Baton Rouge news

• AG Jeff Landry blocks state contracts that include language preventing LGBT discrimination

  28-09-2016 22:18
  
  At least 37 contracts that include language prohibiting lawyers from discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity were turned down.
  
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• Orgeron makes radio debut as LSU Football Interim Head Coach

  28-09-2016 21:38
  
  BATON ROUGE- LSU football die-hards gathered at T.J. Ribs to hear Interim Head Coach Ed Orgeron take to the microphone for the first time on "the Ed Orgeron Show."In his new position, Orgeron joins "Voice of the Tigers" Chris Blair, speaking with fans about the football season and the LSU team. For many fans, it was their first glimpse into what their team could do under new leadership."He's the perfect intermin coach," LSU fan Jackson Carney said, "particularly what he did at USC in 8 games, wo
  
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• Bore hole to be filled in after business owners call on city

  28-09-2016 21:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - A large hole in the ground has some people upset, saying it's bad for business. The hole is intended for use during a city sewer upgrade, part of the SSO Program. It's located on South Blvd at St. Phillip Street, near The 13th Gate and Pastime.Pastime owner Randy Wesley says his business and other businesses in the area are suffering because the construction creates a traffic nightmare, especially during events. The 13th Gate normally brings in thousands of people every year and Pa
  
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• Congress clears stopgap spending bill, $500 million in flood aid

  28-09-2016 21:28
  
  WASHINGTON- Congress is sending President Barack Obama a bill to keep the government operating through Dec. 9 and provide $1.1 billion in long-delayed funding to battle the Zika virus as well as $500 million for Louisiana flood aid.
      
  The House cleared the measure by a 342-85 vote just hours after a bipartisan Senate tally. The votes came after top congressional leaders broke through a stalemate over aid to help Flint, Michigan, address its water crisis. Top Republi
  
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• Flood victims to wait for federal aid

  28-09-2016 18:32
  
  BATON ROUGE- As congress is expected to approve $500 million for flood relief in South Louisiana, state leaders say it will take some time for the money to get to victims."It can take anywhere between five to eight months," said Pat Forbes Monday, the executive director of the Louisiana Office of Community Development.Forbes said federal and state regulations are the standard hold-up but his agency is already working to expedite the process.The state will have broad discretion in the us
  
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• Officer killed in ambush to be inducted into Central High Hall of Fame

  28-09-2016 18:16
  
  BATON ROUGE – Central High School announced that Baton Rouge Police Officer Matthew Gerald will be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.Gerald was killed in an ambush shooting on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge in July.The ceremony will be held during the halftime of the Oct. 7 home football game. Central High School officials say all members of various law enforcement agencies are invited to the event.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Flood recovery group told: Work 'to restore our great state'

  28-09-2016 18:01
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards charged members of his flood recovery planning group to be bold and innovative in its response to the mid-August flooding and to "devise a plan to restore our great state."The Democratic governor spoke Wednesday as the Restore Louisiana Task Force held its first meeting. But the group doesn't yet have any block grant money to oversee.Edwards says he remains optimistic about Louisiana's work to get the disaster block grant aid from Congress, which has gotten bo
  
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• LSU grad student searching for organ donor's family who saved grandmother's life

  28-09-2016 17:59
  
  CHATTANOOGA – For over a year, LSU grad student Danielle Kelley has been looking for the family who saved her grandmother’s life nearly 30 years ago.Before Kelley was born, her grandmother, Debbie Newman received a double lung and heart transplant at a Houston hospital. The only information Kelley’s family received about the donor was that he was a young man living in the Chattanooga area who died around Sept. 21, 1987.For the past year, Kelley told WRCB news that s
  
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• In Louisiana's capital city, the race for mayor takes a back seat

  28-09-2016 17:49
  
  Flood recovery, LSU football keep voters from focusing on Alton Sterling shooting, killing of law officers, racial and economic divide
  
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• Man walking with AR-15 arrested near elementary school

  28-09-2016 17:20
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a man seen walking near a school with an AR-15 slung across his chest was arrested Monday.Around 5 p.m. Monday, Baton Rouge Police officers were dispatched to S. 19th Street after numerous complaints that a man was walking the area with an AR-15 rifle.Police found 25-year-old Carl Willis walking on S. 17th Street and took him into custody.According to arrest records, Willis said that “his rights” allowed him to carry the weapon. The BRPD off
  
