Baton Rouge news

• Alleged airport shooter lied on guard application

  13-02-2017 21:04
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The man charged with killing five people at a Florida airport lied on his application to be a security guard in Alaska, and he was fired after only a few months on the job because of the state of his mental health.The new information is contained in the security guard application Esteban Santiago filed last summer for a license from the state of Alaska so he could work at Signal 88 Security in Anchorage.The state released the application Monday to The Associated Press after i
  
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• California asks Trump for federal evacuation aid

  13-02-2017 21:00
  
  OROVILLE, Calif. - Gov. Jerry Brown is asking the Trump administration for federal assistance in responding to a potential failure of a spillway at the Oroville Dam in Northern California.In a letter to President Donald Trump released Monday, Brown asks for help for the three Northern California counties affected.Brown says aid is needed to assist the 188,000 residents of Butte, Sutter and Yuba counties who were ordered to evacuate Sunday after concerns an emergency spillway could give way, unle
  
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• Judge grants injunction against Trump travel ban in Virginia

  13-02-2017 20:56
  
  ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from implementing its travel ban in Virginia, adding another judicial ruling to those already in place challenging the ban's constitutionality.A federal appeals court in California has already upheld a national temporary restraining order stopping the government from implementing the ban, which is directed at seven Muslim-majority countries.But the preliminary injunction issued late Monday by
  
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• 8 dead, 3 missing after central China coal mine blast

  13-02-2017 20:24
  
  BEIJING - Eight people are dead and three missing after an explosion inside a coal mine in central China.The blast occurred at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Zoubao mine in Hunan province. Eighteen people escaped, according to a Tuesday statement from China's national safety regulator, the State Administration of Work Safety.The administration did not immediately identify the cause of the blast, but said the site was considered a "high gas mine." Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when
  
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• Cars catch fire in Disneyland parking structure, no injuries

  13-02-2017 20:11
  
  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Authorities say several cars caught fire in the main parking structure at Disneyland, and about a half-dozen people are being treated for smoke inhalation.Anaheim police said Monday that the fires that broke out at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure have been extinguished and firefighters are working to clear smoke. Police say the structure has been evacuated, but five to seven people are being treated for smoke inhalation.Gray smoke could be seen pouring out of the str
  
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• Ex-teacher's aide who faked cancer gets 6 months in prison

  13-02-2017 20:05
  
  CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A former Dallas-area teacher's aide who faked having cancer and took a car and donations from staff and students has been sentenced to six months in prison in a separate case in West Virginia.The Dallas Morning News reports that 56-year-old Kevin MaBone (MAY'-bone) was sentenced Monday in federal court.The newspaper said he was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay back more than $6,800 he admitted stealing from Job Corps by using a government credit
  
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• Governor Edwards opens special session to address state budget

  13-02-2017 19:44
  
  BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards opened a special session to address Louisiana's $304 million budget deficit Monday night. In his opening address, he pleaded for Republicans and Democrats to compromise in order to solve the state's budget crisis. The governor's plan, if approved, would use $119.6 million from the state's "rainy day fund" and call for $60 million in budget cuts to government agencies. The governor has specified that he aims to avoid cuts
  
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• Mexican official: no increase seen in deportations by US

  13-02-2017 19:33
  
  MEXICO CITY - Mexico's foreign relations secretary says his country has not seen any increase in deportations by U.S. authorities despite reports of immigration raids in several states.Luis Videgaray says that "as far as the numbers of deported people, we still have not seen any increase."Videgaray told the Televisa network Monday that Mexico's government has been hearing reports of raids in California, North Carolina and South Carolina from individuals and Mexican consulates.Videgaray says Mexi
  
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• Senate confirms Mnuchin as treasury secretary

  13-02-2017 19:30
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has confirmed Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary despite complaints by Democrats that the former banker ran a "foreclosure machine" when he headed OneWest Bank.The vote was 53-47 Monday night.Republicans said Mnuchin's long tenure in finance is an ample prerequisite for the Treasury job. Mnuchin is also a former top executive at Goldman Sachs.Democrats complained that Mnuchin made much of his fortune by foreclosing on families during the financial crisis.Mnuchin assembl
  
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• Mnuchin sworn in as treasury secretary

  13-02-2017 19:30
  
  WASHINGTON - Steven Mnuchin has been sworn in as the next treasury secretary.Mnuchin took the oath of office in the Oval Office Monday night.President Donald Trump says that Mnuchin spent his entire career making money in the private sector and now will go to work for the American taxpayer.Trump says Americans should know that "our nation's financial system is truly in great hands."Mnuchin was confirmed by the Senate late Monday despite strong objections from Democrats who said the former banker
  
