Baton Rouge news

• John Bel Edwards submits similar legal contract for coastal lawsuits -- setting up another fight with Jeff Landry

  12-10-2016 23:26
  
  The governor wants to use the same lawyers and pay them the same amount of money as originally proposed.
  
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• Houma woman arrested in insurance fraud scheme

  12-10-2016 21:23
  
  HOUMA - Louisiana State Police have arrested a woman accused of fraudulent insurance claims dating back to 2014.38-year-old Shanta Simmons was arrested Wednesday morning.In March, investigators in the insurance fraud/auto theft unit in Houma were contacted by fraud investigators with Progressive Insurance Company concerning fraudulent claims made in June 2014.Progressive Insurance provided state troopers with information suggestion Simmons was submitting fraudulent medical bills from Terrebonne
  
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• Grant to reduce crime in popular Tigerland area denied

  12-10-2016 20:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - A grant requested by Baton Rouge officials, LSU and the District Attorney's office to reduce crime in Tigerland has been denied.Crime statistics were released along with the request for the square-mile area of Tigerland. According to the summary, the violent crime rate was more than 33 percent between 2011 and 2015. The national average during that time ranged between 22 and 26 percent. It also suggests if every 1,000 people, 212 would likely be a victim of a crime.
  District Attorn
  
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• Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office searching for missing man

  12-10-2016 20:28
  
  ASCENSION - The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is actively searching for a man they say went missing from his home Monday.Authorities say Ray Goodrich IV was last seen on October 10. Goodrich left his home in a grey Toyota Highlander with a Louisiana license plate number VUA535.They say Goodrich was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt and a purple LSU cap.Deputies say he is not expected to be in any danger.Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ray Goodrich IV is asked to call t
  
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• Avoiding contractor fraud following flood

  12-10-2016 17:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - There's been more than 1,000 calls to investigators concerning fraud from the flood.As more homes dry out and homeowners prepare to repair their homes, contractors will be hired to rebuild.State Attorney General Jeff Landry says the National Fraud Disaster Center is answering calls about fraud. Landry says when looking to hire someone, make sure you do your research."People get in a hurry," he said "They don't pause and think of exactly what they're doing."Landry says this opens pe
  
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• New voting locations for residents due to August flood

  12-10-2016 17:26
  
  BATON ROUGE – With election day just a month away, some voters still do not where to vote since some voting locations have changed due to the August flood.
  Kellsy Lloyd, a new resident to East Baton Rouge Parish, is one of those voters."I have no idea where to vote," Lloyd said.Lloyd moved to the area after the flood to help her grandfather.
  "His house had four feet of water in it, and we just came up here to help him and we never left, and we're not going to leave," Lloyd said.With el
  
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• Watermark hotel opens in downtown BR

  12-10-2016 16:58
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Watermark Hotel, once a national bank, officially opened on Wednesday in downtown Baton Rouge.With the opening of the boutique hotel, downtown will have more than 1,000 rooms for guests to stay in. However, in the early 2000's that was not the case."Back then after 5 o' clock, downtown was quiet. You could hear crickets chirp," Mike Wampold, the owner of The Watermark Hotel, said.Wampold said that guests will have the chance to get a glimpse of history during their st
  
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• Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf resigns effective immediately

  12-10-2016 16:30
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - Wells Fargo's embattled CEO John Stumpf has resigned, effective immediately, as the nation's second-largest bank is roiled by a scandal over its sales practices.The San Francisco bank said Wednesday that Stumpf will also relinquish his title as chairman. Its chief operating officer, Tim Sloan, will succeed Stumpf as CEO.Stumpf had led Wells Fargo since 2007.He faced congressional hearings and consumer wrath after Wells Fargo was found to have opened millions of bank accounts with
  
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• FEMA assistance deadline extended until November 14

  12-10-2016 16:28
  
  BATON ROUGE – Residents who need FEMA assistance after August’s historic flooding have until Nov. 14 to apply for individual assistance.Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards made the announcement of the deadline extension on Wednesday afternoon.Deadline for #laflood survivors to register with @fema for individual assistance extended to Nov. 14. #lagov— Gov John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) October 12, 2016The deadline to register for individual FEMA assistance
  
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• Acadiana Mall to remain closed for Thanksgiving Day

  12-10-2016 16:20
  
  LAFAYETTE – Shoppers in Lafayette may have to wait until it is officially Black Friday to shop at the Acadiana Mall this year.CBL and Associates, who owns 89 regional malls including the Acadiana Mall, announced that they will close the doors to almost all of their properties until 6 a.m. on Black Friday.According to a CNBC report, department stores, movie theaters, restaurants and other stores that have exterior entrances will be allowed to open early though. Stores like Macy&rsqu
  
