Baton Rouge news

• Denham Springs sets guidelines for building repair permits

  23-08-2016 20:14
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - The City of Denham Springs released a statement regarding permits for repairs to structures following the recent flood events.City officials reminded everyone that the first step in the process is to remove all wet materials and let the building dry out. After “gutting” the structure, officials stated it was critical to allow time for the building to competently dry out. The removal of storm damaged materials does not require a permit.Structures that
  
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• Ascension Schools release temporary education plan

  23-08-2016 20:06
  
  The Ascension Public Schools Temporary Education Plan for Impact Schools is now available online.The website includes a graphic outlining the temporary placements for students in the parish, and also includes important messages regarding transportation, counseling, school uniforms and other important information.You can also view more information about each school, including staff flood impacts here.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Ascension residents seek assistance at FEMA disaster center

  23-08-2016 18:59
  
  ASCENSION – On Tuesday, people lined up at FEMA disaster centers in Ascension Parish seeking help following last week's flood.Residents showed up early at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center to register with FEMA and learn about the availability of recovery and housing assistance."I thought there would be a bunch of people here, I didn't want to be in the back of the line," Frank Shewmake, Ascension parish resident, said.Shewmake was the first person in line, with his lawn chair, expecting a l
  
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• Denham Springs teachers get a glimpse of classrooms after flood

  23-08-2016 18:51
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – Denham Springs High School teachers saw their classrooms for the first time on Tuesday since last week's flood.
  Some teachers, like Chris McCleary who has taught math for 20 years, saw the aftermath of flood waters for the first time.
  "It was a lot of fear...fear of what it's going to be like when they are done with it, fear of the things I've lost," McCleary said.After days of cleaning and safety inspections, teachers got a chance to go inside the building. The damage
  
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• Deputies searching for 89-year-old man missing from Albany area

  23-08-2016 18:06
  
  LIVINGSTON – Livingston Parish deputies are searching for a missing 89-year-old man last seen early Tuesday afternoon near Highway 43 in North Albany.Darrel Murphy, who suffers from dementia never returned home from an afternoon walk on Tuesday around 2 p.m., according to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office.
  Murphy was last seen wearing a white shirt, gray jogging pants and no shoes. Deputies are currently searching the area and checking with relatives on the whereabouts of Murphy.A
  
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• Deputies find 89-year-old man missing from Albany area

  23-08-2016 18:06
  
  LIVINGSTON – Livingston Parish deputies found an 89-year-old man that was missing early Tuesday afternoon near Highway 43 in North Albany.Darrel Murphy, who suffers from dementia never returned home from an afternoon walk on Tuesday around 2 p.m., according to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office.
  Murphy was last seen wearing a white shirt, gray jogging pants and no shoes. Deputies were able to locate Murphy around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday is "good condition." 
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• Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge reopens after ethanol tanker accident

  23-08-2016 17:40
  
  Baton Rouge traffic snarled after Siegen Lane closed for most of the day.
  
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• Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge closed after ethanol tanker overturns

  23-08-2016 17:40
  
  No danger to the public, but expect heavy traffic delays, officials say
  
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• Shelter animals rescued from Louisiana floods arrive in Virginia

  23-08-2016 17:23
  
  Shelters in Louisiana are currently overwhelmed with new animals.
  
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• President tours flood ravaged areas, snaps selfies with flood victims

  23-08-2016 16:28
  
  ZACHARY - People in the Castle Place Subdivision in Zachary received a high profile visitor to their subdivision Tuesday.President Obama shook hands with flood victims and offered them words of encouragement during a three-hour visit to the flood ravaged region.Tamika Bennett's home filled with nearly four feet of water during the peak of the disaster. As reality set in this morning, she became emotional."I came over for my adjuster to meet me to view the house," Bennett said. "While I was waiti
  
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• Tesla lays claim to world's fastest production car

  23-08-2016 16:21
  
  DETROIT - Tesla Motors says a version of the Model S electric car is now the quickest production car in the world from zero to 60 miles per hour.
  The company says the Model S P100D sedan can go to 60 in 2.5 seconds.
  CEO Elon Musk says the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder with gas engines were faster, but they were million-dollar specialty cars that can no longer be bought new.
  The P100D has a 100 kilowatt-hour battery pack that extends the car's range to about 315 miles. The previous top ran
  
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• Residents in North Baton Rouge work to recover from flood

  23-08-2016 15:49
  
  BATON ROUGE – Many people in North Baton Rouge say there aren't enough hands to get recovery work done following last week's flood.Living Faith Center in North Baton Rouge was a shelter for Katrina Storm victims, but now the church itself is a victim.We want the nation to pay attention and we want the nation to come and assist us. Louisiana needs this. It's widespread not just Baton Rouge," Pastor William Bates, of Living Faith Christian Center, said.Bates welcomed Civil Rights activis
  
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• Zachary residents turn out for Obama visit

  23-08-2016 15:38
  
  ZACHARY - People turned out along the roadside in Zachary to see President Barack Obama's motorcade during his tour of Louisiana's flood damage.Jazz Matthews saw her house inundated by flooding in the nearby town of Central, and now it's unliveable. Standing roadside to glimpse Obama, she dismissed criticism that the visit came too late.Gesturing to the police officers assembled for his motorcade, Matthews noted it takes a huge amount of resources for a presidential visit. "I don't think it's to
  
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• Additional East Feliciana Parish zip code added to DSNAP program

  23-08-2016 14:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – An additional zip code in East Feliciana Parish has been added to the DSNAP program.Residents living in East Feliciana Parish zip code 70789 are now eligible to apply for DSNAP benefits. Applicants can go to the Early Learning Center located at 9414 Hwy 67 (Plank Road) in Clinton to apply. Phase One DNSAP locations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday, Aug. 27. Applicants and anyone who pre-registered for benefits should go to a DSNAP
  