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• Senate confirms Shulkin as VA secretary

  13-02-2017 19:22
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has confirmed physician David Shulkin to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Trump administration.The vote Monday was 100-0.Shulkin is a former Obama administration official who had served as the VA's top health official since 2015.He is the first non-veteran to lead the government's second-largest department.Shulkin has pledged a more modest approach to fixing the VA than had been suggested by Donald Trump on the campaign trail. The 57-year-old physician has ru
  
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• St. Amant High School reopens to students, flood repairs still to be done

  13-02-2017 18:26
  
  ASCENSION – St. Amant High School reopened to students on Monday for the first time since the August flood.Students were displaced by the flood for more than a semester and they were eager to return back to their campus.
  "It's really good to be back and have a little bit normalcy back," student Emily Ortiz said.For sixth months, St. Amant High students attended classes at Dutchtown High School, forcing students of both schools to do half-day schedules.
  "We've been excited for two weeks
  
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• Homeowner blames neighbor's culvert for flooding

  13-02-2017 18:08
  
  SLAUGHTER - Some neighbors are at odds over who is responsible for the flooding one area experienced in August. It surrounds a person's culvert and where it directs water.Darla Howard's home is on the lower end of the block. She moved from Texas, into a home off Port Hudson-Pride Road near the north end of East Baton Rouge Parish.Howard says water comes from the back of her home and next door. Her next door neighbors built and elevated driveway and a culvert runs through it, draining wa
  
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• Man pulls fire alarm at L'auberge Casino Hotel

  13-02-2017 17:55
  
  BATON ROUGE- A man was arrested after he deliberately pulled a fire alarm and ran from security at L'auberge Casino Hotel in January. According to an investigator, 29-year-old Marvin Charles Wink pulled a fire alarm after he was told he had to leave the casino for a security training exercise. Wink was allegedly upset he had to leave the casino for the exercise and pulled the alarm in retaliation.The investigator says surveillance video shows Wink purposely pulling one of the f
  
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• Gonzales woman dies after single-vehicle crash in Livingston Parish

  13-02-2017 17:50
  
  WATSON – A single-vehicle crash on LA 447 in Livingston Parish resulted in the death of a Gonzales woman on Monday afternoon.The crash occurred around 1 p.m. when 49-year-old Kimberly Picard was traveling eastbound on LA 1019 in a GMC Sierra, according to Louisiana State Police. Picard ran off of the right side of the road and lost control of her vehicle. Picard's vehicle continued off of the roadway and came to a stop after striking a tree on the driver's side.According to Louisiana S
  
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• Woman asks court to investigate judge's alleged racial tirade

  13-02-2017 17:05
  
  BATON ROUGE – A woman who claims to have been on the receiving end of a racial tirade by a Baton Rouge district judge will file a complaint with the judiciary system.At a news conference on the steps of the 19th Judicial District Courthouse Monday afternoon, an attorney for Kaneitra Johnson said Johnson will ask for a review of Judge Mike Erwin. The NAACP also said it is calling for Erwin to resign.Last week, Erwin was banned from Sammy's Grill after Johnson said he called her a racial
  
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• Paradis pipeline fire out; missing worker presumed dead

  13-02-2017 16:45
  
  PARADIS- A pipeline fire that broke out Thursday night in south Louisiana, injuring two people and killing one, has been extinguished.Phillips 66 said in a Monday morning news release that the fire was out as of 8:30 a.m.Officials in St. Charles Parish said they began receiving calls Thursday about an explosion and fire at the Phillips 66 pipeline station at Paradis, west of New Orleans. The cause of the blaze hasn't been determined. The pipeline carried liquid components of natural gas
  
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• Coast Guard removes injured woman from New Orleans cruise ship

  13-02-2017 16:11
  
  NEW ORLEANS- The Louisiana Coast Guard removed an injured 71-year-old woman and her husband from a cruise ship heading down the Mississippi River to an emergency medical crew on shore.The cruise ship Norwegian Dawn called for help at 7 p.m. Sunday after the woman's shoulder was injured. It did not say how she was hurt.The ship was about 30 nautical miles north of Venice, LA, where a Coast Guard station was located. According to the Coast Guard, the 45 ft. response boat
  
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• Single-day tickets for 2017 Bayou Country Superfest go on sale Feb. 14

