Baton Rouge news

• DEMCO: Felicianas will have power restored Wednesday night

  04-01-2017 19:33
  
  ST. FRANCISVILLE- Work crews lined both sides of State Highway 66 near Bayou Sara Wednesday evening repairing broken power lines strung through dense forests. It's the third day of repairs from Monday's windstorm that at one point left tens of thousands in the dark."The lines that we serve there are in hilly terrain with lots of valleys and they provide power to folks in rural areas," said David Latona with DEMCO.Only a few hundred households were still out power Wednesday afternoon. Latona said
  
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• Florida librarians create fake patron to keep books

  04-01-2017 18:22
  
  SORRENTO - To keep infrequently used library books on shelves, two Florida librarians created a fictitious person to take out tomes, and now the county has since requested a system-wide audit of its libraries.The Orlando Sentinel reports Chuck Finley checked out 2,361 books at the East Lake County Library in a nine-month period.His selections ranged from "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck to a children's book called "Why Do My Ears Pop?" by Ann Fullick.The goal behind the creation of Finley was to
  
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• GOP Sen. Rand Paul blasts party leaders for ignoring debt

  04-01-2017 18:18
  
  WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Rand Paul on Wednesday blasted fellow GOP lawmakers for ignoring the government's spiraling debt problem in their rush to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law.Paul, who hails from the GOP's small-government, libertarian wing, was the sole Republican to oppose party leaders and President-elect Donald Trump on a 51-48 procedural vote that's a precursor to upcoming legislation to repeal the law.The Kentucky senator opposes the measure - a budget blueprint for
  
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• Democrats tag 'most troublesome' Trump picks

  04-01-2017 18:16
  
  WASHINGTON - Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats have identified eight of President-elect Donald Trump's "most troublesome" Cabinet picks and are hoping for fair hearings on those nominees.Those potential nominees are Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, Tom Price for secretary of Health and Human Services, Steven Mnuchin for Treasury secretary, Scott Pruitt for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mick Mulvaney for director of the Office of Management
  
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• Fight to clean up blighted property lasting a decade

  04-01-2017 17:15
  BATON ROUGE - A blighted property, is ruffling the feathers of neighbors and homeowner associations. At least a dozen cars, equipment, tires and a piano are among the items that have been sitting on the Baton Rouge property for years.The property is in the 10400 block of Old Hammond Hwy.Gary Schaefer, President of the Sharpestowne Homes Association says he's been trying to get the homeowner to clean up his yard for a decade. He's asking the city to enforce ordinances, so blight left for years, d
  
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• Vandals deface grass at LSU's Tiger Stadium

  04-01-2017 16:23
  
  BATON ROUGE – Vandals defaced the turf at Tiger Stadium in an overnight attack that may have lasted as long as 65 minutes.A crime log for LSU Police shows a report of a burglary at the stadium at 11:25 Tuesday night. A published “incident end date/time” stamp seems to report the vandals were inside the stadium until 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. The case is still pending, according to the crime report log tweeted by an LSU student newspaper reporter.The turf is covered with
  
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• I-10 east will be closed past US 61 next weekend

  04-01-2017 16:23
  
  SORRENTO – State traffic officials say both I-10 eastbound lanes will be closed at US 61 starting next Friday.According to a statement released by DOTD Wednesday, the full interstate closure will start Friday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. and will remain closed until Monday, Jan. 16 until 5 a.m.Crews will be working to remove the damaged section of the bridge for the westbound on ramp onto I-10 from US 61.Drivers traveling eastbound on I-10 will have to detour onto US Hwy 61 and proceed to LA Hwy
  
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• Sears closing in Cortana Mall, Kmart closing in Gonzales company says

  04-01-2017 16:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Kmart store in Gonzales and a Sears store in Baton Rouge will close in the spring, the Sears Holdings company announced on Wednesday.The Kmart store is located on South Airline Highway in Gonzales and the Sears store in Cortana Mall.According to the company, the locations are just two of 150 stores closing this spring. The decision to close the stores was due to their financial performance the company says."Many of these stores have struggled with their financial performance for
  
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• 74-year-old Texas grandmother thwarts off armed intruder

