Baton Rouge news

• Australian PM won't comment on report of terse Trump call

  01-02-2017 21:39
  
  CANBERRA, Australia - Australia's prime minister says his country's relationship with the United States remains "very strong" and has refused to comment on a newspaper report that an angry President Donald Trump cut short their first telephone call as national leaders.
      
  At the heart of the weekend conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was a deal struck with the Obama administration that would allow mostly Muslim refugees rejected by Austral
  
  Read more

• Pork industry says not to worry about a bacon shortage

  01-02-2017 21:07
  
  DES MOINES, Iowa - Pork industry experts say U.S. consumers shouldn't worry about a bacon shortage.
      
  The reassurance comes amid news that demand for bacon depleted frozen pork belly supplies in the U.S. to a record low for December. Pork bellies are the cut of the hog from which bacon is derived.
      
  But the industry is confident it can boost hog production enough to avoid any serious shortages.
      
  Steve Meye
  
  Read more

• Milo Yiannopoulos' Berkeley talk canceled after protests get heated

  01-02-2017 20:47
  
  BERKELEY, Calif. - A University of California, Berkeley official says a talk by a polarizing Breitbart News editor at the university has been canceled as protesters outside the building where the speech was to have taken place threw smoke bombs and set a fire.
      
  UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulos says officials are advising the campus to shelter in place and to stay away from the student union building, where Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak.
   &n
  
  Read more

• Deadline nears for Vernon Parish property buyout program

  01-02-2017 20:24
  
  LEESVILLE, La. -  Vernon Parish residents have until Friday to sign up for a program that will buy property damaged by last year's flooding.
      
  The program, being offered through the Vernon Police Jury and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, is being funded by a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It will offer residents living in a flood zone the fair market value for their property before March's devast
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Dad: drive-by victim was to join Army Reserves

  01-02-2017 20:19
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The father of an 18-year-old killed in a drive-by shooting in front of a New Orleans high school says his son was in Tulane University's culinary catering program and was planning to join the Army Reserves.
      
  Lawrence Williams Jr. said Lawrence Williams IV had never been in trouble.
      
  He said Wednesday that his son and a friend wanted to see Tuesday night's basketball game at Edna Karr High School, where he graduated two y
  
  Read more

• State Fire Marshal finds common bond following three fatal blazes

  01-02-2017 19:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - The State Fire Marshal says there's a common bond in three fatal fires that happened since Saturday; none of the homes had working smoke alarms.The State Fire Marshal's office says they are is still investigating three blazes. All were detrmined to be accidental in nature by investigators.The first happened Saturday around 9:00 p.m. in Batchelor. 83-year-old Irwin Charles Hopkins was found in the hallway of a scorched home during suppression efforts, according to investigators.Inve
  
  Read more

• Immigration courts to focus on detainees, not kids' cases

  01-02-2017 19:16
  
  WASHINGTON - The nation's immigration courts are making a change to focus more on deportation hearings for immigrants jailed by the federal government.
      
  Chief Immigration Judge MaryBeth Keller issued a memo Tuesday saying the top priority for immigration judges will be scheduling quick hearings for anyone who is detained. That is a change from current policy that also makes cases involving unaccompanied children and families arriving on the U.S.-Mexico border a pri
  
  Read more

• Facebook's Oculus facing $500 million bill in copyright case

  01-02-2017 19:12
  
  DALLAS - Facebook's virtual-reality subsidiary and two of its founders are facing a sobering reality after a jury hit them with a $500 million bill for infringing on the rights of a video-game maker.
      
  The verdict reached Wednesday in a Dallas federal court represents about one-fourth of the $2 billion that Facebook paid two years ago to buy Oculus, a developer of virtual-reality gear and software.
      
  The jury concluded that Oculus and c
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• FAA: No drones allowed near Super Bowl

  01-02-2017 17:54
  
  HOUSTON, Tx. - The Federal Aviation Administration is warning that drones won't be allowed in the airspace around the Super Bowl on Sunday in Houston.The FAA said in a statement Wednesday that certain aircraft operations including drones will be prohibited within a 34.5-mile radius of NRG Stadium from 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.FAA Administrator Michael Huerta says, "Drones are becoming much more popular, but they also pose certain safety risks."The FAA has produced a 20-second vide
  
  Read more

• Mayor Broome to discuss BRPD policy changes

  01-02-2017 17:49
  
  BATON ROUGE – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome will hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss changes to the Baton Rouge Police Department's policies, her office announced. Thursday's press conference will be held at 10 a.m. in the Metro Council Chambers at City Hall.Broome has been vocal about the need for change in the police department since the start of her campaign as Mayor-President. Last week, Broome met with the BRPD Police Union to discuss the future
  
