Baton Rouge news

• Democracy Prep announces late start due to weather

  02-04-2017 21:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - Democracy Prep has announced it will have a delayed start on Monday due to the threat of severe weather Sunday night.The school attributed the late start to an abundance of caution in respect to the severe weather threats. Buses will be running at 7 a.m. and classes are scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. No other East Baton Rouge Parish schools have announced late starts or cancellations at this time.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Neighbor stops arson at Baton Rouge townhouse

  02-04-2017 21:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters say arson was the cause of a fire at a Baton Rouge town house Sunday morning.Crews responded to the reported fire around 7 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters and police arrived to discover that a neighbor used a fire extinguisher to put out a fire at the the door of the residence in the 7000 block of Townsouth Ave. Investigators later determined someone had poured accelerant around the door and ignited it.No injuries were reported in the fire.Anyone with infor
  
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• Armed robber leads authorities on car chase, attacks officer

  02-04-2017 20:42
  
  BATON ROUGE - Deputies arrested a man for armed robbery after he led authorities on a car chase and attacked an officer Sunday.Deputies arrested 27-year-old Tramaine Wells after he robbed a man of his phone and wallet at gunpoint and led officers on a dangerous chase through Baton Rouge.According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a reported armed robbery on Howell Boulevard shortly after midnight. During the call, officers could hear a gun being fi
  
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• Motorcyclist dies after crashing into trailer on Highway 316

  02-04-2017 18:57
  
  HOUMA - Police say a motorcyclist hurt in a Saturday night crash on LA 316 has died from his injuries.According to Louisiana State Police, 61-year-old James Marcel Jr. of Houma was traveling south on Highway 316 near Coteau Road when he struck a trailer that was blocking the roadway. Police say the driver of the pickup truck pulling the trailer was having trouble turning off the highway onto a private driveway when he stopped with his trailer blocking part of the highway. The d
  
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• Lightning blamed for fires in Shreveport

  02-04-2017 17:35
  
  SHREVEPORT - Lightning may be to blame for several fires in the Shreveport area Sunday.The storm sweeping across the South is believed to be the cause of a tanker fire in south Shreveport Sunday morning. The fire, which was reported around 10 a.m., closed Harts Island Road from Highway 175 to Ellerbe Road for safety reasons.According to KTBS, firefighters also responded to multiple house fires by the early afternoon.One fire on Evers Drive is believed to have been ignited by a lightning strike l
  
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• 17-year-old killed after vehicle submerged in St. James parish

  02-04-2017 17:13
  
  GRAMERCY - Police say a teenager was killed over the weekend after his vehicle was submerged in the bayou along Highway 61.According to Louisiana State Police, 17-year-old Evan Simoneaux of Laplace was traveling northbound on US 61 when his vehicled veered off the roadway and landed in the bayou. Police say his vehicle became completely submerged with Simoneaux still inside.Simoneaux sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crsh and was pronounced dead at the scene. A toxico
  
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• Video shows possible tornado near Alexandria

  02-04-2017 15:37
  
  ALEXANDRIA - Central Louisiana has already experienced severe weather in the area, and more is expected to continue into the night.According to KALB-TV, confidence is growing that widespread severe weather will hit central Louisiana Sunday afternoon through much of Sunday night.Video submitted to KALB shows what is possibly a tornado off in the distance. Another video shows damage that has already occurred in Alexandria.The Storm Prediction Center has placed parts of the area under a "high" risk
  
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• Death toll rises to 207 in Colombia avalanche

  02-04-2017 14:57
  
  MOCOA, Colombia - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says that at least 207 people have been killed in a water and mud avalanche in the country's south, but the death toll is changing "every moment."Santos spoke Sunday in his latest update on the tragedy.Authorities say another 200 people including many children were injured and just as many remain unaccounted for amid the destruction in the city of Mocoa.Heavy rains sent floodwaters, mud and debris surging through homes in the city around m
  
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• Gov. Edwards holds press conference to discuss severe weather across Louisiana

  02-04-2017 14:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is activating its Crisis Action Team due to dangerous weather that will likely continue through Sunday evening.Governor John Bel Edwards, along with emergency preparedness and response officials, held a press conference at GOHSEP headquarters at 4 p.m. to discuss the severe weather across the state.  According to GOHSEP spokesman Mike Steele, hail, dangerous winds and street flooding we
  
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• Atlanta traffic horror: Crews razing fallen highway overpass

  02-04-2017 14:21
  
  ATLANTA - Crews continue to tear down and clear away debris after a section of a major interstate highway in Atlanta collapsed late last week after a raging fire.Officials promised almost immediately after Thursday's inferno that a 350-foot stretch of the Interstate 85 bridge would be replaced. But that will likely take several months, and many commuters are bracing for a long commute to work and school Monday as the first full week opens without the key link to Atlanta's northern and northeast
  
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• 'Boss Baby' dethrones 'Beauty and the Beast' with $49M debut

  02-04-2017 14:06
  
  NEW YORK - The taskmaster toddler of "Boss Baby" has dethroned Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" at the box office with a $49 million debut.Studio estimates released Sunday said the DreamWorks Animation release starring Alec Baldwin as a suit-clad baby narrowly edged out the previous two-week leader.The live-action "Beauty and the Beast" took in $48 million in its third weekend. Final ticket sales figures will be released Monday.Paramount's "Ghost in the Shell" couldn't compete with either family-
  
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• A 'sci-fi' cancer therapy fights brain tumors, study finds

  02-04-2017 14:04
  
  WASHINGTON - It sounds like science fiction, but doctors say a device worn on the head that makes electric fields improved survival for the first time in more than a decade for people with deadly brain tumors.The device, made by Novocure and sold in the U.S. and elsewhere, is not a cure. But a study found more than twice as many patients were alive five years after wearing the apparatus plus undergoing the usual chemotherapy than those given just the chemo, 13 percent versus 5 percent.The electr
  