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• Belaire High School principal and football coach on paid leave during LHSAA investigation

  12-10-2016 16:13
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Belaire High School principal and football coach are on paid administrative leave while the LHSAA officials are conducting an investigation. Belaire High School principal Roy Walker and head football coach Claude Coleman were put on paid administrative leave as of Tuesday due to a pending investigation by the LHSAA regarding the school’s football program.The investigation was spurred after allegations were reported to the district. The deta
  
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• Bakery accused of racism for Oreo pastry named 'Mr. President'

  12-10-2016 15:43
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. - A Portland bakery is being accused of racism for selling an Oreo cupcake they named "Mr. President."Customers have been leaving Yelp reviews criticizing Fat Cupcake for its "Mr. President" pastry. The cupcake is described as an Oreo Cookie baked inside white cake with cookies n' cream buttercream.Owner Anjelica Hayes says she is black, so the cupcake cannot be racist. She said they originally named the cupcake because it was so good they wanted it to hold public office. She late
  
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• Recall petition filed against Jefferson Parish president

  12-10-2016 15:19
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Metairie attorney has filed a petition with the Louisiana Secretary of State seeking to recall Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni.Robert Evans III filed the petition Wednesday. In a news release, Evans said Yenni's recently admitted "improper" texting with a 17-year-old boy last year constitutes "outrageous, immoral and unacceptable behavior." He says Yenni is unfit to serve.The recall effort now has 180 days to collect just over 90,000 signatures - one-third of the current nu
  
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• Pedestrian killed in Florida Blvd crash

  12-10-2016 14:55
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a pedestrian was killed after she was struck by a car on Florida Blvd in Baton Rouge Wednesday morning.According to Baton Rouge Police, the crash happened around 12:10 a.m. Wednesday in the 7600 block of Florida Blvd.Investigators say 56-year-old Mercedes Montgomery was walking on Florida Blvd when “for unknown reasons” stepped out in front of oncoming traffic. Montgomery was struck by a 2010 Ford Mustang and died at the scene.Police said th
  
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• Former VP of healthcare company pleads guilty to stealing $7.6 million

  12-10-2016 14:31
  
  BATON ROUGE – A former corporate executive has been sentenced for stealing more than $7.6 million from a Baton Rouge based health services company.Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that 41-year-old Michael David Pitts was sentenced to 48 months in the Bureau of Prisons which will be followed by three years of supervised release.United State Attorney Walt Green said Pitts was ordered to pay $7,861,679 in restitution to Amedisys Inc.Green said Pitts served as Amedisys’ Vi
  
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• Armed robber steals smartphones from Prairieville phone store

  12-10-2016 14:13
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE – Deputies in Ascension Parish are investigating an armed robbery at a Verizon Wireless Store last week.Investigators say the crime happened on Oct. 3 around 7:39 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Store on Airline Highway. An unknown black man, armed with a handgun, entered the store and ordered an employee to remove all the cash from the register and all IPhone and Samsung phones.Investigators described the man as a medium or dark complexioned black man, about 5’11 w
  
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• Man wanted for Chase Bank robbery on Florida Blvd.

  12-10-2016 13:46
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police Detectives are trying to locate a man who is wanted for robbing the Chase Bank in the 7400 block of Florida Boulevard.The robbery occurred on Wednesday around 9 a.m. when the man entered the bank and approached the teller with a note demanding money. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the man then fled on foot going north.The suspect is identified as a black man, 40-50 years old, 6'1-6'2 in height, wearing an orange shirt with blue jeans.An
  
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• Civil case resumes in Katrina burned body case

  12-10-2016 13:26
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A judge has officially revived a civil lawsuit against New Orleans officials over the death of a man who was shot and killed by a police officer - and whose body was burned - after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.The lawsuit by relatives of Henry Glover had been put on hold while federal criminal cases against former New Orleans police officers proceeded. Those cases are over and court records show a federal judge recently ruled that the civil case can proceed.Former police officer Grego
  
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• Mower runs over 9-foot boa constrictor in Plaquemines Parish

  12-10-2016 13:13
  
  PLAQUEMINES PARISH – A 9-foot boa constrictor was accidentally killed on the East Bank of Plaquemines Parish on Wednesday.The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and learned that the 9-foot reptile was accidentally killed after it was run over by a grass cutting crew's lawn mower.Scientists with the Aududon Nature Institute in New Orleans identified the snake's species. According to the Institute, boa constrictors are non-venomous snakes native to Central and Sou
  
