Baton Rouge news

• Late-season Tropical Storm Otto strengthens in the Caribbean

  21-11-2016 21:45
  
  MIAMI - Late-season Tropical Storm Otto is strengthening in the southwest Caribbean and forecasters say it could become a hurricane in the next few days.The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm had top sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) Monday night and was moving south at 2 mph (4 kph) about 210 miles (335 kilometers) east-southeast of San Andres Island, Colombia.The center says the government of Colombia has issued a tropical storm watch for San Andres Island.Forecasters say
  
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• Republican lawmakers join Jeff Landry's lawsuit against John Bel Edwards over LGBT protections

  21-11-2016 21:41
  
  The legislators say the governor overstepped his bounds when he issued an executive order to protect LGBT state employees.
  
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• Trump slams media for questioning business ties

  21-11-2016 21:01
  
  NEW YORK - President-elect Donald Trump is appearing to deny that he is using the powers of his future office to benefit his businesses worldwide.Trump took to Twitter Monday night to say it was "well-known" that he has properties across the globe. He blamed the media for raising questions about them.He has said repeatedly that he will leave his company to his children and have no interest in it - but three of his adult children are also playing key roles in his transition.Trump also tweeted tha
  
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• Prosecutors: South Dakota man strangled his mother, boy

  21-11-2016 20:54
  
  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Prosecutors say a 24-year-old South Dakota man strangled his mother and a 7-year-old boy in a mobile home.Heath Otto, of Sioux Falls, appeared in Minnehaha County court Monday on two counts of first-degree murder. Bond was set at $5 million dollars cash only, although Otto's public defender reserved the right to argue bail later.Otto is accused of killing his mother, 48-year-old Carol Simon, and the boy. Authorities say Otto set off an alarm just before 1 p.m. Sunday and was
  
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• State Dept. warns of 'heightened risk' of attacks in Europe

  21-11-2016 20:10
  
  WASHINGTON - The State Department is advising U.S. citizens traveling in Europe to be aware of a "heightened risk of terrorist attacks" during the holiday season.The advisory issued Monday says "credible information" indicates that Islamic State and al-Qaida militants continue to plan attacks in Europe around the holiday season. It also warns that "extremist sympathizers or self-radicalized extremists" may try to execute attacks.The department is encouraging travelers to be cautious at holiday f
  
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• Prosecutor: Slidell man convicted, exposed infant to cocaine

  21-11-2016 19:36
  
  COVINGTON - A prosecutor says a St. Tammany Parish jury has convicted a 60-year-old Slidell man of cruelty to his 17-month-old daughter, who was exposed to cocaine.District Attorney Warren Montgomery said in a statement Monday that Larry Bickham's sentencing is scheduled Jan. 20 on charges of simple and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. The verdict came Friday.Montgomery says Bickham's daughter tested positive for cocaine at an emergency room in 2014. The prosecutor said witnesses testified t
  
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• Suspect arrested in Texas detective's shooting death

  21-11-2016 19:02
  
  SAN ANTONIO - A suspect has been arrested in the fatal weekend shooting of a San Antonio police detective.San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said Monday evening that 31-year-old Otis Tyrone McKane was arrested without incident in the Sunday night killing of Detective Benjamin Marconi. He was arrested around 4:30 p.m. Monday after the car he was driving was stopped on Interstate 10.McManus had said previously that dashcam video from Marconi's patrol vehicle provided "a lot of infor
  
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• Weston Broome, White particpate in debate prior to runoff election

  21-11-2016 18:02
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge's candidates for Mayor-President, Sharon Weston Broome and Bodi White went head to head during a debate hosted by the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday.The candidates were hit with questions on top issues, one of them on community policing. Weston Broome said that she wants a better relationship between the two."I want a police chief who will be in sync with my vision to close the gap between law enforcement and the citizens of this community," Weston Broome sa
  
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• Sewage smell permeates Denham Springs neighborhood

  21-11-2016 17:37
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - Residents living in Westminster Estates say they're tired of smelling sewage. They say it's coming from a wastewater treatment facility, tucked behind homes in their Denham Springs neighborhood."It smells like sewage and that's got to be a health hazard," said Shawn Guidry.The wastewater treatment facility is one of 112 facilities owned and operated by Mo-Dad Utilities. A canal runs along side of it behind homes, carrying the smell throughout the neighborhood. Water empties from
  
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• DA: 6 dead in Chattanooga school bus crash

  21-11-2016 17:27
  
  CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The district attorney says six people are dead in an elementary school bus crash in Chattanooga.Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston told media outlets that five people died at the scene and one died at the hospital. Melydia Clewell, spokeswoman for the district attorney, confirmed the number.The school bus was mangled around a tree at the scene. Police say the ages of the students ranged from kindergarten through fifth grade.The bus was carrying students from Woo
  
