Baton Rouge news

• Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump matchup another Edwin Edwards-David Duke situation for Louisiana Republicans

  01-07-2016 23:22
  
  Barring a miracle, the Apocalypse or "Doc" Brown actually inventing a "Back to the Future" time machine, Louisiana Republican voters will have this choice when selecting the next president of the United States: Hillary Rodham Clinton or Donald J. Trump. Gawd...
  
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• Injury could sideline Usain Bolt from 2016 Olympics

  01-07-2016 21:25
  
  KINGSTON, Jamaica - Jamaican officials say Usain Bolt has withdrawn from his country's National Senior Championships, citing an unspecified injury that casts doubt on whether he will appear at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next month.
      
  The national meet serves as the Olympic trials. Bolt had qualified for the 100-meter final on Friday night, and was scheduled to compete in the 200-meter events Saturday and Sunday. He could apply for a medical exemption and still run
  
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• John Bel Edwards' Louisiana budget vetoes: What he rejected

  01-07-2016 20:36
  
  Edwards struck language from one of the budget bills that required any additional tax money that might come into the state above and beyond what is expected to be automatically split between the TOPS college scholarship program, other higher education needs, and health care.
  
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• Orangutan escapes enclosure at Busch Garden Tampa

  01-07-2016 20:03
  
  TAMPA, FL.- Parts of Busch Gardens Tampa were evacuated and closed off after an orangutan escaped its enclosure.
      
  Guests were uploading videos of the great ape climbing a tree on Friday. The orangutan was eventually tranquilized and returned to its enclosure. No injuries were reported to park guests or employees.
      
  Jason Mayhew of Orlando said that Busch Gardens staff members did a great job keeping people informed when the orangutan w
  
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• TOPS to be short in the fall, bigger cut coming in the spring

  01-07-2016 19:37
  
  There will be cuts to TOPS in both the fall and the spring, according to the governor.
  
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• Lawsuit against NFL by former players will go to court

  01-07-2016 19:30
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - More than 1,500 former players claiming that NFL teams and their training staffs dispensed powerful drugs while misleading them about the health risks will get their day in court.
      
  Federal judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California denied a motion Friday to dismiss the players' lawsuit, allowing the discovery phase of the trial to begin.
      
  Alsup had dismissed a similar lawsuit in December 2014, in which
  
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• No raise yet for Baker's new police chief

  01-07-2016 18:43
  
  BAKER- City council members aren't sure if they'll try again to get their new police chief a pay raise."It's all up in the air at this point," Councilman Charles Vincent said Friday. "But we are hopeful that everything will work out."The new chief Charles Dunn is starting his job at a significantly lower pay-scale than his predecessor Mike Knapps. Dunn will be paid $62,000 a year plus benefits compared to Knaps who was making $83,000 after ten years as chief."The truth is I could do this job for
  
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• Livingston woman dead after morning crash in Denham Springs

  01-07-2016 18:01
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – State Police say a Livingston woman is dead after a morning crash in Livingston Parish Monday.According to Louisiana State Police, 62-year-old Judy Soulier died from her injuries after a Jeep Cherokee crossed a center lane on LA 1026, striking Soulier’s car head-on.Police say Soulier was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash but still suffered severe injuries. She was transported to Ochsner Medical Center where she later died Friday.The driver of the Ch
  
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• Mom, boyfriend charged in child's sex abuse case

  01-07-2016 16:06
  
  LIVONIA - A couple was booked into jail on child sex charges, the WBRZ Investigative Unit learned Friday. Authorities said a man was raping his live-in girlfriend's daughter.  The abuse happened over the course of nine years, police said the victim reported.  Authorities remained tight-lipped about the case when contacted for information by WBRZ Friday, although the Livonia Police Chief said the victim reported the crime herself. Damien Kimble, 35, was charged
  
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• Suit seeks voting rights for felons on parole, probation

