Baton Rouge news

• It's snowing in Hawaii. Seriously.

  02-12-2016 23:41
  
  As must as 30 inches of snow forecast for peaks on Big Island
  
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• Dow Chemical in Plaquemine evacuated for Olin Corp. chlorine leak

  02-12-2016 23:34
  
  Iberville Parish residents are urged to shelter in their homes
  
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• Dow Chemical in Plaquemine evacuated for chlorine leak, TV station says

  02-12-2016 23:34
  
  Neighbors are urged to shelter in their homes or other buildings
  
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• Sheriff: Gasser beat up driver in 2006 incident

  02-12-2016 21:21
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A sheriff says the man who shot ex-NFL player Joe McKnight in a road rage incident was involved in an altercation a decade ago in which he chased down and struck another driver.
      
  Sheriff Newell Normand in a press release late Friday said in the 2006 incident a man observed a truck driving erratically.
      
  The victim called a number on the truck and spoke to a man later identified as Ronald Gasser.
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• Possible faculty member fatally stabbed at USC

  02-12-2016 20:57
  
  LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles officials say a possible faculty member has been fatally stabbed at the University of Southern California.
      
  Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison says the stabbing happened Friday afternoon and that the victim was a possible faculty member. He says a suspect was taken into custody.
      
  Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart says the victim is around 25 years old and was pronounced dead at th
  
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• Second suspect arrested in New Orleans shooting

  02-12-2016 20:10
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans police have arrested a second suspect in the Bourbon Street shooting that left one person dead and nine others injured.
      
  Acting on information gathered in the investigation, LoNew Orleans police have arrested a second suspect in the Bourbon Street shooting that left one person dead and nine others injured.
   
  Acting on information gathered in the investigation, Louisiana State Police found and arrested Kavon Manuel at a home in the
  
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• Hero teen meets paramedic injured in Essen shooting

  02-12-2016 19:06
  
  BATON ROUGE - Dr. Randall Cornateanu was on his way home from a stressful day of work at our lady of the lake.
  Seventeen-year-old Daniel Wesley was headed home from the Mall of Louisiana. He'd been shopping for a present for his girlfriend.
  Within minutes, their world's collided, and their actions leading many to call them heroes.
  Daniel Wesley saw thirty-year-old April Peck laying on the ground just seconds after she was shot by live-in boyfriend Terrell Walker.
  Wesley, The EMT in training, jum
  
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• Flood debris deadline set for Dec. 17 in Livingston Parish

  02-12-2016 17:53
  
  LIVINGSTON - All flood-related debris in Livingston Parish needs to be put out by Saturday, December 17.The Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness asks anyone with remaining debris to place everything as close as possible to their nearest right-of-way.Anyone who fails to place debris in the appropriate spot by December 17, removal is up to the homeowner at that point.If the debris cannot be place in the right-of-way and a contractor will have to go onto a proper
  
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• Closing arguments filed in dispute over LGBT-rights order

  02-12-2016 17:37
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawyers for Louisiana's governor and attorney general have made their closing written arguments to a judge trying to decide whether Gov. John Bel Edwards' LGBT-rights protection order is unconstitutional.Both sides say their opponents didn't present evidence to back up their positions at a hearing earlier this week.Attorney General Jeff Landry wants to block Edwards from enforcing his executive order prohibiting discrimination in government and state contracts based on sexual orien
  
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• 3-year-old dies in St. Helena house fire

  02-12-2016 15:39
  
  ST. HELENA – Authorities are responding to a house fire where a child died while trapped inside.Sources say the child was three years old and the father sustained second and third degree burns to his torso.The cause of the fire has not been released at the time of this post.The house is located on Charlie Overton Road.A News 2 crew is on the way to the scene.This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Flood aid for renters, small businesses backed by task force

