Baton Rouge news

• Baton Rouge contractor could help build border wall

  30-03-2017 21:54
  
  BATON ROUGE- A civil contractor said Thursday he's on the short list to help build President Donald Trump's wall on the Mexican border.James Larry Prudhomme, a Trump supporter, has run his company JL Investments in Baton Rouge for over a decade with a focus on commercial construction."I believe in the wall, I believe a country without a border is not a country at all," he said.Trump's wall would reportedly span 2000 miles and cost billions of dollars. Prudhomme said it's still
  
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• Marksville officer faces 10 to 60 years in prison for killing 6-year-old boy, wounding father

  30-03-2017 21:50
  
  Jeremy Mardis is youngest person shot dead by police in U.S. since 2014
  
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• 15 survivors ask $250M-plus in deadly Biloxi train-bus crash

  30-03-2017 21:12
  
  A Houston attorney says 15 tourists from Texas have filed lawsuits asking more than $250 million in total damages over a train-bus crash that killed four people in Biloxi.
      
  Tony Buzbee says in a news release that his clients include Tim Orr, whose wife died in the March 7 wreck.
      
  The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that CSX Transportation Inc. knew its crossing needed attention, and that the train could have been stopped in time to
  
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• Fire causes interstate overpass to collapse in Atlanta

  30-03-2017 20:30
  
  ATLANTA  - A large fire has caused an overpass on Interstate 85 to collapse in Atlanta.
      
  WSB-TV reports the massive blaze is burning underneath I-85 northbound near Piedmont Road. It has shut down several roads in northeast Atlanta.
      
  Witnesses say troopers were telling cars to turn around on the bridge because they were concerned about its integrity. Minutes later, the bridge collapsed.
      
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• Atlanta streets clogged after interstate collapse

  30-03-2017 20:30
  
  ATLANTA  - Surface streets in Atlanta were clogged with traffic Friday morning after a massive fire caused a section of Interstate 85 to collapse, closing the major artery for the foreseeable future.Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, or MARTA, added extra trains to accommodate additional passengers who may try to avoid the roads altogether.MARTA CEO Keith Parker told The Associated Press the transit system was seeing strong crowds but that everything was going
  
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• DOTD lowers weight limit for commercial vehicles on LA 1 bridge

  30-03-2017 18:32
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is lowering the weight limit for vehicles traveling on the LA 1 Intracoastal Waterway Bridge.The new limit is now 15-25 tons in both directions and will remain in place until repairs to the bridge have been made. Repairs are estimated to take a minimum of two months to be completed.DOTD says the contractor of the bridge repairs will work seven days a week in order to finish them as quickly as possible. Drivers can
  
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• Burglaries in Geismar subdivision prompt neighbors to use app

  30-03-2017 18:22
  
  GEISMAR – Burglars hit one Geismar neighborhood recently and residents are fighting back by getting the word out to neighbors through an app.One homeowner, who wished not to be identified, said someone tried to break into her home recently.
  "Just banging on the door. Me and my kids were really scared," she said. I asked my neighbor and they said, yes they were pulling on my door," she said.The homeowner lives in the Old Mill subdivision in Geismar that is filled with nice-well kept hom
  
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• So long, dandelion: Crayola retiring crayon color

  30-03-2017 17:34
  
  EASTON - Dandelion has gone to seed.Crayola is removing the color from all of its crayon boxes to make way for a new color that it plans to announce on Friday - National Crayon Day. The company announced dandelion's departure via Twitter on Thursday.It's only the third time in Crayola's long history that it has retired one or more colors, and the first time it's removing one from the box of 24.Other colors that now lie fallow include maize, raw umber and orange yellow.Crayola crayons were produc
  
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• Crayola boots dandelion for bluish crayon yet to be named

  30-03-2017 17:34
  
  EASTON - Dandelion yellow has reason to be blue.Crayola announced Friday, National Crayon Day, that it's replacing the color dandelion in its 24-pack with a crayon in "the blue family."The company says it will leave it to fans to come up with a name for the replacement color.It's only the third time in Crayola's long history that it has retired one or more colors, and the first time it's swapped out a color in its box of 24.Other colors that previously got the boot include maize, raw umber and o
  
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• Blocked culvert cleaned following call to 2 On Your Side

  30-03-2017 17:17
  
  BATON ROUGE - With Thursday's rain and more in the forecast, a homeowner was concerned over a pile of branches that was blocking a culvert in the neighborhood.The culvert is along Danbury Drive in the Jefferson Terrace neighborhood of Baton Rouge.Jeff Liberty says earlier this year a crew restored some power lines and trimmed some branches after a tree limb fell, but the branches were never picked up.Over the last few weeks the branches have floated down a drainage ditch and are now piled in fro
  
