Baton Rouge news

• Death toll rises to 3 from inmate riot at Guatemala prison

  20-03-2017 21:58 via wbrz.com
  
  GUATEMALA CITY - Guatemalan officials say a guard has died of injuries sustained when gang members rioted at a prison for juveniles and adults, raising the death toll to three.President Jimmy Morales tweeted Monday that four hostages were rescued alive. But police reported later that one of those died, adding to the two jail monitors reported dead after the riot began Sunday.Several other people were injured in the uprising at the Central Correctional Stage II prison in San Jose Pinula, east of
  
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• Colorado wildfire fully contained

  20-03-2017 21:45 via wbrz.com
  
  BOULDER, Colo. - Firefighters have contained a wildfire that forced hundreds of people from their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado.The Boulder Office of Emergency Management says the 70-acre fire was 100 percent contained Monday afternoon, and firefighters are expected to work overnight mopping up hotspots and flare-ups.The fire started Sunday in a wooded, mountainous area a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials
  
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• Trio arrested with $20,000 worth of illegal drugs following investigation

  20-03-2017 21:13 via wbrz.com
  
  ST. MARTINVILLE - Three individuals were arrested with a significant amount of drugs following a multi-agency investigation in Broussard.According to the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office, on March 13, agents with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office, DEA Lafayette Post Of Duty, Louisiana State Police, Lafayette Metro Narcotics, and St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office conducted an investigation in reference to suspected illegal drug activity.On Tuesday, March 14, the investigation led agents to
  
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• Sheriff: Woman tried to smuggle meth to inmate in Bible

  20-03-2017 20:27 via wbrz.com
  
  TUPELO, Miss. - Today's Bible lesson: It's a bad idea to use the good book to smuggle drugs into jail.A Mississippi sheriff says the jail's property officer noticed a bulge in the back cover of a Bible dropped off March 16 for an inmate convicted of methamphetamine trafficking.Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal it held meth.Johnson says 30-year-old Courtney Ford of Nettleton has been charged with possessing an illegal drug and trying to bring co
  
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• Two pedestrians struck by vehicle on Plank Road

  20-03-2017 20:18 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Two people were struck by a vehicle on Plank Road Monday night.The crash happened around 8 p.m. Sources confirmed the two people were hit on Plank Road at Lorraine Street.Both were transported to the hospital in stable condition.This is a developing story. We will update with more information as it becomes available. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Landlord: 'Horrible smell' leads to tenant's body in freezer

  20-03-2017 19:57 via wbrz.com
  
  LATIMER, Miss. - A south Mississippi landlord says a 'horrible smell' led him to the body of a tenant he'd last seen three weeks ago.Michael Woods tells WLOX-TV that he opened a freezer Monday in a house he owns in Latimer, found his tenant's body, and went outside immediately to call police.Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell tells news outlets that deputies want to question an unidentified man who may have left in the victim's 2001 gold Cadillac.The Sun Herald reports that the
  
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• Court: Student prayers OK at school board meetings

  20-03-2017 19:53 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court says a Texas school board can continue to let students offer public prayers at its meetings.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a lawsuit against the Birdville Independent School District. It was filed by the American Humanist Association and a graduate of Birdville High School.In Monday's ruling, a three-judge 5th Circuit panel said student-led prayers for legislative bodies differ from prayers in publ
  
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• One hospitalized after shooting near Longfellow Park

  20-03-2017 18:31 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Authorities are responding to a shooting that occurred near a BREC park Monday afternoon.The shooting took place around 6:15 p.m. on Douglas Avenue, near Longfellow Park. Sources say one person was hurt in the shooting.The victim was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.This is a developing story. We will update with more information as it becomes available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• 'Sesame Street' to introduce viewers to first Muppet with autism

  20-03-2017 17:27 via wbrz.com
  
  Next month, viewers of "Sesame Street" will be introduced to Julia, a Muppet with autism. The newest member of the cast with red hair and green eyes has been present on digital properties and printed works for some time. Now she'll get her TV debut in April. On Sunday the show posted videos to the HBO site and YouTube, introducing Julia to the new medium. She sings "Sunny Days" with her friend Abby Cadabby. "Sesame Street" senior writer Christine Ferr
  
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• Bad-luck suspect arrested after failed robbery and car wreck

  20-03-2017 16:49 via wbrz.com
  
  LAKE CHARLES - Police and witnesses say just about everything went wrong for a woman when she tried to rob a bar.Barbara Boyd, manager at Linda's Lounge in Lake Charles, says the woman came in early Saturday, carrying what appeared to be a rifle and demanded money. When the bartender refused, she grabbed the tip jar and a customer tackled her.She drove off with the cash in a Buick LeSabre, but police say it crashed while officers were still at the robbery scene.Police say 39-year-old Keeshala De
  
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• Suspect ID'd in fatal shooting of East Baton Rouge deputy

  20-03-2017 16:38
  
  Brandon Wiley, 30, has not been officially charged in the killing, said Trooper Bryan Lee, spokesman for State Police Troop A.
  
