Baton Rouge news

• Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden's bye-bye tax hike bid to address traffic and mental health issues

  21-07-2016 22:21
  
  Mayor Kip Holden is asking the Metro Council and East Baton Rouge voters to approve higher property taxes to pay for road projects and the operation of a yet-to-be-built mental health center.
  
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• Custom-built free caskets donated to families of murdered officers

  21-07-2016 21:31
  
  BATON ROUGE - A special donation for three murdered law enforcement officers and their families arrived in Baton Rouge Thursday.Trey Ganem owns a company that makes specialized caskets. He says when we learned of the tragedy that occurred in Baton Rouge, he and his team immediately got to work, building caskets for the officers free-of-charge."I just felt compelled," Ganem told News 2. "This is something that if they would have it, that I definitely want to go ahead and pay it forward."
  
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• Injured East Baton Rouge deputy released from hospital

  21-07-2016 20:58
  
  A photograph shows him with a cast on his arm, as hospital staff members applaud.
  
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• Gunman's mother believes he suffered from PTSD

  21-07-2016 18:06
  
  BATON ROUGE - The mother of the Iraq war veteran who shot and killed three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge says she believes her son suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and that he once said he thought the CIA was following him.Gavin Long's mother, Corine Woodley, told PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley on Thursday that her son would "pretty much lose it" and become furious every time he heard about a black man being shot by police in what he considered an unlawful manner.
  
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• White House seeks more charging stations for electric cars

  21-07-2016 18:03
  
  WASHINGTON - The White House says that commercial charging stations for electric vehicles will be eligible to receive loan guarantees from the federal government as the Obama administration works to increase the number of stations. There are 16,000 currently in place.The White House says that up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees will be made available through the Energy Department. Under the program, the federal government assures a private lender that it will step in to repay the outstanding b
  
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• Police release new details of fatal shooting on 73rd Avenue

  21-07-2016 17:57
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police confirmed that one man is dead after being struck by a car after a shootout in Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon.According to Baton Rouge Police, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. in the 1800 block of 73rd Avenue. A 25-year-old man was leaving his home in a vehicle when 20-year-old Joseph Williams blocked him with another vehicle, according to police. They say Williams left his vehicle and shot at the victim with  a handgun.  The victim th
  
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• Man dead after being shot and hit by car near Somerset Street

  21-07-2016 17:57
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police confirmed that one man is dead after being shot then struck by a car in Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon.According to Baton Rouge Police, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. in the 1800 block of 73rd Avenue. One person has been shot and then hit by a car on Somerset Street near 73rd Avenue. Police say the man was struck by gunfire then a vehicle before being transported to a local hospital.Police do not know at this time if the man was intentionally struck b
  
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• Shell to trim jobs in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico

  21-07-2016 17:41
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Oil giant Shell says it will be cutting about 190 jobs from its deep-water Gulf of Mexico operations.Kimberly Windon, a Shell spokeswoman, says the company determined its staffing levels were higher than other operators'. The cuts include both contractors and Shell employees.The company said Thursday that the cuts are part of 2,200 jobs it's trimming globally. The company says it will transfer Gulf workers to other locations when possible.Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst with Ray
  
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• NBA moving All-Star Game out of Charlotte, sites LGBT law

  21-07-2016 17:06
  
  CHARLOTTE - The NBA is moving the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte because of its objections to a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people.
      
  The league says it hopes to announce a new location for next February's events shortly. It hopes to reschedule the 2019 game for Charlotte.
      
  The league's decision comes shortly after stage legislators revisited the law and chose to
  
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• Community support brings hundreds of donations for BRPD

  21-07-2016 16:51
  
  BATON ROUGE- Hundreds of donations are pouring in tonight for the men and women that put their lives on the line each and everyday.
  The generosity of strangers is what's keeping those with the badge going. In the breakrooms at Baton Rouge Police Headquarters, messages of love are overflowing from the community along with food and drinks to keep them going.
  "Thanks for keeping us safe. You guys are wanted and needed. Ya'll rock. Our family prays with you."Those are among the humbling messages of
  
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• U.S. Department of Justice awards $650k to local law enforcement response efforts

