Baton Rouge news

• Earn $100,000? Welcome to Louisiana's world of the 'super rich'

  20-06-2016 23:43
  
  If you live in Louisiana and earn at least $100,000 per year then congratulations and welcome to the world of the "super rich." How does it feel to be sharing the same rarified air as Donald Trump? Huge, I imagine....
  
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• House agrees to raise $284 million, less than half what John Bel Edwards sought

  20-06-2016 22:36
  
  The House approved $214 million worth of tax changes earlier this month. Then, on Monday, it voted for two Senate bills worth an additional $70 million.
  
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• Corporate tax bill will produce less money after business-friendly change

  20-06-2016 20:40
  
  The amount of money left on the table to deal with Louisiana's budget crisis continues to shrink.
  
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• Man arrested for armed robbery is habitual offender

  20-06-2016 20:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Investigative Unit has learned a man arrested Monday for an armed robbery that occurred in May should have been in prison.Police arrested Roland King, Jr. and charged him in the armed robbery of the Chevron Station on Highland Road in Old South Baton Rouge on May 24, 2016. According to an arrest report, King, 48, was caught by surveillance cameras pointing a gun at the station's cashier. The clerk gave the suspect around $1,500 in cash, before the robber fled.
  
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• Draw down in False River next step for restoration

  20-06-2016 18:53
  POINTE COUPEE – The next step to restoring False River is a draw down and is expected to begin by Labor Day.The river was once known for its record catches before silt from local farm lands damaged fish habitats, however the spot still manages to be a good fishing hole."The fishing has picked up tremendously since the last draw down," Kyle Olinde, of the police jury, said.Last year, a 16 acre island built from silt was removed and the work took contractors 10 months to complete. More t
  
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• Bills to lessen business tax breaks still alive

  20-06-2016 18:52
  BATON ROUGE - Two tax bills that could raise more than $70 million for next year's budget will be considered by the Louisiana House. They are likely the last proposals that could win final passage in the special session to help lessen budget cuts.
      
  The measures would scale back some property tax breaks given to businesses. The House Ways and Means Committee approved both bills Monday, sending them to the full House for consideration.
      
  
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• Attorney General Jeff Landry back in state budget debate

  20-06-2016 18:46
  
  The Louisiana House leadership is moving a budget bill that transfers $7 million attached to the BP oil spill recovery back to Landry from Gov. John Bel Edwards' control.
  
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• TOPS not fully funded has parents and students concerned

  20-06-2016 17:58
  
  BATON ROUGE – The state budget has TOPS funded at only 70 percent leaving many parents worried about their children. Due to the program's current funding, no student will get a full TOPS scholarship."It's very alarming to me as a parent. That my daughter has worked so hard though high school to maintain a 4.0 and now her future is uncertain," Holly Lavergne, parent of an incoming freshman, said.Incoming freshmen are just as concerned as their parents."That's the only way I can come her
  
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• Boil water advisory issued for part of East Feliciana Parish

  20-06-2016 17:02
  
  CLINTON – A boil water advisory has been issued for a part of East Feliciana Parish as of Monday afternoon.
  The boil water advisory is in effect for residents on Shropshire Road. The advisory is in effect due to the water produced in the water supply system being of questionable microbiological quality.The advisory will not be rescinded until notification from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals that samples collected from the water supply are deemed safe.Permalink| Commen
  
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• Hazmat crew on scene after 18-wheeler crash in WBR Parish

  20-06-2016 16:23
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH - Louisiana State Police say a Hazmat crew is on the scene of an 18-wheeler crash on I-10 West to monitor clean up and recovery efforts.The crash happened at milepost 144 between Port Allen and Rosedale. While all lanes remain open, motorists are experiencing heavy delays when traveling through the area as crews are still on the scene.State Police advised motorists to remain vigilant and use caution around the emergency crew members working to clear the wreck.There is no
  
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• Blue wine an option for wine lovers

  20-06-2016 16:14
  
  Blue wine may now be an option for those who love their vino.The wine is made by Spanish winemaker Gik and is reportedly sweet and meant to be served chilled.The color comes from a combination of "anthocyanin (a pigment found in grape skin) and indigo (a dye extracted from the Isatis tinctoria plant), and a non-caloric sweetener," according to Eater.In an interview with Eater, co-founder of the wine, Artiz Lopez, said that the creative team behind the blue-colored drink was inspired by the conce
  
