Baton Rouge news

• Sea turtle caught in shrimp trawl now back in the wild

  11-05-2017 21:42
  
  LAKE CHARLES - Nine months after being caught in a shrimper's trawl, a young endangered sea turtle named Raye is back in the wild in south Louisiana.
   The Audubon Nature Institute and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday that the male Kemp's ridley sea turtle was released Wednesday in a lake near the offshore area where he was accidentally caught July 26.
   The agencies say shrimper Bobby Aguillard called federal authorities to report catching the turtle,
  
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• Trump calls Comey a 'showboat,' denies colluding with Russia

  11-05-2017 20:46
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that there was "no collusion" between his winning campaign and the Russian government, in his first extended remarks since he roiled Washington with his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey.
   In an interview with NBC's Lester Holt, Trump slammed Comey as a "showboat" attention-seeker who had lost the confidence of the president and the agency he led.
   "Look he's a showboat, he's a grandstander, the FBI has been in turmo
  
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• Florida man charged with plotting to bomb Target stores

  11-05-2017 20:23
  
  OCALA, Fla. - A grand jury has charged a Florida man with plotting to set off explosions in Target stores so that he could gain financially from a plunge in the company's stock price.
   An indictment filed Wednesday in federal court in Ocala charges 49-year-old Mark Barnett with five counts of attempted arson, possession of a destructive device and unlawful possession of a weapon.
   A criminal complaint says the convicted felon offered a friend $10,000 to place packages of food f
  
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• Case winners: Louisiana owes $4.7M for abortion law challenge

  11-05-2017 19:41
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Lawyers who won a decision overturning a Louisiana abortion law say the state should pay them $4.7 million in fees and expenses.
   Lawyers representing abortion clinics have asked a Baton Rouge federal judge to approve the amount. The judge Thursday gave the state's lawyers three weeks to respond.
   A motion filed Wednesday says 16 attorneys, clerks and paralegals put in about 6,900 hours of work over three years. They say that adds up to $4.5 million worth of work,
  
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• City facing delays in Central drainage project

  11-05-2017 18:54
  
  CENTRAL – The City of Central will ask contractors to bid on a drainage project that the city hopes will prevent flooding.
  The mayor hoped the project would be further along and now it could take another month, or even longer, before drainage work even starts.
  "As soon as we get a contractor hired, it will be by 3-4 weeks," Mayor Junior Shelton said.The city expected to have the work start already, however it ran into problems the first time it asked contractors for bids.Donald Hunt an
  
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• Local group calls for firing of BRPD officers involved in Alton Sterling shooting

  11-05-2017 18:19
  
  BATON ROUGE – One day after a number of activists disrupted the Baton Rouge Metro Council meeting, a second group tried a calmer approach to get their voice heard regarding the Department of Justice decision on the Alton Sterling shooting. Police policy watchdog, Samuel Sinyangwe of New York, says that based on cell phone video of the shootings, both officers involved should be fired.
  "There was Officer Salamoni tackling Alton Sterling when Alton Sterling appeared to be peacef
  
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• EBR District Attorney to observe court hearing for 9/11 mastermind

  11-05-2017 17:42
  
  BATON ROUGE- East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore is one of five people selected from across the nation to attend a military hearing for the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America.Moore said he just found about it two weeks ago and leaves tomorrow afternoon. "I was selected to go to Khalid Sheikh Mohammand and related co-defendants and the hearings this week in Guantanamo," Moore said. "I'm really excited about it. It's a lot of reading required. The trial ma
  
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• State trooper, 2 officers shot during standoff in Avoyelles Parish; suspect in custody

  11-05-2017 17:09
  
  MOREAUVILLE – A suspect is in custody after a trooper with the Louisiana State Police and two officers were shot during a standoff in Avoyelles Parish.The trooper has been taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Sources say the trooper was shot in the shoulder.  According to Sheriff Douglas Anderson, the trooper and a local police officer approached the window of a home, to negotiate with a man barricaded inside, when the suspect aimed a shot gun at
  
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• APSO: Two wanted for car burglaries on Troy Duplessis, Babin Road

  11-05-2017 16:40
  
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance in identifying two men wanted for burglarizing unlocked vehicles on Troy Duplessis Road and Babin Road.The burglaries occurred in the early morning on May 9 when the two men were caught on surveillance video pulling on car door handles.One of the men was wearing black shoes, a gray sweatshirt and gray pants carrying a handbag. The other man was wearing black pants and a dark colored hooded sweatshir
  
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• Weiner Creek erosion a 'high priority' to City-Parish

