Baton Rouge news

• Pastor hopes to help family, friends heal as Sergeant Anderson is laid to rest

  22-03-2017 21:01
  
  BATON ROUGE- The Healing Place Church has become a center of spiritual recovery to some in Baton Rouge over the past year.After last year's tragedies, including the slaying of three officers, the Alton Sterling Protests, and the August flood, their mission is to heal the world.David Wray serves as the Highland campus pastor. He says they believe God placed them in this city for divine healing. "God's given us this place that we're able to open up the doors," Wray said. "And we
  
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• New road to allow additional access to Lamar Dixon Expo Center

  22-03-2017 18:32
  
  GONZALES – A new road is being built to provide drivers with another way in and out of the Lamar Dixon Expo Center.The new road is called the Edenborne Extension and will connect Edenborne Parkway, that runs along River Parish Community College, to South Saint Landry Avenue.Currently, the area is being cleared."We take out all of the trees, underbrush, we do the dirt work necessary for the drainage to come through," Martin McConnell, Ascension Parish public information officer, said.Th
  
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• Gov. Edwards orders flags to be flown half-staff for Sgt. Anderson

  22-03-2017 17:32
  
  BATON ROUGE – Governor John Bel Edwards has ordered that the flags of the State of Louisiana and the United States be flown at half-staff outside of the State Capitol and all public buildings in honor of Sergeant Shawn Anderson.Anderson was an 18-year East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputy who was killed in the line of duty on March 18. Anderson joined the sheriff's office in 1999 and worked multiple divisions, including narcotics, emergency services units, maritime response team and became
  
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• Mayor's parish-wide cleanup set for April 1

  22-03-2017 16:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome is hosting a parish-wide cleanup event on Saturday, Apr. 1.Residents are asked to join Broome along with community groups and businesses to help pick up litter at several sites throughout the community. The event will start at 8:30 a.m. for registration and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the cleanup.The cleanup will take place in areas in each of the 12 Metro Council districts through the City-Parish. Volunteers are asked to wear a red t-shirt
  
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• New video shows Deputy Nick Tullier operating a wheelchair

  22-03-2017 16:37
  
  HOUSTON, Tx. - East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Deputy Nick Tullier's family posted a new video Wednesday showing him operating a wheelchair as he continues his recovery. In an update, Tullier's father says the hospital had to remove a "central line" IV that was causing an infection. His father goes on to say Tullier's recovery is still advancing and he continues to stay strong.Shortly after the update, his family shared a video of him operating a wheelchair that he can steer with the movemen
  
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• Southern University's disrepair could affect enrollment

  22-03-2017 16:32
  
  BATON ROUGE - Wires hanging out of the ceilings, makeshift air-conditioning units, and water damaged classrooms have left many buildings at Southern University in Baton Rouge resembling condemned structures. Administrators fear the enormous maintenance backlog is driving students away."The students are a different breed these days," said Vice Chancellor of Finance Benjamin Pugh in a recent interview. "They want the best of what a school can offer, and if you don't have it then
  
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• Man found dead in vehicle on I-55 identified

  22-03-2017 16:06
  
  TANGIPAHOA - The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office has released the identity of the man found dead in a vehicle Mar. 15.According to Sheriff Daniel Edwards, 35-year-old Alphonse Reid of Kentwood was found dead in a silver Infinity G37x on the shoulder of I-55 at the LA 440 exit. The sheiff says Reid died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and the vehicle had a missing Mississippi tag. During the investigation, it was revealed that Reid had recently moved to Kentwood from the Ark
  
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• First US aircraft carrier of Trump presidency enters Gulf

  22-03-2017 14:27
  
  ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH - American sailors watched as the first Revolutionary Guard vessels appeared on the horizon of the Strait of Hormuz, beginning a daylong face-off that has become familiar to both Iranian paramilitary and U.S. naval forces that pass through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.But these routine, if tense encounters may soon grow even more perilous.President Donald Trump has warned that Iranian forces will be blown out of the water if they challenge U.S. naval vesse
  