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• 2 Elayn Hunt officers terminated, 6 others resign after alleged beating of inmate

  30-03-2017 17:14
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections terminated two Elayn Hunt Correctional Center officers for use of excessive force and six others resigned following an alleged beating of an inmate in January.According to the department, six of the officers resigned instead of termination. The department's investigation determined that some of the officers attempted to cover up the incident.On January 9, correctional officers were attempting to remove inm
  
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• Work Zone Awareness Week 2017 to be held April 3-7

  30-03-2017 16:56
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is recognizing April 3-7 as Work Zone Awareness Week.The year's theme is "Work Zone Safety is in Your Hands," which focuses on the message that drivers should be alert and prepared for unexpected changes in and around work zones.A safety cone memorial is displayed on the front lawn of the DOTD Headquarters building in recognition of those who died in work zones nationwide in 2015. According to the Fatality Analysi
  
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• U.S. Marshals warn of jury duty scam phone calls

  30-03-2017 16:02
  
  BATON ROUGE – The U.S. Marshals Service for the Middle District of Louisiana is warning citizens of a jury duty phone scam.In the scam the caller poses as a U.S. Marshal, Deputy Marshal, or other law enforcement officer and tells the victim that he or she has missed federal jury duty and can avoid arrest by paying a fine.According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the caller will provide information such as titles and badge numbers of a legitimate law enforcement officer or court official,
  
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• Southdowns residents furious about over-flowing manhole

  30-03-2017 15:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Some residents in the Southdowns neighborhood are furious about a manhole that routinely overflows and trashes their driveways and yards."It's our Southdowns geyser, you can call it Old Faitful almost," said Dan Cuendet, who lives right next to the manhole.Cuendet tells News 2 the problem has been ongoing ever since the city upgraded its sewer system.The entire project is worth $1.6 billion."Ever since November 2015, we've been dealing with this issue," said Cuedet.The Department o
  
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• Aboard tall-mast ship, Dutch scientist's pep talk lauds Louisiana coastal initiative

  30-03-2017 15:32
  
  'Nobody has yet managed a coastal system on a delta scale,' she tells Water Institute
  
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• WBRZ Crawfish Index: boiled price per pound on the rise

  30-03-2017 15:29
  
  BATON ROUGE – The price for a pound of boiled crawfish sits right under $4 this week, rising slightly compared to last week.According to the WBRZ Crawfish Price Index, the average price sits at $3.99 a pound. While most of the locations kept last week’s price, there was some movement on either end of the spectrum.One possible reason why prices are rising: increasing demand as Easter approaches. Last week one store cited strong demand during Lent as the reason why prices had p
  
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• Three arrested after drug bust at Zachary home

  30-03-2017 15:29
  
  ZACHARY – The Zachary Police Department arrested three individuals on several drug charges after conducting a month-long investigation.According to the police department, information was received after a traffic stop and a search warrant was obtained for a home located in the 8000 block of Lower Zachary Road.Officers located methamphetamine, marijuana, ecstasy and drug paraphernalia including bags, digital scales and smoking pipes in the home. Additionally, $250 in cash was seized.As a
  
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• Kansas House advances tougher amusement ride law

  30-03-2017 14:59
  
  TOPEKA - A Kansas House member whose 10-year-old son died last summer on a water park slide spoke to his colleagues on the subject for the first time Thursday shortly before they voted unanimously to strengthen inspection rules for amusement rides.Rep. Scott Schwab's son Caleb died at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.The bill requires annual ride inspections and sets specific qualifications for inspectors. Current law allows parks to conduct their own inspections.Schwab told House
  
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• Lawsuit: Federal judge can't manage her personal affairs

  30-03-2017 14:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - A federal judge in Louisiana who took medical leave after she was mysteriously pulled off a string of cases now faces a lawsuit from a fellow judge challenging her mental and physical capacity to manage her personal and financial affairs.The case against U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi has been sealed from public view.However, Lake Charles attorney Thomas Lorenzi confirmed Thursday that he filed the March 16 suit on behalf of U.S. Magistrate Kathleen Kay, who serves u
  
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• More heavy rain could cause rivers to rise

  30-03-2017 14:22
  
  Just as soon as the latest system exits, focus will shift to a weekend storm that could bring heavy rain to the local area. After a general 1.5 – 3.5 inches of rain in the region since early Thursday morning, much more is expected after only two dry days.  According to a National Weather Service hydrologic outlook, rises on area rivers could lead to minor or moderate flooding.Precipitable Water (atmopsheric moisture) Percent of Normal, 1am Monday | Image via WeatherBELL MODELS
  
