Baton Rouge news

• Health nonprofit sues Louisiana for cuts, alleges defamation

  20-12-2016 21:20
  
  BATON ROUGE- A government-financed nonprofit aimed at improving Louisiana's health information technology is suing the state health department.
      
  The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum says the agency hasn't paid $12 million in promised funding. The lawsuit also claims Health Secretary Rebekah Gee is attempting to undermine the nonprofit's reputation by criticizing its work with the state.
      
  The forum says the cut puts an electronic me
  
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• Missing benches for memorial in Clinton found in storage

  20-12-2016 19:00
  
  CLINTON – What began as a theft investigation into two missing benches in East Feliciana Parish, turned out to be a misunderstanding.The two missing benches were supposed to sit in front of the East Feliciana law enforcement memorial that is located in the back of the Clinton courthouse. The benches were donated about two years ago for a memorial honoring officers who were killed in the line of duty.The Clinton Police chief said that the donor filed a police report after he discovered
  
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• Fatal hit and run crash reported on Juban Road

  20-12-2016 18:26
  
  LIVINGSTON – Louisiana State Police are responding to a fatal crash on Juban Road.The crash occurred on Tuesday afternoon around 6 p.m. on Juban Road south of I-12. According to sources, the crash was a hit and run involving a pedestrian. There are no further details at the time of this post. A News 2 crew is on the way to the scene.Check back for updates as more information becomes available.#BREAKING @LAStatePolice investigating deadly crash on Juban Rd, South of I-12. I'm h
  
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• 9 dead, 70 hurt in blast at Mexican fireworks market

  20-12-2016 18:17
  
  TULTEPEC - Mexican Federal Police say nine people have died and 70 more have been injured by an explosion that ripped through a fireworks market near the capital.The Federal Police announced what it called a "preliminary" toll from Thursday's blast.President Enrique Pena Nieto has sent his condolences to families of the dead via Twitter.A fire engulfed the same market in 2005, touching off a chain of explosions that leveled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico's Independence Day. A similar fi
  
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• Events schedule released for Weston Broome's inauguration

  20-12-2016 17:12
  
  BATON ROUGE – Mayor-President elect Sharon Weston Broome's transition team has announced the officials plans for her inauguration on Jan. 2.The inauguration events will begin on Sunday, Jan. 1 with a Celebration of Faith at Star Hill Church at 6 p.m.The following day, on Jan. 2, Weston Broome will take the oath of office as Mayor-President of Baton Rouge in a ceremony at the River Center Theatre for Performing Arts at 5 p.m. Following the ceremony, Weston Broome will host a "Celebrate
  
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• Homeowners selling flood-damaged home "as is"

  20-12-2016 17:07
  
  BATON ROUGE - Homeowners continue to put their flood-damaged homes up for sale.Terry Martin, who lives off of Old Hammond Highway in Baton Rouge, says he remodeled his home about a year ago. The house flooded in August and while Martin was throwing out his water-logged possessions, he and his wife decided to sell their home, "as is.""Because of the cost of repairing it," he said. "The price of it will fall like crazy."The home took on about two feet of water. Right now, the interior floors, kitc
  
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• St. Amant home destroyed after fire started by self-cleaning oven

  20-12-2016 16:44
  
  ST. AMANT – A home was left destroyed in St. Amant following a fire that was started by a self-cleaning oven.According to the St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department, the homeowner fell asleep on Monday night while the self-cleaning mode on his oven was on. The homeowner woke up to find his home filled with smoke and fire around the stove.The homeowner ran outside to get a fire extinguisher to try and put out the fire himself. The door to the home was open, causing the fire and fl
  
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• ACLU challenges city's panhandling permit requirement

  20-12-2016 16:07
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union and three people who beg for money at traffic intersections are suing a southeast Louisiana city that requires permits for panhandling.The lawsuit filed in federal court in New Orleans says the city of Slidell's requirement violates the panhandlers' First Amendment rights.The suit asks that the court block enforcement of the permit requirement and declare it unconstitutional.Plaintiffs in the suit are three Slidell residents: Gary Blitch, identifi
  
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• Former Gonzales fire chief pleads guilty to child porn charges

  20-12-2016 15:14
  
  GONZALES – The former Gonzales Fire Chief has been convicted of child pornography charges, according to U.S. Attorney Walt Green.Former Gonzales District Fire Chief Kristopher Johnson, 36, was convicted of four counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.Johnson pleaded guilty to the above charges and will be sentenced at a later date.The investigation began when law enforcement learned that a Gmail user with several email addresses,
  