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• Tropical Storm Matthew racing west into Caribbean Sea

  28-09-2016 17:11
  
  Could be hurricane by Friday but poses no threat to the U.S. mainland before Monday, forecasters say
  
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• Elderly woman shoots trespasser in North Walker

  28-09-2016 16:57
  
  WALKER – Deputies in Livingston Parish say an elderly homeowner opened fire on an intruder at her home in north Walker Wednesday afternoon.Deputies responding to a disturbance Wednesday found a partially clothed man suffering from a gunshot wound to a leg hiding under a home in the 3500 block of Highway 447.Sheriff Jason Ard said 46-year-old Robbie Herpich went to a nearby home without permission and caused a disturbance. The homeowner, an elderly woman, made contact with him in her ya
  
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• Company in Indiana donates truck loads of goods to BR food bank

  28-09-2016 16:51
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank received truck loads of goods from a company in Indiana to help recover its food supply lost in last month's flood.The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank took of about four feet of water and lost about 575,000 pounds of food. However, Red Gold food services, sent 23 tons of tomato products to the agency to help.FEMA bought two truck loads, while the company sent one more"We got two orders of disaster relief, we saw those orders, and thought we
  
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• Six Louisiana schools recognized as 2016 National Blue Ribbon School for excellence

  28-09-2016 16:21
  
  BATON ROUGE – Six Louisiana schools have been recognized as a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.The Blue Ribbon Schools program honors schools that are high-performing or have closed achievement gaps, especially among minority or disadvantaged students.Schools are recognized in one of the two performance categories:- Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among the state's highest-performing schools in closing achievement gaps between
  
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• CATS cancels Touchdown Express Service for remainder of LSU football season

  28-09-2016 15:39
  
  BATON ROUGE – CATS is canceling its Touchdown Express for the remaining LSU football games, the agency announced Wednesday.CATS said that it will focus on maintaining its regular service with as little interruption as possible while continuing to recover from last month's flood."The decision to cancel Touchdown Express for the remainder of the season was not one we hoped to make, but it is one that is responsible to our riders who rely on us every day," said CATS CEO Bill Deville. "Our
  
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• Reports of Samsung washing machines exploding

  28-09-2016 14:53
  
  U.S. regulators are warning owners of some top-loading Samsung washing machines of "safety issues" following reports that some have exploded.The warning, from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, covered machines made between March 2011 and April 2016. It did not specify a model.The commission suggested people use only the delicate cycle to wash bedding and water-resistant bulky items because the lower spin speed "lessens the risk of impact injuries or property damage due to the washing machi
  
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• Body camera video of CENLA officer-involved shooting could be released today

  28-09-2016 14:53
  
  MARKSVILLE - Body camera footage of the moment two local marshals opened fired on a car killing a child and his father will be released to the public.A judge ruled during a hearing Wednesday, the video should be available for everyone to see.  It is expected to released sometime Wednesday afternoon or early evening, according to WBRZ news partner in Central Louisiana, KALB TV.Much of the case has remained secret - ordered sealed following the shooting in November.  Jeremy Mardi
  
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• New streetcar line along French Quarter's edge opens Sunday

  28-09-2016 14:39
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans' newest streetcar line will open Sunday, carrying riders along the northern edge of the French Quarter and part of an adjacent neighborhood.The 1.3-mile route along Rampart Street and St. Claude Avenue also passes historic neighborhoods where French, Spanish, free people of color and former slaves built homes just north and east of what were then the city limits of New Orleans.It's the city's first new streetcar line since 2013.In the 1920s, New Orleans had 225 miles of
  
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• Ascension to begin aerial mosquito spraying

  28-09-2016 14:38
  
  GONZALES - Ascension Parish will begin spraying for mosquitoes from an airplane.Parish government announced Wednesday, aerial spraying will begin in the coming days.  Flooding and subsequent rain storms have left pooling water that breed mosquitoes.  The bugs are becoming a growing problem.  Already, Baton Rouge has increased spraying operations from the air along the EBR-Ascension Parish line.Ascension has been spraying from ground-level equipment seven nights a week.
  