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• 6 dead in Chattanooga school bus crash;6 in intensive care

  21-11-2016 17:27
  
  CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Kirk Kelly, the interim superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, says there are six students in intensive care Tuesday morning and six others still hospitalized after a school bus crash in Chattanooga that killed six children.Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke says the city is in mourning.The bus driver, 24-year-old Johnthony Walker, was arrested and has been charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, along with reckless driving and reckless endangerment.Thirty-five student
  
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• Edwards, law enforcement want peaceful process amid Alton Sterling investigation

  21-11-2016 17:19
  
  BATON ROUGE – Governor Edwards met with local law enforcement and community leaders on Monday to address the relationship between the public and law enforcement prior to the upcoming announcement of the Department of Justice's investigation of the Alton Sterling shooting.As the Department of Justice is still investigating the July 7th shooting, the discussions on Monday are an effort to prevent more problems when the investigation concludes."The folks that were in thi
  
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• Jurgen Klinsmann out as coach of US men's soccer team

  21-11-2016 15:52
  
  CHICAGO - Jurgen Klinsmann is out as coach of the U.S. men's soccer team.U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati announced Monday that Klinsmann has been "relieved of his duties" as coach and technical director for U.S. Soccer. Gulati will conduct a media teleconference call Tuesday.Klinsmann replaced Bob Bradley in July 2011 and led the team to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup title and the second round of the 2014 World Cup, where the Americans lost to Belgium in extra time.But the U.S. was kn
  
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• Tsunami warning issued after quake off Fukushima in Japan

  21-11-2016 15:33
  
  TOKYO - An earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 7.3 struck Tuesday off the coast of Fukushima prefecture in Japan. A tsunami warning for waves of up to three meters (10 feet) was issued.The Japan Meteorological Agency says the quake struck around 6 a.m at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). It warned people along the coast to move to higher ground.The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 6.9. The earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo, 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of the epi
  
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• Offshore quake causes tsunamis, nuclear worries in Japan

  21-11-2016 15:33
  
  TOKYO - A powerful earthquake off the northeast Japanese shore Tuesday sent residents fleeing to higher ground and prompted worries about the Fukushima nuclear power plant destroyed by a tsunami five year ago.Lines of cars were seen snaking away from the coast in the pre-dawn hours after authorities issued a tsunami warning and urged residents to seek higher ground immediately. The warning was lifted nearly four hours later.The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck in the same region that was devastat
  
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• Man wanted for fatal shooting on Jade Avenue

  21-11-2016 15:12
  
  BATON ROUGE – East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputies are searching for a suspect wanted for the fatal shooting of man that took place on Jade Avenue Saturday.Clarence Eugene Parker, 21, is wanted for the second degree murder of 32-year-old Eric Jones. According to EBRSO, Parker and Jones got into a fight when Parker allegedly shot Jones around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 19.When deputies arrived on the scene of the shooting, they found Jones on the sidewalk between buildings. He was transported to
  
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• Officials announce statewide burn ban lifted

  21-11-2016 15:00
  
  BATON ROUGE – Officials announced that the statewide burn ban has been lifted.The burn ban that prohibited outdoor burning was issued on Nov. 5 due to extremely dry conditions in the state, according to officials.State Fire Marshal Butch Browning and Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain announced that the burn ban will be lifted effective on Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. The burning will be subject to any and all state, local government or fire department regulations or laws.
  
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• Late-season Tropical Storm Otto forms in southwest Caribbean

  21-11-2016 13:40
  
  MIAMI - Late-season Tropical Storm Otto has formed in the southwestern Caribbean and forecasters say it could become a hurricane in the coming days.The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm had top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) as of 1 p.m. EST Monday and was nearly stationary about 305 miles (495 kilometers) east of Bluefields, Nicaragua. It also is about 175 miles (285 kilometers) east-southeast of San Andres Island.The center says Nicaragua, Costa Rica and some islands i
  
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• Traffic stop leads to seizure of stolen guns, drugs in St. Mary Parish

  21-11-2016 13:31
  
  ST. MARY PARISH – A traffic stop in St. Mary Parish led deputies to the seizure of a dozen guns, drugs and more than $14,000.The seizure came after deputies patrolling US Highway 90 saw a vehicle that failed to signal while changing lanes. Deputies stopped the car and found that 20-year-old Joshua Miller was driving with a suspended license.32-year-old Raymundo K. Pizano-Montes was also in the car at the time.Deputies were able to search the vehicle, with Miller's consent, and located
  
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• Four women wanted for kidnapping in New Orleans, posing as Uber

