Baton Rouge news

• Man wounded in police shooting files $6M suit

  16-05-2017 21:55
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. - A young man who was shot and wounded by a Connecticut police officer during a fatal car stop has filed a $6 million federal lawsuit. The man's teenage friend was killed by police.Julian Fyffe's lawyer says he filed the lawsuit late Tuesday against Bridgeport Officer James Boulay, other officers, police Chief Armando Perez and the city.Police say Boulay fatally shot 15-year-old Jayson Negron and wounded the 21-year-old Fyffe when a stolen car driven by Jayson nearly ran over him
  
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• P.G.T. Beauregard: What to know about him before his Confederate monument is removed

  16-05-2017 21:41
  
  Army general, ladies man, streetcar exec fought to preserve slavery - then for integration
  
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• Electrical shortage causes apartment building fire

  16-05-2017 21:40
  
  BATON ROUGE  - An electrical shortage caused a fire at an apartment complex that displaced 12 people.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, firefighters were called to the Magnolia Trace apartment complex on North Harrells Ferry just before 7 p.m. Tuesday evening.Firefighters arrived to find a bathroom of one unit on fire. The fire extended into the attic above the bathroom before being brought under control. The fire was contained to
  
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• Police: Man kills, decapitates mom on Mother's day

  16-05-2017 20:40
  
  ESTACADA, Ore. - A weeping father spoke in shock as he described his son who is accused of decapitating his mother on Mother's Day and bringing her head to a grocery store in rural Oregon.David Webb told The Associated Press that he "never foresaw a problem" before bursting into loud sobs during a phone interview.Authorities say 36-year-old Joshua Lee Webb showed up at a grocery store Sunday covered in blood and carrying a human head when he began stabbing a checkout clerk before he was subdued.
  
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• White House denies report that Trump asked FBI director to cease Flynn probe

  16-05-2017 19:55
  
  WASHINGTON - The White House is disputing a report that President Donald Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn.The New York Times says Trump made the request to Comey during a February meeting. The newspaper cites a memo Comey wrote following the meeting.Trump fired Comey last week.The White House says the report is "not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the president and Mr. Comey.
  
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• House tax committee votes in favor of gas tax hike

  16-05-2017 18:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - The House Ways and Means Committee advanced a proposal to increase Louisiana's gasoline tax by 17 cents per gallon, with inflationary adjustments in future years.The 9-7 vote sends the gas tax hike to the full House for debate, but the measure remains a long shot for passage. A look at the committee vote on the bill:VOTING IN SUPPORT (9):Reps. Joe Bouie, D-New Orleans; Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge; Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans; Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe; Barry Ivey, R-Baton Rouge; Ted J
  
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• Surgery successful for 7-year-old boy shot at Calcasieu Parish school

  16-05-2017 18:04
  
  MOSS BLUFF - The young victim who was accidentally shot in a Calcasieu Parish classroom Monday is on the road to recovery.Ronald Richard, the attorney for the boy's family, says that 7-year-old Gage Meche is awake and alert after what appears to be a successful surgery. While the boy remains in critical condition, Richard says the family is thankful for his progress.According to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, Meche was shot in a first grade classroom at Moss Bluff Elementary School Monda
  
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• Missing work order found, drainage ditch to be cleaned

  16-05-2017 17:35
  
  WALKER - A man says he has been dealing with an overgrown drainage ditch for months.Samuel Abbott lives on Lod Stafford Road in Walker. He filed a work order with the Department of Public works on Jan. 19 to clean the lateral drainage ditch on his property. Months later, the ditch isn't any cleaner and when it rains water continues to flood his property."Every time it rains it's just washing my yard out," said Abbott.The weeds growing in the drainage ditch are a couple feet high. Abbott
  
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• Federal appeals court upholds Google trademark

  16-05-2017 17:24
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit that aimed to cancel Google's trademark by arguing that "google" is now synonymous with searching the internet.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday it was not enough to show that people use the verb "google" generically to refer to searching the web. The lawsuit had to show that people understood "google" to mean internet search engines generally, and not just Google's search engine.A three-judge panel of the 9th Circui
  
