Baton Rouge news

• Residents getting skin irritations from flood water and cleaning products

  09-09-2016 18:20
  
  BATON ROUGE – Many residents are suffering from unsightly skin rashes and doctors say it is a result of last month's flooding.Michelle Shamburger, resident of Baton Rouge, noticed a rash developing on her wrist about a week and a half ago."I looked down and I had these little red bumps creeping all the way up my forearm to my elbows and then a couple of hours later, it had spread to my other arm and then by the time I woke up the next morning, on Tuesday morning, I was covered head to
  
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• Regional bus service for flood victims ending, few riders

  09-09-2016 17:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - A regional bus service started after the catastrophic August flooding has been discontinued for lack of riders.The Louisiana transportation department announced Friday that it was ending the service that had been provided for three weeks. It was aimed at getting people who lost their vehicles in the flood to and from downtown Baton Rouge to other communities around the region.But the transportation department says Friday was the service's final day because few people were using it.
  
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• Bus driver in deadly I-10 crash speaks from jail

  09-09-2016 17:50
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Nearly two weeks after the tragic bus accident on I-10 in Laplace that left three people dead, the driver of the bus that crashed into a fire truck is speaking from jail. Dennis Amaya Rodriguez remains in jail on charges including negligent homicide and driving without a license.  Amaya had also entered the United States illegally.However, the publisher of a Hispanic newspaper was able to talk to him by phone. Jambalaya News Louisiana's Publisher Brenda M
  
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• Federal safety commission: Stop using the Galaxy Note 7

  09-09-2016 16:57
  
  WASHINGTON – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners to turn off the smartphone and stop charging the device.The warning comes one day after the FAA warned Note 7 users to turn off their phone while traveling on airplanes.The two warning from federal agencies come after concerns that some devices have caught fire or exploded while charging. Samsung has identified that there is an issue with some lithium-ion batteries.American, Delta, and U
  
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• Disaster recovery center opens for flood-impacted residents in West Baton Rouge Parish

  09-09-2016 16:41
  
  BATON ROUGE – A disaster recovery center is opening in West Baton Rouge Parish to assist Louisiana flood victims.The center is set to open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. The center is located at 210 Turner Drive at the LSU Center at the 4-H Compound.Flood victims can locate other centers by visiting fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers, calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.Disaster recovery centers are staffed by representatives from the G
  
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• Post-flood, frustrated riders could wait up to an hour for a bus

  09-09-2016 15:50
  
  BATON ROUGE – Numerous cancellations frustrated Capital Area Transit System riders Friday as the bus system asked for patience in the system's ongoing effort to restore service with a tattered fleet and tested drivers. Earlier this week, CATS announced it was not offering its bus service to fans attending Saturday's LSU game. Traditionally, CATS' Touchdown Express will take riders to and from the football game for a small fare. The service is discontinued for at least September, CATS s
  
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• Stocks slide on Wall Street

  09-09-2016 15:42
  
  NEW YORK - The stock market stumbled to its biggest loss since June as traders worried that interest rates may finally be heading higher.Stocks that had the most to lose from higher rates suffered the most in the sell-off Friday.Utilities and phone stocks, which investors have sought out this year for their high dividends, fell far more than the rest of the market. AT&T slumped 3.6 percent.Energy companies, which have also gained a lot this year, took a drubbing as the price of crude oil slu
  
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• Thursday deadline set by Edwards on reworked hospital deals

  09-09-2016 14:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has given the private operators of the LSU hospitals and clinics until next week to decide if they agree to renegotiated terms of their financing deals with the state.Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told the LSU Board of Supervisors the "public/private partners" that took over the safety net services LSU previously provided to the poor have until next Thursday to accept the terms offered by the administration.Dardenne wouldn't provide details about
  
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• Louisiana congressional clout will take another hit this election

  09-09-2016 14:52
  
  38 state delegations in Congress have more experience than Louisiana's does in 2016.
  