  13-02-2017 15:51
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Single-day tickets for this year's Bayou Country Superfest will go on sale on Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. The fest will feature Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Hank Williams, Jr, Brett Eldredge, Old Dominion and more. The fest will be held for the first time in the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
  Bayou Country Superfest will be held May 26, 27 and 28 with a free kick-off celebration on May 26 at Champions Square feat
  
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• Deputies searching for missing Prairieville woman

  13-02-2017 15:45
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office is searching for 34-year-old Dara Givens who was reported missing by a family member on Sunday, Feb. 12.According to Chief Deputy Bobby Webre, Givens was last seen leaving her residence on Beau Jon Avenue in a red 2013 four-door Chevrolet Silverado. The truck has a black and white “Jesus Christ Saves” sticker below the rear window.She is a white female, 5’4” and approximately 125 pounds.APSO do
  
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• Senator Cassidy meets with Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch

  13-02-2017 15:35
  
  WASHINGTON - Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy met with President Donald Trump's Supreme Court justice nominee Neil Gorsuch Monday.Gorsuch was nominated by the president to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in Feb. 2016.  After the meeting, Senator Cassidy released the following statement:"Judge Gorsuch is a thoughtful and principled jurist. We had an in-depth conversation today and there is no doubt that he is immensely qualified
  
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• Louisiana senators meet with Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch

  13-02-2017 15:35
  
  WASHINGTON - Louisiana Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy met with President Donald Trump's Supreme Court justice nominee Neil Gorsuch Monday.Gorsuch was nominated by the president to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in Feb. 2016.  "Judge Gorsuch is a thoughtful and principled jurist. We had an in-depth conversation today and there is no doubt that he is immensely qualified to sit on the bench,” Dr. Cass
  
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• ABC and People teaming up for documentary on Princess Diana

  13-02-2017 15:32
  
  NEW YORK - Princess Diana will be the subject of a four-hour documentary mini-series airing on ABC this August.A joint project of ABC and People magazine, the program, to be aired over two nights, will include what the producers say will be in-depth conversations with those who knew her best as well as archival footage of the Princess of Wales.The program will "remind the world why they fell in love with Diana in the first place," according to Monday's announcement.The program will mark
  
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• 10 LSU players invited to NFL Combine

  13-02-2017 15:06
  
  BATON ROUGE - LSU is sending 10 football players to the NFL Combine in late February.LSU and Alabama lead all Southeastern Conference teams for NFL Combine invites, followed by Texas A&M with nine and Arkansas and Florida with eight each.The SEC as a whole will send 66 players to the combine, the most of any conference. The 10 Tigers invited to the NFL Combine include: safety Jamal Adams, linebacker Kendell Beckwith, defensive end Tashawn Bower, wide receiver Malachi Dupre, wide rec
  
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• Senators call for Troy Brown to be expelled from Senate

  13-02-2017 14:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – State senators Sharon Hewitt and Dan Claitor will hold a press conference Monday afternoon to discuss a resolution that calls for the expulsion of Troy Brown as a senator.Last month, Brown spent a weekend in jail to fulfill a 38-hour sentence for biting his wife. He pleaded no contest to domestic abuse battery charges for the incident that happened in July. The charge is a misdemeanor.Brown entered the plea instead of going to trial. He was fined $300 in addition
  
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• Five arrested for child porn in cyber crime sweep

  13-02-2017 14:23
  
  BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced the arrests of five men, two from the Baton Rouge area, on more than 300 counts of sexual exploitation of children Monday. The arrests are a result of a cyber crime sweep aimed at taking child predators off the streets.Nathan Stover, 24, of Franklinton, was arrested for 250 counts of sexual abuse images and/or videos of children. He was arrested by Michigan State Police as a fugitive from Louisian
  
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• Jerry Sandusky's son Jeffrey Sandusky arrested on child sex charges

  13-02-2017 14:02
  
  BELLEFONTE - One of Jerry Sandusky's adult sons faces multiple charges of sexual offenses involving children, more than five years after the former Penn State assistant coach was himself first arrested.Court records filed Monday say 41-year-old Jeffrey S. Sandusky was charged with 14 counts, including criminal solicitation and corruption of minors.The online court docket says Jeffrey Sandusky was arraigned Monday and bail was set at $200,000.
  
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• Bacchus parade mocks 'The Young and the Ringless' Falcons

  13-02-2017 13:50
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Saints fans will have a little something extra to look forward to during the Bacchus parade this year.The parade will feature floats honoring the 50th season of the New Orleans Saints with a few that take jabs at the Atlanta Falcons, who could not manage to grab a hold of a Superbowl title despite their 25-point lead over the New England Patriots. The Bacchus parade will honor #Saints50 this year! Check out the floats! PHOTOS: https://t.co/FaklfHrY5i pic.twitter.
  
