Baton Rouge news

• Trump to visit Mexico before immigration speech

  30-08-2016 21:11
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump will be taking his first foreign trip as the Republican presidential nominee on Wednesday, making a quick visit to Mexico, a nation he derided as the home of rapists and criminals as he launched his campaign.The meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto, who earlier this year compared the billionaire candidate to Hitler, comes hours before Trump is set to deliver a highly-anticipated immigration speech. It's a defining issue for Trump, but one on which he has appeared t
  
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• Trump may visit Mexico before immigration speech

  30-08-2016 21:11
  
  WASHINGTON - A campaign official says Donald Trump could make a last-minute trip to Mexico on Wednesday, hours before he delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration.Trump has made illegal immigration and his call for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. However, he's suggested recently he could soften the hardline positions he staked out during the Republican primaries.Last week, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto extended an invitation to bot
  
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• Flood victims, city leaders attend disaster information meeting

  30-08-2016 19:45
  
  BATON ROUGE - A meeting to discuss disaster relief efforts for flood victims was held Tuesday night at the Leo S. Butler Center.Councilwoman Tara Wicker along with representatives from FEMA, DSNAP, the Department of Public Works, EBR School System, the Office of Emergency Preparedness and others gathered to discuss assistance available to help flood victims with recovery.Wicker said that it was important to be able to come together in a time like this."These are very trying times for our city an
  
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• Terminix donates thousands of mosquito repellent to Red Cross for flood-impacted residents

  30-08-2016 19:08
  
  BATON ROUGE – With flood water gone and restoration underway, a new threat is emergency for residents with shallow pools of water left behind – mosquitoes.
  Terminix Pest Control employees will begin to provide Mosquito Bait and Kill to the Red Cross for residents."Your gonna have a lot of mosquitoes, because they are laying eggs in water now, will hatch in a few days and come out looking for a food source," Perry Derouen, of Terminix, said.The mosquito repellent program could
  
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• Terminex donates thousands of mosquito repellent to Red Cross for flood-impacted residents

  30-08-2016 19:08
  
  BATON ROUGE – With flood water gone and restoration underway, a new threat is emergency for residents with shallow pools of water left behind – mosquitoes.
  Terminex Pest Control employees will begin to provide Mosquito Bait and Kill to the Red Cross for residents."Your gonna have a lot of mosquitoes, because they are laying eggs in water now, will hatch in a few days and come out looking for a food source," Perry Derouen, of Terminex, said.The mosquito repellent program could
  
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• Driving instructor and students donate truck load of supplies to EBRSO deputies

  30-08-2016 18:30
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office got a special delivery on Tuesday from New Jersey. Joe Autera and his team of good Samaritans drove a truck load of supplies from New Jersey all the way to Baton Rouge to help out deputies who were impacted by the flood."We just felt that we should do something to help," Autera said.Autera said that it took them 30 hours to drive the truck of supplies."Last Monday at 12 o'clock this truck was empty," Autera said.The truck is actually
  
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• Sentence cuts benefit 2 from Louisiana; 1 from Mississippi

  30-08-2016 16:55
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Among 111 federal inmates whose sentences were cut in the latest round of commutations by President Barack Obama are two from Louisiana and one from Mississippi.Kevin Huff of New Orleans was originally sentenced on cocaine possession-for-distribution charges in 2001 to 25 years - a sentence cut by 25 months in 2008. Obama commuted the sentence Tuesday to expire on Dec. 28.Danielle Bernard Metz of New Orleans was sentenced to life in prison in 1993 on charges including possession wi
  
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• Postal Service updates returning mail service

  30-08-2016 16:32
  
  BATON ROUGE - Postal officials say they’ve made significant progress in restoring mail service to residents of the Capital Area following recent historic flooding.The Postal Service says huge strides have been made each day with USPS continuing to make progress toward ensuring customers receive timely, efficient and reliable mail service, including at temporary alternate locations.Services listed below still have currently suspended service. Temporary locations for where mail can be re
  
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• Nearly 850 still living at Baton Rouge River Center