  21-11-2016 13:24
  
  NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Police Department is searching for a woman who posed as an Uber driver, along with three others involved, who kidnapped a woman in New Orleans.The woman told police that around 5 a.m., a four-door white vehicle, approached her at the intersection of Conti and Dauphine streets. She stated that the driver posed as an Uber driver and lured the woman into the vehicle.There were four women total in the vehicle who took the woman's phone and forced her to purcha
  
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• Plaquemine ferry shuts down Monday morning

  21-11-2016 12:39
  
  PLAQUEMINE – According to DOTD, the Plaquemine Ferry is currently shut down.The shut down was reported around 11:15 a.m. on Monday.No cause as to why the ferry shut down has been released at the time of this post.DOTD will notify when the ferry will reopen.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Plaquemine ferry reopens after shut down; services to be reduced for Thanksgiving

  21-11-2016 12:39
  
  PLAQUEMINE – The Plaquemine Ferry has reopened after shutting down Monday morning. The shut down was reported around 11:15 a.m. on Monday. DOTD officials announced that the ferry reopened around 2 p.m.No cause as to why the ferry shut down has been released at the time of this post.DOTD also announced that the Plaquemine ferry will have reduced service during the Thanksgiving holiday. On Thursday, Nov. 24 and Friday, Nov. 25, the second ferry boat will not operate in
  
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• Following Florida loss, LSU to travel for Thanksgiving game against Texas A&M

  21-11-2016 12:33
  
  BATON ROUGE – Following a 16-10 loss to Florida, LSU will travel to face Texas A&M on Thanksgiving Day.The game will be the final game of the regular season. It is the third consecutive year that the two teams will face each other in the season's final game.Coming off of the loss to Florida, LSU is 6-4 overall in the season and 4-3 in SEC play.The game against the Aggies is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.Coach Orgeron discussed the loss and the upcom
  
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• O'Hare workers delay strike until after Thanksgiving weekend

  21-11-2016 12:02
  
  CHICAGO - About 500 workers at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago say they'll strike Nov. 29, after the Thanksgiving holiday.Service Employees International Union Local 1 officials made the announcement Monday morning outside the airport, which is one of the nation's busiest. The workers say they want the public's support and wouldn't want to mess up anyone's holiday plans.The union is helping the workers, who are seeking union rights and a $15 per hour wage. They work mainly for private co
  
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• Homes from Bayou Corne donated to tornado victims

  21-11-2016 11:52
  
  Napoleonville- The small community of Paincourtville sits on Bayou Lafourche in northeast Assumption parish, an area still recovering from tornadoes last February."It completely destroyed the True Value, Lablanc Brothers Cement, the water tower and then a great deal of homes right here," said Brad Collins, a local pastor who helps survivors in the hard hit community.The area was denied a federal aid because there wasn't enough destruction. Residents who had insurance rebuilt, b
  
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• Police searching for puppy seller who stole $1,800

  21-11-2016 11:51
  
  BATON ROUGE – East Baton Rouge Sheriff's detectives are looking for a man who posed as a puppy seller and stole $1,800.According to reports, a resident of Silver Springs, Maryland told police that she agreed to purchase a puppy from a man she met online. After agreeing on the price for the puppy, the woman sent a MoneyGram worth $730.50 to the seller.After sending the first MoneyGram, the seller told the woman to send a second one in order to pay the cost of shipping. The woman then se
  
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• EBR Christmas Crusade applications to be taken next week

  21-11-2016 11:29
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office will begin taking applications next week for the annual Christmas Crusade for Children.The program allows for local agencies to donate and deliver holiday gifts to children in need. The program started in 1988 by Sheriff Elmer Litchfield.Parents can apply for the program by visiting an East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office substation. Applications can be filled out Monday, Nov. 28 through Friday, Dec. 2.Parents can also apply by visiting
  
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• FBI, Kentwood Police investigating Monday morning bank robbery

  21-11-2016 11:25
  
  KENTWOOD - The FBI New Orleans Division's Violent Crime Task Force and the Kentwood Police Department are looking for help in identifying the individual who robbed the First NBC Bank in Kentwood Monday morning.According to the FBI, on Nov. 21 around 9:45 a.m., a lone male entered the NBC Bank located at 606 Avenue G, pointed a gun in the air and ordered everyone to the floor. He then proceeded to rob the bank. The suspect fled the bank after obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, FBI said.Acc
  
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• Suspect arrested in fatal Shreveport double shooting

  21-11-2016 11:00
  
  SHREVEPORT - Police have made an arrest in the fatal shooting of two people in Shreveport's Mooretown neighborhood.25-year-old Arthur Anderson was arrested Sunday and faces two counts of second-degree murder.The Caddo Parish Coroner's Office identified victims as 37-year-old Huey Leonard and 27-year-old Ashley Williams.Police found the couple Saturday night inside a car with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body.Investigators say the car was forced off the road before the shooting.Leonard wa
  
