Baton Rouge news

• EBR Coroner calls new drug stronger than heroin

  25-04-2017 21:27
  
  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office is warning people about a new synthetic drug in the greater Baton Rouge area.The new drug is known on the streets as 'pink.' It's a synthetic opioid mixed with the drug Fentanyl. EBR Parish Coroner Dr. Beau Clark has spent years tracking opioid abuse and said this new drug is stronger than heroin.The drug first made headlines last year in a case that killed a child in Colorado. Since January, it has made its way into East Baton Rouge Par
  
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• S. Korea installs parts of contentious US missile defense

  25-04-2017 20:57
  
  SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea says key parts of a contentious U.S. missile defense system have been installed a day after rival North Korea showed off its military power.The work to set up the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, within this year has angered North Korea, China and Russia, which see the system's powerful radars as a security threat.South Korea said in a statement Wednesday that unspecified parts of THAAD were deployed. The statement said that Seoul and Washing
  
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• Shortened divorce wait fails to get Louisiana House support

  25-04-2017 20:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana won't be shortening the waiting period for a divorce.Lawmakers in the House rejected a bill to cut the wait to six months for a no-fault divorce when the married couple has children under 18.Under existing law, such couples must live separate and apart for one year before they can get a divorce, unless there are certain special circumstances like domestic abuse.Rep. Patrick Jefferson, a Democrat from Homer, proposed to reduce that separation requirement to six months. Tha
  
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• Pedestrian in critical condition after being struck on Belleview Drive

  25-04-2017 20:49
  
  PLAQUEMINE - One person is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle on Belleview Drive Tuesday night.Sources say the victim was struck near the Exxon Mobil gas station on Belleview Drive around 8:40 p.m. The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.According to the Plaquemine Police Department, the pedestrian was attempting to cross Hwy. 75 when they were struck by a vehicle.#BREAKING: Person hit by a vehicle on Highway 75, outside of Plaquem
  
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• Fire Marshal investigating deadly Breaux Bridge fire

  25-04-2017 20:49
  BREAUX BRIDGE - State Fire Marshal investigators are looking into the circumstances surrounding a structure fire that left a Breaux Bridge man dead Saturday afternoon.Investigators were dispatched to the 1700 block of Mills Highway after fire crews responded to a structure fire shortly after 4 p.m.Firefighters found the body of 57-year-old Richard Ducote inside the structure.The victim's body was released to the St. Martin Parish Coroner's Office after being examined by investigators.Preliminary
  
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• Doctor: George HW Bush dealing with chronic bronchitis

  25-04-2017 20:27
  
  HOUSTON - A doctor who is treating former President George H.W. Bush says while the nation's 41st president has recovered from pneumonia, he is still dealing with the effects of chronic bronchitis.In a statement issued Tuesday, Dr. Clint Doerr, a pulmonologist at Houston Methodist Hospital, said he still expects the 92-year-old Bush will be discharged by the end of the week.Bush has been at the hospital since April 14.Doerr says chronic bronchitis - a constant irritation of the lining of tubes t
  
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• Workers body near bridge in North Carolina after heavy rains

  25-04-2017 20:25
  
  RALEIGH, N.C. - Transportation crews have found a dead body while cleaning debris from a North Carolina river swollen by heavy rains.State Department of Transportation spokesman Robert Broome said a maintenance crew made the discovery on Tuesday while removing debris at a bridge over the Neuse River at the edge of downtown Smithfield.Smithfield town spokesman Tim Kerigan said in an email that the body couldn't immediately be recovered because of fast-moving water.Kerigan and Broome couldn't say
  
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• Transportation summit aims to address traffic problems in Baton Rouge

  25-04-2017 19:58
  
  BATON ROUGE - Whether it's getting stuck on a bridge, sitting in traffic congestion for hours, or being caught up in a breakdown, Baton Rouge drivers are all too familiar with transportation issues.The BTR Summit this week was aimed at finding solutions for the city's day-to-day traffic problems."I believe people want to see us continue with the complete streets program, which is certainly underway, but they also want us to think smart when it comes to small goals like synchronization,
  