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• LSU to offer free mumps vaccines to students, faculty and staff

  20-03-2017 16:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - LSU announced Monday the Student Health Center will partner with the Louisiana Office of Public Health to provide the Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR) vaccine for all students, faculty and staff.The vaccinations will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 22, and Thursday, Mar. 23 in the Theater Reception room of the Student Union.
  It is recommended that any LSU student or employee who has not received two doses of MMR get the vaccine as soon as possible. In addition
  
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• Some electronics to be banned on some US-bound flights

  20-03-2017 15:42 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - Royal Jordanian Airlines is advising passengers that laptops, iPads, cameras and other electronics won't be allowed in carry-on luggage for U.S.-bound flights starting Tuesday.The airline says in a tweet that cellphones and medical devices are excluded from the ban. Everything else, the airline says, will need to be packed in checked luggage.The U.S. Homeland Security Department is declining to comment.It was unclear Monday how long the ban will be in place or what prompted it.Perma
  
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• Report: Firefighters battling large fire in Mamou

  20-03-2017 15:33 via wbrz.com
  
  MAMOU – Firefighters in Mamou, Louisiana are responded to a large fire Monday afternoon, local media reports.According to KATC, fire crews are working to extinguish a fire on 6th Street. First responders have closed the road near the fire and several nearby alleys.Details about the incident are limited at this time.Read the full report on KATC.comPermalink| Comments
  
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• WATCH: 2-year-old twins don't know the meaning of bedtime

  20-03-2017 15:14 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK - The parents of twin boys found out why their two children hadn't been getting much sleep.A video posted to Facebook by Jonathan and Susan Balkin on their home monitoring system shows their 2-year-old twins, Andrew and Ryan, having a late night play session rather than getting some much-needed sleep. The two boys easily climbed out of the side-by-side cribs in their bedroom and began to line the floor with pillows before rolling and tumbling around. The two then took a moment
  
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• Lawmakers say TOPS is priority, but how will they fill gap?

  20-03-2017 15:05 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Legislative leaders told higher education officials they hope to fully fund the TOPS college tuition program in next year's budget.But they stopped short of making promises.House Speaker Taylor Barras; Rep. Walt Leger, the top-ranking House Democrat; and Sen. Sharon Hewitt, who sits on the budget-writing Finance Committee said at a Monday conference that TOPS is a funding priority.In Gov. John Bel Edwards' budget proposal, TOPS would only pay for about 70 percent of students' tuiti
  
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• Where's the line? Theme parks aiming to eliminate them

  20-03-2017 14:53 via wbrz.com
  
  ORLANDO - At Universal Orlando Resort's new "Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon" ride, waiting in line has been replaced by lounging on couches and listening to a racy barber shop quartet sing until it's time to enter the ride.Universal is leading the theme-park charge into "virtual lines" that give visitors options for exploring a park or watching live entertainment instead of the tedium of looking at someone's back as you inch forward step by step to the thrill ride.Universal is also
  
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• Deep South freeze means fewer blueberries and peaches

  20-03-2017 14:48 via wbrz.com
  
  COLUMBIA - Last week's deep freeze in the Southeast appears to have nearly wiped out Georgia's blueberries and South Carolina's peaches.The South Carolina Department of Agriculture said 85 percent of the state's peaches were damaged by two days of temperatures dipping into the 20s Wednesday and Thursday.South Carolina is the second biggest producer of peaches in the U.S.Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black says up to 80 percent of the blueberry crop in the southern part of the state was d
  
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• Nearly 2,000 people given a free ride home on St. Patrick's Day

  20-03-2017 14:18 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Nearly 2,000 people were given a free ride home from St. Patrick's Day festivities in Baton Rouge.According to the Dudley DeBosier law firm, 1,900 people signed up for the firm's "Free Cab Ride Home" program, which offers free rides to people in the Baton Rouge area on St. Patrick's Day. The program was started by Dudley DeBosier and Uber five years ago to combat an increase in drunk driving incidents during the holiday. The idea behind the creation of "Free Cab R
  
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• Cosby wants jury pool prescreened for bias before trial

  20-03-2017 13:44 via wbrz.com
  
  PHILADELPHIA, Penn. - Bill Cosby's lawyers hope to prescreen potential jurors to weed out those with opinions about the sex-assault case before jury selection begins in person.A defense motion filed Monday says the "inflammatory" worldwide coverage of the case has probably left some potential jurors with opinions about the actor's guilt or innocence.They say pretrial questionnaires have been used before in celebrity trials.The 79-year-old Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a young woma
  
