Baton Rouge news

• Christmas granted for kids of deadly domestic violence attack

  16-12-2016 21:15
  
  BATON ROUGE - It's hard to image that just steps away from a bullet-riddled car covered with a tarp to hide the blood stains from their mother's murder, two, smiling kids play with toys given to them so they don't feel left behind this Christmas.Tre'vonte and Krissell Peck are living with their aunt. Their aunt, suddenly a mother to two new children after her sister, April, was gunned down on Essen Lane at the end of November. April's live-in, yet estranged boyfriend shot her then attacked good
  
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• Yes, the fire dept. rescued a cat in a tree Friday

  16-12-2016 19:48
  
  PAINCOURTVILLE – It appears a volunteer firefighter is the one with nine lives after a pesky rescue that took two days to handle.Firefighters were dispatched to Crossover Road Friday – finally – after a concerned citizen reported a cat stuck halfway up a pine tree to the fire department, law enforcement and three times to the WBRZ newsroom. The feline frenzy started Thursday when a caller reported the cat was stuck. Friday afternoon, firefighters were able to get to
  
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• Driver booked in deadly Livingston Parish crash

  16-12-2016 19:35
  
  WALKER – Police arrested a man in connection with a deadly crash on Florida Boulevard earlier in December.Robert Kelly, 44, was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail on negligent homicide and negligent injury charges along with outstanding warrants for not showing up to previous court hearings. Police said he also was ticketed for numerous traffic violations related to the wreck.Investigators said Kelly was driving his pickup eastbound on Florida near the North Corbin Road intersectio
  
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• Uber to keep self-driving cars in San Francisco

  16-12-2016 18:05
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - The leader of Uber's self-driving car program says the ride-hailing service he launched this week in San Francisco will continue despite regulators' objections.California transportation officials have demanded that Uber stop picking up passengers in a handful of Volvo SUVs tricked out with a suite of sensors that let the cars steer, brake and accelerate.Uber's Anthony Levandowski told reporters Friday that he disagrees with the state's demand to suspend operations until it gets a
  
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• Richmond: $19 million in FEMA grants awarded to Ascension Schools

  16-12-2016 17:29
  
  ST. AMANT – Representative Cedric Richmond says four new FEMA grants totaling more than $19 million are now available to the Ascension Parish School Board.According to a statement released Friday afternoon, Richmond said the money will reimburse schools across the parish that were impacted in August’s flooding.More than $6 million in federal funds will be awarded to Lake Elementary School due to damages during the severe storms and flooding. Galvez Middle, Galvez Pri
  
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• FEMA disaster recovery centers close; some transition to loan outreach centers

  16-12-2016 17:22
  
  BATON ROUGE – All FEMA disaster recovery centers that have been open since the August flood will close today at 6 p.m.The centers have been a place for residents to receive assistance on how to rebuild.One flood survivor, Jimmy Halford, has been to the centers multiple times since impacted by the flood."At least 4 or 5 at this location, I've been to Baton Rouge locations too," Halford said.As the Livingston Parish disaster recovery center was one of the last centers to close,
  
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• Worker says sub-contractor stiffed him thousands

  16-12-2016 17:10
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - A man hired to build the stairs and and porches for FEMA's Manufactured Housing Units says he hasn't been paid.Donipher Crosby says pay day was three weeks ago. His boss hasn't returned his calls so he called 2 On Your Side.Crosby says he and his partner were promised good money for each porch they built. He says he enjoyed the work and now he wants to be paid for it."It wasn't bad, I love the work, love helping the people," he said.The two drove in from Mississippi
  
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• Health emergency issued after lead found in Town of St. Joseph's water

  16-12-2016 16:37
  
  ST. JOSEPH – Governor John Bel Edwards issued a public health emergency for the residents of the Town of St. Joseph due to lead and copper found in the drinking water.On Thursday, the Office of Public Health received test results that indicated elevated levels of lead in two water samples, one taken from Town Hall and another at a home. Additionally there were two other sites with elevated levels of copper.The Louisiana Department of Health recommends that residents u
  
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• Tulane sends 130 acceptance emails to applicants by mistake

  16-12-2016 16:00
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University in New Orleans accidentally sent 130 acceptance emails to prospective students on Wednesday afternoon.Jeff Schiffman, the university's senior associate director of admissions, posted about what happened, stating that the mistake goes against the "ideas of compassion" and that the university "really messed this one up.""For a few hours, they had notification from Tulane that they had been admitted before we sent a email to let them know we did no
  
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• US offers $25 million reward for info leading to al-Baghdadi