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• Police report: Angola assistant warden raped victim on prison grounds

  20-12-2016 14:39
  
  ANGOLA – An assistant warden at the state penitentiary was booked into the local parish jail on rape charges.The West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office said Barrett Boeker, 34, was booked on second-degree rape in an assault that happened at his house.  The attack happened on Nov. 30, according to a police report released by the sheriff's office.The report indicates the attack happened at Boeker's house on Falcon Drive. Falcon Drive is behind the gates of the Angola Pr
  
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• Angola assistant warden charged with rape

  20-12-2016 14:39
  
  ANGOLA – An assistant warden at the state penitentiary was booked into the local parish jail on rape charges.The West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office said Barrett Boeker, 34, was booked on second-degree rape in an assault.  The attack happened on Nov. 30, according to a police report released by the sheriff's office.The state's corrections department confirmed what local authorities originally indicated: the attack happened at Boeker's residence, which was listed on Falcon D
  
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• Man booked into jail after elderly woman dies in morning crash

  20-12-2016 14:13
  
  ALBANY – An out-of-town man was arrested in connection with an early morning, deadly hit-and-run on I-12 Tuesday.Cody Terry, 35, of Houston, is charged with negligent homicide, felony hit -and-run, reckless operation, driving without a license and failure to register a motor vehicle. Terry was driving a sedan on eastbound I-12 near La. 43 when he rear-ended an SUV, State Police said. The collision caused the larger, SUV to lose control and smash into a concrete interstate barrier.All e
  
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• Amazon to start charging sales taxes on Louisiana shoppers

  20-12-2016 13:27
  
  BATON ROUGE - Tax-free shopping on Amazon for Louisiana residents is ending.The online retail giant will start charging sales taxes on all purchases shipped to destinations in Louisiana starting Jan. 1.NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports that a state revenue department spokesman confirmed Amazon will begin collecting both state and local sales taxes in Louisiana when the new year begins.The process is the same for Louisiana retailers who also sell online. The tax collections are required in stat
  
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• Woman ejected from vehicle following crash on Hwy. 19

  20-12-2016 13:26
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Police Department responded to a crash on Highway 19 where a woman was ejected from the vehicle.The crash occurred on Tuesday around 11 a.m. on Highway 19 near Thomas Road. The woman was transported from the crash with critical injuries.No further details were released at the time of this post.This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Woman crashes on Hwy. 19 following medical problem

  20-12-2016 13:26
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Police Department responded to a crash on Highway 19 where a woman with a medical problem lost control of her vehicle. BRPD initially reported that the woman was ejected from the vehicle, however BRPD later confirmed that she was not ejected. The crash occurred on Tuesday around 11 a.m. on Highway 19 near Thomas Road. The woman was transported from the crash with critical injuries, however she is expected to survive, according to BRPD. No
  
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• Man arrested in Berlin truck attack released

  20-12-2016 13:22
  
  BERLIN - German prosecutors say a man arrested after the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market has been released because there isn't sufficient evidence to tie him to the rampage.Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that that the man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year as an asylum-seeker, denied involvement in the attack that killed 12 people and injured nearly 50 others.They noted that witnesses were able to follow the truck's driver from the scene but lost track of him. The man
  
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• Islamic State extremists claim Berlin attack

  20-12-2016 13:22
  
  BERLIN - The Islamic State extremist group is claiming responsibility for the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people and left nearly 50 injured.The Islamic State group's Amaq news agency said in a statement Tuesday that "the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."German police are still hunting for the driver of the truck
  
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• Reward up to $40K in road-rage death of Arkansas 3-year-old

  20-12-2016 12:41
  
  LITTLE ROCK - The FBI has joined an investigation into the road-rage killing of a 3-year-old boy, who police say was fatally shot while riding in the backseat of his grandmother's car in Little Rock, Arkansas.The FBI also announced Monday that it's offering a $20,000 reward in the case. The city of Little Rock is also offering a $20,000 reward.Authorities say the boy and his grandmother were on a shopping trip Saturday when a driver opened fire on the grandmother's car after honking at her at a
  
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• Uber driver fired in 'self-defense,' killing man

