Baton Rouge news

• LSU using heavy machinery to remove plants from Crest Lake

  24-06-2016 21:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - Heavy machinery will be used next week to remove a plant from LSU Lakes that can cause problems with the water.Hyacinth plants sprung in some of the lakes, including Crest Lake near Dalrymple Drive, months ago. They are not native to the area.  When the plants die, they take oxygen out of the water.  This would result in the death of fish in the lakes and create an odor.The mechanical harvester is a pontoon-mounted machine that will be used to removed hyacinth fro
  
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• Teen pierced in eye by javelin, flown to hospital

  24-06-2016 21:09
  
  PORTLAND, OR - Officials say a teen was taken to a hospital in a helicopter after he tripped and was stabbed in the eye by a javelin at a Portland track meet.The Oregonian/OregonLive reports people began calling Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Friday afternoon saying a track meet competitor in Southwest Portland had tripped and fallen and that a javelin pierced his eye.Fire department spokeswoman Cassandra Ulven says the javelin was removed by someone before firefighters arrived.The 17-year-old
  
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• LSU, Southern boards authorize medical marijuana production

  24-06-2016 21:02
  
  The university will begin to develop a request for proposals from the private sector to fund the venture.
  
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• LSU board authorizes AgCenter to produce medical marijuana

  24-06-2016 21:02
  
  The university will begin to develop a request for proposals from the private sector to fund the venture.
  
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• Man in custody following standoff on Wilmot Street

  24-06-2016 20:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge Police say they arrested a man Friday evening after he refused to stop for officers before barricading himself in a home.This happened at a home near the intersection of Wilmot Street and Conrad Drive. BRPD told News 2 officers attempted to make a traffic stop, but the suspect continued driving before locking himself inside a home..@BRPD: Man in custody following standoff on Wilmot at Conrad. Police say man refused to stop car for officers. pic.twitter.com/UHdHaFvtPV&am
  
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• 2 Special Sessions: The cost to taxpayers

  24-06-2016 20:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - In addition to the usual legislative session, lawmakers spent a lot of extra time at the Capitol this year thanks to two separate Special Sessions. The move cost taxpayers millions.The first Special Session began on February 14th. It ended 25 days later, but over that span the Senate spent roughly $650,000 a day, while House members accounted for $26,000 a day, or about $660,000 overall. That money includes a $150 per diem, per member, as well as travel, staff and office e
  
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• Residents opposed to second False River drawdown

  24-06-2016 18:34
  
  NEW ROADS - Some residents along the False River say they are against a plan to draw down the lake's water by six feet.When officials lowered the lake by three feet in 2014, resident Rick Falgout said the soil on his property gave away, causing $6,000 in damages."It pushed the walkway and pier out to the point where we had to rebuild," Falgout said.Residents believe that rock weirs and dredging are the best ways to remove excess silt from False River. But the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
  
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• Passenger gets entire plane to himself on flight

  24-06-2016 17:58
  
  NEW ORLEANS – A lucky Delta Airlines passenger got on a flight and had the entire plane to himself.Steven Schneider was flying home to Atlanta on Tuesday, June 21 when he arrived to an empty gate area for his flight at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans."I was so nervous," Schneider said. "I couldn't believe it. I felt like I missed my flight!"
  The flight was still as scheduled, however Schneider was the only passenger. Apparently all of the flight's initial passe
  
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• No tuition hikes planned for community, technical colleges

  24-06-2016 17:57
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's community and technical colleges won't be raising tuition rates on students this fall, after lawmakers largely shielded the schools from budget cuts.The Louisiana Community and Technical College System Board of Supervisors announced the decision Friday, saying it was the first time in five years tuition won't be boosted on its campuses.However, two new fees were enacted by the board - for students who take excess credit hours and for students in programs delivered in a
  
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• Property tax break program getting overhauled by governor

