Baton Rouge news

• Veterinarian charged with plot to drug horses before races

  10-02-2017 21:22
  
  LAKE CHARLES - A Louisiana veterinarian has been charged with engaging in a scheme to influence the outcome of horse races by illegally treating horses with a synthetic drug.
      
  The federal indictment accuses the veterinarian, Kyle James Hebert, of providing trainers with mislabeled syringes of dermorphin to inject in at least four horses that competed at Louisiana racetracks. The indictment returned Thursday says Hebert told trainers that the drug would make the hor
  
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• Familys of men killed with Jose Fernandez file lawsuits

  10-02-2017 21:19
  
  MIAMI - The families of the two men who were with Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez when his boat crashed into a Miami Beach jetty - killing all three - are suing the All-Star's estate.
      
  Attorney Christopher Royer, who is representing the families of 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero and 27-year-old Emilio Jesus Macias, told the Sun Sentinel that Rivero's claim was filed Friday, and Macias' will be filed Monday. Each family is seeking $2 million.
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• Families of men killed with Jose Fernandez file lawsuits

  10-02-2017 21:19
  
  MIAMI - The families of the two men who were with Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez when his boat crashed into a Miami Beach jetty - killing all three - are suing the All-Star's estate.
      
  Attorney Christopher Royer, who is representing the families of 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero and 27-year-old Emilio Jesus Macias, told the Sun Sentinel that Rivero's claim was filed Friday, and Macias' will be filed Monday. Each family is seeking $2 million.
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• NOPD: 6 shot, 1 killed in Central City

  10-02-2017 20:28
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Police are on the scene of a shooting in Central City with 6 victims.  One of the victim, a female, has died, according to police. According to WWL, the New Orleans Police Department confirmed the shooting at Third and Dryades streets around 6:15 p.m. Initial reports by police said five victims, but police later said 6 people had been shot.According to neighbors, 2 women and 4 men were shot.  The condition of the other victims is unknown. Permali
  
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• Mother of girl killed in apartment remembers terrifying call

  10-02-2017 20:23
  
  BATON ROUGE - The mother of a 5-year-old girl who died in a blaze at an apartment complex in January says she was at work when she first got the call.Erika Garner relived the moments she learned her daughter, Treasure, was missing in a huge blaze at the Cedarwood Apartments. She was at work when she got the call."My mind was 'okay, I'm going to make it and I'm going to go in," Garner explained. "But when I made it, I relaized 'okay, no one is able to go in.'"The fire was ruled an accident after
  
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• Mother of girl killed in apartment fire remembers terrifying call

  10-02-2017 20:23
  
  BATON ROUGE - The mother of a 5-year-old girl who died in a blaze at an apartment complex in January says she was at work when she first got the call.Erika Garner relived the moments she learned her daughter, Treasure, was missing in a huge blaze at the Cedarwood Apartments. She was at work when she got the call."My mind was 'okay, I'm going to make it and I'm going to go in," Garner explained. "But when I made it, I relaized 'okay, no one is able to go in.'"The fire was ruled an accident after
  
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• Stabbing on Jefferson Ave. sends one to hospital

  10-02-2017 19:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police are responding to a stabbing on Jefferson Avenue.It happened just before 7 p.m. at a home in the 2600 block of Jefferson Avenue.BRPD sources say one person was sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries following a stabbing.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Police confirm one person taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, after a stabbing on Jefferson Ave. <a href="https:/
  
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• Man hit on head with hammer, sent to hospital

  10-02-2017 19:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man is going to the hospital after a woman attacked him with a hammer Friday evening, according to BRPD.According to BRPD officials, a female is in custody after she struck a male with a blunt object.Sources on scene say a woman hurled a hammer at the man's head on Gus Young Avenue.The man is being transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, according to officers.The female's charges are unknown at this time.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Appeals court will vote on rehearing ban ruling

  10-02-2017 19:06
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - The federal appeals court that refused to reinstate President's Donald Trump's travel ban will vote on whether to have a larger panel of judges reconsider the ruling.
      
  The chief judge of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Sidney Thomas, announced Friday that one of the court's judges had requested the vote. The judge was not named.
      
  A three-judge panel of the court a day earlier rejected the Tru
  
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• 'Anonymous' mask, homemade explosives found in FEMA trailer

  10-02-2017 17:51
  
  BATON ROUGE – Disturbing details are just coming to light about an arrest earlier this month where police found guns, drugs and homemade bombs in a FEMA trailer park.Multiple people were arrested in the bust at a FEMA disaster home on Winchester. According to arrest documents, Jordan Alexander Sergent was the prime suspect.According to police, someone threatened a security officer at the park. The guard called police and police found evidence of drugs near Sergent's housing unit. Insid
  
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• Homeowner blames sinking driveways on parish, wants them fixed

  10-02-2017 17:44
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - A homeowner in Ascension Parish says she's fed up. Her driveway is full of cracks and it's sinking.Pamela Ortis blames the parish for the problems."Something is wrong, it's obvious," she said.The problem dates back more than a decade. Ortis says it started when the parish dug ditches to fix a drainage problem around her home. It was shortly after that, the culverts started sinking. Ever so slowly, Ortis says her driveway is sinking further into the ground, creating uneven&nbsp
  
