Baton Rouge news

• 6 constitutional changes on Nov. 8 ballot

  28-06-2016 23:06
  
  Check out the things you will get to decide as a voter.
  
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• Cattle were stolen from farm, left on I-12 authorities reveal

  28-06-2016 21:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Eighteen stolen cattle will be returned to the owner Wednesday after the cattle were found in a trailer abandoned on the side of I-12 last week.The cattle were left on the side of I-12 eastbound near Hammond in a stolen cattle trailer.  The trailer was stolen from a separate farm.  Both farms are in Iberville Parish, state agriculture authorities said in a news release Tuesday night.“Because these cattle were not branded, it took us longer to id
  
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• Will Louisiana need a short-term loan to pay its bills?

  28-06-2016 21:19
  
  It's not as bad as you think though.
  
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• Ascension Parish seeing nutria problem

  28-06-2016 18:53
  
  ASCENSION PARISH – Nutria are seeking their teeth into the peace of mind of residents in Ascension Parish.The rodents have been digging into a family's property and it seems to be a wide-spread problem throughout the area that keep animal removal specialists busy.Nutria have been digging their way through the sides of one neighborhood retention pond and heading straight towards Clarence Leblanc's home."You can hear them grunting, and stuff, and I've seen about four of them and my neigh
  
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• OMV to send out more fines to drivers with lapsed car insurance

  28-06-2016 18:46
  
  BATON ROUGE – More fines are coming from the Office of Motor Vehicles for drivers with expired car insurance.
  The OMV plans to send out thousands more later on this year and will likely begin in September. The fines can range from $125 dollars to $650 for each offense.Since the legislature passed a new law earlier this month, delinquent drivers can now apply for payment plans. The payment plans, however, are only for people who owe more than $250 dollars for lapsed insurance.
  In Octobe
  
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• Man shot in Baton Rouge hotel room, ran to lobby for help

  28-06-2016 16:50
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police said a man was shot in a room of a hotel off Sherwood Forest Boulevard Tuesday afternoon and ran to the hotel lobby for help.An ambulance took the unidentified man to the hospital.  Police said he sustained serious injuries but is expected to survive.  When WBRZ.com was first to break the story, authorities said the man was shot in the chest.The hotel, Crossland Economy Studios, is located at 11140 Boardwalk Drive just off of Sherwood Forest Boule
  
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• LSU Police issue warning about fake $100 bill circulation

  28-06-2016 16:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - LSU Police say $100 bills that say “FOR MOTION PICTURE USE ONLY” are being circulated throughout the Baton Rouge area.Several reports of the movie money have been received by BRPD and EBRSO. LSUPD said they’ve also taken reports that said early to mid-20’s aged black males are approaching people in the student union and asking if they can make change for a $100.Once change is made, they give the victim the fake cash and leave the scene.If you
  
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• Memorial honoring murdered State Trooper held in Lake Charles

  28-06-2016 16:39
  
  LAKE CHARLES – A ceremony was held for a murdered Louisiana State Trooper on Tuesday morning to unveil a plaque memorializing him.The ceremony was held for Senior Trooper Steven Vincent of Louisiana State Troop D at its headquarters in Lake Charles. Vincent lost his life after he was shot while on patrol last year. The plaque was presented to family, friends and fellow Troopers of Vincent.
  Trooper Vincent's plaque joins Sergeant Eli Smith, Master Trooper Stephen Gray and Senior Trooper
  
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• Pointe Coupee Sheriff's Office at odds with New Roads Mayor over juvenile prosecution

  28-06-2016 16:26
  
  NEW ROADS- The Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office is at odds with the Mayor of New Roads following a WBRZ Investigative Unit report earlier this month.It centers around Mayor Robert Myer prosecuting juveniles in Mayor's court. Legal scholars and attorneys say that's against the law since juveniles must be prosecuted in juvenile courts or the district courts in their areas.The Mayor says he sent juveniles to the jail for community service, but there's a problem. The jail says they would never
  
