Baton Rouge news

• Two females grazed by gunfire debris on Sycamore Street

  24-04-2017 21:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - Two females were reportedly grazed by gunfire debris on Sycamore Street near N. Foster Drive on Monday evening.Officials were called to the 5200 block of Sycamore Street just before 9:30 p.m.Initial reports indicated the two were grazed by gunfire. An update of the incident from police revealed the two were struck by debris that was apparently kicked-up by the gunfire. The extent of the two individuals injuries is known at this time. Both females
  
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• Trailer catches fire as flood victim moves back into home

  24-04-2017 21:07
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - A man was moving back into his house when the trailer he had been living in caught on fire. The home was damaged during the August flood of 2016, and the man was staying in the trailer while the home was being repaired.According to the Livingston Parish Fire Department, the trailer fire in the Live Oak community sparked when the circuit breaker was turned back on and subsequently caused a stove to catch on fire.The tailer was considered a total loss. No inju
  
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• US judge temporarily halts Arkansas execution

  24-04-2017 20:52
  
  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A federal judge in Little Rock has temporarily halted the execution of Arkansas inmate Marcel Williams after his attorneys questioned whether the night's earlier execution went properly.U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker halted Williams' execution until 8:30 p.m. Monday or until she issues another order, whichever is later. He had been set for execution at 8:15 p.m. Monday.Williams' attorneys said that it took 45 minutes for prison staff to place an IV into inmate Jack Jones,
  
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• Trump appears to back down on wall funding

  24-04-2017 20:48
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump appears to be backing off his demand that funding for his Southern border wall be included in a bill to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the week.Trump told a gathering of around 20 conservative media reporters Monday evening that he would be willing to return to the funding issue in September.That's according to two people who were in the room.The government will run out of money this coming Saturday unless lawmakers pass legislation financing fede
  
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• Woman accused of abandoning 2 toddlers with babysitter

  24-04-2017 20:36
  
  GRETNA - A 20-year-old New Orleans-area woman is accused of abandoning her two toddlers with a babysitter she'd found through Facebook.Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Glen Boyd says deputies reached Mariah Lebouef of Kenner after the babysitter called Sunday, saying Lebouef had been gone six days and wasn't answering her phone.Online booking records indicate she was held Monday without bond on a fugitive warrant, with bond at $500 on a child desertion charge. It was not clear whether
  
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• Powerful 7.1 quake shakes central Chile; no damage reported

  24-04-2017 20:31
  
  SANTIAGO, Chile - A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake has struck off Chile's central coast but there are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.The U.S. Geological Survey says Monday's quake was centered in the Pacific about 22 miles west of the port city of Valparaiso and hit around 6:40 p.m. Buildings swayed in Santiago, the capital 70 miles to the east.Chile's emergency services office says no damage to infrastructure has been immediately reported and authorities are discounting the possi
  
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• In call to Trump, Chinese leader urges restraint over NKorea

  24-04-2017 20:15
  
  WASHINGTON - Chinese President Xi Jinping is urging restraint in the face of a possible nuclear test by North Korea.Xi's call to President Donald Trump also comes as America's U.N. envoy warns of a strike if Pyongyang attacks a U.S. military base or tests an intercontinental ballistic missile.Signs suggest that Pyongyang could soon conduct its sixth nuclear test since 2006 or the latest in a rapid series of missile tests. The North is seeking to develop a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach
  
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• Senate confirms Sonny Perdue as agriculture secretary

  24-04-2017 20:00
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has confirmed former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as agriculture secretary.The vote Monday was 87-11.The owner of several agricultural businesses and the son of a farmer, Perdue will be the first Southerner in the post in more than two decades.Perdue has assured nervous farm-state senators that he will advocate for rural America, even as President Donald Trump's administration has proposed deep cuts to some farm programs. His promise to reach across the aisle won him several
  
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• Train clips mirror; driver opens door, loses it, too