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• Witness: Ex-NFL star shot at men after spilled drink in club

  20-03-2017 13:08 via wbrz.com
  
  BOSTON - A witness against former NFL star Aaron Hernandez has told the jury at his double-murder trial that Hernandez opened fire on a car because he believed two men inside had taunted him at a Boston nightclub.Former Hernandez friend Alexander Bradley testified Monday about the shootings July 16, 2012. Bradley said Hernandez ordered him to pull up next to the victims' car at a stop light, then repeatedly fired a revolver into the car. Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu were killed.Relatives o
  
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• 'Manny' of 'Modern Family' mourns father in Instagram post

  20-03-2017 12:26 via wbrz.com
  
  BRYAN, Texas - The actor who plays Manny on the popular sitcom "Modern Family" is mourning his father in real life.In a post on his Instagram account, Rico Rodriguez says the week since Roy Rodriguez died at age 52 "has been the toughest week of my life."The actor's Instagram post included a picture of father and son drinking milkshakes together and said the father "was the most kind hearted, loving, hard working, determined, and funny man I have ever known."According to an obituary in Bryan, Te
  
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• BREC to host community egg hunts

  20-03-2017 12:14 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE – BREC will host several community egg hunts across the East Baton Rouge Parish starting later this month.In a statement released Monday, BREC said the first egg hunt is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on March 31 at the Plank Road Park. Officials are encouraging flashlights for the "nighttime egg hunting extravaganza."BREC said a second egg hunt is scheduled for 10 a.m. on April 8 at Highland Road Community Park. The organization will also hold two egg hunts for the "youn
  
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• Shaq latest in the NBA community to join flat-Earth belief

  20-03-2017 11:43 via wbrz.com
  
  ATLANTA - Count Shaquille O'Neal among the roster of NBA personalities who believe the Earth is flat.The Hall of Famer and TNT analyst says he drives from Florida to California on a regular basis and that "it's flat to me."O'Neal joins Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving in his belief that the world is a flat plane instead of an orb. Warriors forward Draymond Green and Nuggets swingman Wilson Chandler have supported Irving's stance. Irving later suggested he made the statement in an effort to provoke t
  
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• Attorney for Oklahoma senator says he'll resign

  20-03-2017 11:17 via wbrz.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY - An attorney for a Republican state senator from Oklahoma City facing felony child prostitution charges says his client plans to resign his seat by Wednesday.Attorney Ed Blau said Monday he's been hired to represent Sen. Ralph Shortey, who is facing three felony counts after police say he solicited sex from a 17-year-old boy.Blau said he'd recently been retained by Shortey and that it was premature to comment on the charges until he had more time to discuss the case with his clien
  
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• Police: Brady's missing Super Bowl jerseys tracked to Mexico

  20-03-2017 11:06 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK - The search for Tom Brady's missing Super Bowl jersey is over. And the trail leads to Mexico.Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Monday that department investigators relied on a tip from an informant and tracked Brady's jersey from last month's 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons to Mexico.They also found the quarterback's jersey that had gone missing after the Patriots' 2015 Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks.The NFL has said the jersey was in "possession of a credentialed memb
  
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• NFL: Tom Brady's missing Super Bowl jersey found

  20-03-2017 11:06 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK - The search for Tom Brady's missing Super Bowl jersey is over.The NFL says it was in "possession of a credentialed member of the international media." Houston police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted Monday that it was found in Mexico.The NFL says the jersey was found through the "cooperation of the NFL and New England Patriots' security teams, the FBI and other law enforcement authorities." The league referred other questions to the FBI.Brady said his jersey went missing after the Patriots' 3
  
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• Company: Dakota Access pipeline on track to start this week

  20-03-2017 11:03 via wbrz.com
  
  BISMARCK, N.D. - The company building the Dakota Access pipeline says the project remains on track to start moving oil this week despite recent "coordinated physical attacks" along the line.The brief court filing late Monday from Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners didn't detail the attacks, but said they "pose threats to life, physical safety and the environment."The filing cited those threats for redacting most of the 2½-page report. A spokeswoman and an attorney for the company di
  
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• Trump takes shot at quarterback Kaepernick

  20-03-2017 11:01 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is taking a swipe at quarterback Colin Kaepernick as he holds a campaign-style rally in Louisville, Kentucky.Kaepernick, an NFL free agent, has yet to be signed to a team.Trump tells the crowd he read an article reporting that NFL owners don't want to pick Kaepernick up "because they don't want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump.""Do you believe that?" he asked the enthusiastic crowd.Kaepernick refused to stand during the national anthem at the start of NF
  
