Baton Rouge news

• State health officials issue warning on Calcasieu fish

  17-11-2016 21:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - State health and environmental officials are warning against eating catfish and crab fat from parts of Bayou D'Inde and the Calcasieu Ship Channel in southwestern Louisiana.
      
  The same warning, issued Thursday, also suggests limiting consumption of other fish and shellfish from those areas to two meals per month.
      
  And it warns against eating fat from crabs in portions of the Calcasieu Estuary.
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• LSU-South Alabama tickets will be honored Saturday

  17-11-2016 19:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - Parking passes and tickets purchased for the LSU-South Alabama game will be honored for the Tigers' matchup against Florida this Saturday."Any tickets or parking passes purchased through LSU originally for the South Alabama game will be honored on Saturday," LSU associate athletic director Brian Broussard reminded fans. "All tickets and parking passes for this game are branded LSU-South Alabama so we want to make sure our fans know that's still the ticket and parking pass to bring
  
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• Louisiana budget deficit: Higher education, Medicaid providers likely to be affected

  17-11-2016 19:54
  
  Gov. John Bel Edwards has proposed delaying payment to Medicaid providers in order to cope with a $315 million midyear budget deficit -- a strategy Gov. Bobby Jindal also used.
  
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• Police make arrest in connection to fatal event hall shooting

  17-11-2016 19:45
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police have arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting at a Plank Road event hall in October.Police say Kwame Orlando Robinson went to the Renaissance Center in early October with Marquise Bailey and Alvin Donahue, with intentions of robbing employees at the business.Police say Robinson and Bailey fired multiple gunshots at a male victim, striking him in the upper torso.Youlanda Hunter appeared from out of a hallway, according to police, when she was pursued by Donahue.&
  
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• How three days -- social media and livestreaming -- changed America

  17-11-2016 18:40
  
  Cell phone videos of three tragic days in July and the reaction on social media triggered massive protests -- much of those were livestreamed -- and a national conversation on race in this country.
  
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• How three days of social media and livestreaming changed America

  17-11-2016 18:40
  
  Mobile phone videos of violence triggered massive protests, national conversation on race
  
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• Owner ends plan for Springfield shooting range after outcry

  17-11-2016 17:23
  
  SPRINGFIELD – A Livingston Parish property owner has withdrawn plans for a shooting range in Springfield after public outcry.“Due to all of the negative attention, the owner withdrew his plans for the shooting range,” Springfield Fire Chief Brian Drury told WBRZ News 2 on Thursday.The move comes after a heated 50-minute long debate at last week’s Livingston Parish Council meeting. A final decision on the issue was set to be made Friday night. Drur
  
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• Healing Place Church to serve thousands of holiday meals

  17-11-2016 17:21
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Healing Place Church is on a mission to serve thousands of holiday meals to flood victims for Thanksgiving.The church started preparing on Thursday, with dozens of church volunteers lining shoulder to shoulder to fill grocery bags with yams, stuffing, cranberry sauce and everything residents need to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner."People are still hurting from the flood and yet the calender keeps coming and the holidays are approaching," Carter Leblanc, of Healing Plac
  
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• New Orleans to hold Top Taco festival next year

  17-11-2016 17:05
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Adding to its list of festivals, New Orleans will soon hold its first Top Taco festival next year.New Orleans will celebrate with tacos, tequila and all things taco-related when the festival kicks off on Mar. 23.The festival first started in Denver in 2013 and inspired the owner of Nacho Mama's restaurant in New Orleans to bring the festival to the city."When I attended Top Taco in Denver a couple of years ago, I was really impressed by all of the incredible talent that p
  
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• Suspect wanted for robbery of Chase Bank on Perkins Road

  17-11-2016 16:20
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police Armed Robbery detective are trying to identify a man who robbed the Chase Bank in the 7500 block of Perkins Road.The robbery happened around 12:25 p.m. Thursday. The suspect is described as a man being in his early 30's with an athletic build, wearing a black and gold polo style shirt and black and gold New Orleans Saints cap.The man fled the scene in a full-sized, four-door, white pickup truck with an undisclosed amount of money.Anyone with in
  
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• Ascension Parish council waives reconstruction permit fees

  17-11-2016 16:15
  
  GONZALES – The Ascension Parish Council will consider waiving all permit fees for repairs and reconstruction of flood affected homes, President Kenny Matassa said Thursday.Matassa’s office said the passage of the resolution would extend the permit fee waiver issued by executive order after August’s historic flooding for another 180 days.“The people of Ascension parish are ready to get back home,” Matassa said. “We streamlined t
  