  24-04-2017 19:48
  
  LAKE CHARLES - Police in southwest Louisiana say that after a train clipped a side mirror from a 2016 Volvo, the driver lost the whole door when he pulled up to a second intersection and opened it to try to tell the crew.Lake Charles police Cpl. Shaun Touchet says nobody was hurt, and 64-year-old Frank Scalisi Jr. of Lake Charles was not ticketed after the incident Monday morning.Touchet says Scalisi was in a left turn lane along the tracks and saw the train approaching from behind but misjudged
  
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• Doctors to keep George HW Bush in hospital a few more days

  24-04-2017 19:45
  
  HOUSTON - A spokesman for former President George H.W. Bush says the nation's 41st president will remain in a Houston hospital for a few more days of observation while he recovers from a mild case of pneumonia.Family spokesman Jim McGrath said Monday that the medical team at Houston Methodist Hospital hopes to discharge the 92-year-old Bush by the end of the week.McGrath says Bush "continues to be in good spirits and is resting comfortably" at the hospital.Bush was hospitalized April 14 for trea
  
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• Arrest made after reports of shots fired closed parts of Highland Road

  24-04-2017 19:36
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police blocked off parts of Highland Road after receiving reports of shots fired Monday afternoon.Police and EMS responded to the 9200 block of Highland Road around 6:45 p.m. Officers briefly closed off Staring Lane at Highland as well as Gardere Lane at Highland while they investigated the reports.According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, 39-year-old Michael Anderson of Baton Rouge was arrested as a result of the incident. Sources say no o
  
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• Central residents say new subdivision could cause more drainage issues

  24-04-2017 19:15
  
  CENTRAL - In the city of Central, the proposed development of a subdivision is getting some opposition from residents.On the East side, between Core and Sullivan Roads, a new development could be coming. For those living in the three surrounding neighborhoods, Rambling Oaks, Jackson Park and Jackson Place neighborhoods are pushing back.Teena Welborn has lived in the Rambling Oaks subdivision for over thirty years.“If they build this subdivision, we’re guaranteed to go under,&
  
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• Online resource allows WBR residents to track mosquitoes

  24-04-2017 17:47
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH – Mosquito Control in West Baton Rouge Parish is getting to an early start on the mosquito season.The agency already has their traps set and now has a new way to inform residents if mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus are in their neighborhood.One Port Alllen resident, Melanie Fleming, says the mosquitoes are bad in her area."We have a real problem on our hands and it's scary," Fleming said.She takes extra precaution when going outside."You open your do
  
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• Arkansas inmate seeks stay of execution, citing attorney's plagiarism

  24-04-2017 17:45
  
  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A condemned Arkansas inmate is again asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to stop his execution, arguing that his previous attorney plagiarized a court filing.The Arkansas Supreme Court has repeatedly declined to stop Marcel Williams' execution, one of two planned for Monday night. In a late afternoon court filing, Williams asked justices for a stay of execution so he can argue claims that his prior attorneys were ineffectual.The court filing says that nearly 10 pages of an earl
  
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• Storage locker thief caught on camera

  24-04-2017 17:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - A thief is caught on camera stealing items from a storage locker.Latoya Carrier says her items have been locked up in a storage locker waiting to be moved to her new apartment in Hammond. Last week, she went to grab something from the space and noticed boxes were torn open and items were missing."I knew something was wrong then," said Latoya Carrier. "Shoes, stuff just everywhere."For the past two months, Carrier has been storing her furniture, clothing, electronics and priceless f
  
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• Mayor Broome to speak at community crime review meeting

  24-04-2017 16:07
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Hope Zone will host a public community crime review meeting Monday afternoon.The meeting will discuss crime in the area and will begin at 6 p.m. at BREC Saia Park. Speakers expected to attend are Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome; Dr. Juan Barthelemy, assistant professor of social work at LSU; Sgt. Riley Harbor of the Baton Rouge Police Department; and Will Morris, assistant district attorney. A question and ans
  
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• Tennessee teacher planned to take 15-year-old girl to Mexico

