Baton Rouge news

• Louisiana to borrow $300M to $400M with short-term loan

  15-09-2016 21:46
  
  The state has to pay back the money by Aug. 14, 2017.
  
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• Residents concerned over debris-related health issues

  15-09-2016 20:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - Residents say they are getting frustrated at possible health risks created by flood debris."You can taste it, you can smell it," auto body shop owner Timothy Matthews said.Matthews' shop is located near the intersection of Sherwood Forrest Blvd. and Choctaw Drive, right across the street from a temporary debris site, seeing a steady stream of trucks hauling trash throughout the day.The debris site have grown significantly over the days, bringing in more dust, dirt and mold along wi
  
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• FCA recalling 1.9 million vehicles for air bag defect

  15-09-2016 17:19
  
  DETROIT - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling more than 1.9 million vehicles worldwide because their air bags might not deploy in a crash.The recall affects certain Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Lancia vehicles from the 2010-2014 model years. Most are in the U.S., but 224,860 were sold in Canada and Mexico and 284,051 were sold outside North America.FCA says an air-bag and seat-belt control module with a certain wiring design may not deploy the air bags or tighten the seat belts if the vehicle is
  
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• 2 more indicted in massive Navy bribery scandal

  15-09-2016 17:17
  
  SAN DIEGO - Two former executives of a Singapore company that supplies ships have been indicted in a wide-spanning bribery scandal involving its CEO nicknamed "Fat Leonard" and high-ranking US Navy officials.Former Glenn Defense Marine Asia executives Neil Peterson and Linda Raja in an indictment unsealed Wednesday are accused of submitting false claims totaling more than $5 million to the Navy.The company's CEO Leonard "Fat Leonard" Francis is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to bribin
  
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• Sea ice in Arctic shrinks to second lowest level on record

  15-09-2016 16:56
  
  WASHINGTON - Arctic sea ice this summer shrank to its second lowest level since scientists started to monitor it by satellite.The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado said the sea ice reached its summer low point on Saturday, extending 1.6 million square miles (4.14 million square kilometers). That's behind only 2012's 1.31 million square miles (3.39 million square kilometers).Center director Mark Serreze said this year's level technically was 3,800 square miles (9,842 square kilometers
  
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• ACLU: Students have right to sit during Pledge of Allegiance

  15-09-2016 16:49
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana says it has received two separate complaints that students were told they would be punished for sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance, an act protected as free speech.ACLU Director Marjorie Esman says she's received two complaints in 24 hours, so she suspects it's probably more widespread. Rather than deal only with the two districts in question, she has written every school superintendent in Louisiana to remind them the protest is
  
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• Louisiana flood of 2016: The waters were trapped in Cajun country's St. Martinville

  15-09-2016 16:15
  
  Some people wake from a nightmare in a cold sweat, praying the dream wasn't real. Others wake to a new reality. Four weeks after the Louisiana flood of 2016, Elaine Clement, the director of the Acadian Memorial and the St....
  
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• GOP seeks review of claim NFL tried to sway concussion study

  15-09-2016 15:57
  
  WASHINGTON - House Republicans are calling for an independent review of allegations the National Football League sought to improperly influence a government study into the link between football and brain disease.GOP leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee say in a letter sent Thursday to the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general that a thorough assessment is needed to ensure the integrity of the process for awarding research grants.The committee's top Democrat issued a
  
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• Congressional report slams NSA leaker Edward Snowden

  15-09-2016 15:56
  
  WASHINGTON - A House intelligence committee report on National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden says he's not a whistleblower and that the vast majority of the documents he stole were military and defense secrets that had nothing to do with Americans' privacy.The committee on Thursday released a three-page unclassified summary of its two-year investigation into the Snowden case. The committee says that contrary to Snowden's self-portrayal as a whistleblower, the report reveals that he was a
  
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• Federal order forbids Samsung Galaxy Note 7 use on planes

