Baton Rouge news

• Chemical leak in Ascension Parish contained

  18-01-2017 21:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Hazmart crews have contained a hydrochloric acid leak in Ascension Parish, and emergency responders have been working to neutralize the chemical.A hazmat team was called to the scene on Ashland Road near Highway 30. Someone working along the railroad reported the leak coming from a rail car.Officials with the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, and everything within a one-mile radius, was evacuated as a precaution. Ashland Road was also s
  
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• Traffic diverted on Siegen Lane following crash

  18-01-2017 21:15
  
  BATON ROUGE - A crash on Siegen Lane has forced law enforcement to divert traffic while they investigate.The crash happened at Siegen Lane and N. Mall Drive. Two vehicles were involved. It is unclear if there are any injuries.Traffic was being diverted through N. Mall Drive while law enforcement worked on scene.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Key players in Iran nuke deal aim message at Trump: It works

  18-01-2017 19:50
  
  UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations, the European Union and key players in the Iran nuclear agreement are delivering a united message aimed at U.S. President-elect Donald Trump: The deal is working and must be maintained to keep Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
      
  Speaker after speaker at a U.N. Security Council meeting Wednesday on implementation of the deal stressed its historic nature and its success after its first year.
      
  Wh
  
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• Vegas hotel dumps designer after Melania Trump remark

  18-01-2017 19:27
  
  LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas hotel has stopped selling a famous fashion designer's products following a hubbub over whether he would dress President-elect Donald Trump's wife, Melania.
      
  Wynn Las Vegas spokesman Michael Weaver confirmed the hotel removed the Tom Ford line of cosmetics and sunglasses from its stores over the weekend, but declined to say why.
      
  Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel that hotel owner Steve Wynn "said
  
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• Plumbing company sends lien notices to flood victims

  18-01-2017 17:56
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - Some people still rebuilding after the flood are getting a disturbing letter in the mail. They're being threatened with a property lien.It's been mailed to a few dozen "FEMA Recipients," or people with manufactured housing units. The letter is from a plumbing company in Shreveport, Lane Mays Plumbing, LLC. The company tells 2 On Your Side it's owed about $150,000 and needs to pay employees for their work.The issue is between two sub-contractors. The other sub-contractor
  
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• Harambe's matriarch grandmother dies at Zoo Miami

  18-01-2017 17:54
  
  MIAMI - Zoo Miami's matriarch gorilla, Josephine, who was grandmother to the internet-famous Harambe, has died.The zoo announced on social media that the 49-year-old ape was euthanized Wednesday morning, saying she had been suffering from several health issues that slowly incapacitated her.Josephine was born in the wild in March 1967 and arrived at Zoo Miami in March 1983.The Miami Herald reports that Josephine gave birth to her first offspring, a male named Moja, in 1984. He was the first goril
  
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• State shuts down driving school that left students out in the cold

  18-01-2017 17:36
  
  GONZALES- The State Office of Motor Vehicles revoked the license of a local driving school after it fell behind on 3,000 students waiting to take the driving portion of their education.
  Stephen Cherry is still dizzy from the ride he says he went on with Smart Start Driving School.
  "I've had a very difficult experience, and I know there are others out there," Cherry said.
  His 16-year-old daughter, Taylor completed the classroom portion of her driver's education. However, when she went to finish h
  
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• How to improve your sex drive without breaking the bank

  18-01-2017 17:19
  
  TRENTON, N.J. - For many older couples, fun in the bedroom requires help from prescription drugs, but prices of popular brand-name sexual dysfunction drugs have tripled since 2010 and insurance coverage is spotty.Doctors who specialize in treating impotence and women's sexual problems say some patients say they're forgoing sex because medicines are unaffordable.However, experts say couples needn't choose between abstinence and breaking the bank. Here are some strategies:CHECK YOUR POLICYFor wome
  
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• Houma man pleads guilty to child pornography charges

  18-01-2017 16:41
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A Houma man pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment for possession of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children under the age of 12.According to U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite, 31-year-old Michael Chauvin was arrested on Aug. 7, 2015 after police seized several devices, including  a laptop computer, a smart phone, four external hard drives, and two thumb drives containing images and videos of child pornography. Forensic evidence showed that Chauvin
  