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• Disaster relief fund raises $60k for classrooms in one week

  23-08-2016 14:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - In just one week, the A+PEL Disaster Relief Fund has raised $60,000 for Louisiana teachers from over 580 donors.The fund was established to assist teachers with replacing supplies that were lost in the flooding. According to the organization, 100 percent of the donations go directly to Louisiana teachers.If your classroom has been impacted by this recent devastating flooding, then please go to www.apeleducators.org and apply for assistance.Fund organizers say the distribution of fu
  
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• Curfew for East Baton Rouge parish lifted following flood

  23-08-2016 14:36
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office has lifted the curfew for East Baton Rouge parish residents following the recent flood. The curfew was issued for the parish after Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order requested by East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux as a way to combat looting while residents recover from last week's devastation. "As Sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish, and as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the Parish,
  
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• President Obama meets with family of Alton Sterling

  23-08-2016 14:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - President Barack Obama will meet with the family of the black man whose death last month in a police shooting sparked protests and mass arrests.Obama planned to meet with Alton Sterling's relatives at the airport in Baton Rouge before returning to Washington on Tuesday afternoon. Obama is in Louisiana to tour flood damage and meet with affected residents and local officials.The White House says Obama will also meet with the families of officers killed or injured nearly two weeks la
  
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• McDonalds recalls fitness trackers found in Happy Meals after reports of burns

  23-08-2016 13:32
  
  McDonald's has recalled its Step-It activity wristbands found in Happy Meals due to recent complaints of skin irritation and burns.According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recall came after McDonald's received more than 70 reports of incidents, including seven reports of blisters, after wearing the activity trackers.29 million units in the United States and 3.6 million in Canada are being recalled. One woman wrote on Facebook that her child was burned by the toy aft
  
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• Football brings welcome distraction to Denham Springs

  23-08-2016 13:21
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS- The Denham Springs High School football team met Tuesday night to discuss the upcoming  season. Residents are hoping the return of football will bring a much needed distraction, after 75% of Livingston parish was damaged in last week's flood.
  "On September 9th it's not going to be about what comes up on that scoreboard," Principal Kelly Jones told players Tuesday. "If you guys are together as a team, and you come out of that locker room, that's the biggest victory that t
  
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• Louisiana lottery has record sales year

  23-08-2016 12:57
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Lottery Corporation ended its 2016 fiscal year with record sales.Lottery officials said in a news release Monday the year ended with $508.3 million in revenue.About $177.9 million from the lottery went back to the state during the budget year that ended June 30. That's $27 million more than had been anticipated.The lottery corporation said scratch-offs sales were up 4.9 percent over the past year, and a world-record $1.58 billion jackpot sent Powerball game sales to a
  
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• Low-tech portable A/C units reducing death row heat

  23-08-2016 12:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - An air conditioning expert appointed by a federal judge has testified a portable air conditioner consisting of an ice chest, fan and duct has a high potential for success in helping to drop the extreme heat indexes on Louisiana's death row that threaten three ailing condemned killers.Shane Hernandez, a professional engineer and A/C expert in Lafayette, told Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson Monday the low-tech units placed outside the inmates' cells work.Jackson ordered state
  
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• BRAF starts employee assistance fund for LSU employees affected by flood

  23-08-2016 12:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has established the LSU Employee Assistance Fund to help LSU employees who have been affected by the recent flood.The fund was started at the request of LSU President, F. King Alexander."While the LSU campus was relatively untouched, many of our Tiger family suffered ruinous damage to their homes. Employees and students' lives are in upheaval. We have a duty to help them, and I am asking all Tigers everywhere to join together in support of
  
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• Spanish Lakes slowly draining into Bayou Manchac

  23-08-2016 12:26
  
  Relief is on its way tonight for people still flooded in the Spanish Lake basin area.Crews cut into Alligator Bayou Road today in hopes of draining water into Bayou Manchac and away from homes.Ascension Parish officials said the drainage project is working, but it’s going to take some time for the people to notice.The 40-foot-wide cut along the road is the latest effort in attempting to drain the 40 to 60 thousand acres of standing water still in the area, along with the water pumps st
  
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• Crews free man stuck between buildings after bid to impress woman

  23-08-2016 09:33
  
  PITTSBURGH - Crews have rescued a man who became trapped between two buildings in Pittsburgh, reportedly after trying to jump from one rooftop to another to impress a woman he had just met.Authorities didn't identify the man, who was freed about 6 a.m. Tuesday. He'd been trapped about four hours after falling awkwardly into the narrow, debris-filled space between the buildings.Police say the man reported an ankle injury; he was bleeding, but waved to TV news cameras as he was wheeled on
  
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• Siegen Lane open after closure extended through most of Tuesday

  23-08-2016 08:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - Siegen Lane remained closed for most of Tuesday after a tanker truck carrying ethanol overturned near the Industriplex intersection.The road opened on Tuesday afternoon around 5 p.m. in both directions except for the right southbound lane. Motorist are advised to use caution while driving through the area as emergency crews are still on the scene.  State Police said unloading of the truck was finally complete, and crews had to turn the crashed 18-wheeler upright so that it
  
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• Flood damage at least $110M to Louisiana ag

  23-08-2016 03:31
  
  BATON ROUGE - The LSU AgCenter estimates that the floods in south Louisiana have caused at least $110 million worth of damage to agriculture - and the figure is likely to grow.Economist Kurt Guidry says in a news release that factors include damage to crop yield and quality, damage to infrastructure and loss of stored commodities. He says typical summer rains could slow the fall of floodwaters, delaying harvest and doing even more damage.Guidry says few soybeans were harvested before the floods,
  
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