Baton Rouge news

• Livingston sheriff: 'I'm not going to tolerate crime' as area works to rebuild

  31-08-2016 21:51
  
  LIVINGSTON - In a stern Facebook video Thursday, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard reminded people a midnight to 6 a.m. curfew remains, and asked people to support the effort."There are people that do not have anything anymore. What little they do have, it might be there home. I want to protect that," he said, adding that there has been a large law enforcement presence on the streets since the flood event a few weeks ago. He continued, the increased patrols will continue to show citizens and p
  
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• Louisiana Flood recovery: 7 concerns about temporary housing

  31-08-2016 21:07
  
  FEMA has managed to set up just one mobile home so far.
  
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• FEMA offers legal advice for low-income residents after floods

  31-08-2016 18:56
  
  BATON ROUGE – FEMA said that free disaster related legal advice is now available for low income flood survivors.In a statement released Wednesday, FEMA said the service is available through a partnership with the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Louisiana Civil Center and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.Low income survivors may call the legal services hotline at 800-310-7029 between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Voicemail is available 24/7. Messages ar
  
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• Twin Oaks Elementary works to repair damage from flood

  31-08-2016 18:35
  
  BATON ROUGE – Major restoration is under way at 12 East Baton Rouge schools that were impacted by the recent flood, but Twin Oaks Elementary is on the fast track to get students back as soon as possible.The elementary school received a foot and a half of flood water. Earl Kern is currently overseeing the repairs."When you are dealing with students, children, small children it's got to be clean safe and ready for them to come back to school," Kern said.The damage is estimated a
  
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• Mexican president contradicts Trump on wall

  31-08-2016 18:18
  
  WASHINGTON  - The president of Mexico says Donald Trump wasn't telling the truth when he described their Wednesday conversation.Specifically, President Enrique Peña Nieto said that he and Trump did indeed discuss who would pay for construction of a massive wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. That's the centerpiece of Trump's immigration plan.Trump and Peña Nieto met privately in Mexico City on Wednesday afternoon.When they emerged from the meeting, Trump told reporters
  
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• Demolition begins on River Center Branch library

  31-08-2016 18:18
  
  BATON ROUGE – After about a month of closing its doors and moving to a temporary location, the River Center Branch library started demolition this week.Officials say they plan to wrap up demolition by Oct. 4 and construction of the new library will go into summer or fall of 2018 with an opening soon after. The project is estimated to cost about $19 million, which includes the demolition, new branch construction, new furniture and computers.The library will pay for the new branch and ot
  
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• AT&T testifies about flood outage fiasco

  31-08-2016 18:01
  
  BATON ROUGE- Cell phone company AT&T was on the hot seat Wednesday testifying before the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Officials wanted to know why customers were unable to reach loved ones or call for rescue during recent flooding."Connectivity, now we've come to rely on that as a way of life," said commissioner Scott Angelle.Executives explained they were caught off guard when the heart of their operation flooded two weeks ago. AT&T's local "switching center" g
  
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• New staging sites, strategies aim to speed up debris removal

  31-08-2016 16:57
  
  BATON ROUGE – State officials said Wednesday that new strategies and staging areas will reduce debris removal times by half, according to LDEQ projections.According to the LDEQ, since the staging site was activated on North Sherwood Forest Boulevard, haul efficiency has increased by 66 percent. That means crews can haul 17,000 more cubic yards per day to a total of 60,000 cubic yards per day.Also, Brown said there is no disposal at the North Sherwood Boulevard site, just debris separat
  
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• United Blood Services seeking blood donations

  31-08-2016 16:55
  BATON ROUGE – United Blood Services are looking to replenish its supply of blood that was lost during the recent flood.With blood supplies at an already lower than normal level, the organization is requesting blood donations from those who wish to give. The organization says that more than 400 pints of blood were lost during the flood and the loss is in addition to an unusual decline is summer blood donations.According to the organization, during the Labor Day holiday people will be mo
  
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• Blood donations needed for Labor Day holiday

  31-08-2016 16:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - United Blood Services says over 400 pints of blood were lost during the historic flooding across south Louisiana.The organization is asking residents to consider giving blood during the Labor Day holiday.“During the Labor Day holiday, people will be more active and unfortunately, accidents will occur and blood usage will increase,” a statement released Wednesday said. “With blood reserves at an already lower than normal level, your donation is needed t
  
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• Southern University AG Center to host wellness clinic for animals affected by flood

  31-08-2016 16:18
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Southern University Agriculture Center will host a disaster relief wellness clinic for dogs and cats later this month.The clinic is being offered as a way to ensure help the health of animals that were affected by the recent historic flood. The Southern Ag Center cited globalanimal.org that more than 600 animals were rescued from the flood water.The event will provide free physical exams, rabies vaccines, flea and tick prevention information, deworming and food sample
  
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• Louisiana Flood of 2016: The 12 stages of recovery

  31-08-2016 16:17
  
  "People are saying they want things to return to normal, but who knows what the new normal will look like."
  