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• New Jersey School district under fire over slave auction reenactment

  22-03-2017 14:02
  
  MAPLEWOOD - Parents at a New Jersey school are outraged after white students held a reenactment of a slave auction of a black child during class.A spokeswoman for the South Orange Maplewood school district outside New York says the assignment was not authorized by the district.Spokeswoman Suzanne Turner says a substitute teacher was in charge of the class at the time. She says the district is looking into training and improved supervisory protocols for substitute teachers.The mock slave auction
  
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• New idea shakes up dinosaur family tree for T. Rex and pals

  22-03-2017 13:56
  
  WASHINGTON - Tyrannosaurus Rex and his buddies could be on the move as a new study proposes a massive shake-up of the dinosaur family tree.Scientists who took a deeper look at dinosaur fossils suggest a different evolutionary history for dinosaurs. Their research moves the theropods such as T. Rex to a new branch of the family tree and hints at an earlier and more northern origin for dinosaurs.Dinosaurs have long been split into two groups according to hip shape. One group has bird-like hips lik
  
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• Trump feels 'somewhat' vindicated after Nunes intel briefing

  22-03-2017 13:51
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says he feels "somewhat" vindicated by statements by the House Intelligence chairman on the legal and incidental surveillance of the president and Trump transition officials.Trump says in response to a question during a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus that he felt "somewhat" vindicated following his briefing by Republican House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes of California.The president says, "I very much appreciated the fact that they found what
  
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• 19-year-old accused of sexually assaulting two on Kentucky school bus

  22-03-2017 13:44
  
  STANFORD, Ky. - Authorities say a 19-year-old Kentucky high school student is facing charges, accused sexually assaulting two younger students on a school bus.Local news organizations report 19-year-old Ryan Rayburn was arrested Friday on two counts of sodomy involving a 14-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy on a bus in Stanford.Authorities say a March 16 school bus video shows Rayburn engaging in sexual acts with the juveniles. Officials did not give further details how the attack occurred.Stanf
  
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• Jury decides on death penalty in Vegas murder-mutilation

  22-03-2017 13:11
  
  LAS VEGAS - A jury has decided that a 24-year-old man should become the youngest of 83 people on Nevada's death row for the rape, murder and mutilation of a 15-year-old high school sophomore.Javier Righetti was 19 in 2011 when he stabbed and burned Alyssa Otremba not far from her home in Las Vegas.The jury found Righetti guilty last week of capital murder.The panel then heard evidence that Righetti also was wanted on an arrest warrant in Mexico in a rape case involving his cousin when Otremba wa
  
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• 26-year Louisiana State Police veteran to be interim leader

  22-03-2017 13:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has chosen a 26-year Louisiana State Police veteran from north Louisiana to lead the agency as interim superintendent.Maj. Kevin Reeves, who commands a state police quick reaction force, will start the interim job Saturday. He's taking over from Col. Mike Edmonson, who retired after coming under increasing criticism for his leadership of the agency.Reeves said Wednesday his primary goal will be to instill confidence in state police employees, troopers and the
  
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• Louisiana senators reject closure of mental health program

  22-03-2017 13:04
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana state senators blocked plans by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration to shutter a Medicaid program that provides mental health services to more than 47,000 children.The Edwards administration planned to close the program April 1, to save Louisiana more than $2 million this year, in response to cuts levied by lawmakers to close a deficit.Senators said they couldn't support balancing the budget by eliminating children's services. Several blamed House lawmakers for forcing
  
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• Man accused of breaking into dorm, exposing himself

  22-03-2017 12:26
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a Lake Charles man wanted for breaking into a dorm and exposing himself to three different women last year was arrested Tuesday.Scotty Thompson, 47, was charged with two counts of obscenity and simple burglary. He was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Tuesday.According to Baton Rouge Police, Thompson knocked on the front door of a home on Laurel Street on Sept. 5. After having a brief conversation with a woman, police say Thompson exposed
  