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• Looking for crawfish? There is an app for that

  10-02-2017 17:29
  
  BATON ROUGE – Just ahead of crawfish season, one family launched an app that compares prices and finds sellers for mudbugs in the area. Ryan King and his wife decided to create an app after looking for crawfish."We called around probably about an hour and a half and just looking for a good price and good crawfish and it took forever. And at some point we just decided that we needed to make a crawfish app," King, founder of The Crawfish App, said.The app makes it easier for mud
  
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• Red Stick Sound Acapella group surprises Pat

  10-02-2017 17:01
  
  A fun surprise at the end of the 4:00 news. The Red Stick Sound Men's Acapella Group surprised Pat with a performance ahead of their Valentine's Day fundraiser.The group will be providing singing valentines on February 14, traveling around Baton Rouge singing two generic love songs and providing a single red rose.The group is charging $50 if you book a singing valentine in advance. The group will travel to most locations within the Baton Rouge area.Red Stick Sound is a non-prof
  
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• Gov. Edwards requests disaster declaration for 5 parishes following tornadoes

  10-02-2017 16:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a federal disaster declaration for five parishes following tornadoes that struck the area on Feb. 7.Edwards requested the declaration to include assistance for Orleans, Ascension, Livingston, Jefferson and St. James Parishes. The requests are based on preliminary data from FEMA's damage assessment teams.At least six tornadoes struck southeast Louisiana on Feb. 7. Edwards declared a state of emergency
  
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• Woman arrested for stealing purse in casino parking lot, tries to flee

  10-02-2017 16:31
  
  BATON ROUGE – A woman was arrested for stealing a purse while at the Belle of Baton Rouge casino and trying to flee from arresting officers in her car.Karisa Jones, 34, was arrested on charges of burglary, resistance, resistance by force or violence and aggravated escape.On Feb. 9, Jones was seen on surveillance video taking a purse from a vehicle in the casino parking garage. Jones was taken to the State Police Office at the casino and stated that she took the purse from the vehicle,
  
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• Standoff ends with search of empty house

  10-02-2017 16:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police were in a standoff for nearly two hours with apparently no one after reports of shots being fired on Hammond Street.Authorities were called to the home near the corner of Hammond and St. Katherine near the Airline/Greenwell intersection for reports of a man firing shots randomly.  From about 4:00 to just after 5:30, authorities stood outside the home, trying to coax the suspected shooter out.  Eventually, a special team went inside, searched the house and f
  
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• South Carolina contractor arrested for fraud following August flood repairs

  10-02-2017 15:51
  
  ASCENSION – A South Carolina contractor was arrested for fraud in connection to repair work following the August flood.The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office arrested 49-year-old Gregory Gager for residential contractor fraud and engaging in business of contracting without a license.On Nov. 5, deputies received a complaint from a Prairieville homeowner who stated that she hired Gager to repair her home after the August flood. The contract was signed in September for repairs tot
  
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• With Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Louisiana again weighs oil, environment

  10-02-2017 15:26
  
  $670 million, 162-mile project would cut through Atchafalaya Basin, largest U.S. wetland
  
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• New details on how murder suspect was tracked to Florida

  10-02-2017 15:22
  
  LIVINGSTON – Documents obtained by WBRZ from a Florida sheriff's office revealed new details into how a man wanted for murder in Livingston Parish was captured in Florida in January.The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office charged 26-year-old Thomas Fefee with first-degree murder and armed robbery.On Jan. 18 in the 10000 block of Monroe Perkins Road the victim, Corey Graham, was found fatally shot six times at the home of another man. The homeowner was questioned and st
  
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• Richmond asks Trump to issue disaster declaration for New Orleans

  10-02-2017 15:10
  
  BATON ROUGE – Rep. Cedric Richmond has asked President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration after an EF-3 tornado damaged homes in New Orleans.In a statement released Friday, Richmond said the declaration is needed to allow federal resources to help New Orleans residents impacted by Tuesday’s severe weather.“There are hard-working American people whose homes and lives have been destroyed through no fault of their own,” Richmond said. “We
  
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• Trump says 'no doubt' he'll win immigration case

  10-02-2017 13:42
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says he has "no doubt" that he will prevail in the federal court case over his travel ban.He also promises to take additional steps to improve U.S. security.Trump commented a day after a San Francisco-based U.S. appeals court refused to reinstate his temporary ban on travel to the U.S. by refugees and residents of seven mostly Muslim countries in the name of national security.Speaking at a White House news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Tr
  
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• LSU softball to open 2017 season at Tiger Classic

  10-02-2017 13:23
  
  BATON ROUGE – The LSU softball team, ranked number 4, opens the 2017 regular season on Friday afternoon to take part in the Tiger Classic.The Tigers will take on McNeese State, Oklahoma State and Penn State at Tiger Park Friday through Sunday.The team returns with Head Coach Beth Torina, 15 letterwinners, five positional starters and all three starting pitchers. The team went 52-18 overall last season and qualified for the the Women's College World Series for the second consecutive sea
  
