Baton Rouge news

• Hotels booked, flood survivors having difficulty finding room

  18-10-2016 18:21
  
  BATON ROUGE - FEMA extended it's checkout date for disaster survivors staying in hotels, but many hotels are booked solid. Cerita Smith was told she had to checkout of her hotel Tuesday morning, since it's booked and can no longer accommodate her. She's been staying there for a couple weeks since her apartment flooded."I've been to like six different hotels before I got here," said Smith.She found out Tuesday morning she had to pack up and leave."It's already after 11 and I'm still tryi
  
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• Twin Oaks Elementary School receives new books following flood

  18-10-2016 16:58
  
  BATON ROUGE – Twin Oaks Elementary school received 1,000 new books for its students following the August flood.Just two weeks ago, the school was still under construction with empty book shelves until First Book and Conn's Home Plus donated books to the school for students to take home.Some students lost everything in the flood and teachers say that a brand new book of their own means a lot."They've been through a lot. They've been through going to different schools. Many of them have
  
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• EBR disaster recovery center to close Oct. 20

  18-10-2016 16:46
  
  BATON ROUGE – The FEMA disaster recovery center in East Baton Rouge Parish is closing on Oct. 20.The center, located at the Zachary Men's Club on Rollins Road, will close at 6 p.m.Officials say that the need for the center has diminished and will result in the closure of the facility. Flood victims can locate other centers near them by going online here, calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362, or downloading the FEMA mobile app.For more information or to register with FEMA,
  
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• Grandmother arrested for leaving 8-year-old grandson on side of road

  18-10-2016 16:05
  
  HARAHAN – A grandmother was arrested for child desertion after she left her 8-year-old grandson on the side of the road in Harahan.According to Harahan Police, officers received reports of a woman, who was driving her vehicle on Dickory Avenue in Harahan, when she stopped her vehicle to let a boy out and drove away. The boy was not wearing a shirt or shoes and the ground was hot, police said.A stranger stopped and took the boy to the Harahan Fire Department. The boy told police that he
  
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• Hiring event for flood victims in Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes

  18-10-2016 15:09
  
  The Louisiana Workforce Commission will be hosting a hiring event to employ workers who were displaced by the August flood.Workers will be able to apply for Tangipahoa and Livingston Parishes job debris removal services as well as other cleanup opportunities in the area.In order to qualify for jobs at the event, workers must be able to prove that they are:- Individuals who have been unemployed for 13 weeks- Individuals who lost their job due directly to the floodThe hiring event will be held&
  
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• La Tech RB Jaqwis Dancy out, diagnosed with cancer

  18-10-2016 14:44
  
  RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech running back Jaqwis Dancy has been sidelined for the rest of the 2016 season after being diagnosed with cancer.Coach Skip Holtz said Monday that the 19-year-old sophomore from Junction City, Arkansas, was rehabbing an ankle injury when he first complained about a lymph node. Tests results came back Oct. 7 positive for Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of treatable cancer that starts in white blood cells.Holtz's informed the team that weekend. He says Dancy is schedu
  
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• 2-year-old from Houma hit by relative's truck in Pennsylvania mobile home park

  18-10-2016 14:41
  
  WILLIAMSPORT, PA - A Louisiana toddler was killed after she was hit by a truck driven by a relative in a mobile home park in Pennsylvania.The undercarriage of the truck hit the girl and carried her about 20 feet.Lycoming County Coroner identified the toddler as 2-year-old Shelby Folse of Houma. Pennsylvania police said the girl was on or along a street in the mobile home park when she was hit by a pickup truck driven by 21-year-old Stephen Folse, also of Houma.Folse was leaving a parking space a
  
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• APSO searching for 'armed and dangerous' burglary suspect

  18-10-2016 14:35
  
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is looking for a burglary suspect near the Dutchtown Lane and Highway 74 area.The suspect is a white man wearing a white shirt and khaki pants, possibly carrying a red bag. The man is considered armed and dangerous.The sheriff's office says that residents should not approach or confront the man.Residents are urged to call 911 immediately if they see this person or to call the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office at 225-621-8300 (option 1).
  
