Baton Rouge news

• LSU president talks college affordability in The Washington Post

  10-08-2016 21:53
  The federal government should provide more incentives to states to keep higher education funding level, he said.
  
  Read more

• Here's how to build a 6-mile land bridge across open water -- and help save the coast

  10-08-2016 19:23
  
  10 miles of pipe, two electric boosters, take sediment dredged from Mississippi River, spew it into open water
  
  Read more

• Flood watch extended to Saturday for New Orleans area

  10-08-2016 18:55
  
  5 to 8 inches of rain -- 10 inches in some spots -- forecast
  
  Read more

• Metro council vote on BRPD residency requirements deferred

  10-08-2016 18:24
  
  BATON ROUGE –The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council's vote regarding BRPD residency requirements was automatically deferred after the council meeting ran past 8 p.m.An overflow crowd choked the ninth floor of city hall Wednesday as the Metro Council discussed again whether police officers should be required to live closer to the city they serve. The Metro Council will meet again in two weeks.A proposal to require officers to live inside city limits failed to win enough votes to even
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Students in East Baton Rouge Parish return to school

  10-08-2016 17:57
  
  BATON ROUGE – More than 41,000 students in East Baton Rouge Parish returned to school on Wednesday morning.Among them were 850 Lee High School students who got their first look at a brand new campus after two years of construction. The new campus took $55 million to build, according to school officials.The first day may have had some moments of excitement, however students were told that not to be surprised by homework assignments already."You're going to have homework tonight, and par
  
  Read more

• Sandbags available for Ascension Parish residents

  10-08-2016 17:07
  
  GONZALES – Sandbags are now available at different locations across Ascension Parish Wednesday as officials prep for rainfall over the next few days.More than 30,000 pre-filled sand bags are available for Ascension Parish residents at the following locations:Prairieville Fire Department            14517 La. 73, Prairieville, La. 707695th Ward Fire Department  &a
  
  Read more

• Sandbags available for Ascension and West Baton Rouge Parish residents

  10-08-2016 17:07
  
  GONZALES – Sandbags are now available at different locations across Ascension Parish and West Baton Rouge Parish Wednesday as officials prep for rainfall over the next few days.More than 30,000 pre-filled sand bags are available for Ascension Parish residents at the following locations:Prairieville Fire Department            14517 La. 73, Prairieville, La. 707695th Ward Fire Depa
  
  Read more

• State Senator Troy Brown expected to address constituents this week

  10-08-2016 16:23
  
  DONALDSONVILLE- Tonight, some of State Senator Troy Brown's constituents are questioning his actions one day after Governor John Bel Edwards called for Brown to resign. He told WBRZ he expects to release a statement at the end of the week regarding his actions.It comes following Brown's second domestic violence arrest over the past year.
  Shenika Coco remembers why she cast her vote for Brown. It was his charisma and promise to get things done that sold her. Tonight, she regrets it.
  "Why did I vo
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Police say tower climber wanted to meet Trump

  10-08-2016 15:53
  
  NEW YORK (AP) - A 20-year-old man has been taken into custody while scaling the glass facade of Trump Tower in New York.The man, identified as a Virginia resident, had posted a YouTube video saying he wanted a private audience with Trump to discuss an important matter.Police stopped the climber Wednesday by leaning out of a window and yanking him inside. He had gotten as high as the 21st floor of the 68-story skyscraper.@fox5ny there is a man scaling Trump Tower! pic.twitter.com/48THanMgOk&m
  
  Read more

• Man uses suction cups to scale Trump Tower in New York

  10-08-2016 15:53
  
  NEW YORK - Drama is playing out among the skyscrapers of New York City as a man is currently scaling Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan.Emergency crews and police were still trying to get the man down just before 5 p.m. Eastern time. The unidentified man used suction cups to scale the glass-covered tower.@fox5ny there is a man scaling Trump Tower! pic.twitter.com/48THanMgOk— Jason Chu (@JasonC1219) August 10, 2016Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Florida Blvd health unit reopens Wednesday

