Baton Rouge news

• Two more Livingston Parish schools ready to reopen

  03-01-2017 21:53
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS- Teachers were putting the final touches on their classrooms Tuesday at Denham Springs Freshman High.Students here are set to return for the first time since the flood. Principal Ken Magee said that even though it's not perfect, it's good to be back. "It might not look beautiful on the outside but it's beautiful to us because it's home," Magee said.The campus was inundated with two and a half feet of water five months ago. The baseboards have yet to be r
  
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• Trump to meet with intelligence officials Friday

  03-01-2017 21:35
  
  WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump says he's scheduled to meet with intelligence officials Friday for a briefing on Russian interference in the 2016 election.Trump tweeted the schedule update late Tuesday.He is also reiterating his skepticism of the U.S. intelligence community, using quote marks around the word "intelligence." He notes the briefing will be held later than initially expected, writing: "Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange."Trump has clashed repeatedly wit
  
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• House bill makes VA employees more accountable

  03-01-2017 21:30
  
  WASHINGTON - The House has approved a bill that would require all reprimands and admonishments given to Department of Veterans Affairs employees to remain in their personnel files as long as they are employed there.The new chairman of the House Committee of Veterans Affairs, Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee, says the legislation is designed to improve accountability.The House passed comparable legislation in the last session of Congress, but it failed to clear the Senate.Under current VA policy, an "a
  
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• Suspected rebels storm Philippine jail, 132 inmates escape

  03-01-2017 21:26
  
  KIDAPAWAN, Philippines - Philippine officials say more than 130 inmates have escaped in one of the largest jailbreaks in recent years after suspected Muslim rebels attacked a jail in the south of the country.Jail warden Superintendent Peter Bongat said Wednesday that a guard was killed and an inmate was wounded in a gunbattle when dozens of gunmen stormed the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan city before dawn on Wednesday.Kidapawan police chief Superintendent Leo Ajero says two prisoners
  
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• Obama offers condolences to Turkey's president

  03-01-2017 21:08
  
  ISTANBUL - The White House says President Barack Obama has offered his condolences to Turkey's leader over a pair of deadly attacks, including at a nightclub on New Year's Eve.Obama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also agreed during their telephone conversation Tuesday that their countries must "stand united" to defeat terrorism.The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Dec. 31 shooting at Istanbul's Reina nightclub that killed 39 revelers.Obama also expressed sorrow
  
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• Official: Manson alive amid reports he was hospitalized

  03-01-2017 21:06
  CORCORAN, Calif. - A California prison official says cult killer Charles Manson is alive following reports that he was hospitalized.TMZ reported Tuesday that Manson was taken to a hospital in Bakersfield, about 60 miles south of the California prison where he has been incarcerated.California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton declined to say whether the leader of the notorious Manson family has been hospitalized.Thornton says Manson is still assigned to the p
  
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• Two-faced calf named Lucky dies at 108 days old in Kentucky

  03-01-2017 21:03
  
  CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - A two-faced calf named Lucky has died in Kentucky after the family that treated her like a pet raised thousands of dollars to help her.The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the McCubbin family in Taylor County had been trying to raise $500 for a scan to see if the calf's cleft palate could be repaired, which would allow her to eat hay. Donors gave thousands of dollars, and Brandy McCubbin said the family is looking for a charitable cause for the money.McCubbin said the calf w
  
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• Authorities: Georgia woman killed in storms

  03-01-2017 21:00
  
  ALBANY, Ga. - Authorities have reported a sixth death as the result of strong storms that swept through the South: a woman in Georgia.Albany, Georgia, Fire Chief Ron Rowe said Tuesday that he did not have any details about exactly how the woman was killed. Her identity has not been released.Rowe says the approximately 1-mile-wide "violent" storm happened about 11 p.m. Monday, 30 minutes or so after a tornado warning was issued for the area.In addition to the death, Rowe said Tuesday that more th
  
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• Magnitude 7.2 quake hits near Fiji; tsunami alert issued