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• Senate confirms No. 2 at Justice; will lead Russia probe

  25-04-2017 19:32
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has confirmed Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general, putting the longtime federal prosecutor in place to oversee a federal investigation into Russian influence in the U.S. elections.The vote was 94-6 on Tuesday.As the Justice Department's No. 2 official, Rosenstein is expected to head the investigation after the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said he would step aside from any probes into the Trump campaign after revelations of unreported contacts with
  
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• Coast Guard ends search of Gulf for cruise ship crewmember

  25-04-2017 19:24
  
  GALVESTON, Texas - The Coast Guard is giving up its search of a section of the Gulf of Mexico for a crewmember missing from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.In a statement, the Coast Guard says it suspended its search for Norman DeCastro around midday Tuesday. That was after it had searched more than 5,000 square nautical miles for the 39-year-old Filipino crewmember of the cruise ship Liberty of the Seas by sea and air since DeCastro was reported missing early Monday.The ship was 170 miles southea
  
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• Louisiana water systems crumbling

  25-04-2017 19:02
  
  ST. JOSEPH - Residents in St. Joseph, Louisiana are not surprised their town has the worst drinking water in the state. The rural system has levels of lead equal to Flint, Michigan, but it's not the reason people don't drink the water.No one has quenched their thirst from their own kitchen sink in decades according to life long resident James Skinner."You can't bath in it, you can't wash your clothes in it, you can't wash dishes in it," Skinner said.The Northeast Louisiana system has pr
  
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• Ascension gov't may cut flood victims some slack, amid complaints

  25-04-2017 17:17
  
  ASCENSION PARISH - Homeowners who were flooded out of their home and moved to another property may catch a break.After receiving several complaints, parish officials are considering waiving the transportation impact fee."I just feel let down, I feel let down by the parish that they're imposting this on us," said Denise LeBlanc, who moved two miles away from her flooded Prairieville home.LeBlanc had to pay a $1,700 transportation impact fee before she could move her home onto the new pro
  
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• 89-year-old taken to hospital after crash on Hooper Road

  25-04-2017 16:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - An 89-year-old man was taken to the hospital following a crash on Hooper Road.The crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Hooper and Mickens Road. A white SUV t-boned a tan car at the intersection. The 89-year-old man was the passenger of the car.The crash has caused traffic delays.This story will be updated as more information becomes available.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Two students arrested for trying to set fire at Friendship Capitol High School

  25-04-2017 16:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - Two juveniles have been arrested for attempting to set a fire at their school.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, the two were arrested after they tried to set a fire at Friendship Capitol High School. The fire department says the two tried to start a fire using paper and a notebook.The two were arrested on charges of simple arson.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police respond to crash involving school bus on Airline Highway

  25-04-2017 15:29
  BATON ROUGE – Crews are responding to the scene of a crash involving a school bus in the 7000 block of Airline Highway near Bicentennial Place. The crash was reported on Tuesday around 3:20 p.m.According to BRPD, the crash involved a First Student school bus carrying passengers and a truck. Sources say none of the students on the school bus were injured.Bus involved in the crash is from @FirstStudentInc ... it's been moved off Airline Hwy and out of traffic. @WBRZ pic.twitter.
  
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• Police: Dallas supervisor shot by employee had just been married

  25-04-2017 15:17
  
  DALLAS - Police have identified the supervisor fatally shot by an employee at a Dallas office building as a 48-year-old woman who had been married just a month ago.Authorities said Tuesday that Matthew Kempf shot 48-year-old Lana Canada in a meeting room and then took his own life.Canada was married a month ago and was previously known as Lana McAree.Police have not indicated why Kempf targeted her Monday or what kind of office they worked in. Authorities say Kempf was employed by the company at
  
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• WBRZ wins Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting

  25-04-2017 14:40
  
  BATON ROUGE – WBRZ-TV was awarded a 2017 regional Edward R. Murrow Award presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association for Investigative Reporting.The honor was awarded for coverage of Reporter's Unlawful Arrest, that features WBRZ's Chief Investigative Reporter Chris Nakamoto getting detained by police while checking on a submitted public records request at the Town of White Castle's City Hall.The public records request was related to a story by The Investigative Unit abo
  