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• 18 head of cattle found in abandoned trailer near Hammond

  20-06-2016 16:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - Department of Agriculture and Forestry agents along with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office are investigating after an abandoned trailer load of cattle was found along I-12 heading east near Hammond early Monday morning.The gooseneck trailer contained 18 head of cattle and had two flat tires. There were no tags on the trailer to connect the cattle to an owner. The trailer was located around 6:30 a.m. Monday.“We are looking for any information that may help u
  
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• Ex-Schlittz & Giggles employee arrested after threatening to 'shoot up' restaurant

  20-06-2016 15:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police reported the arrest of a former employee of a local pizzeria after he threatened to shoot up the restaurant after he was fired.22-year-old Arthur Robinson was booked on one count of terrorizing after his arrest by Baton Rouge Police on Saturday.Robinson was formerly employed by Schlittz & Giggles, located at 2355 Ferndale Avenue. After he received notice of his termination, management said the man came to business and began to remove paychecks from the register without p
  
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• Troopers arrest suspect in hit-and-run crash that killed pedestrian

  20-06-2016 15:14
  
  GRAY - Troopers say they’ve made an arrest in connection with a hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian dead last Friday night.Through help from the public and other investigative methods, State Police said they were able to develop 52-year-old Darrell Barlow as a suspect in the wreck that killed 22-year-old William Boyne. The green Ford F-150 that Troopers believed the suspect was driving at the time of the hit-and-run was located at Barlow’s residence in Chauvin.Barlow was
  
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• David Bowie's hair expected to fetch $4,000-plus at auction

  20-06-2016 15:09
  
  LOS ANGELES - An auction house is expecting a lock of David Bowie's hair to fetch more than $4,000 this weekend.
      
  Heritage Auctions says Bowie's hair will go on the block Saturday as part of an auction in Beverly Hills, California.
      
  Heritage says the lock comes from a former employee at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London. She snipped some of Bowie's hair in the 1980s to create a wig for a wax figure of the singer. Heritage says she
  
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• Accused drunk driver insults officers, vomits

  20-06-2016 14:57
  
  RIVERSIDE, Ill. - Illinois police said that a woman hurled insults and vomit at officers after she was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.Hazel Rojas, 44 was pulled over after police said that her Land Rover failed to go through a green light, and then was traveling below the speed limit and weaving in and out of the road.Rojas failed a field sobriety test but denied drinking. She told officers that the smell of alcohol was because some got on her clothes at work.After she was placed under a
  
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• BRFD: Cause of fire that burned down restaurant yet to be determined

  20-06-2016 14:55
  BATON ROUGE - Investigators have yet to determine the cause behind a fire that burned through an abandoned Baton Rouge restaurant near Cortana Mall over the weekend.Firefighters worked for hours to put out the two alarm blaze that started Saturday night at the old Cozumel Mexican Bar and Grill located at 9720 Cortana Place.The fire was only able to be extinguished after BRFD brought in heavy equipment to tear down the building so the fire could burn itself out. The restaurant is now considered a
  
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• Crews inspect State Capitol ahead of exterior repair project

  20-06-2016 14:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - A team spent Monday afternoon inspecting the Louisiana State Capitol’s exterior as part of an ongoing waterproofing project.Officials said they’ve yet to establish a timeframe for reopening the front of the building where the most substantial portions of the work will need to be completed.The total cost of the inspection is $299,185.Inspectors repelling down front of Capitol. Progress to reopen front doors #lalege @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/0W1gwByyOj— Mark
  
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• Top GOP senator dismisses compromise on guns

  20-06-2016 14:22
  
  WASHINGTON - A top Republican is rejecting a potential compromise on gun control negotiated by moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said Monday that Collins' proposal is problematic because it would immediately prohibit the sale of guns to terrorism suspects who are on the government's no-fly list. Cornyn says the appeals process in the bill comes too late.The Senate is voting Monday on an amendment from Cornyn to allow the g
  
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• FBI releases excerpts of Orlando shooter's calls with police

  20-06-2016 14:08
  
  ORLANDO - The FBI has released portions of conversations between Orlando shooter Omar Mateen and police during the deadly assault at Pulse nightclub last week, highlighting the threats Mateen made before police decided to break through a wall at the nightclub.After police first ran into Pulse and exchanged gunfire with Mateen around 2 a.m. on June 12, no more shots were fired for nearly three hours — while authorities and Mateen repeatedly spoke over the phone. Police decided to breach
  