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• Bacchus float mocks 'The Young and the Ringless' Falcons

  13-02-2017 13:50
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Saints fans will have a little something extra to look forward to during the Bacchus parade this year.The parade will feature floats honoring the 50th season of the New Orleans Saints with a few that take jabs at the Atlanta Falcons, who could not manage to grab a hold of a Superbowl title despite their 25-point lead over the New England Patriots. The Bacchus parade will honor #Saints50 this year! Check out the floats! PHOTOS: https://t.co/FaklfHrY5i pic.twitter.
  
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• Wife, stepson charged in death of KKK leader

  13-02-2017 13:42
  
  LEADWOOD, Mo. - The wife and stepson of a Ku Klux Klan leader found fatally shot next to a river in eastern Missouri have been charged in his death.A probable cause statement alleges that 51-year-old Frank Ancona was fatally shot in his sleep on Thursday. His wife, 44-year-old Malissa Ann Ancona, and her son, 24-year-old Paul Edward Jinkerson Jr., were charged Monday with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse.St. Francois County Sheriff's Department de
  
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• Baton Rouge General announces CEO

  13-02-2017 12:35
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge General/General Health System's Board of Trustees officially announced Edgardo Tenreiro as its CEO.Tenreiro has been serving as acting CEO since August and has served as Baton Rouge General's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for eight years. He has been with the hospital since 2008.Tenreiro earned a Bachelor of Arts in politics, philosophy and economics and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of N
  
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• Edwards calls on lawmakers to use rainy day fund

  13-02-2017 12:06
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards urged lawmakers to use Louisiana's "rainy day" fund to help eliminate a $304 million budget gap as the House and Senate opened a deficit-closing special session called by the governor.Edwards told lawmakers Monday night that their mission was to stabilize the budget "while adequately funding the programs and services the people of Louisiana consider to be priorities."He said with little more than four months left in the budget year, taking nearly $120 million
  
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• Woman charged with attempted murder after Prescott shooting

  13-02-2017 11:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police say a Baton Rouge woman faces attempted second-degree murder charges after a shooting on Prescott Road Monday night.The shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of Prescott Road Monday. Baton Rouge Police said the shooting stemmed from an argument.Shalonda Leonard, 26, was charged with attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. She was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.Police say one person was hurt in the shooting but the injuries
  
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• One person shot on Prescott Road

  13-02-2017 11:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - One person was reportedly shot on Prescott Road around 10:30 p.m. Monday evening.The shooting occurred in the 5600 block of Prescott Rd. across from West Brookstown Drive. Injuries to the victim appear to be non life-threatening, according to authorities. This is a developing story. More details to come.Permalink| Comments
  
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• One person shot on Prescott Rd.

  13-02-2017 11:41
  
  BATON ROUGE - One person was reportedly shot on Prescott Rd. around 10:30 p.m. Monday evening.The shooting occurred in the 5600 block of Prescott Rd. across from W. Brookstown Dr. Injuries to the victim appear to be non-life threatening, according to authorities. This is a developing story. More details to come.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Livingston, Orleans parishes eligible for disaster unemployment aid

  13-02-2017 11:32
  
  BATON ROUGE – Disaster unemployment assistance is now available to businesses and residents impacted by last week's tornadoes.President Donald Trump officially granted a disaster declaration request for two Louisiana parishes as a result of a request by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.The Louisiana Workforce Commission is accepting applications for disaster unemployment assistance from residents and businesses in Livingston and Orleans parish until March 15.Disaster unemployment as
  
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• Verizon latest carrier to return to unlimited cell plans

  13-02-2017 11:14
  
  NEW YORK - Verizon is the latest mobile carrier to bring back unlimited plans, but its version is pricier than offerings from rivals T-Mobile and Sprint.AT&T only lets customers sign up for unlimited plans when they also subscribe to DirecTV, which AT&T owns. But its prices are similar to Verizon's for a family; Verizon is cheaper for an individual.Verizon has long been pushing customers off the company's old unlimited plans with rate hikes. But such plans, once common, have come back in
  
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• National security adviser Michael Flynn resigns amid Russia controversy

  13-02-2017 11:10
  
  WASHINGTON - National security adviser Michael Flynn has resigned after reports he misled Trump administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.Flynn's departure less than one month into the Trump administration marks an extraordinarily early shakeup in the president's senior team of advisers. Flynn was a loyal Trump supporter throughout the campaign, but his ties to Russia caused concern among other senior aides.Flynn initially told Trump advisers that he did not
  