  20-12-2016 12:32
  
  AVENTURA - Authorities say a South Florida Uber driver acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a would-be robber.Aventura police spokesman Chris Goranitis says the driver was taking a passenger to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport early Sunday when a van driven by 24-year-old Kevin DeVincent Johnson cut him off. Johnson got out of the van with a gun in each hand and confronted Namique Anderson.The Miami Herald reports Anderson fired four times at Johnson, killing him. J
  
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• 6 officers violated policy following elementary students' arrests

  20-12-2016 11:56
  
  MURFREESBORO - An internal police investigation has found that six of the 10 officers involved in arresting elementary students at a school in Tennessee the violated their department's policies.Murfreesboro police arrested four children at Hobgood Elementary School and took them away - two in handcuffs - to a juvenile detention center in April after accusing them of being involved in some off-campus bullying weeks before. The charges were dropped in June.Citing an internal investigation report,
  
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• Post Office Christmas delivery deadline is Friday

  20-12-2016 11:50
  
  BATON ROUGE- The deadline to pay first-class prices for Christmas present deliveries passed Tuesday. However, people willing to pay extra still have a few days left.Wednesday is the last day letters and packages can be mailed with the United States Postal Service with its Priority Mail service. And Friday is the absolute last day to get presents to their destination by Christmas morning, but customers will pay even more with Priority Mail Express.Once the packages are in the mail, postal workers
  
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• Man accused of killing former NFL player gets new lawyers

  20-12-2016 11:49
  
  GRETNA- New lawyers have signed on to defend the man accused of fatally shooting former NFL running back Joe McKnight during a road rage dispute.
      
  Court documents in the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson Parish show that attorneys Gerard Archer and Matthew Goetz asked Monday to delay a bond reduction hearing for 54-year-old Ronald Gasser.
      
  Their motion says they had just been retained and need time to prepare.
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• Man arrested for attempted murder following road rage shooting

  20-12-2016 09:58
  
  WALKER – A man was arrested following a shooting that stemmed from a road rage incident in Walker.Walker Police Department arrested 31-year-old Bradley Deville on charges of attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of a firearm, use of a firearm in a school zone, unlawful discharge of a firearm, criminal damage to property and possession of an open container.The incident occurred when Deville and another driver, 35-year-old Johnny Franz, got into an argument after one of the men sta
  
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• Homeless man wanted for rape arrested; victim's son fights back during attack

  20-12-2016 09:29
  
  BATON ROUGE – A homeless man has been arrested for the rape of a woman whose 10-year-old son fought back during the attack.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office arrested 32-year-old Daniel Hinton for forcible second-degree rape.The incident occurred on Dec. 16 when the victim met with several of her cousins and Hinton at her home. The woman stated that Hinton was one of her cousins' friends. According to the arrest report, the group was drinking alcohol while at the home and after drin
  
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• Overturned semi snarls traffic on I-10; lane reopened

  20-12-2016 09:26
  
  GRAMERCY – A box truck overturned and blocked traffic for hours between LaPlace and Baton Rouge Tuesday morning.Delays reached about two miles, although drivers were slowing around LaPlace.A picture posted to the State Police Facebook page showed the semi on its side, blocking at least one lane. The cab was smashed.Slowly, traffic was able to pass through the left lane.Around noon, the lane reopened and the crash was cleared.The crash was in St. James Parish.Information about the condi
  
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• Overturned semi snarls traffic on I-10

  20-12-2016 09:26
  
  GRAMERCY – A box truck overturned, blocking traffic between LaPlace and Baton Rouge Tuesday morning.Delays reached about two miles, although drivers were slowing around LaPlace.A picture posted to the State Police Facebook page showed the semi on its side, blocking at least one lane. The cab was smashed.Slowly, traffic was able to pass through the left lane.The crash was in St. James Parish.Information about the condition of the driver or what happened was not released.Click HERE to ac
  
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• Michigan AG: More charges filed in Flint water probe

  20-12-2016 09:13
  
  FLINT - More charges have been filed by Michigan's attorney general in the investigation into the lead-tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan, including against two former state-appointed emergency managers.Attorney General Bill Schuette on Tuesday charged former emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose with multiple 20-year felonies for their failure to protect the residents of Flint from health hazards caused by contaminated drinking water.Schuette also charged Earley, Ambrose and
  
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• CNN to again host New Year's countdown in New Orleans