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• 4 unattended dogs seized after BRPD SWAT narcotics raid

  28-06-2016 15:24
  
  BATON ROUGE - Animal Control officers said four unattended dogs were taken from a North Baton Rouge house that was raided by Baton Rouge Police SWAT on Tuesday afternoon.One person was arrested on a narcotics charge after SWAT cleared the house, located at the corner of Hollywood and McClelland.The dog were seized by Animal Control because no responsible person was found to care for them after the raid. One of the dogs had a possible dogfighting injury, according to Animal Control. Another susta
  
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• Nearly 50 killed in attack at Istanbul's airport, officials suggest ISIS behind attack

  28-06-2016 14:56
  
  ISTANBUL - A senior Turkish government official has told The Associated Press all initial indications suggest the Islamic State group is behind the attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport.
  The official also said nearly 50 people were killed in the attack Tuesday at the airport's international terminal and as many as four attackers may have been involved.Governor Vasip Sahin also told Turkey's NTV television channel that three suicide bombers carried out the attack Tuesday.Officials had previously s
  
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• More abortion restrictions coming for La. women, doctors

  28-06-2016 14:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - While Louisiana's law requiring abortion doctors to have hospital admitting privileges may be jeopardized by this week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling, more limitations on the procedure are planned in the state.
      
  Lawmakers enacted new abortion restrictions in the regular legislative session that ended earlier this month.
      
  They required a 72-hour wait for most women to get an abortion, toughened criteria for doctors who perfo
  
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• Blasts at Istanbul airport kill 28, wound 60

  28-06-2016 14:56
  
  ISTANBUL - A Turkish official says two attackers have blown themselves up at Istanbul's Ataturk airport after police fired at them.Initially, Turkish media quoted Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag as saying 10 people were killed in the attack on Tuesday. However, Istanbul's governor would later update that figure to 28 dead with 60 wounded.The official said the attackers detonated the explosives at the entrance of the international terminal before entering the x-ray security check.Turkish airports h
  
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• New Orleans eyes cutting back on Bourbon Street strip clubs

  28-06-2016 14:45
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A city commission is weighing whether to rein in the number of strip clubs on Bourbon Street and the surrounding French Quarter, both to curb crime and tame one of America's most popular, and wild, entertainment districts.
      
  On Tuesday, the City Planning Commission may recommend limiting the number of strip clubs on Bourbon Street to seven - half as many as there are today on the famous street with a long history of cabaret, exotic dancers and brothels
  
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• American Red Cross apologizes for 'super racist' pool safety poster

  28-06-2016 14:28
  
  The American Red Cross has issued an apology after a person swimming at a public pool claimed one of the organization’s water safety posters is “super racist.”The poster, seen above, features a swimming pool scene with several children engaging in a range of activities that are labeled as either “cool” or “not cool.” The person who was offended by the poster contacted the Red Cross after noting that its only non-white characte
  
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• Man accused of holding ex-girlfriend captive after break-up

  28-06-2016 14:23
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police said they arrested a man accused of breaking into the apartment he once shared with an ex-girlfriend, stealing electronics and briefly holding her captive.26-year-old Marquis Knox, of Baton Rouge, was booked on charges of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, criminal damage to property, simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, cyberstalking, aggravated burglary, simple robbery and false imprisonment.The BRPD arrest report documents three separate incidents at the ap
  
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• Work set to start on new Jefferson Davis Parish jail

  28-06-2016 13:57
  
  JENNINGS - Ground will be officially broken Thursday for a new $10 million Jefferson Davis Parish Jail.
      
  The new regional consolidated jail facility is on U.S. Highway 90, just west of Jennings.
      