  02-12-2016 15:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's flood recovery task force is recommending a small slice of the disaster relief aid approved by Congress be spent on financial assistance to small businesses and renters.The Restore Louisiana Task Force approved the proposals Friday, which would spend the remaining $32 million of the $438 million earmarked for Louisiana. The other $406 million already has been allocated to a homeowner repair program.Of the latest proposals, $12 million would pay for small business loans,
  
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• Early voting for Louisiana runoff election ends Saturday

  02-12-2016 15:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - The weeklong period for voters to cast early ballots in the Dec. 10 election is nearing its end.Saturday marks the final day for early voting ahead of the runoff to decide who will hold a U.S. Senate seat, two U.S. House seats and dozens of municipal jobs.Turnout at early voting sites has been light, falling far below November's early voting for the presidential race.Top of the ballot is the competition for a U.S. Senate seat between Democrat Foster Campbell, a state utility regula
  
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• Catholic High School junior gets perfect score on ACT

  02-12-2016 14:25
  
  BATON ROUGE – A Catholic High School junior Stephen Gaudin has earned the highest possible ACT composite score, school officials reported Friday.On average, less than one tenth of one percent of students who take the ACT earn a perfect score. To put that in perspective, only 2,235 of the 2.1 million graduates in 2016 who took the ACT score a perfect 36.“I was pretty surprised when I found out I got a 36 on the ACT,” Gaudin said. “I thought I did well, but
  
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• LSU, other universities awarded federal funds to study traffic issues

  02-12-2016 14:13
  BATON ROUGE – LSU will lead a 'consortium of universities' to establish a regional center to study how new technologies can be used to make transportation systems smarter.LSU official announced that the Transportation Consortium of South-Central States, (Tran-SET), will receive $2,470,600 for the current fiscal year.“LSU is proud to lend out expertise in transportation and innovation to help solve our state’s transportation issues,” LSU P
  
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• Trump team rejects Dem effort to get tax returns

  02-12-2016 13:50
  WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is pushing back against Democrats' calls for all Cabinet nominees to release their tax returns.In a memo for supporters obtained by The Associated Press, transition officials say the calls are "a PR stunt with zero precedent designed to arm opposition researchers."Senate Democrats on Thursday said they will push for all committees to require Cabinet and other high-level nominees to provide their tax returns ahead of their confirmation h
  
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• US sanctions North Korea over nuclear test

  02-12-2016 13:44
  
  WASHINGTON - Responding to North Korea's recent nuclear test and alleged violations of U.N. resolutions, the U.S. is issuing new sanctions to cut off money to the country and counter what the Treasury Department calls continued "provocative behavior" by Pyongyang.The U.S. sanctions imposed Friday follow a sweeping new round of U.N. sanctions aimed at choking North Korea's nuclear program by cutting off foreign trade revenue. Pyongyang calls the U.N. action, the harshest to date, an "abuse of pow
  
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• Stressed LSU students break 'project your grade' website before finals

  02-12-2016 13:21
  
  BATON ROUGE – LSU officials say students stressing over final exams Friday broke an online feature that allows students to see their final grades.“We had to turn off the ‘project your final grade’ feature as too many inquiries broke Moodle this morning. #CantMakeThisUp,” LSU IT Services shared on Twitter Friday morning.We have turned off the project your final grade feature as too many inquiries broke Moodle this morning. #CantMakeThisUp&mdas
  
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• Man arrested for not taking 3-month-old child with broken leg to hospital

  02-12-2016 13:08
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man has been arrested for not taking his three-month-old baby to the hospital to be treated for a broken leg after hitting the child's mother.The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested 38-year-old Terrol Watson for domestic abuse battery/child endangerment and second degree cruelty to a juvenile.On Thursday, Dec. 1 around 10:30 a.m., Baton Rouge Police Special Victims Unit detectives responded to an area hospital in regards to a three-month-old baby who was suf
  
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• Mall of America, nation's biggest, hires first black Santa