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• Senate passes spending bill with $500 million flood assistance

  28-09-2016 14:34
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has passed a bill to keep the government running through Dec. 9, providing $1.1 billion in funding to battle the Zika virus and and $500 million to Louisiana flood aid.The 72-26 vote came after top congressional leaders broke through a stalemate over aid to Flint, Michigan, to help the city address its water crisis. Democratic advocates for Flint are now satisfied with Republican assurances that money for Flint will be finalized after the election.The hybrid spending meas
  
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• Woman transported from house fire on Mollylea Drive

  28-09-2016 14:29
  
  BATON ROUGE – One woman has been transferred with burns from the scene of a fire off Florida Blvd. Wednesday afternoon. According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, the fire happened around 2:19 p.m. at a home on Mollylea Drive. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to get the flames under control.BRFD spokesperson Curt Monte reports that the fire was caused by a pot left unattended on a stove. A passing Baton Rouge Police Officer helped the woman out of the home bef
  
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• Possible injury in fire on Mollylea Drive

  28-09-2016 14:29
  
  BATON ROUGE – Firefighters are currently responding to a fire off Florida Blvd. Wednesday afternoon.The fire started at a home on Mollylea Drive after 2 p.m. Wednesday. The Baton Rouge Fire Department and EMS are currently responding to the scene.One woman was seen being transported from the scene. This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WBRZ News 2 online and on Facebook and Twitter for updates as more information becomes available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• 2 students, 1 teacher wounded after SC elementary school shooting

  28-09-2016 13:57
  
  TOWNVILLE – Two children were injured in a shooting at an elementary school in Townville, South Carolina Wednesday afternoon, according to a CNN report.WYFF TV reports that helicopters landed by the school and students were evacuated to a nearby church. The Associated Press reports that one teacher was also injured. The county Coroner's Office tells the AP that the injuries from the shooting do not appear to be life threatening.Anderson County EMS Director Scott Stoller told CNN that o
  
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• Metro Council set to approve temporary voting location

  28-09-2016 13:51
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Metro Council is set to approve temporary voting location changes for November’s election.The proposal would consolidate polling locations after last month’s historic flooding. If approved, the proposal will affect more than 34,000 East Baton Rouge Parish voters.To view a list of the proposed temporary locations, click here.The East Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters says workers with the Clerk of Court’s office will
  
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• Metro Council approves temporary voting locations

  28-09-2016 13:51
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved temporary voting location changes for November’s election.The proposal consolidates polling locations after last month’s historic flooding and will affect more than 34,000 East Baton Rouge Parish voters.To view a list of the proposed temporary locations, click here.The East Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters says workers with the Clerk of Court’s office will be on hand to assist residents at the
  
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• Cajun Armed Forces to serve hot meals to North Baton Rouge Saturday

  28-09-2016 13:49
  
  BATON ROUGE –  The Cajun Armed Forces announced Tuesday that they plan to feed up to 20,000 people Saturday as part of “ Operation SupaChickn.”Chelsea Adams, a spokesperson for the event, said the Cajun Army and Cajun Special Forces are working with local businesses, churches, schools and mission groups to hand out plate lunches for North Baton Rouge residents.“The purpose of the mission is to help dissolve racial tension and spread love in an are
  
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• Senators vote to override Obama's veto of 9/11 bill

  28-09-2016 13:38
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has rejected President Barack Obama's veto of legislation that would allow the families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for the kingdom's alleged backing of the attackers.Senators voted 97-1 Wednesday to override Obama's decision to scuttle the bill. The override vote came even as the president and top military officials warned the measure could put U.S. troops and interests at risk.A House vote is expected later Wednesday. If the House also overrides, the bill be
  
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• Congress overrides Obama's veto of Sept. 11 bill

  28-09-2016 13:38
  
  WASHINGTON - Congress has rejected a veto by President Barack Obama for the first time since he became president.The House voted 348-77 Wednesday to override his veto of legislation and allow the families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for the kingdom's alleged backing of the attackers.The Senate had voted 97-1 to override his veto.The lawsuit legislation now becomes law despite elements that Obama and top Pentagon officials warn could put U.S. troops and interests at risk.Several lawma
  
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• Baker High Buffaloes return to their home field Friday

  28-09-2016 13:32
  
  BAKER – The Baker High School Buffaloes is set to play on its home field for the first time since August’s historic flooding Friday.Kickoff against Glen Oaks High School is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30.School officials say the campus sustained heavy damage in the catastrophic flooding. The flood water damaged the field, locker room and scoreboard.“This will be a great experience for our students, faculty and fans who will get some sense of normalcy by attending a
  
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• Tents, travel trailers and a tale of uneven flood recovery

  28-09-2016 13:00
  
  For many, the difference comes down to elevation, planning and resources
  
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• FBI warns residents of telephone scam trying to get personal info.

