Baton Rouge news

• In Marksville police killing, read the judge's sentencing order

  31-03-2017 22:32
  
  Derrick Stafford imprisoned 40 years for fatally shooting 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis
  
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• Despite expert opinions, rainy weather concerns residents near Amite River

  31-03-2017 21:49
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - The National Weather Service says the Amite River could approach flood stage early next week, but experts say it will be nothing like the August flood.Residents that live along the Amite are still recovering from the flood, and rising water is something they do not want to see."It just depends on how fast and how far up river it rains," resident James Carter said.For the last 50 years, Carter has called the river home, only once surprised by how high the water rose.The water
  
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• Anti-allergy medicine EpiPen recall expands to US

  31-03-2017 21:23
  
  A recall of the emergency anti-allergy medicine EpiPen is expanding to the U.S. and other markets in North America, Europe, Asia and South America because the allergy shots may not work.
      
  The notice issued Friday by Mylan N.V. expands upon warnings made earlier this month after two reports of the device failing. The recall now covers 13 lots distributed from December 2015 through July 2016.
      
  Mylan didn't immediately respond to a quest
  
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• UN urges new efforts to defeat Boko Haram and tackle hunger

  31-03-2017 20:43
  
  UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council is calling for stepped up efforts to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency and Islamic State extremists in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region and tackle the humanitarian crisis that has left millions facing hunger.
      
  A resolution adopted unanimously Friday strongly condemns attacks by the militant groups and encourages greater support to strengthen the capabilities of the multinational force trying to rout them. It says the force
  
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• 3 arrested in connection with overpass collapse

  31-03-2017 20:01
  
  ATLANTA - Officials say three people have been arrested in connection with a massive fire under Interstate 85 in Atlanta that caused a portion of the bridge to collapse.
      
  Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jay Florence confirms the suspects were arrested Friday. He identified them as Basil Eleby, Sophia Bruner and Barry Thomas. Eleby faces a charge of criminal damage to property, while Bruner and Thomas each was charged with criminal trespass.
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• Tiger Woods decides to sit out another Masters

  31-03-2017 19:39
  
  Tiger Woods won't play in the Masters for the third time in the last four years because he says he is not tournament ready.
      
  Woods announced Friday night on his website that he did everything possible to try to play. He says his back rehabilitation simply didn't allow him enough time.
      
  He said there was no timetable for his return.
      
  Woods withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic in early February after sho
  
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• Marksville officer sent to prison for 40 years for killing 6-year-old boy

  31-03-2017 19:32
  
  Crimes shook small Louisiana town during year police in U.S. fatally shot 991 people
  
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• Investigation leads to two arrested for drug charges in Ascension

  31-03-2017 17:32
  
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a man and woman on several drug charges after a joint investigation.
  Detectives executed a search warrant on a home located in the 1300 block of N. Charles Street in Gonzales. During their search, detectives located heroin, ecstasy, marijuana, Xanax, crack cocaine, a digital scale and $2,100 in cash.
  As a result, 30-year-old Charles Smith and 30-year-old Ronnette Lawson were arrested on several drug possession charges
  
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• Construction to begin in months on Gardere sidewalks

  31-03-2017 17:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - Many people who use Gardere Lane on a daily basis say they're anxiously waiting for a sidewalk project to get started.There are no sidewalks along Gardere Lane in South Baton Rouge. It's a state highway many people walk along between Nicholson and Burbank. Over the years there have been accidents, injuries and some people have been killed."You kind of got to navigate, improvise to get from one point to another," said Frederick Foreman.Many pedestrians walk along the road, sometimes
  
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• Fire department: increase of building fires, many deemed cooking fires

  31-03-2017 17:08
  
  BATON ROUGE – The St. George Fire Department is experiencing higher incidences of building fires so far in the year with several others being deemed cooking fires. According to the department, firefighters have responded to 27 building fires this year and 11 additional cooking fires that did not spread to the rest of the structure. Of the 27 fires, five are still being investigated and seven originated in the kitchen.
  The department says that the kitchen is the room in homes w
  
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• Maryland student charged in alleged plot for mass shooting at school

  31-03-2017 16:38
  
  THURMONT - Police in Maryland say a student accused of meticulously planning a mass shooting at her high school has been formally charged.The Frederick County Sheriff's Office says in a news release that 18-year-old Nichole Cevario of Thurmont was served with arrest warrants Friday. She is being held without bond.Police last week had identified the woman as Nichole Cevario, but corrected the spelling of her first name on Friday.She is charged with two felonies involving a destructive device.Depu
  
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• Suit: Dillard University's inaction after 1 rape set stage for another