  11-05-2017 16:35
  
  BATON ROUGE - A fix is coming for an eroding creek. Weiner Creek winds through neighborhoods and feeds into Jones Creek. A section behind Newcastle Ave. in Baton Rouge has been struggling to hold its shape.The City-Parish says fixing the erosion problem along Weiner Creek is a "high priority."Metro Councilman Buddy Amoroso says the council has approved funds on the local level to fix this and is now waiting to hear from the Feds. The City-Parish plans to enter into a 90-10 percent funding split
  
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• EBR school system to receive additional $1.1 million in FEMA assistance

  11-05-2017 16:16
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Parish School System will receive an additional $1.1 million in assistance from FEMA following the August flood.The FEMA disaster funding will help with demolition, cleaning, remediation costs of classrooms, offices, bathrooms and storage areas at four educational facilities. The additional funding brings the total amount awarded to the school system to $5 million.Following the flood, 16 school campuses flooded throughout the parish. FEMA's Public Ass
  
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• Stopped by police? Louisiana lawmakers want driver training

  11-05-2017 15:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Hoping to lower tension between police officers and motorists, Louisiana lawmakers may soon require new drivers to be trained on how to respond in a traffic stop.A bill by Sen. Ryan Gatti, a Bossier City Republican, would add "appropriate driver conduct when stopped by a law enforcement officer" to the list of content requirements in driver education courses - and on the driving test required to get a license.Gatti said the training concept was recommended to him by former NFL play
  
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• WBRZ Crawfish Index: prices on the rise before Mother's Day

  11-05-2017 15:16
  
  BATON ROUGE – Mom (or Dad) is going to have to pay a little bit more for crawfish this weekend for Mother’s Day.According to the WBRZ Crawfish Price Index, the average price for boiled crawfish sits at $3.67 per pound. That price is five cents higher than last week’s average.Click here to go to the WBRZ Crawfish Price IndexTwo locations surveyed decided to raise prices ahead of the holiday weekend. All of the other locations kept last week’s price.This wee
  
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• Hammond teen killed in single vehicle crash on LA 1054

  11-05-2017 15:04
  
  TANGIPAHOA PARISH –Police say a Hammond teenager was killed in a single vehicle crash on LA 1054 Thursday morning.According to Louisiana State Police, the crash happened shortly after 7 a.m. on LA 1054 just south of LA 16. Police say Nathan Daniel Arnold, 18, was driving a pickup northbound on LA 1054 when “for reasons still under investigation” traveled off the left side of the roadway and crashed into a tree.Police say Arnold was not wearing a seatbelt at the time
  
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• Police identify victim in deadly Florida Blvd crash

  11-05-2017 14:48
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police say a Baton Rouge man died after an early morning crash on Florida Boulevard Thursday morning.According to Baton Rouge Police, the crash happened around 12:30 a.m.  in the 6100 block of Florida Boulevard. Police say a 2015 Hyundai Elantra traveling westbound drove over a raised cement barrier and entered the eastbound lane. The vehicle crashed into a 2012 Hyundai Elantra, causing major front end damage.Both drivers were transported to a local hospital with
  
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• Red Stick socks on sale for BR bicentennial

  11-05-2017 14:29
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge residents can now buy limited edition Red Stick socks.The socks are available for $20 at Studio C in Baton Rouge, located at 3786 Government Street, and at The Foyer, located at 3655 Perkins Road. The socks are also available online at https://www.townvu.com/studioc/ordering.For each pair of socks sold, a pair is donated to a local homeless facility in Baton Rouge.The Red Stick socks were created by Studio C in collaboration with Bonfolk, Visit Baton Rouge and
  
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• Casino employee held at knifepoint in robbery

  11-05-2017 14:26
  
  DUSON – Police in Duscon are asking for the public’s help to identify two people who robbed a casino at gunpoint last weekend.According to the Duscon Police department, an unidentified black male and black female robbed “a local business” around 3:30 p.m. Saturday May 6. KATC reports that the business is Lucky Deuces Casino, located within a truck stop.Police tell KATC that the man, who was armed with a gun, forced a clerk and a customer into the casino. I
  
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• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's painting, watch to be auctioned

  11-05-2017 13:19
  
  NEW YORK- A watercolor painting by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the former first lady's Cartier watch and a hand-annotated speech by John F. Kennedy that he later incorporated into his "Profiles in Courage" book are being auctioned.Christie's said Thursday that the then-first lady created the 6½-inch by 8-inch artwork in 1963 as a gift for her brother-in law, Stanislaw Radziwill.Radziwill gave her the watch.Both commemorate a 50-mile hike that Radziwill undertook as part of the preside
  