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• Ascension Parish council considers waiving reconstruction permit fees

  17-11-2016 16:15
  
  GONZALES – The Ascension Parish Council will consider waiving all permit fees for repairs and reconstruction of flood affected homes, President Kenny Matassa said Thursday.Matassa’s office said the passage of the resolution would extend the permit fee waiver issued by executive order after August’s historic flooding for another 180 days.“The people of Ascension parish are ready to get back home,” Matassa said. “We streamlined t
  
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• Commission approves money to rebuild damaged Baker schools

  17-11-2016 15:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Bond Commission approved $310 million for state projects and approved more than $12.5 million in interest savings Thursday, according to State Treasurer John Kennedy.Baton Rouge area projects include bonds for the Baker School District to finance rebuilding schools damaged by August's historic flooding. "We approved funding for a number of important community projects," said Treasurer Kennedy. "Pineville will build a fire station. Calcasieu Parish will improv
  
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• Lane closure on I-10 east on Bonnet Carre' Spillway this weekend

  17-11-2016 15:36
  
  ST CHARLES PARISH – Drivers planning on taking I-10 eastbound to New Orleans this weekend should expect delays.DOTD announced Thursday that the right eastbound lane of I-10 will be closed on the Bonnet Carre’ Spillway this weekend for a bridge inspection. The closures will last from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Drivers are reminded to exercise caution when traveling through the work zone areas and to lookout for crews and equipment.DOTD said inspection activity is weather dependent and
  
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• Dillard University officer fires gun on campus following fight

  17-11-2016 15:36
  
  NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Police Department is investigating a report of an officer firing at a vehicle following a fight on Dillard University's campus.The incident happened on Thursday around 11 a.m. on Dillard's campus where a campus officer responded to an alleged fight. The officer saw a vehicle, described as a White Lexus with tinted windows, attempting to leave campus.The officer believed the occupants of the vehicle may have been involved in the fight. The campus officer to
  
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• Judge awards damages of $36M in Bobbi Kristina death case

  17-11-2016 15:21
  
  ATLANTA - Lawyers for Bobbi Kristina Brown's estate say a judge in Atlanta has ordered her partner, Nick Gordon, to pay $36 million in a wrongful death case.Brown, the daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhome in January 2015. She was in a coma for six months before dying in hospice care at age 22.Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford ruled in September that Gordon repeatedly failed to m
  
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• Jury awards 4 workers $16 million for 2013 plant explosion

  17-11-2016 14:33
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Four workers injured in a deadly 2013 petrochemical plant explosion in south Louisiana have been awarded a total of $16 million by a jury.This week's verdict follows a separate late September trial in which four other workers were awarded $13.6 million for injuries suffered at the Williams Olefins Geismar plant. Two people died in the June 2013 blast.In Tuesday's verdict, the jury assigned just over 83 percent of the fault for the explosion to Williams Company, Inc., an Oklahoma-ba
  
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• Court stops 'Making a Murderer' inmate's release

  17-11-2016 13:53
  
  MADISON, Wis. - A federal appeals court has ruled that a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" must remain behind bars even though his conviction has been overturned.Brendan Dassey was convicted in 2007 of raping and killing Teresa Halbach and sentenced to life in prison. A federal judge in August overturned his conviction, saying investigators coerced him into confessing. State attorneys have appealed that ruling.The judge on Wednesday ordered Dassey released from
  
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• Public colleges get $18M cut in Edwards deficit-closing plan

  17-11-2016 13:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards is planning an $18 million cut to public colleges to help close a state budget deficit, only months after higher education leaders thought they had escaped reductions.The cut is about 2 percent of colleges' general state financing.But the largest piece of Edwards' proposal to close a more than $300 million gap involves delaying $152 million in payments to health providers that care for Medicaid patients. The payments will be moved into the next fiscal year.Leg
  
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• Cuts to colleges, state agencies in Edwards' budget plan

  17-11-2016 13:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards is planning an $18 million cut to public colleges to help close a state budget deficit, only months after higher education leaders thought they had escaped reductions.The cut is about 2 percent of colleges' general state financing.But the largest piece of Edwards' proposal to close a more than $300 million gap involves delaying $152 million in payments to health providers that care for Medicaid patients. The payments will be moved into the next fiscal year.&am
  
