Baton Rouge news

• Lawmakers making last minute effort to fund TOPS

  22-06-2016 18:44
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Capitol is taking last minute efforts to put more money into the TOPS Scholarship program.The plan requires a tax hike and would only effect those who make more than $100,000 a year. However, Republicans are not in favor of the plan.The proposal for the tax hike is being proposed by the Senate in order to fund TOPS at 80 percent for next year."It would get TOPS up to 80 percent, and we would be able to fund college and universities to the full amount which we think wo
  
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• Baton Rouge mother should be praised, not arrested for punishing 3 sons caught burglarizing a house

  22-06-2016 17:26
  
  Free Schaquana Evita Spears.
  
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• BRPD trains officers to use medical kits

  22-06-2016 17:20
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police are handing out medical kits to police officers on the streets to help those in need before EMS gets to the scene.
  Inside the medical kits are items such as tourniquets and bandages. Officers ran through some scenarios on Wednesday on how to use the kits.
  Cpl. Charles Robinson of BRPD said that in recent years there have been many opportunities where the kits are needed before EMS arrives. "We've found that this has been a reoccurring theme whe
  
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• Aussie woman wakes up to 17-foot python in bedroom

  22-06-2016 16:06
  
  NORTH QUEENSLAND, Australia - It’s never great to wake up on Mondays, but an Aussie woman had an exceptionally awful wake up to the week two days ago when she awoke to a 17-foot python in her bedroom.Julie Birrell told ABC News Online that she was staying at a friend’s house in North Queensland when “all hell broke loose.”The BBC said the python stretched between the guest bedroom and living room.Hibberd reported it wasn’t the first time the giga
  
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• Police: Man died while unloading $12 million in marijuana

  22-06-2016 14:25
  
  NORCROSS - Atlanta area police say a man appears to have died of natural causes while unloading marijuana from a van.Gwinnett County police said in a statement that officers on Monday responded to a call of a man slumped near a van and a tractor trailer.Officers found 31-year-old Johnny Taylor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, dead and kneeling on the ground with his head on the step of the van's side door. Police say his body showed no signs of trauma and that it appears he died of natural causes.Pol
  
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• Dad gets tattoo to match son's brain cancer surgery scar

  22-06-2016 14:23
  
  WICHITA - The father of a Kansas boy who was self-conscious about scarring following brain cancer surgery has got a tattoo that resembles his son's scar on the side of his head.Josh Marshall tells ABC News that 8-year-old Gabriel was left with a large horseshoe scar above his right ear after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor. Marshall says Gabriel said he "felt like a monster."Last August, Marshall got a tattoo to match, telling his son, "if people want to stare at you, then they can st
  
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• Obama to sign toxic chemical rules; 1st overhaul in 40 years

  22-06-2016 14:20
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is set to sign into law the first overhaul of toxic chemical rules in 40 years while hailing a rare moment of cooperation between Republicans and Democrats.Lawmakers from both parties plan to join Obama on Wednesday for the ceremony, along with environmental advocates and industry groups that backed the legislation.The bill updates rules for tens of thousands of everyday chemicals used in household cleaners, clothing and furniture. It also sets safety standard
  
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• Ex-NFL player Tim Tebow visits friend shot in nightclub

  22-06-2016 14:14
  
  ORLANDO - Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow visited his former high school football teammate who was wounded in the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando.The Orlando Sentinel reports Rodney Sumter was a bartender at Pulse nightclub and was shot three times on June 12.Tebow and Sumter played football at Ponte Vedra Beach Nease High School near Jacksonville. Sumter noted that Tebow has "always been an awesome person."On his Instagram account, Sumter noted that his "high school quarterback left the Baha
  
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• Dump Trump movement preparing fight at GOP convention

  22-06-2016 14:13
  
  WASHINGTON - Several hundred Republican delegates are organizing to oppose Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention next month.That's not enough delegates to topple Trump. But it's more than enough to create turmoil at an event that is typically used to bring a political party together in support of a presidential candidate.There could be floor fights over convention rules and the party's platform. And the roll call to nominate Trump could be an opportunity for delegates to voice their
  
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• Woman arrested after impersonating officer, falsely arresting man

  22-06-2016 14:12
  
  LAKE CHARLES – The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a woman for impersonating a police officer and falsely arresting a man.
  On June 21 around 3:30 a.m., deputies responded to a call at a local casino on Hwy 397 in Lake Charles in reference to a woman, later identified as 23-year-old Georgetta Augillard, handcuffing a man and saying she was a detective from a police department in Texas.When deputies arrived, they saw a man handcuffed outside of the casino and while taking them
  
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• Edwards agrees to new restrictions on drones in Louisiana

  22-06-2016 14:07
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed into law new limits on drone use in Louisiana.A bill by Rep. Stephen Dwight, a Republican from Lake Charles, will restrict drone use near schools, school property or correctional facilities. It includes exceptions for police, situations where the landowner grants permission and for pre-agreed recordings like sporting events.The law takes effect Aug. 1.A second bill approved by Edwards will cover drones under criminal trespassing laws. The measure by
  
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• Senate spending plan protects colleges, cuts K-12 education

  22-06-2016 13:54
  
  BATON ROUGE- Louisiana's senators have unveiled their approach for spending $258 million raised in a tax special session that is in its final days.The plan, backed Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee, would protect college campuses, but it leaves K-12 public schools on the chopping block.The safety-net hospitals for the poor would get the full financing requested by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration. Students in the TOPS college program would get 70 percent of their tuition costs cover
  
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• Jefferson Parish deputy killed identified, suspect in custody

  22-06-2016 13:25
  
  HARVEY - Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office confirms an officer shot multiple times Wednesday afternoon in Harvey, La has died. The sheriff's deputy shot to death on a busy suburban New Orleans street has been identified as 51-year-old David F. Michel Jr.
      