  04-01-2017 14:46
  
  BOWIE COUNTY – A 74-year-old Texas grandmother thwarted off an armed intruder in her home on Sunday night.A man wearing a mask and gloves broke into 74-year-old Rebbie Roberson's home in Bowie County, Texas, CNN reported. "When I started to get up, he was in here on me with a gun facing me right to my face," Roberson said.However little did the intruder know, Roberson had a weapon."I reached over there (a nearby table) and grabbed this gun. And when I swerved around, I pointed
  
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• Baton Rouge stores closing as The Limited shuts down for good

  04-01-2017 13:57
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Limited, a national clothing store for women, appears to be closing its entire business and its local stores will shutdown soon, sources confirmed to WBRZ Wednesday.There are two stores in Baton Rouge- one at the Mall of Louisiana and another at Cortana. Both locations will close Saturday. The location in Lafayette also closes Saturday.On its website, a note to customers alerts buyers that all sales are final.In December, the company announced layoffs of 248 people at
  
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• 1,300 West Feliciana residents still without power following Monday's storms

  04-01-2017 13:49
  
  WEST FELICIANA – Residents in West Feliciana Parish are still without power on Wednesday following Monday's severe weather.The Demco outage map shows more than 1,300 customers are still without power as of noon Wednesday. Demco told WBRZ that the damage to the area caused from the storms was extensive and the terrain is difficult to access their equipment.According to Demco, a major transmission line was damaged, however repairs are nearing completion.Demco said that customers should b
  
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• DOTD launches railroad safety campaign for January

  04-01-2017 13:19
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is launching a railroad safety campaign this month to focus on the message of "Do Not Stop on the Tracks."The campaign will run from Jan. 2 to the 21st and will aim to educate drivers and pedestrians on what to do when a train is approaching and how to safely cross a railroad track.Public service announcements will run on television and radio stations across the state and DOTD, along with its partners, will post s
  
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• Surveyors count 8 tornadoes from Monday storms in Louisiana

  04-01-2017 12:46
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The National Weather Service counts at least eight tornadoes that hit Louisiana Monday.Survey teams conclude twisters damaged parts of Avoyelles, Beauregard, Evangeline, Rapides and Tangipahoa parishes.The most powerful storm, rated EF-1 on the enhanced Fujita scale, hit south of Ragley in Beauregard Parish, with top winds of 110 mph. It damaged 10 to 25 homes, as well as outbuildings and power lines along a 2.8-mile, 100-yard-wide path.Four twisters spun from the same thunderstorm
  
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• Joe Theismann slams 49ers for giving Colin Kaepernick award

  04-01-2017 11:42
  
  NEW YORK - Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann isn't happy with the San Francisco 49ers' decision to give Colin Kaepernick an award for "inspirational and courageous" player.Kaepernick sparked a national debate by kneeling during the national anthem before games as a way of protesting racial injustice and police brutality.Kaepernick received the Len Eshmont Award last week. The prize is described as the team's most prestigious honor; its recipient is decided by players.Theismann
  
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• Kansas Congressman's son 'dabs' during swearing-in photo op

  04-01-2017 11:40
  
  WASHINGTON - A new Kansas Congressman is dishing out discipline after his 17-year-old son pulled a dance move resembling a sneeze during a photo shoot with House Speaker Paul Ryan after the U.S. House of Representatives swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall tweeted: "He's grounded."Just so you know @SpeakerRyan: He's grounded. https://t.co/PGGhYXEfQv— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) January 3, 2017
  During the photo shoot Tuesday, Cal Marshall held the Bible
  
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• Wendy's wins Twitter beef, gets toasted by internet

  04-01-2017 11:35
  
  Wendy's is winning kudos on social media for its amusing beef with a Twitter troll.It started Monday when a Twitter user accused the fast food chain of lying about using "fresh, never frozen" beef for its hamburgers. After Wendy's reiterated its fresh beef policy , the user asked if the company delivered it raw on a hot truck. Wendy's rhetorically asked the user where cold things are stored that aren't frozen. The user responded with a claim that McDonald's served a better breakfast, to which We
  
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• Tillerson and Exxon part ways; $180M retirement package