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• 'Alien: Covenant' clips are the stuff nightmares are made of

  30-03-2017 14:21
  
  LAS VEGAS - Ridley Scott knows how to scare us. He's been doing it for over 40 years. But the new footage from his upcoming "Alien: Covenant" that premiered Thursday at CinemaCon makes that alien bursting out of John Hurt's chest look tame in comparison.Scott wasn't in attendance at the annual gathering of theater owners and exhibitors but gleefully teased its terrors.The hyperviolent sequences show new nightmares for the crew of the colony ship Covenant, with blood, shrieks and creatures emergi
  
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• Edwards unveils criminal justice reform agenda

  30-03-2017 14:14
  
  BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced part of his legislative agenda for the upcoming legislative session.In a statement released Thursday, Edwards’s office says it plans to tackle criminal justice reform and strengthen community policing standards.Edwards claims that implementing the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force’s recommendations would reduce the state prison population by 13 percent and save taxpayers $305 million.“Whil
  
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• Man wanted for stealing $1,200 worth of cigarettes in Prairieville

  30-03-2017 14:05
  
  *above video via Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office PRAIRIEVILLE – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is requesting the public's assistance in identifying a man who stole 30 cartons of cigarettes.The incident occurred on March 26 at the Dollar General located on Airline Highway in Prarieville.Surveillance video shows the man entering an area for employees only, filling a cardboard box with 30 cartons of cigarettes and then leaving the store. According to the sheriff's office
  
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• April 19 sentencing for killer of ex-Saints star Will Smith

  30-03-2017 13:55
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed on an April 19 sentencing date for the New Orleans man convicted of killing former Saints star Will Smith last year.The sentencing date for 29-year-old Cardell Hayes was set Thursday in state Judge Camille Buras's courtroom.Smith was shot to death during a confrontation after a car crash.Hayes claimed self-defense but a jury convicted him of manslaughter in Smith's death, and attempted manslaughter for wounding Smith's wife.Pro
  
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• The Blue Dog 'I Voted' sticker considered collector's item

  30-03-2017 13:46
  
  Louisiana's "I Voted" sticker featuring George Rodrigue's Blue Dog in now considered a collector's item.According to a report from WWL, a survey on eBay found that the stickers are on sale for prices ranging from $4.99 to $50. The stickers were given to Louisiana voters when they cast their ballots during the November presidential election.Secretary of State Tom Schedler created the Blue Dog sticker campaign to promote voter participation. He said that the campaign and the stickers is the "best
  
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• Blue Dog "I Voted" sticker considered collector's item

  30-03-2017 13:46
  
  Louisiana's "I Voted" sticker featuring George Rodrigue's Blue Dog in now considered a collector's item.According to a report from WWL, a survey on eBay found that the stickers are on sale for prices ranging from $4.99 to $50. The stickers were given to Louisiana voters when they cast their ballots during the November presidential election.Secretary of State Tom Schedler created the Blue Dog sticker campaign to promote voter participation. He said that the campaign and the stickers is the "best
  
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• SpaceX set to launch its first recycled rocket

  30-03-2017 13:42
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX is about to launch its first recycled rocket.The Falcon 9 rocket is on the pad at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, poised for a Thursday evening liftoff. It's the first time SpaceX founder Elon Musk has tried to fly a salvaged booster. The first stage landed on an ocean platform almost a year ago after a launch for NASA.SpaceX refurbished and tested the booster, which still has its original engines. It'll aim for another sea landing once it hoists a broadcasting satellite
  
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• Twitter no longer counts usernames in replies towards 140-character limit

  30-03-2017 13:15
  
  Twitter is giving users a little more space to reply to tweets.According to a report from CNN, Twitter usernames in replies no longer count toward the 140-character limit in tweets.The username or handle is the person's Twitter name after the @ sign.With the new change, those usernames will no longer show up in replies to tweets. Instead, when a user replies to others, the username will be displayed above the tweet in small text.The change will make it easier for users to engage in group convers
  
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• Student arrested after social media threats closed New Orleans school

  30-03-2017 12:56
  
  NEW ORLEANS – A 15-year-old student has been arrested after police say he posted threats on social media that caused the closure of Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. According to a report from WWL, the teen was arrested on Thursday afternoon at his home. According to police, the teen is a current student at the school and posted a photo on Snapchat showing several weapons on a bed with a caption reading, "Don't come to school tomorrow."At the teen's home, three ri
  