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• LSU game day parking information

  09-09-2016 14:51
  BATON ROUGE - The Office of Parking & Transportation Services will strictly enforce game day weekend parking lot restrictions in the Cypress Drive South Lot (formally, Tennis Courts Lot) (Lot 206). For all home football games, all residents must relocate all vehicles out of the Cypress Drive South Lot (formally, Tennis Courts Lot) (Lot 206) into non–restricted parking lots before 7 a.m. on game day, but we recommend you move your cars by Friday evening.Any vehicles found in this re
  
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• Man wanted for groping woman in Prairieville parking lot

  09-09-2016 14:16
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - Sheriff’s deputies in Ascension Parish are on the lookout for a man wanted for groping a woman in a Prairieville grocery store parking lot.33-year-old Gregory Johnson is wanted for sexual battery.On Tuesday, Aug. 30, Johnson approached a woman at the Winn-Dixie located on Airline Highway and asked her for directions. He then groped the victim.He was last seen wearing a black shirt with red writing, dark pants and red tennis shoes. He was driving a black Dodge Challenger
  
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• Crane overturns at Dow site in Plaquemine; no injuries reported

  09-09-2016 14:10
  
  PLAQUEMINE – A crane overturned at the Dow Chemical site in Plaquemine Thursday afternoon.According to officials, there were no injuries and the site has been secured.The crane is owned and operated by Mammoet, a company specializing in the lifting and transporting of heavy objects.Dow officials said they are working alongside Mammoet to investigate the incident to find out what caused the crane to overturn. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Oyster shortage causes closed harvest areas

  09-09-2016 14:08
  
  GRETNA - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the state's oyster industry is suffering and as a result, several harvesting areas will be off-limits.Oyster season opened Wednesday in parts of Louisiana. However, a low oyster population is causing problems for oyster farmers.Factors contributing to the low resources include too much fresh water in the areas in which the oysters grow and the 2010 Gulf oil spill.Oyster farmer Matthew Lepetich says he believes the oyster stock neve
  
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• Louisiana Flood of 2016: Shock sets in for 'the land of the lost'

  09-09-2016 14:05
  
  You can hear it in their trembling voices. You can see it in their sad eyes. They still can't believe their own stories. "It came up fast," said 9-year-old Colby Stewart as he remembered the flooding in his south Denham...
  
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• Judge denies request to declare school staff desegregated

  09-09-2016 14:05
  
  AMITE - A U.S. District Judge has denied the Tangipahoa Parish School Board's request for its staff to be declared desegregated, saying the board needs to provide more information.The Daily Star of Hammond reports that in June, the school board requested a final declaration on unitary status for staff assignment, which would mean the court would no longer supervise the school system's staff employment decisions.In its request, the board argued that the school system has met its 40 percent black,
  
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• FEMA: federal aid to flooded Louisiana has passed $1 billion

  09-09-2016 14:01
  
  BATON ROUGE – FEMA reports that federal aid to help disaster survivors has surpassed $1 billion less than four weeks after historic flooding devastated south Louisiana.FEMA says more than 63,000 families are receiving assistance through one or more of the housing options available.The agency approved more than $505 million in grants through the Individual Assistance program.  More than $95 million has helped homes replace essential household items or moving and storage costs.T
  
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• LSU fans to remember 'Geaux Clear' bag policy, prohibited items before home-opener

  09-09-2016 13:39
  
  BATON ROUGE – As LSU is set to take on Jacksonville State at Tiger Stadium on Saturday for its home-opener game, university officials want fans to be aware of new game day rules and policies.LSU has frequently reminded fans about the new Geaux Clear bag policy that has gone into effect for all athletic venues on campus.In addition to the Clear Bag Policy, fans are also reminded of the following items that are prohibited from Tiger Stadium:- Coolers, ice chests, bottles, cans, cups (or
  
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• St. Michael football player injured, taken off field during game

  09-09-2016 13:25
  
  BATON ROUGE - A St. Michael High School football player was severly injured during a Saturday night match against Loranger High School.Sources say the athelete was transported from LA Leadership Stadium by EMS to Our Lady of the Lake. Originally, the student was reportedly talking with medics, complaining of severe head pain.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrayForCole?src=hash"&gt
  