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• Man accused of throwing table through ex-girlfriend's window

  22-03-2017 12:04
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a man was arrested after he threw a pool table through his ex-girlfriend's apartment window and threatened to kill her.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office charged 30-year-old Bryan Brown with simple criminal damage to property, home invasion, simple assault and entry on/remaining in places after forbidden.On Mar. 18 around 2:50 p.m., deputies responded to the 18000 block of Greenwell Springs Road in reference to a disturbance. The victim told deputies Brown r
  
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• One arrested; others wanted for shooting near Bishop Woods Road

  22-03-2017 12:00
  
  ASCENSION – One man was arrested and several others are wanted after a shooting near Bishop Woods Road on Tuesday.Ascension Parish Sheriff's deputies responded to the area of Josh Brown Road and Bishop Woods Road in reference to shots fired.Deputies discovered a blue vehicle in the roadway with two passenger tires shot and deflated at the scene. Detectives learned that 22-year-old Quanmaine Scott and 24-year-old Joseph Pindexter exited the vehicle and began to argue with four others. T
  
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• Arkansas bill signed expanding where concealed guns allowed

  22-03-2017 11:51
  
  LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas' governor says he has signed legislation expanding the locations where concealed handguns are allowed in the state to include colleges, some bars, government buildings and even the state Capitol.Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday he signed the measure, which allows someone to carry concealed guns at the new locations if they undergo up to eight hours of active-shooter training.The measure originally was intended to only allow faculty and staff to carry concealed
  
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• Maine bill would bar discrimination toward climate change doubters

  22-03-2017 11:49
  
  AUGUSTA - A Republican lawmaker in Maine says the state should protect people from being discriminated against based on their beliefs about climate change.Rep. Larry Lockman has introduced a bill that would limit the attorney general's ability to investigate or prosecute people based on their political speech, including their views on climate change. It would also prohibit the state from discriminating in buying goods or services or awarding grants or contracts based on a person's "climate chang
  
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• ABC's Diane Sawyer to interview Caitlyn Jenner again

  22-03-2017 11:46
  
  NEW YORK - ABC News' Diane Sawyer is reprising her interview with Caitlyn Jenner, with the former Olympic gold medalist slated to talk about her first couple of years of life as a woman.The former Bruce Jenner spoke to Sawyer in a 2015 special that reached 17.1 million viewers and won a DuPont-Columbia journalism award.Jenner has a book, "The Secrets of My Life," that is to be released four days after her new interview with Sawyer airs. The "20/20" special is scheduled for April 21.Permalink| Co
  
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• Police treating Westminster attack 'as terrorist incident'

  22-03-2017 11:06
  
  LONDON - The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man attacked a police officer at Parliament and has been shot by police.David Lidington says the Parliament complex is in lockdown. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise."The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. It is urging people to stay away from the area.Officials say a man with a knife attacked a po
  
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• 4 dead in London terror incident, including attacker

  22-03-2017 11:06
  
  LONDON - The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man attacked a police officer at Parliament and has been shot by police.The head of counterterrorism at London's Metropolitan Police, says four people have died in the terror incident, including an attacker and a police officer. David Lidington says the Parliament complex is in lockdown. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." 
  
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• Slain officer's widow gives birth to baby boy

  22-03-2017 09:54
  
  BATON ROUGE – The wife of a slain Baton Rouge Police officer gave birth to a healthy baby boy Tuesday afternoon.According to the Baton Rouge Police Facebook page, Dechia Gerald gave birth to Falyn Matthew Gerald at 4:31 p.m. Tuesday. Falyn is the son of Matthew Gerald who was killed in July.BRPD reports that “Baby Buttons” weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz.“Thank you Dechia for bringing this precious gift into the world!” BRPD’s posts says. &ldq
  
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• Google Maps already tracks you; now other people can, too