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• Department of Agriculture lifts moratorium on Louisiana's WIC program

  16-05-2017 17:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards has announced that the Department of Agriculture has lifted the federal moratorium on the authorization of new vendors in the Louisiana Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.In a statement released Tuesday, the governor said he received a letter from the Trump administration notifying the state of the decision.“I am thankful that the Trump administration recognizes the hard work that has gone int
  
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• Suspected burglar arrested after car crash in Assumption Parish

  16-05-2017 15:35
  
  NAPOLEONVILLE - A man wanted by deputies for an Assumption Parish burglary for more than a year was arrested Monday night after authorities responded to a traffic incident involving the suspected burglar.According to the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office, 23-year-old Kadeem Wiggins of Napoleonville was arrested for burglarizing the home on Jan. 20, 2016. The sheriff's office says the burglar forced his way through a window and stole a flat screen television among other items.W
  
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• 4-year-old fatally shoots himself at Virginia deputy's home

  16-05-2017 14:59
  
  ORANGE, Va. - Virginia authorities say a 4-year-old boy fatally shot himself at the home of his child care provider, which is also the home of a Stafford County sheriff's deputy.The Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Tuesday that the child was pronounced dead Monday, the sheriff's deputy wasn't home and the gun was not a service weapon. The statement also says an autopsy is being conducted and more details won't be released until the Orange County Sheriff's Office's investigation
  
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• Judge puts off lawyers' fees until abortion suit appeal over

  16-05-2017 14:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - A federal judge says that until Louisiana's appeal of an abortion law ruling is over, he won't consider fees for lawyers who won the challenge.U.S. District Judge John deGravelles also gave lawyers for abortion clinics 21 days to oppose the order he handed down Tuesday.The clinics' lawyers say the state should pay them $4.7 million.Attorneys for the state say that if they win their appeal, the clinics' lawyers won't be due anything.The law required doctors who perform abortions to
  
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• Governor: Deal reached on criminal justice revamp

  16-05-2017 14:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has announced a compromise with prosecutors over a key set of bills he's pushing to decrease Louisiana's highest-in-the-nation incarceration rate and save millions each year.The Democratic governor said Tuesday if the bills pass, he expects Louisiana's prison population could be reduced by 10 percent over the next decade thanks to expanded opportunities for probation and parole and shrunken sentences for some offenders.The Senate is debating the measures Tuesd
  
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• Louisiana income forecast downgraded slightly, by $27M

  16-05-2017 14:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's income forecasting panel has tweaked its estimates, dropping projections for the upcoming budget year by $27 million.The adjustment made Tuesday by the Revenue Estimating Conference was modest in a state general fund topping $9.4 billion.It's unclear if the change will force adjustments to Louisiana's operating budget proposal for the financial year that begins July 1, a $29 billion spending plan still being debated by lawmakers.Lawmakers in the House passed a budget pr
  
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• Governor Edwards says Confederate monuments bill unnecessarily divisive

  16-05-2017 14:03
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says a proposal that would make it more difficult to remove Confederate monuments is impractical and unnecessarily divisive.During a news conference Tuesday, the Democratic governor wouldn't say whether he would veto Republican Rep. Thomas Carmody's bill. But he called it "problematic" in its current form.Governor Edwards didn't say he would veto or sign Confederate Monument bill, but says he has 'concerns.' #lalege @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/1qsTi9abWC&a
  
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• Several Starbucks stores close due to widespread system outage

  16-05-2017 13:45
  
  BATON ROUGE - At least one Baton Rouge Starbucks location has been affected by a nationwide computer system outage Tuesday.According to a report from ABC7 News, Starbucks stores around the country are experiencing a system outage. The outage has caused several stores to close, prompting frustrated customers to take to social media. One of several #Fresno @Starbucks locations closed bc of POS outage. Rep couldn't give me # of locations out but says, "it's a lot." @ABC30 pic.twitter.com/i
  
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• Artist projects words 'pay Trump bribes here' onto DC hotel