  30-08-2016 16:21
  
  BATON ROUGE- Almost two weeks after catastrophic flooding swamped many communities in our area, hundreds are still living in shelters.
  The Red Cross operates the shelter and said the number of people who are staying there is decreasing each day. The Red Cross estimates it could be another three weeks before they can even begin discussing shutting it down.
  Van Ray's injuries aren't easy to look at. The disabled husband and father almost died 15 years ago.
  'I was in a car fire, and I was actually
  
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• Motorcyclist dies after crash on entrance ramp Hwy. 90

  30-08-2016 16:05
  
  RACELAND – State Troopers began responded to a single-car crash involving a motorcycle on the entrance ramp to Highway 90 that took the life of a 72-year-old man.The initial investigation revealed that 72-year-old Vernon Fletcher of Gray, LA, was traveling on a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle. He entered a right curve on the entrance ramp to Highway 90 West from LA 1 when for unknown reasons his motorcycle ran off of the road to the left. When he attempted to re-enter the on-ramp, he l
  
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• Denham Springs cancels annual fall festival as recovery continues

  30-08-2016 15:50
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - The Antique Village Merchants Association has announced the annual Denham Springs fall festival is cancelled for this year while residents work to pick up the pieces following record-breaking flooding.DSANA President Al Bye said the decision was made after it became apparent that many integral elements that make the festival will be unavailable with recovery efforts ramping up to full-tilt.”We are entrusted by our community to produce a safe, secure and entertaining fe
  
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• Family says Nick Tullier responding to doctor's commands

  30-08-2016 15:35
  
  BATON ROUGE - In what may be the largest proof of a miracle yet, family members of injured sheriff's deputy Nick Tullier reported he is responding to some verbal commands.The news comes just a few days after Tullier's father, James, discussed his son's condition in an exclusive interview with WBRZ anchor Michael Shingleton. James Tullier asked for continued prayers, commenting he was confident prayers were working."Every day, to us, has been a miracle," he said, explaining doctors weren't optimi
  
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• Around 850 residents remain in River Center shelter

  30-08-2016 15:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - The American Red Cross reports about 850 people are still staying at the Baton Rouge River Center after it was converted into a shelter for residents displaced by this month's floods.The aid organization says thousands of volunteers have come from across the nation to the Capital City to assist in the ongoing relief efforts. When News 2 went to the River Center on Tuesday to interview people at the shelter, many of them said they were "renters" who did not own property and now have
  
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• IRS to grant access to retirement accounts for flood relief

  30-08-2016 14:37
  
  WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday that it will grant the regulatory waiver requested by Sen. Bill Cassidy that will allow those impacted by the flood early access to retirement funds without penalty.“This hardship waiver will be critical for helping Louisianans get back on their feet quickly,” Cassidy said. “As so many of those affected in this area did not have flood insurance, every tool possible needs to be implemented to allow them acce
  
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• DEA announces intent to schedule kratom

  30-08-2016 14:18
  
  WASHINGTON - The Drug Enforcement Administration announced its intention on Tuesday to add the kratom plant to its list of Schedule I Controlled Substances.The DEA says the plant, which is a tropical tree that grows in several locales in Southeast Asia, poses an imminent hazard to public safety. The plant is also known by its scientific name, Mitragyna speciosa.Drug enforcement officials say kratom is abused for its ability to produce opioid-like effects and is sometimes markets as a legal alter
  
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• Website allows travelers to buy airline tickets in monthly payments

  30-08-2016 13:08
  
  Travelers can now pay for their plane tickets in monthly installments. CheapAir.com has teamed up with financial services company Affirm to allow travelers to take out three, six and 12-month purchase plans to cover their airfare.
  After selecting flights through the CheapAir.com website, customers can choose to make monthly payments on the checkout page. The option requires customers to provide their name, email, street address, date of birth, cellphone number, and the last four digits of their
  
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• Officials recommend tips to FEMA applicants denied flood assistance

  30-08-2016 12:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency and FEMA are encouraging applicants who have received denial letters for flood assistance to read the letters carefully to find out why.According to officials, some applicants that have been denied are only missing a portion of necessary information continue the process in receiving assistance."There may be an easy fix if someone did not sign a document or if your application is missing a necessary insurance form. D
  