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• Ascension Parish deputies host prescription drug takeback

  25-04-2017 14:15
  
  DONALDSONVILLE – Deputies in Ascension Parish are hosting an unwanted prescription drug takeback Saturday in Gonzales and Donaldsonville.The Sheriff’s office is partnering with the Drug Enforcement Agency to provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by dropping off dangerous, unused and unwanted drugs.Residents can bring the pills or patches to the Church of Donaldsonville or the Gonzales Courthouse from 9 a.m. to noon. The DEA cannot accept liquids,
  
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• FEMA offers free legal assistance to victims of disaster fraud

  25-04-2017 14:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - FEMA is offering a service that provides free legal assistance to disaster survivors who have fallen victim to disaster fraud.Disaster Legal Services provides free legal assistance to low-income survivors who have been the victims of fraudulent contractors and other scammers. DLS will allow these victims to hire an attorney for issues after a declared disaster. Members of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division will counsel, advise and provide
  
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• Police: Man hurt in shooting on Washington Avenue

  25-04-2017 14:03
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say one person was hurt in a shooting on Washington Avenue Tuesday.According to Baton Rouge Police, the shooting happened in the 3000 block of Washington Avenue near North 30th Street around 1 p.m. Investigators say one man suffered non-life threatening injuries.Witnesses say dozens of shots were fired in the area, littering the street with shell casings. One neighbor says that he saw someone riding around what appeared to be dirt bikes around the time of
  
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• Senator: Trump won't let NKorea build missile to reach US

  25-04-2017 13:57
  WASHINGTON - A senior Republican senator emerged from a dinner with Donald Trump confident the president will not allow North Korea to build a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the United States.Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters Tuesday that North Korea should "not underestimate President Trump's resolve to stop them from getting a missile to hit our homeland."Graham joined Sen. John McCain of Arizona for the dinner at the White House on Monday evening.Graham and McCa
  
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• Disney sets May 2019 release date for new 'Star Wars' film

  25-04-2017 13:54
  
  LOS ANGELES - "Star Wars: Episode IX" is coming to theaters on May 24, 2019.The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday announced the summer date for the Colin Trevorrow-directed "Star Wars," as well as release dates for "Indiana Jones" and the live-action "Lion King."The fifth "Indiana Jones" film is set to arrive in theaters on July 10, 2020, with Steven Spielberg returning as director along with star Harrison Ford.Director Jon Favreau's live-action "Lion King" is expected debut on July 19, 2019.Permalink|
  
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• Railroad companies: Don't take prom pics, selfies on tracks

  25-04-2017 13:53
  
  Transportation officials and railroad companies are sounding a warning: Active railroad tracks are a bad backdrop for prom pictures or selfies.With the season for graduations and prom portraits underway, North Carolina's transportation and public school agencies this month are urging high school yearbook staff advisers to reject student photos taken on or near railroad tracks. They're emphasizing that railroad selfies can be as dangerous as stopping for a snap in the middle of an interstate or a
  
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• Drivers offer tributes to the retiring Earnhardt

  25-04-2017 13:51
  
  CHARLOTTE - Fellow drivers are offering tributes to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who announced Tuesday that he plans to retire at the end of the season."I'm proud of my great friend DaleJr for everything he's done for this sport," tweeted Tony Stewart , who retired at the end of the 2016 season. "I'm even more proud of who he is as a man. Love you friend."Jeff Gordon issued a statement through Fox Sports, where he works as an analyst. Gordon retired after the 2015 season but filled in as the No.
  
