Baton Rouge news

• Pedestrian struck, killed in St. Gabriel

  29-11-2016 19:59
  
  ST. GABRIEL - A pedestrian was struck and killed somewhere near Martian Luther King Pkwy. in St. Gabriel Tuesday evening.Authorities were called to the scene sometime around 7 p.m.. The Iberville Parish coroner's office confirmed the individual's death on scene.This is an ongoing investigation and more information will be added as it becomes available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Edwards, Landry dispute reaches the courtroom

  29-11-2016 19:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawyers for Louisiana's governor and attorney general clashed in court in a struggle about the limits of the statewide elected officials' authority and Gov. John Bel Edwards' executive order aimed at protecting LGBT rights.Judge Todd Hernandez heard a full day of witness testimony and legal arguments Tuesday in the latest in a series of disputes between the Democratic Edwards and Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry.But Hernandez didn't rule on Landry's request to block Edwards
  
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• Trump to meet with Carrier execs in Indiana

  29-11-2016 19:30
  
  NEW YORK - President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence will travel to Indiana Thursday for an event with officials from Carrier, the air conditioning company.That's according to a transition official.Trump pledged throughout the presidential campaign that he would stop companies like Carrier from moving jobs overseas. His focus on manufacturing was part of his unexpectedly strong appeal in states like Michigan and Wisconsin that long voted for Democrats in presidential conte
  
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• Polls close for Mississippi election runoffs

  29-11-2016 19:19
  
  JACKSON, Miss. - Polls are closed for runoff elections in Mississippi.Voters in the northern part of the state were deciding a Supreme Court race between John Brady of Columbus and Bobby Chamberlin of Hernando.The Court of Appeals runoff in an east-central district is between challenger Ed Hannan and incumbent Jack Wilson. Both live in Madison.Runoffs were being held for two Mississippi House seats. One is in Jones County. The other is in Lamar and Pearl River counties.Donnie Scoggin has been el
  
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• Mud boat operator dies after collision with tour airboat

  29-11-2016 19:16
  
  THIBODAUX - State wildlife and fisheries agents are investigating a fatal boating incident in Lafourche Parish.It happened about 3 p.m. Monday near Mud Lake along Bayou Des Allemands after a swamp tour airboat from Airboat Tours by Arthur collided with a mud boat.The mud boat's operator, 35-year-old Bart B. Dufrene Jr., of Des Allemands, was pronounced dead by the St. Charles Parish coroner. The airboat operator and five passengers were not hurt.The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
  
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• Proposed tax on Dec. ballot could allow for mental health facility in BR

  29-11-2016 17:22
  
  BATON ROUGE – As voters head to the polls, one item they will be asked to approve is a property tax that would generate nearly $6 million for a mental health facility in Baton Rouge.
  People suffering from behavioral health issues in need of treatment are behind bars. Only one out of eight people ever receive any treatment.
  Rob Reardon of the Bridge Center, a non-profit organization created by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, is working to change those numbers and organize a crisis inte
  
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• Officials say 3 dead in Tennessee wildfires

  29-11-2016 15:54
  
  GATLINBURG, Tenn. - A Tennessee mayor says three people have died in the wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains.Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Tuesday afternoon that he didn't have any details on the deaths. The mayor says authorities are going door-to-door to make sure everyone is safe. About a dozen people have been injured.Gatlinburg's mayor says the firefighters are still battling hot spots and there will be a curfew in effect Tuesday
  
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• Taxes to fund road work, transportation projects on December ballot

  29-11-2016 14:44
  
  BATON ROUGE – On the December ballot, East Baton Rouge voters will get a chance to vote on two taxes that will fund road work and transportation projects.The city wants voters to vote for the re-purposing of the existing tax and to add a $5 million property tax."The plan is here we want to accelerate, expand, and extend, the existing Green Light Plan," Steve Bonnette, of the Department of Transportation and Drainage, said.The Green Light Plan was approved by voters eleven years ago. 70
  