  16-12-2016 15:50
  
  WASHINGTON - The United States has more than doubled its offer of a reward to $25 million for information leading to the Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliph.The State Department had previously offered $10 million for information that helps the U.S. determine the location of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, or arrest and convict him.The agency says that under al-Baghdadi, IS has been responsible for thousands of deaths in the Middle East, including American citizens, and terrorist attacks elsewhere.Perma
  
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• Obama blames hacks on highest levels of Kremlin

  16-12-2016 15:15
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is stopping short of saying President Vladimir Putin himself orchestrated the Russian hacking of U.S. political sites during the election. But he is confirming that it was done at the highest levels of the Kremlin.Obama says not much happens in Russia without a nod from Putin. He says he will let the public decide whether there were rogue high-level Russian officials acting without Putin's knowledge.Obama also says he wants to give the intelligence co
  
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• Louisiana fisheries secretary says governor forcing him out

  16-12-2016 15:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's wildlife and fisheries secretary says he's being forced out of his Cabinet position by Gov. John Bel Edwards, months into the secretary's work to correct widespread financial problems identified by auditors.Charlie Melancon, leader of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said Friday he was asked by Edwards' chief of staff Ben Nevers to leave the office in mid-February. Melancon says he wasn't given a reason for his forced exit.Melancon has clashed with recreational
  
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• Prairieville woman pleads guilty to car burglary at Gonzales business

  16-12-2016 14:12
  
  GONZALES – Prosecutors say a Prairieville woman has pleaded guilty to two counts of auto burglary from an incident in Gonzales in June.District Attorney Phil Maples said 42-year-old Yolanda Lambert agreed to plead guilty following two vehicle burglaries at Picou Builders in Gonzales on June 24.During the investigation, officers saw surveillance video that showed a female subject climbing over a locked fence and entered one of the parked vehicles. The recording showed the female suspect
  
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• Report: LSU rated best value for students in the state

  16-12-2016 13:58
  
  BATON ROUGE – LSU was rated as the best value among universities in Louisiana and the highest rated public university in the state.The university was rated as having the best value for students by SmartAsset , a financial technology company. Additionally, LSU was ranked 65 among Kiplinger's Personal Finance's Top 100 Public Colleges.Kiplinger looked at competitiveness, graduation rates, academic support, cost and financial aid, student indebtedness and salary yardstick.Among t
  
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• Baton Rouge General and Ochsner Health System end partnership plans

  16-12-2016 13:25
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge General and Ochsner Health System announced that they will end their plans to form a partnership.The two health systems signed a Letter of Intent to form a partnership in March.However, on Friday a statement was released by Ochsner President and CEO Warner Thomas, along with Edgardo Tenreiro, acting CEO of Baton Rouge General Medical Center, stating the end of talks of the partnership."Baton Rouge General and Ochsner Health System have jointly decided not to c
  
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• Baton Rouge airport hopes to land Southwest airlines

  16-12-2016 13:10
  
  BATON ROUGE – Airport officials said they are trying to woo Southwest Airlines but stopped short of saying there's a deal in place to get one of the country's most popular airlines to land commercial flights in Baton Rouge.The interim director of the airport said at a discussion about the airport's future, Baton Rouge used to not be in the business model of Southwest. However, Ralph Hennessy said, the business model is changing. The airport hopes meetings to secure the airline
  
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• John Glenn lies in state at Ohio capitol for public goodbye

  16-12-2016 12:38
  
  COLUMBUS - Mourners are filing by John Glenn's flag-draped casket at Ohio's capitol building as his home state and the nation say goodbye to the history-making astronaut.The first American to orbit Earth will lie in state at least eight hours Friday in Columbus before a public memorial service Saturday.A steady stream of visitors are lining up to see Glenn's closed casket while a Marine honor guard stands by inside the Ohio Statehouse.The 95-year-old Glenn died last week.Several events are sched
  
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• Dashing through the home: Teen shoots deer in living room

  16-12-2016 12:19
  
  FREDERICK - A Maryland teenager shot and killed a deer inside his house after it busted through his family's front door and ransacked their home.Ryan Manchester says he thought someone was trying to break into his home Dec. 5 when he heard banging at the door. Instead, he found a fully grown deer had broken down the door and was ransacking the living room, trying to break out through a window.He recorded video that shows the deer trying to escape, knocking over the family's Christmas tree and ca
  
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• Coalition airstrikes destroy air defense weapon in Syria

  16-12-2016 11:57
  
  WASHINGTON - Coalition airstrikes destroyed an air defense system that Islamic State militants had captured last weekend when they retook the Syrian city of Palmyra from Russian and Syrian regime forces.The U.S.-led coalition says that strikes in 10 locations destroyed the artillery system, 14 tanks, buildings and vehicles.The top U.S. general leading the fight against IS had warned that the coalition would likely target the area if Russian and Syria forces didn't take action in Palmyra. He said
  