  01-07-2016 15:51
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A lawsuit filed in state court seeks to restore voting rights for some 70,000 Louisiana residents who are on probation or parole for felonies.Friday's lawsuit was filed in Baton Rouge by the group Voice of the Ex-Offender and several convicted felons who have been denied voting rights. The suit says state laws blocking people who are on parole or probation from voting violate the Louisiana Constitution.The 1974 constitution allows suspension of voting rights for people "under an or
  
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• Man from Kentucky wins $1 million prize after buying Powerball ticket in Ama

  01-07-2016 15:12
  
  BATON ROUGE – A lucky man from Kentucky is Louisiana's latest Lottery millionaire after he claimed a $1 million Power ball prize from the June 25 drawing.David Henderson of Hawesville, Kentucky, bought his winning ticket at Phillips 66 right off the Mississippi River in Ama. Henderson works about aboard a boat up and down the Mississippi and often purchases lottery tickets on his travels.He received $700,000 after federal and state taxes were withheld. The store clerk who sole Henderso
  
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• River Center Library to close for construction Tuesday

  01-07-2016 14:51
  
  BATON ROUGE – With construction starting soon on a new downtown library, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library will close its River Center Branch Library Tuesday night.According to a statement Friday, the River Center Branch Library located at 120 St. Louis St. will be closed effective July 6. A temporary branch will reopen later in July at 447 3rd St.Parish officials say the closure will allow workers to move books, computers and other materials to the temporary location.The in
  
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• Driver of vehicle that hit State Police trooper will be charged

  01-07-2016 14:47
  
  RUDDOCK - State Police say the driver involved in a crash that closed I-55 North and injured a trooper earlier Friday afternoon will be charged.The driver was identified as Shane Matecum. He’ll face a careless operation charge, according to LSP.State Police have yet to identify the trooper, but it was confirmed that the female trooper was attempting to assist a broken down motorist when the vehicle driven by Matecum crashed into her parked unit.The parked LSP patrol SUV spun and hit th
  
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• Mother charged in stabbing deaths of 4 children

  01-07-2016 14:37
  
  MEMPHIS, Tenn.- Authorities in Tennessee say the mother of four children found fatally stabbed has been charged with first-degree murder.Shanynthia Gardner of Memphis faces four counts of first degree murder while committing aggravated child neglect; four counts of first degree murder while committing aggravated child abuse; four counts of aggravated child neglect or endangerment; and four counts of aggravated child abuse.Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham says the victims were a 4-year-old boy;
  
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• 4 children fatally stabbed in Memphis; mother in custody

  01-07-2016 14:37
  
  MEMPHIS, Tenn.- Officials say four children in Memphis have been fatally stabbed and their mother has been taken into custody.Shelby County Sheriff's Office spokesman Earle Farrell said the stabbings occurred at an apartment complex Friday and deputies were at the scene. No further information was immediately available.The Commercial Appeal reports that sheriff's deputies blocked off a section of the well-maintained brick buildings at the Greens of Irene apartment complex.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Suit challenges new abortion restrictions in Louisiana

  01-07-2016 14:34
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Abortion clinics in Louisiana and their doctors have filed a lawsuit to block a series of new restrictions on abortion, including making women wait longer before an abortion can be performed and taking away medical options in the second trimester.The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Baton Rouge on Friday. The restrictions take effect Aug. 1.New requirements would force many women to wait 72 hours and undergo ultrasounds before getting abortions. Louisiana is also partially ban
  
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• Traffic snarl stretches for 19 miles between Lafayette and BR

  01-07-2016 14:05
  
  BATON ROUGE -  A nearly 20 mile-long delay is stretching west from Baton Rouge toward Lafayette starting at the foot of the Mississippi River Bridge as holiday traffic combines with Friday commuters to drag eastbound travel to a near standstill.LA DOTD took to Twitter early Friday afternoon to advise motorists that heavier than normal delays could be expected on I-10 East between Lafayette and Baton Rouge for the rest of the day due to the increased volume associated travelers hitting t
  
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• Heavy delays expected on I-10 East due to holiday travel

