Baton Rouge news

• Denham Springs Elementary reopens after being shutdown by flooding

  05-02-2017 20:27
  
  BATON ROUGE - Thousands of schools destroyed in the August flood, thousands of families displaced, and thousands of students scattered around at different campuses. Its been months of hard times and hard work for the Livingston Parish School Board. But the wait is finally over for Denham Springs Elementary students.
  "Before the flood we had over 500 students in our school, and less than 60 of them did not flood." Principal Gail Delee said. However, Monday morning, a new beginni
  
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• Denham Springs Elementary reopens after being closed by flooding

  05-02-2017 20:27
  BATON ROUGE - Thousands of schools destroyed in the August flood, thousands of families displaced, and thousands of students scattered around at different campuses. It has been months of hard times and hard work for the Livingston Parish School Board, but the wait is finally over for Denham Springs Elementary students.
  "Before the flood we had over 500 students in our school, and less than 60 of them did not flood," Principal Gail Delee said. However, on Monday morning a new be
  
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• Impairment suspected in crash that killed two I-10 West

  05-02-2017 17:25
  
  BATON ROUGE - Two were killed in a deadly crash near the East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes line on I-10 West Sunday.Louisiana State Police Spokesperson Bryan Lee says 23-year-old Jared Cunningham of St. James, La. and 39-year-old Jeremy Jenkins of Baton Rouge were killed in the crash.The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday between mile marker 175 (LA 73) to mile marker 172 (Prairieville). Police believe Cunningham lost control of his 2008 Chevrolet Colorado and drove into t
  
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• Mold repair work beginning at Mark Twain's historic home

  05-02-2017 17:00
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. - Mold is threatening thousands of artifacts in the Mark Twain House & Museum in Connecticut.The Hartford Courant reports the "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" author's historic home in Hartford is undergoing an extensive remediation effort to clean the damage.The mold was first discovered in 2015 and impacts at least 5,000 of the museum's 16,000 artifacts, including furniture and some first editions of Twain's works.The problem was blamed on a faulty HVAC system and leaky roo
  
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• Pence: Education pick DeVos will be confirmed with his vote

  05-02-2017 15:42
  
  WASHINGTON - Vice President Mike Pence says he fully expects billionaire GOP donor Betsy DeVos will be confirmed as education secretary with his tie-breaking vote.Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Pence says the Trump administration is "very confident" she will take up her Cabinet post soon.Last week, two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said they would vote against DeVos' nomination, citing concerns from parents and teachers. Their opposition set up a 50-50
  
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• Patriots stun Falcons with comeback victory in Super Bowl LI

  05-02-2017 15:24
  
  HOUSTON - Tom Brady has a record fifth Super Bowl win for a quarterback after the biggest comeback in the game's history, and one of the greatest catches.James White ran 2 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, and the Patriots came back from 25 points down for a 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.The Patriots drove to the tying score with help from a unbelievable catch by Julian Edelman, who somehow kept the ball off the turf on a diving grab of a t
  
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• Fans start entering NRG Stadium for Super Bowl LI

  05-02-2017 15:24
  
  HOUSTON - Fans started entering NRG Stadium four hours before the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.The Patriots are going for their fifth Super Bowl in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. A win would give Brady the most Super Bowls in league history, breaking a tie with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.The Patriots have overcome Brady's four-game "Deflategate" suspension, star tight end Rob Gronkowski's season-ending back surgery and the loss of two defensive stalw
  
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• Falcons lead Patriots 21-3 in Super Bowl LI at halftime

  05-02-2017 15:24
  
  HOUSTON - The Atlanta Falcons lead the Patriots 21-3 at halftime after an uncharacteristically slow start from New England QB Tom Brady. Newly crowned NFL MVP Matt Ryan has completed 7 of 8 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.Brady, who is playing for his fifth Super Bowl ring, has completed 14 of 24 passes for 182 yards. He has one interception and no touchdowns on the night so far. The Patriots are going for their fifth Super Bowl in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. A win
  
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• Car plows through bedroom wall, couple just feet away

  05-02-2017 14:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - A family is counting their blessings after an SUV crashed through their bedroom wall just moments after they woke up Sunday morning.According top Baton Rouge Police, a Nissan Pathfinder plowed through the bedroom wall of a Garden District home and landed right on top of the couple's bed just before 9 a.m.. The young couple and their 2-year-old child were fortunate enough to not be in the bed when the vehicle came through.The man renting the home on Tulip
  
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• Mississippi pilot hospitalized after his small plane crashes