  22-03-2017 09:09
  
  Eds: APNewsNow; will be updated. With AP Photos.SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google Maps users will soon be able to broadcast their movements to friends and family via the app - the latest test of how much privacy people are willing to sacrifice in an era of rampant sharing.The location-monitoring feature will begin rolling out Wednesday in an update to the Google Maps mobile app, which is already installed on most of the world's smartphones.Google believes the new tool will be a more convenient way fo
  
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• Police: 83-year-old checks out of N.Y. hospital, steals ambulance

  22-03-2017 09:04
  
  EAST MEADOW - Authorities on Long Island say an 83-year-old man has been arrested after checking himself out of a hospital and stealing an ambulance.Police say Donald Winkler, of Merrick, was upset with the quality of care he was receiving and checked himself out of Nassau University Medical Center around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators say Winkler then stole an ambulance from the hospital parking lot that had the keys in the ignition.Police say they later found the man at a nearby 7-Eleven. Inves
  
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• Nightclub shooting victims sue gunman's employer, wife

  22-03-2017 09:00
  
  ORLANDO - A personal injury attorney representing some of the families and survivors of the Orlando nightclub killings has filed a lawsuit against the gunman's employer and wife, claiming they were able to stop Omar Mateen before the attack but didn't.The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in South Florida on behalf of more than four dozen of the survivors and family members of those killed.Forty-nine people were killed during the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history last June at
  
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• FDA links rare cancer, 9 deaths, to textured breast implants

  22-03-2017 08:52
  
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has received reports of 9 deaths and more than 350 cases of a rare blood cancer linked to breast implants.The FDA said Tuesday it now agrees with the World Health Organization, which concluded years ago this type of lymphoma can develop following breasts implants.Concerns were first raised at the FDA in 2011, but the agency said then that there were too few cases to know if there was a connection.The disease seems to occur more often with textured im
  
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• US, allies seek ways to up pressure on Islamic State group

  22-03-2017 08:08
  
  WASHINGTON - Top officials from the 68-nation coalition fighting the Islamic State group are looking to increase pressure on the group as U.S.-backed forces move closer to retaking Mosul. They're meeting on Wednesday to plan the next objective in the campaign: the extremists' self-declared capital in Syria.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is hosting Iraq's prime minister and top diplomats from the coalition partners in Washington. They'll discuss new ideas to expand the fight against IS and prep
  
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• Manafort's plan to 'greatly benefit the Putin Government'

  22-03-2017 06:55
  
  WASHINGTON - The Associated Press has learned that President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Manafort wrote a 2005 strategy plan that he said "can greatly benefit the Putin Government." At the time, U.S.-Russia relations under Republican President George W. Bush were growing worse.Manafort's arrangement was with Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, a close Putin ally
  
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• Kaepernick donates $50K to Meals on Wheels after Trump swipe

  22-03-2017 06:53
  
  Meals on Wheels has confirmed a $50,000 donation from former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.The group that provides food for seniors in need thanked Kaepernick for his donation on Tuesday. It came a day after President Donald Trump took a swipe Kaepernick during a campaign-style rally in Kentucky by taking credit for the lack of suitors for the free agent. Kaepernick's refusal to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner" ahead of 49ers games last season as a protest of police treatm
  
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• Colin Kaepernick donates $50,000 to Meals on Wheels

  22-03-2017 06:53
  
  Meals on Wheels has confirmed a $50,000 donation from former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.The group that provides food for seniors in need thanked Kaepernick for his donation on Tuesday. It came a day after President Donald Trump took a swipe Kaepernick during a campaign-style rally in Kentucky by taking credit for the lack of suitors for the free agent. Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the "Star Spangled Banner" ahead of 49ers games last season as a protest of police treatm
  
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• Sears has "substantial doubt" about its future

  22-03-2017 06:51
  
  NEWARK - Sears, once the monolith of American retail, says that there is "substantial doubt" that it will be able to keep its doors open.Company shares, which hit an all-time low last month, tumbled more than 5 percent before the opening bell Wednesday.Chairman and CEO Edward Lampert's hedge fund has forwarded millions in funding to keep Sears afloat but with sales fading, it is burning through cash.According to its most recent regulatory filing late Tuesday, Sears Holdings Corp. lost more than
  