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• Judge extends Florida's voter registration to Oct. 18

  12-10-2016 12:52
  
  TALLAHASSEE - A federal judge has extended voter registration for six more days in the battleground state of Florida, due to the disruption and damage from Hurricane Matthew.During a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker extended the deadline until Oct. 18.Walker had already extended the Oct. 11 deadline one day, after the Florida Democratic Party filed a lawsuit last weekend, following the hurricane's brush with Florida's east coast.Democrats had asked Gov. Rick Scott to extend the
  
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• 'Lofts at 6C' complex coming to downtown Baton Rouge

  12-10-2016 12:24
  
  BATON ROUGE - A massive parking lot on 6th Street has a new future coming its way.Once a pay-to-park spot, the cement slab spanning from Florida Boulevard to Convention Street will become a new apartment complex.The project, called the "Lofts at 6C," is a 150 unit residential development that is a part of the Downtown Development District's effort to expand the city's housing options."Just another piece of the puzzle that when you add all this residential downtown you increase the market and the
  
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• Louisiana flooding delays school grades

  12-10-2016 09:14
  
  BATON ROUGE - For the second straight year, Louisiana's public school performance scores will come out late.State education department spokeswoman Bridget Devlin says the department will release the grades toward the end of November, not in October as usual.New national exams for grades 3-8 held up the 2015 scores until late December. Though the tests have changed again, the delay this year is due to disaster.Devlin said that the department's staff was significantly impacted by the August floodi
  
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• Thursday deadline to apply for disaster loans after flooding

  12-10-2016 09:11
  
  BATON ROUGE - Time is running out for business owners, homeowners and renters with damage from the August floods to apply for federal disaster loans.The Louisiana Department of Economic Development says the deadline to seek the low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration is Thursday.The loans offer money to repair property damaged by the flooding that isn't covered by insurance or federal grant programs.Businesses and nonprofit organizations can apply for loans of up to $2 mil
  
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• No foul play suspected after body found in lagoon

  12-10-2016 09:09
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Officials say they don't suspect foul play in the death of woman whose body was discovered in an Audubon Park lagoon in New Orleans. New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said in a statement on Tuesday that they have no evidence so far to suggest foul play in the death.Police said the woman was spotted floating in the lagoon Monday morning and firefighters retrieved the body. Officials have not released her name or cause of death. Detectives are still waiting
  
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• Coroner: Woman found in park lagoon drowned

  12-10-2016 09:09
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Officials say they don't suspect foul play in the death of woman whose body was discovered in an Audubon Park lagoon in New Orleans. New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said in a statement on Tuesday that they have no evidence so far to suggest foul play in the death.Police said the woman was spotted floating in the lagoon Monday morning and firefighters retrieved the body. Officials have not released her name or cause of death. Detectives are still waiting
  
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• Baker mayor: Flood debris pickup nearly complete

  12-10-2016 09:06
  
  BAKER - Flood debris pickup is nearly complete in Baker.Mayor Darnell Waites told the city council Tuesday $300,000 has been spent on debris pickup. Waits said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the city.With new construction going on related to the flood, Waits says that debris will be the next issue for the city.The council unanimously passed a resolution allowing the city to move forward on rebuilding city structures damaged in the flood, a requirement for reimbursement fr
  
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• EBR Metro Council to discuss police residency again

  12-10-2016 08:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police residency for Baton Rouge officers is back up for discussion for the Metro Council meeting Wednesday night.One member of the council proposed to hire new officers within the parish limits. Supporters said the measure would help improve community policing in the city.Opponents said the residency requirement would limit recruiting police officers.The Metro Council could vote on the measure at the meeting Wednesday.The changes have been on the agenda since the police-involved s
  
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• EBR Metro Council defers police residency proposals for 30 days

  12-10-2016 08:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - Despite public concerns that the Baton Rouge Police residency requirement proposals should be voted on before election day, the Metro Council voted to deffer those proposals for 30 days.The proposals would require new BRPD recruits to live within the East Baton Rouge Parish limits. Supporters of the measure said that the requirements would help improve community policing efforts in Baton Rouge.Opponents, including Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie, say the requirements would hu
  
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• Natural gas explosion injures 2 workers

  12-10-2016 07:02
  
  ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Authorities say a natural gas explosion and fire at a townhouse complex in suburban Chicago has injured two utility workers.The explosion in Romeoville was reported Tuesday evening.Authorities say the explosion apparently stemmed from an earlier-reported gas leak. Two townhouse units were destroyed, but no area residents were reported injured. Authorities say two Nicor workers were taken to hospitals, including one in fair condition and one in serious-to-critical condition.The
  