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• 'Best If Used By' labels will reduce food waste, USDA says

  16-12-2016 11:53
  
  PORTLAND - The U.S. Department of Agriculture says food sellers who use product dating labels should switch to the phrase "Best If Used By" to help reduce confusion and food waste.The agency says consumers are less likely to find such labels confusing than other widely used ones such as "Sell By" and "Use By."Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine agrees that inconsistent labels cause confusion resulting in unnecessary food waste. She says the USDA's recommendation is encouraging, and the
  
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• November Louisiana jobless rate dips as labor force shrinks

  16-12-2016 11:41
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana's unemployment rate dipped to 6.2 percent in November as more people left the labor force.The jobless rate fell from 6.3 percent in October, but remained above the 5.9 percent level from November 2015.Fewer people reported having jobs and fewer people were looking. The number of unemployed Louisianans was 131,000 in November, down 3,000 from October.Louisiana kept the third-highest jobless rate among states, with Alaska worst at 6.8 percent. The nationwide jobless rate fe
  
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• State Police searching for suspect in fatal hit and run on LA 20

  16-12-2016 11:39
  
  SCHRIEVER – Louisiana State Police are searching for a suspect responsible for a fatal hit and run crash on LA 20.The crash occurred on Friday at 3 a.m. on LA 20 near Main Project Road in Terrebonne Parish. According to State Police, the vehicle that fled following the crash has been identified as a blue 2013-2017 Honda Accord, four-door, with damage to the right headlight. The car is also believed to have a missing right side mirror and possible damage to the right s
  
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• Washington state officer in critical condition following standoff, suspect in custody

  16-12-2016 11:00
  
  MOUNT VERNON - A police officer wounded in a shooting in Washington state is in critical condition following surgery.Earlier reports said the officer from Mount Vernon was in serious condition, but Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg says the 61-year-old man has been in critical condition since arriving unconscious at the Seattle hospital.Washington State Patrol Sgt. Keith Leary says the officer was wounded Thursday evening while responding to a call about a shooting.Police arreste
  
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• School bus carrying 19 swerves to avoid deer, overturns

  16-12-2016 09:49
  
  MACCLESFIELD - Elementary school students in eastern North Carolina are being treated for injuries after their school bus overturned when the driver said he swerved to avoid deer that ran in front of the bus during the morning commute.Edgecombe County public schools spokeswoman Susan Hoke said Friday the bus was carrying 19 children when it overturned. She said she didn't know how many students required treatment for their injuries or how badly they were hurt.WITN reports  Edgecombe Cou
  
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• Driver charged after school bus carrying 19 overturns

  16-12-2016 09:49
  
  MACCLESFIELD - Authorities in North Carolina say the driver of a school bus that overturned with 19 children on board will face charges.State Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mike Baker said 40-year-old Julianne Bridgers of Pinetops is charged with careless and reckless driving. The patrol says Bridgers told officers she swerved Friday to avoid a deer that ran in front of the bus.Edgecombe County public schools spokeswoman Susan Hoke says the bus was carrying 19 children when it overturned. She sai
  
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• 6 arrested after drug bust at Gonzales home, 1 still at large

  16-12-2016 09:40
  
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office has arrested six people following a drug bust at a Gonzales home with one suspect still at large.The incident occurred on Dec. 13 at a home in Josh Brown Road where APSO executed a search warrant on 40-year-old Allen Causey's home following a month long investigation into drug sales.While conducting the search, detectives located heroin, meth, cocaine and marijuana. Detectives also found a handgun. A 14-year-old was also in the home and
  
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• Mother accused of putting son in refrigerator out of jail

  16-12-2016 09:09
  
  CHESTER - A South Carolina mother charged with killing her 4-day-old son by putting him in a refrigerator for three hours is out of jail after posting bond.The Herald of Rock Hill reported Angela Blackwell was released on bond and house arrest after a hearing Thursday. She is charged with homicide by child abuse.Blackwell cried at her bond hearing as her lawyer and family said she has no money and is not a flight risk. She was arrested in August after a six-month investigation.Attorneys said Bla
  
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• Suspect shot, officer injured in Gretna police chase

  16-12-2016 09:06
  
  GRETNA - Authorities say a teenage suspect driving a stolen car was shot by police after he struck an officer with the vehicle during a chase near New Orleans.NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports both the 17-year-old suspect and the injured officer survived and were being treated for injuries.Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said the chase began Thursday night after officers spotted a Kia Optima that was reported stolen. He says the driver led officers on a chase and fired gunshots at two
  
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