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• Local Miss. engineer sues municipality for $6.3 million

  02-04-2017 13:53
  
  CANTON, Miss. - A local engineer is suing a Mississippi municipality for millions.The Clarion-Ledger reports that engineer Rudy Warnock is suing the city of Canton's utilities division for $6.3 million. Warnock's attorney says he's owed the money under his contract with Canton Municipal Utilities.Although Warnock was fired by letter in December, his attorney says his contract required mediation and the city did not respond to mediation requests.Canton Municipal Utilities filed a motion
  
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• US ambassador says no question Russia meddled in election

  02-04-2017 13:40
  
  WASHINGTON - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says there's no question Russia was involved in the U.S. presidential election and that the actions of the Kremlin will be addressed after the investigations are completed.In an interview with ABC's "This Week," Ambassador Nikki Haley says Trump hasn't told her not to criticize Russia. She says she is "beating up on Russia" over issues such as its actions in Crimea and its dispute with Ukraine.President Donald Trump has said he believes Russ
  
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• LSUPD investigating spray-painted message on Chi Omega sorority house

  02-04-2017 13:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - The LSU Police Department is investigating a spray-painted message that was found on the Chi Omega sorority house located on LSU's campus.According to a University spokesperson, LSUPD responded to a report of vandalism at 10:50 a.m. Sunday morning.LSU PD investigating spray-painted threat on Chi Omega sorority house. pic.twitter.com/lVZxexpHXC— LSU Checkpoint (@LSUCheckpoint) April 2, 2017A picture of the vandalism shows the black spray-paint on the bricks of the house wi
  
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• Texas, Louisiana brace for possible flooding and tornadoes

  02-04-2017 13:35
  
  DALLAS - A storm system rumbling eastward through Texas toward the lower Mississippi Valley could pelt the region with large hail and cause flash-flooding and spawn tornadoes.The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center says the storms are likely to cause significant wind damage near and north of the Interstate 20 corridor in east Texas and Louisiana throughout the day and into Sunday night. It says there is a risk of baseball-sized hail and tornadoes, including strong ones, in that ar
  
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• Oxford-Cambridge boat race to go on after WWII bomb removed

  02-04-2017 13:29
  
  LONDON - British police say the hotly contested annual Oxford-Cambridge boat race will proceed as planned after they removed an unexploded World War II-era bomb near the start of the race on the River Thames.The bomb was discovered by a member of the public near Putney Bridge in southwest London, just meters from the starting line of the famous race that pits rowers from Cambridge University against those from Oxford University.Police say the ordinance was found submerged on the Chelsea shorelin
  
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• Dardenne authorizes delayed start for state employees Monday

  02-04-2017 13:27
  
  BATON ROUGE - Due to severe weather affecting Louisiana, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne is authorizing a delayed start for state employees in all parishes on Monday, April 3. In a statement released Sunday night, Dardenne recommends employees should report to work if and when it is safe to do so. If severe weather limits employees’ ability to report to work on time, they should notify their supervisors as soon as possible.&n
  
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• Swedish bus crash leaves 3 dead, 19 injured, mostly students

  02-04-2017 13:24
  
  STOCKHOLM - Rescue officials say a bus carrying Swedish students to a ski resort crashed Sunday in central Sweden, killing three people and injuring 19 others - six of them seriously.Rescue services spokesman Peter Nystedt said 31 others sustained minor injuries. The 52 high-school students were en route to a ski resort with seven adults, including the driver, when the accident occurred on a main highway south of Sveg, a small town 430 kilometers (260 miles) northwest of the capital, Stockholm.T
  
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• Significant severe weather risk for Louisiana today

  02-04-2017 13:18
  
  Here is what's going on:The ingredients for severe weather are present Sunday. That means tornadoes, large hail, and strong winds are all a possibility. That being said, a majority of the worst weather is expected to remain toward our northwest.Residents in northern and central Louisiana are under considerable risk today. The Baton Rouge area is well displaced from the most dangerous of threats, but we are still at significant risk.Baton Rouge itself is under an "enhanced" risk for seve
  
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• Ebb & Flow Festival day 2 cancelled due to inclement weather

  02-04-2017 13:15
  
  BATON ROUGE - Due to inclement weather, today's Ebb & Flow Festival is canceled.The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge announced the cancellation late Sunday morning. The Arts Council's released the following statement regarding today's cancellation:"While we are sorry that many of the beautiful artists, musicians, makers, and more will not be able to showcase today, safety for our visitors and participants are our priority. We apologize any inconvenience. A huge thank you to our Mayor-Pres
  
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• BRFD: Vacant house fire determined to be arson

  02-04-2017 13:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - A vacant house fire that took place on Missouri Street was determined to be caused by arson, according to the Baton Rouge Fire Department.According to BRFD, firefighters were called to the 2100 block of Missouri Street at 4:49 a.m. Sunday morning.Firefighters arrived at the scene to find the vacant structure engulfed in flames, BRFD said.No adjacent structures were damaged from the fire. The vacant house is considered to be a total loss, according to BRFD.Anyone with information on
  
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• Residents near Amite River prepare as severe weather threatens the area

  02-04-2017 12:19
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - As Louisiana prepares for strong storms, folks along the rivers are getting ready for whatever comes their way.Even though it's not expected to be anything like the flood in August, people along the river banks are taking extra precautions.Denham Springs resident Wanda Crittenden is on high alert, stepping outside every few minutes.“I was looking for the wind to be blowing, and then you feel it cool and then you feel the humidity, those two combinations are when the wo
  
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