  15-09-2016 15:49
  
  BETHESDA, Md. - U.S. regulators are issuing an official recall of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phone because of the risk that its batteries can explode or catch fire.Samsung already has voluntary recalled the devices, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is stepping in on a formal recall.Samsung says it has confirmed a few dozen instances of the problem, out of 2.5 million phones sold. Samsung promised replacement devices, but that was put on hold while regulators reviewed the situation.Th
  
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• Four arrested on drug and weapon charges after search Susan Drive home

  15-09-2016 15:30
  
  BATON ROUGE – Four men were arrested Thursday on multiple drug and weapon charges after police executed a search warrant of a home on Susan Drive.
  On Thursday at 9 p.m. the BRPD Street Crimes Unit was patrolling the Belaire area when officers noticed a white Mercedes parked across the street from a home in the 11000 block of Susan Drive. The home is known as a drug house as officers executed search warrants at the locations in the past.
  The car was blocking the sidewalk with several me
  
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• Four arrested on drug and weapon charges after search of Susan Drive home

  15-09-2016 15:30
  
  BATON ROUGE – Four men were arrested Thursday on multiple drug and weapon charges after police executed a search warrant of a home on Susan Drive.
  On Thursday at 9 p.m. the BRPD Street Crimes Unit was patrolling the Belaire area when officers noticed a white Mercedes parked across the street from a home in the 11000 block of Susan Drive. The home is known as a drug house as officers executed search warrants at the locations in the past.
  The car was blocking the sidewalk with several me
  
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• USS Kidd Veterans Museum reopens Saturday following flood

  15-09-2016 15:02
  
  BATON ROUGE – The USS Kidd Veterans Museum will reopen to the general public on Saturday for the first time since last month's flood.The veteran's museum sustained the flood without any damage. However, the evacuation shelter that was set up across the street at the Baton Rouge River Center resulted in street closures that restricted museum access to the public.
  In result, the veteran's museum shut down and had to wait out the closures.
  "This has been almost an exact repeat of the afte
  
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• Escaped inmate steals car from Lafayette dealership

  15-09-2016 14:24
  
  LAFAYETTE – Deputies in Lafayette Parish say an inmate who walked away from a housing unit Wednesday later stole a car from a car dealership Thursday.According to a KATC report, Shane Paul Thomas has an extensive criminal history including drug and theft charges. After deputies discovered that Thomas walked away from the housing unit, a manhunt began and a warrant was issued for his arrest.Thursday, Posh Pre-Owned in Lafayette reported that Thomas stole a 2015 white convertible Ford Mu
  
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• Louisiana to borrow up to $400M in short-term bank loans

  15-09-2016 14:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana will borrow up to $400 million from two banks to help keep bill-paying on track at state agencies.The Bond Commission agreed without objection Thursday to the short-term loans, which will be drawn down as needed and must be repaid by August 2017.The state's financial adviser, Renee Boicourt with Lamont Financial Services Corp., estimates Louisiana will need to tap into $300 million of the loans by the end of October for cash flow across departments.The loans, from U.S. Ba
  
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• Trump calls for slashing government regulations

  15-09-2016 13:59
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump is laying out plans to dramatically scale back government regulations, including food safety and environmental measures.Trump says he wants to eliminate the "Waters of The United States" rule aimed at protecting the America's waterways, and scrap the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which sets limits on carbon pollution from power plants.He also wants to limit the scope of what his campaign dubbed "The FDA Food Police," which oversees food sa
  
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• Trial in shooting death of retired Saints player delayed

  15-09-2016 13:55
  NEW ORLEANS - The trial date has been pushed back for the suspect in the shooting death of former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith.Jury selection for the second-degree murder trial of Cardell Hayes is now set for Dec. 1, with opening statements scheduled for Dec. 5.The trial was moved from Nov. 2 because a police officer expected to testify in the case will be out of the country.Hayes was arrested after Smith was shot to death following an automobile crash on April 9.Prosecutors say Hayes prov
  