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• Car on fire causes I-10 West delays near Highland Rd. exit

  20-06-2016 13:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Traffic officials say a vehicle fire caused a lane closure that led to a five-mile delay on I-10 West Monday afternoon.The left lane of I-10 West near the Highland Road exit remained closed for around 30 minutes as crews worked to clear the vehicle that caught on fire.The queue related to the closure quickly stretched to several miles until all lanes were back open just before 2:15 p.m.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Two women wanted for $13K in stolen credit card charges

  20-06-2016 13:27
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police are attempting to identify and locate two women who are wanted in connection of $13,000 of unauthorized charges on stolen credit cards.On May 12, 2016 the two women entered My Sewing Shoppe in the 7600 block of Old Hammond Highway posing as customers. While one of the women distracted the employee by asking questions, the other woman took several cards from a purse that was behind the counter.The two women then used the stolen cards at several other loc
  
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• SUV that rolled, killed actor was under recall

  20-06-2016 13:03
  
  LOS ANGELES - The SUV that killed "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin was being recalled because the gear shifters have confused drivers, causing the vehicles to roll away unexpectedly.Los Angeles police say Yelchin died when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down his driveway early Sunday. The SUV pinned the 27-year-old against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence.Fiat Chrysler, which makes Jeeps, said in a statement Monday that it's investigating and it's premature to speculate on the cau
  
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• Autographed LSU helmet being raffled so couple can add a new member to their team

  20-06-2016 13:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - Matt and Lindsey Galey are attempting to start a family but because of the high cost of adoption, they're turning to an unconvential method of help: their family's LSU Football fandom.The price tag on adoption is around $25,000 total. The Galey's have received monetary donations from friends and family, but now have something else to add to that list: An autographed, authenticated helmet signed by every player on the 2003 LSU Football National Championship team.The helmet is going
  
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• Woman pleads guilty to stripper's death, dismemberment

  20-06-2016 12:58
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A 32-year-old woman has been sentenced to 40 years in prison in the stabbing death of a Bourbon Street dancer whose dismembered body washed up along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
      
  Margaret Sanchez, of Metairie, entered a guilty plea Monday, one year and one day after her ex-boyfriend, 43-year-old Terry Speaks, was convicted in same crime.
      
  Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. says Sanchez pleaded guilty to m
  
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• Man dies after being ejected from car in Livingston Parish crash

  20-06-2016 12:54
  
  SPRINGFIELD - State Police say they are investigating a single-vehicle crash in Livingston Parish on LA 1037 south of LA 42 that took the life of the driver Sunday night.57-year-old Brian Leonard, of Galliano, was killed just before 6 p.m. Sunday, according to Troopers.State Police said the crash happened as Leonard was traveling southbound on LA 1037 when, for unknown reasons, the man failed to negotiate a right-hand curve and lost control of his vehicle. His vehicle ran off the right side of t
  
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• Controversial Timber Ridge subdivision denied

  20-06-2016 12:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Planning and Zoning Commission denied the Timber Ridge subdivision proposed for South Baton Rouge.Nearly a 100 people were there to state their case Monday night at the event that had been previously differed from the commission's agenda."It really just didn't fit in," Wesley Valverde said.While Valverde and other people there were prepared to speak, they didn't have to. A public hearing two months ago lasted more than 2 and a half hours, so commission members had enou
  
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• Supreme Court leaves state assault weapons bans in place

  20-06-2016 12:34
  
  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has rejected challenges to assault weapons bans in Connecticut and New York, in the aftermath of the shooting attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that left 50 people dead.
      
  The justices on Monday left in place a lower court ruling that upheld laws that were passed in response to another mass shooting involving a semi-automatic weapon, the elementary school attack in Newtown, Connecticut.
      