  24-04-2017 15:19
  
  SACRAMENTO - Court documents say a Tennessee teacher charged with kidnapping a 15-year-old student and driving her to California had planned to take the girl to Mexico and took a boat from San Diego on a test run.Authorities credit the caretaker of a remote northern California property for helping police find her Thursday and arrest her alleged abductor, fired teacher Tad Cummins. She has returned home.Federal court documents filed Monday show the 50-year-old Cummins switched vehicle license pla
  
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• Report: Saints nearing deal with Adrian Peterson

  24-04-2017 15:14
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Sources are reporting that the New Orleans Saints are nearing a deal with former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.According to a report from WWL-TV, the NFL Networks media insider Ian Rapoport says that the Saints and and the 32-year-old former NFL MVP are close to a deal for the 2017 season.Peterson, who has missed most of two of the past three seasons, is one of the all-time leading career rushers in the NFL. He has 11,747 career yards and averages
  
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• Plaquemine cable service provider to join EATEL

  24-04-2017 14:55
  
  PLAQUEMINE – EATEL announced that Clear Choice Communications has become members with the company.The acquisition is scheduled to be completed by early summer, the company says.Clear Choice Communications provides cable television, internet and phone services to residents and business customers in Plaquemine."We feel EATEL's innovative suite of products and services will be well received in the community," Josh Descant, president of EATEL, said.Frances Tempanaro, Clear Choice's General
  
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• Report: Wisconsin woman suffers second-degree burns after Fitbit explodes

  24-04-2017 14:51
  
  WISCONSIN – A Wisconsin woman's Fitbit fitness tracker exploded while she was wearing it, resulting in second-degree burns on her arm, ABC News reported. Dina Mithell said she owned her Fitbit Flex 2 for two weeks when the fitness tracking device allegedly caught fire on her arm while reading a book."It was either defective or really mad I was sitting still so long… I don't know. Either way, It burned the heck out of my arm," Mitchell said.Mitchell said she
  
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• California beauty pageant winner pleads guilty to child porn

  24-04-2017 14:45
  
  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A former winner of California's Mrs. Orange County beauty pageant has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and lewd acts with a child.County court records say 27-year-old Meghan Alt entered the pleas last Friday and was sentenced to 300 days in jail and three years of probation.Prosecutors dismissed two additional charges of lewd acts with a child.Alt was ordered to serve the jail sentence starting Friday.Alt's lawyer did not immediately respond to an emailed me
  
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• Broome names former Southern University chancellor as interim CAO

  24-04-2017 14:42
  
  BATON ROUGE – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome appointed James Llorens to serve as the city’s interim chief administrative officer.The appointment goes into effect Tuesday. The move comes one week after Broome announced the appointment of Troy Bell to that position. Bell resigned after reports surfaced that he lied about his college education on his resume.“Last week, I announced the appointment of Troy Bell as my chief administrative officer. As the week unfold
  
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• Dallas police responding to possible active shooter

  24-04-2017 13:33
  
  DALLAS- Dallas police say officers are responding to a possible active shooter situation at an office building in the north of the city.Police have provided no other details, including whether any shots have been fired or any injuries were reported in 911 calls Monday morning.Television footage shows a heavy police response, including a SWAT team, at the multi-story office building along an interstate in northern Dallas.A broken window can be seen on one of the upper floors.Dallas Fire-Rescue sa
  
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• Family: Nick Tullier's wound has 'significantly' reopened

  24-04-2017 13:15
  
  HOUSTON – The family of a deputy recovering after being ambushed in July says one of his wounds has "significantly" reopened.East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputy Nick Tullier was shot three times, once in the head, abdomen and shoulder, in a police ambush on Airline Highway last year. He is now recovering at TIRR Memorial Herman rehabilitation hospital in Houston.Tullier’s fiancée, Danielle Mcnicoll shared Sunday
  
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• Flood victim burglarized multiple times since August flood

  24-04-2017 13:14
  BATON ROUGE - A flood victim says his home has been burglarized three times since the August flood of 2016.Michael Young lives in the Glen Oaks subdivision. His home and business were damaged in the August 2016 flood, and after re-establishing his home with items, thieves entered."They dumped everything all over the floor and they took the stuff and came out the front door again and locked the door again," Young said.Thieves broke through a back bedroom window and ransacked the home. Thieves got
  