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• Obama: Oceans key to protecting planet from climate change

  15-09-2016 13:53
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he created the first monument in the Atlantic Ocean because the planet cannot be protected without trying to safeguard the oceans.Obama announced the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument while he attended at a State Department conference on Thursday.The monument consists of nearly 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains off the New England coast.It's the 27th time that Obama has created or enlarged a national monument.Su
  
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• Sandra Bland attorney says settlement 'absolute'

  15-09-2016 13:42
  
  HOUSTON - An attorney for the family of Sandra Bland says a $1.9 million settlement with the Texas county where she died in a jail cell is "absolute" and the civil lawsuit will be dismissed in several days.Cannon Lambert was responding to comments from the defendants' attorney that the settlement was not final and that the parties were still working through details.Lambert told The Associated Press in an interview at his Chicago office that the deal requires the county to have a nurse o
  
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• Aides: GOP make offer on Zika holdup; Dems welcome move

  15-09-2016 13:40
  
  WASHINGTON - Congressional aides say Republicans are proposing to drop a restriction on Zika-fighting money for Planned Parenthood as negotiators try to reach a deal and adjourn Congress for the fall campaign.Democrats are welcoming the move. It would address their chief complaint to a GOP plan intended to combat the mosquito-borne virus.The money would be added to must-pass legislation intended to prevent a government shutdown.The plan by Senate GOP negotiators would allow Zika money in Puerto
  
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• Truckers warn speed caps will cause crashes, jam highways

  15-09-2016 13:37
  
  DETROIT - Truckers are warning that a government plan to electronically limit the speed of tractor-trailers will lead to highway traffic jams and possibly an increase in deadly run-ins with cars.The government has proposed requiring electronic speed limiters on all trucks and buses over 26,000 pounds manufactured after the regulation goes into effect. Speeds could be limited to 60, 65 or 68 miles per hour when the rule is finalized after a comment period that ends Nov. 7.Regulators say the rule
  
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• FEMA says flood insurance rates remain unchanged after flood

  15-09-2016 13:24
  
  BATON ROUGE – According to FEMA, last month's flood will not cause flood insurance to rise above already scheduled annual increases.The agency says that last month's severe flooding does not trigger remapping of flood zones or changes in base flood elevations. If residents' home or businesses were damaged and they are in the process of being rebuilt, residents may need to mitigate or elevate their structures to come into compliance within their community floodplain ordinance.FEMA advis
  
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• UPS to hire 95,000 jobs for holiday shopping season

  15-09-2016 13:14
  
  UPS plans to hire more than 90,000 workers for the holiday shopping season.The company announced that 95,000 workers will be hired for temporary jobs. Last year, the company hired 93,000 workers for the holiday season.A company spokesman said that the company is seeking package handlers along with drivers for delivery vehicles. He said that the pay range for seasonal hires is &10.10 to $30 an hour. According to the spokesman, about 37 percent of seasonal jobs hires for the past three years h
  
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• Man arrested on drug charges could be questioned in Cottages shooting

  15-09-2016 12:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man arrested on drug charges in Texas is being extradited to Baton Rouge, where he could be questioned about a shooting at the Cottages apartment complex in April.According to a BRPD spokesperson, Anthony Henderson was arrested for drug charges unrelated to the shooting. They say Henderson will be extradited back to Louisiana, and he will have the option of whether he will speak to police about the shooting.19-year-old Lashuntae Benton of Indiana, and 19-year-old Annette January
  
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• Trump favors wider access to birth control

  15-09-2016 12:28
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump says that women should be able to obtain birth control without a prescription.The Republican presidential nominee said in an interview on "The Dr. Oz Show" that some women "just aren't in a position to go get a prescription."He said they shouldn't have to.Trump said: "I would say it should not be prescription."Trump says that he remains opposed to abortion rights.The interview was taped Wednesday and broadcast Thursday.Permalink| Comments
  