  10-08-2016 15:37
  
  BATON ROUGE – Health officials announced Wednesday that services at the East Baton Rouge Parish Health Unit on Florida Blvd. have resumed.According to the Department of Health, the unit was closed on July 7 after receiving a report of mold throughout the building.Regional Medical Director Mr. Marilyn Reynaud said the building is now clean and safe. Reynaud said the unit will continue to work with city-parish officials to address any structural problems that caused the mold to grow.&
  
  Read more

• Boil water advisory issued for roads in Clinton

  10-08-2016 14:56
  
  CLINTON – A boil water advisory has been issued for two roads in Clinton.Water District #7 has issued to advisory for Shropshire Road and Union Chapel Road. The water produced by the system is of questionable microbiological quality, according to the water district.The boil advisory is in effect until further notice and will be rescinded upon notification from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Office of Public Health that water samples collected from the water su
  
  Read more

• Man arrested at library for soliciting sex to a minor

  10-08-2016 14:37
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man was arrested at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library for soliciting sex to a minor that he planned to meet.Henry Breazeale, 58, had been communicating via email with a 15-year-old girl named Britney. Breazeale admitted that he went to the East Baton Rouge Parish Library on Greenwell Springs Road to meet Britney after communicating with her and suggesting sexual acts.Breazeale's cell phone was seized and he was arrested on one count of indecent behavior with juveniles
  
  Read more

• Source says boy decapitated on waterslide

  10-08-2016 14:22
  
  KANSAS CITY - A 10-year-old boy was decapitated as he rode a waterslide at a Kansas water park.A person who is familiar with the investigation but is not authorized to speak about the boy's death told The Associated Press Wednesday that Caleb Schwab was decapitated Sunday on the "Verruckt" ride at the Schlitterbahn WaterPark in Kansas City, Kansas.Caleb, the son of a Kansas lawmaker, was in a raft with two adults who were not related to him when he was killed on the 168-foot tall ride.
  
  Read more

• Appraisal firm sets value of former Six Flags theme park

  10-08-2016 14:18
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Industrial Development Board has released the findings of the appraisal group selected to value the shuttered Six Flags park.Local media outlets reports the McEnery Company of New Orleans submitted its findings to the board on Aug. 4 and fixed the value of the former amusement park at $3 million. An additional 65 acres of undeveloped land that comes with the property is valued at $260,000.The Orleans Parish Assessors Office currently assesses the value of the site a
  
  Read more

• Rio authorities step up security after bus windows shattered

  10-08-2016 14:17
  
  RIO DE JANEIRO - Military police in Rio de Janeiro are stepping up security after projectiles struck a bus carrying journalists to the main Olympic Park, the organizing committee for the games said.While authorities said it was not immediately clear what struck the bus, a retired U.S. Air Force captain who now writes about women's basketball said she was certain it was gunfire.Britain's Press Association on Wednesday quoted Lee Michaelson, who was on the bus Tuesday, as saying that she instincti
  
  Read more

• Firefighters injured after crash at Florida Boulevard and Wooddale

  10-08-2016 14:06
  
  BATON ROUGE – All lanes of Florida Boulevard are opened following a closure to traffic at Wooddale Street due to an accident involving a firetruck Wednesday morning.According to BRPD, the fire department was responding to a call when it got "t-boned" by a Toyota Camry at Wooddale and Florida. According to BRPD, the eastbound middle and outside lanes of Florida Boulevard came to a stop, but the Camry was in the inside lane and did not stop resulting in it hitting the truck.Thre
  
  Read more

• Alabama mother jumps for joy in back-to-school picture

  10-08-2016 13:42
  
  SCOTTSBORO, AL - A viral image is summing up how some parents feel as students return to school, regardless of whether or not they’ll admit it.Keshia Leann Gardner, of Alabama, posted the image to Facebook in celebration of the start of a new school year, and it quickly spread like wildfire.While back-to-school pictures on social media are never uncommon, something about Ms. Gardner’s jumping for joy and the looks of total dismay gracing her children’s faces have ma
  