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• Louisiana K-12 education board tweaks public school formula

  11-05-2017 13:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's top school board has redrafted its proposal for financing the state's public schools next year.Action Thursday from the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education came at the request of lawmakers. They wanted two provisions added to the $3.7 billion financing formula proposal for the 2017-18 school year, and those were included by the state board.The provisions include language to assist districts impacted by last year's flooding and to safeguard the Vernon Paris
  
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• Southern University students recovering following devestating fire

  11-05-2017 12:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - Eleven Southern University international students from India have recieved help from the Baton Rouge community.Five out of the eleven students will be able to graduate after Southern University, the Indian consulate, and the community has helped the students replaced most of the items lost in the fire.
  A massive fire at the Hub Apartments on Highland Road left the students without anything. They lost everything including their personal identification cards, and passports.
  After WBR
  
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• Southern University students recovering following devastating fire

  11-05-2017 12:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - Eleven Southern University international students from India have recieved help from the Baton Rouge community.Five out of the eleven students will be able to graduate after Southern University, the Indian consulate, and the community has helped the students replaced most of the items lost in the fire.
  A massive fire at the Hub Apartments on Highland Road left the students without anything. They lost everything including their personal identification cards, and passports.
  After WBR
  
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• Acting FBI chief contradicts White House claim

  11-05-2017 12:19
  
  WASHINGTON - Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe is contradicting the White House claim that fired director James Comey had lost the support of rank-and-file members of the bureau.The White House used that assertion to justify Comey's firing. But McCabe says the claim is not accurate. He says Comey "enjoyed broad support" within the agency and that he holds Comey in the "absolute highest regard."He says it was the "greatest privilege" of his career to serve under him.McCabe also wouldn't
  
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• Energy chief says hole has been filled at nuclear waste site

  11-05-2017 12:18
  
  RICHLAND - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry says a hole that developed in the top of a nuclear waste storage tunnel in Washington state has been filled.Perry announced Thursday morning that the 400-square foot hole was filled swiftly and safely. He says the next step is to reduce risks at the aging tunnel.The hole was discovered Tuesday morning on top of a nuclear waste storage tunnel on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Workers started filling the hole Wednesday.The cause of the partial collapse
  
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• Man facing federal charges for damage caused at Fort Sumter

  11-05-2017 12:17
  
  COLUMBIA - A Charleston-area man is facing federal charges after authorities say he defaced a structure at the South Carolina fort where the Civil War began.U.S. Attorney Beth Drake says 21-year-old Noah Sigalas of Sullivan's Island was indicted Tuesday on charges of defacing an archaeological resource and government property. In March, authorities say Sigalas was visiting Fort Sumter, in the Charleston harbor, when he pulled on a support pole that was stabilizing a casement, causing more than $
  
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• Zoo home to April the giraffe and baby opening Monday

  11-05-2017 12:14
  
  HARPURSVILLE - People hoping to get an up-close look at April the giraffe's baby born at an upstate New York zoo before a live stream audience will have to wait a little longer.Animal Adventure Park originally planned to open for the season this weekend, but delayed the date until Monday because of cool and rainy conditions in the forecast.April gave birth to a male calf on April 15. Her pregnancy was the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube's history, with more than 232 million live views
  
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• Report: Trump to launch panel to investigate voter fraud

  11-05-2017 12:12
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday launching a commission to review alleged voter fraud and voter suppression in the U.S. election system. That's according to three White House officials.One official says Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will lead the commission, which will look at allegations of improper voting and fraudulent voter registration in states and nationally. The officials spoke on condition of ano
  
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• Mormon church pulls older teens out of Boy Scouts

  11-05-2017 12:08
  
  SALT LAKE CITY - The Mormon church, the largest sponsor of Boy Scouts troops in the United States, is pulling older teenagers from the organization as the religion takes a step toward developing its own global scouting-like program.The Utah-based religion's announcement Thursday means an estimated 130,000-180,000 teenagers ages 14-18 will no longer participate in Boy Scouts starting next year, a significant loss for the Boy Scouts of America.The Boy Scouts, with 2.3 million youth, has been grapp
  
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• Police to search landfill in death of Colorado woman

  11-05-2017 12:01
  
  BOULDER - Police continue to look for evidence in the death of a Colorado woman whose partial remains were found in Oklahoma in February.Police in Boulder, Colorado said Wednesday that they plan to search an out-of-state landfill for evidence related to the killing of 25-year-old Ashley Mead. They won't say where the landfill is or what they're looking for.Mead was reported missing in Boulder in February along with her 1-year-old daughter. The girl was found with her father, Adam Densmore, near
  
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• Nuclear waste concerns; Betsy DeVos booed at commencement (10 Things to Know for Thursday)

  11-05-2017 09:12
  
  Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Thursday.
  