  31-03-2017 16:25
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A lawsuit claims Dillard University's failure to warn students and ban an alleged rapist from campus after a November 2015 attack set the stage for the rape of another student by the same assailant in April 2016.Nola.comThe Times-Picayune reports the lawsuit was filed this week in federal court against the New Orleans university by a woman identified as Jane Doe - the second rape victim.The suit says she was harassed by her assailant after reporting the rape. It says he was a frequ
  
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• Caddo Parish authorities find body in well

  31-03-2017 16:22
  
  SHREVEPORT - Caddo Parish authorities have found a body in a well.Sheriff Steve Prator, in a news release Friday, said a woman contacted deputies Thursday saying she was concerned after not hearing from her 59-year-old sister who had gone to the area to cut grass.Patrol deputies talked to people living on the property and, after searching the area for about 15 minutes, Prator says Cpl. Greg McGee found the woman's body in a water well on the property.Caddo Fire District #1 personnel removed the
  
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• Dog shot after charging at officers on Sherwood Street

  31-03-2017 16:15
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a dog was shot after it charged at an officer while in the 4900 block of Sherwood Street.On Friday afternoon, BRPD officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant at a home in the area, when a dog from a neighboring yard charged at the officers. The officers were walking along the roadway and attempted to avoid the dog, according to police.When the dog rushed one of the officers, he drew is firearm and shot the dog one time through the head.
  According to police
  
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• Man accused of sexual assault of 12-year-old girl

  31-03-2017 15:57
  
  BATON ROUGE – A Baton Rouge man faces rape charges after police say he forced a child to perform sex acts on him.Lenard J Taylor, 30, was charged with first degree rape Friday. He was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.Documents say a 12-year-old’s mother contacted Baton Rouge Police after learning that Taylor had tried several times to video call the victim. The victim, with her mother observing, sent a text message to the Taylor asking “what you want?&
  
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• Police: man arrested for not completing repair work, not having contractor's license

  31-03-2017 15:42
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man has been arrested after police say he did not complete work on a home that he was paid more than $1,000 to do and does not have a contractor's license. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office arrested 48-year-old Tyrone Fultz for charges of residential contractor fraud and contracting without a license.
  On December 30, the victim stated that she entered into a contract with Fultz, who agreed to conduct repairs to the roof of her home. According to arrest docu
  
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• Louisiana governor, lawmakers targeting tax breaks for cuts

  31-03-2017 15:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - As lawmakers consider rewriting Louisiana's tax laws, the credits, deductions and exemptions the state gives some items from taxes are squarely in lawmakers' crosshairs for elimination.New Orleans Sen. J.P. Morrell spent hours last year holding hearings digging into every tax break the state has on the books. Now, he's trying to get rid of some of them, saying Louisiana can't afford them.Gov. John Bel Edwards also wants to chip away at some programs that have Louisiana giving out a
  
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• Roman Banks appointed as SUS Director of Athletics

  31-03-2017 15:02
  
  LORANGER – Roman Banks is the new director of athletics for the Southern University System, the university announced Friday.The SUS Board approved the appointment Friday, removing the interim title from Banks’ position that he has held for 18 months. Banks also serves as the head coach for the Southern University men’s basketball team.“I was pleased to recommend Mr. Roman Banks to assume the role of athletic director for Southern University on a full-time,
  
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• Seven companies bid to grow medical marijuana for LSU

  31-03-2017 14:32
  
  BATON ROUGE – Seven businesses have submitted offers to produce marijuana for Louisiana through LSU.The marijuana growing operation is estimated to cost $10 million and will be paid for by the contractor."We're looking for somebody who will be able to provide the quality product for the patients in Louisiana who will be using the medical marijuana product," Dr. Ted Gauthier, LSU professor, told WBRZ News 2 in February.The seven bidders announced Friday afternoon are:Columbia Care Louis
  
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• FBI re-releases dozens of 9/11 Pentagon photos after glitch

  31-03-2017 14:10
  
  WASHINGTON - More than two dozen photos of the Pentagon taken after a plane crashed into it on Sept. 11, 2001, have reappeared in recent days on the FBI's website six years after they were first made public. The posting misled some to believe the photos from 9/11 had never before been seen.FBI spokeswoman Jillian Stickels told The Associated Press on Friday the 27 photos were first posted online in 2011, but disappeared from the site because of a technical glitch. They were restored to public vi
  
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• Baton Rouge woman arrested on bank fraud charges

  31-03-2017 14:10
  
  HAMMOND – Tangipahoa Parish investigators say a Baton Rouge woman faces bank fraud charges after she was arrested Friday.On Sept. 2, investigators learned that a citizen’s routing and account number was compromised and used to make utility payments in the Baton Rouge area without their consent.During the investigation, Detective Travis Pitman identified Jasmine Thompson, 24, of Baton Rouge as a suspect. A warrant was issued for Thompson’s arrest and she was located
  
