Baton Rouge news

• Two BRPD units involved in downtown crash

  11-11-2016 21:58
  
  Baton Rouge- Two Baton Rouge police cruisers crashed into a parked railroad company van Friday night, according to the van driver.Roy Farve, a driver for Railcrew Xpress, told News 2 he was parked off the side of River Road at North Street when he looked up and saw one of the police cruisers barreling towards him. He says BRPD officers came over to his vehicle to check on him, then told him one of the cruisers had crashed into the other causing it to lose control and hit his vehicle.Far
  
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• John Bel Edwards asks court to define role of Louisiana attorney general

  11-11-2016 21:30
  
  The governor and attorney general go to court over the LGBT workplace protections next week.
  
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• Proposed gun range concerns Livingston residents

  11-11-2016 19:52
  
  LIVINGSTON - The Livingston Parish Council was in for a long debate last night following the news of a proposed 200-acre gun range on a property in Springfield.Jay Foster, the landowner and developer, brought the gun range plans to the parish's attention a few weeks ago, but last night was the first time it was discussed by the council and residents.Those residents, called upon the council to halt Foster's plan after a heated fifty-minute debate.Residents along Hutchinson Road argued that the gu
  
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• Two treated for gunshot wounds after flagging ambulance on Florida Blvd

  11-11-2016 18:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – Two people are being treated for gunshot wounds after a shooting in Baton Rouge Friday night.Sources tell WBRZ that an ambulance, stopped at a red light at the intersection of Florida Blvd and Sherwood Forest, was flagged down by people in the car beside them. Two people inside the car had been shot.Details are limited at this time. A WBRZ News 2 crew is en route to the scene.This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WBRZ News 2 online and on Facebook and Twitter
  
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• Veterans home damaged in flood hopeful to reopen soon

  11-11-2016 17:39
  
  BATON ROUGE – Several, once homeless and disabled veterans, called the Magnolia Veteran's Home their home, until the August flood swept everything away.This year, Byron Comeaux spent his Veteran's Day putting the pieces back together."The happiest day is when we reopen and the veterans come home. That is the happiest day, that is going to be our Veteran's Day," Comeaux said.
  Comeaux is a veteran and opened a non-profit center for homeless and disabled veterans. He says that after fight
  
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• Ceremony held in Ascension Parish honors veterans

  11-11-2016 17:20
  
  ASCENSION – Hundreds came out to a Veteran's Day ceremony in Ascension Parish to honor those who served in the military.
  The ceremony was held at the Veteran's Memorial Park in Gonzales. For some that attended the ceremony, the day was a solemn occasion.
  "It's always an occasion, but a sad memory because we lost bothers and sisters," Veteran, Jack Watson, said.Members of the armed forces stood side by side with retired veterans and military families. The ceremony also featured local ve
  
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• Facebook killed some people Friday

  11-11-2016 15:21
  
  MENLO PARK, California - Facebook profiles for many people appeared to show them as deceased Friday.From chatter both on the social media site and Twitter it appears the badges on pages showed up around 3 p.m. The note, which alerted users that the person connected to the profile was being memorialized after death, was removed within a couple of minutes from pages of people who were alive and well.Users in Baton Rouge noticed their profiles were marked as memorialized accounts and others found F
  
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• Facebook tweaks race-based ad targeting policy

  11-11-2016 14:48
  
  NEW YORK - Facebook says it will no longer allow advertisers to use ethnicity as a filter when it comes to targeting or hiding ads offering housing, employment or credit.The changes come after ProPublica reported that , besides hobbies and interests, advertisers could exclude specific races from seeing their ads. This could be illegal in some circumstances, such as with housing ads.Although Facebook doesn't actually ask users their race, the service can make a pretty good guess based on other in
  
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• Two Livingston Parish disaster recovery centers to close Nov. 15

  11-11-2016 14:08
  
  LIVINGSTON – Two Livingston Parish disaster recovery centers will close at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
  One of the centers closing is located at the St. Joseph Catholic Church at 15710 La Highway 16 in French Settlement. A second center is closing at the Sidney Hutchinson Park located at 13470 Ball Park Road in Walker. According to officials, the need for the disaster recovery centers has diminished.
  Disaster survivors who have registered with FEMA may visit any other disaster recovery
  