  02-12-2016 12:58
  BLOOMINGTON - The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this this weekend.The Star-Tribune reports The Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis hired Larry Jefferson to play Kris Kringle from Thursday to Sunday as part of its Santa Experience.Santa Experience co-owner Landon Luther says they "want Santa to be for everyone, period." With that in mind, he tells the newspaper he launched a nationwide search for a diverse Santa and found Jefferson at a Santa convention in
  
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• Officials defend response to deadly Tennessee wildfire

  02-12-2016 12:56
  
  GATLINBURG - Officials are defending their response to wildfires in Tennessee that killed 13 people.In response to reporters' questions Friday, John Matthews with the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency said a text alert telling people to evacuate went out around 9 p.m. Monday to anyone with a mobile device connected to a cell tower in the city. By that time, wildfires were raging in the area.Matthews said some people did not receive the message due to power outages and loss of ce
  
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• Ford recalls 680,000 cars; seat belts may not hold in crash

  02-12-2016 12:00
  
  DETROIT - Ford is recalling more than 680,000 midsize sedans mainly in North America because the front seat belts may not hold people in a crash.The recall covers certain 2013 to 2016 Ford Fusion, 2013 to 2015 Lincoln MKZ and 2015 and 2016 Ford Mondeo cars.Ford says heat generated when the seat belt pre-tensioners deploy can cause cables to break. If that happens the belts may not hold people. Ford says it knows of two injuries related to the problem.Pre-tensioners tighten seat belts when they s
  
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• Kennedy's fundraising falls behind Campbell in Senate race

  02-12-2016 11:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - Though Republican John Kennedy leads in polls for Louisiana's U.S. Senate race, he lags his Democratic competitor Foster Campbell in fundraising ahead of the Dec. 10 runoff.Kennedy, the state treasurer, raised nearly $1 million less than Campbell, a Public Service Commission member, in his latest finance report posted Friday.Kennedy took in just under $1.6 million from donors from Oct. 20 through Nov. 20, compared to $2.5 million for Campbell. The treasurer had $856,000 remaining i
  
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• New Orleans OKs short-term rentals for city

  02-12-2016 11:26
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans City Council has passed what it called "compromise" legislation to begin regulating the short-term rental industry already operating in the city.Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration drafted rules to regulate short-term rentals and negotiated with AirBnB, one of the major short-term rental companies in the country. Still, the mayor's sister spoke out against the concept, saying the Garden District neighborhood can't afford more strain, as it is already burdened with
  
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• 3 hurt in Iberia Parish shooting

  02-12-2016 11:07
  
  NEW IBERIA - The Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting that sent three people to Lafayette hospitals.Deputies say they responded to the 1000 block of Shot Street shortly after 7 p.m. They found multiple bullet casings in the area but no victims.Shortly after, deputies say they responded to a call from one of the victims. Three men were found in a vehicle at a convenient store in the 3000 block of West Admiral Doyle Drive. They were all suffering from multiple non-life threat
  
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• Suspect in fatal shooting of former NFL player Joe McKnight released

  02-12-2016 09:20
  
  NEW ORLEANS – The suspect in the fatal shooting of former football player Joe McKnight has been released, WWL reports.The suspect, 54-year-old Ronald Gasser, was taken into the custody of the Jefferson Sheriff's Parish Office immediately after the shooting took place on Thursday afternoon. McKnight was killed during an apparent road rage incident or confrontation with Gasser near an intersection in Terrytown.According to a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman, Gasser admitted to
  
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• Dead man found in SUV that had pile of parking tickets on it

  02-12-2016 09:02
  
  FORT LAUDERDALE - A South Florida woman says she peeked inside an SUV with a stack of parking citations on the windshield and saw the body of a man slumped over the center console.Carolyn White tells the SunSentinel she wonders why a parking meter attendant didn't see 62-year-old Jacob Morpeau if he was inside the vehicle when the citations were written from Nov. 12 to Nov. 15, the day his body was found.The newspaper reports an assistant clerk confirmed that the city dismissed $160 in parking f
  
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• Residents prepare return to scorched Gatlinburg