  01-07-2016 14:05
  
  BATON ROUGE -  A several mile delay is stretching west from Baton Rouge starting at the foot of the Mississippi River Bridge as holiday traffic combines with Friday commuters to create heavy congestion.LA DOTD took to Twitter early Friday afternoon to advise motorists that heavier than normal delays could be expected on I-10 East between Lafayette and Baton Rouge for the rest of the day due to the increased volume associated travelers hitting the road ahead of a long holiday weekend.Thi
  
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• A rush to ERs in Louisiana Medicaid expansion? Clinics hope to fill that need

  01-07-2016 14:02
  
  Emergency rooms are typically a high-traffic area after Medicaid expansion, but New Orleans is uniquely positioned to draw patients into primary care.
  
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• Records: Trump used charity cash for Tim Tebow memorabilia

  01-07-2016 13:58
  
  WASHINGTON - A new report says Donald Trump used money from his own charity to purchase an autographed Tim Tebow helmet and jersey four years ago during a charity auction for the Susan J. Komen Foundation.Citing a review of Trump's charitable records, The Washington Post reported Friday that the $12,000 bill for the then-Denver Broncos quarterback's memorabilia was paid by the Donald J. Trump Foundation. The newspaper says the presumptive Republican presidential nominee hadn't donated any of his
  
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• US: Up to 116 civilians killed in drone, other air attacks

  01-07-2016 13:56
  
  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration says between 64 and 116 civilians have been killed by drone and other U.S. strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Africa since President Barack Obama took office in 2009.Friday's disclosure was the administration's first public assessment of the number of civilians killed in these types of operations. Some human rights advocates say the number is significantly higher.Obama also signed an executive order that makes protecting civilians a central element in planning U
  
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• Fisherman captures shark ripping another shark in half on video

  01-07-2016 13:53
  
  HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. - There’s always a bigger fish.A fisherman in Florida captured video from his paddleboard as his friend reeled in a 4-foot-long blacktip shark. However, before the fisherman could secure his catch, a much bigger bull shark struck, biting the smaller shark in half.Peter Hinck uploaded the video capturing the attack to YouTube late last month. It was already nearing close to a million views as of this writing.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police say 2 officers killed in Bangladesh attack

  01-07-2016 13:36
  
  DHAKA, Bangladesh  -Police say two officers have been killed by attackers who stormed a restaurant popular with foreigners in a diplomatic zone in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, taking dozens of hostages and exchanging gunfire with security forces.Hospital authorities said another 25 officers and one civilian were being treated for injuries, including 10 people listed in critical condition. The injuries include bullet wounds and broken bones, they said.The Islamic State's Amaq News Age
  
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• Attackers take hostages at Bangladesh restaurant

  01-07-2016 13:36
  
  DHAKA, Bangladesh  - Local media report that a group of up to nine attackers took hostages inside a restaurant frequented by both locals and foreigners in a diplomatic zone in Bangladesh's capital.Bangladesh TV stations reported that the attackers entered the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan area around 9:20 p.m. Friday and were holding customers and staff hostage.The TV reports said the identities of the attackers were not immediately known.The reports say a huge contingent of s
  
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• Edwards allows front-loading of TOPS payments, doesn't veto

  01-07-2016 13:31
  
  BATON ROUGE - Though he called it bad policy, Gov. John Bel Edwards has upheld the front-loaded approach to TOPS in the new budget.College students on TOPS will receive full tuition funding for the fall semester and 42 percent financing for the spring.As the financial year began Friday, the Democratic governor signed the budget bill passed by lawmakers in the special session that ended last week, to spend the $263 million raised through various tax changes.Edwards didn't use his line-item veto
  
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• Gas leak contained on Scenic Highway and Blount Road

  01-07-2016 13:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - A gas/diesel leak has been contained after a Hazmat crew responded to the leak near Scenic Highway and Blount Road.Baton Rouge Firefighters were en route to the leak just before 11 a.m. Friday. The sheriff's office confirmed there was a pipeline link.ExxonMobil Pipeline Company is conducting cleanup operations. According to officials, Exxon identified a leak during a routine inspection and the line was shut down.Exxon also has industrial hygiene teams on the scene to conduct&nb
  
