Baton Rouge news

• Trump calls Russia probe 'a total hoax'

  08-05-2017 21:15
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is calling investigations into his campaign's possible ties to Russia's election meddling a "taxpayer funded charade" and a "total hoax."Trump is weighing in on Twitter following a congressional hearing on Russian interference.The president says former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, one of the officials who testified Monday, "said nothing but old news!"Yates testified about her attempts to warn the White House that national security adviser Michael Flynn
  
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• Senate backs limits for Louisiana transportation trust fund

  08-05-2017 21:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana senators want to end raids on the state Transportation Trust Fund, to keep dollars available for road and bridge work.Louisiana's constitution allows the trust fund containing state gasoline and fuel tax income to be spent on transportation projects and Louisiana State Police operations. The Senate voted 38-0 Monday to remove state police from the list.Governors have used the money to fill gaps in the state police budget. Sen. Page Cortez, the Lafayette Republican sponsor
  
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• Water heater malfunction causes house fire on Madison Ave.

  08-05-2017 20:32
  
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters responded to a working house fire on Madison Avenue Monday night.Fire crews were called to the 4700 block of Madison Ave. around 8:10 p.m. It was brought under control around 8:26 p.m., according to the Baton Rouge Fire Department.According to BRFD, the fire was caused by a malfunction in the home's water heater. The fire started in a utility closet and burned through the attic before being brought under control, BRFD said.No injuries were reported. O
  
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• Police now say 9 killed in Phoenix serial shootings case

  08-05-2017 20:25
  
  PHOENIX - Police have identified new victims in a series of Phoenix shootings that resulted in the arrest of a 23-year-old man.Authorities on Monday said Aaron Saucedo faces homicide charges in connection with a case police have said was the work of a serial killer.Police previously said at least seven people were killed and two others wounded over a four-month period last year. On Monday, they raised the number of people killed to nine and said there were 12 total shootings - with the first one
  
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• Richard Simmons sues National Enquirer for libel

  08-05-2017 20:03
  
  LOS ANGELES - Louisiana native Richard Simmons has filed a libel lawsuit against the National Enquirer and its parent company over stories that claim he is living as a transgender woman.The lawsuit filed Monday is seeking unspecified damages as well as an apology and retraction for stories published in June 2016 and March 2017 in the Enquirer and its website, RadarOnline.The lawsuit against American Media, Inc., states the stories rely on a man who has tried to blackmail the former fitness guru
  
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• Judge denies request to block Confederate statue's removal

  08-05-2017 20:00
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A judge in New Orleans has refused to block the city from removing a statue of a Confederate general.Civil Court Judge Kern Reese ruled Monday afternoon. Hours earlier, monument supporters filed suit saying the city does not own the statue of Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, and therefore cannot remove it.They say documents show the statue belongs to a state agency that oversees the park where the statue is located. Reese refused to issue a temporary order to block the removal. He's set a W
  
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• Commissioners association OKs December football signing day

  08-05-2017 19:51
  
  High school seniors can now sign football letters of intent in December in addition to the traditional signing period in February.The Collegiate Commissioners Association on Monday announced its approval of the new signing period, which is part of a package of reforms passed by the NCAA in April.The early signing period is scheduled for Dec. 20-22, 2017, coinciding with the first three days of the initial date of the football midyear junior college transfer NLI signing period.The early letter-of
  
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• S. Koreans vote for new president to succeed ousted Park

  08-05-2017 19:49
  
  SEOUL, South Korea - South Koreans are voting for a new president amid widespread expectations of victory for a liberal candidate who has pledged to improve ties with North Korea and review a contentious U.S. missile defense shield.Tuesday's election was called after conservative President Park Geun-hye was forced out of office and arrested in March over a corruption scandal.The final rounds of opinion surveys released last week showed liberal candidate Moon Jae-in with about a 20 percentage poi
  
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• Ascension to flush out water system with chlorine burn

  08-05-2017 18:15
  
  ASCENSION – Thousands of Ascension Parish residents could see some changes to their water as the parish is flushing out its system with chemicals.
  Starting on Monday, the west side of Ascension Parish could see discoloration, a possible odor or maybe even a different taste in their water.
  It's all part of a chlorine burn.
  "We are flushing the system with a disinfectant that we call free chlorine, and that's called the burn. The system is being flushed out, it's just a routine maintenan
  
