Baton Rouge news

• Apple offering reward to hackers offering info on security flaws

  04-08-2016 20:21
  
  LAS VEGAS - Apple says it will start offering cash rewards of up to $200,000 to hackers who come forward with information about security flaws in the company's software.
      
  The iPhone maker is joining other big tech companies that offer so-called "bug bounties" to people who discover vulnerabilities in their computer code. The goal is to encourage individuals to come forward so the company can fix the problem - and to discourage hackers from exploiting the flaw or se
  
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• Baton Rouge crime fears down, bike love up: CityStats survey

  04-08-2016 19:46
  
  Residents across the parish are less afraid of crime; embrace the death penalty; are ambivalent about the legalization of marijuana; eager to try a bike share program; and believe government should regulate emissions that contribute to global warming.
  
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• Livingston Parish students return to school

  04-08-2016 18:32
  
  BATON ROUGE – On Thursday, over 26,000 students returned for the first day of school in Livingston Parish.Kelly Jones, Denham Springs High School principal, said that he missed seeing the students."I do, I really do, were always excited when school lets out in May, but i doesn't take long to yearn for that routine, and see the students again," Jones said.For most students, it took a lot to get back into the rhythm of being back at school, but for some of the seniors, it was da
  
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• LSU Foundation creating real estate development group to benefit university

  04-08-2016 18:22
  
  Looking for ways to generate more money for the university, the LSU Foundation is getting into the real estate business.
  
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• Upscale shopping center requests Pokestops removed after SWAT team called

  04-08-2016 17:52
  
  LAFAYETTE – A strip mall in Lafayette has requested the Pokemon Go company to remove “Pokestops” around their locations.According to a KATC report, Parc Lafayette sent a request to Niantic to remove the virtual stops due to safety concerns.In the letter sent to Niantic, Parc Lafayette cites increased garbage around the location, damage to property, Pokemon Go players driving while playing the app as well as an incident where a SWAT team had to enter the center.KATC
  
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• Wreck closes both lanes of US 190 at Livonia

  04-08-2016 16:50
  
  LIVONIA - Both lanes of US 190 inside the city limits of Livonia are closed due to a crash with injuries.Traffic is not passing through in either direction. The closure is expected to remain in effect for up to two hours.Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes.More details are expected in this developing story.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Residents in Ascension Parish upset over Parish President's alleged actions

  04-08-2016 16:31
  
  GONZALES- Residents in Ascension Parish are reacting to allegations their Parish President offered a bribe to a man who was running for Gonzales City Council.
  Samuel Juneau owns the Sorrento Carwash. It's a business off the main drag, a stones throw from Airline Highway.His phone has been ringing off the hook over what's in front of his business.
  "I've been getting a lot of texts, people commenting on my Facebook page, and a lot of people sharing the sign," Juneau said. "People get a kick out of
  
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• Funnel cloud forms over French Quarter in New Orleans

  04-08-2016 16:18
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Severe weather moved across Lake Pontchartrain and sat over the Big Easy on Thursday afternoon.Intense lightning and heavy rain came with the storm. WWL-TV even posted an image of a funnel cloud forming above the French Quarter.Video of funnel cloud captured over New Orleanshttps://t.co/kYQxEf1Mp5 pic.twitter.com/IzLvazrD2I— WWL-TV (@WWLTV) August 4, 2016More than 10,000 customers were without power in various neighborhoods throughout the New Orleans area. More than two i
  
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• Man arrested after bomb squad responded to report of suspicious package

  04-08-2016 13:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - One man has been arrested after Baton Rouge Police and a bomb squad responded to a report of a suspicious package on Hermitage Drive on Thursday morning.Patrick McAdams has been arrested on a terrorizing charge, according to BRPD.Police said a suspicious package was thrown on top of a mail truck, however it was later discovered that it was a bag of unidentified debris that appeared to be trash. More details on the contents of the bag are expected to be released so
  
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• Black Lives Matter activist sues Baton Rouge over arrest

  04-08-2016 13:35
  
  BATON ROUGE - Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson is suing the city of Baton Rouge over his arrest last month at a protest of a black man fatally shot during a struggle with two white police officers.Mckesson was among nearly 200 protesters arrested in Baton Rouge following the July 5 shooting death of 37-year-old Alton Sterling.A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court on behalf of Mckesson and two other arrested protesters, accuses the city and police officials of violating
  
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• Georgia man accused of having sex with goat

  04-08-2016 13:34
  
  PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia man was arrested after his neighbor witnessed him having sex with a female goat, according to police.65-year-old Freddie Wadsworth was booked on a beastiality charge after his arrest on July 29. He was later released on bond.The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to the scene after they received a call from a female neighbor of Wadsworth who said she saw the act occur.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Lake Crest in final stages of hyacinth clean-up