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• Two men indicted on murder charges after Pierre Part heroin overdose

  18-01-2017 16:05
  
  DONALDSONVILLE – Authorities say two men have been indicted on murder charges after a Pierre Part man died of a heroin overdose in July.According to District Attorney Ricky L. Babin, a grand jury returned a true bill of indictment for second degree murder on 38-year-old Reid Leonard and 40-year-old Broderick Scott.Only July 20, deputies found the body of 26-year-old Chase Gaudet at his home on N Bay Road in Pierre Part. Investigators believe Gaudet and Leonard went to Scott’s
  
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• Man breaks into ex's home, gets into fist fight

  18-01-2017 15:51
  
  PIERRE PART - Police arrested a man Monday for breaking into his estranged domestic partner's home and getting into a fist fight on Jan. 10.Assumption Parish Police say 45-year-old Randy Hebert sent threatening text messages to the victim before driving to her Lee Drive home. Hebert then forcibly entered the victim's home before getting into a physical altercation with the victim's male friend. Hebert left the area after the fight.The victim says that she and Hebert have been separated
  
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• Man accused of breaking into shed, pawning stolen items

  18-01-2017 15:42
  
  LABADIEVILLE – Deputies in Assumption Parish say a Labadieville man is accused of breaking into a relative's shed then later trying to pawn the stolen belongings.Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon said 54-year-old Lenny Richard was charged with simple burglary.Falcon said deputies responded to a complaint on Jan. 3 about a shed burglary in Labadieville that happened in November. During the investigation, Richard was identified after trying to pawn stolen items at a Lafourche Paris
  
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• Foreclosed Pa. mall once valued at $190M is auctioned for $100

  18-01-2017 15:13
  
  TARENTUM, Pa. - A Pennsylvania mall that was foreclosed on after its owners failed to repay $143 million has been auctioned off for $100.Wells Fargo Bank was owed the money from a 2006 loan and submitted the winning bid for the 1.1 million-square-foot Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills on Wednesday. The bank was acting as trustee for MSCI 2007 HQ11, the trust that bought the mall in suburban Frazer Township.Wells Fargo foreclosed last year on the mall, which opened in 2005. The mall once was worth $19
  
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• USDA announces stricter animal welfare rules for eggs, meat

  18-01-2017 15:04
  
  WASHINGTON - Organic meat and egg producers will have to abide by stricter animal welfare standards under a new rule announced by the Agriculture Department.The rule announced Wednesday is a victory for animal rights groups two days before President Barack Obama leaves office. The regulations will ensure that organically grown livestock have enough space to lie down, turn around, stand up and fully stretch their limbs. Poultry will have enough room to move freely and spread their wings. Beaks ca
  
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• Washington U. class focuses on Kanye West

  18-01-2017 14:58
  
  ST. LOUIS - A new course at Washington University in St. Louis is focused on the world of Kanye West.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 75 students are registered for "Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics," which began this week. There's a waiting list to get in.The professor, Jeffrey McCune, says he course focused on the rapper, producer and fashion designer offers a way for students to connect issues of politics, race, gender, sexuality and culture.It's not the first
  
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• Report: rat causes power outage, closes Orleans criminal court

  18-01-2017 14:50
  
  NEW ORLEANS - An Entergy spokesperson says a rodent caused a power outage at the Orleans Parish criminal court, forcing the court to close Wednesday.According to a WWLTV report, a rat or rodent made contact with an arrester, a piece of equipment that protects the building against power surges. Crews are still working to confirm the cause of the outage.People scheduled for jury duty or other business at the court were unable to attend due to the outage. Administrators say they are hopefu
  
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• Rogue cow injures Mississippi woman before being recaptured

  18-01-2017 14:12
  
  NATCHEZ, Miss. - Police have recaptured a rogue cow that roamed near Natchez, Mississippi, for three months, but not before the runaway animal seriously injured a woman.Emmett Robson tells The Natchez Democrat that his sister, Dorothy Echols, was raking leaves outside her home Monday when the cow "ran her over."Robson says Echols was hospitalized and likely will require hip replacement surgery.The cow, missing for three months, showed up Sunday on the city's south side, along U.S. 61. T
  