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• US citizen born in refugee camp challenges Louisiana law to marry

  18-10-2016 13:55
  
  LAFAYETTE - A Louisiana man is suing to challenge a state law that has prevented him and other immigrants from obtaining a marriage license because they couldn't produce a birth certificate.The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court claims the marriage law amended last year by state lawmakers violates the constitutional rights of 31-year-old Viet "Victor" Anh Vo.Vo said that he and his fiancee were stunned when a court clerk rejected their application for a marriage license two weeks be
  
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• 14-year-old Saints fan with chronic illness gets surprise on GMA

  18-10-2016 13:29
  
  One 14-year-old Saints fan battling a chronic illness got the surprise of a lifetime on "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning.Coach Sean Payton offered 14-year-old Jarrius Robertson a contract to become an honorary New Orleans Saint."You don't have to tell me twice!" Jarrius shouted as he signed the contract.Jarrius has battled a chronic liver disease, called biliary atresia, since he was born. The illness has affected his growth and he is currently on a waiting list for a liver transplant. Jar
  
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• 14-year-old fan with chronic illness gets surprise on GMA

  18-10-2016 13:29
  
  One 14-year-old Saints fan battling a chronic illness got the surprise of a lifetime on "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning.Coach Sean Payton offered 14-year-old Jarrius Robertson a contract to become an honorary New Orleans Saint."You don't have to tell me twice!" Jarrius shouted as he signed the contract.Jarrius has battled a chronic liver disease called biliary atresia since he was born. The illness has affected his growth and he is currently on a waiting list for a liver transplant. Jarri
  
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• Teen inmate died from apparent suicide in cell

  18-10-2016 13:10
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Authorities say a 15-year-old inmate died in an apparent suicide in his cell at the Orleans Parish Justice Center.The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said in a news release a deputy found Jaquin Thomas unresponsive in his cell at 9:19 p.m. Monday. The sheriff's office says Thomas had used a mattress cover to asphyxiate himself. He was pronounced dead at University Medical Center just after 10 p.m.Thomas had been in jail since July.He was to be tried as adult on charges of second-de
  
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• President Obama formally welcomes Italy's prime minister to US

  18-10-2016 12:16
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says it's a "bittersweet" day as he and Michelle Obama welcome the Italian prime minster for the last official visit and state dinner of the Obama presidency.On a clear, fall day, the president says he and the first lady "saved the best for last" in welcoming Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi and wife, Mrs. Agnese Landini, on Tuesday.As for this being the last official visit of his presidency, a smiling Obama adds, "it's OK."Renzi, for his part, say
  
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• Louisiana's US Senate race candidates clash in TV debate

  18-10-2016 12:10
  
  RUSTON - Major candidates in Louisiana's U.S. Senate race clashed in their first televised debate together, as they sought to draw distinctions in the final weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 election.Republican U.S. Rep. John Fleming hit GOP opponent John Kennedy, the state treasurer, for running years ago as a liberal Democrat and endorsing John Kerry for president. Fleming suggested Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany wasn't fully committed in his opposition to President Barack Obama's heal
  
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• Teen arrested for raping 11-year-old and 13-year-old boys

  18-10-2016 09:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – A teenager has been arrested for the rape of two juvenile boys, one of which was sexually assaulted by the teen more than 30 times.19-year-old Donald Moore, Jr. was arrested on two counts of first degree rape after the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office was contacted by the guardian of an 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy in regards to being sexually assaulted.An interview with the 11-year-old boy was conducted where he stated that Moore began sexually assaulting him i
  
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• Judge won't force AG to approve contracts with LGBT langauge

  18-10-2016 09:09
  
  BATON ROUGE - A judge has thrown out Gov. John Bel Edwards' lawsuit seeking to force Attorney General Jeff Landry to sign off on legal contracts that include anti-discrimination language to protect LGBT people.Judge Donald Johnson dismissed the case Monday, saying the law is unclear what the attorney general's authority is in reviewing the contracts.Edwards' lawyer Matthew Block says the governor intends to appeal the decision.The Democratic governor issued an executive order in April requiring
  
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• Victim of Audubon park drowning was homeless, mentally ill

  18-10-2016 09:03
  
  NEW ORLEANS  - A coroner's report says a woman whose body was found in a lagoon at Audubon Park in New Orleans last week was homeless and mentally ill.The discovery of the 53-year-old woman's body had put people in the area of Audubon Park on edge, fearing she might have been the victim of an attacker.However, authorities soon ruled out foul play. Coroner Jeffrey Rouse said last week that the cause of death was drowning. In a Monday news release, he identified the woman as Sheila Freedm
  
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• Baker man faces dogfighting charges

  18-10-2016 08:24
  
  BAKER - Police have arrested a man accused of training dogs for fighting after finding 15 malnourished pit bulls at his home. 47-year-old Yusef Chew faces dog fighting and cruelty to animal charges after police responded to multiple calls of a dog fighting incident in the backyard of a home in the 4600 block of Greenwood Lane.When officers arrived, they found 15 malnourished pit bulls that were branded with the letter "C" on the hind legs. Some were covered in
  
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• Russia: Russian, Syrian planes halting airstrikes on Aleppo

  18-10-2016 06:58
  
  MOSCOW - Russia has announced that Russian and Syrian warplanes are halting airstrikes on the besieged city of Aleppo.Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says the airstrikes were suspended starting from 10 a.m. on Tuesday. He says the suspension is intended to prepare for the opening of humanitarian corridors for the rebels to leave Aleppo.Russia says its forces and the Syrian army will observe a "humanitarian pause" between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday, to allow civilians and militants safe passage
  
