Baton Rouge news

• Zachary man killed in three vehicle crash

  20-08-2016 21:46
  
  LIVONIA – State Police say a Zachary man is dead after a three vehicle crash on USA 190 in Pointe Coupee Parish Saturday.According to Louisiana State Police, the crash happened near the intersection of US 190 and LA 978 around 1 p.m. Saturday.Crash investigators say the wreck happened as 48-year-old Oscar Davis had stopped on US 190 to turn onto LA 978. Police say 24-year-old Michael Wallis was also traveling eastbound on US 190 and slowed down as Davis was turning.State Police say a t
  
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• Man dead after domestic disturbance ends in shooting

  20-08-2016 20:09
  
  GONZALES – Deputies say one man was killed Friday after a neighbor responded to a domestic disturbance in Gonzales.According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened around 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19 on Fox Run Drive in Gonzales.Deputies say they arrived at the scene and found a neighbor standing in a front yard holding a handgun. The neighbor told deputies that he went to the residence because he heard a disturbance and came to help.The neighbor t
  
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• Officials: 60,000 homes damaged by flooding

  20-08-2016 19:58
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana officials say an estimated 60,000 homes have been damaged by massive flooding that swept through the southern part of the state.Mike Steele, spokesman for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said Saturday that 102,000 people have also registered for federal assistance.He says authorities are still assessing damage to homes and that number could fluctuate.The state is slowly digging itself out from a massive flood that swept thro
  
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• FEMA to open recovery centers in Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes

  20-08-2016 18:38
  
  BATON ROUGE – FEMA open two disaster recovery centers in Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes Sunday.The centers will open at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until further notice at the following addresses:Tangipahoa Parish:42271 S. Morrison Blvd.Hammond, La. 70443 St. Helena Parish:53 N. 2nd StreetGreensburg, La. 70441 FEMA said Disaster Survivor Assistance teams are canvassing the flood impacted areas to register people for FEMA assistance if needed.Residents can register onli
  
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• FEMA to open more disaster recovery centers Monday

  20-08-2016 18:38
  
  BATON ROUGE – FEMA will open three more disaster recovery centers in East Baton Rouge, Tangipahoa and West Feliciana parishes Monday.FEMA opened two disaster recovery centers in Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes Sunday.The centers will open at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until further notice at the following addresses:East Baton Rouge Parish5857 Greenwell Springs Rd. Baton Rouge, La. 708006Tangipahoa Parish:42271 S. Morrison Blvd.Hammond, La. 70443Amite City Office Comple
  
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• Man uses social media to help Livingston Parish residents gut homes

  20-08-2016 17:21
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – Driving down the streets in Livingston Parish, you hear hammering and scraping coming from thousands of homes.In James Poe’s home, they are just getting started.“It is a mixture of sad, disbelief and hope,” Poe said.Sitting out front of his home is a large pile of debris. Flooding destroyed everything. But during the tragedy, a helping hand reached out. It was a hand that James had known for over 40 years.James Cleveland is one of Poe&
  
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• DOTD establishes temporary bus service to Baton Rouge

  20-08-2016 16:49
  
  BATON ROUGE – Residents who lost their car after this week’s historic flooding will have a new option to travel to Baton Rouge.In a statement Saturday, DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson said his department has reached a deal with Hotard to establish a temporary regional transit service.Wilson said he made the decision to establish the service to help residents who lost their vehicles due to high flooding.“DOTD is compelled to expand the scope of our public service in c
  
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• Veteran Baton Rouge radio broadcaster killed in motorcycle crash

  20-08-2016 16:29
  
  BATON ROUGE –Veteran Baton Rouge radio broadcaster Kevin Meeks has died after a crash on Jefferson Highway Friday night.The crash happened Friday night at the corner of Jefferson Highway and Drusilla Lane around 9 p.m. Friday.Meeks, 60, was killed after the motorcycle he was driving was struck by another vehicle. The Baton Rouge Traffic Homicide Unit and the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s office was called to the scene.A responding police officer was involved in a second
  
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• All state offices to reopen Monday

  20-08-2016 15:37
  
  BATON ROUGE – State officials announced Saturday that all state offices in Louisiana will re-open Monday.According to a release from Commissioner Jay Dardenne’s office Saturday afternoon, state offices in all parishes will re-open on Aug. 22.“I thank the many state workers who have worked diligently during the office closure periods and those who have worked diligently to assist their fellow Louisianians during and after the storm,” Dardenne said.At least
  
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• Officials: Zika won't hurt South Florida tourism in long run

  20-08-2016 14:37
  
  MIAMI - Despite confirmation of Zika transmission by mosquitoes in two areas of Miami-Dade County, local officials and business leaders are confident South Florida will retain its status as a world-class tourist destination.Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said during a news conference Friday afternoon that the Zika reports certainly aren't ideal for tourism, but he expects the long-term impact to be relatively minor. He said city workers are trying to get rid of standing water and foliage that m
  
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• Police find 'elderly man' is young fugitive in Massachusetts

  20-08-2016 14:35
  
  BOSTON - Authorities say an "elderly man" found at a Massachusetts home actually was a 31-year-old fugitive wearing a disguise.Police went to a house on Cape Cod Thursday looking for Shaun Miller, who'd been a fugitive since April when he and several others were indicted on heroin distribution charges. Police say when they ordered a man there to come outside, an elderly man emerged.The U.S. Attorney's office says when officers realized the man was Miller they pulled off his "realistic disguise"
  