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• Two Livingston Parish disaster recovery center to close Nov. 15

  11-11-2016 14:08
  
  LIVINGSTON – Two Livingston Parish disaster recovery centers will close at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15.
  One of the centers closing is located at the St. Joseph Catholic Church at 15710 La Highway 16 in French Settlement. A second center is closing at the Sidney Hutchinson Park located at 13470 Ball Park Road in Walker. According to officials, the need for the disaster recovery center has diminished.
  Disaster survivors who have registered with FEMA may visit any other disaster recovery
  
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• Pence to lead Trump transition team

  11-11-2016 13:48
  
  WASHINGTON - Vice President-elect Mike Pence will lead President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, replacing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.Trump picked his transition chairman and other leaders on Friday. It's his biggest staffing announcement since he won the election this week.Christie will now serve as vice chairman. He's joined on the executive committee by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
  
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• 4 ULL players punished for anti-Trump rap profanity, gesture

  11-11-2016 13:48
  
  LAFAYETTE - A Louisiana university football coach has disciplined four players in response to a locker room video showing members of the team dancing and singing the lyrics of a profane rap song.The Advertiser reports the song by YG and Nipsey Hussle is called FDT "F--- Donald Trump" and the video was made sometime shortly before Tuesday's election in which Trump was elected president.University of Louisiana at Lafayette coach Mark Hudspeth said Thursday he was disappointed in a few players' imm
  
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• Lanes open following accident near I-10 west at College Drive exit

  11-11-2016 13:00
  
  BATON ROUGE – A multicar crash on I-10 west blocked two lanes near the College Drive exit just before noon Friday.The crash happened around 11:51 a.m. just before the College Drive exit. Lanes opened around 12: 45 a.m. Photos from the scene showed multiple cars stopped or pulled to the side of the interstate.Congestion from the incident is approaching Siegen Lane on I-10 West and Airline Highway on I-12 West.Stay tuned to WBRZ Traffic on Twitter for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Woman who lied about being attacked on ULL campus to face charges

  11-11-2016 11:38
  
  LAFAYETTE – A women faces charges after police say that she lied about being assaulted and robbed of her wallet and hijab by two men, one of whom was wearing a white "Trump" hat near the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus.The Lafayette Police Department confirmed on Friday the charge of filing a false police report on, The Advertiser reports.The initial report was filed on Wednesday when a woman told police that she was attacked by two white men, stole her wallet and
  
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• Trump protesters damage businesses in Oakland

  11-11-2016 11:38
  
  OAKLAND - Police arrested at least 11 people during anti-Donald Trump protests that spilled into the streets of downtown Oakland for a third straight night.Police say protesters lit fires on streets and in trash cans, smashed windows and sprayed graffiti on at least seven businesses Thursday night.The San Francisco Chronicle reports that officers in riot gear stood across sections of a street, trying to limit the crowd's access to the city's central business district.By 11 p.m.
  
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• Zuckerberg: That Facebook influenced election is 'crazy'

  11-11-2016 11:35
  
  NEW YORK - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the idea that Facebook influenced the outcome of the U.S. election is a "crazy idea."During an interview Thursday with "The Facebook Effect" author David Kirkpatrick, Zuckerberg responded to criticisms that Facebook helped spread misinformation by allowing for the sharing and re-sharing of fake news stories.Zuckerberg says the idea that people voted the way they did because they saw a fake news story shows "profound lack of empathy" for people who vot
  
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• Obama pays tribute to vets in ceremony at Arlington cemetery

  11-11-2016 11:31
  
  ARLINGTON - President Barack Obama is paying tribute to the nation's veterans in a solemn Veteran's Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.On a crisp fall morning, the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Friday and bowed his head in silent tribute before a bugler played taps.He also planned to make remarks at an annual observance honoring those who have served in the military.Earlier in the day, the president held a breakfast reception with veterans and their families in
  
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• FBI: Man posed as officer, demanded nude photos from girls

