Baton Rouge news

• Marksville officer charged in child's shooting death seeks trial delay: report

  16-03-2017 22:46
  
  Trial began Monday, but defense says it needs time to prepare expert witness on ballistics
  
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• Corey Amundson appointed acting U.S. attorney for Baton Rouge area

  16-03-2017 22:04
  
  The search for a permanent replacement for Walt Green, who was asked to resign by the Trump administration, continues.
  
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• LSU student abducted along sorority row, now 'safe'; investigation underway

  16-03-2017 21:16
  
  Baton Rouge police fielded rape, stolen vehicle call in Mid City, handed it to LSU police
  
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• Mexico program to offer up to 50,000 jobs for deportees

  16-03-2017 21:11
  
  MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government has signed an agreement with a private organization to provide thousands of jobs for repatriated citizens as the United States moves to boost deportations of immigrants in that country illegally.
      
  Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong says 22 associations that make up the organization known as ASUME will work to offer as many as 50,000 jobs. The initiative aims to take advantage of the skills and knowledge of deportees.
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• Man sentenced for posting online threat against Obama

  16-03-2017 20:57
  
  BOSTON - A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to posting on an FBI website that he planned to kill the president of the United States.
      
  The U.S. Attorney's office says Andrew O'Keefe, of Mansfield, will be under supervised release for five years after being sentenced Thursday in federal court in Boston.
      
  Last May, prosecutors say O'Keefe wrote on an FBI tips site that he was "planning to kill Pre
  
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• Undercover prostitution sting leads to six arrests in Livingston Parish

  16-03-2017 19:45
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - An undercover prostitution operation performed by the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office led to the arrest of six people Wednesday.Deputies say the sting was performed in a partnership with members of the Louisiana State Police Special Victim's Unit Taskforce."Undercover agents located online profiles which offered cash in exchange for sexual favors," Sheriff Jason Ard explained. "An undercover agent made contact using the information listed on those profiles. A meet was set
  
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• Warrior Dash returning despite structure falling, injuring 16 last year

  16-03-2017 18:39
  
  ST. FRANCISVILLE – The Weekend Warrior event will be coming back to Saint Francisville even after one the structures collapsed during last year's event and injured 16 people.Five months later, there is no clear answer why the dome-like structure fell, however the fire marshal's office is still investigating. However, that is not stopping the company from holding this year's event.The company who built the structure for last year's event did not have a contractor's license. The company
  
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• Suspect arrested for Lorraine Street home invasion, shooting

  16-03-2017 18:19
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police arrested a man in for the shooting death of a 28-year-old on Lorraine Street last week.Officers arrested 28-year-old Earl Gremillion for the shooting death of 28-year-old Decoty Joseph.Joseph was shot and killed after the suspect forced his way into his home with a handgun demanding money and jewelry.A second victim, a 26-year-old woman who was engaged to Joseph, was transported to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.Gremillion wil
  
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• Jury selected for Marksville deputy charged with 6-year-old's death

  16-03-2017 18:02
  
  MARKSVILLE – A jury has been selected for the trial of a Marksville deputy who is charged with murder following the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old boy.Jury selection began Monday morning for Derrick Stafford's trial in Marksville, where he and another city marshal fired at a car after a November 2015 pursuit. The shooting killed six-year-old Jeremy Mardis, who was in the passenger seat of the car, and critically wounded his father, Christopher Few. Stafford is charged
  
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• WATCH: Alabama woman escapes kidnapper by jumping from trunk

  16-03-2017 17:26
  
  BIRMINGHAM, - A woman says she was forced into her car at gunpoint, robbed of her cell phone and wallet, and later ordered into the trunk. She managed to jump out as the gunman began to drive off from a gas station.Police on Thursday were searching for the suspect who kidnapped the 25-year-old woman outside her apartment in Birmingham's Avondale neighborhood about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.Sgt. Bryan Shelton tells Al.com that she escaped more than an hour later after the car stopped at Gas Land, where
  
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• Four wanted for using counterfeit Walmart cash vouchers

  16-03-2017 17:11
  
  BATON ROUGE – East Baton Rouge Sheriff's detectives are looking for four individuals wanted for using counterfeit Walmart cash vouchers on Feb. 25.According to reports, four individuals entered the Walmart located in the 2100 block of O'Neal Lane around 9:30 p.m. They presented a total of seven counterfeit Walmart cash vouchers. The vouchers were used to purchase seven $500 prepaid debit cards, resulting in Walmart sustaining a financial loss of $3,500.Anyone with information concernin
  
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• Growth among recovery in Livingston Parish; Car dealer breaks ground Thursday