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• Obama says Trump should push Russia on nukes

  18-01-2017 13:57
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to continue trying to persuade Russia to reduce its nuclear stockpiles.In his final press conference as president Wednesday, Obama said that he tried to negotiate further reducing nuclear arsenals with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he says Putin was reluctant.Obama is also calling on the next administration to lead by example and work to prevent big countries from "bullying" smaller countries.He says that impl
  
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• Photos: Governor, Pope meet at the Vatican Wednesday

  18-01-2017 13:54
  
  VATICAN CITY – The Vatican released pictures of Governor John Bel Edwards interacting with Pope Francis Wednesday.Photos published by the Vatican indicate the meeting happened on January 18th. It's not clear at what time the meeting happened – the Vatican is about 7 hours ahead of local Baton Rouge time – but, on the Vatican's website, it shows the pope was available for a general audience meeting with a group at 10:00. The pictures with the governor are shared unde
  
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• Drug dealer resists arrest, tells passenger to destroy evidence

  18-01-2017 13:43
  
  HAMMOND - Two men were arrested during a traffic stop after Deputies say they found a bag of illegal drugs in their car.According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, a deputy stopped Michael Nelson Jr., 28, of Tickfaw, at the intersection of Wardline Road and Crapanzano Road Saturday night. Upon approaching the vehicle, deputies noticed a clear bag of suspected illegal drugs on the driver's side floorboard in plain view.Deputies say Nelson resisted arrest, but was quickly detained along w
  
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• Court upholds rule dividing Gulf red snapper season

  18-01-2017 13:29
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court ruling means there will continue to be different red snapper fishing limits in federal Gulf of Mexico waters for charter fishing boats and recreational anglers who have their own boats.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans refused Tuesday to strike down a federal rule that was supported by charter owners and opposed by an organization representing private anglers.Private anglers have been limited to only nine days of red snapper fishing in fed
  
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• New Orleans expanding plans for new airport terminal

  18-01-2017 13:25
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the city is expanding plans for a terminal being built to replace the international airport's current one, built in 1959.He says increased flights and passengers prompted the change in plans from 30 gates to 35.Officials say that will add $110 million to the terminal scheduled to open in October 2018. Contracts signed in 2015 called for a $598 million terminal, with design and engineering, a new access road and other costs bringing the total to
  
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• Tangipahoa program aims to help teens, young adults return to school

  18-01-2017 13:11
  
  HAMMOND - A program in Tangipahoa Parish will soon help teenagers and young adults who left school before earning a diploma.The Tangipahoa Parish Graduation Alliance is an initiative for people between the ages of 14 and 20 who don’t yet have a high school diploma or GED. Students are paired with a mentor, 24/7 tutors and a local advocate to help them overcome personal obstacles.The program is free and provides students with a laptop to use for coursework.“We give ou
  
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• Sen. John Kennedy named to three U.S. Senate subcommittees

  18-01-2017 13:07
  
  WASHINGTON – Louisiana’s newest U.S. Senator, Republican John Kennedy, has been named to three subcommittees of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.According to a statement released Wednesday, Kennedy’s assignments are:                Housing, Transportation and Community Development  &nbs
  
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• EPA nominee says climate change is real

  18-01-2017 12:54
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump's choice to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that climate change is real, breaking with both the president-elect and his own past statements.Pressed by Democrats at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said he disagreed with Trump's past statements that global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese to harm the economic competitiveness of the United States.Pruitt has previously cast doubt on the extensive body
  
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• $450k bond set for accused Doe's Eat Place shooter

  18-01-2017 12:46
  
  BATON ROUGE – A Judge has set a $450,000 bond for the man accused of shooting a man outside a popular Government Street restaurant last week.Reginald Tyler Brown turned himself in Monday and was charged with three counts of attempted first degree murder, police say.James is accused of shooting a restaurant patron outside Doe’s Eat Place on Government Street Thursday night. The victim was shot in the torso while in a truck with his wife and child. The family sped to t
  
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• Storms cause severe flooding in Houston