  Read more

• State investigators combing through charred apartment complex

  01-02-2017 17:36
  
  BATON ROUGE- State Investigators with the Fire Marshal's Office are sifting through the charred remains of the apartment where a five-year-old girl died Tuesday night.
  The big question is whether the building was up to code. That answer likely won't come for a few days as the State Fire Marshal's Office conducts their investigation.
  The Cedarwood Apartment complex was constructed before a building-wide fire alarm or sprinklers were required. Wednesday, investigators went room by room sifting thr
  
  Read more

• Florida man charged with faking his death gets 14 years

  01-02-2017 17:19
  
  JACKSONVILLE - A Florida businessman who faked his own death to defraud insurance companies has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.The Florida Times-Union reports that 63-year-old Jose Lantigua was sentenced Wednesday in Jacksonville after he pleaded guilty to bank fraud, identity theft and other charges.The former owner of a furniture business, Lantigua and his wife told people that he had mad cow disease and was traveling to Venezuela for treatment. According to his plea agreement, he went t
  
  Read more

• Critics don't want Disney's animatronic Trump to speak

  01-02-2017 16:58
  
  ORLANDO - Some critics of President Donald Trump are so adamant in their opposition that they don't even want a fake version of him to speak.An online petition was started last week, asking Walt Disney World to keep an animatronic Trump silent in its Hall of Presidents attraction.The attraction has animatronic figures of all U.S. presidents. Recent incumbent presidents have recorded speeches for their animatronic doubles.The Change.org petition says Trump ran a campaign filled with hateful speec
  
  Read more

• House voids Obama rule on mining debris

  01-02-2017 16:32
  
  WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled House has approved a measure to scuttle an Obama-era regulation that prevents coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams.Republicans say the rule is a job killer and is poorly crafted. The measure was approved 228-194.House Speaker Paul Ryan said the stream-protection rule ignores dozens of federal, state and local regulations already in place.The Interior Department said in announcing the rule in December that it would protect 6,000
  
  Read more

• Marrero woman charged with embezzling over $500,000 via health care fraud

  01-02-2017 16:19
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A Marrero woman has been charged with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Medicaid program.Monica Sylvest, 52, embezzled $536,724 during her time as a practice administrator for a local pediatric clinic from August 2014 through September 2016. She embezzled the money in the form of medical reimbursements from the Medicaid program in connection with the delivery of and payment for health care benefits, items, and services paid to the clinic.Sylvest used a b
  
  Read more

• George H.W. and Barbara Bush to handle Super Bowl coin toss

  01-02-2017 15:37
  
  HOUSTON, Tx. - Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, will handle the pregame coin toss at the Super Bowl.NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says Wednesday that the former First Couple recently were released from Houston Methodist Hospital, where the nation's 41st president received treatment for pneumonia for more than two weeks.The former president is 92.Getting fired up for Sunday and #SuperBowl. pic.twitter.com/zlXmsZJrTM— George Bush (@GeorgeHWBush) February 1, 2017
  
  Read more

• Judge orders mental exam for Orlando shooter's widow

  01-02-2017 15:28
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge in California has declined to release the widow of the Florida nightclub shooter from jail while she awaits trial on charges of aiding her husband's terror activities.Instead, the judge ordered a mental health evaluation of 31-year-old Noor Salman and said he would consider Salman's request for release after the evaluation is complete.Salman has pleaded not guilty to supporting her husband Omar Mateen in the June 12 attack then lying to investigators about it.Auth
  
  Read more

• Inmates take hostages at Delaware correctional center

  01-02-2017 15:17
  
  DOVER, Del. - Delaware prisons have been put on lockdown following a reported hostage taking at the state's maximum security facility.The Correctional Officers Association of Delaware said in an email on Saturday that guards at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center were removing dinner trays when an inmate threatened an officer and squirted an unknown liquid on the officer's upper torso and arm.The email says about two dozen inmates had been moved to a higher security area earlier that day and
  
  Read more

• Senate confirms Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State

  01-02-2017 14:16
  
  Senators voted 56-43 largely along party lines to approve Tillerson's nomination to be the nation's chief diplomat.Most Senate Democrats opposed Tillerson's nomination, angering Republicans who considered the former Exxon Mobil CEO to be highly qualified for the post.Sen. Ben Cardin, the Foreign Relations Committee's top Democrat, says he feared Tillerson would be a "yes man" and would not be able to prevent Trump from pursuing a misguided foreign policy that leads the country "on a march of fol
  