  05-02-2017 14:45
  
  VICKSBURG, Miss. - Authorities say a pilot is hospitalized after his small airplane crashed and was found upside-down in water near the Mississippi River.WJTV reports that Howard Jennings of Utica on Saturday afternoon had flown alone from a private landing strip and headed toward the river. Family members concerned about his whereabouts later notified authorities.A search began early Sunday morning in Warren County, and Jennings was found near his plane, which was upside-down in the water. Auth
  
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• No injuries after FEMA trailer fire in Central

  05-02-2017 14:35
  
  CENTRAL – It was a busy weekend for the Central Fire Department.In addition to responding to a deadly crash on Greenwell Springs road that left one dead and eight hurt, firefighters also responded to four fires over a 12-hour period.As crews worked to clear the crash and respond to two other minor fires, four fire engines were dispatched to a FEMA trailer in the 10500 block of Tallowwood Avenue. CFD reports that all occupants were able to escape the fire safely and firefighters were ab
  
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• BRFD: North Street house fire under control

  05-02-2017 13:33
  
  BATON ROUGE – Firefighters say a house fire on North Street in Baton Rouge was quickly controlled Sunday afternoon.The fire call happened just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday. By 1:40 p.m., Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesperson Mark Miles said the fire was under control.Details about how the fire was caused is still limited at this time.A WBRZ News 2 crew is en route to the location. Check back here for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Shyamalan's 'Split' leads box office for third weekend

  05-02-2017 13:23
  
  NEW YORK - M. Night Shyamalan's multiple personality thriller "Split" led the box office for a third-straight week, a fairly unprecedented streak for a low-budget horror film.According to studio estimates Sunday, "Split" came out on top again with $14.6 million in North American ticket sales, bringing the Universal Pictures release's three-week haul to $98.7 million. The film's run has come in an especially slow period at multiplexes. Hollywood traditionally bypasses Super Bowl weekend due to th
  
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• Girl, 5, killed in accidental shooting by brother, 8

  05-02-2017 13:21
  
  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Police in Florida say a 5-year-old girl was fatally shot and her 4-year-old brother wounded in an accidental shooting by their 8-year-old brother.The Florida Times-Union reports that the children were home alone in a Jacksonville apartment on Saturday afternoon when the shooting occurred.Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Chris Butler said the eldest boy fired a single shot from the gun, which killed his younger sister and gave his brother a wound that was not life-threaten
  
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• Taylor Swift's pre-Super Bowl show might be her only in 2017

  05-02-2017 13:05
  
  NEW YORK - Taylor Swift's pre-Super Bowl concert broke some news: She announced it may be her only concert of this year; she performed for the smallest number of fans in some time - 9,000 people is intimate for this pop star - and she sang her newest single live for the first time.She also made some references to football during the 90-minute show, telling the crowd about her early country-turned-pop hit, "You Belong With Me," with lyrics about high school cheerleaders, bleachers and boys."I fel
  
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• US troops stationed overseas get slice of home on Super Bowl Sunday

  05-02-2017 13:02
  
  CHICAGO - U.S. service members overseas are getting a slice of home on Super Bowl Sunday.The organization Pizzas4Patriots has shipped a thousand pounds of frozen deep-dish UNO's pizza from Chicago to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. From there, the 800 pizzas are to be heated up and distributed to U.S. troops stationed throughout the country.Pizzas4Patriots President Mark Evans says, "When you meet a soldier that's had the pizza, their eyes light up." Evans, a retired Air Force master sergeant, s
  
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• Pope prepares video message for Super Bowl

  05-02-2017 12:49
  
  VATICAN CITY - Look out, Lady Gaga. The pope is joining the Super Bowl frenzy.Pope Francis has recorded a video message that will be shown during Sunday's Super Bowl game between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.A Vatican spokesman says the message is expected to be played on the screen at NRG Stadium in Houston either before the game or during the first quarter.In the message, the pope says he hopes the Super Bowl will be "a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity for the world
  
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• Building destroyed by fire at site of planned movie studio

  05-02-2017 12:36
  
  MARRERO, La. - Authorities say a 1920s-era building on property in Marrero that was being transformed into a movie production facility has been destroyed by fire.NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports that Jefferson Parish firefighters were called to the art deco building shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday.James Bohman of the Marrero-Ragusa Volunteer Fire Department estimated that around 10 units from four local fire departments battled the enormous blaze. He said a cause hasn't been determined.Tom Conr
  
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• Britain to mark Queen Elizabeth II's record 65-year reign

  05-02-2017 12:32
  
  LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II is poised for another historic milestone, an unprecedented 65 years on the throne.But Buckingham Palace says Britain's longest-serving monarch plans to spend Monday's ceremonies far from the spotlight in somber contemplation of her late father.Official commemorations of Elizabeth's Sapphire Jubilee are expected to feature ceremonial cannon fusillades at a central London park and at the riverside Tower of London as well as a procession of military horses pulling World
  