  24-06-2016 17:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards is changing the rules for a lucrative property tax break program for manufacturing facilities, to tie the tax breaks to job creation and retention.New and expanding manufacturing facilities are allowed, under the state constitution, an exemption from paying local property taxes for up to 10 years through the Industrial Tax Exemption Program.The Board of Commerce and Industry and the governor must sign off on the exemptions. But that often is just seen as a rub
  
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• Search for Ascension Superintendent starts over

  24-06-2016 17:15
  
  ASCENSION PARISH - Finding a new superintendent hasn't been easy for school board members in Ascension Parish.After narrowing the search down to four finalists, board members decided to advertise the position again."We have big shoes to fill," said Patricia Russo, president of the school board.Across the country, people sent in their applications, eager to lead one of Louisiana's top-ranking school districts."We went out, we wanted to do a national search because we wanted to throw a wide net an
  
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• Sheriff: Texts show suspect in deputy death plotting crimes

  24-06-2016 17:05
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A Louisiana sheriff says cellphone text message evidence shows the suspect in a deputy's shooting death had been plotting other crimes.Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand read texts laced with street slang and profanity from the phone of suspect Jerman Neveaux during a Friday news conference. Neveaux faces a first-degree murder charge in the Wednesday death of David Michel.Normand also said he has turned over to the FBI video that appears to show officers hitting Neveaux after
  
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• Markets Right Now: Global stocks plunge after British vote

  24-06-2016 17:03
  
  NEW YORK - Global stocks and the pound plunged after Britons voted to leave the European Union.The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 611 points, or 3.4 percent, to 17,399 in heavy trading Friday.The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 75 points, or 3.6 percent, to 2,037. The Nasdaq composite sank 202 points, or 4.1 percent, to 4,707.It was the biggest drop for the Dow and S&P 500 since August and the worst fall for the Nasdaq since 2011.Some European markets fell even more. Fran
  
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• LSU AgCenter opts in to medical marijuana production initiative

  24-06-2016 15:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - The LSU Board of Supervisors approved a resolution on Friday that will allow the LSU AgCenter to begin taking the necessary steps to produce medical marijuana as part of a state initiative.Last month, the State Legislature passed a bill amending legislation that signed into law back in 2015 that allows people with certain debilitating medical conditions to obtain a doctor’s recommendation for medical marijuana. LSU and Southern’s agricultural centers were given
  
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• Man wanted for car burglaries and car theft in Gonzales

  24-06-2016 15:15
  
  ASCENSION PARISH - The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect wanted for several car burglaries and a car theft.On Tuesday, June 21, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to several car burglaries on Lillie Valley Drive in Gonzales. In addition, a car was stolen. During the investigation, deputies were able to obtain surveillance video of the suspect in the stolen car at a nearby convenience store. The
  
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• Obama says UK committed to 'orderly transition' out of EU

  24-06-2016 15:00
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama tried to reassure Britons Friday that the special relationship between Washington and London would withstand an impending and likely messy divorce from Europe, as his administration scrambled to assess the fallout.As stock markets tumbled, Obama offered words of calm and continuity, saying the shocking vote would disrupt neither the storied bond between the U.S. and the U.K. nor American support for the European alliance. In a blitz of phone calls, Obama and t
  
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• Walmart grocery pickup comes to Baton Rouge area

  24-06-2016 14:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - Walmart says it changed “the grocery shopping game” after announcing that customers can now shop for groceries from the comfort of their own home.The largest grocer in the United States announced Thursday that three Walmart locations in the Baton Rouge area will now allow customers to order groceries online and pick them up without leaving their cars.“Our customers have told us that grocery pick up is a game changer,” Walmart’s eCom
  
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• Wreck closes I-10 East at Grosse Tete

  24-06-2016 13:50
  
  GROSSE TETE - I-10 East is closed to traffic near Grosse Tete due to a Friday afternoon crash.LA DOTD reports traffic is not passing through on I-10 East at LA 77. Motorists are advised to use an alternate route.As of 2 p.m., congestion was building in connection with the closure. It had stretched to three miles by that time.Check back with this story for updates until traffic clears.Permalink| Comments
  