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• Jefferson Parish lawmaker running to be Louisiana treasurer

  10-02-2017 13:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Another state lawmaker has entered the race to be Louisiana's state treasurer.Republican Rep. Julie Stokes, an accountant from Jefferson Parish, announced Friday that she will be a candidate on the Oct. 14 ballot.Stokes, in her second House term, has been vocal in seeking an overhaul of Louisiana's tax laws. She's chaired a sales tax streamlining commission as part of that work.In a statement, Stokes described herself as a "nerd when it comes to studying fiscal policies and finding
  
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• Contractor accused of defrauding flood victims released on bond

  10-02-2017 11:36
  
  BATON ROUGE – The contractor accused of defrauding thousands of dollars from residents in the wake of August’s flooding has posted bond.According to prison records, 39-year-old Matthew Morris was released from Ascension Parish Jail Friday after posting a $635,000 bond. Morris used a bailbonds service out of Baton Rouge. Morris is accused of defrauding 13 victims, six of whom are over the age of 60 years old. Investigators say the victims signed a contract with Morris
  
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• Denham Springs woman accused of leaving abused dogs to die in flood

  10-02-2017 11:15
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – Deputies in Livingston Parish are looking for a Denham Springs woman accused of leaving her abused dogs to die in August’s historic flooding.According to the Humane Society of Louisiana, Mary Dupepe is wanted for simple cruelty of animals.On Aug. 18, days after historic floodingin the area, relief workers rescued multiple dogs from a home on Sweet Bay Street in Denham Springs. Inside the home, workers found “horrible conditions” where seve
  
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• Krewe of Orion prepares for 2017 debut

  10-02-2017 11:11
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Krewe of Orion is set to kick off carnival season Saturday night at 6:30 pm. The all-male organization has 18 floats loaded and ready to make the journey from St. Gabriel to downtown Baton Rouge Saturday morning. The krewe’s captain, Darren Coates, is ready for the festivities.“Being able to bring people together, not just the citizens of Baton Rouge but the outlying areas,” Coates said. “So for us, that’s exciting.&am
  
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• Tom Price confirmed as Trump health secretary

  10-02-2017 08:58
  
  Republicans won Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump's choice for health secretary early Friday in the testy chamber's fourth consecutive brawl over Cabinet picks.
  
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• Trump calls 9th Circuit Court decision 'disgraceful'

  10-02-2017 08:32
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is lashing out at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision against reinstating his refugee and immigration order, calling it "a disgraceful decision."Trump has been pointing to a federal law that details when immigration restrictions by the president is permissible.In a tweet Friday, Trump quotes an article by Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of the Lawfare blog.It reads, "Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this (the
  
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• Rosie O'Donnell mirrors Steve Bannon in new Twitter pic

  10-02-2017 08:29
  
  NEW YORK - After saying she'd like to play President Donald Trump's controversial adviser Steve Bannon on "Saturday Night Live," comedienne Rosie O'Donnell has apparently changed her Twitter profile picture to make herself look like him.O'Donnell's offer to play the chief strategist came after actress Melissa McCarthy's caustic portrayal of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on "SNL" last weekend.O'Donnell's new Twitter picture appears to be a digitally altered picture of Bannon with her fa
  
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• Florida officer who mistook doughnut glaze for drugs disciplined

  10-02-2017 07:42
  
  ORLANDO - Officials in Florida say an Orlando police officer who arrested a man after mistaking doughnut glaze for meth has been disciplined.The Orlando Sentinel reports that Cpl. Shelby Riggs-Hopkins was given a written reprimand for making an improper arrest.An internal affairs report released Thursday by the Orlando Police Department found no evidence she acted in bad faith. The report says the department never trained its officers to use the department-issued roadside drug tests.Daniel Rushi
  
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• PHOTOS: Large fire destroys Blind River Bar in Livingston Parish

  10-02-2017 06:58
  
  MAUREPAS – Firefighters say a large fire caused "substantial damage" to the Blind River Bar in Livingston Parish Friday morning.St. Amant Fire Chief James Leblanc said the fire has been extinguished and firefighters are now moving to clear up potential hotspots. Firefighters responded to the scene around 5:30 a.m. Initial reports said that there was a large fire at Blind River Bar that was spreading to nearby structures.Leblanc said the fire spread from Blind River Bar to two other nea
  
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• Trump travel ban ruling: 7 key takeaways from the court's decision

  10-02-2017 05:54
  
  A federal appeals court panel on Thursday ruled to maintain the freeze on President Donald Trump's controversial immigration order, meaning previously barred refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries can continue entering the United States.
  
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• LIVE UPDATES: Friday traffic report

  10-02-2017 04:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - News 2's Ashley Fruge has you covered with live updates for your Friday morning commute.Beat the traffic every time using WBRZ's advanced traffic tracking technology. Click here to go to our traffic center. Tweets by WBRZtrafficPermalink| Comments
  
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