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• Journalist says she's found Twitter account of FBI director

  31-03-2017 14:01
  
  WASHINGTON - A reporter for the website Gizmodo says she's uncovered a stealth Twitter account that she believes belongs to FBI Director James Comey.Comey acknowledged in a speech Wednesday that he was "on Twitter now," though he did not reveal his account information.In a first-person account posted Thursday, Gizmodo journalist Ashley Feinberg said she used several clues to trace Comey's Twitter presence to a user name of Reinhold Niebuhr with handle "projectexile7."Comey's senior thesis was ab
  
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• DuPont, Dow push back merger date

  31-03-2017 13:56
  
  WASHINGTON - DuPont and Dow have once again postponed their proposed $62 billion merger, saying they expect the deal to close in August.The chemical giants' merger has already been pushed back several times, as regulatory agencies in the U.S. and abroad scrutinize the deal. When DuPont and Dow announced the merger in December of 2015, they expected it to close in the first half of 2016.The latest delay comes as DuPont finalizes the sale of its crop protection business to FMC Corp. to meet Europe
  
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• Ms. Pac-Man returns to Google Maps for April Fools Day

  31-03-2017 13:43
  
  BATON ROUGE – If you’ve ever wished for Pac-Man to gobble up Baton Rouge traffic, today may be your lucky day. To celebrate April Fool’s Day Saturday, Google has turned Google Maps into an interactive game of Ms. Pac-Man.“Avoid Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue as you swerve the streets of real places around the world. But eat the pac-dots fast, because this game will only be around for a little while,” the game’s help article says.To play,
  
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• Judge approves $25 million Trump University settlement

  31-03-2017 13:42
  
  SAN DIEGO - A judge has approved an agreement for President Donald Trump to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits over his now-defunct Trump University.The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel in San Diego ends nearly seven years of legal battles with customers who claimed they were misled by failed promises to teach success in real estate.The ruling settles two class-action lawsuits and a civil lawsuit by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.Trump had vowed never to settle
  
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• LSU PD: three arrested for breaking into Tiger Stadium overnight

  31-03-2017 13:01
  
  BATON ROUGE – LSU Police say that three individuals have been arrested for breaking into Tiger Stadium on Friday around 1 a.m. Officers arrested 21-year-old Cade Broussard, 20-year-old Seth Broussard and 22-year-old Frederick Herrera.
  According to police, the individuals entered through a boarded up window and were attempting to steal items from the stadium, including signs, cups, bags, drinks and photos.
  According to police, Cade Broussard is a student at Baton Rouge
  
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• Charleston church shooter to plead guilty to murder charges

  31-03-2017 12:48
  
  COLUMBIA, S.C. - Convicted South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof is set to plead guilty to state murder charges to avoid a second death sentence.Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told The Associated Press on Friday Roof is scheduled to enter a guilty plea during a hearing April 10 in Charleston. She said he will enter the plea in exchange for a sentence of life in prison.Roof has been awaiting trial on state murder charges for the deaths of nine black parishioners at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church
  
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• Denham Springs man accused of distribution of sex abuse images of children

  31-03-2017 12:07
  
  BATON ROUGE – Attorney General Jeff Landry says two men in Louisiana were arrested this week on child exploitation charges.“I have an unwavering commitment to protect our children from sexual exploitation,” Landry said. “My office will continue to use all the resources possible to bring child predators to justice.”John Salpietra, 24, of Denham Springs was arrested on two counts of distribution of sexual abuse images and/or videos of children. He
  
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• New Orleans man indicted on murder charge 10 days after his death

  31-03-2017 09:24
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A defense attorney says New Orleans prosecutors secured a murder indictment against a man on the eve of his funeral, 10 days after he died in his sleep.John Fuller, who previously served as a lawyer for the late Steven "Shaq" Burns Jr., told multiple media outlets that his client's indictment Thursday by an Orleans Parish grand jury was a troubling affront to the man's grieving relatives.A spokesman for District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office says prosecutors weren't informed of
  
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• Pa. professor says 'trying not to vomit' after soldier gets seat

  31-03-2017 09:02
  
  PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia college professor is defending tweeting that he was "trying not to vomit" after seeing a first-class passenger give up his seat to a soldier on a flight.George Ciccariello-Maher, who teaches at Drexel University, tweeted Sunday: "Some guy gave up his first class seat for a uniformed soldier. People are thanking him. I'm trying not to vomit or yell about Mosul." Ciccariello-Maher's account is private, but screenshots of his tweet were shared by others.Ciccariello-Mah
  
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• Prom dress posters at Florida school draw criticism

