Baton Rouge news

• John Bel Edwards, Jeff Landry feud irks state legislators

  16-09-2016 23:28
  "The taxpayers of Louisiana want you all to do your job." - one legislators told the attorney general and governor's offices.
  
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• Teen killed in single-car crash in Livingston Parish

  16-09-2016 21:48
  
  MAUREPAS- A Springfield teenager was killed in a crash in Maurepas Friday night.
  State Police say Megan Threeton, 17, was driving west on LA 22, when her car ran off the road and struck a tree. Threeton was wearing her seatbelt, but was critically injured in the wreck. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died.
  The crash happened on LA 22 east of LA 1039 in Livingston Parish just after 5 p.m.Authorities don't believe impairment played a role in the crash, but a toxicology sample wa
  
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• Jones Creek construction headaches, updates

  16-09-2016 21:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - It's been more than a year since construction started on Jones Creek Road and patience is running thin. Crews are making progress by the past few months have been tough on drivers and businesses.The project began last July. Crews are currently working to expand the road from two to four lanes. It will be widened between Coursey and Tiger Bend."It's been like this since May," said Nadine Darsam.She's talking about the intersection of Jones Creek and Coursey, where construction has r
  
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• Pair accused of stealing from church flood shelter

  16-09-2016 19:02
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – Deputies in Livingston Parish say two people have been arrested for stealing from a church that was converted to a flood relief shelter.According to Sheriff Jason Ard, 33-year-old Leslie Burch and 36-year-old Robert Johnson distracted church volunteers then stole two purses from the Chris Community Church shelter and distribution center. The pair told volunteers that someone had fallen ill and needed immediate attention in another part of the building.Ard said
  
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• Motorcyclist in "very serious" condition after crash on Nicholson Drive

  16-09-2016 18:40
  
  BATON ROUGE –  Traffic is congested on Nicholson Drive and police are on the scene after a motorcycle crash Friday afternoon.Baton Rouge Police responded to a crash involving a car and a motorcycle at the corner of Nicholson Drive and Aster Drive around 5 p.m. Friday.A spokesperson for BRPD said the motorcycle was traveling north on Nicholson Drive when the car tried to turn onto the road.Police have not released much information on the crash, but the driver of the mo
  
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• Motorcyclist dies after Friday crash on Nicholson Drive

  16-09-2016 18:40
  
  BATON ROUGE –  Police say a Denham Springs teen was killed Friday when a car pulled out in front of his motorcycle on Nicholson Drive Friday afternoon.According to Baton Rouge Police, 19-year-old Dylan Dalgo was driving north on Nicholson Drive around 6:30 p.m. when a Kia Rio tried to turn onto the road from Aster Street. Dalgo's motorcycle struck the driver's side of the car. Dalgo was transported to a local hospital with "very serious injuries." He was later pronoun
  
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• Spike in 'recently damaged' homes for sale in Livingston Parish

  16-09-2016 18:31
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – In one of the area’s hardest hit by August’s historic flooding, many homes are for sale.There are so many homes, realtors have now created a new category to identify them:” recently damaged homes.”“We have investors that want to come purchase some houses, so that’s a way to find them,” Ginger Maulden with the Board of Realtors said. “Most of these homes that are in this category have been g
  
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• Billboards in Washington, D.C. seek Louisiana flood relief as Congress considers recovery package

  16-09-2016 16:43
  
  The billboards encourage people to donate to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.
  
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• Louisiana's cost to respond to flooding could reach $81M

  16-09-2016 16:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's share of response costs to the August flooding could reach $81 million or more.That's the estimate lawmakers received Friday, in a first accounting by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration about the possible exposure for a state struggling with budget gaps.While the federal government will pay for most of the response effort, Louisiana must cover a portion ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent depending on the type of aid.The Edwards administration estimates Louisiana's
  
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• Three teens arrested for attacking student on bus

  16-09-2016 16:28
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office arrested one teenage girl and two juvenile girls for attacking another girl while on a school bus.
  On Friday around 7 a.m., a fight between Donaldsonville High School students on a school bus occurred. A video of the fight later surfaced on social media and deputies were able to identify and arrest 17-year-old Dajanae Julien and two other juvenile girls.
  All three were charged with disturbing the peace and simple battery. Julien was boo
  
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• Parents of juvenile caught in chimney could face charges

  16-09-2016 16:09
  
  BATON ROUGE- The parents of a juvenile who was caught trying to break into a house Friday but got stuck in a chimney could face charges.Juvenile Prosecutor Curtis Nelson said his office is currently doing an assessment on the child. He could not identify him due to his age or talk about specifics in this case. However, he was able to tell WBRZ what typically happens when juveniles come in.Right now the District Attorney's office is looking into whether this was an isolated incident or a pattern
  