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• Flooding causes drop in RVs at LSU game

  09-09-2016 13:12
  
  BATON ROUGE- If you're planning on tailgating for LSU's home opener tomorrow, you might notice something different in the RV lots. Several tiger fans lost their tailgating homes in last month's historic flooding.
  Fans told us the lack of RVs was obvious on Friday.
  "There's usually around 50 to 60 RVs in the morning," tailgater Tim Seilhan told News 2's Brett Buffington. "We barely had 30 this morning when we got here."
  Seilhan said he personally knew two people who were affected, but says he doe
  
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• Sources: 1 killed in crash on Airline Hwy

  09-09-2016 12:52
  
  BATON ROUGE- Sources say one person was killed in a car wreck Friday night.It happened on Airline Highway near Old Jefferson around 10 p.m.It's unclear what caused the crash.Authorities have not released any information at this time.Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Praised by viewers of FEMA hearing feed; Who is Rep. Mica?

  09-09-2016 12:41
  
  WASHINGTON, D.C. - People watching WBRZ's Facebook Live feed of the Congressional hearing into FEMA's response to the flood rallied around a Florida lawmaker."We have to do a better job of meeting our federal responsibility," Congressman John L. Mica (R), said in his closing remarks of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets meeting Friday morning. Mica, who is elected from a Florida congressional district centered in the Orlando area, is the chair of the committee.Mice praised Cong
  
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• CDC Director: Just a few weeks' of Zika funding remain

  09-09-2016 12:33
  
  WASHINGTON - The head of the government's fight against the Zika virus says that "we are now essentially out of money" and warns that the country is "about to see a bunch of kids born with microcephaly" in the coming months.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden addressed a handful of reporters as lawmakers start to sort out a stopgap government funding bill that is being targeted to also carry long-delayed money to battle Zika.Zika is spreading more widely in the U.S
  
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• Texas mattress company apologizes for 'tasteless' 9/11 ad

  09-09-2016 12:28
  
  HOUSTON - The owner of mattress company in Texas has apologized for a "tasteless" advertisement promoting a 9/11 anniversary sale featuring a woman screaming as two towers of mattresses fall to the ground.Miracle Mattress owner Mike Bonanno apologized Thursday, saying the online ad was produced without his knowledge by employees in San Antonio.The video shows two men asking a woman about a "Twin Towers" sale. She opens her arms, pushing both men backward into two stacks of mattresses, knocking t
  
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• Nissan recalls 120K vehicles; fluid leaks can cause fires

  09-09-2016 12:24
  
  DETROIT - Nissan is recalling over 120,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. because brake fluid could leak and cause fires.In some cases owners should park their vehicles outside until they are fixed.The recall covers certain 2015 to 2017 Murano SUVs and 2016 to 2017 Maxima large cars that are equipped with intelligent cruise control. Also included are some 2015 and 2016 Murano hybrids.Nissan says seals on antilock brake pumps can leak fluid onto a circuit board. That can cause an electrical short, whi
  
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• Updated office hours to accept disaster unemployment claims

  09-09-2016 09:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Workforce Commission has announced updated call-center office hours in order to deal with an influx of disaster unemployment assistance claims.LWC staff members will answer calls made to 1-866-783-5567 to help individuals file for DUA from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays starting Monday, Sept. 12. The new office hours will remain in effect until further notice.DUA claims can also be filed online at www.laworks.net.The deadline to apply for disaster unemployment assistanc
  
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• ITT Technical Institute faces more lawsuits over shutdown

  09-09-2016 09:08
  
  CARMEL, Ind.- The for-profit college chain ITT Technical Institute is facing more lawsuits from employees following its decision to shut down.
  Two new lawsuits say the company violated federal law by not providing 60 days' notice.
  Another lawsuit earlier this week sought class-action status on behalf of the 8,000 employees who are losing their jobs as a result of ITT's decision to shut down more than 130 ITT Technical Institute campuses in 38 states.
  The three lawsuits were filed in Indiana and
  
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