  Read more

• Why Walmart Moms are 'disgusted' and 'frustrated with 2016 election

  10-08-2016 13:16
  
  Independents. Hispanics. Moderates. Walmart Moms?There's another demographic to watch in the 2016 race: women with children who have shopped at Walmart in the last month -- dubbed Walmart Moms. A group of them from the battleground states of Ohio and Arizona gave their takes on the presidential election in focus groups on Tuesday night.The gatherings, spearheaded by Penn Schoen Berland and Public Opinion Strategies and closely watched by the media, originally began in 2008 as a way to study a pi
  
  Read more

• New Yorkers' love-hate relationship with A-Rod nears finale

  10-08-2016 13:16
  
  NEW YORK - Alex Rodriguez's tempestuous relationship with New York Yankees fans comes to an end Friday when he plays his last game in pinstripes.He was born in New York and hit 351 home runs for the Yankees, but A-Rod's big-money contracts and off-field antics made him a less-than-beloved character for some in the city.Fans say he will equally be remembered for a season-long suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs and frequent appearances in the tabloids for episodes involving late-nigh
  
  Read more

• La. education superintendent gets 'favorable' job evaluation

  10-08-2016 13:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's top school board has given state Superintendent of Education John White a positive job evaluation, but no more job security than the month-to-month deal he's had since the new board's term began in January.The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education reviewed White's performance in a closed-door session Wednesday. BESE President Jim Garvey said White's evaluation was "favorable." White said he was given a nearly 3.2 rating on a 4-point scale.The superintendent overse
  
  Read more

• Lawsuit: Ed Sheeran copied R&B classic 'Let's Get It On'

  10-08-2016 13:00
  
  NEW YORK - The family of a co-writer of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" is suing Ed Sheeran, claiming the British singer-songwriter's hit, "Thinking Out Loud," sounds too much like the soul classic.The lawsuit filed by the family of Ed Townsend claims Sheeran copied the "heart" of "Let's Get It On" and repeated it continuously throughout "Thinking Out Loud." It says Sheeran continued to perform the song even after he was notified of the copyright infringement claim last year.The family is demand
  
  Read more

• Girl Scouts to introduce 100th anniversary cookie flavor: S'mores

  10-08-2016 12:48
  
  The Girl Scouts are set to roll out a new cookie flavor to celebrate the group’s 100th anniversary of cookie sales.The 2017 cookie season will see s’mores cookies appearing along side longtime favorites like Thin Mints, Tagalongs and Samoas.The Chicago Tribune notes that the new s’mores effort will actually come in two different varieties with one featuring a “crunchy graham sandwich cookie with creamy chocolate and marshallowy filling” while oth
  
  Read more

• Man wanted for armed robbery of Dollar General on S. Harrells Ferry Road

  10-08-2016 12:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office is looking for a man wanted for the armed robbery of the Dollar General in the 16000 block of S. Harrell's Ferry Road.Around 9:40 p.m. a man entered the store with a silver and black pistol. The manager was holding a cash drawer and attempting to place the drawer in the store's safe. The man demanded the manager give him the money from the drawer. She held out the drawer as he removed the cash.After the man demanded more money, the ma
  
  Read more

• Early morning fire destroys apartment complex on Manchester Avenue

  10-08-2016 12:26
  
  BATON ROUGE – An apartment complex on Manchester Avenue is now considered a complete loss after an early morning fire.Residents woke up to the smell of smoke in an apartment building in the 15000 block of Manchester Avenue. Residents found the fire burning in the kitchen and once the St. George Fire Department arrived, the fire had engulfed the entire first floor and began to extend to the second floor. The fire was first reported around 12:13 a.m. and was brought under control around
  
  Read more

• Restaurant manager robbed at gunpoint early Wednesday

  10-08-2016 12:22
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say no one was injured after an armed man robbed a Baton Rouge restaurant early Wednesday morning.The incident happened around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning at the J. Alexander's near the Mall of Louisiana. According to Baton Rouge Police, a female manager was leaving for the night when a black male suspect forced her to the back of the restaurant at gunpoint.Investigators say the man received an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing on foot. No one was injured.Anyo
  