  16-03-2017 16:50
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS – Growth is occurring among flood recovery in Livingston Parish.Thursday, All Start Automotive broke ground on its new Nissan dealership just outside Juban Crossing. All Star is moving its Nissan dealership from Florida Boulevard in Baton Rouge to the new, state-of-the-art facility on Juban Road in Livingston Parish.The showroom will be the third All Star dealership in Livingston Parish – already, the group has a Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep location along with a F
  
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• 2nd child dies in fire linked to exploding hoverboard

  16-03-2017 16:26
  
  HARRISBURG - Authorities say a second child has died from a fire in Pennsylvania that fire officials blamed on an exploding hoverboard.The deaths - if definitively linked to the two-wheeled, battery-powered scooter - would be the first in the U.S. caused by a hoverboard fire.A county coroner told Pennlive.com that 10-year-old Savannah Dominick died Thursday morning from severe burns. Another child died Saturday from the fire that broke out March 10 at a home in Harrisburg, the state capital.The
  
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• Federal charges filed against man arrested for shooting 16-year-old

  16-03-2017 15:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Acting United States Attorney Corey Amundson has filed federal criminal charges against a man who was arrested for shooting a 16-year-old in the head earlier this week.
  The charges are filed against 45-year-old Octavio Bringas-Posadas for possession of a firearm prohibited by a person and illegal entry into the U.S.According to U.S. Attorney's Office, Bringas-Posadas was removed from the United States to Mexico on Mar. 22, 2012 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Secur
  
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• LIFF, other non-profits in need of sponsorships following flood

  16-03-2017 15:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - Some non-profits have been feeling the struggle following last year's flood. It's because funding that organizations typically rely on is going elsewhere.Right now, some non-profits including the Louisiana International Film Festival and Mentorship Program are asking for community support.In the festival's fifth year, LIFF is dedicated to the development of Louisiana's film, digital media and innovation talent and representation of that talent to the world."It provides an opportuni
  
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• Rouses' stolen BBQ trailer 'Big Red' recovered in Texas

  16-03-2017 15:10
  
  DONALDSONVILLE – The CEO of Rouses Markets announced Thursday that the custom BBQ trailer stolen from the company’s Donaldsonville location was recovered in Texas.According to a statement from Rouses, the trailer was located in Alvin, Texas, Tuesday about one hour south of Houston. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department took one person into custody. The trailer was reported stolen on March 7. The trailer, known as “Big Red” is now plan
  
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• Lawyer argues that a chimp is legally a person

  16-03-2017 14:50
  
  NEW YORK - An attorney says in court in New York that a chimpanzee should be treated as a person with legal rights.Attorney Steven Wise argued Thursday before the state appeals court in Manhattan that two chimps named Tommy and Kiko should be freed from cages to live in an outdoor sanctuary. Kiko's owner, Carmen Presti, says his family at an upstate Niagara Falls sanctuary isn't letting go of the deaf chimp he and his wife rescued 23 years ago.Wise must now wait for the five-judge panel
  
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• Trump budget calls for border wall, border prosecutions

  16-03-2017 14:46
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's budget proposals on immigration enforcement read like a wish list for his most ardent supporters.The budget requests for the Homeland Security and Justice departments call for billions of dollars for some of Trump's most high-profile and contentious campaign promises, including a $2.6 billion down payment for a border wall he insisted Mexico would pay for.Trump plans to cut the overall Justice Department budget by more than $1 million but is still asking for
  
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• Two wanted for using stolen credit card at Target

  16-03-2017 14:45
  
  BATON ROUGE – East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Detectives are looking for two men wanted for using a stolen credit card at the Target on Siegen Lane.On Feb. 17, a woman lost her debit card while shopping at the Mall of Louisiana. The victim stated that after losing the card, she discovered that five unauthorized purchases totaling $536 were made at the Target. The stolen card was used to buy gift cards and prepaid cellphone minute cards.One of the suspects is described as a white man wearing
  
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• Louisiana State Police interim leader to be chosen next week

  16-03-2017 14:28
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards plans to have an interim Louisiana State Police superintendent appointed next week, to temporarily replace the agency's retiring leader.Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said Thursday the governor intends to have that person chosen by March 24. That's the last workday for retiring Col. Mike Edmonson.Carbo says the governor will choose an interim leader who doesn't want the job permanently. He wants to name a permanent superintendent before June, to present that
  
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• Google adds tool to flag 'offensive' search results

  16-03-2017 13:47
  
  NEW YORK - Google is now directing its review teams to flag content that might come across as upsetting or offensive in search results.The review teams - comprised of contractors known as "quality raters" - already comb through websites and other content to flag questionable items such as pornography. Google added a new category, "upsetting-offensive," in its guidelines for quality raters. For example, content with "racial slurs or extremely offensive terminology" could now get flagged as such.W
  
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• Criminal justice overhaul aims to cut La. prison population