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• Deputy superintendent of EBR Parish School District to resign

  08-05-2017 17:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Parish School District announced the resignation of its deputy superintendent, Dr. Michelle Clayton, Monday.The announcement came late in the afternoon, along with a statement from Superintendent Warren Drake."On a personal level, Michelle and I have worked together for over a decade, first in the Zachary Community School District and now in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Dr. Clayton is one the best educational leaders that I have ever had
  
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• 2 doctors killed in penthouse of Boston luxury condo

  08-05-2017 17:17
  
  BOSTON - Police have identified the two people found dead this weekend inside the penthouse of a Boston luxury condominium building.The Boston Police Department website identified the victims as 38-year-old Lina Bolanos and 49-year-old Richard Field. Media outlets are reporting the two were doctors.The couple apparently lived at the Macallen Building in South Boston where they were found Friday night by police after authorities say a suspect fired at officers and was shot.Officers had gone to th
  
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• House rebuffs corporal punishment ban for Louisiana schools

  08-05-2017 16:42
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's local public school districts still will be allowed to paddle and spank students for misbehavior.The House overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to ban corporal punishment in Louisiana's public schools.Only 34 lawmakers Monday voted for the prohibition bill by Rep. Barbara Norton, a Shreveport Democrat. Sixty-one lawmakers voted against the measure.Norton said corporal punishment teaches student about violence. She said 31 other states have outlawed such punishment and hav
  
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• Family sues Texas officer, department in 15-year-old's death

  08-05-2017 16:33
  
  DALLAS - The family of a black 15-year-old is suing the white police officer who shot and killed him, as well as the officer's suburban Dallas police department.Jordan Edwards' funeral was Saturday, one week after he was shot dead in a vehicle leaving a chaotic house party in Balch Springs.Lawyers for the Edwards family say Officer Roy Oliver used a rifle to shoot at the vehicle as it was driving away, piercing a passenger window and striking Edwards. Oliver was fired and arrested last week on a
  
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• Bumble Bee Foods fined $25 million, admits price fixing

  08-05-2017 16:26
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - The popular tuna-canning company Bumble Bee Foods has agreed to pay a $25 million fine after pleading guilty to conspiring with competitors to fix prices.The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that the San Diego based company will plead guilty to one felony count of price fixing.The criminal charge reflects broader concerns about competition within the industry. Two Bumble Bee executives pleaded guilty to price fixing charges last year and have agreed to cooperate with the fe
  
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• Mississippi State athlete killed in crash during graduation weekend

  08-05-2017 15:50
  
  STARKVILLE, Miss. - A track athlete who had just graduated from college was killed while riding in a small car that was struck by a Mississippi Highway Patrol vehicle.Multiple news outlets report that 22-year-old Kaelin Kersh of Pearl died in the wreck early Sunday near Starkville. She graduated Friday night from Mississippi State University.The Highway Patrol is investigating.Master Sgt. Criss Turnipseed says a trooper was eastbound on Highway 182 when a Toyota Corolla entered the highway. He s
  
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• APSO: Man wanted for stealing phone from gym locker room

  08-05-2017 15:23
  
  ASCENSION PARISH – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is searching for a man who allegedly stole a woman's iPhone from Gold's Gym in Prairieville. According to the sheriff's office, the incident occurred on April 18 when a white four door car entered the parking lot and parked in a handicap spot. Video surveillance showed the man exiting the vehicle and then entering the gym.
  The sheriff's office says the man then went into the women's and men's locker room and left the gym
  
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• Threat closes Colorado school after Trump pinata allegation

  08-05-2017 14:57
  
  JOHNSTOWN, Colo. - A Colorado high school where a Spanish teacher is accused of allowing students to hit a piñata bearing a picture of President Donald Trump has been closed because of a threat against it on social media.The school district says classes and all activities were cancelled Monday as a precaution and to give police time to investigate the situation involving Roosevelt High School in Johnstown, about 50 miles north of Denver.Assistant Superintendent Jason Seybert wouldn't
  
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• Proposal to ban speed enforcement cameras in Louisiana fails