  Read more

• Baltimore police chief: Some officers fired

  10-08-2016 12:19
  
  BALTIMORE - Baltimore's police commissioner says biased law enforcement tactics won't be tolerated, adding that the department has already fired some officers who committed some of the most egregious violations found during a Justice Department investigation.Kevin Davis said during a news conference Wednesday that biased police tactics won't be tolerated, and that such behavior is "fostering fear in our communities."Davis says the department is committed to making meaningful changes, but says ch
  
  Read more

• White Castle man killed in LA 69 crash

  10-08-2016 09:37
  
  IBERVILLE PARISH - State Police say a White Castle man was killed in a single-vehicle crash on LA 69 on Tuesday night.79-year-old Sterling Cedotal was pronounced dead in the hours following the crash by the Iberville Parish Coroner’s Office.Troopers said Cedotal was traveling westbound on LA 69, west of LA 1, at around 6 p.m. when he swerved off the road for unknown reasons and hit a dirt mound. The impact caused his vehicle to become airborne, crash landing in a nearby field.The man w
  
  Read more

• 1992 briefly returns with Crystal Pepsi comeback

  10-08-2016 09:24
  
  Starting this week, 20-ounce bottles of nostalgia-infused Crystal Pepsi will return to store shelves for a limited time.The clear beverage and relic of the Cola Wars was last in grocery store aisles when Kurt Cobain was still alive. It’ll be back for an eight-week run.It's back - like you've never seen before. Get your hands on a #CrystalPepsi right now. pic.twitter.com/Ym3V6MaU1J— Pepsi™ (@pepsi) August 8, 2016PepsiCo is looking to cash in on the latest waves of &a
  
  Read more

• Police: Woman killed by Florida officer in academy exercise

  10-08-2016 08:52
  
  PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Police in Florida say a woman has been accidentally shot to death by an officer during a citizens academy exercise.
  Multiple media outlets report that Punta Gorda Police Chief Tom Lewis says Mary Knowlton was taking part in a roleplaying scenario Tuesday when she was "mistakenly struck with a live round."
  Lewis says Knowlton was chosen from about 35 people in the class for a "shoot/don't shoot" simulation. He says she was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
  Th
  
  Read more

• Livingston Parish considering new peddlers permit

  10-08-2016 08:50
  
  LIVINGSTON - A proposal to curtail door-to-door sales in Livingston Parish may see another round of changes before it is adopted.
  The proposed ordinance would require solicitors to get a parish permit, including paying a $50 fee and getting a background check, before peddling their wares at private homes. The proposed rules also would limit the hours for those house calls and allow residents to ban them altogether by posting "No Solicitors" signs.
  The push for new regulations came after former C
  
  Read more

• Deputy charged with murder asks if witnesses were hypnotized

  10-08-2016 08:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - One of two Marksville deputy city marshals charged with murder after the shooting and killing of a 6-year-old boy wants state prosecutors to disclose whether any of their witnesses were hypnotized to elicit trial testimony.In a court filing dated last Friday, the lawyer for Norris Greenhouse Jr. asks if any prosecution witnesses underwent hypnosis or any “truth-determining examinations,” such as polygraph tests or the use of sodium pentothal.That attorney, Georg
  
  Read more

• Lafayette teacher accused of carnal knowledge of a juvenile

  10-08-2016 08:30
  
  LAFAYETTE - Lafayette Parish sheriff's deputies have arrested an Acadiana High School algebra teacher on a charge of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
  John Mowell with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office tells local media outlets deputies arrested 29-year-old Matthew Reon Tuesday morning at his home in Duson.
  According to an affidavit for his arrest, Reon had an outstanding warrant that was signed by Judge Thomas Duplantier on Aug. 8.
  He is being held on a $25,000 bond.
  Deputies have refu
  
  Read more

Follow @BatonRougeNews_ on Twitter!