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• What the Fluff? An American lunchbox icon is turning 100

  05-02-2017 12:29
  
  SOMERVILLE, Mass. - Fluff turns 100 this year.The marshmallow concoction that has been smeared on a century's worth of schoolchildren's sandwiches has inspired a festival and other sticky remembrances.Every year, between 5 million and 7 million pounds of the sticky cream invented in suburban Boston in 1917 is produced and sold worldwide. Half of that is bought up by New Englanders and people in upstate New York.Fluff came of age in the 1960s, when generations of schoolchildren started clamoring
  
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• Police: Walmart customer fatally shoots suspected thief

  05-02-2017 12:25
  
  ORLANDO, Fla. - Police say a customer at a Walmart store in Florida fatally shot a man who was among a group suspected of stealing two carts full of merchandise.The Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the shooting occurred Saturday after suspects left the store with stolen items.Sheriff's Capt. A.L. Nieves says the men were loading the merchandise into a car when a worker and a customer who came to the employee's aid confronted them.Nieves says the customer was armed and fire
  
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• South Mississippi wildfire burns hundreds of acres

  05-02-2017 12:22
  
  LONG BEACH, Miss. - Authorities say firefighters over the weekend were able to contain a brush fire north of Long Beach after the blaze consumed an estimated 500 acres of fields and woods.The Sun Herald reports that the fire initially began Tuesday, then rekindled in dry brush on Saturday and threatened four homes.Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said fire crews were able to stop the blaze from approaching the homes.Sullivan said firefighters from several departments brought the blaze und
  
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• DOTD seeking private investors to help upgrade Interstate 10

  05-02-2017 12:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana is seeking to use a new financing method to upgrade Interstate 10 in the Baton Rouge area.The state Department of Transportation and Development is soliciting information from private investors willing to put up money for the roadwork. In exchange, they would get long-term payments from the state, either through tolls or some other revenue source.The arrangement is known as a public-private partnership. DOTD says it's the first time Louisiana has considered it for road or
  
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• Camellia gardens to open the weekend of Feb. 18.

  05-02-2017 12:08
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Camellia gardens will be on display on both shores of Lake Pontchartrain the weekend of Feb. 18.On Saturday the 18th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holds an annual open house at the Lacombe headquarters for its Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex . The site, with 400 varieties of camellias, azaleas and other native plants, once was called "Bayou Gardens."Visitors can join free guided tours or wander through the gardens, which are regularly open without tours.
  
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• Feds: Oceanic whitetip shark warrants 'threatened' listing

  05-02-2017 12:02
  
  PORTLAND, Maine - U.S. officials say the oceanic whitetip shark's status in the wild warrants listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.Threats to the sharks include fishing throughout the world. Also, their fins are prized in Asian markets for use in soup.Oceanic whitetips are found around the world, mostly in open water.The National Marine Fisheries Service says the sharks are likely to become endangered in all or at least a significant portion of their range "within the
  
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• Alleged Louvre attacker's father says son is not a terrorist

  05-02-2017 11:58
  
  MANSOURA, Egypt - The father of an Egyptian man accused of attacking French soldiers guarding Paris' Louvre museum says he trusts the French judiciary to find out the truth behind his son's alleged involvement.Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy tells The Associated Press late Saturday that his 28-year-old son Abdullah is not a terrorist and that he leads a normal life with his wife and infant son.Speaking at the family home in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, north of Cairo, the father said "if he is convic
  
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• Turkish police detain over 420 people in anti-IS operation

  05-02-2017 11:54
  
  ISTANBUL - Turkey's state-run agency says anti-terrorism police have detained over 420 people over alleged links to the Islamic State group.The Anadolu Agency says Sunday that 60 IS suspects, the vast majority of them foreigners, were taken into custody in the capital, Ankara. It says a total of 423 people were detained in simultaneous police operations that spanned several cities, including Istanbul and Gaziantep, near the border with Syria.The largest operation was in the southeast province of
  
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• Iran lifts ban on American wrestling team

  05-02-2017 11:52
  
  TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian media are saying the country has lifted a ban on U.S. wrestlers, allowing them to take part in the Freestyle World Cup later this month in the Iranian city of Kermanshah.The Sunday report by the semi-official Fars news agency quotes Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi as saying that the ban was lifted after the "discriminative restrictions" on Iranian nationals travelling to the U.S. was suspended by a U.S. federal judge.The wrestlers were originally banned from the
  
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