  28-09-2016 13:00
  
  BATON ROUGE – The FBI New Orleans Division and the Internet Crime Complaint Center have received reports of a telephone scam where callers pose as a government agency to gain personal information.The caller sometimes poses as the FBI or IRS and advises the resident that the IRS has charges against them and threatens legal action and even arrest. Targeted Louisiana residents who reported the calls often stated that the telephone calls still displayed the name and telephone number of a l
  
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• DOTD pursues design-build contract for I-10 expansion project

  28-09-2016 09:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – DOTD has announced plans to move forward with the widening of seven miles of I-10 between Highland Road and LA 73 in Ascension Parish by pursing a design-build contract.On Wednesday, DOTD issued a Notice of Intent seeking a design-build firm to widen the section of the interstate. The NOI can be viewed here. The project includes widening 1-10 a quarter mile west of the I-10/Highland Road interchange to east of the I-10/La 73 interchange from two lanes to three in each dir
  
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• School employee arrested after beating student with belt

  28-09-2016 09:36
  
  BATON ROUGE – A school employee was arrested for cruelty to juvenile charges after beating a student with a belt.On Monday around 11 p.m., Baton Rouge Police officers responded to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in reference to a battery of a teenage boy that happened earlier in the day at a school on North Lobdell Boulevard. The 13-year-old boy told officers that he was hit while at school by a school employee, 25-year-old Antoine Weatherspoon.The boy told officers that he was taken to
  
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• Red Cross shelter in Baker to close by Friday

  28-09-2016 09:03
  
  BAKER - The Red Cross-run shelter in the Baker Municipal Building Road will be closing at noon on Friday.About 30 people are living in the shelter, down from 200 a few weeks ago.Mayor Darnelle Waites told Tuesday's City Council meeting city officials are working with the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to find housing for those still in the shelter.The council also approved an ordinance to allow manufactured homes within city limits for up to 18 months to house those displa
  
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• Help needed identifying those in graves disturbed by flood

  28-09-2016 09:00
  
  GONZALES - Ascension Parish officials are meeting with family members to discuss plans to reinter the bodies of people whose graves were disturbed in last month's flood.Parish officials say they need the public's help in identifying graves that were disturbed inside eight cemeteries in Sorrento, Prairieville, St. Amant and the Gonzales area.Parish officials did not say how many have yet to be identified but said that, overall, 16 caskets need to be reinterred and another 14 displaced vaults need
  
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• Four men arrested for $13k casino theft scheme

  28-09-2016 08:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – Investigators with the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division arrested four men suspected of a theft scheme that left an area casino out of $13,000.The arrests were the result of an investigation into a group who were manipulating the roulette game to steal casino chips. In December 2015, investigators were contacted by casino staff of a patron trying to enter the casino floor. The patron was previously seen cheating at the roulette table on June 30, 2015. The
  
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• La. flood victims get boost from rice farmers, mills

  28-09-2016 07:51
  
  CROWLEY - South Louisiana rice farmers and mills have joined forces to help feed flood victims.The American Press reports 13 tons of rice will be donated to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to help the organization rebuild its inventory after last month's devastating floods.Randy Jemison, director of Louisiana field services for USA Rice in Kinder, says the gift will provide more than 300,000 half-cup servings of rice.Kevin Berken, a rice farmer in Jefferson Davis Parish, said the Loui
  
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• Walker officials: I-12 design aggravated flooding in city

  28-09-2016 07:29
  
  WALKER- The Walker City Council has agreed to retain a law firm to sue the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development over an alleged faulty design of the portion of Interstate 12 that runs on the south side of the city.The Advocate reports Mayor Rick Ramsey has claimed that the design of I-12 was a contributing factor to the floods that inundated much of Walker during the August flood.Ramsey said lawyers have already begun researching the issue of whether I-12's design crea
  