  20-12-2016 09:08
  
  NEW ORLEANS - CNN will again celebrate New Year's Eve in New Orleans.The Times-Picayune reports Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin will host a Central Time Zone countdown to the new year in the Crescent City.Baldwin and Baton Rouge native Lemon have marked New Year's Eve from New Orleans for the past two years. Among the musical guests for the New Orleans segment of the show will be Lee Loughnane and Tris Imboden, two original members of the band Chicago.CNN's New Year's coverage begins at 7 p.m. CT o
  
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• Flood meeting Tuesday night in Gonzales

  20-12-2016 08:53
  
  GONZALES – People impacted by the flood in Ascension Parish will have an opportunity to meet with the governor's council that is overseeing rebuilding.The Office of Community Development will meet with Ascension residents from 5:30 to 7:00 Tuesday evening at the parish government office on Worthey Street in Gonzales.The meeting will give area residents an opportunity to view and comment on the homeowner, renters and small business flood-recovery assistance programs that were recommende
  
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• Swiss police: body of Zurich shooting suspect found

  20-12-2016 07:48
  
  ZURICH - Swiss police official says investigators have suspended a hunt for the suspected gunman behind an attack on a mosque frequented by Somali migrants after the discovery of a body in the vicinity.Zurich cantonal (state) police said Tuesday on Twitter that "we are working on the assumption that the dead person who was found is the culprit in the shooting at the Islamic Center in Zurich."Three people were injured in the shooting Monday.Police were expected to hold a news conference later Tue
  
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• Michelle Obama tells Oprah that 2016 election 'was painful'

  20-12-2016 07:43
  
  WASHINGTON - First lady Michelle Obama tells Oprah Winfrey that this past election was "painful."Mrs. Obama sat down with Winfrey at the White House for an hourlong special that was broadcast Monday on CBS.On the topic of the recent campaign she said: "This past election was challenging for me as a citizen to watch and experience. It was painful."Still, Mrs. Obama says she and the president are supporting President-elect Donald Trump's transition because "it is important for the health of this n
  
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• After 2 years, experts say MH370 likely north of search area

  20-12-2016 07:41
  
  SYDNEY - Investigators searching for nearly two years for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane are making a painful admission: They've probably been looking in the wrong place.The latest analysis by a team of international investigators says the Boeing 777 is likely farther north of the current search zone, a remote patch of the Indian Ocean west of Australia.The plane, with 239 people on board, disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.Permalink| Comments
  
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• North Carolina's 'bathroom bill' set on fast path to repeal

  20-12-2016 07:38
  
  CHARLOTTE, N.C. - North Carolina's outgoing Republican governor says he'll call legislators for a special session Wednesday so they can repeal the law known as HB2, which limits LGBT protections.Gov. Pat McCrory issued a video statement Monday. Earlier in the day, he confirmed he would call a special session.Republican legislative leaders say they'll take up the repeal.Charlotte voted Monday to repeal its local nondiscrimination ordinance that Republicans blamed for the statewide law.The statewi
  
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• Court to unseal Clinton email search warrant

  20-12-2016 07:35
  
  NEW YORK - A federal court in New York is expected today to release redacted copies of the search warrant and other documents that gave the FBI new license to dig into a trove of Hillary Clinton emails days before the presidential election.The emails were found on a computer belonging to former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Hundreds more leave Aleppo

  20-12-2016 07:31
  
  BEIRUT - Hundreds more Syrians have left the rebels' last foothold in eastern Aleppo.They left today in convoys of buses escorted by the Syrian Red Crescent and the international Red Cross under a cease-fire deal brokered by Ankara and Russia.Meanwhile, Moscow is hosting the foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey in three-way talks on Aleppo's future and prospects for peace in SyriaPermalink| Comments
  
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• Trump blames terrorists for killings in Turkey, Berlin

  20-12-2016 07:30
  
  PALM BEACH, Fla. - President-elect Donald Trump is blaming Islamic terrorism for Monday's deadly violence in Turkey and Germany.Without backing up his claim, Trump is blaming the Islamic State group and other "Islamist terrorists" for the deaths of at least 12 people in Berlin.Trump says their networks "must be eradicated from the face of the earth." Trump also says that a "radical Islamic terrorist" assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Germany says no claim of responsibility yet

  20-12-2016 07:28
  
  BERLIN - Germany's top prosecutor says investigators are treating the Berlin Christmas market attack as an act of terrorism, though there is no claim of responsibility yet.Peter Frank also told reporters Tuesday it's not entirely clear whether there was one perpetrator or more. He says the suspect in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators."Frank says the method used in the rampage was reminiscent of July's truck attack in Nice, France and of the "modus
  
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