  11-11-2016 11:19
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Authorities have arrested a New Orleans man accused of posing as a police officer and demanding that girls send him nude photos.The FBI New Orleans division tells news outlets that 18-year-old Tristion Grant was arrested Thursday on charges of impersonating a police officer and computer-aided solicitation of a minor.An FBI investigation found that Grant intimidated female minors online, threatening to arrest them if they didn't send him nude pictures of themselves.Grant remained at
  
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• State brings stripper's death into suit over age limit law

  11-11-2016 11:15
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Lawyers for the state want a federal court to review a Louisiana police report on the 2015 death of a 19-year-old stripper. But a judge has rejected their arguments.Thursday's ruling is the latest development in a lawsuit filed by three dancers who are fighting a new state law making 21 the minimum age for strippers in Louisiana.State lawyers say the police report on the death of Bourbon Street dancer Jasilas Wright could bolster their argument for the law. They noted allegations t
  
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• After deadly police encounters, voters OK civilian oversight

  11-11-2016 11:12
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Voters in several major U.S. cities have approved measures to create or strengthen civilian oversight of law enforcement.Experts say the trend reflects growing public demand for independent reviews of misconduct claims after deadly police encounters in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore and New York spotlighted police use-of-force and interaction with minorities.Voters in New Orleans, Honolulu, Miami and San Francisco passed plans Tuesday to bolster existing civi
  
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• Honor stitches: La. quilting club honors veterans

  11-11-2016 09:26
  
  SULPHUR - Call it "honor stitching."For the past three years the Gilded Ladies quilting club in Sulphur has sewn together quilts for veterans in their area.The group meets weekly to sew the quilts, which one member likened to a "hug."Another member, C.J. Long, said the majority of the quilts have been given away to World War II or Vietnam veterans although a few Friday are destined for veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq.The ladies say they can see how emotional the veterans get about receiving t
  
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• Beyonce's mom, others champion Baton Rouge flood recovery

  11-11-2016 09:10
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The Baton Rouge community is getting a little help from Beyonce's family - mother Tina, sister Solange and friend Kelly Rowland - in its recovery after devastating flooding in August left many homeless.Tina Knowles-Lawson, Solange Knowles and Rowland, with support from Beyonce's #BeyGOOD Charitable Foundation, are hosting "Love on Louisiana: An Essence Hometown Heroes Tribute" scheduled Nov. 20 in partnership with Essence Inc., the state of Louisiana and city of Baton Rouge.The inv
  
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• Some SE La. oyster seed grounds added to Monday's opening

  11-11-2016 08:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says some southeastern public oyster seed grounds will open a half-hour before sunrise Monday.A news release Thursday said The Lake Borgne/Mississippi Sound area will remain closed due to extensive oyster mortality and to protect a recent spat set.Drum Bay is restricted to harvest for market sales only.Details and maps are available on the department's website.Areas already scheduled to open Monday include the Hackberry Bay Public
  
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• Chief: Body cameras on all Baton Rouge officers by spring

  11-11-2016 08:45
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department hopes to wrap up a body camera pilot program and begin rolling the devices out to all front-line officers by this spring.Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. told the Baton Rouge Body Camera Task Force on Thursday a decision on how or whether to cover the cost of outfitting the entire department with body cameras will be up to the next mayor and council.William Daniel, the city's chief administrative officer, tells the outgoing Mayor Kip Holden's administration
  
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• Pelicans get first win of the season

  11-11-2016 07:58
  
  MILWAUKEE - After opening the season with eight losses, the New Orleans Pelicans finally got into the win column, a 112-106 road victory over Milwaukee.Anthony Davis had a huge night with 32 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Jabari Parker was huge for the Bucks in the loss. He had 33points and nine boards. The 0-7 Philadelphia 76ers are now the only winless team in the NBA.Permalink| Comments
  
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• President-elect Trump reacts to protests on Twitter

  11-11-2016 07:37
  
  WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump seems to be having a change of heart about those protesting the election results.
      
  Trump had denounced the protesters in a tweet late Thursday. He wrote that "professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!"
      
  But this morning, he tweeted: "Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and b
  
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• Louisiana pushes for federal flood recovery money by the end of the year

  11-11-2016 01:26
  
  President elect Donald Trump's victory this week could affect when Louisiana receives more federal flood recovery dollars.
  
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