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• Dallas-bound regional flight diverted to BR over landing gear issue

  16-09-2016 15:52
  
  BATON ROUGE – A regional jet diverted to Metro Airport where it landed under an emergency alert Friday afternoon.The airport tower activated its emergency procedures around 2 p.m. when the pilot radioed there was an indicator light on that suggested a problem with the landing gear. The plane was able to land without incident – meaning safely.The American Airlines regional carrier was about 30 minutes into its flight from Hattiesburg to the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) airport when
  
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• Shelter at Lamar Dixon Expo Center closes

  16-09-2016 15:31
  
  ASCENSION – Ascension Homeland Security has closed its shelter for flood victims at the Lamar Dixon Center as of Friday morning.The shelter transitioned from being operated by the Red Cross to the parish homeland security office on Monday, Sept. 12. Parish employees met with families to locate them alternative housing and put them in touch with organizations to provide them with assistance. All residents were placed in rental homes or hotels.Those who were eligible for the Transitional
  
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• Woman arrested after shoving teacher against wall

  16-09-2016 15:23
  
  BELLE ROSE – Deputies in Assumption Parish say a woman was arrested after shoving a school teacher against the wall at Belle Rose Primary School Friday.According to Sheriff Leland Falcon, investigators learned that 50-year-old Darlene Jones confronted a school office worker “in an angry and aggressive manner.” Deputies say Jones then grabbed the employee and shoved her against the wall. Jones was asked to leave the school.Deputies went to Jones’ home and s
  
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• Comedian Katt Williams arrested again, booked into jail

  16-09-2016 14:58
  
  ATLANTA - Authorities say they've arrested Katt Williams again, the latest in a series of encounters the comedian has had with Georgia law officers.Fulton County Jail records show that Williams - whose real name is Micah Sierra Williams - was booked Thursday.Records show he was apprehended on a warrant charging him with second-degree criminal damage to property. Few other details were immediately available.Drew Findling, a lawyer for Williams, said he would provide a statement later Friday.The c
  
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• Vanna White says she's worn 6,000 different dresses on 'Wheel of Fortune'

  16-09-2016 14:55
  
  CULVER CITY, California - Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White revealed her sparkly dresses worn on the show are "borrowed" from designers.White was recently interviewed on Larry King's internet show, Larry King Now on Ora TV. Ora TV is an internet and on demand video channel.White said she has worn 6,000 dresses - none have been the same. "(Designers) send about forty, fifty dresses," White said. "We do 12 shows in two days, so I pick the top 12 that look the best. Most of them are samples," sh
  
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• Edwards and 1 LSU hospital manager haven't reached deal

  16-09-2016 14:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration has reached renegotiated deals with all but one of the operators of the charity hospitals and patient services previously managed by LSU.Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said seven of the eight hospital operators had agreed to reworked terms Friday.The Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana that runs LSU's hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe hasn't signed off on the Edwards administration's offer. Dardenne says BRF was
  
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• 'Fifty Shades' trailer breaks 'Force Awakens' record online

  16-09-2016 14:12
  
  LOS ANGELES - People might be a little more curious about "Fifty Shades Darker " than "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," at least according to trailer views online. The ad for the steamy sequel to "Fifty Shades of Grey" netted a record-breaking 114 million views in its first 24 hours, surpassing "The Force Awakens'" 112 million views, according to Universal on Thursday.Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan reprise their roles as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey in the film, which hits theaters Feb. 10
  
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• Pentagon: US troops now operating with Turks in Syria

  16-09-2016 14:05
  
  WASHINGTON - The Pentagon says U.S. troops for the first time are operating alongside Turkish government forces who are fighting Islamic State militants inside Syria.A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said Friday the American special operations forces are accompanying Turkish troops who are operating with moderate Syrian opposition forces. He said the Americans are providing the same training, advice and other assistance that U.S. forces have been providing to other Syrian groups -- su
  
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• Louisiana monkey owner fights to get her pet back from state

  16-09-2016 14:05
  CHURCH POINT - A Louisiana woman is fighting to get her pet monkey back after it was seized.KATC-TV reports Justine Quinn of Church Point is presenting her case in court Friday to have the spider monkey, named Darwin, returned to her.A 2006 state law bans residents from owning exotic animals without special permit, but Quinn says her family has had Darwin for over 13 years and is grandfathered in.Darwin was previously seized in 2014 by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and sent to a petti
  
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• FAA contemplating whether millions of drones will fill skies

  16-09-2016 14:00
  WASHINGTON - Federal aviation officials say so many people are registering drones and applying for drone pilot licenses, they wonder if there will eventually be millions of drones crowding the nation's skies.Earl Lawrence is director of the Federal Aviation Administration. Lawrence told a government-industry committee Friday that 550,000 drones have been registered with the agency in the 9 months since the registration process was created. He says new registrations are coming in at a rate of 2,0
  