  21-07-2016 16:43
  
  BATON ROUGE – Congressman Garret Graves announced that the U.S. Department of Justice awarded $650,000 to local law enforcement officials following Sunday's shooting ambush.The shooting ambush left three officers dead and another three injured. One currently remains in the hospital in critical condition.
  "We are grateful for these much needed resources just days into what will be a long recovery and healing process for our community, but this is just a start," Graves said.
  Graves said
  
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• Roger Ailes out as head of Fox News, Fox Business

  21-07-2016 15:45
  
  NEW YORK - Roger Ailes is out as chief executive at Fox News Channel and Fox Business, his career at the networks he built from scratch and ran with an iron hand for nearly 20 years over with stunning swiftness following allegations that he forced out a former anchor after she spurned his sexual advances.
      
  Network parent 21st Century Fox announced Thursday that Ailes would resign immediately.
      
  Rupert Murdoch, the executive chairman of
  
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• Deputies trying to identify Donaldsonville burglary suspect

  21-07-2016 14:48
  
  DONALDSONVILLE – Deputies are trying to identify a man who they say is responsible for a string of burglaries in the Donaldsonville area last weekend.According to Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the burglaries happened during the late hours of Sunday July 16.The suspect was seen on home security video wearing light colored sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt with some type of covering over his face.Investigators say the man burglarized several unlocked vehicles and sheds i
  
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• Louisiana awarded $2.4 million to help battle Zika virus

  21-07-2016 14:31
  
  BATON ROUGE – Louisiana has been awarded $2.4 million to fight the Zika virus.
  The award is the state's share of about $60 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to states cities and territories to support efforts to protect citizens from the Zika virus and adverse health outcomes that can result from the Zika infection, including the birth defect microcephaly.
  The funding is in addition to $25 million awarded on July 1 as a part of CDC's preparedness and response
  
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• Louisiana may need short-term loan for temporary cash flow

  21-07-2016 14:01
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana is laying the groundwork for possibly taking out a short-term loan to pay the state's bills.The Bond Commission on Thursday agreed without objection to start the process, with a final decision in August.Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration, Treasurer John Kennedy's office and legislative leaders are monitoring state cash flow to determine if the loan will be needed temporarily.The state usually borrows from its own savings accounts until tax collections, fees and other p
  
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• Baton Rouge readies for funerals of 3 slain police officers

  21-07-2016 14:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge is preparing for the funerals of three slain police officers involved in a July 17th shooting on Airline Highway.BRPD officer Matthew Gerald, Corporal Montrell Jackson and East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Deputy Brad Garafola' funerals will take place over the weekend and into Monday.Viewing for Matthew Gerald is set for Thursday, July 21 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Resthaven Gardens of Memory & Funeral Home at 11817 Jefferson Highway.Another viewing for Gerald will take pla
  
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• GM recalls about 290K cars; air bags may not work in crash

  21-07-2016 13:57
  
  DETROIT - General Motors is recalling nearly 290,000 older Chevrolet Impala sedans in the U.S. because the air bags might not inflate in a crash.The recall covers Impalas from the 2009 and 2010 model years that were made before Feb. 10, 2010.GM says in government documents that the front passenger seat frame can rub against the wiring for a passenger detection sensor. Damaged wiring could cut power to the sensor and knock out the air bags.Air bag warning lights will illuminate if the wires are c
  
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• Southwest says technology outage fixed but more flights cut

  21-07-2016 13:54
  
  DALLAS - Southwest says it has fixed computer problems that caused hundreds of flights to be canceled, but it is telling passengers to get to the airport early because there could be long lines.The airline has already canceled more than 220 flights on Thursday.Several of the airline's technology systems were affected by an outage that started Wednesday afternoon, causing the cancellation of nearly 700 flights and delays for hundreds more.Southwest's website crashed, and the airline briefly held
  
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• 'Pokemon Go' players not welcome in city's cemeteries

  21-07-2016 13:52
  
  WASHINGTON - Officials in a west Georgia city say "Pokemon Go" players are no longer allowed in its cemeteries.The Newnan Times-Herald reports reports the Newnan City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday that prohibits people from playing internet or cellphone games at the city's three cemeteries.Newnan City Manager Cleatus Phillips says the city has received multiple complaints about people damaging a fence, blocking roadways and running on and across gravesites.Newnan Police Chief Douglas Buste
  
