Baton Rouge news

• Search for missing boy still going after 16 years

  15-05-2017 21:51
  
  CLINTON - Wesley Dale Morgan went missing from his mother's front yard in East Feliciana Parish on May 15, 2001. And 16 years later, one man is determined to find out what happened to him.It's been more than a year since authorities reopened the investigation. Morgan was two years old when he vanished from his home off of Hwy. 63 near Bluff Creek.Richard Sobers, a former law enforcement officer, is a strong advocate for finding the child who would have been eighteen years old n
  
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• Sherwood Forest sinkhole damaging home, yard

  15-05-2017 21:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - A woman says a sinkhole has been growing next to her home for years.Stephenie Horton moved to her home in Sherwood Forest six years ago. It was then she first noticed she has a problem, but after calling the City-Parish not much was done to fix the issue.Years went by and this past February she picked up potted plant and noticed a large hole underneath, just a few feet from the side of her house. She says the only reason the pot didn't fall into the ground is because of the growing
  
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• 2 dead as Venezuela protests turn violent outside capital

  15-05-2017 21:27
  
  CARACAS, Venezuela - A day that began with largely peaceful protests against Venezuela's socialist government took a violent turn Monday as fierce clashes between state security and demonstrators killed at least two people.Thousands hauled folding chairs, beach umbrellas and protest signs onto main roads for a 12-hour "sit-in against the dictatorship," the latest in a month and a half of street demonstrations that have resulted in dozens of deaths.Protests in Caracas against President Nicolas Ma
  
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• Security Council condemns NKorea missile test

  15-05-2017 20:02
  
  SEOUL, South Korea - The U.N. Security Council is strongly condemning North Korea's latest ballistic missile test and vowing to impose new sanctions in response to its "flagrant and provocative defiance" of council demands to halt all nuclear-related tests.A press statement issued by the council late Monday expresses "utmost concern" at what it calls North Korea's "highly destabilizing behavior" and demands that Pyongyang conduct no further nuclear or ballistic missile tests.The U.N.'s most powe
  
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• McMaster denies Trump revealed classified info to Russians

  15-05-2017 20:01
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's national security adviser is denying a report that claims Trump shared highly classified intelligence about Islamic State militants with a top Russian diplomat.H.R. McMaster told reporters in a brief statement that The Washington Post report published Monday "is false" and "at no time" were intelligence sources or methods discussed during Trump's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.The Post report says Trump revealed highly classified informa
  
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• West Baton Rouge official accuses suspended judge of harassing deputies

  15-05-2017 19:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - A memo released by a West Baton Rouge Parish official over the weekend suggests that a suspended state judge has been harassing deputies.While the memo doesn't mention the judge by name, it's author, Col. Richie Johnson, has identified the citizen referenced in it as suspended State District Court Judge J. Robin Free. Free was suspended last year for various issues.In the memo, Johnson says that Free has had numerous "bizarre" encounters with several West Baton Ro
  
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• Family says 2 adults, 5 children died in Ohio house fire

  15-05-2017 19:46
  
  AKRON, Ohio - Family members say a couple and their five children died in early morning house fire in Akron.Relatives identified the victims as 35-year-old Dennis Huggins, 38-year-old Angela Boggs, 14-year-old Jered Boggs, 6-year-old Daisia Huggins, 5-year-old Kyle Huggins, 3-year-old Alivia Huggins and 11-month-old Cameron Huggins.Firefighters found the house engulfed in flames when they arrived shortly before 3 a.m. Monday.Dennis Huggins' 20-year-old son, Tyennys, said he became alarmed when h
  
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• IT expert modest about stopping cyberattack

  15-05-2017 19:43
  
  NEW YORK - The IT expert who helped stop the spread of the WannaCry cyberattack says he believes the fight against the infection is "done and dusted."Twenty-two-year-old Marcus Hutchins, who works for Los Angeles-based cybersecurity firm Kryptos Logic, says although he was the person who registered a domain name that took down the virus, hundreds of others helped in the effortIn his first face-to-face interview, Hutchins said Monday hundreds of computer experts worked throughout the weekend to f
  
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• Proposed ordinance would keep mobile homes out of Livingston subdivisions