  08-05-2017 14:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - Voters won't be deciding whether they want to ban certain traffic cameras in Louisiana.The House transportation committee resoundingly defeated the proposal from Republican Rep. Paul Hollis, of Covington, to prohibit local governments from using automated speed enforcement devices to regulate traffic.Lawmakers on the panel voted 14-1 against the measure on Monday.Hollis says the cameras aren't being used to regulate safety, but are aimed at raising money for municipalities through
  
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• Bill Cassidy set to appear on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' Monday

  08-05-2017 14:41
  
  Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy will take his health care discussion to late night television Monday.I will be on @JimmyKimmelLive tonight to talk health care. Hope you can tune in. https://t.co/sI9FkIeRs9— Bill Cassidy (@BillCassidy) May 8, 2017The Republican senator is slated to appear on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' after spending several days promoting what he has dubbed as the "Jimmy Kimmel Test". The term refers to how the new healthcare bill handles citizens with pre-exi
  
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• Pepe cartoonist kills off character that became hate symbol

  08-05-2017 14:36
  
  The cartoonist who created Pepe the Frog has killed off the character in a rebuke to far-right extremists who transformed a benevolent internet meme into a racist, anti-Semitic symbol.A Pepe cartoon published Saturday shows Matt Furie's creation in an open casket. Furie didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.Furie has described Pepe as "chill frog-dude" who debuted in a 2006 comic book and became a popular online subject for user-generated mutations.But internet trolls hij
  
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• Traffic diverted after 18-wheeler overturns in Grosse Tete

  08-05-2017 14:25
  
  GROSSE TETE – Authorities in Iberville Parish are diverting traffic after an 18-wheeler overturned on Highway 77 in Grosse Tete.According to the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office, the crash happened near the intersection of Highway 77 and Highway 386.  Traffic from the interstate is being diverted to Sidney Road.Photos from the scene show the truck’s overturned bed as well as blue pipes scattered across the roadway.Sheriff Brett Stassi said that no one was
  
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• 10-year-old girl in Florida pries open gator's mouth to free her leg

  08-05-2017 13:59
  
  ORLANDO, Fla. - A 10-year-old girl in Florida survived after she managed to wrestle her leg from the jaws of an alligator Saturday. The girl was swimming in a designated swim area of Lake Mary Jane, with water about two feet deep and 10 feet from the shore, when an 8-foot-9-inch alligator attacked her.She was reportedly able to pry open the gator's mouth and remove her leg, according to the state commission. She suffered puncture wounds to the back of her knee and her lower thi
  
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• Trump calls Macron to congratulate him on election win

  08-05-2017 13:48
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has called French President-elect Emmanuel Macron to congratulate him.White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday that Trump had spoken with Macron.Trump tweeted congratulations to Macron Sunday, adding that he looks forward to working with him.The centrist Macron defeated far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen in Sunday's presidential runoff.Trump had not expressed support for either candidate in France's election, although he predicted last month th
  
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• Report: Committee says confederate monument not owned by New Orleans

  08-05-2017 13:48
  
  NEW ORLEANS – Supporters of Confederate-era monuments slated for removal in New Orleans have launched a new court fight to save one of the structures.Several hundred people gathered to protest against the removal of three confederate monuments in New Orleans over the weekend.WWL reported that crowds gathered at Lee Circle both for and against the removal of the monuments. The first of the monuments removed was the Battle of Liberty Place monument. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said after the re
  
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• Louisiana session reaches halfway mark with unclear tax path

  08-05-2017 13:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's legislative session is reaching its midpoint with no clear direction on what approach lawmakers will take on rewriting state tax laws, if they can reach agreement at all.The two-month session hits the halfway mark Tuesday. It must end by June 8.Gov. John Bel Edwards' pushed a tax overhaul, saying it's needed to stabilize Louisiana's finances and deal with the expiration of $1.3 billion in temporary taxes in mid-2018.But the Democratic governor's main revenue-raising pro
  
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• Giant rabbit owners seek details, payment from United

  08-05-2017 13:41
  
  DES MOINES - The owners of a giant rabbit that died after flying from the United Kingdom to Chicago want to know more about the animal's death and why he was so quickly cremated.Attorney Guy Cook said Monday that the owners of the rabbit, named Simon, are troubled that he was cremated without a necropsy, or postmortem examination, soon after his death April 20. Cook says he sent a letter to United Airlines last week but hasn't heard back.Simon had been expected to grow to become the world's larg
  