  03-01-2017 20:57
  
  NADI, Fiji - A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit near the Fiji Islands, causing a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific Ocean.The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake, which took place at 2:52 p.m. local time Wednesday, hit a part of the ocean about 227 kilometers southwest of Nadi. The agency says the quake is 10 kilometers deep.Radio New Zealand reports that people have been evacuating Nadi since the earthquake. Nadi, on Fiji's main island, is a city of about 42,000 and a hub for tourism.T
  
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• Agency orders TransUnion, Equifax to pay $23M for false ads

  03-01-2017 20:48
  WASHINGTON - Federal regulators have ordered credit-reporting agencies TransUnion and Equifax to pay about $23 million for falsely advertising that the credit scores they sell consumers are the same ones lenders use to make credit decisions.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Tuesday that TransUnion and Equifax must pay fines totaling $5.5 million and return about $17.6 million to wronged consumers. The agency also said the two companies lured consumers into payments of $16 or mor
  
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• Authorities investigating inmate death in Iberia Parish Jail

  03-01-2017 20:05
  NEW IBERIA - Investigators with the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office are investigating the death of an inmate at the Iberia Parish Jail.The 48-year-old inmate was arrested at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Sheriff's Office.Authorities said deputies were called to Center St. and Admiral Doyle Dr. in reference to a suspicious person complaint.The subject was arrested for disturbing the peace by intoxication and battery on a police officer after he spit on the
  
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• 13 year old charged with arson after Avenue C fire

  03-01-2017 18:33
  
  BATON ROUGE – A 13 year old will be charged with simple arson after firefighters battled a fire on Avenue C Tuesday afternoon.Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesperson Curt Monte said the fire started around 3:30 p.m. in the 9900 block of Avenue C. The fire, located at the front end of the building, was quickly extinguished.Monte said investigators were called to the scene after firefighters could not find a natural heat source. After speaking to several witnesses, the juvenile was take
  
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• Homeowners say security cams captured tornado in Bush

  03-01-2017 18:10
  
  BUSH -A homeowner in Bush, La. says their home security cameras captured a tornado outside their home Monday afternoon.Tracy Rauch posted two videos of storm on Facebook Tuesday.“Close call! And yes, what they say it [sic] true… it sounds like a freight train,” Rauch said in the post. “We didn’t even get to the hall bathroom before it stopped.”The video shows heavy winds blowing over trees and home decorations. At one part of the video
  
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• Residents against landfill expansion in Sorrento

  03-01-2017 17:29
  
  SORRENTO – A controversial landfill is up for discussion in Sorrento Tuesday night.The BFI Colonial Landfill is trying to renew a permit and apply for a football field-sized expansion. However, residents who live close to the landfill are not happy with the proposed expansion.One resident, Tony Wilson, said that he has lived two miles from the landfill for 17 years and has had enough."It's going to make it worse because it's bad already and they add those millions to make it bigger. He
  
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• Two Central schools receive $4.2 million in assistance

  03-01-2017 17:06
  
  CENTRAL – Two Central schools have received about $4.2 million in federal disaster assistance to return students to the classroom after last year's flood caused damage to their campuses.FEMA announced Tuesday that Central Private School and Tanglewood Elementary School would recieve the aid.Central Private School was awarded more than $3.7 million to place temporary facilities on its campus that students may attend during repairs to the permanent facility.Tanglewood Elementary School w
  
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• Outlook for wearable gadgets declines

  03-01-2017 16:11
  
  LAS VEGAS - Neither the holiday season nor New Year's fitness resolutions seem to be helping wearable gadgets break into the mainstream.Research firm eMarketer has lowered its outlook for smartwatches and fitness trackers such as the Apple Watch and Fitbits. It's not that the craze has died down - it's more like there never was one to begin with.The research comes as gadget makers large and small prepare to unveil new wearable devices at the CES tech show in Las Vegas this week.In Octob
  
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• Official: Dog that attacked family over sweater euthanized