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• New Orleans school closed due to threat on social media

  30-03-2017 12:56
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Isidore Newman School in New Orleans is closed on Thursday after a threat on social media was posted.According to a report from WWL, school officials announced the school closure on Thursday and parent conferences that were scheduled for Friday have also been canceled."Last night we learned that posted on social media was a threat of violence at our School. We worked through the night with a core administrative team and with our threat assessment consultant to evaluate al
  
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• West Feliciana Parish in need of volunteer firefighters

  30-03-2017 12:40
  
  WEST FELICIANA - There’s a need for more volunteer firefighters in West Feliciana. They have 70 fire personnel, which includes administrative assistants to clerks, but that doesn’t include people who can actually fight fires.“When it comes down to our true need, we need qualified interior structure firefighters, which is probably our biggest need right now” says Fire Chief James Wood.For calls in West Feliciana’s district, they have to drive abou
  
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• Baton Rouge man accused of strangling, raping woman

  30-03-2017 12:39
  
  BATON ROUGE – A Baton Rouge man faces rape charges after a woman said he strangled her then raped her earlier this week.Gregory Odell Talbert, 33, was charged with aggravated rape and second degree battery Wednesday.According to arrest documents, The victim said she was walking down a street with Talbert Monday to meet her cousins when he grabbed her by her neck and started strangling her. The victim said he threw her to the ground, started stomping and kicking her before raping her.Th
  
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• Spacewalking astronauts lose piece of shielding

  30-03-2017 12:16
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL - Spacewalking astronauts have lost an important piece of shielding needed for the International Space Station.The cloth bundle floated away Thursday midway through a spacewalk by Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough. Whitson immediately reported the mishap to Mission Control, which tracked the item as it drifted away.NASA said the shield will be monitored to make sure it doesn't come back and hit the station. The shielding protects against micrometeorite debris. It was one
  
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• Trump thumps Freedom Caucus over health care

  30-03-2017 12:10
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is warning conservative lawmakers in the House that a fight is coming if they don't "get on the team, & fast."Trump tweeted early Thursday, "The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!"The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!— Donald J. Trump
  
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• As GOP schism grows, Trump attacks fellow Republicans

  30-03-2017 12:10
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump trained his fire on members of his own party Thursday, declaring in the aftermath of the Republican's failed health care push that the conservative Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire GOP agenda. He vowed to "fight them" in 2018 if they don't get behind him.The Trump tweet highlighted the growing schism in a Republican party that controls the White House and both branches of Congress yet appears to be teetering on the precipice of a civil war. Republicans plun
  
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• Something completely different at McDonald's: Fresh beef

  30-03-2017 12:06
  
  NEW YORK - Coming soon to McDonald's: Fresh beef.The fast food giant says it will swap frozen beef patties for fresh ones in its Quarter Pounder burgers by sometime next year at most of its U.S. locations. Employees will cook up the never-frozen beef on a grill when ordered.It's a major shift for the world's largest hamburger chain, which has been trying to update its image as more people shun processed foods. It has been tinkering with its recipes, removing artificial preservatives from its Chi
  
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• Nearly half of Pa. high school's students get suspension notices

  30-03-2017 12:03
  
  HARRISBURG - Nearly half the students at a high school in Pennsylvania's capital city have been given suspension notices for missing too much class time.Pennlive.com reports that officials at Harrisburg High School gave the notices to 500 students on Monday as part of a crackdown by the school's new principal. Officials say the students accumulated too many unexcused absences.At least 100 students served one-day suspensions on Tuesday. School officials are working with the parents of other stude
  
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• Trove of Susan B. Anthony letters lands at New York college

  30-03-2017 12:00
  
  ROCHESTER - A college in Susan B. Anthony's western New York hometown has acquired a trove of 19th-century letters she wrote to a fellow leader in the women's rights movement.The University of Rochester says the collection originally owned by Isabella Beecher Hooker includes dozens of letters from fellow suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The collection is now housed in the university's Department of Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation.The letters were written
  
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• Back to burgers: Carl's Jr. ditches bikini-clad ads

  30-03-2017 09:56
  
  Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are ditching the bikinis and getting back to the burgers.The chains are famous for advertisements featuring models and celebrities like Paris Hilton, Kate Upton and Emily Ratajkowski munching on burgers while scantily clad.A new commercial for the chains shows the imagined Carl Hardee Sr. taking back control of the operation from immature son Carl Hardee Jr. Carl Sr. rips down photos of swimsuit models and puts up framed pictures of hamburgers. The chains are now calling
  