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• Crews investigating house fire on Napolean

  18-10-2016 06:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Investigators are looking for clues on what cause an early morning house fire on Napolean Street near Myrtle Avenue Tuesday.Crews responded to the call just before 5 a.m and battled the blaze.This is a developing story. We will have the latest details on WBRZ.com.Permalink| Comments
  
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• At least 9 dead after Brazilian prison mutiny

  18-10-2016 06:53
  
  RIO DE JANEIRO - Police say at least nine people have been killed at a Brazilian penitentiary in a clash between rival gangs of inmates in the northern state of Roraima.The state's justice secretary Uziel Castro says in a statement that seven bodies were piled up and burned after the Sunday prison mutiny. Two other bodies were found in a different part of the Monte Cristo prison. Castro says at least three of the bodies were beheaded and efforts to identify them have been slow.Officers said Mond
  
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• University of Cincinnati lifts shelter-in-place order

  18-10-2016 06:51
  
  CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati has lifted a shelter-in-place order that was issued following reports of shots fired on campus.University police tell The Cincinnati Enquirer (http://cin.ci/2ecIZ4V ) that two people were talking near a residence hall Monday night when one of them pulled out a gun and fired once, but missed.Police say the person who fired the gun fled on foot. Police searched for the suspect, but could not find him.It's not known if either of the two people involved in t
  
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• All lanes opened on I-10, delays reached to I-10/12 split

  18-10-2016 05:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - All lanes are opened on I-10 West at the Mississippi River Bridge.Delays have reached to the I-10/12 split.Accident: I-10 WB on MS River Bridge. Two right lanes blocked. pic.twitter.com/YjNvWGF9cZ— WBRZ Traffic (@WBRZtraffic) October 18, 20162une In's Ashley Fruge is keeping an eye on the roads. Watch 2une In on the 2's for her latest traffic reports.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Authorities respond to house fire on Buttonwood

  18-10-2016 04:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Multiple agencies were on the scene of an early morning house fire on Buttonwood Drive near Glen Oaks Drive. Crews arrived on the scene around 4 a.m. to the 6500 block of Buttonwood Drive where firefighters saw flames engulfing half of the home's roof. The fire was brought under control around 4:30 a.m.District 6 Fire District was assisted by Central Fire Department, East Side Fire Department and the Baton Rouge Fire Department at the scene. EMS was also on the sc
  
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• Officials: Sheriff's lieutenant charged in domestic incident

  18-10-2016 04:30
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Officials say an Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office lieutenant has been arrested following a domestic incident with his girlfriend.Local media outlets report that the sheriff's office says 37-year-old Lt. Taraunce Martin was arrested Sunday night and charged with simple battery resulting from the incident.Deputies say an argument between Martin and his girlfriend at his home that night was reported by police.However, The Times-Picayune reports (http://bit.ly/2e1kVS0) court records sho
  
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• Beauregard Parish deputy killed in Calcasieu Parish crash

  18-10-2016 04:29
  
  GILLIS - Authorities say an off-duty Beauregard Parish sheriff's deputy has been killed in a crash in Calcasieu Parish.Media outlets report that State Police say 22-year-old Cody Cormier of Longville died Saturday morning following the single-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 171.Troopers say Cormier was driving when his truck went off the roadway and struck a traffic light support pole. The vehicle continued into a ditch where it rolled over and flipped end over end.Authorities say Cormier, who
  
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• Memorial to be held for slain Palm Springs officers

  18-10-2016 03:28
  
  PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - A memorial service will be held for two Palm Springs police officers shot to death when responding to a domestic disturbance call at the home of the family of an ex-convict.Officers Jose "Gil" Vega and Lesley Zerebny will be honored at a service today in the Palm Springs Convention Center before they are laid to rest.Authorities say the officers were killed Oct. 8 when 26-year-old ex-convict John Felix opened fire on them with an assault rifle through a metal screen door.T
  
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• Florida won't challenge vote-by-mail ruling

  18-10-2016 03:25
  
  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida's top election official is going to accept a ruling that says the state must give thousands of voters a chance to make sure their vote-by-mail ballots are counted.Secretary of State Ken Detzner on Monday told county election supervisors that they needed to follow the order issued by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker. Walker ruled that county election offices should notify voters if their signature on a vote-by-mail ballot and their voter registration forms don't match.W
  
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• Attorney General Jeff Landry can block LGBT workplace protections, court says

  18-10-2016 00:36
  
  Attorney General Jeff Landry is allowed to block dozens of legal contracts from moving forward because they include language preventing discrimination against LGBT people, according to a Baton Rouge Court.
  
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