  15-05-2017 18:30
  
  LIVINGSTON – Livingston Parish is taking steps to keep mobile homes out of traditional subdivisions.Some residents say mobile homes in their subdivision are bad for the community and cause for the value of property to decrease.Marie Cain has been a resident of the Merryland subdivision near Denham Springs for more than thirty years, where the average price of a home is more than $100,000."We don't want trailer houses next to us," Cain said. "If we wanted to live where mobile were, we'd
  
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• House passes bill to protect confederate monuments

  15-05-2017 18:25
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to protect the state's confederate monuments.The house voted on Bill No. 71 Monday afternoon. The bill, which "provides for the conservation of public military memorials," was passed with a 65-31 vote.Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody proposed the bill to prohibit the removal of any military monument from any war without approval from a majority of voters.After the bill was passed, members of the Lou
  
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• Trump defends sharing information with Russians

  15-05-2017 17:17
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is using Twitter to defend his sharing of information with the Russians.Trump says he wanted to share with Russia "facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety." He notes that as president, he has an "absolute right" to do this....to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017
  The Washington Post r
  
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• Report: Trump shared secret info about IS with Russians

  15-05-2017 17:17
  
  WASHINGTON - The Washington Post is reporting that President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information about Islamic State militants to Russian officials during a meeting at the White House last week.The newspaper cites current and former U.S. officials who say Trump jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on IS in his conversations with the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador to the U.S. They say Trump offered details about an IS terror threat related to the use
  
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• New Orleans prosecutor sued again over 'false subpoenaes'

  15-05-2017 16:33
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has sued New Orleans' criminal prosecutor over what it calls "false subpoenas."The ACLU filed the public records lawsuit Monday against Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro.It's the second civil rights group to file such a suit after news reports said his office sometimes sent out documents labeled as subpoenas without getting a judge's approval - a practice Cannizzaro recently said has ended.Cannizzaro's spokesman, Assist
  
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• Report: Ownership claims could halt Beauregard Monument removal

  15-05-2017 16:22
  
  NEW ORLEANS – The statue of P.G.T. Beauregard will remain as is for the time being.According to a letter from New Orleans City Attorney Rebecca H. Dietz, The New Orleans City Park Improvement Association has asserted legal rights in the property on which the monument is situated.According to a report from WWL-TV, the letter was sent to the station by Richard Marksbury, who recently sought a restraining order that would block the removal based on related ownership clai
  
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• Livingston Parish to receive additional $622K for flood recovery

  15-05-2017 16:06
  
  BATON ROUGE - FEMA’s Public Assistance program has awarded Livingston Parish an additional $622,000 to assist with emergency protective measures following the 2016 August floods.Disaster funding will reimburse Livingston parish for medical and evacuation costs of nearly 600 inmates as well as for animal rescue and housing services for the parish’s animal shelter. Funding will also reimburse the Livingston Parish Gas and Utility Company to help with flood dam
  
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• Officials in Florida debate fate of Confederate statue

  15-05-2017 15:59
  
  ORLANDO - Commissioners in a major Florida city are discussing whether a statue recognizing Confederate veterans should be removed from a downtown park.Some protesters waved Confederate flags outside Orlando City Hall on Monday before commissioners discussed what to do with the 116-year-old statue nicknamed "Johnny Reb."Local media reported that Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer suggested moving the statue to a nearby cemetery, where there already is an area set aside for Confederate soldiers.The questio
  
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• Mayor releases statement on shooting of McKinley High student

  15-05-2017 15:31
  
  BATON ROUGE - Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome released a statement Monday in response to the shooting death of an 18-year-old McKinley High School student.The mayor offered her condolences to the family of Bryant Lee, a McKinley High quarterback who was gunned down at a graduation party over the weekend. She also asked that the community come together to make the Baton Rouge area safer for all."No mother should have to experience the death of a child. My heart genuinely aches for her," the
  
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• WWII veteran, 91, receives overdue medals in Rhode Island

  15-05-2017 14:37
  
  CRANSTON, R.I. - A 91-year-old World War II veteran in Rhode Island has received his overdue medals.Joseph Aquilante, of North Providence, sought the medals so he could leave them for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He says he wants to pass them on as a keepsake and part of history.Democratic U.S. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island presented them Monday in Cranston.Aquilante was drafted in 1944 at age 18. He received the Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Med
  
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• United changing cockpit-door codes after inadvertent leak

