Baton Rouge news

• LSU spring game forced indoors due to lightning

  22-04-2017 21:09
  
  BATON ROUGE - With four minutes left in the first half, the 2017 National L Club Spring Game was abandoned due to lightning near in Tiger Stadium with the Purple leading White, 7-3.The game started in Tiger Stadium earlier Saturday afternoon, but a thunderstorm forced the game to move to a different venue.The remainder of the game was played in the LSU Football Indoor Practice Facility.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Fire damages apartment on Parkforest Drive

  22-04-2017 20:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Fire Department is investigating a fire that dealt heavy smoke damage to one apartment Saturday afternoon.Firefighters responded to the fire at 6052 Parkforest Drive around 5 p.m.. Upon arrival, they found smoke coming from the apartment.The fire department says no one was home at the time and the fire was contained to the one apartment. They estimate the fire casued about $78,000 in damage.Firefighters say the fire originated from the kitchen area, foul play is not
  
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• Sanctuary cities threatened with loss of federal grant money

  22-04-2017 20:25
  
  WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is putting on notice officials in several major cities that are sanctuaries for immigrants in the U.S. illegally.The administration has sent letters warning that they may lose law enforcement grant money unless they document cooperation with federal immigration authorities.The Justice Department's inspector general has identified nine jurisdictions as limiting the information local law enforcement can provide to federal immigration authorities about those in
  
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• Louisiana ag chief urges farmers to participate in census

  22-04-2017 20:21
  
  BATON ROUGE - Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain is encouraging Louisiana's farmers and ranchers to participate in the federal agricultural census.The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts the census every five years, aimed at collecting a complete count of all farms, ranches and their operators across the country.Strain says the census is an important information source to ensure farmers and ranchers are recognized and properly represented.The agricultural census looks at land use and owner
  
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• American Airlines employee grounded after confrontation with passenger

  22-04-2017 18:49
  
  HOUSTON - American Airlines says it has grounded a flight attendant who got into a verbal confrontation with a passenger after the flight attendant took a baby stroller away from another passenger.A witness said the flight attendant nearly hit the woman's child with the stroller as he was removing it.Spokeswoman Leslie Scott says the airline is looking into whether the male flight attendant violently took away the stroller from the female passenger just before she boarded a Friday flight from Sa
  
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• Dixie Landin' chimpanzee Candy reportedly dies

  22-04-2017 17:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - A North Louisiana chimpanzee sanctuary says Candy the Chimp, who for decades lived at Dixie Landin' amusement park in Baton Rouge, has died.Sam Haynes Jr. and his family have owned Candy since she was 6-months-old. She was more than 50-years-old when she died Thursday.The Animal Legal Defense Fund and Chimp Haven had been battling in court to move Candy from the park to the sanctuary. Chimp Haven President and CEO Cathy Willis Spraetz says they found out about the chimp's death thr
  
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• BRPD: Man tries to eat all of his marijuana before traffic stop on I-10

  22-04-2017 17:12
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police arrested a man after he tried to eat all of his marijuana before a traffic stop on I-10 Saturday.According to Baton Rouge Police, an officer spotted 36-year-old Cyrus Antoine drifting back and forth across multiple lanes around 2 a.m. Saturday morning. The officer also noted that Antoine had no license plate on his vehicle.The officer activated his lights and siren and attempted to pull over Antoine for a traffic stop near the Bluebonnet exit, but he failed to stop
  
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• Tax preparer pleads guilty to failing to pay $350K in taxes

  22-04-2017 16:08
  
  LAFAYETTE - The owner of a Louisiana tax preparation business has pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return and failing to pay more than $350,000 in taxes.Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook's office said in a statement that 49-year-old Kevin Dalcourt, of Lafayette, faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine following his guilty plea Wednesday to one count of making a false tax return.His sentencing is set for July 21.Dalcourt owned and managed Kevin's Tax Servic
  
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• Officials: Cigarette likely caused fire that burned four Florida homes

  22-04-2017 15:31
  
  LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. - A lit cigarette likely tossed by a parent waiting for a school bus caused a southwest Florida brush fire that destroyed four homes and several cars.According to the News-Press, Lee County fire inspector Dale Reisen said Saturday that the 400-acre Lehigh Acres fire started Friday afternoon when a cigarette was tossed into some dry vegetation. The spot is next to a bus stop where parents pick up their children.Reisen said that even if the fire was accidental, the person respon
  
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• Lake Charles man killed in head-on crash on LA 171; Impairment suspected

  22-04-2017 14:39
  
  CALCASIEU PARISH - A Lake Charles man was killed in a head-on collision on LA 171 Friday night. According to Louisiana State Police, 61-year-old Carl Bryant was driving his 1992 Toyota Tercel on the wrong side of the highway when he crashed head-on into another vehicle around 10:10 p.m.Bryant was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries and transported to a h
  
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• Charge dropped against Mississippi student in alleged sexual battery

  22-04-2017 14:21
  MERIDIAN, Miss.- A Mississippi official says a sexual battery charge has been dropped against a high school baseball player who was one of five students accused in an off-campus attack against a classmate.Lauderdale County School District Superintendent Randy Hodges tells the Meridian Star all five of those originally charged returned to West Lauderdale High School on Wednesday after a youth court judge released them to their parents.The names of those charged have not been released because they
  
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• Funeral services held for victim of Facebook killer

  22-04-2017 14:09
  
  CLEVELAND - Funeral services have been held for a Cleveland retiree whose shooting death was posted on Facebook.Family members on Saturday recalled Robert Godwin Sr. as a loving, gentle person who taught the importance of forgiveness.The 74-year-old Godwin was shot Easter Sunday along a Cleveland street.Gunman Steve Stephens led police on a 2-mile chase in Erie, Pennsylvania, before fatally shooting himself Tuesday.Tonya Godwin-Baines, one of Godwin's 10 children, said the family forgives Stephe
  
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• Baton Rouge man arrested for first-degree rape, sexual battery

  22-04-2017 13:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a juvenile victim.According to arrest records, Ray Clark, 56, of Baton Rouge was arrested for first-degree rape and sexual battery following an incident with a now 12-year-old juvenile.The victim stated that when she was eight years old, Clark sexually assaulted her for the first time, according to arrest records.The victim said that Clark called her into his bedroom and began to touch her sexually. Clark then removed
  
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• Community says it's still seeking justice for Alton Sterling

  22-04-2017 12:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - This July will mark a year since Alton Sterilng was shot and killed by police, igniting protests across the Baton Rouge area.Minister Nuri Muhammad, a black Muslim leader from Indianapolis, let loose fiery rhetoric as he called for the US Justice Department to take action at the Stop Killing Alton Sterling Rally on Saturday."When the Justice Department comes and sticks their toe in the water, today or nine months later, it's still going to be hot declarin
  
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• BR firefighter injured in one of two overnight fires

  22-04-2017 08:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - A firefighter was injured battling one of two overnight fires that were both suspected of being arson.Details of the fires were released early Saturday by the Baton Rouge Fire Department.  The firefighter that was injured will be ok.The fire that resulted in the injury to the fireman was at an apartment on Warfield near Belaire High School.  An empty unit in an apartment was set ablaze. Fire crews were able to keep the fire to the one unit, but said the firefighte
  
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• Baton Rouge mayor's new top administrator resigns: report

  22-04-2017 02:10
  
  Baton Rogue's new chief administrative officer resigned Friday (April 21) amid reports that he claims a college degree he doesn't hold, WAFB-TV reported.
  
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