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• 4 arrested in attack on teen who said 'Blue lives matter'

  12-10-2016 06:54
  
  SYLACAUGA, Ala. - Four black men are facing assault charges in connection with the beating of a white Alabama high school student who had posted pro-police comments online.In a statement, Sylacauga (sihl-uh-KAW'-guh) Police Chief Kelley Johnson says four recent Sylacauga High School students were arrested Tuesday following the Sept. 30 attack against 17-year-old Brian Ogle.Ogle's mother, Brandi Allen, says her son responded to students wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts at his school with "Blue
  
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• Lawyers for Paris attacks suspect stop defending him

  12-10-2016 06:50
  
  PARIS - Lawyers for the only surviving suspect in last November's attack in Paris say they will no longer defend him.The lawyers tell BFM-TV they've decided to stop representing Salah Abdeslam because he has chosen to remain silent in a protest against the 24-hour video surveillance of his prison cell.Authorities hope Abdeslam can provide information about the Islamic State group's strategies and networks, and identify others who might have had a connection to the Nov. 13 attacks, which killed 1
  
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• Toyota recalls 340,000 Prius hybrid cars for faulty brakes

  12-10-2016 06:48
  
  TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 340,000 gas-electric hybrid Prius cars around the world, 212,000 of them in Japan and 94,000 in North America, for a defect in their parking brakes.Toyota says it has received reports of crashes, injuries and deaths. The Japanese automaker refused to provide details, saying it was still looking into the reports.Toyota said the parking brake cable can disengage, causing the brakes to stop working properly. So if the car is left in any gear other than park,
  
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• All lanes open on I-10 W on Miss. River Bridge

  12-10-2016 06:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - All lanes are opened on I-10 W on the Mississippi River Bridge, but there's major delaysCongestion has reached to the I-10/I-12 merge.TRAFFIC ALERT: Accident blocking left and center lanes on I-10 W on MS River Bridge. Delay past Dalrymple. pic.twitter.com/OKEEWhdh72— WBRZ Traffic (@WBRZtraffic) October 12, 20162une In's Ashley Fruge is keeping a close eye on the roads this morning. Watch 2une In on the 2's for the latest traffic updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Extensive blackout in Tokyo, affecting trains, govt offices

  12-10-2016 03:12
  
  TOKYO - An extensive blackout has struck Tokyo, affecting some government offices and halting trains in the Japanese capital.Tokyo Electric Power Co., a utility serving the Tokyo region, said officials are investigating the cause of Wednesday's blackout that broke out in the afternoon.The company, known as TEPCO, said smoke was detected at its power substation in Niiza city, near Tokyo, and officials are looking into the cause of the incident and whether it's related to the blackouts.Footage on
  
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• Samsung sends fire-proof boxes for Galaxy Note 7 returns

  12-10-2016 03:10
  
  SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics says it is sending fire-resistant packages to its customers in the U.S. as a precaution against possible fires or explosions from Galaxy Note 7s they return to retailers.Samsung said Wednesday that it is offering prepaid shipping boxes as an option for U.S. owners of the phones, which are prone to overheat and catch fire. The company has recalled all the phones and said Tuesday it was discontinuing the devices.Samsung said packaging meets U.S. regulations
  
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• Amazon launches for-pay streaming music service

  12-10-2016 03:07
  
  NEW YORK - Amazon is launching a paid streaming music service, the latest entry in an increasingly crowded field.Amazon Music Unlimited is being positioned to compete against existing services such as Spotify and Apple Music. It will cost $8 per month, or $80 a year, for members of Amazon's $99-a-year Prime loyalty program. Non-Prime members will pay $10 a month, the same monthly fee charged by Spotify and Apple Music.Owners of Amazon's Echo smart speaker, meanwhile, will be able to get the unli
  
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• McElwain shocked anyone would think Florida was dodging LSU

  12-10-2016 03:02
  
  GAINESVILLE - Florida coach Jim McElwain says he's surprised that anyone might think the Gators tried to dodge playing LSU last weekend because of Hurricane Matthew.McElwain noted the storm's death toll and other effects in speaking to reporters yesterday.The 18th-ranked Gators had been scheduled to host the Tigers on Saturday, but the SEC postponed the game indefinitely Thursday. No makeup date has been announced.The way it played out caused angst at both schools.Florida created a stir by takin
  
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• Louisiana denying marriage licenses to some immigrants

  12-10-2016 01:42
  
  Refugees fleeing war, discrimination, and genocide frequently don't arrive in the United States with documents like birth certificates.
  
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