  Jefferson Parish Sheriff's spokesman Col. John Fortunato said a suspect in the Wednesday afternoon shooting is in custody. Fortunato says the suspect is at University Medical Center in New Orlean
  
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• 15-year-old girl rescued during human trafficking bust

  22-06-2016 13:09
  
  BATON ROUGE - Three people were arrested and a 15-year-old girl was rescued when East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office deputies busted a human trafficking operation.On June 21 detectives located the girl during the course of an undercover operation with a woman, identified as 22-year-old Jennifer Anselmo, and a man, identified as 25-year-old Udraka Roberts-Bey.The two were arrested and taken into custody once they were identified as the traffickers.A third person, 20-year-old Skylar Harris, was also
  
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• State to build new Red River bridge, cancels plans for rehab

  22-06-2016 12:51
  
  BOSSIER CITY - The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development says it will cancel plans to rehabilitate the Jimmie Davis Bridge, between Bossier City and Shreveport, and build a new one instead.
      
  The state had issued a $23.4 million contract to rehabilitate the bridge, but it was terminated after the DOTD and the contractor could not agree on how to get rid of the cliff swallows, a protected breed of bird, living under the bridge.
     &
  
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• Marco Rubio, in reversal, will seek re-election to Senate

  22-06-2016 12:45
  
  WASHINGTON - Former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio says he will run for re-election to his Florida Senate seat.
      
  In a statement Wednesday Rubio says he is reversing his plans to retire after concluding it was important to continue with public service at a critical time for the nation.
      
  The first-term senator says that control of the Senate could come down to the race in Florida, which would mean the future of the Suprem
  
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• 6 movies filmed in Louisiana coming soon

  22-06-2016 12:39
  
  BATON ROUGE – With Louisiana’s film-industry booming, more movies with star-studded casts are being filmed in the state.The Capitol City, New Orleans and surrounding areas have been prime areas for film makers. One movie hub, Celtic Studios, is the largest film and television production studio in the state. Just off of Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, the studio has been the home to multiple block buster movies such as Battleship, The Fantastic Four, Battle: Los Angeles, The T
  
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• Firefighters battle blaze at home in Scotlandville

  22-06-2016 12:38
  
  SCOTLANDVILLE - There was a large response to a fire at a home on Elm Grove Garden near the airport Wednesday night.The fire broke out around 9 p.m. at the home that is across the street from Banks Elementary School. A couple was home at the time of the fire but made it out okay.Firefighters have not released a cause.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Firefighters: arson caused house fire in Scotlandville

  22-06-2016 12:38
  
  SCOTLANDVILLE - Firefighters believed arson was the cause of the fire in Scotlandville on Wednesday night.The fire broke out after 9 p.m. at the home that is across the street from Ryan Elementary School. Fire crew had the fire under control shortly after 9:30 p.m.A couple was home at the time of the fire but made it out safely. Nearly half of the home was destroyed by the fire. Permalink| Comments
  
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• BESE approves review of science standards

  22-06-2016 08:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - The state's top school board has endorsed a potentially controversial review of science standards in Louisiana's public schools.
  The benchmarks used today were crafted in 1997, and they are the third oldest in the nation.
  Under the plan, a 31-member committee will oversee the revisions with the assistance of three subcommittees.
  Work sessions are set to start in August, including public comments.
  The panel is scheduled to make its final recommendations on Feb. 13, 2017.
  The state B
  
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• Investigation continues after 2 bodies found in burning cars

  22-06-2016 08:12
  
  LAFAYETTE - Investigators are still looking for leads as they try to identify a pair of victims found in burning cars early Tuesday morning in Lafayette Parish.Deputies say they’re investigating each of the separate incidents as homicides, but they have yet to connect the possible murders.KATC-TV reported on Tuesday that the first victim was found in Carencro. The second was located just hours later along Old Spanish Trail in Scott. Both bodies were discovered in cars that were engulfe
  
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• Ascension school board reopens superintendent search

  22-06-2016 08:06
  
  GONZALES - The Ascension Parish School Board has reopened its search for a superintendent.
  The board is looking at possibly hiring its next superintendent Aug. 9, the second day of the new school year.
  The board voted Tuesday to reserve the right to stop the process of winnowing candidates at any time and hire its next superintendent on the spot, if the right one comes along.
  After an earlier, three-month search for the next schools superintendent dead-ended on June 7, the board voted 7-4 to rej
  
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• Louisiana Senate leadership is making one final effort to raise more money

  22-06-2016 03:26
  
  Alario, the longest serving member of the Louisiana Legislature, is trying to gin up support for rolling back an income tax reduction that has languished in the Louisiana House.
  
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• Highland Road isn't only Baton Rouge place needing a building moratorium

  22-06-2016 00:35
  
  Why stop with a few-mile stretch of Highland Road? There are over-development-caused surface street disasters across the parish; who's studying those headaches, and is anything resembling a solution being considered?
  
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• Louisiana House committee kills resolution that upsets LGBT community

  22-06-2016 00:05
  
  The Louisiana State Law Institute would have had to record and broadcast any meetingsit had about same-sex marriage. The group doesn't have to do that on other policy matters.
  
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