  03-01-2017 14:55
  TAMPA - Officials say a dog that attacked a Florida family who tried to put a sweater on it has been euthanized.Hillsborough County spokeswoman Kara Walker told the Tampa Bay Times Tuesday that the pit bull mix named Scarface was put down because it posed a high risk to the public and because it suffered severe stab wounds during the attack.Tampa police say the dog bit a 52-year-old woman who was trying to dress it Friday, and that her husband was attacked while trying to pull it off her. Police
  
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• Edwards fills higher education board jobs during holidays

  03-01-2017 14:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards filled vacancies for Louisiana's college management boards over the holidays.He named six people to the 15-member Board of Regents, the top policymaking and budgeting panel for Louisiana public higher education.Edwards' selected: Blake David, a Lafayette lawyer; Darren Mire, valuation director for the Orleans Parish tax assessor's office; W. Clinton "Bubba" Rasberry, a Shreveport businessman and previous Regents board member; Jacqueline Vines Wyatt, a former C
  
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• Newest Louisiana Supreme Court member takes oath of office

  03-01-2017 14:52
  OPELOUSAS - Louisiana has a new member of the state Supreme Court.Republican Jimmy Genovese, formerly an appeals court judge, was sworn in Tuesday to the seven-member high court at a ceremony in his hometown of Opelousas. He'll represent Louisiana's 3rd District, covering the Lafayette and Lake Charles areas.The new associate justice defeated Marilyn Castle, a Republican state district court judge in Lafayette who was favored by business groups, in the November election to take the seat for a 10
  
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• Texas police launch criminal probe into poisoning

  03-01-2017 13:42
  
  AMARILLO - Police officials in Texas say a criminal investigation is underway into an accidental poisoning involving pesticide that killed four children and left their mother in critical condition.Amarillo Fire Capt. Larry Davis said Tuesday that the father told first responders he had spread a professional grade pest control pellet under the family's mobile home. Authorities later determined that phosphine gas was likely released when the father used a garden hose on Sunday to try to wash away
  
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• Drew Brees becomes owner of 3 Baton Rouge Dunkin' Donuts

  03-01-2017 13:35
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Saints quarterback Drew Brees is continuing to expand his reach in the food business in Louisiana with the announcement Tuesday that he is partnering to open more than five dozen Dunkin' Donut stores in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Monroe and Alexandria over the coming years.Brees, who already has some Jimmy John's franchises and who co-owns the sports eatery, Walk-Ons, plans to open the first store sometime in 2017 along with franchisee Vik patel.Patel has been a Dunkin'
  
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• Clintons, Bushs to attend Trump inauguration

  03-01-2017 13:26
  
  WASHINGTON - Bill and Hillary Clinton plan to attend Donald Trump's inauguration, putting the 2016 presidential rivals on the same platform only weeks after their tough campaign.Aides to the former president and former secretary of state say the Clintons will attend the Jan. 20 inauguration. The announcement came shortly after former President George W. Bush's office said he would attend along with former first lady Laura Bush.Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has largely avo
  
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• GOP unveils initial 'Obamacare' repeal measure

  03-01-2017 13:22
  
  WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans have already introduced legislation that's a precursor to repealing much of the Affordable Care Act.Successful passage of the measure would allow a detailed follow-up repeal bill to pass through Congress without fear of a filibuster by Senate Democrats. Tuesday's measure doesn't contain any policy language.Repealing President Barack Obama's signature health care law is the top priority of President-elect Donald Trump and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill.The
  
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• Fox News' star Megyn Kelly headed to NBC News

  03-01-2017 13:22
  
  NEW YORK - Megyn Kelly, the Fox News star whose 12-year stint has been marked by upheavals at her network and personal attacks on the campaign trail, is headed to NBC News.The move was confirmed by Kelly's publicist, Leslee Dart.Kelly's departure deprives Fox News of its second-most-watched host, behind only Bill O'Reilly.Her contract with the network was due to run out this summer.In the past two years, Kelly has weathered personal attacks from Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, and
  