  Read more

• Officer involved in motorcycle crash on Airline Highway

  01-02-2017 14:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge Police motorcycle officer was involved in a crash off Airline Highway Wednesday afternoon.The crash happened just before 2 p.m. at the intersection of Beechwood Street and Airline Highway. Sources tell WBRZ News 2 that the officer is in stable condition.Authorities say the officer lost control of his vehicle after running over an "imperfection" in the roadway.The officer was reportedly taken away by EMS with a police escort. Ambulance with the injured officer
  
  Read more

• 2nd suspect arrested following deadly shooting near Monroe Perkins Road

  01-02-2017 13:35
  
  LIVINGSTON – The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a second suspect wanted for first-degree murder and armed robbery following a deadly shooting near Monroe Perkins Road on Jan. 18.Deputies arrested 26-year-old Termal Scott. Scott was identified as a second suspect following the arrest of 26-year-old Thomas Fefee.The shooting resulted in the death of Corey Graham. Witnesses told deputies someone in a car fired at least five shots, one of those striking Graham in the neck. Gra
  
  Read more

• Office of Community Development asking for input from flood-affected areas

  01-02-2017 13:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - The state Office of Community Development has again scheduled a series of public meetings for Louisiana’s regions that were impacted by the historic 2016 floods. The meetings are free and no reservations are required.The meetings provide residents an opportunity to view and comment on the flood recovery homeowner, renters and small business assistance programs that were recommended by the Restore Louisiana Task Force. Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Off
  
  Read more

• Drive-by near New Orleans school kills two; packed ball game locked down

  01-02-2017 13:09
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans police say a drive-by shooting killed two men in front of a high school during a basketball game.WWL reports that Edna Karr High School's auditorium was at capacity and was locked down for more than an hour Tuesday night.Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said the men were in a car after being turned away from the game.He says the bullets apparently came from a silver sedan.Harrison says one victim died on the school lawn, the other at a hospital.School officials to
  
  Read more

• Beyonce announces she's pregnant with twins

  01-02-2017 13:05
  
  Superstar couple Beyonce and Jay-Z, also known as Shawn Carter, are expecting twins.The "Lemonade" singer announced her pregnancy via her Instagram account with a photo showing off her baby bump. She wrote:We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. - The CartersWe would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over
  
  Read more

• New Jimmy John's location opens on Essen Lane

  01-02-2017 12:42
  
  BATON ROUGE – A new Jimmy John's sandwich shop has opened at 4555 Essen Lane.The new shop marks the seventh in Baton Rouge."Our team is excited to serve fresh, fast, and tasty sandwiches to a new set of customers in the community," Kyle Wilkinson, owner, said.Wilkinson said that he plans to hire about 25 new employees for the location. Those interested in applying can click here.The new Jimmy John's will offer delivery to those inside the shop's delivery area. Customers can also order
  
  Read more

• Severe clog at Governor's Mansion fixed

  01-02-2017 12:20
  
  BATON ROUGE- Tucked behind the governor's mansion, sitting between two lakes, Capitol View Place may be one of the most upscale and politically connected neighborhoods in Baton Rouge but it still has drainage problems.Malaura Blanchard has lived in the subdivision for twenty years, her house sits on the bank of the smaller lake to the east. She said beginning in October 2015, her yard began flooding every time it rained. During the August flood her house even took on some water, which r
  
  Read more

• Petraeus says Trump order is blocking Iraqi general from US

  01-02-2017 12:14
  
  WASHINGTON - Former CIA Director David Petraeus says President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration and refugees is blocking a senior Iraqi military official from traveling to the U.S. to meet with his American counterparts.Petraeus is testifying Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee.He's telling lawmakers that Gen. Talib al-Kenani, commander of Iraq's counterterrorism forces, can't meet in person with officers from U.S. Central Command. The command in Tampa, Florida, over
  
  Read more

• May 8 trial for Tulsa officer who fatally shot unarmed man

  01-02-2017 12:14
  
  TULSA - A white Oklahoma police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year will go to trial May 8.Tulsa police officer Betty Jo Shelby was arraigned Wednesday in district court. She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the Sept. 16 death of Terence Crutcher.District Judge Doug Drummond also overruled motions by Shelby's attorneys to have the case thrown out for lack of evidence or sent back for a new preliminary hearing.Prosecutors say Shelby acted unreasonably bec
  
  Read more

• 5 children test positive for drugs; parents arrested

  01-02-2017 11:36
  
  BOSSIER CITY - Police have arrested a Bossier County couple after authorities say their five young children tested positive for illegal drugs.News outlets report that 35-year-old Shannon Michael Blake and 30-year-old Victoria Golmon Blake were arrested Monday on multiple counts of cruelty to juveniles.Police say they were contacted by someone who reported that one of the children was being abused.Investigators say the couple's five children underwent routine medical tests as part of the investig
  