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• All lanes back open after wreck closes I-10 East at Grosse Tete

  24-06-2016 13:50
  
  GROSSE TETE - All lanes of I-10 East are back open after they were closed by a wreck near Grosse Tete on Friday afternoon.Lane closures were in effect for more than 45 minutes as crews worked to clear the accident from lanes of travel.A seven mile delay had buiit up by the time the roadway was reopened. Traffic also built in the westbound direction.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police find heroin mill behind NYC candy shop's secret door

  24-06-2016 13:26
  
  NEW YORK - Police say they have uncovered a massive heroin-selling operation behind a secret door that was disguised as a shelf at a New York City candy shop.
      
  Police say State Finance Department officers discovered the door at the Gates Candy & Grocery store in Brooklyn on Wednesday during an inspection for untaxed cigarettes.
      
  Police raided the store Thursday and say they found large quantities of drugs and drug paraphernalia. P
  
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• Budget deal front-loads TOPS payments, with cuts in spring

  24-06-2016 13:11
  
  BATON ROUGE- The final budget deal struck by lawmakers took a lopsided approach to the TOPS program, giving college students full tuition funding for the fall semester and only 42 percent financing for the spring.Gov. John Bel Edwards opposed the move pushed by House Republicans and could veto it, while higher education leaders were trying to determine how it would work logistically.House leaders pushed for the front-loading of TOPS, saying they were hopeful the state could bring in more money t
  
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• One injured after shooting on Woodpecker Street

  24-06-2016 13:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police say one person was injured in a shooting in Baton Rouge Friday morning.According to Baton Rouge Police, one woman was shot at 150 Woodpecker Street around 11 a.m. Friday. Police said the injuries are not life threatening.The investigation is still ongoing, but police do not have any suspects or motives at this time.#BREAKING BRPD responding to a shooting on Avenue K @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/Iq3wuHuyD3— MichaelVinsanau WBRZ (@MVinsanau) June 24, 2016
  Baton Rouge Police
  
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• One injured after shooting on Avenue K

  24-06-2016 13:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police say one person was injured in a shooting in Baton Rouge Friday morning.According to Baton Rouge Police, one woman was shot in the 9900 block of Avenue K around 11 a.m. Friday. Police said the injuries are not life threatening.The investigation is still ongoing, but police do not have any suspects or motives at this time.#BREAKING BRPD responding to a shooting on Avenue K @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/Iq3wuHuyD3— MichaelVinsanau WBRZ (@MVinsanau) June 24, 2016
  This is a dev
  
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• Man convicted of manslaughter in fatal police crash

  24-06-2016 13:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - A 22-year-old Baton Rouge man has been convicted of manslaughter and other charges in a fatal 2014 police chase-related crash.The crash occurred eight hours after an armed robbery, in which Brian White was found guilty in August and later sentenced to 20 years in prison.White faces up to 40 years behind bars on the manslaughter conviction. The crash took the life of 37-year-old Elvin Dunn Jr., of Baton Rouge.White was fleeing from police on Jan. 20, 2014, after they tried to stop h
  
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• Man accused of opening fire on home with people inside

  24-06-2016 13:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested a man on attempted murder charges after he was accused of shooting at a home while people were inside.On June 23 around 3:48 p.m. BRPD responded to the 1400 block of Convention Street in reference to a shots fired call.
  Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victims at the location where they stated that 19-year-old Adam Metevia shot twice at their home with a handgun.
  BRPD patrolled the area and made contact with Metevia who told of
  
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• Use of drones for disaster missions put to the test

  24-06-2016 12:41
  
  CAPE MAY - How to distribute lifesaving supplies quickly and safely after a natural disaster has long been a puzzle for responders. Now, drones might be the lifesaver.That idea was put to the test this week in New Jersey as a drone delivery service conducted test flights to help determine whether drones can be used to carry human medical samples to and from areas during major natural disasters.About 100 people looked on as the drones flew between an onshore medical relief camp and a test facilit
  