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• Police to increase patrols for July 4th weekend

  01-07-2016 12:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – State Troopers and law enforcement are reminding residents and visitors to be safe while traveling on the road for the fourth of July weekend.In 2015, celebrations during the weekend turned tragic for six families after fatal crashes that took the lives of their loved ones.Other drivers celebrated the holiday from behind bars for the holiday instead. This year, there will be an increased number of Troopers will be on patrol during the weekend celebrations.
  Louisiana State
  
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• Traffic deaths surged in 2015 as driving hit new record

  01-07-2016 12:41
  
  WASHINGTON - The government says traffic deaths surged last year as drivers racked up more miles behind the wheel than ever before.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says preliminary estimates show fatalities rose 7.7 percent to about 35,200 in 2015. That's makes last year the deadliest driving year since 2008.Safety experts cited several reasons for the rebound in fatalities. The most significant is that an improved economy and low gas prices led to a record 3.1 trillion miles d
  
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• Obama urges Congress to pass Zika prevention bill

  01-07-2016 12:38
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says a vaccine for the Zika virus could be developed in "fairly short order" if Congress acts quickly to pass a bill to prevent the spread of the disease.Obama says researchers are beginning to develop and test a vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus. He says that if the effort is well funded he's "fairly confident" an effective vaccine could be developed before the virus spreads to the continental U.S.Obama made the remarks Friday after being briefed by top he
  
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• Matthew McConaughey teaching filmmaking course at Texas

  01-07-2016 12:37
  
  AUSTIN - Matthew McConaughey is heading back to school this fall to teach a course on filmmaking at the University of Texas at Austin.The university says in a social media post that the Oscar winner will teach at his alma mater alongside "Hunger Games" director Gary Ross.The university tells the San Antonio Express-Times that the actor will take 30 students behind the scenes of McConaughey and Ross' latest film, "The Free State of Jones" through recorded videos. The school says McConaughey will
  
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• Official: AG will accept prosecutor call on Clinton case

  01-07-2016 12:32
  
  WASHINGTON - A Justice Department official says Attorney General Loretta Lynch "expects to accept" whatever recommendation career prosecutors make in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's handling of emails.The official, speaking on grounds of anonymity because of the ongoing probe, says Lynch will discuss the policy later Friday.This revelation comes amid a controversy surrounding a private discussion Lynch had aboard her plane on the tarmac at a Phoenix airport Monday with Clinton's husband
  
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• A balanced Louisiana state budget, but for how long?

  01-07-2016 12:31
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's income forecasts have been adjusted to reflect recently-passed tax increases, providing a balanced budget for the state's 2016-17 fiscal year, which starts Friday. But that balance could be short-lived, as more financial problems loom for state government.Economists have warned the state could close the books for the current fiscal year with a deficit as large as $200 million.Also, Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration says Louisiana might have to take out a short-term
  
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• Washington flummoxed over federal Confederate flag displays

  01-07-2016 12:30
  
  WASHINGTON - A year after South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from its capitol grounds, official Washington is struggling with further restrictions on the flag's display on federal property, including the U.S. Capitol complex.The National Park Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Army have longstanding guidelines for its cemeteries that permit the display of the Confederate flag one or two days a year.In recent weeks, Republicans quietly dumped a provision preventing the f
  
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• Texas abortions fell sharply under law Supreme Court voided

  01-07-2016 12:26
  
  AUSTIN - Abortions in Texas plummeted about 15 percent during the first year after approval of tough restrictions that the U.S. Supreme Court has since struck down - a decline that activists say shows how hard it had become to get an abortion in America's second-largest state.The health department released the statistics Thursday, after lengthy delays it blamed on finalizing the data. But providers and abortion-rights groups spent months complaining that officials were intentionally stalling, an
  
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• Central Fire Department addresses recent injuries in rivers