  04-01-2017 11:30
  
  NEW YORK - Rex Tillerson, the nominee of President-elect Donald Trump for secretary of state, is severing ties with Exxon Mobil through a $180 million retirement package ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing.Tillerson was expected to step down as CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp. in March when he turned 65, the company's mandatory retirement age. Exxon said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that Tillerson has agreed to give up approximately 2 million unvested shares. In exchange, the company has agreed
  
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• Smithsonian's African American museum opens April ticketing

  04-01-2017 11:26
  
  WASHINGTON - The Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture is scheduled to start distributing tickets for April.To visit the museum, which opened in September, visitors have to get one of the free entry passes with a time to enter. The Smithsonian says it will begin distributing the April passes on Wednesday at 9 a.m. both online and by phone.The museum also gives out a limited number of same day passes. Those are available online starting at 6:30 a.m. daily until
  
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• Marijuana advocates to hand out joints at Trump inauguration

  04-01-2017 11:06
  
  WASHINGTON - A group of marijuana legalization advocates plan to hand out thousands of joints during President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.Pro-marijuana organization DCMJ will begin distributing the 4,200 joints at 8 a.m. on Jan. 20 on the west side of Dupont Circle. The participants will then walk to the National Mall.At four minutes and 20 seconds into Trump's speech, DCMJ founder Adam Eidinger says protesters will light up.He says the giveaway is legal as long as it's done on District o
  
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• Over 100 suffer minor injuries in NYC train accident

  04-01-2017 09:54
  
  NEW YORK - New York City authorities say more than 100 people suffered minor injuries when a Long Island Rail Road train hit a bumping block at a Brooklyn station.Fire officials at the scene Wednesday said metal that appeared to be from a rail pierced the bottom of the train and the wheels lifted up. They said the crash also damaged a work area beyond the tracks.Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the train was moving very slowly. He said it "wasn't really a derailment."Eleven of the injured were taken to ho
  
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• Deputies searching for fake online puppy sellers

  04-01-2017 09:33
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's assistance in locating two suspects wanted for questioning regarding an online scam.According to the sheriff's office, victims outside of Louisiana reported that they interacted with online sellers to buy puppies. The victims provided money to the sellers by wiring it through Money Gram or Walmart wire transfers.Two black men picked up the wire transfers at several local Walmarts. According to the sheriff's off
  
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• Jurors back in court for Dylann Roof sentencing

  04-01-2017 09:07
  
  CHARLESTON- Jurors have returned to court for the federal sentencing of convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof.The same 12-member jury that last month found Roof guilty of 33 federal charges returned to court Wednesday to begin mulling if he should get the death penalty or life in prison. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel began the hearing by reading instructions to the jury on what they'll need to consider in determining Roof's sentence.The 22-year-old Roof is representing himself but
  
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• King cake flavors spread into more products for Mardi Gras

  04-01-2017 09:02
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Once Mardi Gras decorations replace Christmas trees and lights, a favorite treat of Fat Tuesday begins showing up on tables across the Gulf South.NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports that King cake starts appearing in stores, parties, get-togethers, and in office lunch rooms once the season starts each year on the Catholic Feast of the Epiphany on Friday.As the years have gone by, the traditional favorite has seeped into nontraditional products, which are sold both locally and regio
  
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• Officer on leave after video of student being thrown down

  04-01-2017 08:24
  ROLESVILLE, N.C. - North Carolina authorities say they're investigating a video posted on Twitter that shows a male police officer slamming a female high school student to the floor.Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles says School Resource Officer Ruben De Los Santos was placed on administrative leave Tuesday after the eight-second video was posted. The video shows an officer, surrounded by students, lifting and then dropping a girl to the floor on her left side, then pulling her to her feet and leadin
  
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• Janet Jackson, husband welcome son Eissa Al Mana

  04-01-2017 08:19
  
  NEW YORK - Janet Jackson's latest escapade: motherhood.The 50-year-old pop superstar and husband Wissam Al Mana welcomed their son, Eissa Al Mana, on Tuesday, a representative for the singer said."Janet had a stress-free healthy delivery and is resting comfortably. No further details are available at this time," the statement read.Last year Jackson postponed her tour to plan a family. Eissa Al Mana is the singer's first child.Jackson and Al Mana were married in 2012.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Turkey says truce violations put Syria talks in jeopardy