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• STPSO: man tries to run over 8-year-old, rams deputy in chase

  08-05-2017 12:51
  
  COVINGTON – A Covington man faces a slew of charges after deputies say he tried to run over his girlfriend's 8-year-old son, then rammed a deputy's vehicle on I-12 last week.According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, the mother was playing with the boy outside when Shawn Porrovechio exited the home. Investigators say he exchanged words with the boy then threw a baseball at the child, narrowly missing his head. When the mother confronted Porrovechio, deputies say he
  
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• Lane closure I-10 in Iberville, WBR parishes start Friday

  08-05-2017 12:51
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE – One lane of I-10 east will be closed over the weekend in Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes due to asphalt rehabilitation, DOTD announced.The right lane of I-10 east will be closed from the Mississippi River Bridge to the Atchafalaya Bridge.The closure will begin on Friday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. through Monday, May 15 at 6:30 a.m.According to DOTD, permit load restrictions will be up to 16 feet wide. DOTD advises that motorists drive with caution through construct
  
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• Memorial service to honor fallen law enforcement officers

  08-05-2017 12:41
  
  BATON ROUGE – A memorial service to honor law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty will be held this week, the Baton Rouge Police Department announced.The service will be held on Tuesday, May 9 at 10 a.m. at Central Baptist Church located at 17017 Florida Boulevard.The services are sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police, Baton Rouge Lodge #1.WBRZ will livestream the event online and on Facebook Live.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Facebook livestream of girl's suicide attempt helped rescuers to save her

  08-05-2017 12:41
  
  ATLANTA - Sheriff's deputies say the 15-year-old Georgia girl took pills, put a plastic bag over her head and broadcast her suicide attempt as it was happening on Facebook Live.It was the type of video sometimes removed by Facebook, which just announced a renewed effort to keep graphic violence off the site.But the teenager's broadcast last week stayed online long enough for deputies to verify the video was real and search for her. She was found unresponsive but survived.The rescue underscores w
  
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• Coach to buy Kate Spade

  08-05-2017 09:45
  
  NEW YORK - Coach is buying Kate Spade for $2.4 billion, tying together two premier brands in the luxury goods sector that have fought to snare younger shoppers. Coach CEO Victor Luis says that Kate Spade has a "strong awareness among consumers, especially millennials." The boards of both New York companies have approved the deal, which is targeted to close in the third quarter.In major retail news, Coach will acquire Kate Spade in a $2.4 billion deal. https://t.co/swNdJ2I4PZ— Twitter M
  
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• Yates concerned Russians could blackmail Flynn

  08-05-2017 09:15
  
  WASHINGTON - Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates says she had two meetings and one phone call with White House counsel Don McGahn about concerns that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn "could be blackmailed" by the Russians.Yates says she told McGahn that the Russians knew about what Flynn had done and the Russians knew that Flynn had misled the vice president and others about what he had done. Yates did not specify what that was.Yates says she was giving President Do
  
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• President Trump distances himself from Flynn

  08-05-2017 09:15
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is distancing himself from Michael Flynn's troubles, tweeting that it was the Obama administration that gave Flynn the "highest security clearance."Flynn was dismissed under President Barack Obama as defense intelligence chief before becoming an ardent supporter of Trump and eventually Trump's national security adviser.Sally Yates, former deputy attorney general, is expected to testify Monday that she had warned the White House about contacts between
  
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• Deadline for Louisiana individual tax returns is next week

  08-05-2017 09:04
  
  BATON ROUGE – The deadline to file your 2016 Louisiana individual income tax returns is next Monday, May 15.The Department of Revenue recommends filing electronically for the fastest return processing. Taxpayers can also file their state return for free with Louisiana File Online.Residents who need more time to prepare their returns must submit their extension requests by the May 15 filing deadline to avoid late-filing penalties. Visit the Department of Revenue website to request an ex
  
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• Report: EBR COA used public funds to campaign for tax increase

  08-05-2017 08:15
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Council on Aging used public resources, including money, staff time and nonprofit postage permit to support a tax proposition in 2016, according to a state audit released Monday.According to Louisiana’s Legislative Auditor, the COA management ran Support our Seniors, a political action committee, from February to December 2016. The PAC’s goal: to push for voter support of a tax to increase the council’s funding.Auditors r
  