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• Singer Trey Songz says he was kicked out of Maryland casino

  03-01-2017 13:20
  
  OXON HILL - Singer-songwriter Trey Songz says he was recently ejected from the MGM National Harbor.Media outlets report the 32-year-old Songz, whose given name is Tremaine Neverson, says in an expletive-laced post on Instagram that he was playing cards at the Maryland casino Dec. 23 when a man nearby started "talking crazy" to him.He says his security detail approached the man, and MGM officials booted Songz and his crew from the casino, saying they were being "unruly."The incident didn't result
  
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• FDA probes dangers of exploding e-cigarette batteries

  03-01-2017 12:49
  
  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is probing the dangers of exploding batteries in e-cigarettes, following dozens of reports of devices that have combusted, overheated or caught fire and sometimes injured users.The agency announced a two-day public meeting for April, according to an online posting.The Associated Press reported last month that 66 explosions were identified by the FDA in 2015 and early 2016.E-cigarettes are hand-held devices that vaporize liquid nicotine. Their sa
  
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• Ford cancels plan to build new Mexican plant, adds US jobs

  03-01-2017 12:47
  
  FLAT ROCK - Ford is canceling plans to build a new $1.6 billion factory in Mexico and will invest $700 million in a Michigan plant to build new electric and autonomous vehicles.Ford, however, still plans to shift production of the Focus small car to Mexico and will make the car at an existing plant. President-elect Donald Trump has been pressuring Ford to keep production of the Focus in the U.S.The company made the announcements Tuesday at a factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, near Detroit. The fact
  
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• Pelicans, 7-footer Motiejunas agree on contract

  03-01-2017 12:45
  NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Pelicans say free-agent 7-footer Donatas Motiejunas has signed to play the rest of this season.A person familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because contract terms have not been releases, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Motiejunas will be paid a pro-rated veteran minimum worth about $600,000.Motiejunas, who'll now have an opportunity to play in the front court alongside perennial All-Star Anthony Davis, has played four seasons
  
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• Iconic sign could get extra security after 'HOLLYWeeD' prank

  03-01-2017 12:44
  
  LOS ANGELES - Days after a prankster scaled a fence and altered the Hollywood sign to read "HOLLYWeeD," the agency that maintains and secures the Los Angeles landmark says it will explore boosting security.Police are investigating after a person used giant tarps to turn two of the iconic sign's white Os into Es sometime on New Year's Eve or early New Year's Day.Chris Baumgart, chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust, said Monday that he plans to meet with police officials this week to be debriefed
  
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• US construction spending hits highest level in 10 years

  03-01-2017 12:41
  
  WASHINGTON - U.S. builders boosted spending on construction projects for a second straight month in November, pushing activity to the highest level in more than a decade.The Commerce Department says construction spending rose 0.9 percent in November after a 0.6 percent increase in October. The increase reflected solid gains in home construction, nonresidential building and government construction activity.The gains in all three categories pushed total construction to a seasonally adjusted annual
  
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• Trump's latest US corporate Twitter target: General Motors

  03-01-2017 12:38
  
  DETROIT - Although Donald Trump is targeting GM on Twitter today for importing compact cars to the U.S. from Mexico, the company says all of its Cruze sedans sold in the United States are now made in Ohio.Today's tweet was the latest threat from Trump to tax companies that move production to Mexico and ship products back to the U.S. under the North American Free Trade Agreement.But GM says while it did import some Cruze sedans from Mexico to meet demand last year as it rolled out a new version o
  
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• Roof found competent for sentencing, gets extra prep day

  03-01-2017 12:36
  
  CHARLESTON - Dylann Roof has been ruled competent to act as his own attorney in the sentencing phase of his death penalty trial over the killing of black worshippers at a South Carolina church.U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel made the determination Monday after a daylong hearing. The judge heard about seven hours of testimony in the hearing, which was closed to the public and the media.Roof was also granted an extra day to prepare for his case. The same jury that last month found Roof guilty o
  
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• 115th Congress gaveled into session