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• Search for living, dead: Louisiana fights back from flooding

  20-08-2016 14:16
  
  ST. AMANT - Louisiana continues to dig itself out from devastating floods.Search parties are expected to go door to door Saturday looking for survivors or bodies trapped by the flooding.Teams have come from around the state as well as other parts of the country to assist in the effort.They've been going house to house, knocking on doors, looking for signs of life such as furniture or carpets piled out front indicating someone has been there cleaning up.At least 13 people died in the flooding tha
  
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• Driver arrested after deadly hit-and-run on the Old Bridge

  20-08-2016 14:15
  
  PORT ALLEN- A pedestrian was hit and killed and another man arrested after a hit and run incident around 2 a.m. on US 190.The crash occurred on the Old Mississippi River Bridge.The pedestrian identified as 36 year old Vontravis Stevens of Plauqemine was walking across the bridge in the eastbound lanes when 21 year old Benjamin Todd of Pride hit Stevens with his vehicle, authorities said.State Police reported Todd then fled scene. Stevens sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on scene.
  
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• Amid Louisiana flood disaster, youngest bear mental scars

  20-08-2016 14:14
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS- After the flooding in south Louisiana, mental scars are already showing on the youngest victims.The disaster has left 13 dead, prompted more than 30,000 rescues and left an estimated 40,000 homes damaged.Children who endured harrowing rescues are returning home to a jarring landscape that even their parents can scarcely grasp. Homes filled with ruined possessions must be gutted. Damaged schools and daycare centers are closed indefinitely. Parents juggling jobs and cleanup work mu
  
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• Troopers identify woman killed in Tickfaw crash

  20-08-2016 13:45
  
  TICKFAW - Louisiana State Police identified the pedestrian killed when she was truck by a vehicle on US 51 in Tickfaw Friday night.Police say the incident happened after 11 p.m. Friday near the intersection of US 51 and Pardo Rd. in Tickfaw. Investigators say 36-year-old Joni Fricano was walking south in the northbound lane of US 51 when she was hit by a passing vehicle. The Tangipahoa Parish Coroner's Office prounced Fricano dead at the scene.The driver of the vehicle, 37-year
  
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• Crash claims life of unidentified woman

  20-08-2016 13:45
  
  TICKFAW - An unidentified white female pedestrian was struck on US 51 in Tickfaw Friday night.The crash claimed her life,  said State police who responded to the scene around 11:00 p.m.The initial investigation determined the pedestrian was traveling by foot south in the northbound lane of US 51 when she was hit by a passing vehicle.  The driver stopped, and a breath sample showed no amount of alchol. Troopers are working to identify the female pedestrian. Anyone with
  
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• Business owners loooking for new source of income after flood

  20-08-2016 12:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge business owners say they are losing thousands of dollars since the flood destroyed their locations.Ray Patel owned a motel for 16 years. It was heavily damaged in the storm."Everything is gone," Patel said. His motel got nearly 5 feet of water inside. It was his main source of income for he and his family.Patel says he "still has a couple of clothes, my car, and my passport with me. And my family with me."Another business owner, Johnny Ardion, says he, his family and 7
  
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• Frank Ocean debuts 'Blonde,' his 1st album in 4 years

  20-08-2016 12:53
  
  LOS ANGELES - The wait for Frank Ocean's latest album is finally over.The singer's 17-track album "Blonde" was released on Saturday on Apple Music , one day after the R&B singer released a 45-minute "visual album" on the streaming service."Blonde" is Ocean's second studio album and is his follow-up to his successful 2012 debut album "Channel Orange." That album featured the hit song "Thinkin Bout You" and earned him two Grammy Awards, including best urban contemporary album.To celebrate the
  
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• Trump calls on GOP to improve African American outreach

  20-08-2016 12:50
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump is calling on the Republican Party to boost its traditionally lagging efforts in winning over black voters.Speaking at a rally in the critical battleground state of Virginia Saturday, Trump said that the "GOP has to do better" and wants to do better in its outreach to black voters.The revelation follows a meeting Trump had earlier in the day with his newly-minted Hispanic advisory board, which is working to boost his outreach with that demographic.A shake-up in his camp
  
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• National Zoo hosts sweet birthday bash for panda cub Bei Bei

  20-08-2016 12:46
  
  WASHINGTON - The youngest giant panda cub at the National Zoo is celebrating his first birthday with a traditional Chinese ceremony and the sweet taste of honey.The National Zoo held a first birthday party for Bei Bei on Saturday. He was born Aug. 22, 2015.In a ceremony in which symbolic objects are placed in front of a baby, the zoo placed three banners with symbols painted on them in the panda yard. The poles supporting the banners were slathered in honey. Bei Bei's mother, Mei Xiang, picked t
  
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• MREs, water available in EBR until further notice

  20-08-2016 09:06
  
  BATON ROUGE – City-parish officials are making supplies available to parish residents until further notice.Points of Distribution, or POD, centers will open at Miracle Place Church, Healing Place Church, First Pentecostal Church and the Greenwell Springs Library.  The National Guard will distribute MREs, water and ice.  Soldiers will load supplies into waiting vehicles.Livingston Parish opened similar centers earlier in the week.Locations:Miracle Place Church2080 Main
  
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• Louisiana Flood: Who's going to pay for it?

  20-08-2016 00:13
  
  The state spent $12.5 million on Louisiana Flood recovery in the first six days.
  
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