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• Louisiana looks into another debt refinancing

  17-11-2016 13:36
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana officials are considering another state debt refinancing, hoping it may save the state some money as it struggles through repeated budget gaps.Gov. John Bel Edwards' chief budget adviser, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, asked staff of the Bond Commission to look into the idea. Dardenne said Thursday the Edwards administration hasn't decided if it will seek a debt refinancing, but wants to investigate all possibilities as the state looks for ways to rebalance
  
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• New power plant approved for Entergy Louisiana

  17-11-2016 13:11
  
  BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana Public Service Commission has given Entergy Louisiana approval to build a new natural gas-fired, combined-cycle power plant in St. Charles Parish.Entergy said in a news release Thursday's vote by the PSC clears the way for company to move forward with construction on the 980-megawatt unit in Montz, approximately 30 miles from New Orleans.The plant will cost approximately $869 million to build including transmission and other project-related costs and is expected to be
  
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• Man killed in Plank Road robbery; BRPD search for two suspects

  17-11-2016 12:52
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police detectives are investigating a shooting and robbery on Plank Road that left one man dead Thursday.The shooting happened around 1 a.m. in the 4100 block of Plank Road where police found 45-year-old Frederick Matthews lying on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound to the mid-section.Two suspects, described as black males, approached Matthews and a friend as they exited a nearby bar with handguns demanding money. Matthews was shot as he attempted to fl
  
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• Deal set to dismiss domestic assault case against Manziel

  17-11-2016 12:11
  
  DALLAS - Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel has reached a deal with prosecutors for the conditional dismissal of a domestic assault case involving his former girlfriend.Defense attorney Jim Darnell said there was still work to be done to finalize the deal, but said after a Thursday morning hearing that he was encouraged. A judge set another hearing for Dec. 1, when the case could be settled.The troubled former Cleveland quarterback left the courtroom without responding to question
  
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• Final debris pass moves into 70814 and 70714 ZIP codes

  17-11-2016 12:09
  
  BATON ROUGE – City officials report that final flood debris collection efforts have moved into the 70814 and 70714 ZIP codes.Residents who live in these ZIP codes are asked to move flood debris curbside as soon as possible for crews to collect. Residents should also report the location by going online to http://gis.brla.gov/reportdebris or by calling the EBR debris removal hotline at 1-888-721-4372.Listed below are the ZIP codes where final collection pass efforts are either in progres
  
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• Thibodaux High student arrested for bringing gun to school

  17-11-2016 12:01
  
  THIBODAUX - Lafourche Parish deputies say a 17-year-old student at Thibodaux High School has been arrested for bringing a hand gun to school.Sheriff Craig Webre said in a news release Brennan Garman of Thibodaux was arrested Wednesday.Webre said a school administrator learned a student possibly had a firearm inside his vehicle.The sheriff says a school official and resource officer found a 9mm handgun inside the center console of Garman's vehicle.Garman faces a charge of carrying a firearm by a
  
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• Traffic, not crime, worries businesses most in Baton Rouge

  17-11-2016 11:42
  
  BATON ROUGE – The region could add as many as 6,000 new jobs next year, but new businesses are wary of traffic effecting bottom lines a report by the area chamber of commerce suggested.The Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the region's business promotions and economic development organization, released its Economic Outlook Thursday.“The overall theme from this year’s regional forecast is that the economy remains strong, but market data and the business survey show tempered
  
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• Voters to decide on hotel occupancy tax increase on Dec. 10

  17-11-2016 11:12
  
  BATON ROUGE – East Baton Rouge Parish residents will decide on a proposition authorizing a two percent hotel occupancy tax that would be added to hotel guests' nightly room rate on the Dec. 10th ballot.Proceeds from the tax would produce an estimated $2.6 million each year to fund tourism efforts in the Baton Rouge area while also supporting more than 7,000 local jobs impacted by tourism-related events and activities, officials say.Local leaders say passing the tax increase wo
  
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• Body discovered behind Shreveport business

  17-11-2016 09:48
  
  SHREVEPORT - Police are investigating the discovery of a man's body behind a Shreveport business.KSLA TV reports the body was found behind Labor Finders just before 6:30 a.m. Thursday.The businesses' general manger says an employee discovered the body when he went to the back of the business to get a van used to transport workers.Officials say a gun was found at the feet of the victim and additional evidence was found across the street at a U-Haul rental and storage unit.The victim has not yet b
  