  03-01-2017 12:34
  
  WASHINGTON - The 115th Congress has been gaveled into session. The House convened at noon Tuesday, with 241 Republicans and 194 Democrats. Among the members are 52 freshmen.Lawmakers will soon vote on who will serve as House speaker with Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., expected to win his first full term as speaker. They will then participate in a swearing-in ceremony.The festive opening included dozens of children, dressed in their Sunday finest, sitting in the House chamber to watch the ceremony. Amon
  
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• Championship memorabilia stolen from former LSU player's home

  03-01-2017 12:21
  
  SHREVEPORT – A former LSU football player took to social media after being robbed of several items of championship memorabilia in hopes of finding the person responsible.Seth Fruge, a walk-on player of the LSU football team from 2009 to 2013, posted on Facebook Monday night that he had his SEC championship ring, Outback bowl ring, three-year letterman watch, BCS National Championship watch and Matthews bow stolen from his home during Christmas break.Fruge wrote that whoever is
  
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• Livingston Parish public schools will remain open 21 minutes longer

  03-01-2017 11:58
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – Students in Livingston Parish will have to stay in school an extra 21 minutes longer this spring semester.School officials announced Tuesday that all public schools will add 21 minutes of instructional time to their master schedules. This time will be divided between the start and end of each school day. Classes will begin 10 minutes earlier in the morning and will end 11 minutes later in the afternoon.Officials say this replacement time schedule will start on Jan. 5,
  
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• Man in Army uniform threatens to bomb Walmart after caught shoplifting

  03-01-2017 11:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office arrested a man, dressed in a U.S. Army uniform, who threatened to bomb a Walmart after he was caught shoplifting Monday.Keyon Pullins, 23, was arrested for theft of goods over $500, terrorizing, impersonation of a veteran and simple burglary.The incident happened on Monday at the Walmart on North Mall Drive. Pullins entered the store, collected a green plastic bin and went to the liquor section. He collected five bottles of vodka and
  
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• Woman accused of sharing nude photos of husband's ex-wife to family

  03-01-2017 11:39
  
  BATON ROUGE – Deputies say a Baton Rouge woman has been charged after she sent nude photos of her husband's ex-wife to the victim's family in December.According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, on Dec. 19 a victim told deputies that several family members had received a nude image of her via text messages around 1 a.m. Arrest documents say the victim believed her ex-husband’s current wife, 41-year-old Antoinette Gilbeaux, was responsible for sharing the image.While d
  
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• Barge spills 500 gallons of diesel into Mississippi River

  03-01-2017 09:36
  
  RESERVE - A barge spilled about 500 gallons of diesel oil into the Mississippi River during a fuel transfer in Reserve, upstream from New Orleans.United States Coast Guard Lt. Brian Dochtermann tells NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune that a fuel line burst while transferring diesel Monday evening.The Coast Guard said in a statement that the barge is owned by Reserve-based company Custom Fuel Services, which began containing the spill shortly afterward. Dochtermann says the ES&H organizati
  
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• Law office building catches fire due to overheated copy machine

  03-01-2017 09:21
  
  BATON ROUGE – A law office building caught fire after a copy machine overheated.The fire occurred at the Locke Meredith, Sean Fagan & Associates law office at 9190 Interline Avenue on Monday just before 10 p.m.Firefighters arrived on scene to find a copy machine on fire on the second floor of the building. The fire was extinguished shortly after, however it caused moderate smoke damage to the building.The total cost of damage caused by the fire is estimated to be worth around $65,0
  
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• No one hurt when school bus overturns west of Charlotte

  03-01-2017 09:08
  
  BELMONT - Officials say no one was hurt when a school bus overturned in North Carolina, west of Charlotte.The wreck happened around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday near Belmont in Gaston County. Tuesday was the first day back to class after the holidays.School spokesman Todd Hagans said in an email that there was a driver and four students on the bus for New Hope Elementary School. Hagans says no one was hurt.He did not have details on what caused the bus to overturn.Permalink| Comments
  
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