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• Trump finally acknowledges Obama born in US

  16-09-2016 13:58
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump has finally acknowledged the fact that President Barack Obama was born in the United States.Trump said Friday that "that President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period."As he did so, the Republican nominee repeated the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign for president started the so-called the "birther controversy."There is no evidence that is true, and Clinton and her allies have strongly denied that suggestion.Trump says of th
  
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• Lawmakers won't intervene in Landry, Edwards budget dispute

  16-09-2016 13:57
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers are refusing to intervene in the latest budget dispute between Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration and Attorney General Jeff Landry.Members of the joint House and Senate budget committee heard the disagreement Friday and told the two sides to go work it out on their own.Landry has complained to lawmakers that two of his budget requests have been stalled by the Edwards administration, rather than advanced to the joint budget committee for consideration. The attorney gene
  
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• AP, other media sue FBI for details on iPhone hacking tool

  16-09-2016 13:55
  WASHINGTON - The Associated Press and two other news organizations have sued the FBI to learn who it paid and how much it spent to hack into a locked iPhone as part of a California terrorism investigation.The suit was filed Friday in federal court in Washington under the Freedom of Information Act.It seeks details about the FBI's contract with the unidentified vendor, including the amount it paid for the tool to access the phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.The other plaintiffs are Gann
  
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• FEMA extends checkout date for flood victims staying in hotels

  16-09-2016 13:54
  
  BATON ROUGE – FEMA has approved a 30-day extension for flood disaster survivors to temporarily stay in hotels. The extension applies to the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program in the state and allows eligible flood victims to stay in participating hotels temporarily if they are unable to return home. The cost of the room is paid directly to the hotel by FEMA.The program checkout date has been extended to Wednesday, Oct. 19. FEMA will contact applicants who are eligible
  
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• Obama hosting political, business leaders for trade event

  16-09-2016 13:48
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will meet with a variety of political and business leaders as he continues to push for approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson are among those on the White House guest list for the Friday meeting.Kasich was a vocal TPP supporter during the presidential primary season, while eventual GOP nominee Donald Trump described it as a catastrophe
  
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• Trump campaign pitches, then deletes, food safety changes

  16-09-2016 13:44
  
  WASHINGTON - The Trump campaign pitched rolling back food safety regulations in a fact sheet Thursday, arguing they are burdensome to farmers and "overkill." But the campaign later deleted the proposal from its website.After sending out the fact sheet, the campaign later issued a new release that did not include the food safety language. The fact sheet was sent out to supplement a speech the billionaire businessman gave to the New York Economic Club that touted fewer regulations but did not spec
  
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• Police: Man with meat cleaver shot by officers after attack

  16-09-2016 13:42
  
  NEW YORK - A man who was shot by police on a crowded New York City street after he struck an off-duty detective with a meat cleaver was initially stopped because he was trying to remove a boot from a vehicle that he was apparently living in, authorities said.The shooting happened about a block from Macy's department store and Madison Square Garden around 5 p.m. Thursday, just as rush hour was getting underway.Police said the confrontation began when two uniformed officers encountered Akram Joude
  
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• BRFD responding to fire at Lee Drive condo complex

  16-09-2016 13:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge Fire Department is responding to a fire at the Beau Chene condo complex on West Lee Drive.First responders said the fire was contained to an attic above the second story of the complex. They say the fire is under control, but the cause is still under investigation.The extent of the damage or any related injuries is unknown.This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WBRZ.com for details as they become available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Treasury to host unclaimed property event in Baton Rouge

  16-09-2016 13:10
  
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Department of the Treasury is hosting an unclaimed property event Saturday at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.Employees will be stationed by the Dillard's entrance from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.State Treasurer John Kennedy is encouraging flood victims to attend after the program recently returned thousands to a woman who was at a shelter after losing her home.Individuals attending Saturday's event are asked to bring a valid photo ID and Social Security card to
  
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• Denham Springs man killed after striking horse on US 190

  16-09-2016 12:15
  
  SATSUMA – State Police say a Denham Springs man is dead after his car struck a horse on US 190 in Livingston Parish Friday morning.According to Louisiana State Police, the crash happened around 1 a.m. on US 190 east of Satsuma Road.Investigators say 24-year-old Joshua Marange was traveling on US 190 when his vehicle struck a horse that was standing in the eastbound lane. The impact caused “severe damage” to Marange’s vehicle. His car then ran off the roadw
  
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• Department of Education awards up to $1.5 million to restore flood-impacted schools