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• YouTubers claim restrictions targeting gay-themed content

  20-03-2017 08:37 via wbrz.com
  
  YouTube is explaining why some gay-themed content is being restricted following complaints from users.Several uploaders have reported on Twitter that their videos had been filtered out for those browsing YouTube under its "restricted" setting. The complaints spawned the hashtag #YouTubeIsOverParty . One creator made a video to voice her complaints last week.YouTube says its restricted mode uses "community flagging, age-restrictions, and other signals to identify and filter out potentially inappr
  
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• Man shot while walking dog in New Orleans

  20-03-2017 07:29 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Residents in Uptown New Orleans say a man was shot while walking his dog in New Orleans Monday morning, local media reports.According to WWLTV, the shooting happened around 6:30 a.m. in the 5000 block of Loyola Ave. Neighbors say a man was walking his dog near the intersection of Liberty and Soniat streets when he was shot by an alleged car burglar.WWLTV reports that the man was transported to the hospital but his condition is unknown at this time.Read the full report on
  
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• Man claims NYC bar denied him service over pro-Trump hat

  20-03-2017 06:52 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK - A Philadelphia man has sued a New York City bar after he says he was denied service because he was wearing a hat supporting President Donald Trump.The New York Post reports Greg Piatek says in the lawsuit that he and his friends were initially served drinks at The Happiest Hour on Jan. 28. But he says once a bartender noticed his "Make America Great Again" hat, he asked Piatek if it was "a joke." He says a second round of drinks was "slammed" down on the bar.The suit claims a
  
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• Kim Kardashian West 'mentally prepped' for rape during heist

  20-03-2017 06:50 via wbrz.com
  
  LOS ANGELES - Kim Kardashian West says she "mentally prepped" herself to be raped while being held at gunpoint during a Paris jewelry heist last year.Kardashian West discussed the incident on Sunday night's episode of the E! network's "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."She says two robbers wearing police uniforms entered her hotel room last October. One of the robbers duct-taped her mouth while she was in bed, grabbed her legs and pulled her toward him. She says she wasn't raped, but had a gun he
  
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• Battered by scandal, Marines issue new social media policy

  20-03-2017 06:46 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - The Marine Corps has issued a longer and more detailed social media policy after being battered by a nude photo-sharing scandal.Former and current female Marines have reported their photographs and those of women in other services being posted on social media pages without their consent. Investigators are also looking into threatening and obscene comments Marines wrote accompanying the images.The new policy lays out the professional and legal ramifications for service members culpab
  
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• Judge rejects request to clarify travel order

  20-03-2017 05:32 via wbrz.com
  
  HONOLULU - A federal judge has rejected the Justice Department's request for clarification on his temporary order blocking President Donald Trump's revised travel ban.U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson said in court records Sunday that there's nothing unclear about his order and the federal government can't ask for a distinction that officials failed to make in earlier briefs and arguments.The Justice Department had asked Watson to clarify that his temporary restraining order only applied to the
  
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• FBI Director, to tesitfy in hearing for Russia's interference with presidential election

  20-03-2017 04:05 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - A congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the presidential election that has so far unfolded behind closed doors moves into the open with a public hearing featuring FBI Director James Comey.A hearing Monday before one of several congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, the House Intelligence Committee, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations that have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months.Comey has
  
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• Comey says FBI investigating Russia interference

  20-03-2017 04:05 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - FBI Director James Comey is publicly confirming for the first time that the FBI is investigating Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including any potential coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia's government.Comey is testifying before Congress. He says he's authorized by the Justice Department to make the disclosure. Typically, the FBI does not discuss or even confirm the existence of ongoing investigations.Comey says the pro
  
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• Senate hearings get underway on Trump Supreme Court pick

  20-03-2017 03:51 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON- Senate hearings begin this morning for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, the man President Donald Trump wants to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who died more than a year ago. Gorsuch is a respected, highly credentialed and conservative member of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.And Democrats head into the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings divided over how hard to fight him.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Judiciary vote on Gorsuch likely in 2 weeks

  20-03-2017 03:51 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON- Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley says his panel likely will cast a vote on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's nomination in two weeks, on April 3.Grassley said the committee will first schedule a vote for next Monday, March 27. But he expects the vote to be held over a week, as committee rules allow any member to push it back.Republicans have said they would like Gorsuch to be confirmed before Congress leaves for a two-week recess on April 7.For Supreme Court nominations, t
  
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• 5-year-old girl accidentally shot herself in Baton Rouge: report

  20-03-2017 00:30
  
  The child was being treated at a local hospital and her condition was unknown.
  
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