near the Madison/North Acadian intersection. There was no infor
  
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• Two lawn mowers stolen from Southern University

  13-06-2016 19:01
  
  BATON ROUGE – Two riding lawnmowers were stolen from Southern University recently and officials say they cost $10,000 each.However, university officials are not saying much about about the stolen mowers.
  The director of the facility where the mowers were taken from says the chancellor of the university told him he could not talk to WBRZ News 2 on camera about the thefts.
  The university released a statement about the missing mowers.Statement on theft of lawn equipment"According to a May
  
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• Man shot by police at Dallas airport out of hospital; jailed

  13-06-2016 17:41
  
  DALLAS - A Maryland man shot by a police officer outside a Dallas airport after a domestic disturbance is out of the hospital and in jail.
      
  Shawn Nicholas Diamond was booked into a Dallas County jail Sunday on charges of aggravated assault on a public servant and assault-family violence with offensive contact. He remained jailed without bond on Monday. Jail records list no attorney for the 29-year-old from Edgewood, Maryland.
      
  Dallas
  
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• iPhone users rejoice as Apple announces default apps will be deletable

  13-06-2016 16:52
  
  CUPERTINO, Calif. - Among Apple’s announcements to come out of the company’s most recent developer conference, few have caused as much internet-based exuberance as the coming ability for iPhone users to delete the default apps that come installed on the device.Since the iPhone debuted in 2007, large numbers of users have complained about the fact that a number of apps that come preinstalled on the phone cannot be removed by the user. However, in Apple’s announcement
  
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• No criminal charges for father that left child in hot car

  13-06-2016 16:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - There will be no criminal charges for a Zachary father after he was accused of leaving his infant daughter in the back seat of a hot car last week, according to EBR District Attorney, Hillar Moore.31-year-old Marvin Mercer, the father of an eight-month-old child who died Wednesday and was later arrested that same day after leaving her in a hot car will not be criminally prosecuted because of the incident.According to arrest documents, Mercer drove to a local hospital with an unresp
  
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• JetBlue offering free flights to families of Orlando shooting victims

  13-06-2016 16:24
  
  ORLANDO - JetBlue airline company is providing free seats on flights to and from Orlando for those impacted by a mass shooting that took place on Sunday at a Florida nightclub that left at least 49 dead and another 53 injured.The free flights are available for immediate family and domestic partners of the victims. JetBlue crew members also impacted by the shooting are eligible for a donation program aimed at providing support and resources."This weekend's events are felt by all of our 19,000 cre
  
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• Budget ax about to fall in Pointe Coupee Parish

  13-06-2016 16:15
  
  POINTE COUPEE PARISH- The budget ax is about to come down after sales tax revenues fell short, according to police jurors on the finance committee.Job cuts, reduction in budgets and building closures are all part of the plan. Parish leaders are blaming a drop in sales tax revenue. Mix that with some of the lowest property taxes in the state and those in charge say you have a recipe that doesn't cook well for parish services.Inside the Pointe Coupee museum are relics that date back more than 250
  
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• Edwards, lawmakers hold prayer vigil for Orlando victims

  13-06-2016 15:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards described the victims of a mass shooting at a gay night club in Orlando as "our brothers and sisters" during a vigil with Louisiana's legislative leaders.
      
  The "Moment of Unity" event, held Monday at the State Capitol, featured prayers and speeches expressing grief for the victims and their families.
      
  Those assembled - including the governor, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, dozens of lawmakers and others
  
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• 2 from La. inside nightclub during mass shooting; 1 survived

  13-06-2016 15:49
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Family members of a man from Louisiana inside Pulse nightclub learned Monday he had survived the shooting but was severely injured.Leonel Melendez is in a coma after being shot in the leg and head. Melendez lists the New Orleans area as his hometown on Facebook and was a graduate of a New Orleans area high school, too.Family members flew to Florida Sunday and are at his side, New Orleans area media outlets reported Monday. A GoFund Me account for medical expenses has raised $5,000
  
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• Rule aims to ease debt relief to students who were defrauded

  13-06-2016 15:41
  
  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is trying to make it easier for students who have been misled or defrauded by their colleges to have their loans forgiven.The Education Department has proposed a new rule that lays out a clear relief process for borrowers who believe they were lied to about job prospects after college or otherwise deceived in order to enroll in the school.The proposal also aims to hold schools accused of fraud or at financial risk more accountable by requiring them to notify
  
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• $1 million spent to avoid cooling death row

  13-06-2016 15:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana has racked up more than $1 million in legal bills to fight a 3-year-old lawsuit that claims the state's death-row inmates are routinely exposed to dangerous heat and humidity levels in their cells.
      