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• Trump welcomes Trudeau to White House

  13-02-2017 08:58
  
  WASHINGTON - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is at the White House to meet with President Donald Trump.Trump welcomed Trudeau with a handshake Monday, as the leaders met for the first time.Their schedule includes private talks and a round table conversation about women in the workplace.Trudeau and Trump have different world views. The liberal Trudeau champions free trade and has welcomed 40,000 Syrian refugees. Trump has taken a protectionist stance on trade and wants to crack down on the
  
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• Canada's Trudeau lands in Washington to meet with Trump

  13-02-2017 08:58
  
  WASHINGTON - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a polar opposite to President Donald Trump in almost every way, has arrived in Washington keen to build a relationship that doesn't threaten trade.In the first face-to-face meeting with the new U.S. president, Trudeau will talk about free trade at the White House.Trudeau and Trump will also participate in a roundtable discussion about women in the workplace.The prime minister's plane landed at Dulles airport after heavy winds forced a change f
  
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• 11 kids injured after school bus overturns in St. Helena Parish

  13-02-2017 08:27
  
  BATON ROUGE – Multiple ambulances responded to a bus crash on Highway 43 in St. Helena Parish Monday morning.St. Helena School Superintendent Kelli Joseph tells WBRZ that a pickup truck veered into a school bus around 8 a.m. on Hwy. 43 near Muse Road. According to Acadian Ambulance, approximately 40 students were on the bus at the time of the crash. Officials say that 11 children and the driver of the bus suffered minor to moderate injuries. The parish school's transportation
  
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• FEMA: Disaster recovery center opening in New Orleans

  13-02-2017 07:35
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency says a disaster recovery center is opening in eastern New Orleans to help people whose homes and businesses were damaged by the tornado last week.Representatives from state and federal government and volunteer groups will be there to answer questions and help people apply for help.A news release says the center will be open from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday and then move to regular business hours until further notice.It's in the East New Orleans Public
  
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• The new civics course in schools: How to avoid fake news

  13-02-2017 07:11
  
  WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y.  - They are the unexpected classroom lessons of the election season - on the reach and repercussions of fake news.Teachers from elementary school through college have been ramping up media literacy training to recognize bogus reports and understand their potential to weaken civic culture.Tom Boll recently wrapped up a course on real and fake news at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. He says that with social media now allowing everyone to post and share, gon
  
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• Man struck, killed by snowplow in VA parking lot

  13-02-2017 05:33
  
  Bedford, MA - A man has been struck and killed by a snowplow in the parking lot of a Veterans Affairs hospital in Massachusetts.Officials say the 60-year-old man was hit Sunday evening in the parking lot of the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford.The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He's believed to be a resident of the VA property. Officials have not released his name.They say the operator of the snowplow remained at the scene and made the init
  
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• LIVE UPDATES: Monday morning commute

  13-02-2017 04:48
  
  BATON ROUGE - News 2's Ashley Fruge has you covered with live updates for your Monday 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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• Louisiana Special Session begins today

  13-02-2017 02:46
  
  Baton Rouge- Today marks the first day of Louisiana's Special Session.Previously, Governor John Bel Edwards released a plan to bridge the $304 million dollar budget gap.Gov. Edwards says he does not plan to increase any taxes or fees.There may be million dollar cuts to various departments including the Department of Health and the State's General Fund.The special session will remain open until February 22, 2017 at midnight.Permalink|
  
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• Grim budget-rebalancing task awaits returning La. lawmakers

  13-02-2017 02:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's lawmakers are trudging back to work for a special deficit-closing session that many of them didn't want to have.Gov. John Bel Edwards has called them back to the Capitol to close a $304 million deficit.The session opens at 6:30 p.m. Monday.It will have little of the festive air that normally marks lawmakers' return to Baton Rouge.Instead, they're gathering for an unlikeable chore, rebalancing the state's $27 billion operating budget and making spending cut decisions.Hou
  
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• California Governor issues emergency order concerning dam

  13-02-2017 02:07
  
  OROVILLE, Calif. - Gov. Jerry Brown has issued an emergency order to fortify authorities' response to the emergency at a Northern California dam and help with evacuations.The Oroville Dam, which located about 150 miles northeast of San Francisco, has erosion on its emergency spillway and evacuation orders were given to 188,000 people south of the dam in case the spillway failed.Brown said late Sunday the state is directing all necessary personnel and resources to deal with a "complex and rapidly
  
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