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• Damage to Central school district $6 to $8M

  30-08-2016 12:20
  
  CENTRAL - Officials say public schools in Central school district sustained between $6 million and $8 million in flood damage, the bulk of which stems from flooding at Tanglewood Elementary school.While Central does not carry flood insurance on its schools, Superintendent Michael Faulk told the school board Monday night, up to 75 percent of the damage, as well as other expenses incurred during the flooding, is eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.Faulk said the
  
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• FEMA to open disaster recovery center at Celtic Studios

  30-08-2016 12:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - FEMA will open a disaster recovery center Wednesday, Aug. 31 in East Baton Rouge to assist flood victims. The center will be located at Celtic Studios at 10000 Celtic Drive, Baton Rouge and will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.Representatives from GOHSEP, FEMA, U.S. Small Business Administration, National Flood Insurance Program specialists, volunteer groups and other agencies will staff the center and be available to answer questions and provide information rega
  
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• Small plane pulled from Lake Pontchartrain, bodies of pilot and passenger inside

  30-08-2016 08:54
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A small plane that crash into Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana is now out of the water and sitting on a barge.Recovery workers used a crane to lift the plane onto the barge Tuesday morning. Much of the plane is still intact. According to WWL, the bodies of the pilot and one passenger were found in the plane's cabin. The passenger was identified as Reginald Hillard, Jr., however the pilot has not yet been identified.A woman was also a passenger of the plane and surv
  
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• Small plane pulled from Lake Pontchartrain

  30-08-2016 08:54
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A small plane that crash into Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana is now out of the water and sitting on a barge.Recovery workers used a crane to lift the plane onto the barge Tuesday morning. Television video shows much of the plane is intact.The crash site is about 1,000 yards west of the New Orleans Lakefront Airport's north-south runway.A woman survived Saturday night's crash but two men remain missing. There was no immediate information on whether the men's bodies were in
  
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• Alabama horse sanctuary to shelter horses caught in flood

  30-08-2016 08:39
  
  DOTHAN - A horse sanctuary in Alabama is looking to come to the aid of a pair of horses that were stranded by recent historic flooding in south Louisiana.Lori Dawkins of the Wiregrass Horse Rescue & Sanctuary in Dothan says the horses will be brought to the Alabama equine sanctuary from Florida, where they have stayed since they were rescued from the devastating flooding.Dawkins tells The Dothan Eagle the horses will require extensive rehabilitation since they were discovered in a m
  
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• Inmates who escaped from Natchitoches Detention Center remain at large

  30-08-2016 08:22
  
  NATCHITOCHES - Authorities in Natchitoches Parish continue to search for three inmates who escaped from the parish Detention Center.
  The sheriff's office said in a news release that 34-year-old Willie E. Ethridge, 24-year-old Michael Elliot and 35-year-old Walshea Mitchell escaped Saturday night and then apparently jumped over two rolls of razor-wire fence.
  On Monday, deputies said the men may be traveling in a stolen, white 2015 Ford truck with Louisiana license number 240146. They say the truc
  
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• Drunk driver splashes into water off I-12 near Livingston

  30-08-2016 06:20
  
  HOLDEN - Louisiana State Police arrested a woman on drunk driving charges Tuesday morning after her truck careened off I-12 near Livingston, ending up in a nearby body of water.Lane closures were in effect on both the eastbound and westbound sides of the interstate past LA 441.Work crews had to go in the water to retrieve the vehicle, but they had trouble securing the vehicle in a tow truck due to a high sand embankment. The vehicle recovery operation was forced to be postponed, and it
  
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• Big rig in water off 1-12 westbound

  30-08-2016 06:20
  
  HOLDEN - Commuters may want to take an alternate route Tuesday morning as a vehicle has fallen into the water off I-12. This accident is at mile marker 25 past LA 441.The left lane was blocked for over an hour as a tow truck tried to secure the big rig in the water, but it was unable to do so. All lanes are now open on the westbound side, as the tow truck attempts to retrieve the vehicle from the eastbound side. We have no word yet on lane closures on the eastbound side. There is also no word ye
  
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