  16-09-2016 09:43
  
  The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Louisiana's Department of Education a grant up to $1.5 million to support education-related services in school districts hit the hardest by last month's flood.The grant, titled the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant, was awarded by the department's Office of Safe and Healthy Students will support the education-related services for six months."The flooding in Louisiana has devastated school buildings and displaced students, teac
  
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• SBA to open disaster loan outreach center in Iberville Parish

  16-09-2016 08:54
  
  BATON ROUGE – The U.S. Small Business Administration is opening a disaster loan outreach center on Monday, Sept. 19, in Iberville Parish to assist flood victims.The center will be at the East Iberville Gym located on 3285 Highway 75 in St. Gabriel from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The new disaster loan outreach center will be transitioning from the FEMA disaster recovery center that will close Friday. The facility will now function as a disaster loan outreach center to serve individuals with Small
  
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• 'NCIS: New Orleans' sponsors French Quarter graffiti cleanup

  16-09-2016 08:20
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The French Quarter Business Association says a TV crime show filmed largely in New Orleans is donating supplies for a graffiti cleanup in the French Quarter.Executive Director Brittany Mulla McGovern says in a news release that representatives from the CBS show "NCIS: New Orleans " will attend the cleanup Oct. 8.She says the show's sponsorship is paying for gloves, rags, scrapers, scouring pads, a cleaning solution that's approved by the Vieux Carre Commission, and for about 100 T-
  
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• Clinton slams Trump for 'birther' issue

  16-09-2016 07:13
  
  WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton is accusing Republican rival Donald Trump of "ugliness" and "bigotry" for having helped fuel the rise of the so-called "birther movement."When Trump's campaign released a statement late Thursday saying that Trump now believes President Barack Obama was born in the United States, the statement also accused Clinton of launching the birther movement during her unsuccessful presidential run against Obama in 2008.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Man with meat cleaver attacks officer, gets shot

  16-09-2016 07:07
  
  NEW YORK - A man in New York City is in critical condition with gunshot wounds after getting into a confrontation with police.Police say officers confronted 32-year-old Akram Joudeh Thursday, when they saw him trying to remove a boot from the wheel of a car he apparently was living in.Police say after a brief chase, Joudeh hacked an off-duty detective's face with an 11-inch meat cleaver.Police shot and wounded Joudeh.The detective was treated for his injuries.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Deputy: Woman hid pot in girl's lunchbox during traffic stop

  16-09-2016 06:42
  
  POMPANO BEACH, Fla. - A 33-year-old South Florida woman faces multiple charges after a sheriff's deputy found marijuana in her young niece's lunchbox during a traffic stop.Broward Sheriff's officials tell local news outlets Tasha Sims was arrested Wednesday in Pompano Beach.An arrest report says the deputy stopped Sims and smelled marijuana when he approached the car. He asked if she had anything in the vehicle. The deputy says Sims told him she put marijuana in the girl's lunchbox because she w
  
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• Louisiana's poverty rate third in nation, nearly 20 percent

  16-09-2016 03:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Nearly one in five Louisiana residents lived in poverty last year.That's according to the latest U.S. Census data, released Thursday, which shows little change in Louisiana's poverty rate from 2014 to 2015.Louisiana had the third-highest rate of poverty in the country for 2015, at 19.6 percent, falling behind only Mississippi and New Mexico. Louisiana's rate was barely changed, from 19.8 percent a year earlier.The Census Bureau estimates nearly 890,000 of Louisiana's 4.7 million re
  
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• Tulane opens new institute to study rising water problems

  16-09-2016 03:19
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University has formally opened a new institute to study and protect Louisiana's waterways and coast.The university on Thursday announced the opening of the "ByWater Institute" and a new riverfront campus in downtown New Orleans.The Institute will oversee the new Tulane River & Coastal Center, which will support research and efforts to raise public awareness about coastal science, restoration and water management.In a news release, Tulane says the institute will search fo
  
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• Brain cancer now leading childhood cancer killer

  16-09-2016 03:13
  
  NEW YORK - Brain cancer is now the deadliest childhood cancer in the U.S.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says when most people think of childhood cancer, they think of leukemia.But leukemia treatment has improved and there's been a lack of progress on brain cancer.The CDC says in 2014, 445 child deaths were from leukemia, but 534 deaths were from brain cancer.Permalink| Comments
  
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• House members urge Obama not to pardon Snowden

  16-09-2016 03:11
  
  WASHINGTON - The House Intelligence Committee is urging President Barack Obama not to pardon National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.A committee report calls Snowden a "serial exaggerator and fabricator" who doesn't fit the profile of a whistleblower.And a bipartisan letter sent to Obama says that Snowden's claim that he stole the information and disclosed it to protect Americans "is undercut by his actions."Snowden's attorney denounces the report and calls his client a "genuine American
  
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