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• Police find teens reported missing from BR and Slidell

  24-04-2017 13:13
  
  UPDATE: Rebekah Lemar and Jordan Erwin were found walking in the Livingston Parish area. BRPD says both appear to be safe and unharmed. 
  Original story: 
  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Police Department is searching for two teenagers reported missing.Officers are searching for 14-year-old Rebekah Lemar of Slidell and 15 year-old Jordan Erwin of Baton Rouge.Erwin was reported missing to BRPD on April 22. Investigators believe that Lemar arrived at the Hobby Lobby parkin
  
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• Plaquemine Police Department to hold event for prescription drug disposal

  24-04-2017 12:55
  PLAQUEMINE – The Plaquemine Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration is hosting an event for residents to bring in their expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs.The event will be held on Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Residents can bring their pills for disposal to the Plaquemine Police Department located at 23540 Railroad Avenue. The service is free and anonymous. Only pills and patches will be disposed of. In October 2016, more than 730,000
  
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• Vehicle crash on Nicholson Drive leaves one in critical condition

  24-04-2017 12:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - A vehicle crash near the Nicholson Drive / Gardere Lane intersection Monday evening left one person critically injured.Officials were called to the scene just before 10 p.m.The victim was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to authorities. More information will be added to this story as it becomes available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Bill would provide more benefits to family of slain officers

  24-04-2017 09:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - Four police families in the Capital City would directly benefit from a proposed bill that's up for discussion Monday.Three of those four lost their patriarch in July during the police ambush. The fourth lost their's in March on O'neal Lane.Under current Louisiana law, surviving spouses of fallen law enforcement officers, who died in the line of duty, receive a portion of their spouse's salary. If there is no spouse, the surviving minor children will receive it.For officers hired on
  
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• Astronaut breaks record for most time in space by American

  24-04-2017 09:19
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL - Astronaut Peggy Whitson has another record under her space belt.Early Monday, the International Space Station commander surpassed the record of 534 days, two hours and 48 minutes for most accumulated time in orbit by an American. That record was set last year by Jeffrey Williams.Whitson already was the world's most experienced spacewoman and female spacewalker and, at 57, the oldest woman in space. By the time she returns to Earth in September, she'll have logged 666 days in orb
  
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• Louisiana governor's business tax planned for Monday debate

  24-04-2017 09:15
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards' centerpiece business tax proposal, estimated to raise more than $416 million a year in new tax revenue, is getting its first legislative hearing.And the House Ways and Means review of the bill, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, could be the last debate the gross receipts tax ever gets.Opposition is lined up against the tax, with little public support for the proposal, even from the Democratic governor's allies.The Ways and Means Committee is particularly cons
  
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• Louisiana governor's business tax gets its first hearing

  24-04-2017 09:15
  
  BATON ROUGE - Republican lawmakers on the House tax committee aren't showing an interest in Gov. John Bel Edwards' main business tax proposal.The concept of a tax on business sales - a gross receipts tax - is getting its first legislative hearing Monday in the House Ways and Means Committee.The tax would raise an estimated $416 million a year in new tax revenue, to help offset expiring sales taxes. But there's little public support for the proposal, even from the Democratic governor's allies.In
  
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• Police: two arrested for armed robbery at Baker gas station

  24-04-2017 08:44
  
  BAKER – Police say two men were arrested after robbing two customers at a Baker gas station over the weekend.Brandon Dunbar and Andrew Washington were both charged with felony counts of armed robbery Sunday. They were booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.According to the affidavit of probable cause, the crime happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the 14000 block of Plank Road. Two victims told Baker Police that a man, later identified as Dunbar, approached them with
  
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• Simulator makes students think twice about texting and driving