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• Police: 14-year-old shot man who sexually battered him

  30-03-2017 08:44
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a 14-year-old shot a man he said sexually battered him in the backseat of a car earlier this month.Germorius Ferguson was charged with felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and sexual battery. He was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Wednesday.According to arrest records, the 14-year-old was being investigated for attempted murder when he said Ferguson inappropriately touched him. The 14-year-old said he was sitting in the bac
  
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• Evil Elsa? 'Frozen' producer reveals film's original ending

  30-03-2017 06:51
  
  Disney's animated phenomenon, "Frozen," may not have been a heartwarming tale of sisterly love if its creators stuck to the film's original planned ending."Frozen" producer Peter Del Vecho tells Entertainment Weekly the original version of the film was more in line with the Hans Christian Andersen tale on which it's based. Del Vecho says princess sisters Anna and Elsa weren't related in early scripts. He says "Elsa was a self-proclaimed Snow Queen, but she was a villain and pure evil."The drafts
  
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• Report: FBI recovers Rockwell painting taken in 1976

  30-03-2017 06:49
  
  PHILADELPHIA - The FBI has reportedly recovered a 1919 Norman Rockwell painting stolen more than 40 years ago from a New Jersey home.The painting, sometimes called "Lazybones" or "Boy Asleep with Hoe," graced the cover of the Sept. 6, 1919, edition of the Saturday Evening Post. The oil-on-canvas piece was among several items taken during a 1976 break-in in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb.Susan Murta tells The Philadelphia Inquirer the FBI did a great job. She last saw the painting in her pare
  
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• Agreement to end 'bathroom bill' but are there enough votes?

  30-03-2017 06:45
  
  RALEIGH - Republican legislative leaders in North Carolina and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper say they have an agreement to end the state's so-called "bathroom bill" that they hope removes any obstacles to expanding businesses and attracting sporting events.But they'll have to get enough votes for a proposal set for debate Thursday so the replacement measure for the law known as House Bill 2 can pass. Social conservatives prefer keeping HB2 while gay rights groups say only a complete repeal will do.
  
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• Republican foes of health care bill win praise in districts

  30-03-2017 06:44
  
  BUCKNER - Defying President Donald Trump on the Republican Party's promise to repeal and replace Obamacare sounds like political suicide, especially in the congressional districts Trump won handily.But some Republicans who blocked the legislation won praise from constituents for stopping what many saw as a flawed plan, either in the legislation's substance or strategy.Although Trump's famed deal-making faltered with his own party, the same voters who backed their local lawmaker showed patience w
  
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• Amid US' Afghanistan uncertainty, Russia resurrects interest

  30-03-2017 06:42
  
  WASHINGTON - As America's 16-year war in Afghanistan drags on, Russia is resurrecting its own interest in the "graveyard of empires." The jockeying includes engaging the Taliban and leading a new diplomatic effort to tackle Afghanistan's future, all while Washington leaves the world guessing on its strategy for ending the conflict.Uncertain of Moscow's intentions, the Trump administration will stay away when Russia hosts regional powers for another set of Afghan talks next month. Afghanistan's g
  
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• 91 year old judge missing

  30-03-2017 05:05
  
  SCRANTON, Pa. - A 91-year-old federal judge who recently stopped hearing cases due to health issues has been reported missing from his Pennsylvania home.The U.S. Marshals Service says it's looking for Edwin Kosik, who was last seen at his home outside Scranton around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The Marshals Service says Kosik is driving a gray 2015 Acura with driver's side damage and may be "at special risk of harm or injury."The Marshals Service is planning a news conference Thursday to discuss Kosik'
  
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• Over a dozen dead after head on collision

  30-03-2017 04:50
  
  Tecas- Federal investigators are getting their first look at the scene of a head-on collision involving a small church bus and a pickup truck that killed 13 senior adult church members onboard the bus.The Texas Department of Public Safety reports the lone bus survivor remains hospitalized in critical condition, and the pickup truck driver is in stable condition.National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Terry Williams says the agency sent investigators to the scene to start seeking the cause
  
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• Both political parties unite to get to the bottom of Russian investigation

  30-03-2017 04:44
  
  WASHINGTON - The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee says some tactics Russia used to meddle in last year's U.S. presidential election would give shivers to anyone who believes in American democracy.That Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, and the committee chairman, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, spoke to reporters ahead of Thursday's congressional hearing that will address ways the Kremlin allegedly uses technology to spread disinformation in the U.S. and Europe.Warner
  
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