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• EPA report: Some oil leaked from facility during August flood

  31-08-2016 15:35
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - The EPA said displaced oil containers discharged between 300 and 600 gallons of unused motor oil into a neighborhood during the August 2016 flood event.The information comes after a federal inquiry into complaints from neighbors who live around Lard Oil Company on Florida Avenue in Denham Springs. Both federal and state environmental experts surveyed the area after the flood.Wednesday, 2 On Your Side learned, the EPA found the yards of 51 homes, a house and a business sustained
  
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• Sentencing postponed for man found guilty of killing 5 in I-10 crash

  31-08-2016 15:24
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sentencing for a man convicted of killing five people in a crash on I-10 five years ago has been postponed.34-year-old David Leger’s sentencing is now schedule for Aug. 18, according to Judge Chip Moore’s chambers.Leger was scheduled to be sentenced for five counts of vehicular homicide for his involvement in a road rage fueled car chase on I-10. 29-year-old Effie Fontenot, her three children and 19-year-old Kimberly Stagg were killed.The families of the victim&
  
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• Livingston Parish Schools relocations announced for Sept. 12 return

  31-08-2016 14:43
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH – With all Livingston Parish Schools returning to session on Sept. 12, parish school officials have announced some relocation measures that will be in place after some schools were damaged and many students were displaced by recent record flooding.Livingston Parish School employees are to return on Sept. 6.According to Superintendent Rick Wentzel, most students will attend their regular schools and maintain their normal class schedule. However, students at De
  
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• Families living in tents or moldy homes wait for FEMA housing

  31-08-2016 14:40
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - Some residents in Livingston Parish are resorting to “pop-up property” after they’ve been ejected from their homes by recent flooding.WWL-TV’s Ashley Rodrigue visited Susie Circle in Denham Springs where she says the current look of that street typifies how many residents of the area are being forced to live. Shane Foreman is one of those citizens who has taken to tent living because mold is taking over his trailer home despite gutting it
  
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• US court upholds ban on gun sales to marijuana card holders

  31-08-2016 14:34
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court has upheld the government's ban on the sale of guns to medical marijuana card holders.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Wednesday the ban does not violate the 2nd Amendment.The ruling applies to the nine Western states that fall under the court's jurisdiction, including California, Washington and Oregon.It came in a lawsuit filed by S. Rowan Wilson, a Nevada woman who tried to buy a firearm in 2011 after obtaining a medical marijuana card.The gun
  
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• NSU Marching Band loans drums to flood-ravaged St. Amant

  31-08-2016 14:01
  
  ST. AMANT - After around 90 percent of St. Amant High’s Marching Band instruments became a casualty of recent flooding, Northwestern State University has pitched in to help ensure the beat goes on at the school as high school football season gets underway.NSU provided a loan of a total of 38 drums to the marching band including nine snare drums, four sets of tenor drums and five bass drums. Northwestern says the instruments were going to be surplus items anyway as the band ordered new
  
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• Louisiana examining short-term loan proposals

  31-08-2016 14:00
  
  The state's "cash flow" problem has been made worse by the flooding.
  
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• Baton Rouge man wanted for second-degree rape

  31-08-2016 13:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police are looking for a Baton Rouge man accused of raping a 40-year-old woman after driving her from a local bar.According to Baton Rouge Police, 33-year-old Gregory Warren Johnson is wanted on second-degree rape charges.Investigators say the victim states she woke up during the early morning hours of May 13 to Johnson naked in her bed. The victim said she has never met Johnson before and had no idea who he was.Anyone with information of the whereabouts of Johns
  
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• Sound stage used for Tom Cruise production now flood recovery center

  31-08-2016 13:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - It once played host to Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Tom Cruise and many others but Wednesday, Stage 6 at Celtic Media Centre was the set of a reality series too many are living: life in a rebuilding, post-flood world.FEMA opened a Disaster Recovery Center inside the 30,000 square foot sound stage. Floors once covered in wires above a ceiling of stage lights was filled with cubicles of federal disaster experts, helping people through the process of applying for and receiving disaster as
  
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• 5 arrested after Essen Lane convenience store holdup

  31-08-2016 13:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - Five suspects believed to be behind a pair of armed robberies were arrested during a traffic stop on Tuesday.18-year-old Terry Joseph, 21-year-old Alvin Rogers, 18-year-old Kailia Scott, 19-year-old Signy Ragas and 25-year-old Roidaniell Williams were all booked on armed robbery charges.Deputies said two suspects entered the Circle K at 5857 Essen Lane wearing concealing clothing with cloth over their faces. One of the suspects was armed with a semiautomatic handgun while
  