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• Woman jumps from plane's emergency door after flight lands

  29-11-2016 13:43
  
  HOUSTON - Authorities say a woman jumped from an emergency exit door on a flight after it landed at a Houston airport and took off running toward the terminal before she was caught.Authorities say the woman was a passenger on a United Airlines flight from New Orleans that landed in Houston on Monday afternoon and was near the gate. She opened the emergency door and then jumped onto the plane's wing and to the ground at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.The woman was detained and police say sh
  
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• Two US officials to attend Fidel Castro's funeral

  29-11-2016 13:05
  
  WASHINGTON - White House spokesman Josh Earnest says a high-ranking presidential adviser and the top diplomat to Cuba will represent the United States at Fidel Castro's funeral.Earnest is emphasizing that the two are not part of a formal delegation to the service, but the appearance of deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes and Jeffrey DeLaurentis shows a commitment to an "ongoing, future-oriented relationship with the Cuban people." DeLaurentis is awaiting Senate confirmation to be U.S. am
  
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• Second suspect arrested following shooting at Port Allen truck stop

  29-11-2016 12:28
  
  PORT ALLEN – A second suspect has been arrested following a shooting at a West Baton Rouge truck/stop casino on Friday that left one man wounded.Samuel Tullos was arrested in Tangipahoa Parish, the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office confirmed on Tuesday.The shooting happened on Friday around 6 p.m. at 1680 N. Lobdell Highway. Directly following the shooting, Joseph Foy was arrested. According to the sheriff's office, security video showed the two men with guns fleeing the scene in a veh
  
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• Part of I-12 West blocked near Walker due to vehicle fire

  29-11-2016 11:53
  
  WALKER - Two lanes of I-12 West have been closed following a vehicle fire on the shoulder of the road.Authorities and response crews have been on the scene near the Walker exit for more than an hour.Initially, all lanes westbound were closed.DOTD says congestion is minimal.More information will be added to this story as it becomes available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• I-12 west reopened

  29-11-2016 11:53
  
  WALKER - I-12 westbound is now open. Tuesday night, two lanes of I-12 westbound were closed following a vehicle fire on the shoulder of the road.Authorities and response crews were on the scene near the Walker exit for more than an hour.Initially, all lanes westbound were closed.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Bluebonnet Blvd. reopens following building fire

  29-11-2016 11:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - Traffic was blocked on Bluebonnet in front of the Mall of Louisiana due to a building fire on Tuesday morning.Firefighters responded to the Burger King shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday for a fire.  Heavy smoke filled the air around the building. Firefighters found the fire burning in the kitchen area. The fire was extinguished before it spread into the attic or to the roof. St. George Fire Department worked the scene and employees and customers evacuated the
  
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• Port Barre student accused of bringing pistol to campus

  29-11-2016 11:20
  
  PORT BARRE - A Port Barre High School student faces charged for allegedly bringing a pistol to the school.Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said in a news release police were called to the campus Monday in reference to a student in possession of a firearm.Boudreaux says the school's principal told officers that a 13-year-old male student had shown the pistol to other students.He says several students notified teachers, who notified the principal.Boudreaux says the principal searched the stu
  
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• Pact resolves ACLU suit over protest arrests in Baton Rouge

  29-11-2016 11:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - A settlement agreement will resolve a lawsuit that accuses police of trampling on the civil rights of protesters in Baton Rouge following Alton Sterling's fatal shooting by police.Plaintiffs' attorneys say Tuesday's "memorandum of understanding" with state and local police officials affirms that people have the right to peacefully protest.The agreement doesn't include any monetary terms.Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and the New Orleans Work
  
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• 18-year-old arrested for shooting at home on North Buttonwood Drive

  29-11-2016 09:37
  
  BATON ROUGE – An 18-year-old has been arrested for shooting at a home after the homeowner asked three of his acquaintances to leave.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office arrested 18-year-old Andre Miller for attempted second degree murder.On Nov. 28 around 5:30 a.m., EBR Sheriff's deputies responded to shots fired in the 7000 block of North Buttonwood Drive.When deputies arrived they saw a man, later identified as Miller, standing next to a dark red car parked in the road way. Deputies
  