  16-03-2017 13:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's debate over how to rework its criminal justice system is heading to state lawmakers.A study group Thursday approved its package of recommendations for a sweeping rewrite of Louisiana's criminal sentencing laws and its approach to prisoner rehabilitation.The effort aims to lessen Louisiana's highest-in-the-nation incarceration rate and provide more training and treatment to reduce inmates' chances of returning to prison after release.If the full package was enacted by la
  
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• Watch out! Video shows train's snow wave engulfing platform

  16-03-2017 13:09
  
  RHINECLIFF - Amtrak customers in New York now know what to do when a train is approaching a station on snow-covered tracks: stand back.Several waiting passengers had their cellphones out Wednesday morning to take video of the train from Albany as it entered station in Rhinecliff, 85 miles north of New York City.As the train arrived, it hit deep snow left by this week's major East Coast storm. The impact sent a huge wave of snow flying across the platform, engulfing people close to the tracks.Amt
  
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• Documents detail Flynn payments from Russian interests

  16-03-2017 13:04
  
  WASHINGTON - Documents released in a congressional inquiry show former national security adviser Michael Flynn was paid more than $33,750 by RT, Russia's government-run television system, for appearing at a Moscow event in December 2015. Flynn had retired months earlier as head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., wants the Defense Department to recover the payments, saying they violate the Constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits retired military officer
  
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• Ascension Parish road overlay program begins

  16-03-2017 12:20
  
  ASCENSION – Ascension Parish officials announced that the parish's road overlay program has begun.The Department of Public Work's Pavement Management Division has started patching and repairing streets throughout the parish. The goal of the program is to work on smaller parish roads in rural areas and subdivision roads.Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa authorized the purchase of an asphalt paving machine, an asphalt roller and an asphalt adhesive applicator."Roads are a priority
  
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• Acting U.S. Attorney appointed following Green's resignation

  16-03-2017 11:50
  
  BATON ROUGE – Following the resignation of Walt Green, Corey R. Amundson has been appointed as the acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana.Amundson said that he is "deeply honored and humbled.""Our office has a long history of commitment and dedication to the cause of justice that will be steadfastly maintained and honored on my watch. Crime has not stopped and neither will we. Our aggressive pursuit of criminals and our efforts to resolve pending matters will continu
  
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• LSU students question safety following abduction

  16-03-2017 11:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - One day after LSU issued an alert that a student had been abducted, few additional details have been released, and some students find that concerning.LSU sent the initial alert to students just before midnight Wednesday. It said LSUPD was investigating a reported abduction by an armed black male with dreadlocks, wearing a black shirt and pants, and driving a stolen gray 4-door Hyundai Elantra. They added the abduction took place in the "sorority area," and that the victim was safe.
  
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• Baton Rouge Zoo welcomes two new cheetahs

  16-03-2017 11:39
  
  BATON ROUGE – BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo has welcomed two young cheetahs to its collection of animals.The two cheetahs are female and were born on Nov. 15, 2015, at the San Diego Safari Park. According to zoo officials, they are both on loan from the Fort Worth Zoo.The cheetah is classified as vulnerable with only 7,000 cheetahs remaining in the wild and with numbers decreasing. In the nation, 303 cheetahs reside in 55 accredited zoos.BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo supports several cheetah conserv
  
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• Man accused of raping 14-year-old in 2015

  16-03-2017 11:17
  
  BATON ROUGE – A Baton Rouge man faces second-degree rape charges after police say he raped a 14-year-old nearly three years ago.According to arrest records, Keon Aaron, 25, was charged with second-degree rape Wednesday. He was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.Documents say Baton Rouge Police opened the investigation in June 2016. A relative of the 14-year-old victim contacted police and said the girl was sexually assaulted.At a later interview at the Children’s
  
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• McDonald's says it's investigating tweet at Trump

  16-03-2017 09:55
  
  NEW YORK - McDonald's says it has been notified by Twitter that its account was "compromised" after it appeared to send a message calling Donald Trump "a disgusting excuse of a President."The tweet to Trump from the official account for McDonald's Corp., a message that has since been deleted but was captured in a screenshot, said it would love to have President Obama back. "Also you have tiny hands," the tweet told Trump.A reporter for The New York Times took and posted a screenshot showing the
  
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• Planters NUTmobile makes Wearin' of the Green Parade debut

  16-03-2017 08:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Capitol City is expected to be a little more 'nutty' this weekend.The Planters NUTmobile has made it's way to town, ahead of the 32nd annual Wearin of the Green parade. Yes, Mr. Peanut cracked, and is here as well. Saturday will be the the NUTmobile's debut at the parade.The parade route isn't the only place to see the giant peanut though. Here's a list of the other locations:ThursdayCarter's SupermarketWalker South RoadWalker10a - 4pFridayReeve's SupermarketNorth Harrell's Fer
  
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• Analysis: Winners and losers in President Donald Trump's first budget

  16-03-2017 07:26
  
  The budget proposal out Thursday is a White House wish list; it'll be up to Congress to decide where money goes.
  