  Records obtained by The Associated Press show most of the taxpayer money has gone to private attorneys on opposing sides of the federal litigation.
      
  The state could spend roughly the same amount of money - and possi
  
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• LA-1 closed between LA-405 and LA-943 due to spill

  13-06-2016 15:28
  
  DONALDSONVILLE - LA-1 is closed in both directions as crews work to clean up a spill of non-hazardous material.The closure affects the portion of LA-1 between LA-405 and LA-943 (Donaldsonville).Traffic is not passing through at this time as all lanes remain closed in both directions.As of 3:30 p.m., congestion related to the incident was minimal but building.There’s no word yet on what exactly spilled to cause the closure but that is expected in a future update.Permalink| Comments
  
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• How a New York company will make money from Louisiana's Medicaid expansion

  13-06-2016 15:00
  
  BeneStream's success helping large businesses get the working poor insured highlights the large swath of working poor that will qualify for Medicaid expansion.
  
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• Lemurs make a run for it at BREC Zoo

  13-06-2016 14:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - Two animals at the BREC Baton Rouge Zoo tried to make a run for it this morning, escaping from an open gate.Two black and white lemurs, a male and female, passed through a gate left open this morning by a zoo keeper. Their freedom lasted for about an hour before they were returned back to their exhibit.A zoo official says code was called and emergency response was enacted to get the lemurs back in their enclosure. The zoo spokesperson says lemurs are not dangerous animals and there
  
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• Man arrested for DWI after crashing truck with infant inside into canal

  13-06-2016 14:58
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man is in custody after he was accused of crashing his truck into a canal while driving drunk with an infant in the vehicle early Monday morning.41-year-old Charles Matz, of Baton Rouge, was booked on charges of DWI, vehicular negligent injuring, careless operation and driving under suspension after the wreck, which happened around 1:30 a.m. Monday.Matz was driving a Ford F-150 on Siegen Lane near Airline Highway when he ran off the roadway and into a canal along the side of the
  
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• La. governor orders flags at half-staff for Florida mass shooting victims

  13-06-2016 14:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Flags will fly at half-staff at Louisiana public buildings to honor the victims of a weekend mass shooting in Florida, Governor John Bel Edwards announced Monday.Edwards said the American flag will fly with the state flag at half-staff until sunset Thursday. Sunday, hours after the attack, the governor said Louisiana stands ready to assist the Florida to bring justice for those whose lives were lost.Monday afternoon, Edwards, Senate President John Alario, House Speaker Taylor Barra
  
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• Police looking for suspects behind April dollar store break-in

  13-06-2016 14:48
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police are looking to identify a trio of suspects captured on security cameras as they burglarized a Baton Rouge area dollar store this spring.Detectives said three men entered the Family Dollar located in the 3800 block of Choctaw Drive at around 4 a.m. on Apr. 17 after they smashed the front glass of the store. Anyone who is able to identify the suspects is urged to contact the BRPD Burglary Division at 225-389-3824.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Microsoft to buy networking site LinkedIn for $26.2 billion

  13-06-2016 14:05
  
  NEW YORK - Microsoft says it is buying professional networking service site LinkedIn for about $26.2 billion.
      
  LinkedIn, based in Mountain View, California, has more than 430 million members. Users can network with professionals, upload their resumes and search for jobs on the site.
      
  Microsoft Corp. says it is paying $196 for each share of LinkedIn Corp., a 50 percent premium of the stock's closing price of $131.08 on Friday.
  &nbs
  
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• BRPD seeks accused rapist

  13-06-2016 13:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police are looking for a man wanted in connection with a rape that happened earlier in June.59-year-old Quinters Demetrius Bouie is wanted by detectives after he was accused of pushing a woman down onto his bed and raping her. Police said the crime happened at his residence in the 900 block of N. 19th Street at around noon on June 3.Bouie is described as 6’1” tall with a medium build and lightness/discoloration of his left eye, in which he is blind.Anyone with i
  
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• BRPD seek accused rapist

  13-06-2016 13:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police are looking for a man wanted in connection with a rape that happened earlier in June.59-year-old Quinters Demetrius Bouie is wanted by detectives after he was accused of pushing a woman down onto his bed and raping her. Police said the crime happened at his residence in the 900 block of N. 19th Street at around noon on June 3.Bouie is described as 6’1” tall with a medium build and lightness/discoloration of his left eye, in which he is blind.Anyone with i
  
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• No active search parties Monday for missing woman