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• 47-year-old Morganza man dies in car crash after ejected through sunroof

  15-09-2016 12:26
  
  NEW ROADS – State Troopers responded to a single-car crash on LA 10 where a man died after he was ejected through the sunroof.
  The crash occurred on Wednesday around 10 p.m. on LA 10 west of LA 1 in Pointe Coupee Parish.
  Valerie Landry, 46, was driving eastbound of LA 10 in a Chevrolet Impala when for unknown reasons ran off the right side of the road and lost control of her vehicle. Landry's vehicle struck a driveway and began to overturn. Darrell Dillard, 47, of Morganza was the pass
  
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• Hyundai recalls SUVs; software flaw may stop acceleration

  15-09-2016 12:25
  
  DETROIT - Hyundai is recalling about 41,000 small SUVs in the U.S. because a software glitch can stop the vehicles from accelerating.The recall came after pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It covers 2016 Tucson models with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.Hyundai says it started getting reports in June that the engines would rev but the SUVs wouldn't move. Engineers traced the problem to the transmission control computer that monitors driving to ref
  
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• Losing out to China, workers embrace Trump

  15-09-2016 12:17
  
  EDITOR'S NOTE - This is part of Divided America, Associated Press' ongoing exploration of the economic, social and political divisions in American society.HANNIBAL, Ohio - Crushed by Chinese competition and feeling betrayed by mainstream politicians, workers in the hills of eastern Ohio are embracing Donald Trump and his tough talk on trade.For decades, they and others living across the Ohio River in West Virginia found work in coal mines and at a local aluminum plant - union jobs, with good pay
  
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• New Orleans Police investigate body found in burning car

  15-09-2016 12:12
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans police are investigating a body found in a burning car.Local media reports Thursday that firefighters were putting out a fire in a burning car when they found the body of an unidentified man inside.Authorities later determined that it was a homicide and are investigating.The body has been sent to the coroner's office to determine how he died.Once next of kin have been identified, the man's name will be released.Permalink| Comments
  
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• FEMA disaster recovery center opens in St. James Parish

  15-09-2016 09:07
  
  BATON ROUGE – A FEMA disaster recovery center is opening Thursday in St. James Parish to assist flood victims.The center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. The center is located at the New Zion Gospel Baptist Church located at 216 West Main Street in Gramercy.Flood victims may locate other centers near them by visiting fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers, or calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362.Disaster recovery centers are staffed by representati
  
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• Man wanted for robbery of Texaco gas station

  15-09-2016 08:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police detectives are attempting to identify a suspect accused of robbing a Texaco Station last month.The incident occurred on Aug. 7 around 5 a.m. at the Texaco Station in the 2300 block of N. Lobdell Boulevard. The suspect approached the front counter with items posing as a customer. As the employee was completing the sale, the suspect reached across the counter and grabbed an undisclosed amount of money from the register and then ran out of the business.The
  
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• Oil spill restoration trustees to meet in New Orleans

  15-09-2016 08:38
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The public gets a chance later this month to hear from a group of trustees assembled to oversee billions of dollars in damage restoration efforts related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.The Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees are to meet Sept. 28 in New Orleans. The group includes representatives from the five Gulf states, the Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agric
  
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• Argument over school ends in shooting

  15-09-2016 07:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputies have arrested a teen for attempted murder because he got to an argument with the victim about school.According to deputies, D'Vonte Green, 17, was arguing with a man in front of house at the 700 block of Meadow Bend Drive. It was because Green did not want to go to school. During the verbal fight, Green pulled out a gun and fired 6 shots at the man.When deputies arrived, they found the victim on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim
  
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• Accident on I-10 WB before Hwy 73 causes four mile backup