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• Demi Lovato on 5 years sober: 'It's been quite the journey'

  16-03-2017 06:54
  
  Demi Lovato is celebrating five years of sobriety.The 24-year-old singer celebrated with an Instagram post on Wednesday. She writes that "it's been quite the journey," adding, "so many times I wanted to relapse but sat on my hands and begged God to relieve the obsession."Lovato's personal struggles have been well-documented. In 2010, she left a tour with the Jonas Brothers and entered rehab for an eating disorder and self-mutilation. She has also said that she used drugs and alcohol to self -med
  
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• N.C. couple gets word of heart donor for baby girl after prayer

  16-03-2017 06:47
  
  CHARLOTTE - A North Carolina family says it received a quick answer to a prayer to save their baby daughter's life when word of a heart donor came through just moments leaving church.Melanie and Mike Leitner tell WBTV-TV that their daughter Ella Kate had a large mass on a heart ventricle and they were told in November that she needed a transplant. The family was attending Sunday services at their church in Mooresville on Jan. 29 when the congregation took a moment to pray over the girl.The Leitn
  
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• GOP health plan: Tax cuts for rich; hits older people hard

  16-03-2017 06:41
  
  WASHINGTON - The House Republican healthcare plan provides big tax cuts for wealthy families and insurance companies, but it hits older people hard.Many older Americans would face higher health insurance premiums and smaller tax credits to help obtain coverage.In all, the bill provides $883 billion in tax relief by repealing almost all of the taxes enacted under President Barack Obama's health law. That's according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, the official tax scorekeeper for
  
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• PT boat that saw WWII combat restored, back in Louisiana

  16-03-2017 06:37
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A PT boat that sank three vessels in World War II and has since been painstakingly restored is back on a waterway near New Orleans, where it was built and tested.The National World War II Museum says PT-305 is the nation's only fully restored combat veteran patrol torpedo boat. Its new boathouse holds exhibits about PT boats and the history of the U.S. Navy's famed attack vessel.Project historian Josh Schick says he's ridden just once aboard the boat as it moved slowly in a marina
  
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• Report: One person killed in early morning crash in New Orleans

  16-03-2017 06:14
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans Police are investigating a fatal crash involving two vehicles, local media reports.According to WWLTV, the crash happened near Hayne Boulevard and Trapier Avenue around 5.a.m Thursday morning. Hayne Boulevard is now shut down in both directions between Crowder and Read streets.A white SUV was involved in the accident, and reportedly came to a stop on the sidewalk. There was a large amount of debris on the roadway surrounding the SUV.A second vehicle was also involved. T
  
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• Report: one killed in drag race in New Orleans East

  16-03-2017 06:14
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans Police are investigating a deadly crash on Hayne Blvd in New Orleans East Thursday morning, local media reports.According to WWLTV, two SUVs were racing along Hayne Blvd near Tapier Ave when the two vehicles bumped and lost control around 4:15 a.m. Thursday. Both vehicles flipped and one person was killed.Police say one of the SUVs was reported stolen around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night from Downman Road. Passengers in both cars fled the scene.T
  
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• Cherry Blossoms stung by nights of frigid temperatures

  16-03-2017 04:47
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) - After a blast of frigid temperatures, the National Park Service says horticulturists have found widespread damage in cherry blossoms that have reached an advanced stage in the bloom cycle.The park service said in a statement Wednesday that peak bloom for Washington's famous cherry blossoms is still expected in the next week, but fewer trees could blossom because of the cold weather. Peak bloom is the day when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees around the city's Tidal Basin
  
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• Tillerson goes on Asian tour

  16-03-2017 04:29
  
  U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he is "willingly" taking on the challenge of a sharp cut in funding for the State Department.The White House is unveiling a federal government budget Thursday in Washington. The department and the U.S. Agency for International Development are among the hardest-hit agencies, with funding reduced by 28 percent, or $10 billion.Tillerson said the current level of spending is "not unsustainable." He said the cut reflects expectations the U.S. will be involve
  
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• Paul Ryan, other GOP leaders say health care plan must change; vote likely delayed

  16-03-2017 02:30
  
  Their health care overhaul in trouble from all directions, the White House and top House Republicans acknowledged Wednesday they would make changes to the legislation in hopes of nailing down votes and pushing the party's showpiece legislation through the chamber soon.
  
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• Trump's first budget boosts military, makes deep cuts to EPA and other domestic programs

  16-03-2017 00:48
  
  President Donald Trump has finalized his first budget for the federal government, a blueprint that would make deep cuts in the Environmental Protection Agency and other domestic programs while significantly increasing spending on the military.
  
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