  18-01-2017 12:44
  
  HOUSTON, Tx. - Severe storms have caused dangerous amounts of flood water in the Houston area.A flash flood warning has been issued for parts of Harris, Fort Bend, and Wharton counties. High water levels have slowed traffic on I-45 and multiple roadways are impassable due to the flooding. Several parts of Houston's METRORail service has also been suspended.According to KTRK, up to 6" of rain is expected across the Houston area.A list of high water locations in the area can be f
  
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• Police: No plans to arrest man for fatal shooting at Slidell-area home

  18-01-2017 12:30
  
  SLIDELL - St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith says investigators don't plan to arrest a 24-year-old Slidell man who shot and killed another man outside his house.He says results of the autopsy on 22-year-old Seth Flores back up Shane Hicks' statement that he was protecting himself from a man who rushed him and backed him up against his front door.Detectives learned that Flores' girlfriend had called 911 about 10 minutes earlier, because he had attacked her and her mother. The girlfriend told
  
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• Dunans, Auburn hold off LSU for 78-74 victory

  18-01-2017 12:22
  
  AUBURN, Ala. - T.J. Dunans scored 12 points, including a jump shot with 38 seconds left, and Auburn held off LSU 78-74 Wednesday night.
      
  Auburn (12-6, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) lost most of a 15-point second-half lead before regrouping. Auburn, which had lost four of its last five games, had five players score in double digits.
      
  Aaron Epps helped LSU (9-8, 1-5) close to within two points several times down the stretch but the visit
  
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• Obama expected to defend Manning decision at news conference

  18-01-2017 12:08
  
  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is expected to defend his decision to shorten the sentence of convicted leaker Chelsea Manning when he holds his final news conference on Wednesday.Obama plans to answer reporters' questions at the White House, two days before he leaves office.Manning asked Obama last November to commute her 35-year sentence for giving classified government and military documents to the WikiLeaks website.Manning, who was known as Bradley Manning at the time of her arrest, is m
  
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• Final Ringling Bros. show at Nassau Coliseum sells out

  18-01-2017 11:41
  
  UNIONDALE - Officials with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey say the iconic traveling circus' final show at the newly renovated Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island is sold out.An announcement was made last week that the "Greatest Show on Earth" would be shutting down this spring after touring for nearly 150 years.The circus will be at the arena in Uniondale for 16 performances from May 12-21.Newsday reports (http://nwsdy.li/2iHnXtc) that seats normally going for $23.75 in the v
  
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• Man tried to set himself on fire at Trump hotel

  18-01-2017 11:36
  
  WASHINGTON - A man was taken to a hospital after he says he tried to light himself on fire outside the Trump International Hotel in Washington as a protest.A police incident report states that an officer saw a person set himself on fire Tuesday night and called for an ambulance. D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Vito Maggiolo says an ambulance was sent to the area of the Pennsylvania Avenue hotel.Maggiolo says a man with burn injuries was taken to a hospital with potentially serious, but not
  
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• 'Grave Digger' driver hurt in crash at monster truck rally

  18-01-2017 11:29
  
  TAMPA - The driver of famed monster truck Grave Digger is recovering following a crash at a Florida rally over the weekend.Fan video shows the truck landing upside down while attempting to do a flip at the "Monster Jam" event at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Saturday night. The show was stopped while medical personal responded to driver Dennis Anderson.Monster Jam promoter Feld Entertainment says in a statement that "medical care professionals tended to Anderson on site and then transported him
  
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• Video of giant alligator draws crowds to Florida preserve

  18-01-2017 11:25
  
  LAKELAND - Video of a massive alligator caught walking through a Florida nature reserve in front of stunned onlookers has prompted crowds of people hoping to catch their own glimpse.The video taken by a visitor to the Circle B Bar Reserve on Sunday shows the gator estimated to be about 12-feet long lumbering across a trail.WFLA-TV reports officials are concerned the increased attention brought on by the video could pose a danger to the gators. Polk County Natural Resources Director Jeff Spence s
  
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• Chief of staff: George H.W. Bush hospitalized in Houston