  Read more

• Fire reported at abandoned house on Nebraska Street

  01-02-2017 11:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge Fire Department crews responded to a house fire on Nebraska Street Wednesday night. Crews responded to the blaze in the 2000 block on Nebraska Street near Highland Road.BRFD sources say the fire was called in by a neighbor who saw the smoke.The first firefighters on scene entered the apparent abandoned house to make sure no one was inside. Those firefighters were forced out by the flames.The power to the home had been cut, according to a crew that was
  
  Read more

• BRFD responding to house fire on Nebraska Street

  01-02-2017 11:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge Fire Department crews are responding to a house fire on Nebraska Street.Crews are responding to a blaze in the 2000 block on Nebraska Street near Highland Road.BRFD sources say the fire was called in by a neighbor who saw the smoke.The first firefighters on scene entered the apparent abandoned house to make sure no one was inside. Those firefighters were forced out by the flames.The power to the home had been cut, according to a crew on scene.Details are limited. Stay t
  
  Read more

• DA charges girlfriend of man killed by Louisiana deputies

  01-02-2017 09:49
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A woman who was in a car with her boyfriend when he was shot and killed by two pursuing Louisiana sheriff's deputies last year has been charged in connection with the actions authorities say the couple took that prompted the chase.Citing court records filed Thursday, news outlets report 23-year-old Tyshara Blouin is charged with accessory to aggravated assault with a firearm.The charge comes after authorities say Blouin's 22-year-old boyfriend, Eric Harris, pointed a gun at a group
  
  Read more

• Biden launches nonprofit

  01-02-2017 07:44
  
  WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Joe Biden is launching a nonprofit foundation aimed at promoting equal rights and opportunity.The Biden Foundation will be a platform for Biden to advance priorities he worked on in the Senate and the White House, including cancer research, military families and preventing violence against women.Biden says in a statement that the foundation aims to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and "gets a fair shot at achieving the American Dream."The foundation will
  
  Read more

• Medals for 2020 Tokyo Olympics to be made of recycled metal

  01-02-2017 07:38
  
  TOKYO - Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say metal from discarded electronic devices will be used in the production of the medals that will be awarded to athletes.Japanese citizens are being asked to give the organizing committee unwanted devices. Organizers say the program highlights the theme of sustainability and gives the whole nation a chance to participate in the preparations for the games.The organizing committee aims to collect as much as eight tons of metal which, after the product
  
  Read more

• Volkswagen to pay at least $1.2 billion for bigger diesels

  01-02-2017 07:25
  
  FRANKFURT, Germany - Volkswagen has agreed to pay at least $1.2 billion in buybacks and compensation to settle claims from U.S. owners of cars with larger diesel engines rigged to cheat on emissions tests.The proposed settlement filed last night in U.S. District Court in San Francisco covers some 75,000 Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche cars with 3.0-liter diesel engines.Owners of older models that cannot be fixed to meet pollution standards will be offered buybacks and compensation. People with cars
  
  Read more

• Orlando shooter's widow seeks jail release pending trial

  01-02-2017 07:22
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - Lawyers for the widow of the man who carried out a deadly attack at a Florida nightclub are urging a judge to release her from jail pending trial on charges she supported her husband's terroristic plans.Noor Salman's attorney will argue today in an Oakland federal court that the widow is not a threat to public safety or at risk of fleeing. Family members have pledged their homes as collateral.Salman was arrested in November at her mother's home near San Francisco. She is charged
  
  Read more

• British leader says ban is 'divisive and wrong'

  01-02-2017 07:19
  
  CAIRO - British Prime Minister Theresa May says Donald Trump's refugee ban is "divisive and wrong" - four days after she insisted it was a matter for the U.S. government.Trump's ban on citizens of seven majority Muslim nations entering the U.S. for 90 days - and all refugees for 120 days - has sparked protests in Britain, along with calls for Trump's state visit later this year to be scrapped.Asked about the travel ban at a news conference in Turkey on Saturday, May said that "the United States
  
  Read more

• Trump's secretary of state pick headed for Senate approval

  01-02-2017 07:15
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state is headed toward Senate confirmation after several Democrats crossed party lines to back the former Exxon Mobil CEO.The vote, scheduled for today, comes as tension continues to build among congressional Republicans and Democrats over Trump's executive order on immigrants and refugees.Several other votes on Trump nominees also are planned in Senate committees.Republicans say they will try anew to push nominee
  
  Read more

• Trump's high court pick heads to Capitol Hill

  01-02-2017 07:14
  
  WASHINGTON -President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, is expected to travel today to Capitol Hill.There, he will begin meetings with lawmakers, including Senate Judiciary Committee members.Republicans are standing behind Trump's selection of Gorsuch while Democrats signaled they will challenge the choice.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

Follow @BatonRougeNews_ on Twitter!