  04-08-2016 13:30
  
  BATON ROUGE – An organized effort to remove a hyacinth bloom from Lake Crest is in its final stages.The plants have been in the lake since early May and cleanup began in late June. The plants, not native to the area, rob the water of oxygen once they die, create an odor and could even kill fish in the lake.Lake Crest is one of the smallest in the Baton Rouge Lake systems and is located near Dalrymple Drive. The cleanup effortA pontoon-mounted machine, from the Bayou LaFourche Fresh Wat
  
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• Woman dies after struck by car on US 51

  04-08-2016 13:09
  
  HAMMOND – A woman walking along US 51 in Hammond died after she was struck by a car early Thursday morning.Around 4:30 a.m. Louisiana State Troopers responded to the crash and learned that 45-year-old Karen Rae Phillips was walking within the northbound lane of US 51. As Phillips was walking, she was struck by a Dodge Challenger driven by 34-year-old Sharhonda Deane Burton. Phillips was thrown 100 feet from the initial point of impact. Phillips was pronounced dead a the scene
  
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• Power back on in Plaquemine after planned power outages

  04-08-2016 12:51
  
  IBERVILLE - The power is back on in Plaquemine after repairs to an Entergy substation were completed overnight.The power was expected to be out from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., but many residents saw unplanned outages in advance of the planned work due to severe weather earlier in the day.Before the weather rolled in, Plaquemine residents said they were prepared for the "Plaq-Out.""I'm going to just cool my house down as much as possible before 11:00," one resident said."It will be hot," another acknowle
  
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• Atlantic City's Trump Taj Mahal to close amid month-long strike

  04-08-2016 12:44
  
  ATLANTIC CITY - The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City says it plans to close its doors after Labor Day. The news comes amid a workers' strike that has dragged on for over a month.Despite bearing Donald Trump's name, the hotel is actually owned by billionaire Carl Icahn through Icahn Enterprises. Trump has not been involved with it since 2009.The company said in a statement Wednesday that it has "lost almost $100 million trying to save the Taj. ... Currently the Taj is losing multi-millions a mont
  
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• Kenny Matassa addresses bribery allegations at council meeting

  04-08-2016 12:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Ascension Parish Presidnet Kenny Matassa addressed the media for the first time since bribery allegations surfaced."I've got nothing to say," Matassa told people at a council meeting Thursday. "I'm doing my job and I'm going to continue doing my job."At the meeting, Matassa began answering questions, but quickly exited the chamber through a back door.Earlier, Matassa turned all contracts, despite the amount they were worth, for council approval."Our government's not crippled or bro
  
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• Two councilmen question Matassa's political future

  04-08-2016 12:08
  
  GONZALES - There is dissension on the Ascension Parish Council amid allegations the parish president was involved in a bribe.This week, the WBRZ Investigative Unit reported audio recordings purportedly captured Parish President Kenny Matassa paying Wayne Lawson not to run for a seat on the Gonzales City Council.  Matassa's attorney said Wednesday, Matassa gave Lawson a loan and free political advice.  There was no bribe, attorney&
  
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• CityStats 2016 report analyzes EBR economics, other factors

  04-08-2016 09:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has released its CityStats 2016 report complete with indicators for tracking quality of life in the Capital Area.CityStats tracks the quality of life in East Baton Rouge Parish with more than 70 indicators. Its total 2016 sample included more than 500 randomly selected adult residents of the parish. Segments analyzed included recreation, education, government, environment, infrastructure and health.BRAF Chair S. Dennis Blunt notes at the beginning of
  
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• America seen from abroad: arrogant, nice, tech-savvy, free

  04-08-2016 08:32
  
  BANGKOK - The rest of the world may think Americans eat a lot of burgers, have huge shopping malls and are ruled by an arrogant government. And yet the "Ugly American," it would seem, isn't all bad. Americans are also seen from afar as generous tippers, friendly, uncomplicated, rich and the standard bearers of freedom, equality, creativity and technological power.While many Americans feel their nation is divided as never before, a sampling of the rest of the world reflects a more charitable view
  
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• Republican Caitlyn Jenner not 'outwardly' supporting Trump

  04-08-2016 08:25
  
  LOS ANGELES - Caitlyn Jenner says she backs the Republican party, but hasn't "outwardly supported anybody" in the presidential race, including GOP nominee Donald Trump.During an appearance on HBO's "Any Given Wednesday," Jenner said she wants "to help the entire Republican Party do a better job when it comes to LGBT issues."Jenner said at an event in Cleveland during last month's Republican National Convention that it was easier to come out as transgender than it was as a Republican.After Trump
  
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• 2 dead, 4 injured in 4 overnight shootings in New Orleans

  04-08-2016 08:06
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Police are investigating four separate shootings that happened overnight in the New Orleans area, leaving two men dead and another four injured.WWL-TV reports officers responded to a call at the corner of Frenchman and Sere streets at around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators say the victims were all in their late-20s. No word on their conditions or a motive.In a separate incident, an off-duty NOPD officer was riding his bike at around 11 p.m Wednesday on N. Rampart Street
  
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