  18-01-2017 11:17
  
  HOUSTON - A spokesman for former President George H.W. Bush says the 92-year-old was taken to the hospital over the weekend for shortness of breath.Spokesman Jim McGrath says in an email to The Associated Press that Bush has responded well to treatments and that doctors are pleased with his progress. McGrath says the oldest living U.S. president was taken to the hospital on Saturday and he hopes that he can go home soon.Bush served as U.S. president from 1989 to 1993. He has a form of Parkinson'
  
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• Mother intervenes after man attempts to sexually assault 13-year-old girl

  18-01-2017 09:58
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police booked a man Wednesday for attempting to sexually assault a teenaged girl in September.According to police, Derrick Anthony, 18, forcefully pushed down a 13-year-old girl behind a residence on Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive in the early morning of Sept. 28, 2016. Anthony then attempted to kiss and undress the victim.The victim's mother soon went looking for her daughter and intervened when she found Anthony attempting to undress the girl. Anthony was an acquainta
  
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• John Legend, Carrie Underwood, Metallica set to play Grammys

  18-01-2017 09:28
  
  LOS ANGELES - John Legend, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Metallica are set to perform at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles next month.Underwood and Urban are both up for Grammys this year. Underwood's "Church Bells" and Urban's "Blue Ain't Your Color" are nominated for best country solo performance. Urban's "Ripcord" is also up for best country album. Metallica singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich are nominated for best rock song for "Hardwired."Additional acts will be named ahead of
  
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• Jerry Seinfeld series, specials coming to Netflix under deal

  18-01-2017 07:47
  
  LOS ANGELES - Jerry Seinfeld and Netflix have announced a deal that will bring the star's interview show "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" to the streaming service later this year.Netflix says new episodes of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" will premiere in late 2017 and previous episodes will also be made available. The show has streamed on Crackle since its debut in 2012.Seinfeld will also film two new stand-up specials for Netflix to be released later this year. In addition, Netflix says
  
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• 3 large earthquakes hit central Italy in an hour

  18-01-2017 07:43
  
  ROME - There are no immediate reports of casualties after three earthquakes hit central Italy in the space of an hour today.The U.S. Geological Survey says the first quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 hit the region north of Amatrice (ah-mah-TREE'-cheh), which was shaken by three quakes last year, that killed nearly 300 people and caused significant damage to older buildings.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Russia extends residence permit for Snowden

  18-01-2017 07:40
  
  MOSCOW - Russian authorities have extended a residence permit for U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked thousands of secret documents from the National Security Agency.The Russian Foreign Ministry says Snowden's residence permit has been extended for "a couple of years."He's been living in Russia since 2013 when he got stuck in the transit area at a Moscow airport after the United States canceled his passport.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Death toll in northern Mali attack rises above 50

  18-01-2017 07:37
  
  GAO, Mali -The death toll in northern Mali attack has raised above 50, with more than 100 wounded, according to the military.This comes after a vehicle packed with explosives targeted a camp housing armed groups in northern Mali.A local official says this morning's blast hit the Joint Operational Mechanism base in the city of Gao.The base houses hundreds of fighters including members of armed groups that signed Mali's 2015 peace agreement.The camp also houses Malian soldiers.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Fugitive wanted in officer's fatal shooting captured

  18-01-2017 07:30
  
  ORLANDO, Fla. - Police say the man wanted in the fatal shootings of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and an Orlando police officer was wearing body armor and armed with two handguns when he was arrested at an abandoned house Tuesday night.Police say 41-year-old Markeith Loyd was taken into custody after the home was surrounded by SWAT officers.There had been an intense manhunt since Orlando Lt. Debra Clayton was gunned down Jan. 9.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Miss USA hopes Trump can unify Americans after divisive vote

  18-01-2017 07:26
  
  MANILA, Philippines - The U.S. candidate in the Miss Universe pageant says she did not vote for Donald Trump but hopes the president-elect can unify Americans at a "nerve-wracking" point in U.S. history.Deshauna Barber, a 27-year-old Army officer from the District of Columbia, expressed confidence Wednesday that America can hurdle its political difficulties after "one of the most controversial elections I've ever seen in my life."Barber is among 86 candidates vying for the Miss Universe crown on
  
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