  The
  
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• No need to worry: Exxon plant on Scenic Highway is flaring

  20-06-2016 12:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - If you notice a bright light in the Baton Rouge skyline, there's no need to worry. The ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Chemical Plant on Scene Highway began flaring Monday night.In a press release, the company explained that "flares are primarily safety control devices intended to consume excess hydrocarbons during shutdown, start-up, and other non-routine activities".ExxonMobil says there's no reason to worry and anyone concerned with the flaring should call (225) 977-8393.Permalink| Comme
  
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• Tropical Storm Danielle forms off Mexico's eastern coast

  20-06-2016 12:06
  
  MIAMI - Tropical Storm Danielle has formed off Mexico's eastern coast, and is spreading heavy rain inland.The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Danielle's maximum sustained winds Monday morning have increased to near 45 mph (72 kph) with some slight strengthening forecast before the storm makes landfall later in the day.A tropical storm warning is in effect from Laguna Verde to Rio Panuco.The storm is centered about 75 miles (121 kilometers) east-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, and is mo
  
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• Proposal to spend new tax revenue advancing in La. House

  20-06-2016 09:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers in the House have started advancing a budget bill to spend the $214 million in taxes they've raised in the special session.Slated for more money in next year's budget are the safety-net hospitals for the poor, the TOPS college tuition program, college campuses, the LSU medical schools and K-12 public and private schools.The proposal backed Monday by the Appropriations Committee would give TOPS one-third of the new money. TOPS students would get 70 percent of their tuition
  
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• House agrees to raise another $70M for next year

  20-06-2016 09:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - Just when it looked like the House was resistant to passing any more tax changes, lawmakers there agreed to two bills tweaking property tax breaks given to businesses.The two bills won quick passage Monday afternoon. They would raise an estimated $70 million for next year's budget. Both go back to the Senate for consideration of House changes.They are likely the last proposals that could win final passage in the special session to help lessen budget cuts.One proposal, approved 78-2
  
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• Family offered free box of cereal after teen finds dead bat in Rice Krispies

  20-06-2016 09:22
  
  GLASGOW, Scotland - A Scottish family was offered a voucher for a new box of cereal after a decomposing bat was found inside a box of Rice Krispies.17-year-old Sehr Rafique said she was transferring the cereal into a plastic container when she spotted the dead bat, according to the Daily Record.“I screamed the house down when I saw the bat,” Rafique told the Glasgow-based newspaper. “I am scared of spiders as it is, so this terrified me. I have never seen a bat up c
  
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• Trump campaign manager is out

  20-06-2016 09:10
  
  NEW YORK - Donald Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, is leaving the campaign, following a tumultuous stretch marked by missteps and infighting.Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said Monday that "Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign." She paid tribute to his "hard work and dedication" and wished him the best.A hard-charging figure, and in some ways as unconventional as the candidate himself, Lewandowski had been by Trump's side since the beginning of his unlikely rise to p
  
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• Man sues for $30M after serving 13 years for murder he didn't commit

  20-06-2016 08:11
  
  DENVER - A man who was just 14 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn’t commit is suing the City/County of Denver and local police for $30 million.Denver teacher Emily Johnson was brutally murdered and her car was stolen on New’s Years Day in the year 2000. Lawrence Lorenzo Montoya, who was 14 years old at the time, was brought in for questioning and grilled without a parent present. His attorney said detectives used forceful tactics including
  
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• Fired LSU band director's lawsuit heads to federal court

  20-06-2016 07:57
  
  BATON ROUGE - The legal battle between fired Golden Band from Tigerland director Roy King and LSU will be played out in federal court.
  King sued the university last month in state district court, but LSU filed notice seeking to have the case moved to U.S. District Court because King's lawsuit alleges claims under both federal and state law.Jill Craft, King's lead attorney, said she won't oppose LSU's notice of removal.
  King contends he was terminated April 19 in violation of his First Amendment
  
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• House ends construction budget drama with final bill passage

  20-06-2016 04:19
  
  The House concurred with the Senate's version of the bill, sending it to Gov. John Bel Edwards.
  
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• Louisiana Legislature's options for raising money are dwindling

  20-06-2016 04:00
  
  It looks as if the Legislature and Edwards will probably fall far short of the $450 million target to fund TOPS, even under the best case scenario.
  
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• John Bel Edwards vetoes 3 bills: See what he sent back

  20-06-2016 03:29
  
  The bills included a bond authorization, a bill on salaries and a corrections facilities issue.
  
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• Louisiana tax bills won't produce as much as originally thought

  20-06-2016 01:40
  
  Financial analyses updated on Sunday night (June 19) showed the tax bills still under consideration by the Legislature will produce a lot less money than initial estimates showed.
  
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• Baton Rouge woman faked 2 break-ins, then blamed ex-roommate for one, police say

  20-06-2016 01:31
  
  Goings claimed that a TV, a Roku video streaming device and a Leap Frog video game were stolen, and that someone poured bleach on her mattresses, a sheriff's report says.
  
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