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• Funeral for Shimon Peres Friday

  28-09-2016 06:53
  
  JERUSALEM - A funeral will be held Friday for former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres, who died at age 93.Peres suffered a debilitating stroke on Sept. 13 and had remained hospitalized since then.Dignitaries from around the world are expected to attend the funeral, including President Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Wells Fargo claws back part of CEO, other executive's salary

  28-09-2016 06:50
  
  WASHINGTON - Wells Fargo says CEO John Stumpf and the executive who ran the bank's consumer banking division will forfeit tens of millions of dollars in bonuses as it tries to stem a scandal over its sales practices.The board of directors at the nation's second-largest bank said Tuesday that Stumpf will forfeit $41 million in stock awards, while former retail banking executive Carrie Tolstedt will forfeit $19 million of her stock awards, effective immediately. Both are also giving up any bonuses
  
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• All lanes opened on LA-1, delays reached to I-10/12 merge

  28-09-2016 06:24
  
  PORT ALLEN - All lanes are open on LA-1 south, but delays have reached to the interstate Wednesday morning.Commuters might want to spend a little extra time for the morning drive. Congestion have reached all the way to the I-10/110 split on I-10 west.ACCIDENT: Right lane blocked LA-1 South past Intracoastal Canal. Delay to I-10/110 split on I-10 West. pic.twitter.com/M5TPOHLdFO— WBRZ Traffic (@WBRZtraffic) September 28, 20162une In's Ashley Fruge is keeping a close eye on the roads. St
  
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• Comey on Capitol Hill again to talk extremism, Clinton email

  28-09-2016 03:43
  
  WASHINGTON - For the second time in two days, FBI Director James Comey will be on Capitol Hill to answer questions about the agency's response to recent acts of extremist violence and whether more could have been done to prevent attacks in Orlando and New York.Comey also is expected to face questions about why the FBI granted immunity to Hillary Clinton's former chief of staff as part of a now-closed investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state.Comey w
  
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• 'Deepwater Horizon' film stirs emotion in victims' families

  28-09-2016 03:32
  
  BATON ROUGE - Seeing Hollywood's take on the rig explosion that killed their loved ones is stirring mixed emotions for family members of the 11 men who died in the blast more than six years ago.While their reactions to the movie vary, many relatives share a hope that "Deepwater Horizon" will remind people about the human toll of the disaster. Many family members believe a focus on the catastrophic environmental damage from BP's 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico unjustly overshadowed the workers'
  
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• GOP: Edwards shouldn't have been fundraising in Washington

  28-09-2016 03:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Republican Party is criticizing Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards for attending a fundraiser for his re-election campaign while on a Washington trip lobbying Congress for flood aid.The fundraiser was held at a lobbying firm office, hosted by Democratic former U.S. Sens. John Breaux, J. Bennett Johnston and Mary Landrieu.Jason Doré, state GOP executive director, said Tuesday the fundraiser "took precious time" away from a trip aimed at building support for disaster rel
  
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• Yellen likely to face questions about Wells Fargo

  28-09-2016 03:11
  
  WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is likely to face sharp questions from a House committee today over whether there was a failure in oversight by federal banking regulators involving Wells Fargo. The nation's second largest bank engaged in practices that allegedly allowed the bank to open millions of accounts without customers' permission.The actions at Wells Fargo have raised questions about the role of regulators - including the Fed - in monitoring banks. Yellen last week said sh
  
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• Debate reaches 84 million viewers, toppling record

  28-09-2016 03:09
  
  NEW YORK - The showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was the most-watched presidential debate ever, with 84 million viewers.The Nielsen company says viewership, over 13 different networks, toppled a record that had stood for 36 years. The previous record for presidential debate viewership was the 80.6 million people who saw the only debate in 1980 between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican challenger Ronald Reagan.At the time of the Carter-Reagan debate, the U.S. popu
  
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• Future of New Orleans Confederate monuments argued in court

  28-09-2016 03:07
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A court is expected to hear arguments on whether New Orleans should be able to remove four Confederate monuments.The case will be heard Wednesday by a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.The City Council voted in December 2015 to remove the monuments to Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and a statue honoring whites who tried to topple a biracial post-Civil War government in New Orleans.Mayor
  
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