  Sheriff Ivy Woods said the jail will provide the parish with 200 inmate beds - 160 for males, 20 for female and 20 isolated cells for juveniles and quarantined offenders - which will help area law enforcement officials house inmates locally a
  
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• Baker council votes to raise Police Chief-elect's salary

  28-06-2016 13:44
  
  BAKER- Officials in Baker agreed to raise the city's newly elected Police Chief's salary Tuesday night. However, the council has yet to approve this year's budget.Police Chief-elect Carl Dunn believes he should be paid more than the $62,000 starting salary. Dunn said that outgoing Police Chief Mike Knaps supported his opponent in the election and cut the position's salary out of spite.Knaps, who has been with the Baker Police Department for 35 years, says those allegations aren't true, and he's
  
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• Facebook using GPS to suggest friends

  28-06-2016 13:43
  
  The people who pop up in your Facebook "people you may know" section may be because you have recently crossed paths with them.The section is usually driven by a random assortment of acquaintances with whom you have mutual friends through the social media site, however a common link is also two people who have a shared GPS data point on their phones.Fusion reported the story when a parent attended a gathering and noticed that Facebook suggested he be friends with another parent who attended, even
  
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• EU's most widely use language, English, endangered by Brexit

  28-06-2016 13:02
  
  BRUSSELS - Of all the myriad challenges facing the European Union with the pending departure of Britain, one unlikely issue that needs to be resolved is the fact that English would no longer be an official language.The EU has 24 official and working languages, and each of the 28 member states is allowed to nominate one.While the U.K. chose English, Ireland selected Gaelic and Malta picked Maltese. That means that, with the departure of the U.K., English — the most widely spoken and wri
  
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• Facebook solves I-10 love story

  28-06-2016 12:47
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - A near two-decade old love story and mystery unraveled thanks to Facebook and some curiosity this month.After noticing old graffiti on the eastbound-facing side of the Bluff Road overpass above I-10, some friends set out on a quest to find out the identities of the two people etched in love. A heart separates names Nick and Cassie, seemingly messaging to drivers the pair were in love when the message was written.Last week, Dillon Lejeune posted a picture of the bridge and a messag
  
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• Pei Wei restaurant closes in BR; to close all locations in state

  28-06-2016 12:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – Pei Wei Asian Diner, a sister restaurant of P.F. Chang's, is closing all three of its locations in Louisiana.The restaurant has locations in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Metairie. The Baton Rouge location in Acadian Village Shopping Center on Perkins Road and the New Orleans location on North Carrollton Avenue both closed its doors on Sunday.
  The Metairie location is expected to close by the end of the week."All employees will have the option to interview for positions at
  
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• Texas train collision triggers fireball; no word on injuries

  28-06-2016 12:19
  
  AMARILLO - Several box cars have derailed and are engulfed in flames following a freight train collision in the Texas Panhandle.
      
  Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Bryan Witt says the accident occurred Tuesday morning near the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo.
      
  Witt says he's waiting for more details on the accident from troopers arriving on scene.
      
  Images provided by KFDA-TV i
  
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• 1 injured, 3 missing in Texas train wreckage

  28-06-2016 12:19
  
  AMARILLO - A BNSF Railway spokesman says emergency personnel are searching for three crew members missing in the wreckage of a two-train collision in the Texas Panhandle.
      
  Spokesman Joe Faust said Tuesday that each train was carrying two crew members. He says one man jumped before the trains collided and is being treated at a hospital. The extent of his injuries is unknown.
      
  Faust says it's not clear how fast the trains were traveling
  
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• DEA: Heroin-related deaths tripled in four years

  28-06-2016 09:56
  
  WASHINGTON - A new report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency analyzing the nation’s ongoing heroin use health crisis says deaths involving heroin tripled between 2010 and 2014.Other key facts in the report include:- The number of people reporting current heroin use nearly tripled between 2007 (161,000) and 2014 (435,000).
  - Deaths due to synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and its analogues, increased 79 percent from 2013 to 2014.The DEA was especially concerned about the recent phe
  
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• School board member looks to jump to Metro Council in election