  04-01-2017 08:04
  
  BEIRUT - Turkey says repeated cease-fire violations by the Syrian government are threatening to derail scheduled peace talks in Kazakhstan.Speaking to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency today, the country's foreign minister said Iran needs to address the cease-fire violations in Syria by the government and its allies.Iran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and a guarantor of a tenuous cease-fire agreement that came into force shortly before the new year. Turkey is a sponsor of th
  
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• Turkey's president talks to the nation

  04-01-2017 07:59
  
  ISTANBUL - Police in Istanbul have set up checkpoints and are checking vehicles across the city as security levels remain high after the New Year's nightclub attack.Authorities say 5 people are being detained in raids that were conducted today, but they're still searching for the man they believe carried out the attack for the Islamic State group.Turkey's president told the nation today that "to say Turkey has surrendered to terrorism is to take sides with the terrorists and terror organizations
  
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• Obama, Pence to Capitol as health care overhaul fight begins

  04-01-2017 07:57
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is traveling to the Capitol to give congressional Democrats advice on how to combat the Republican drive to dismantle his health care overhaul.Vice President-elect Mike Pence is meeting separately with GOP lawmakers to discuss the best way to send Obama's cherished law to its graveyard.Today's strategy sessions will come on the second day of the new, GOP-led Congress. In just 16 days, Republican Donald Trump replaces Obama at the White House.That will put the
  
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• 2016 saw highest natural disaster losses in 4 years

  04-01-2017 07:52
  
  BERLIN - A leading insurer says that last year saw the highest costs from natural disasters since 2012, with a pair of earthquakes in Japan in April accounting for the heaviest losses.Munich Re says in an annual survey today that losses from natural disasters totaled $175 billion last year, some $50 billion of which was covered by insurance.The earthquakes on Japan's southern Kyushu island caused $31 billion worth of damage, with $6 billion of the costs covered by insurance. Floods in China in J
  
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• 'Mortified' Mariah Carey discusses 'horrible New Year's Eve'

  04-01-2017 07:50
  
  Mariah Carey says she was "mortified" in "real time" during her disastrous live performance just before the ball dropped on ABC's "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve."Carey spoke to Entertainment Weekly in her first interview since the show in which she stumbled through her songs. At many points she stopped singing, even while a prerecorded vocal track played in the background.Carey's publicist blamed show producer Dick Clark Productions earlier this week for not addressing technical difficulti
  
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• 4 dead following plane crash in rugged Arizona mountains

  04-01-2017 07:45
  
  PAYSON, Ariz. - Searchers in Arizona have found the bodies of four members of a family in the wreckage of a small plane.It crashed on a flight from Scottsdale to Telluride, Colorado.The plane had been reported missing Monday night, but officials say they don't yet know the cause of the crash.Killed were 44-year-old lawyer Eric Falbe of Scottsdale, his wife and Falbe's 14- and 12-year-old daughters from a previous marriage.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Sentencing phase begins in Dylann Roof trial

  04-01-2017 07:42
  CHARLESTON, S.C. - The sentencing phase begins today in Charleston, South Carolina, for Dylann Roof, the 22-year-old convicted in the slayings of nine black worshippers at a Charleston church.The jury that convicted Roof now will decide whether he'll get the death penalty or life in prison.Roof is representing himself but has said he plans to call no witnesses or introduce any evidence.Permalink| Comments
  
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• I-10 EB now open on the MS River Bridge

  04-01-2017 07:36
  
  BATON ROUGE - All lanes are now open on I-10 eastbound on the Mississippi River Bridge.Wednesday morning, the right lane was blocked on I-10 eastbound at the top of the Mississippi River Bridge due to a breakdown.The delay from this incident remains to LA 415.News 2's Ashley Fruge is monitoring the roadways during Good Morning America. We will have updates on WBRZ.com and Twitter.All lanes open on MS River Brigde. Delay to LA 415 in Lobdell.— WBRZ Traffic (@WBRZtraffic) January 4, 2017
  
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• LA 1 is now open

  04-01-2017 06:12
  
  BRUSLY - LA 1 is now open.Wednesday morning,  LA 1 southbound was closed at Riverside Drive due to a major accident.News 2's Ashley Fruge is monitoring the roadways this morning on 2une In. We will have updates on WBRZ.com and Twitter.Permalink| Comments
  
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