Baton Rouge news

• House panel wants any evidence Trump's phones were tapped

  11-03-2017 21:27
  
  WASHINGTON - The House intelligence committee has asked the executive branch for any evidence that would support President Donald Trump's claim that his phones were tapped at Trump Tower during last year's election.A senior congressional aide says that the committee has asked that the information be provided by Monday.The aide says the request comes in a letter sent by the committee chairman, Devin Nunes of California, and the panel's ranking Democrat, Adam Schiff of California. Other lawmakers
  
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• New Orleans transgender community, authorities meet to discuss safety

  11-03-2017 18:39
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Members of the transgender community, the New Orleans police and local officials met during a town hall discussion on transgender violence.WWL-TV reports the Friday forum was hosted by the Trans United Fund and Transitions Louisiana.It was called after two transgender women were killed recently in New Orleans.Along with members of the local LGBT community, City Council members Jason Williams and LaToya Cantrell and the New Orleans Police Department's liaison to the LGBT community,
  
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• Heavy traffic on I-10 East at LA 415

  11-03-2017 17:57
  
  BATON ROUGE - Heavy traffic has been reported on I-10 East at LA 415 following construction that took place Saturday morning. Congestion is stretching for about sixmiles from the LA 415(Lobdell) exit as of about 7:30 p.m. due to construction that was completed earlier in the day. Check back for updates, and be sure to check WBRZ's traffic-tracking technology for more details.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Opelousas man arrested after texting 14-year-old about sex

  11-03-2017 17:33
  
  OPELOUSAS - An 18-year-old man has been arrested for what authorities say were inappropriate text messages to a 14-year-old girl, including "you better be worth risking going to jail."The St. Landry Parish sheriff's spokesman, Maj. Eddie Thibodeaux, says George Thomas Wiley III of Krotz Springs is free on $13,500 bond after his arrest Thursday on charges including computer-aided solicitation of a minor.Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says in a news release that a parent called detectives after checking th
  
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• 3-year-old killed, two others hurt in Pennsylvania hoverboard fire

  11-03-2017 16:44
  
  HARRISBURG, Pa. - Authorities say a 3-year-old girl has died following a Pennsylvania fire that also critically injured two others and appears to have been sparked by a recharging hoverboard.The Lehigh County coroner's office said Ashanti Hughes was pronounced dead at an area hospital just after 11:30 a.m. Saturday.Harrisburg officials said one victim jumped from a second-floor roof to escape the blaze, which was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Friday. Three others were rescued by ladder. A man a
  
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• Illegal immigrant sentenced to prison for drug trafficking

  11-03-2017 16:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - An illegal immigrant has been senteced to six and a half years in federal prison for his role in transporting illegal drugs.A U.S. District judge sentenced 39-year-old Silvestre Gutierrez after he pleaded guilty to attempting to transport six kilograms of cocaine through Baton Rouge in a rental vehicle.Gutierrez and his co-conspirators were arrested in February of 2016 after officers found 15 packages of cocaine floating in the gas tank of their rental vehicle. Gu
  
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• Fort Polk: 49 troops graduate from air assault program

  11-03-2017 14:05
  
  FORT POLK - Nearly 50 Army troops now have their wings after completing an air assault training course at Fort Polk.The American Press reports that 135 people started the course two weeks ago. But only 49 made it to graduation.The course ended Friday with graduates finishing a 12-mile march in under three hours.Second Lt. Elizabeth Luczak was one of three female soldiers to graduate. She says she began training for the course two months before it began to make sure she was prepared.Second Lt. Jo
  
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• Sheriff: drunk man steals Keys forklift, 'needed to drive'

  11-03-2017 14:00
  
  MARATHON, Fla. - Florida Keys authorities say a drunken man from Rhode Island stole a forklift and crashed into a gate, telling deputies he lost his car keys and needed something to drive.The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says in a news release that 44-year-old Edward Quinton of Greenwich, Rhode Island told deputies he was in the Keys helping friends move.Quinton was quoted as saying that after he lost his keys Thursday night, he needed a vehicle and took the forklift from a Marathon marina bec
  
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• Firefighters rescue man from Mississippi River

  11-03-2017 13:53
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans firefighters have rescued a man from the Mississippi River after a late-night search of the waters near Mardi Gras World.In a statement, the fire department says it was responding to reports of a man in the water Friday night around 10 p.m.They started searching the wharf with flashlights and thermal imagers.The nearby Creole Queen Paddlewheeler boat also joined into the search and launched a rescue boat.The man was eventually found holding onto a piling under the wharf
  
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• Bear killed in German zoo after it escapes from compound

  11-03-2017 13:33
  
  BERLIN - A bear has been killed after it escaped from its enclosure at a zoo in the northern German town of Osnabrueck.The German news agency dpa reported the bear was shot by zoo personnel and all visitors were temporarily evacuated on Saturday.The head of the zoo, Andreas Busemann, said that, "We reacted immediately with our team, and in order to protect the visitors, we had to shoot him."Busemann said the bear, called Taps, was one of the zoo's attractions, a so-called cappuccino bear - with
  
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• AT&T customers in BR experience service issues Saturday morning