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• Chuck Berry's final studio album to be released in June

  22-03-2017 06:48
  
  ST. LOUIS - Chuck Berry's final studio album will be released on June 16.The album, titled "CHUCK," was announced in October, five months before the rock pioneer's death on Saturday at the age of 90."CHUCK" is Berry's first album since 1979's "Rock It." Dualtone Records says eight of the 10 new recordings were written by Berry, who worked on the album until 2014. Dualtone says he continued to oversee production and enlisted his family and a friend to help complete it.In addition to Berry's child
  
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• Law requiring birth certificate for marriage challenged

  22-03-2017 06:45
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Viet Anh Vo is a U.S. citizen who's lived in Louisiana since he was an infant, but he says in court papers he's unable to get a marriage license under a 2015 state law that, he argues, discriminates against the foreign-born.A federal judge in New Orleans will hear the case Wednesday.At issue is a requirement that marriage license applicants present a certified copy of their birth certificates. The 31-year-old Vo was born in an Indonesian refugee camp after his parents fled Vietnam.
  
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• Father: No warning before officers fired on car, killing son

  22-03-2017 06:36
  
  MARKSVILLE - A father whose 6-year-old boy was killed in a shooting by two Louisiana law enforcement officers says he never heard any warnings from the officers before they opened fire on his car.Christopher Few testified Tuesday that he remembers hearing the gunshots and raising his hands inside his car after leading officers on a 2-mile chase. But Few said he only heard verbal commands from the officers after they stopped shooting.Few said he learned his son, Jeremy Mardis, was dead when he re
  
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• Belgian king, queen, leaders mark attacks anniversary

  22-03-2017 06:01
  
  BRUSSELS - Belgian leaders, victims and families of those who died in the March 22 suicide bomb attacks on the Brussels airport and subway are making the first anniversary of the attacks, which killed 32 people.King Philippe and Queen Mathilde joined Prime Minister Charles Michel at the airport, where two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departure hall during the morning peak travel period.More than 300 people were wounded in the attacks, claimed by the Islamic State group, but around 9
  
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• Officials: Man charged in school rape entered US illegally

  22-03-2017 05:34
  
  ROCKVILLE, Md. - Immigration officials say one of two students charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in a high school bathroom in Maryland entered the United States illegally.The Washington Post reports that 18-year-old Henry Sanchez lived in Guatemala until he was 17. A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement says in a statement that a border patrol agent encountered Sanchez in Texas in August.The statement says Sanchez was ordered to appear before an immigration judge. That appearan
  
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• Time is winding down for Healthcare Overhaul

  22-03-2017 04:47
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump and House leaders are revving up pressure on balky conservatives and other Republican lawmakers as crunch time approaches on the party's health care overhaul bill.It's a drive GOP leaders concede they can't afford to lose.A day before the House planned votes on the measure, Trump was expected to continue hunting support for what would be a significant achievement for his young presidency.A senior administration official said 20 to 25 House Republicans remained
  
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• Trump's Pick Neil Gorsuch says he regrets confirmation process

  22-03-2017 04:35
  
  WASHINGTON- Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch says "there is a lot" he regrets about the confirmation process, including putting his family through it.President Donald Trump's pick appeared to grow somewhat testy after more than four hours of questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse asked about a 2010 Supreme Court decision allowed for more money in politics. Gorsuch refused to offer an opinion on the case. But he replied: "There's a lot
  
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• Republican senator charged with child prostitution

  22-03-2017 01:36
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY - A Republican state senator from Oklahoma City charged with child prostitution once proposed a bill to ban the use of human fetuses in food.According to his attorney, Sen. Ralph Shortey plans to resign Wednesday after being accused of soliciting sex from a 17-year-old boy. Police in Moore arrested Shortey earlier this month after finding him with the boy in a hotel room.Shortey was best-known within the state Capitol for proposing eccentric pieces of legislation. The fetus bill dr
  
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