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• Ohio State attack: Terrorism eyed as police seek more info

  29-11-2016 09:07
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio - Investigators are looking into whether a car-and-knife attack at Ohio State University that injured 11 people was an act of terror.Authorities say the attacker deliberately plowed his car into a group of pedestrians on campus Monday morning, and then got out and began stabbing people with a butcher knife before he was fatally shot by a campus police officer.The attacker has been identified as Abdul Razak Ali Artan.A motive is not known, but police say they're investigating wheth
  
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• Workers at O'Hare airport expected to strike over wages

  29-11-2016 09:04
  
  CHICAGO - Workers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport are expected to walk off the job over union rights and an hourly wage of $15.About 500 workers have committed to the strike on Tuesday. They include cabin cleaners, janitors, wheelchair attendants and baggage handlers.The workers are employed by private contractors. Strike organizers say many work for minimum wage. They're trying to unionize with the help of Service Employees International Union Local 1.Organizers say they expect delays
  
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• Judge to hear arguments in Louisiana's LGBT-rights dispute

  29-11-2016 08:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards says his LGBT-rights protection order is a statement that Louisiana doesn't discriminate. Attorney General Jeff Landry calls it executive overreach.A Baton Rouge judge hears the arguments Tuesday as he decides whether to block the Democratic governor from enforcing the anti-discrimination order.Edwards issued the order in April prohibiting discrimination in government and state contracts based on sexual orientation and gender identity, with an exception for co
  
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• Ex-NFL star Sharper faces final sentence in drugging rapes

  29-11-2016 08:02
  
  LOS ANGELES - Former NFL star Darren Sharper's tour of shame and punishment reaches its conclusion in the Los Angeles court where he first admitted drugging and raping women in several states.
      
  Sharper faces sentencing Tuesday for a pair of rapes about three years ago.
      
  The sentence marks the end of prosecutions in four states for the former all-pro safety who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints.
     &nbs
  
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• Lufthansa pilots on strike again, 816 flights canceled

  29-11-2016 07:11
  
  BERLIN - Lufthansa has canceled hundreds more flights today, because of a pilot strike.The German airline says it's scrapped 816 short-haul flights for today, and another 890 flights scheduled for Wednesday.The pilots, who've been in a pay dispute for more than two years, also walked off the job four days last week.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Colombian authorities say 6 survived plane crash

  29-11-2016 07:08
  
  BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombian officials say a chartered plane with a Brazilian first division soccer team crashed near Medellin last night while on its way to the finals of a regional tournament.
  Colombia's civil aviation agency now says at least six people have survived the plane crash that killed more than 70 people, including many members of a Brazilian soccer team.The agency statement says at least three Chapecoence players, two plane crew members and one journalist survived Monday's crash ne
  
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• 5 survivors in Colombia plane crash

  29-11-2016 07:08
  
  BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombian officials say a chartered plane with a Brazilian first division soccer team crashed near Medellin last night while on its way to the finals of a regional tournament, killing 76 people.Five people survived the crash, including a man identified as Alan Ruschel, a member of the Chapecoense (chap-eh-coh-EHN'-say) soccer team.Authorities say the plane declared an emergency at 10 p.m. local time last night, because of an electrical failure. It was headed to Colombia's inte
  
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• Concern for animals after aquarium evacuated due to wildfire

  29-11-2016 07:06
  
  GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, have forced workers at an aquarium to evacuate, but more than 10,000 animals are still in the building.Ryan DeSears, general manager of Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, tells WBIR-TV that the building was still standing and all workers evacuated last night.He says the animals should be safe as long as the building has power and doesn't catch fire.The wildfire set 30 buildings ablaze and forced the evacuation of downtown Gatlinburg and
  
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