  15-09-2016 06:51
  
  ACENSION - Commuters may want to take an alternate route Thursday morning as there is an accident I-10 westbound before Highway 73. This accident has caused a backup of four miles between Gonzales and Prairieville.Accident. Shoulder blocked I 10 WB before Hwy 73/Exit 173. Causing 4 mile delay between Gonzales and Prairieville.— WBRZ Traffic (@WBRZtraffic) September 15, 2016News 2's Ashley Fruge is monitoring the roadways during Good Morning America. We will have updates on WBR
  
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• 2 dead after powerful typhoon sweeps through China, Taiwan

  15-09-2016 04:06
  
  BEIJING - Officials say a powerful typhoon has swept into southeastern China after hitting Taiwan, leaving a total of two dead and dozens injured.Chinese state media reported one death and one person missing from Meranti, which shattered windows on tall buildings and disrupted water supplies.Taiwan's Central News Agency said one person was killed and 44 were injured on the island by the storm. It said Meranti knocked out power in almost 1 million homes and water in more than 700,000.Chinese mete
  
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• 1 dead after major typhoon sweeps through Taiwan

  15-09-2016 04:06
  
  TAIPEI, Taiwan - One person is dead in Taiwan after a typhoon roiled the island and parts of southeastern China, in what Chinese and Taiwanese weather authorities labeled the strongest storm so far this year.Taiwan's Central News Agency says 44 people were also injured as a result of Typhoon Meranti. The agency says the typhoon knocked out power in almost 1 million homes and water in more than 700,000.Chinese authorities report no deaths from the storm, which hit southern Fujian province early t
  
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• Louisiana, Florida governors take different approach on aid

  15-09-2016 03:40
  
  WASHINGTON - It's a tough time for a governor to come to Washington, hat in hand, to ask for billions of dollars for a hard-hit state, especially with Congress in the midst of election-season dysfunction and dominated by tightfisted tea party Republicans.But Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is back for the second straight week, pleading for almost $3 billion to help Louisiana rebuild from last month's devastating floods, undeterred by warnings that he should keep expectations low. He says he's be
  
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• ACC pulls events from North Carolina

  15-09-2016 03:35
  
  CLEMSON, S.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference has voted to relocate all league championship tournaments from North Carolina until the state repeals a law limiting protections for LGBT people.The decision by the ACC Council of Presidents includes 10 neutral-site championships this academic year, which means relocating the ACC football title game that was scheduled to be played in Charlotte in December.The vote comes two days after the NCAA said it was relocating seven of its championships schedul
  
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• Ohio board's timeline concerns medical marijuana advocates

  15-09-2016 03:20
  COLUMBUS, Ohio - Advocates are raising concerns over the length of time it will take Ohio's medical board to draft rules governing how doctors can recommend to patients they use medical marijuana.The medical board met Wednesday for the first time since the new medical marijuana law took effect and says it plans to study laws and practices in other states before drafting Ohio's regulations.The medical board has a September 2017 deadline for establishing rules for physicians. Ohioans for Medical M
  
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• Saints' Payton comfortable delegating play-calls again

  15-09-2016 03:18
  
  METAIRIE - Saints coach Sean Payton is prepared to quit calling offensive plays - something he loves and has done most of his career - if it helps him manage his entire football team better.He also figures he has the luxury of delegating play-calling because his offensive coordinator, Pete Carmichael Junior, has done it before - and done it well."He's been with us now, with me now, for going on 11 years," Payton said of his bespectacled, baby-faced offensive assistant. "He has a great feel for w
  
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• Boy, 13, fatally shot by police after pulling out BB gun

  15-09-2016 03:16
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio - Police in Columbus, Ohio, say officers shot and killed a 13-year-old boy they thought was pulling a gun from his waistband.It was later determined to be a BB gun. The shooting happened last night as the officers were responding to a report of a robbery.Police say the 13-year-old was one of three suspects at the scene, and that they had chased the boy into an alley.Permalink| Comments
  
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