  16-05-2017 13:41
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's Washington hotel was briefly illuminated with projected messages including "pay Trump bribes here" and "emoluments welcome."Robin Bell, a Washington-based artist and filmmaker, says he used a video projector to splash the words across an entrance to the hotel on Monday night in protest of what he called Trump's foreign ties. He says the projector ran for about 10 minutes before a security guard asked him to stop.Bell says it's the fifth time he's trained his
  
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• Slidell man accused of killing 7-week-old son

  16-05-2017 13:16
  
  SLIDELL – Deputies in St. Tammany Parish say a Slidell man faces murder charges after beating his 7-week-old son to death.Anthony Dearmas, 25, was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile Monday. He was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail.Deputies responded to 1200 Eagle Lake Boulevard Wednesday night for an infant who was not breathing. STPSO said paramedics were able to revive 7-week-old Karter Smith and rushed him to a local hospital.“Do
  
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• Jimmy Kimmel set to return as host for 90th Oscars

  16-05-2017 13:03
  
  LOS ANGELES - Despite his jokes that he'll never get asked back, Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the Oscars once more. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday said Kimmel will return for the 90th Oscars with producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, the team behind this year's ceremony.Ratings for the 89th Oscars this past February were the lowest since 2008 with 32.9 million viewers tuning in, even with the drama of the envelope gaffe in which Faye Dunaway, reading an incorrec
  
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• One person stabbed on N. Ardenwood Drive

  16-05-2017 12:12
  
  BATON ROUGE - One person was reportedly stabbed in the thigh on N. Ardenwood Drive Tuesday night.According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, the stabbing took place in the 4200 block of N. Ardenwood Drive sometime before 10 p.m.The condition of the victim is unknown at this time. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• APSO: Illegal immigrant runs red light, crashes into deputy

  16-05-2017 09:32
  
  GONZALES – Deputies in Ascension Parish say an illegal immigrant is in custody after crashing into a deputy Saturday.According to Sheriff Jeff Wiley, the crash happened around 9 p.m. Saturday on Black Bayou Road. Wiley said Jary Romero, 40, traveled through a red light at the intersection on Highway 44, striking the deputy’s vehicle.Wiley said the deputy suffered moderate injuries and his vehicle sustained major damage.Romero was arrested at the scene. Deputies later discover
  
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• Police: Southdowns burglary suspect will be charged in Webb Park break-ins

  16-05-2017 09:30
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man booked into jail after a citizen’s arrest in the Southdowns area earlier this week will face additional burglary charges Tuesday, police say.David Laramie was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on criminal trespass charges after two men pursued him after they said they watched him steal from neighbors on Lee Drive Sunday night.Tuesday, Baton Rouge Police tell WBRZ that investigators believe Laramie is also responsible for a rash of burglaries i
  
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• Police: Southdowns burglary suspect charged in Webb Park break-ins

  16-05-2017 09:30
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man booked into jail after a citizen’s arrest in the Southdowns area earlier this week will face additional burglary charges Tuesday, police say.David Laramie was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on criminal trespass charges after two men pursued him after they said they watched him steal from neighbors on Lee Drive Sunday night.Tuesday, Baton Rouge Police tell WBRZ that investigators believe Laramie is also responsible for a rash of burglaries i
  
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• EBRSO: thieves use stolen UHaul truck to steal dirtbikes from store

  16-05-2017 07:49
  
  BATON ROUGE – Deputies say as many as three people shattered the glass at an Airline Highway motorsports store overnight and stole three dirt bikes overnight.The shattered glass was clearly visible in front of the Friendly Powersports store in the 10900 block of Airline Highway Tuesday morning. According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, two or three suspects used a stolen UHaul truck to transport the stolen motorcycles.Additional details about the incident are limited at this
  
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• EBRSO: Thieves use stolen U-Haul truck to steal dirt bikes from store

  16-05-2017 07:49
  
  BATON ROUGE – Deputies say as many as three people shattered the glass at an Airline Highway motorsports store overnight and stole three dirt bikes overnight.The shattered glass was clearly visible in front of the Friendly Powersports store in the 10900 block of Airline Highway Tuesday morning. According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, two or three suspects used a stolen UHaul truck to transport the stolen motorcycles.Additional details about the incident are limited at this
  