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• Louisiana governor's business tax shelved amid opposition

  25-04-2017 13:26
  BATON ROUGE - Rather than face certain defeat, Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration is giving up on its effort to levy a new tax on business sales to help stabilize Louisiana's budget.Rep. Sam Jones, a Franklin Democrat who sponsored Edwards' proposal, pulled the bill from consideration Tuesday in the House Ways and Means Committee as the tax plan faced certain rejection.Kimberly Robinson, Edwards' revenue secretary, said the administration doesn't intend to revive the proposal.Shelving of the
  
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• 4 teens killed, 1 injured in Georgia crash

  25-04-2017 13:13
  
  CAMPBELLTON - Police in Georgia say four teenage boys died and a teenage girl was injured when their SUV collided with a tractor-trailer.Fulton County police say the big rig's driver suffered minor injuries in the wreck Monday afternoon in the southern part of the county.News media report that one boy was thrown from the Lincoln Navigator and three had to be extricated.Police tell WXIA-TV the girl's injuries were not life-threatening. She was taken from a back seat.Fulton County schools spokeswo
  
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• $227M contract for manager of Louisiana flood aid program

  25-04-2017 13:07
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's contract with disaster recovery firm IEM to administer a homeowner flood aid program is estimated to cost $227 million.The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report says the state has completed its deal with IEM to manage the $1.3 billion program to assist homeowners with damage from the March and August 2016 floods.Of the $227 million cost of the contract, $127 million will go to IEM for program management and construction management. The remaining $100 million will be paid
  
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• Beyonce to fund scholarships for black women at 4 schools

  25-04-2017 13:01
  
  Beyonce is marking the anniversary of her album "Lemonade" by announcing scholarships for black women to attend selected colleges.The singer announced that her Formation Scholars Award will go to a single black woman student at four schools. The schools are Boston's Berklee College of Music, New York's Parsons School of Design and two historically black colleges, Howard University in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta's Spelman College.The announcement says the scholarships are aimed at encouraging an
  
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• Fire reported at landfill in northern EBR Parish

  25-04-2017 12:21
  
  EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH - A fire has been reported at a landfill in northern East Baton Rouge Parish.The fire was reported at the Ronaldson Field Landfill off of New Rafe Mayer Road around 10 p.m.The extent of the fire is unknown at this time.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Lane closures on LA 621 in Gonzales start Wednesday

  25-04-2017 12:18
  
  GONZALES – Drivers in Gonzales should expect periodic lane and bridge closures on LA 621 this week due to bridge repairs on Black Bayou.According to DOTD, the periodic closures will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday just east of the intersection of LA 621 and LA 44.Traffic officials say flaggers will be present during closures. Drivers should be aware of the following detour:East bound LA 621 traffic may travel north on LA 44 for 1.0 miles to the junction of LA 931, east
  
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• Central City Council approves new subdivision

  25-04-2017 12:01
  
  CENTRAL - The Central City Council signed off on a new subdivision Tuesday evening, despite resident concerns that it could increase flooding.The council made a strong statement at Tuesday's meeting, voting unanimously for the proposed Arbor Grove subdivision.Several residents asked the council to vote against the subdivision during the public hearing before the vote. Residents say they believe the new neighborhood will add to their already existing drainage issues. James Palmer and Deborah Reid
  
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• Trump condemns Holocaust deniers, anti-Semitism

  25-04-2017 09:53
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is condemning those who deny the Holocaust and is pledging to confront anti-Semitism.In a speech marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, Trump says those who would deny that 6 million Jews were killed by Germany's Nazi leadership during World War II "are an accomplice of this horrible evil." The president says "we must never, ever shrink away from telling the truth in our time."Trump also pledges that as president of the United States he will "always stand with the
  
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• Conn. Police: Wife's Fitbit logs steps after husband says she died

  25-04-2017 09:51
  
  ELLINGTON - Police in Connecticut have cited Fitbit records in an arrest warrant for a 40-year-old man charged with killing his wife in 2015.Richard Dabate faces murder, tampering with evidence and making a false statement charges in the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Connie Dabate on Dec. 23, 2015.Authorities say the 40-year-old Dabate told them a masked man had entered their home, shot his wife and tied him up before he burned the intruder with a torch. But the New York Daily News reports Conne
  
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• Former AG Sally Yates to testify May 8 in Russia probe