  13-06-2016 13:36
  
  BATON ROUGE - Law enforcement says there are no active search parties on Monday as an area teacher remains missing.Lyntell Washington was declared missing when 3-year-old child was found wandering around a Baton Rouge parking lot last Thursday. Police took her boyfriend, Robert Marks, into custody when a pool of blood was discovered close to where the child was found.The search Washington continued through the weekend as police combed an area of the Atchafalaya Basin and areas north of Baton Rou
  
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• Baton Rouge honors victims of Orlando shooting at vigil, fundraiser

  13-06-2016 13:36
  
  BATON ROUGE - It's estimated more than a thousand people attended a vigil honoring Victims of the Orlando terrorist attack Monday night.The candlelight vigil was held on the banks of the Mississippi River. The same, somber ceremony was repeated around the country; honoring the victims of the deadliest shooting in U.S. History.The names of the 49 victims were read aloud as friends held hands and strangers showed support."I love you, and I love this great city and I love this great parish," Mayor
  
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• No bond reduction for man charged with murder in The Cottages shootout

  13-06-2016 13:21
  
  BATON ROUGE - There will be no bond reduction for a man facing murder charges after he was connected to a shootout that left a pair of Southern University students dead at a Baton Rouge apartment complex.22-year-old Ernest Felton remains in EBR Parish Prison on a bond of more than $500,000 after police said they believe it was his gunfire that hit two young women at The Cottages apartment off Burbank earlier this year.Annette January and Lashaunte Benton died as a result of the firefight. Both w
  
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• Sales tax 'cleanup' bills to be delayed by Louisiana Senate

  13-06-2016 13:09
  
  BATON ROUGE - Senators intend to stall efforts to clean up sales taxes unintentionally charged on items like school lunches and Girl Scout cookies, until House lawmakers agree to more taxes for next year's budget than they've supported so far.Sales tax increases passed in the chaotic final moments of a special session earlier this year swept in items that weren't meant to be taxed. In the current tax session, the governor proposed to remove those taxes.The House agreed to reverse those unintende
  
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• WATCH: ABC News special report on mass shooting information

  13-06-2016 13:07
  
  BATON ROUGE - WBRZ Channel 2, WBRZ.com and the WBRZ Facebook page will carry an ABC News special report shortly after 11 a.m. Monday.In an alert from ABC News in New York, the network reported the special report will be a briefing from FBI Director James Comey.  It's expected to be about the mass shooting in Orlando.Earlier Monday, the president discussed the situation.  The president said there is no clear evidence the shooter was directed to conduct his attack or that it was
  
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• Armed robbery suspect leads police on high-speed chase

  13-06-2016 12:57
  
  THIBODAUX - Police said a man was arrested in connection with an armed robbery that happened earlier this year after he led officers on a high-speed chase through Terrebone Parish.49-year-old Cristopher Smith was booked on charges of armed robbery, aggravated flight from an officer, possession of alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle, violation of a stop sign and contempt of a Thibodaux court warrant for failure to appear on traffic charges. The man was also booked on possession with intent to
  
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• Murdered school board member's brother selected to take his place

  13-06-2016 12:40
  
  CLINTON - The East Feliciana Parish School Board selected the brother of a murdered school board member to take his place.East Feliciana Parish School Superintendent Carlos Sam told News 2 Edward Brooks, Jr. will take Broderick Brooks' seat on the board.Broderick Brooks was found shot to death in his car on Wenonah Street in Baton Rouge on May 23rd. His family and investigators are stumped as to why he was in Baton Rouge before sunrise, but the Investigative Unit uncovered some disturbing detail
  
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• Obama says no signs Orlando shooter was part of larger plot

  13-06-2016 12:39
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says there's no clear evidence that the shooter at an Orlando nightclub was directed to conduct his attack or part of a larger plot.He says it appears the shooter was inspired by extremist information disseminated over the internet.Obama says the investigation is at the preliminary stages and is being treated as a terrorism investigation. He says the attack appears to be similar to last year's shooting spree in San Bernardino, California.The president says inv
  
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• Vigils planned in Baton Rouge in honor of Orlando shooting victims

  13-06-2016 08:04
  
  BATON ROUGE - In the wake of the deadly nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., several vigils will be held in Baton Rouge Monday in honor of the victims.Gov. John Bel Edwards along with members of the Legislature will participate in a "Moment of Unity" Monday at 1p.m. at the Louisiana State Capitol rotunda in Baton Rouge.A candle vigil is also scheduled at 6p.m. on the steps of the Mississippi River levee.
  Capital City Alliance, Baton Rouge Pride, Pride 1, Metropolitan Community Church of Baton Ro
  
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