Baton Rouge news

• Medically fragile suffer in flood aftermath

  04-09-2016 20:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - These days it's not uncommon to find makeshift distribution centers giving out badly needed supplies to flood victims. However, Angela Lorio and her team of volunteers are operating a very different kind of center in Baton Rouge."Our little organization has quickly become this conduit that is helping the entire medically fragile community," she said.Lorio and her team of "moms" run an advocacy group called Trach Mommas. Like many of its members, her young son depe
  
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• Residents enjoy Labor Day weekend after False River reopens

  04-09-2016 18:45
  
  POINTE COUPEE PARISH – False River had been closed for weeks due to the high water levels and flood debris, but now that officials reopened the River residents can continue on with their Labor Day traditions.The closure of the river came as terrible news to residents wanting to enjoy their three-day weekend on the water. Some held on to hope that they could still get some well-deserved fun."I woulda been really upset because this is a every year thing," Taylor Prevost, visitor of False
  
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• Louisiana-Lafayette assistant fired after loss in opener

  04-09-2016 18:10
  
  LAFAYETTE - Louisiana-Lafayette fired defensive coordinator Melvin Smith on Sunday, a day after a season-opening 45-10 loss to Boise State.Ragin' Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth said linebackers coach Mike Lucas will be the defensive coordinator for the remainder of the season.Hudspeth said in a statement that "we appreciate everything that Melvin has done for us since coming here, and we wish he and his family nothing but the best in the future." Hudspeth added that "making a change is never easy, b
  
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• Louisiana Tech wants $23K raise for athletic director

  04-09-2016 16:49
  
  RUSTON - Louisiana Tech wants to give its athletic director a new five-year contract and a $23,000 raise.The Louisiana Tech Foundation would supply the proposed raise for Tommy McClelland, bringing his pre-bonus total to $248,000 a year.Tech says the school would still pay $140,000 a year, while the foundation's share would rise to $108,000.McClelland could earn up to $40,000 in bonuses for bowl games, tournament appearances and fundraising.It's one of three Tech contracts the University of Loui
  
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• Family celebrates birthday of boy killed by alligator at Disney World

  04-09-2016 16:37
  
  OMAHA - Parents of the toddler who was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World in Florida say they will always remember their sweet little boy.Melissa and Matt Graves spoke to a group of several hundred people gathered at a high school football stadium Saturday to remember Lane Graves on what would have been his third birthday.Lane died June 14 after an alligator pulled him into a lagoon at Disney's upscale Grand Floridian Resort.Melissa Graves said the family wanted to celebrate Lane's "fir
  
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• Small plane crash kills Lafayette man and 1 other while doing stunts

  04-09-2016 15:17
  
  LIBERTY, Texas - The Liberty County Sheriff's Office says two men died in a plane crash as they were apparently performing stunts above the Trinity River.The office says in a statement that the pilot Patrick Joseph Falterman, 26, Cleveland, Texas, and his friend, Zach Esters, 25, who was visiting from Louisiana, died after the plane went nose-down about 6:50 p.m. Saturday into the river about a quarter mile south of the Highway 105 bridge in Liberty County.The office says witnesses saw the plane
  
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• 81-year-old survives explosion that levels Mississippi house

  04-09-2016 14:59
  
  SMITHDALE, Miss. - An 81-year-old man survived an explosion that destroyed his house, driving boards into the ground and rattling houses miles away.Son-in-law Darryl Callen of Smithdale, east of Summit, tells the Enterprise-Journal that Elmo Gilchrist is in a burn unit in Jackson, 70 miles away.Callen says the house blew up when Gilchrist went to light his stove to cook some sausage.He says he was amazed to see firefighters helping his father-in-law walk out of the wreckage Saturday morning.Amit
  
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• Workers find bags of cocaine worth $56 million in France Coca-Cola factory

  04-09-2016 14:20
  
  PARIS - Workers at a Coca-Cola factory in southern France opened a shipment of orange juice but found a huge shipment of cocaine instead.The Coca-Cola factory in the town of Signes, near the Mediterranean coast, produces concentrates for various drinks. A spokesman for Coca-Cola France says employees immediately notified police and judicial authorities have opened an investigation.Sacks containing 370 kilograms (815 pounds) of cocaine, estimated to be worth $56 million, were hidden in a shipping
  
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• Eastern gorilla gets added to critically endangered list

  04-09-2016 14:12
  
  HONOLULU - A report released at the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii says the world's largest living primate has been listed as critically endangered, making four of the six great ape species only one step away from extinction.The International Union for the Conservation of Nature cited illegal hunting in downgrading the status of the eastern gorilla to critically endangered on its Red List of Endangered Species on Sunday.The list contains 24,000 species that are threatened with extinction.
  