  15-05-2017 14:37
  
  DALLAS - United Airlines says it is changing the keypad codes used to open cockpit doors after the previous codes were accidentally posted on a public website.An airline spokeswoman said Monday that United sent a memo to pilots over the weekend telling them to use alternative security measures.United said the breach in security measures was not the result of hacking and did not cause any flights to be delayed or canceled.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Man gets 15 to 30 years for fatally shooting, taking selfie with teen

  15-05-2017 14:13
  
  GREENSBURG, Pa. - An 18-year-old Pennsylvania man who authorities say shot a friend and then posed for a selfie with the dying teen has been sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison.The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Maxwell Morton, of Jeannette, told the judge Monday that he didn't want to be remembered as a "savage" and conceded that the 2015 death of 16-year-old Ryan Mangan was "messed up."In sentencing Morton, Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said, "No one will understand t
  
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• Boy sends apology note to police after 'testing' 911 system

  15-05-2017 14:09
  
  PORTLAND, Maine - A police department in Maine says a young boy has formally apologized after he "tested" the 911 system. A Facebook post shared by the South Portland Police Department says the boy returned home after school and decided to dial the number usually reserved for emergency calls. After realizing his mistake, the police department says the boy sent a short, yet sweet apology letter to the office."Sorry I called you and lied to your face an
  
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• Protection for inspector general advances in Louisiana House

  15-05-2017 14:02
  
  BATON ROUGE - The House budget committee took conflicting approaches to locking up more money into protected funds.The Appropriations Committee advanced a proposal Monday that would dedicate $2 million a year to the inspector general's office that investigates fraud, waste and abuse in government.Rep. Julie Stokes, a Kenner Republican, said her constitutional amendment would promote independence for the watchdog agency by making it less vulnerable to cuts.Some lawmakers objected to the protectio
  
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• Suit: Woman attacked by camel at Jefferson Davis' last home

  15-05-2017 14:00
  
  BILOXI, Miss. - A Florida woman claims a camel at the last home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis attacked her at the Mississippi tourist attraction in 2015.
  She's suing the United Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc., identified as the operator of Beauvoir plantation in Biloxi.The Sun Herald reports Sylvia June Abbott says Sir Camelot injured her mentally and physically. Attorney Charles M. Thomas says Abbott and her husband were walking to a cemetery behind Beauvoir when the camel stampede
  
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• Louisiana tax study likely to be shelved, instead of enacted

  15-05-2017 13:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's lawmakers are on track to reject most of the big-ticket concepts pushed by a blue-ribbon panel they commissioned to recommend tax overhaul ideas.Few task force suggestions have advanced beyond their first hearings. Several of the main proposals have been killed outright, while others haven't even gotten a hearing as sponsors realized they're unlikely to gain traction.The Task Force on Structural Changes in Budget and Tax Policy was created by lawmakers last year to make
  
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• Jaguar escapes enclosure, attacks monkey at Texas zoo

  15-05-2017 13:35
  
  ABILENE, Texas - Officials insist there was no risk to the public when a jaguar escaped its enclosure and attacked a monkey at a Texas zoo, even though they don't know how the big cat got loose.Abilene Zoo Executive Director Bill Gersonde says staff discovered 2-year-old Estrella missing Monday morning before the zoo opened for the day.Estrella was found soon after atop a neighboring exhibit holding spider monkeys. Gersonde says it appears Estrella reached inside and seriously injured the monkey
  
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• Lawmakers refuse to end Louisiana vehicle inspection sticker

  15-05-2017 13:01
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers have swatted down a bill that called for the elimination of vehicle inspection stickers for most personal vehicles.The House transportation committee on Monday, without objection, rejected Rep. Larry Bagley's proposal. The Stonewall Republican said the inspection process is a waste of time and money, saying that some inspectors hardly look at vehicles before issuing stickers.Rep. Terry Landry, a New Iberia Democrat, said the inspection process keeps unsafe vehic
  
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• Teen pleads guilty to misdemeanor charge in 2015 deputy involved shooting

  15-05-2017 12:47
  
  LIVINGSTON – A teen that was shot by deputies in Livingston Parish in 2015 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor aggravated assault Monday morning.Matthew Peyronin was shot four times by one deputy and was arrested after spending time in the hospital. Louisiana State Police said Peyronin aimed a shotgun at the deputies who were responding to a 911 call that the teen was threatening suicide.Peyronin's defense attorney argued that the incident happened very quickly and at the time of th
  