  25-04-2017 09:47
  
  WASHINGTON - Former acting attorney general Sally Yates is scheduled to appear at a congressional hearing next month on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.Yates is to appear May 8 along with James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence.The hearing before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee was announced Tuesday morning.It will mark her first appearance on Capitol Hill since she was fired in late January after refusing to defend President Donald Trump's travel
  
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• Man accused of biting officer during DWI arrest

  25-04-2017 09:41
  
  BATON ROUGE – A Plaquemine man faces a slew of charges after police say he crashed into another car while impaired then bit an officer in a struggle Monday morning.Juston Jefferson, 21, was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, obstruction of a public passage, resisting an officer, simple escape, battery of a police officer, disarming of a peace officer, reckless operation of a vehicle, public intimidation and retaliation, and
  
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• Police: man charged with 4th DWI after hit-and-run on Government St.

  25-04-2017 09:06
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a 29-year-old was charged with his fourth DWI offense Monday after he struck a car on Government Street and fled the scene Monday.Charles Fendley, 29, was charged with hit-and-run, careless operation and fourth offense operating a vehicle while intoxicated.According to the probable cause document, Baton Rouge Police say Fendley was driving in the 3300 block of Government St. after 2 p.m. Monday when he struck another vehicle. Documents say Fendley fled the scen
  
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• L.L. Bean orders delayed after systems upgrade problem

  25-04-2017 07:03
  
  FREEPORT - Outdoors retailer L.L. Bean says a systems upgrade is causing shipping delays.The Press Herald reports that some customer orders have delays up to a week. The Maine-based company says the delays were caused by an upgrade to the retailer's order-processing and fulfillment systems.L.L. Bean has apologized to customers in a letter and is offering a 20 percent discount on future orders.Company spokeswoman Carolyn Beem says the company is working on a solution. Beem adds that orders will b
  
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• Arkansas executes 2 inmates mere hours apart; most executions in 1 day since 2000

  25-04-2017 06:59
  
  The first three executions were canceled because of court decisions, then inmate Ledell Lee was executed last week.
  
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• Official: Taliban kill 8 policemen in northern province

  25-04-2017 06:56
  
  KABUL - An Afghan official says the Taliban have killed eight policemen and overran three security checkpoints in northern Takhar province.Sunatullah Timor, the provincial spokesman, says the attack took place on Monday in the district of Darqad. He says the hours-long firefight also wounded three police officers and killed eight of the attackers.Timor says the Taliban have cut off the districts of Darqad and Khuja Bhawedin. The government sent in reinforcements and launched a counter-attack.The
  
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• Arkansas executes 2 inmates on the same gurney, hours apart

  25-04-2017 06:54
  
  VARNER - After going nearly 12 years without executing an inmate, Arkansas now has executed three in a few days - including two in one night.Jack Jones and Marcel Williams received lethal injections on the same gurney Monday night, just about three hours apart. It was the first double execution in the United States since 2000.Williams' execution was delayed after a judge agreed to temporarily halt it over claims that the Jones execution wasn't carried out properly. Williams was briefly removed f
  
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• Another Mississippi city lowers Confederate-themed flag

  25-04-2017 06:45
  JACKSON - A city that relies heavily on tourism is joining several other local governments in abandoning the Mississippi flag because it contains the Confederate battle emblem.Biloxi Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gillich has ordered the state flag pulled from display at all municipal buildings.City spokesman Vincent Creel says Monday that Gillich believes removing the flag will help visitors feel welcome. Creel says the mayor decided upon taking office in 2015 that only the U.S. flag should be flown on ci
  
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• President Tump's tactic for Health care may backfire

  25-04-2017 04:20
  
  WASHINGTON - A hardball tactic to force congressional Democrats to negotiate on President Donald Trump's health care priorities might end up backfiring.The White House has suggested it might eliminate billions of dollars in disputed "Obamacare" subsidies. But a study from a nonpartisan group suggests that stopping the Affordable Care Act payments at issue may actually cost the federal government billions more than it saves.The Kaiser Family Foundation finds that taxpayers would pay 23 percent mo
  
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