  02-12-2016 08:40
  
  GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Thousands of people are preparing to get their first look at what remains of their homes and businesses after a wildfire tore through the resort community of Gatlinburg n the eastern Tennessee mountains.Local officials, bowing to pressure from frustrated property owners, said they'll allow people back into most parts of the city and affected parts of the county for the first time Friday beginning at 10 a.m.Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle says residents have to pass
  
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• Baton Rouge home catches fire two times within hours

  02-12-2016 07:42
  
  BATON ROUGE - Monday morning, the Baton Rouge fire department responded to two house fires at the same house.Firefighters extinguished the original fire quickly, but were called back to a second fire shortly after 4 a.m. The second fire was controlled around 4:40 a.m.No injuries were reported during either incident.The cause of this fire is unknown and under investigation.#BREAKING BRFD on scene of house fire on Louisiana Ave. 2nd time tonight this house caught fire. pic.twitter.com/Ji7Uh2e6Vx&a
  
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• Suspect arrested in connection to deadly Bourbon Street shooting

  02-12-2016 07:38
  
  NEW ORLEANS – A man has been arrested and charged with second degree murder in connection to a deadly shooting that happened on Bourbon Street early Sunday morning.The New Orleans Police Department confirmed 20-year-old Jordan Clay is being held in St. Martin Parish and will be extradited to New Orleans.He was arrested Thursday night in connection to the shooting that killed 25-year-old tattoo artist, Demontris Tolliver, and injured nine others.Police are still working to identify a se
  
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• Man injured after shooting in Sherwood area

  02-12-2016 07:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department has confirmed that a man has been injured after being shot in the midsection. The shooting happened Friday morning in the Sherwood area near Gwen Drive.According to BRPD, the man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. BRPD said there are no suspects at this time. Police plan to interview the man after he is treated for his injuries to figure out what happened and identify possible suspects.Neighbors tell me they heard multipl
  
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• Senate GOP shies from fight over Medicare

  02-12-2016 07:13
  
  WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats are warning that Speaker Paul Ryan and President-elect Donald Trump are gunning for Medicare - and they are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of an epic political battle over the government's flagship health program that covers 57 million Americans.It turns out that Republicans, especially in the Senate, are not spoiling for a fight.Ryan, just days after the election, said any legislation to replace the health care law would necessarily include cuts
  
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• EU police report highlights ongoing IS threat to Europe

  02-12-2016 07:11
  
  THE HAGUE, Netherlands - EU police agency Europol says in a report published today that the Islamic State group is likely to carry out new attacks in the European Union in the near future, probably targeting countries that are members of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the extremist organization in Syria and Iraq.The report says some estimates suggest "several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks." The report draws on counte
  
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• Jobs data likely confirm Trump will inherit solid economy

  02-12-2016 07:09
  
  WASHINGTON - If forecasts are correct, the economy will be in pretty good shape when President-elect Donald Trump takes over in January.Data provider FactSet reports economists have forecast that employers added a solid 174,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained a low 4.9 percent. Those figures are far healthier than those President Barack Obama encountered after his election eight years agoIn late 2008, the unemployment rate was on its way to a 10 percent peak in October 20
  
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• Hundreds attend vigil for slain officer

  02-12-2016 06:56
  
  Hundreds of people attended the first of two vigils honoring a Washington state police officer who was slain on duty.People gathered Thursday at officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez's home police station in Tacoma, lighting candles, singing songs and sharing memories.Another vigil was planned Thursday night at an elementary school in Tacoma.Gutierrez was shot to death Wednesday after a woman approached animal control officers and said her husband had locked her out of their house and taken her phon
  
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• Florida school bus crash: 2 adults, 4 children injured

  02-12-2016 06:53
  
  MIAMI - Authorities say two adults and four children have been hospitalized following a school bus crash in South Florida. Hialeah police say a car ran a stop sign, forcing the driver of the private school bus to swerve and smash through a concrete wall surrounding the yard of a home. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.Permalink| Comments
  
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