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• McKinley High students return to class after QB killed in shooting

  15-05-2017 09:02
  BATON ROUGE - With just two weeks remaining to the school year, students at McKinley High School return to one of the most difficult days of the year.Bryant Lee, the Senior quarterback, was shot at a graduation party early Saturday morning. He later died at the hospital.Lee, 18, was set to graduate Wednesday night, with a 3.5 G.P.A. He planned on attending Southern University in the fall, studying engineering.Grief counselors will be on campus to speak with coping students. Permalink| C
  
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• 'Dr Phil' to air interview with Aaron Hernandez's fiancee

  15-05-2017 08:09
  
  BOSTON - The fiancee of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez is speaking out publicly for the first time.A two-part interview with Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez is scheduled to air on the "Dr. Phil " show on Monday and Tuesday.In excerpts already released, Jenkins-Hernandez tells host Dr. Phillip McGraw that she does not think that Hernandez's death in his prison cell on April 19 was a suicide, as authorities have ruled.She says he was upbeat in their last telephone conversation just hours before he w
  
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• 1st rush hour in Atlanta since I-85 overpass repaired

  15-05-2017 07:24
  
  ATLANTA - Georgia transportation officials reported no major delays during the first rush hour since a major interstate overpass reopened for traffic after collapsing in a massive fire.
  Authorities said all lanes of Interstate 85 near the heart of Atlanta were reopened over the weekend and available for Monday morning's commute.The roadway had been shut down since March 30, when a blaze beneath the bridge burned so hot it caused the overpass of steel and concrete to collapse.The Atlanta Journal-
  
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• Beyonce, Bruno Mars lead BET Awards nominations

  15-05-2017 07:21
  
  NEW YORK - Beyonce dominated last year's BET Awards with "Lemonade," but there's more juice in her cup.
  The network told The Associated Press on Monday that the pop star is nominated for seven awards at the 2017 BET Awards. The show will take place June 25 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.Bruno Mars follows Beyonce with five nominations.Beyonce, who won video of the year with "Formation" last year, is nominated for the top prize again with "Sorry." Her competition includes her sister Sola
  
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• As Erdogan visits Trump, much friction between US and Turkey

  15-05-2017 07:16
  
  WASHINGTON - The United States seems to be on a collision course with its NATO ally Turkey.The U.S. is pushing ahead with arming Syrian Kurds after deciding the immediate objective of defeating Islamic State militants outweighs the potential damage to its partnership with Turkey. That partnership is vital to U.S. interests in the volatile Middle East.The Turks see the Kurdish fighters as terrorists and are fiercely opposed to the U.S. plans. When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits the
  
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• Lawmakers urge Trump to avoid picking a partisan for FBI job

  15-05-2017 07:14
  
  WASHINGTON - As President Donald Trump considers a replacement for fired FBI Director James Comey, lawmakers are urging Trump to steer clear of appointing any politicians.The advice comes amid more criticism over Trump's dismissal of Comey during an FBI probe of Russia's meddling with last year's election and any ties to the Trump campaign.The former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, says the idea of three co-equal branches of government with checks and balances is "eroding" unde
  
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• Man thanks iPhone's 'Siri' for saving his life in explosion

  15-05-2017 07:07
  
  WILMOT - A New Hampshire man who was injured in a house explosion is thanking "Siri" for saving his life.
  Christopher Beaucher says he was checking on his mother's vacant cottage in Wilmot on May 1 when he saw something suspicious and went inside.He tells WMUR-TV when he switched on a light, the house exploded into flames.Beaucher's face and hands were badly burned. He grabbed his cellphone, but was unable to dial due to his injuries. He says he somehow asked his IPhone's voice-controlled virtua
  
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• Another appeals court to weigh Trump's revised travel ban

  15-05-2017 04:46
  
  SEATTLE - For the second time in a week, government lawyers will try to persuade a federal appeals court to reinstate President Donald Trump's revised travel ban - and once again, they can expect plenty of questions about whether the ban was designed to discriminate against Muslims.A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled arguments Monday in Seattle over Hawaii's lawsuit challenging the travel ban, which would suspend the nation's refugee program and temporaril
  
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