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• Ascension Public Schools remain fourth ranked public school district in the state

  17-11-2016 09:31
  
  ASCENSION – Ascension Public Schools remain ranked as the fourth top performing public school district in the state according to the 2015-2016 school report cards released Thursday by the Louisiana Department of Education.Ascension has maintained its "A" ranking for the fifth consecutive year with an overall performance score of 109.3, up from 107.4 last year. Zachary Community Schools was ranked first for top performing school districts, followed by Central Community Schools
  
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• Woman wanted after hitting, dragging deputy with car

  17-11-2016 09:09
  
  CHALMETTE – St. Bernard Parish deputies are searching for a woman who is wanted for allegedly hitting a deputy with her car and dragging him several feet.WBRZ's sister station, WWL, reports that 40-year-old Antoinette Jacobs of New Orleans is wanted for attempted murder of a sheriff's deputy. The incident occurred on Nov. 12 outside a Walmart store in Chalmette.The deputy was working off-duty detail at the store when he tried to stop Jacobs for shoplifting alcohol.Jacobs then ran to a
  
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• Quacked out; 'Duck Dynasty' to end after current season

  17-11-2016 09:06
  
  WEST MONROE - "Duck Dynasty," the hit TV show based on a northeast Louisiana family-run duck call business will end at the end of the current season, it's eleventh on TV.The announcement was made as the season started Wednesday evening. The show is shown on A&E, a cable channel.The series revolved around the sometimes bizarre Robertson family of Ouachita Parish.The Associated Press reported the final season will be broken into halves. The show will run through Jan. 18, take a break and then
  
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• State: School evaluation tools needs improvement

  17-11-2016 08:55
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana education officials say the latest performance scores for public schools and public school districts show improvements in "nearly every measure of academic progress."However, the state Education Department says in a Thursday news release that the school performance grading system needs improvement. It says, for instance, that the system still doesn't reflect gains by low-achieving students.Also, schools are not yet graded on preparation of students for the workforce or co
  
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• Man charged with flying drone near police helicopter

  17-11-2016 07:17
  
  PHILADELPHIA - Police have arrested a 20-year-old man after they say he flew a drone within feet of a police helicopter flying around downtown Philadelphia.Chief Inspector Scott Small says the unmanned aircraft was first spotted around 6 p.m. Wednesday in an area where roughly 300 demonstrators were engaging in an anti-Donald Trump protest.The police helicopter was monitoring the protest below when the drone came within several feet of it.Police tracked the drone to a nearby building that houses
  
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• Victim's family welcomes charges against policeman

  17-11-2016 07:16
  
  ST. PAUL, Minn. - Family members of a Minnesota man fatally shot by a police officer in a traffic stop in July says they are pleased that the officer has been charged with manslaughter.Valerie Castile is the mother of Philando Castile, a black man who was 32 when he was shot after his car was pulled over in a St. Paul suburb.Castile says the charge against officer Jeronimo Yanez is the strongest the family could have hoped for under Minnesota law. A prosecutor said Wednesday in filing the charge
  
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• Airport victim died from single gunshot to chest

  17-11-2016 07:00
  
  The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office says a Southwest Airlines employee shot and killed outside of an Oklahoma City airport died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.Office spokeswoman Amy Elliott said Wednesday that 52-year-old Michael Winchester's death was ruled a homicide.Oklahoma City police say the suspect in Tuesday's shooting was 45-year-old Lloyd Dean Buie, a former Southwest Airlines employee who likely shot Winchester in retaliation for circumstances that led to his leaving his
  
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• Crews assessing damage after Illinois gas explosion kills 1

  17-11-2016 06:58
  
  CANTON, Ill. - Authorities say the area around a downtown square is closed as crews assess damage from a natural gas explosion that killed one person and injured several others in the central Illinois community of Canton.The Fulton County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency says early Thursday that secondary searches found no additional casualties and area businesses will remain closed for the day.Officials say the explosion Wednesday shattered windows several blocks away and forced the evacu
  
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• Accident closes lane on I-10 EB on MS River Bridge

  17-11-2016 05:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Commuters may want to take an alternate route Thursday morning as the left lane is blocked on I-10 eastbound on the Mississippi River Bridge due to an accident.The delay from this incident has reached LA 415.News 2's Ashley Fruge is monitoring the roadways during 2une In. We will have updates on WBRZ.com and Twitter.Permalink| Comments
  
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