  28-06-2016 09:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - An East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member hopes to jump government boards this fall, asking voters to elect her to Metro Council.Via a news release from a publicist, Barbara Freiberg announced she is running for city government. Freiberg will run for the council's district 12 seat. Currently, John Delgado holds the office but is running for mayor against a handful of other notable officials. District 12 includes the neighborhoods of Kenilworth, Southdowns, Valley Park, Magnoli
  
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• No injuries reported in Mississippi plant blasts

  28-06-2016 09:27
  
  PASCAGOULA, Mississippi - Two explosions rocked a natural gas plant in southern Mississippi, but emergency management officials say the two employees on duty at the time were not injured.
  Earl Etheridge, Jackson County emergency manager, tells The Associated Press the workers were inside a safe room at the time of the explosions about 11:30 p.m. Monday. Etheridge says the second explosion was larger than the first and could be felt up to 10 miles away.
  He said the fire continues to burn Tuesday
  
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• Dow Chemical to cut about 2,500 jobs globally

  28-06-2016 09:09
  
  NEW YORK - Dow Chemical says it will eliminate about 2,500 jobs worldwide, or about 4 percent of its workforce, as it looks to close some plants ahead of its merger with DuPont.
  The two agriculture and chemical companies announced their plan to merge in December. After the merger, the companies plan to split the combined company into three separate publicly traded companies focused on agriculture, material science and specialty products.
  Dow Chemical Co. said Tuesday that it will shutter silicon
  
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• Supreme Court denies Mississippi, Wisconsin abortion appeals

  28-06-2016 09:05
  
  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has rejected appeals from Mississippi and Wisconsin seeking to put in place restrictions on abortion clinics that were struck down by lower courts.The justices on Tuesday refused to hear appeals involving laws that would have forced doctors who perform abortions at clinics in the two states to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.The orders follow Monday's decision in which the court struck down a similar provision in Texas.Federal appeals courts in Chicag
  
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• Volkswagen faces continued monitoring over fixes

  28-06-2016 09:04
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - Volkswagen will be closely monitored even if it is able to fix the vehicles.For the next five years, the settlement requires the company to notify the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board every time it tests one of the modified vehicles. The agencies will send representatives to observe those tests. If a vehicle fails a test, the company must notify the agencies within 72 hours and face possible penalties.Volkswagen is also required to submit ann
  
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• Supreme Court rejects pharmacists' religious rights appeal

  28-06-2016 08:47
  
  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is allowing Washington state to require pharmacies to dispense Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, rejecting an appeal from pharmacists who said they have religious objections to providing the drugs.The justices' order on Tuesday leaves in place rules first adopted in 2007 following reports that some women had been denied access to emergency contraceptives that are effective when taken within a few days of unprotected sex. Pharmacies must fill lawful prescrip
  
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• Port Allen eyes westward expansion through annexations

  28-06-2016 08:18
  
  PORT ALLEN - Port Allen is making inroads to gobble up undeveloped land and a residential community totaling some 230 acres in an annexation effort to expand the city's western boundaries.Mayor Richard Lee told members of the City Council Monday he met with the Lafayette-based attorney he had hired to guide the city on extending the city's limits.
  The attorney aiding the city will draft a survey outlining the target area for the boundary expansion. Chief Administrative Officer Adrian Genre said
  
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• Pat Summitt, winningest coach in D1 history, has died at 64

  28-06-2016 05:28
  
  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history who helped boost the women's game to the big time in a 38-year career at Tennessee, has died at 64.With an icy glare on the sidelines, Summitt led the Lady Vols to eight national championships and prominence on a campus steeped in the traditions of the football-rich south until she retired in 2012.Her son, Tyler Summitt, issued a statement Tuesday morning saying his mother died peacefully at Sherrill Hi
  
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• Louisiana hospitals, health department in wait-and-see mode

  28-06-2016 00:29
  
  Funding levels met the Department of Health's expectations, but the budget is riddled with uncertainty.
  
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