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• Deputies investigating possible break-in at motorsports store

  16-05-2017 07:49
  
  BATON ROUGE – Deputies are investigating a possible break-in at an Airline Highway motorsports store overnight.Shattered glass was clearly visible in front of the Friendly Powersports store on 10900 block of Airline Highway this morning. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office is now investigating.Details about the incident are limited at this time. This story will be updated once new information is released.Permalink| Comments
  
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• White House goes blue to honor nation's police officers

  16-05-2017 07:26
  
  WASHINGTON - The White House was lit up in blue to honor the nation's police officers.The move on Monday night followed President Donald Trump's remarks earlier in the day to police and families of fallen officers at the annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service outside the U.S. Capitol. Trump also signed a proclamation honoring police while surrounded by families of law enforcement in the Oval Office.Former President Barack Obama declined a request from a union of federal law enforcement
  
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• Court to show jail videos Dylann Roof didn't want released

  16-05-2017 07:22
  
  Federal officials are for the first time showing videos of convicted South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof's jailhouse visits with his family.Roof's lawyers wanted to show the videos during his death penalty trial for killing nine worshippers in a racist attack at Emanuel AME Church in June 2015 in Charleston.But Roof was so adamant about violating his privacy that he fired his lawyers so they couldn't present the evidence to try to save his life.Court records describe some of the videos. In
  
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• Court shows jail videos Charleston shooter Dylann Roof didn't want released

  16-05-2017 07:22
  
  For the first time, federal officials showed videos of convicted South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof's jailhouse visits with his family.Roof's lawyers wanted to show the videos during his death penalty trial for killing nine worshippers in a racist attack at Emanuel AME Church in June 2015 in Charleston.But Roof was so adamant about violating his privacy that he fired his lawyers so they couldn't present the evidence to try to save his life.In nearly three hours of jailhouse video, Roof is
  
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• US: Syria is burning bodies to hide proof of mass killings

  16-05-2017 07:16
  
  WASHINGTON - The United States is attempting to ratchet up pressure on Russia to push the Syrian government into peace talks with rebels. On Monday, the U.S. accused Syria of executing thousands of imprisoned political opponents and burning their bodies in a crematorium to hide the evidence.But the decision to release newly declassified information supporting the allegation may also test the Trump administration's own willingness to respond to atrocities in Syria, other than chemical weapons att
  
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• GOP candidate for FBI says no special counsel for inquiry

  16-05-2017 07:14
  
  WASHINGTON - Texas Sen. John Cornyn, one of several candidates President Donald Trump is considering to replace fired FBI Director James Comey, sees no need for a special counsel to investigate possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.Last year, though, Cornyn said an independent prosecutor was necessary to investigate Democrat Hillary Clinton and her email practices.His position echoes that of most of the Senate GOP caucus. Cornyn is the Senate majority whip and the No. 2 Republ
  
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• First lady: Barron to attend private Episcopal school in MD

  16-05-2017 07:12
  
  WASHINGTON - First lady Melania Trump has announced that her son, Barron, will attend a private Episcopal school in Maryland beginning this fall.Eleven-year-old Barron is finishing the current school year at a private institution in New York. He has been living there with his mother since Donald Trump took office in January.The first lady announced Monday that - beginning this fall - Barron will become a student at the private St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland.She says St. Andre
  
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• Conan jokes may have killed, but he stands accused of theft

  16-05-2017 07:11
  
  LOS ANGELES - It's no laughing matter. Conan O'Brien is accused of stealing jokes.A federal judge is letting an unusual lawsuit proceed on a trio of jokes O'Brien claims were originals.A San Diego writer accuses the late-show host of plagiarizing punchlines on Caitlyn Jenner, Tom Brady and the Washington Monument.Robert Alexander Kaseberg says he posted jokes online in 2014 and 2015 that O'Brien later repeated almost verbatim on his "Conan" show on TBS.University of Virginia law professor Dotan
  
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