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• Reports of clowns trying to lure kids into woods prompts investigation

  31-08-2016 13:21
  
  GREENVILLE, S.C. - After recently receiving multiple reports of clowns trying to lure children into woods in Greenville, South Carolina, authorities are increasing patrols and launching an investigation, according to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office (GCSO).The majority of the alleged clown sightings happened in the woods next to the Fleetwood Manor apartment complex in Greenville, GCSO Master Deputy Ryan Flood told ABC News today.A number of children living at the complex told an officer l
  
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• Officials advise applicants not to splurge their disaster assistance grants

  31-08-2016 13:07
  
  BATON ROUGE – State and federal officials are advising flood applicants who have received disaster assistance grants or loans to resist the urge to splurge and make smart decisions with their recovery funds. With more than $202 million in assistance already granted to applicants, officials remind that assistance is meant to help flood victims pay for necessities and begin to get back on their feet.Disaster assistance may include grants and loans to help pay for emergency repai
  
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• Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Eric Church lead CMA nods

  31-08-2016 12:35
  
  NEW YORK - Chris Stapleton, Eric Church and budding newcomer Maren Morris are the leaders at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards.The three performers received five nominations each Wednesday. The CMAs will air live Nov. 2 on ABC in Nashville, Tennessee, celebrating its 50th anniversary.Stapleton is nominated for entertainer of the year along with Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan and Keith Urban. Stapleton's nominations also include musical event of the year, which he shares with
  
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• Some military vets tweet support for Kaepernick's protest

  31-08-2016 12:29
  
  SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Colin Kaepernick's protest of the national anthem is apparently winning support from some military veterans on Twitter.The San Francisco 49ers quarterback sparked controversy during the NFL's preseason by sitting instead of standing during the "Star-Spangled Banner." Kaepernick says he's protesting what he describes as oppression of minorities in the United States. Some who have criticized the protest said it was insulting to veterans.But some people who identify themselves
  
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• FSU football player eats lunch with student sitting alone

  31-08-2016 12:27
  
  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - For one day, a mother says she didn't have to worry about her son eating lunch by himself after he was joined by Florida State University wide receiver Travis Rudolph.News outlets report a photo capturing Rudolph and sixth-grader Bo Paske having lunch Tuesday at Tallahassee's Montford Middle School is being circulated on social media.Rudolph was among several football players visiting the school to meet with students when he saw Bo by himself at a table in the lunch room and
  
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• Feds to distribute $53 million to states to fight opioids

  31-08-2016 12:24
  
  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration says it will distribute $53 million to 44 states in an effort to curb opioid abuse.Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says the funding will focus on reducing over-prescribing of pain killers, increasing access to treatment and making sure the antidote naloxone is widely available.The administration is also calling on Congress to provide $1.1 billion in new money, saying legislation recently signed into law didn't do enough to expand treatment
  
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• Baton Rouge Area Foundation distributes relief grants

  31-08-2016 08:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has distributed more than $1.6 million so far to local nonprofits helping people affected by the floods, including more $600,000 to schools and groups focused on education.
  The grants are the first round of giving coming from the Louisiana Flood Relief Fund, which the prominent foundation established with $100,000 of its own money. BRAF reports that more than $2.5 million from more than 14,000 individual donations have flowed into the relief fund so
  
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• Fewer students enrolled in Louisiana's public colleges

  31-08-2016 04:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - Enrollment in Louisiana's public higher education system has dropped by about 4.4 percent in a five-year span.The Advertiser reports that enrollment has dropped by about 10,000 students in five years - from roughly 225,000 in 2010 to 215,000 in 2015.During that time, schools have significantly raised tuition and fees as well as cut costs through eliminating programs.CollegeBoard statistics show average in-state tuition and fees for Louisiana public schools rose 66 percent from abou
  
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• HHS awards $53 million to help address opioid epidemic

  31-08-2016 03:38
  
  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday $53 million in funding to improve access to treatment for opioid use disorders, reduce opioid-related deaths, and strengthen drug abuse prevention efforts.The funding will also help improved data collection and analysis around opioid abuse and overdose and track overdoses."The epidemic of opioid use disorders involving the non-medical use of prescription opioid pain relievers and the use of heroin has had a devastating impac
  
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• IRS to allow flood victims access to funds

  31-08-2016 01:40
  
  The Internal Revenue Service says it's granting a regulatory waiver requested by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy to allow those impacted by August floods in Louisiana early access to retirement funds without penalty.
  
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