  24-04-2017 08:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and one insurance company wants to make sure you know the risk.Allstate is letting people like Marcus Winston get behind the wheel to text, drive and crash in a simulator. Winston is a freshman at Southern University, and like many people, lives on his phone. Unfortunately, sometimes that results in distracted driving."I know a couple of people who text and drive," Winston said. "I text and drive myself."Lucky for Winston, he never knew
  
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• Lawyer: Doctor dragged from flight plans to file lawsuit

  24-04-2017 07:51
  
  NEW YORK - A lawyer for the Kentucky doctor who was dragged from a United Express flight says it's too late for the airline's CEO to apologize face-to-face and that his client intends to file a lawsuit.Attorney Thomas Demetrio, who represents 69-year-old Dr. David Dao, made the comments Monday during an appearance on NBC's "Today" show.Demetrio said United CEO Oscar Munoz had the opportunity to apologize and didn't, called Dao belligerent, and then finally issued an apology. Demetrio has said pr
  
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• Haley won't rule out strike vs North Korea for nuke testing

  24-04-2017 07:15
  
  WASHINGTON - Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, isn't ruling out a U.S. strike against North Korea if Pyongyang tests another nuclear device.Haley spoke on several television networks Monday morning, praising China's involvement in trying to pressure North Korea to cease missile testing and criticized its leader, Kim Jong Un, as unstable and paranoid.Haley said that "we are not going to do something unless he gives us reason to do something," such as attacking a U.S. militar
  
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• As budget deadline looms, Trump pushes border wall funding

  24-04-2017 07:13
  WASHINGTON - Former President Barack Obama is set to hold the first public event of his post-presidential life in the place where he started his political career.Obama will speak Monday at the University of Chicago, where his presidential library is planned.College students from around the Chicago area are expected to attend. The invitation-only event is being billed as part of his post-presidency goal to "encourage and support the next generation of leaders."Obama delivered his presidential far
  
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• Obama to deliver first post-presidency speech in Chicago

  24-04-2017 07:11
  
  CHICAGO - Former President Barack Obama is set to hold the first public event of his post-presidential life in the place where he started his political career.Obama will speak Monday at the University of Chicago, where his presidential library is planned.College students from around the Chicago area are expected to attend. The invitation-only event is being billed as part of his post-presidency goal to "encourage and support the next generation of leaders."Obama delivered his presidential farewe
  
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• BRFD responding to early morning vacant house fire

  24-04-2017 06:27
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Fire Department is responding to a vacant house fire Monday morning.The fire broke out in the 3800 block of Alliquipa Street around 1:15 a.m.Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the house engulfed in flames. The house was declared a total loss. Firefighters said the cause of the blaze was arson. BRFD is urging anyone with suspect information to call 354-1419.Permalink| Comments
  
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• BRFD responded to two overnight vacant house fires

  24-04-2017 06:27
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to two vacant house fires late Sunday night and early Monday morning.The first fire broke out in the 1600 block of Seneca Street Sunday around 11:30 p.m. The second fire started Monday morning around 1:15 a.m. in the 3800 block of Alliquipa Street.In both incidents, firefighters arrived on the scene to find the homes engulfed in flames. Both homes were declared total losses. Firefighters said the cause of both incidents was arson. BRFD is u
  
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• Space heater causes house fire on Pampas Street

  24-04-2017 06:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to a house fire call in the 3000 block of Pampas Street Sunday around 9:15 p.m.When firefighters arrived, the fire was coming out of the front room of the house. Firefighters determined that the fire was caused by a space heater being placed too close to the sofa.The renter reportedly tried to put out the fire himself before crews arrived."He saw smoke in the front room and noticed the sofa starting to burn," Public Information Officer Mark
  
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• Will N.J. be home to Trump's summer White House?

  24-04-2017 05:12
  
  With temperatures in West Palm Beach already in the mid-80s, officials in Somerset County are bracing for the possibility Donald Trump with switch his weekend White House northward.
  
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• Want a Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino? Too bad. Most stores sold out

  24-04-2017 03:26
  
  You've heard about the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino and wanted to try one for yourself? Good luck. Most of the coffee chain's locations are sold out.
  
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