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• Students make prosthetic hand for classmate using 3D printer

  11-05-2017 09:06
  
  BATON ROUGE - One sixth grader in Baton Rouge is thanking her classmates for giving her something she has always lived without."Thank you, because now I can have two hands," 11-year-old Jak'kyra Brown said.Jak'kyra was born without a right hand below the wrist. When she was in the womb, her umbilical cord was wrapped around her lower arm, causing it not to grow. Eleven years later, her classmates at Kenwilworth Science and Technology Charter School told her they were going to make her a brand ne
  
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• Elementary school students donate money for EBRSO bulletproof vests

  11-05-2017 08:39
  
  WALKER, La. - An unlikely crew is making a rather large donation to law enforcement Thursday, but their strong support started last month.On March 23rd, a usually quiet, wooded Walker road turned into a sea of red, white, and blue. Students and faculty from Levi Milton Elementary School took to Walker Road North to show their support of their teacher, Becky Anderson.That was for the funeral procession of slain East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputy Shawn Anderson. He was shot and killed whil
  
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• Police: Half-naked driver crashes car into Ohio store to get beer

  11-05-2017 08:18
  
  ROCKY RIVER - Police in suburban Cleveland say a half-naked man intentionally crashed his car into a closed convenience store to get beer, injuring himself and a store employee.Rocky River police say the 45-year-old driver was wearing nothing from the waist down when he crashed through a store wall early Sunday and told the worker he needed beer.Police say the man barricaded himself in a beer cooler and told police to shoot him, but they subdued him with a stun device.The driver was taken to a h
  
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• Aaron Hernandez's fiancee to speak on 'Dr. Phil' show

  11-05-2017 06:59
  
  BOSTON - The fiancee of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez says she thought his suicide was a hoax.Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez says in an interview on "Dr. Phil" scheduled to air next week that she thought "some cruel person" was playing a trick on her when she heard Hernandez hand hanged himself in his prison cell on April 19, days after he was acquitted of a double murder. He was still serving a life sentence for another killing.Hernandez-Jenkins said her last conversation with the former New En
  
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• Aetna becomes latest insurer to flee ACA exchanges

  11-05-2017 06:57
  
  While Republicans rewrite the Affordable Care Act in Washington, the immediate future of the law has grown hazier with the nation's third-largest health insurer saying that it will completely divorce itself from state-based insurance exchanges.Aetna says it won't sell coverage in Nebraska and Delaware next year after projecting a $200 million loss this year. The insurer had already pulled out of several states after losing about $450 million in 2016.The exchanges are a pillar of the federal law
  
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• Senate intel panel subpoenas Michael Flynn documents

  11-05-2017 06:51
  
  WASHINGTON - The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn for documents related to the panel's investigation into Russia's election meddling.Sen. Richard Burr, the Republican chairman, and Sen. Mark Warner, the committee's Democratic vice chairman, issued a joint statement Wednesday saying the panel decided to issue the subpoena after Flynn, through his lawyer, declined to cooperate with an April 28 request to turn over the documents.Flynn
  
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• Before the ax, Comey was pushing Trump-Russia probe harder

  11-05-2017 06:50
  
  WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say FBI Director James Comey requested more resources to pursue his investigation into Russia's election meddling and the possible involvement of Donald Trump's associates. Days later, he was fired by President Trump.
  It is unclear whether word of the Comey request, put to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, ever made its way to Trump. But the revelation intensifies the pressure on the White House from both political parties to explain the motives behind Comey's s
  
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• Dat Dog to open 3 Baton Rouge locations, testing Texas market

  11-05-2017 06:45
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Dat Dog, the quirky hot dog joint that has three locations in New Orleans, is opening 25 restaurants in Houston as it looks to expand through franchises in the South.New Orleans CityBusiness reports B&G Food Enterprises LLC is set to open the first Dat Dog in Texas next year. A news release says there are no set locations at this time.Dat Dog also has plans to open three restaurants in Baton Rouge, with the first one set to open later this year or in early 2018 under franchisee
  
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• Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenas documents from Michael Flynn in Russia probe

  11-05-2017 03:13
  
  The Senate Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to force former national security adviser Michael Flynn to turn over documents related to the panel's probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, including possible ties between the Kremlin and the presidential campaigns.
  
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