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• Elmer Chocolate facility grows in size with $40M expansion

  24-06-2016 12:11
  
  PONCHATOULA - Gov. John Bel Edwards helped celebrate the $40 million expansion of Elmer Chocolate's facility in Ponchatoula.Elmer Candy Corp. announced the 70,000-square-foot addition to its Ponchatoula facility in 2014. On Thursday, Edwards joined others for a look at the expansion, which includes new production technology to make the company more efficient. Officials say the expansion retained 164 jobs and created 10 new jobs.Elmer received incentives, including a $550,000 forgivable loan to f
  
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• Sources: No evidence Orlando gunman sought gay relationships

  24-06-2016 09:58
  
  WASHINGTON - Two government officials familiar with the Orlando shooting say FBI investigators have so far not turned up persuasive evidence that the gunman was pursuing gay relationships.The FBI began investigating the possibility after media reports quoted men as saying that Omar Mateen had reached out to them on gay dating apps and had frequented the Pulse nightclub. One man claimed in an interview with Univision to be Mateen's gay lover.But the officials say the FBI, which has recovered Mate
  
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• Man wounded in shootout arrested for stolen gun

  24-06-2016 09:44
  
  BATON ROUGE - Deputies said the victim of a shooting at a Baton Rouge apartment complex was arrested after he admitted to investigators that he was in possession of a stolen gun.EBRSO said officers were dispatched to The Reserve apartment complex in the 17200 block of Jefferson Highway at around 1:30 a.m. Friday to a report of shots fired.At the scene, they found one man who had been hit by gunfire and sustained injuries that were not life threatening. The man, 26-year-old Travis Cobbs,
  
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• KFC releases chicken box that doubles as smartphone charger

  24-06-2016 09:31
  
  KFC has launched boxes that not only carry The Colonel’s famous fried chicken bits, but also double as a charger for your smartphone.The company’s “Watt-A-Box” was released in Indian store franchises in Mumbai and Delhi, but Popular Science reported the USB power bank boxes have been met with more confusion than approval.Popular Science said customers who tested the box were able to get about a 17-percent battery boost over half an hour. The ineffectivenes
  
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• Man admits killing deputy to escape death penalty

  24-06-2016 08:20
  
  ABBEVILLE - One of two Louisiana men facing the death penalty in the 2014 killing of a sheriff's deputy will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty.
  Thursday's guilty plea by 22-year-old Quintylan Richard came on the second anniversary of Vermilion Parish Deputy Allen Bares Jr.'s death on June 23, 2013.
  After telling Judge Marilyn Castle that he killed Bares, Richard apologized to Bares' family.
  Authorities say Bares was off duty and tending to his lawn business when he was s
  
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• One dead, two injured in a single vehicle crash on Hwy 37

  24-06-2016 07:14
  
  GREENWELL SPRINGS - A single vehicle crash on Highway 37 left a man dead and two injured early Friday morning.State police identified the victim as 27-year-old Rene Lanau. Lanau was driving his pickup truck on Greenwell Springs Road. The vehicle went off the roadway and crashed into a tree shortly after midnight. He didn't have his seat belt on at the time of the crash and died from his injuries.A 21-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man were in the vehicle unrestrained. They were transp
  
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• Louisiana Legislature votes to fully fund TOPS for fall semester, leaving larger cut for the spring

  24-06-2016 06:38
  
  That means students would receive a scholarship covering full tuition for the fall semester.
  
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• Louisiana lawmakers agree on budget, but set up another financial cliff

  24-06-2016 06:26
  
  Louisiana has raised $1.5 billion through tax changes in four months.
  
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• Legislature passes 'clean-up' bill erasing unintended sales taxes

  24-06-2016 03:24
  
  The bill reinstates exemptions on items like Girl Scout Cookies and transplant organs.
  
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