  01-07-2016 12:23
  
  CENTRAL - The Central Fire Department is warning residents to practice safety around rivers, after two separate diving injuries during the week.Since the beginning of the year, there have been five reported injuries involving people jumping or diving into the Amite and Comite Rivers.  One of those resulted in a fatality. Some of the injuries require special machinery in order to reach the area, including ATVs, boats, and helicopters."It's created injuries," Central District Fire Chief D
  
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• Spring shrimp season to close for inshore waters Sunday

  01-07-2016 12:20
  
  HOUMA - The spring inshore shrimp season, marked by low prices this year, will close at 6 p.m. Sunday in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday inshore shrimping will end from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line to the western shore of the Freshwater Bayou Canal in Vermilion Parish.Data collected by biologists in recent weeks show an increased quantity and percentage of small, juvenile white shrimp in these waters and the season will b
  
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• Police: Man fleeing from traffic stop wounded in shootout

  01-07-2016 12:18
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana State Police say a man fleeing from a traffic stop is being treated for wounds after a shootout with troopers.The man's name and his condition have not been released.Trooper Melissa Matey says a passenger jumped from a pickup stopped for a traffic violation late Thursday night and had a shootout with officers after a brief chase.Matey says the pickup's driver is in custody and is being questioned.Additional information about the shooting was not immediately available.Perm
  
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• Federal judge blocks Mississippi religious objections law

  01-07-2016 12:16
  
  JACKSON - A federal judge has blocked a Mississippi law that would let merchants and government employees cite religious beliefs to deny or delay services to same-sex couples.U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves filed orders in two lawsuits blocking the law just moments before it was to take effect Friday.State attorneys are expected to appeal his decisions.The law would protect three beliefs: That marriage is only between a man and a woman; that sex should only take place in such a marriage; and
  
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• DA ends quest for death penalty in 1993 officer killing

  01-07-2016 09:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Kevan Brumfield, convicted of first-degree murder in the 1993 shooting death of Cpl. Betty Smothers and wounding of store manager Kimen Lee, will not be put to death by the state.The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month shot down Moore's request for further proceedings on whether Brumfield has an intellectual disability that prevents the state from executing him. The Court has ruled that people who are found to be intellectually disabled or mentally ill cannot be executed.District
  
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• Louisiana gets $2.4 million from foreclosure settlement

  01-07-2016 08:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - State Treasurer John Kennedy says more than 4,000 borrowers in Louisiana are owed money from a settlement with mortgage servicers stemming from the 2008 housing bubble burst.Kennedy is urging residents to check the department's Unclaimed Property database to see if they're owed any of that cash.Kennedy, in a news release Thursday, said the state had just deposited more than $2 million that is owed to Louisiana residents and his office wants to get that money to them.The average bor
  
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• Tesla crash a harbinger of industry fears

  01-07-2016 08:49
  
  WASHINGTON - The fatal crash of a high-tech car set on "Autopilot" is a crash that auto industry knew was coming but still feared.Now the fatal crash of a Tesla Motors car could add to the public's apprehension of driverless cars even before they reach the road in big numbers. Most major automakers and technology companies, including Google and Uber, are working on fully autonomous cars, and have worried that a highly publicized crash could hurt those efforts.An Ohio man was killed in Florida in
  
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• 'Remains' of Loch Ness monster wash ashore in Scotland

  01-07-2016 08:34
  
  LOCH NESS, Scotland - Strange “dinosaur-like remains” that supposedly washed ashore on the banks of Loch Ness in Scotland this week have had the web wondering whether the mythical monster is more than myth.On Wednesday, an animal adoption organization, Help2Rehome Scotland, posted images of what appeared to be animal remains to Facebook after a dogwalker happened upon them while walking near the lake.“Has Nessy been found? Or someone playing a fascinating prank,&
  
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• How much money will Louisiana's new taxes raise? It's hard to say

  01-07-2016 00:04
  
  It doesn't look like anyone has a great grasp on how much the tax changes will produce
  
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