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• Secret Baker Police bank accounts revealed by audit

  08-05-2017 07:51
  
  BAKER - Former Baker Police Chief Mike Knaps had for years kept secret police department bank accounts of seized money with little accounting, an audit released Monday shows.The revelation, contained in the city’s annual audit report, appears along with other Knaps actions cited in previous stories by The Investigative Unit. As a result of those stories, Knaps returned to the city several guns that he had previously decided the police department no longer needed. He also finagled a way
  
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• Deciding next step in Afghanistan comes with grim backdrop

  08-05-2017 07:14
  
  WASHINGTON - Deliberations by the Trump administration to determine the way ahead for the war in Afghanistan come with a grim backdrop.Afghan soldiers are suffering what Pentagon officials call "shockingly high" battlefield casualties. The prospects for a negotiated peace settlement with the Taliban are narrowing. While insurgents have failed to capture and hold a major city, they are controlling or influencing ever more territory.U.S. troops are supporting beleaguered Afghans against the Taliba
  
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• Goodyear building 3rd airship in Ohio, will be ready in 2018

  08-05-2017 06:56
  
  AKRON - Goodyear says its newest airship should be ready to fly in the spring of 2018.The assembly of the Akron-based company's third airship is coming together at its blimp base in northeastern Ohio.Workers now are putting together parts of the internal aluminum and carbon fiber inner skeleton.The Akron Beacon Journal reports that the new airship will be based at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.'s hangar in Ohio's Portage County.The tire maker retired its last true blimp in March.The new airships l
  
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• Nicki Minaj pays college costs for Twitter fans, including ULL student

  08-05-2017 06:46
  
  Nicki Minaj is putting some fans on scholarship, including a student from University of Louisiana at Lafayette.After a fan asked the hip-hop star if she would pay his college tuition on Twitter on Saturday night, Minaj agreed to pay fans' school costs - on the condition that they show her perfect marks. She wrote, "Show me straight A's that I can verify w/ur school and I'll pay it."A few dozen fans took Minaj up on the offer, posting screenshots of their grades. Minaj replied individually to som
  
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• Trump: His support for black colleges remains 'unwavering'

  08-05-2017 06:44
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has declared that his support for historically black colleges and universities remains "unwavering."Trump sought to clarify an earlier statement that some higher education officials interpreted as meaning he planned to end a capital financing program. The operation in question is a program that helps these institutions repair, renovate and build new facilities. Congressional Black Caucus members criticized the move.The earlier Trump statement was attached to a
  
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• Texas stokes immigration debate with 'sanctuary cities' ban

  08-05-2017 06:41
  
  AUSTIN - Texas has charged to the forefront of national debate over immigration as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a so-called "sanctuary cities" ban that lets police ask during routine stops whether someone is in the U.S. legally and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don't cooperate with federal immigration agents.The new Texas law was blasted by opponents as the nation's toughest on immigrants since Arizona's crackdown in 2010. Opponents are now vowing a court challenge.Abbott signed the
  
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• Blue Bell releases new wedding cake inspired flavor

  08-05-2017 06:41
  
  BREHAM, Texas - Blue Bell released a new ice cream flavor on Monday inspired by popular wedding cake flavors.Blue Bell said Bride's Cake Ice Cream features almond ice cream, white cake pieces and amaretto cheese icing."We have heard from fans who serve Blue Bell Ice Cream at their weddings in the place of bridal cake," Blue Bell Public Relations Manager Jenny Van Dorf said. "Now you can have both."Along with the new flavor, Blue Bell is bringing back its Groom's Cake flavor. Groom's Cake feature
  
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• BRFD: vacant apartment fire was arson

  08-05-2017 05:58
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to a vacant apartment fire at Serenity Apartments in the 1200 block of North Ardenwood Drive Sunday night.Around 9:20 p.m., firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke coming from the apartment.The fire was contained to the room it started in, but the rest of the unit suffered $50,000 worth of smoke and water damage.BRFD got the fire under control within ten minutes. Firefighters said the cause of the fire was arson. There is no suspect
  
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• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs ban targeting 'sanctuary cities'

  08-05-2017 02:54
  
  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday signed a law targeting so-called "sanctuary cities" that allows police to ask about a person's immigration status and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don't cooperate with federal authorities.
  
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