  11-03-2017 13:24
  BATON ROUGE - AT&T wireless service has been restored in the Baton Rouge area after customers experienced service issues Saturday morning.According to an AT&T spokesperson, the interruption in service was caused by a hardware issue. Service was restored early Saturday afternoon for customers affected.Customers took to social media early Saturday morning saying that some of their calls were not connecting.AT&T apologized for the inconvenience.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Secret Service: Person arrested on White House grounds

  11-03-2017 12:46
  
  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Secret Service says a person is under arrest after climbing a fence and getting onto the south grounds of the White House.The breach happened at about 11:38 p.m. Friday. President Donald Trump was at the White House.The agency says the individual - whom it did not identify - was arrested without further incident. No hazardous materials were found during a search of a backpack the individual carried.The Secret Service also says a search of the south and north grounds of the
  
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• Iraq FM: 40 Iraqis killed in Damascus blasts

  11-03-2017 12:44
  
  BEIRUT - Iraq's Foreign Ministry says most of the more than 40 people killed in the twin blasts in the Syrian capital Damascus were Iraqis visiting the Shiite shrines in the area.The twin blasts Saturday hit outside Bab al-Saghir cemetery, one of the most ancient in the Syrian capital and which houses revered Shiite religious figures. The Syrian interior minister says 40 were killed and 120 were wounded. Opposition activists group say at least 46 were killed.Ahmed Jamal, Iraq's foreign ministry
  
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• Man gets life in murder-for-hire case in Stone County

  11-03-2017 12:40
  
  WIGGINS, Miss. - A Biloxi man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole in a murder-for-hire case.Jody Parks pleaded guilty to capital murder Friday in the January 2015 beating and stabbing death of Stone County businessman Timothy "Timmy" Garrison.The Sun Herald reports that 23-year-old Parks has apologized.Investigators say he was recruited to carry out the killing. WLOX-TV reports that Parks never receiveD the money he was promised for killing Garrison.Garrison's wife, Evelyn, and P
  
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• New option for Louisiana parents to pay their child support

  11-03-2017 12:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana parents who pay child support through the state's social services department have a new tool for payment: MoneyGram, a money transfer company located at Walmart, CVS and 780 other locations in the state.The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services announced Thursday that the company will allow parents to send electronic payments to the agency to transfer to custodial parents.The parents will be able to use the MoneyGram locations at retail stores, its online s
  
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• More Louisiana elections ahead: Early voting opens March 25

  11-03-2017 12:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - Early voting is opening for the March 25 municipal elections around Louisiana.Secretary of State Tom Schedler's office says voters can start casting ballots Saturday for local candidate and proposition elections and to fill three open seats in the Louisiana House of Representatives. The early voting period ends March 18.Not every voter will have something on the ballot this month. Elections are being held in 37 parishes.Early voting runs daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Su
  
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• Death toll in Guatemala fire rises to 38 girls

  11-03-2017 12:13
  
  GUATEMALA CITY - Hospital officials say the death toll has risen to 38 girls in a fire that began when mattresses were set ablaze during a protest by residents at a youth shelter.Authorities at the Roosevelt Hospital where many of the girls were taken for treatment of their burns said Saturday that another girl had died. Nineteen of the adolescents perished at the scene of the Wednesday inferno and another 19 died later in local hospitals.Various groups have said they plan to gather Saturday to
  
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• GOP acts fast on health care, aims to avoid ire Dems faced

  11-03-2017 12:08
  
  WASHINGTON - It took former President Barack Obama and his Democrats more than a year to pass the Affordable Care Act.That slow and painstaking process allowed plenty of time for a fierce backlash to take hold, undermining the law from the start.Republicans are trying to avoid that pitfall as they attempt to fulfill years' worth of promises to repeal and replace Obama's law.House Republicans went public with their long-sought bill on Monday, and quickly pushed it through two key committees.They
  
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• Madagascar cyclone death toll reaches 38, authorities say

  11-03-2017 12:03
  
  JOHANNESBURG - Madagascar's government says the death toll from Cyclone Enawo has risen to at least 38.The island nation's disaster management agency on Saturday said the cyclone that made landfall in the northeast on Tuesday also has driven 50,000 people from their homes. At least 180 people were injured.Enawo brought heavy rains and winds in excess of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour - the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.Officials say the full extent of the damage is not yet known beca
  
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• Grand jury does not indict mother who's toddler shot 1-year-old sibling

  11-03-2017 11:38
  
  BATON ROGUE - A grand jury returned a no true bill in the case where a mother's toddler shot a one-year-old sibling.23-year-old Crystal Kinchen was originally charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles. On Friday, the grand jury ruled to not indict her on the charge.The incident occurred on Nov. 15 in the parking lot of a Family Dollar store on North Foster Drive.Police said Kinchen asked a friend to drive her and her two children to a relative's home after having an argument with her boyfr
  
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• Bad crash slows traffic on I-12 Eastbound Saturday morning

  11-03-2017 07:58
  
  LIVINGSTON - There were heavy delays on I-12 Saturday morning due to a wreck in an eastbound lane near Exit 22.Speciffic information about the wreck has not been released, but sources said one person was trapped in a vehicle.  Sources also said ground units and an emergency helicopter were involved in taking those injured to area hospitals.WBRZ's advanced traffic-tracking technology showed significant traffic in the area between the Satsuma and Frost exits on I-12 eastbound. Click HERE
  
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