  31-03-2017 08:51
  
  JACKSONVILLE - A principal in Florida has apologized after a staff member put up posters around the school showing girls what kinds of dresses would and wouldn't be allowed at the prom.The posters at Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville featured pictures of types of dress that would be allowed with the caption "Going to Stanton Prom? Yes you are. Good girl." Photos with dresses that wouldn't be allowed had the caption "Going to Stanton Prom? No you're not."The Florida Times-Union r
  
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• Volunteers needed to Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful

  31-03-2017 08:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - Hundreds of people are expected to take to the streets, and clean the city-parish Saturday morning.Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful has partnered with the Mayor's Office to cover areas of all 12 districts.All but one location will be meeting at 8:30 a.m. The downtown meeting place, at Laurel and North Third, will meet at 7:30 a.m., due to an event downtown. They still need your help too. You can sign up at KBRB.org, or just show up at your desired location. Officials ask that al
  
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• Putin aide says US-Russia relations at a low

  31-03-2017 06:56
  
  WASHINGTON - The chief spokesman for President Vladimir Putin says relations between the United States and Russia are at a very low ebb, perhaps exceeding Cold War-era hostility between Washington and Moscow.Dmitry Peskov tells ABC's "Good Morning America" that reports of Russian meddling in America's election amount to "fake news." Asked by anchor George Stephanopoulos if there is a "new Cold War," Peskov replied, "Well, maybe even worse." He said much of the current chill was caused b
  
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• Dad stunned that wounded man is nightclub shooting suspect

  31-03-2017 06:51
  
  CINCINNATI - The father of a man hospitalized in critical condition after a Cincinnati nightclub shooting says he was elated to learn that police were charging two suspects - and then devastated to find out his son was one of them.A man was fatally shot and 16 other people were hurt when a dispute escalated into the gunbattle at the Cameo club early Sunday. Police on Thursday announced the arrests of two men on murder charges.The hospitalized suspect, 29-year-old Deondre Davis, has been unrespon
  
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• Is 'Obamacare' repeal dead -- or a legislative zombie

  31-03-2017 06:47
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's plan to kill Obamacare died last week. Or maybe it didn't.In never-say-die Washington, big legislative proposals that are in the casket one day can show signs of a pulse the next.The repeal effort appears to have zombie status - somewhere between dead and alive.It's a common condition in the capital, where politicians who invest enormous political capital in one proposal or another are loath to let go.Last week, the White House said Trump had given his all t
  
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• Schumer warns GOP against rules change on Supreme Court

  31-03-2017 06:45
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Democrat is strongly warning Republicans against changing Senate rules to confirm President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee.Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is trying to line up enough votes to block Judge Neil Gorsuch. He lost two in his caucus Thursday when Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota said they would vote for him. But Schumer still appears to be on track to amass enough Democrats to block the nomin
  
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• North Carolina's "bathroom bill" repeal: who's satisfied?

  31-03-2017 06:43
  
  RALEIGH - North Carolina politicians are rolling back a law that blocked some anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people, but it isn't yet clear if it's enough to coax back businesses and sporting events that have skipped the state.Initial reactions were largely muted on Thursday's compromise repeal. Advocates say it still leaves gays, lesbians and transgender people vulnerable to discrimination.Consultants who advise companies looking for a good place to build operations are divided whethe
  
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• Christopher Nolan says 'Dunkirk' is not going to Cannes

  31-03-2017 06:41
  
  LAS VEGAS - Filmmaker Christopher Nolan says that despite speculation to the contrary, his upcoming World War II epic "Dunkirk" is not going to play at the Cannes Film Festival.Nolan told The Associated Press that the film will not be done by the time films are lighting up the Croisette at the esteemed festival, now in its 70th year. The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 17 through May 28, and official selections will be announced on April 13.Telling the story of the famed evacuation of Allied
  
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• Michael Flynn seeks immunity in Russia probe

  31-03-2017 05:30
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is facing new questions about political interference in the investigations into Russian election meddling following reports that White House officials secretly funneled material to the chairman of the House intelligence committee. Trying to fend off the growing criticism, Trump's top lawyer has invited lawmakers from both parties to view classified information at the White House.Michael Flynn's attorney says the former national security adviser is in discussio
  
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• SpaceX makes history with first recycled rocket launch

  31-03-2017 05:22
  
  SpaceX successfully launched and then retrieved its first recycled rocket Thursday, the biggest leap yet in its bid to drive down costs and speed up flights.
  
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• Mike Flynn asks for immunity in exchange for testifying in Trump-Russia probe

  31-03-2017 03:02
  
  Michael Flynn's attorney says the former national security adviser is in discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees on receiving immunity from "unfair prosecution" in exchange for questioning.
  
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