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• BRFD searching for two with info. on Walmart fire

  21-11-2016 09:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Fire Department investigators are trying to identify two people that they believe may have information about a fire that happened at Walmart.The fire occurred at the Walmart on O'Neal Lane around 3:20 a.m. on Nov. 13.The East Side Fire Department responded to the fire and called BRFD investigators for assistance after it was determined that the fire was intentionally set.The two people in the photos above were present at the time the fire took place a
  
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• Governor Edwards and law enforcement leaders to discuss Alton Sterling investigation

  21-11-2016 09:24
  
  BATON ROUGE – Governor John Bel Edwards is hosting a meeting on Monday with law enforcement to discuss community response to the pending Department of Justice announcement regarding the investigation of the shooting of Alton Sterling.The Department of Justice has been investigating the July 5th shooting of Alton Sterling, who was fatally shot by two BRPD officers in front of the Triple S convenience store in north Baton Rouge.Last month, U.S. Attorney Walt Green's office annou
  
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• Man accused of assaulting medical services workers

  21-11-2016 09:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - Authorities have arrested a man who they say was intoxicated and assaulted emergency medical services workers in Baton Rouge.Citing arrest documents, news organizations report that officials arrested 32-year-old Micah West on Saturday on a charge of battery of emergency personnel.According to the arrest report, West was intoxicated, confused and walking into traffic at the LSU campus.EMS workers arrived and buckled him onto a gurney to take him to the hospital. While he was being t
  
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• New USS Kidd museum director looks forward to challenges

  21-11-2016 09:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - For the first time in its history, the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum has a full-time, experienced museum curator and director at its helm.The Advocate reports the Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission, the body that oversees the museum, selected David Beard as the museum's new executive director.A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Beard has spent most of the past two decades managing museum collections across the country. Several had a maritime focus that allowed him to dr
  
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• 7 arrested in anti-terror raids, attack thwarted

  21-11-2016 07:33
  
  PARIS - French anti-terrorism police have arrested seven people in Strasbourg and Marseille and thwarted what the interior minister called a new potential attack.Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, announcing the arrests today, said six of the suspects arrested hadn't been known to intelligence services. Cazeneuve said that Sunday's arrests prevented "a terrorist act that had been envisaged for a long time."Cazeneuve didn't identify the target of the planned attack.The arrests came five days be
  
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• Hummus recall

  21-11-2016 07:13
  
  WASHINGTON - Some varieties of Sabra hummus are being recalled amid concerns over possible listeria contamination.The Food and Drug Administration says the voluntary recall announced by Sabra Dipping Company includes hummus products with a "Best Before" date of Jan. 23, 2017, or earlier. The products were sent to retailers in the U.S. and Canada.The FDA says listeria was identified at the manufacturing facility, but not in the finished product.Sabra's organic hummus, salsa, guacamole and Greek y
  
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• At least 28 dead in Afghan mosque bombing

  21-11-2016 07:11
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber has killed at least 28 people inside a Shiite mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul.Officials and eyewitnesses say another 45 people were wounded.The head of the criminal investigation department for police in Kabul says the attacker was on foot and detonated his suicide vest among the crowds inside the mosque in the western part of the city.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Pope Francis extends special permission on abortion

  21-11-2016 07:07
  
  VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis is allowing all priests to absolve the "grave sin" of women who have abortions, extending special permission he had granted them in 2015 for the just-ended Holy Year of Mercy.Francis wrote in a document made public today by the Vatican "there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart," while staunchly reiterating that "abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life."Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police, protesters face off at Dakota Access Pipeline

  21-11-2016 07:02
  
  CANNON BALL, N.D. - Some 400 people protesting the Dakota Access pipeline have been clashing with law enforcement in North Dakota.Demonstrators have been trying to cross a bridge on state Highway 1806 in Morton County.Officers formed a line to stop the protesters from pushing past, and it appears the officers have been using water cannons.The pipeline has been protested for months by the Standing Rock Sioux, whose reservation lies near the pipeline route.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Targeted police attacks in San Antonio and St. Louis

  21-11-2016 06:59
  
  Two police officers have been shot in separate incidents in what authorities are calling targeted attacks. One died while the other was shot twice in the face but was expected to survive.Authorities say a San Antonio detective writing out a traffic ticket to a motorist was shot to death in his squad car late Sunday morning outside police headquarters by another driver who pulled up from behind.San Antonio police Chief William McManus identified the officer as 50-year-old Benjamin Marconi, a 20-y
  
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