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• Uber charges man more than $500 for a ride he did not take

  04-09-2016 13:34
  
  CHICAGO – Uber charged a man more than $500 for a ride that he did not take.Jason Holbrook was at an intersection in Chicago when he decided to request an Uber to get him to his next stop. However, the ride he requested was canceled by the driver. He received an email from Uber stating that his ride was canceled and he would not be charged for it.Holbrook then caught a cab instead. Holbrook did not think much of it until he received a credit card statement with a $573.85 charge on it f
  
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• BR photographer, known for iconic photos of Mother Teresa, releases book

  04-09-2016 13:15
  
  BATON ROUGE – Marie Constantin, a Baton Rouge photographer and author, is internationally known for her infamous photographic work of the late Mother Teresa. Constantin took the iconic photograph of Mother Teresa at her beautification ceremony in St. Peter's Bascalia in 2003 and also photographed her during her visit to Louisiana in 1984 and 1985.Constantin has traveled all over the world, from Calcutta, Haiti, Nicaragua and Tijuana capturing the work of Mother Teresa and other nuns. C
  
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• Officials say remains of boy abducted in 1989 found

  04-09-2016 13:14
  
  MINNEAPOLIS - Authorities in central Minnesota say the remains of Jacob Wetterling have been found.The Stearns County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Jacob's remains were identified on Saturday.Jacob was 11 when he was kidnapped from a rural road on Oct. 22, 1989, near his home in St. Joseph, about 80 miles northwest of Minneapolis. No one has been arrested or charged in his abduction, though authorities named 53-year-old Danny Heinrich as a person of interest last year.Heinrich was ch
  
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• Additional Washington Parish ZIP code approved for DSNAP

  04-09-2016 13:06
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services received approval for the Washington Parish ZIP code 70427 to be added to the DSNAP program that will begin this week on Sept. 6 due to the Labor Day holiday. DSNAP operations will open Tuesday, September 6, through Saturday, September 10, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the following parishes:
  Evangeline Parish ZIP codes 70515, 70524, 70535, 70554, 70576, and 70586
  Mamou Recreation Cen
  
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• Mother Teresa: 'Saint of the gutters' canonized at Vatican

  04-09-2016 12:58
  
  VATICAN CITY - Elevating the "saint of the gutters" to one of the Catholic Church's highest honors, Pope Francis on Sunday praised Mother Teresa for her radical dedication to society's outcasts and her courage in shaming world leaders for the "crimes of poverty they themselves created."An estimated 120,000 people filled St. Peter's Square for the canonization ceremony, less than half the number who turned out for her 2003 beatification. It was nevertheless the highlight of Francis' Holy Year of
  
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• Morning house fire on Greenway Drive under investigation

  04-09-2016 12:46
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Fire Department is investigating a house fire that occurred on Greenway Drive early Saturday morning.The house, located in the 3400 block of Greenway, was under construction due to the recent flooding. Firefighters arrived on the scene around 2 a.m. to find fire coming from the roof. The fire was brought under control by 2:27 a.m. after seven fire department units were used.According to BRPD, the heavy damage that the house experienced is estimat
  
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• Pelicans' Jrue Holiday taking leave for wife's brain surgery

  04-09-2016 12:30
  
  NEW ORLEANS  - The New Orleans Pelicans say guard Jrue Holiday will be taking indefinite leave to care for his wife, former U.S. women's national soccer team member Lauren Holiday, who is pregnant and needs brain surgery."We are all praying for a healthy delivery of their first child and a successful surgery for Lauren," Pelicans general manager Dell Demps said in a prepared statement provided Sunday by the club. "Furthermore, we ask everyone to respect the Holiday's privacy at this tim
  
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• Fatal pedestrian crash involving 13-year-old currently under investigation

  04-09-2016 12:28
  
  AMELIA - A crash that occurred Saturday night claimed the life of the pedestrian involved.13-year-old Allyson Duval of Morgan City was walking near Lake Palourde Road shortly before 9 p.m. when she was struck by a tan Chevrolet pick-up truck driven by a 32-year-old man of Amelia, St. Mary's Parish Sheriff's Office said.She was transported to Teche Regional Medical Center by Acadian Ambulance where the St. Mary Parish Coroner pronounced her deceased.An investigation is currently ongoing.Permalink
  
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• Some parts of Louisiana remain off-limits for oyster harvest

  04-09-2016 12:13
  
  HOUMA - Louisiana remains the biggest oyster producing state in the nation, but several areas will remain off-limits to harvesting this year because of shortages.Barataria Bay is among the areas off-limits to harvesting.Steve Beck is a biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. He says the stock of oysters is down about 19 percent.Freshwater diversions and the 2010 Gulf Coast oil spill have been among factors the oyster industry has blamed for the declineState and federal
  
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• FEMA hiring temporary workers for disaster recovery aid

  04-09-2016 12:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana residents looking for temporary work have an opportunity to help in the recovery process by working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.FEMA is advertising through the Louisiana Workforce Commission to fill open positions at its disaster recovery offices in the state.These are full-time jobs, but of temporary duration, with benefits including health insurance, sick leave and holiday pay.To apply, visit www.laworks.net, the website for "Louisiana Workforce Commiss
  
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