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• Police shoot autistic man's caretaker as he lies in street

  21-07-2016 13:47
  
  MIAMI - Authorities say a Florida police officer shot and wounded an autistic man's black caretaker in an incident purportedly captured on cellphone video that shows the caretaker lying down with his arms raised before being shot.North Miami Assistant Police Chief Neal Cuevas told The Miami Herald that officers responded to the scene Monday following reports of a man threatening to shoot himself. Officers arrived to find 47-year-old Charles Kinsey, a therapist who works with disabilities, accord
  
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• Company donates caskets for 3 slain officers

  21-07-2016 13:15
  
  BATON ROUGE - A former law enforcement officer who owns a casket-making business has designed and donated coffins for the funerals of three officers who were killed Sunday in Baton Rouge.
      
  Trey Ganem is owner of Trey Ganem Designs in Edna, Texas. He said he felt like he had to do something for the officers after he heard about how they were ambushed Sunday by a man who police said was targeting law enforcement.
      
  Ganem said that his em
  
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• Brazil police arrest men pleading ISIS allegiance, plotting Olympic attack

  21-07-2016 12:26
  
  RIO DE JANEIRO - Federal police in Brazil have ordered the detention of 12 people who allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group via social media.
      
  Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes told journalists in Brasilia on Thursday that 10 had been arrested and two more were being sought.
      
  Moraes says police acted because the group had been discussing the use of weapons and guerrilla tactics to potentially launch an attack duri
  
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• Trump accepts GOP nomination, addresses police shooting in Baton Rouge

  21-07-2016 12:16
  
  CLEVELAND, OH - Donald Trump officially accepted the GOP nomination for President of the United States Thursday night at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.Trump was introduced by his daughter Ivanka, Trump took the stage, accepted the nomination and laid out his platform for this fall's campaign. He also took the opportunity to discuss the ambush of police officers in Baton Rouge that left 3 dead and 3 others injured."America was shocked to its core when our police officers in Dall
  
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• Man dead after morning crash in West Baton Rouge Parish

  21-07-2016 12:15
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH – State Police say one man is dead after a single vehicle crash in West Baton Rouge Parish Thursday morning.According to Louisiana State Police, the wreck happened around 5 a.m. Thursday on LA 620 west of LA 983.Investigators say 27-year-old Aaron Walker of Glynn, La. was driving westbound on LA 620 when “for unknown reasons” crossed the center line and ran off the roadway. Walker’s vehicle came to a stop after striking a c
  
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• Gov. Edwards contributes to blood drive at Capitol

  21-07-2016 09:09
  
  BATON ROUGE - The governor contributed to a blood drive taking place at the State Capitol on Thursday morning.State workers and the public will be contributing to the blood drive into the afternoon which was arranged by the Governor’s Office of Programs and Planning and LifeShare Blood Centers in honor of the lives lost by law enforcement officers in last Sunday’s ambush shooting. Two Baton Rouge Police Department officers and one East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office d
  
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• Louisiana election registration period enters its second day

  21-07-2016 08:42
  
  BATON ROUGE - The candidate registration period for the Nov. 8 election has entered its second day.But it was a much slower pace Thursday than on opening day, when 15 candidates packed into the Secretary of State's Office to sign up for the U.S. Senate race. Republican incumbent David Vitter isn't running for re-election so the seat is open.All of Louisiana's congressmen signed up for races on Wednesday. Registering for re-election were Republican U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise, Ralph Abraham and Garr
  
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• Cedric Richmond, Kip Holden will face each other in congressional race

  21-07-2016 02:54
  
  The two men don't appear to like each other much.
  
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• Gunman's apparent manifesto describes actions as 'necessary evil'

  21-07-2016 01:12
  
  The man who ambushed and killed three law enforcement officers in Louisiana purportedly described his actions as a "necessary evil" in a self-described, handwritten manifesto that an Ohio man says was emailed to him by the gunman less than an hour before the shootings.
  
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• Cedric Richmond, Garret Graves seek federal support after Baton Rouge shootings

  21-07-2016 00:42
  
  They want the shooting victims families and law enforcement agencies to receive compensation.
  
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