Baton Rouge news

• Watch WBRZ News 2 at 10:00 online tonight

  01-06-2017 21:34
  
  CLICK HERE TO WATCH WBRZ.COM LIVE STREAM OF 10 O'CLOCK NEWSBATON ROUGE – Due to the NBA Finals telecast on ABC, WBRZ News 2 at 10:00 will air later than usual.On nights of the NBA Finals, watch the weeknight edition of the 10 o'clock news on time through WBRZ's 24-hour replay channel on Cox Cable 124, Eatel 2, the WBRZ.com live stream (Click HERE) or the WBRZ Channel 2 Facebook page.The NBA Finals are Thursday, June 1; Sunday, June 4; Wednesday, June 7; Friday, June 9; Monday, June 12;
  
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• Reward offered for info in shooting of armored truck worker

  01-06-2017 19:53
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever killed an armored truck driver during an apparent armed robbery outside a Louisiana bank.
   Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's New Orleans office, Jeffrey Sallet, announced the reward during a news conference Thursday. He did not provide new details, but said he hoped the money would lead them to the shooter.
   New Orleans Police Chief Michael Harrison says the Loomis armored t
  
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• Baton Rouge boy dies after being hit by wounded suspect in police chase

  01-06-2017 19:08
  
  After the boy was struck and killed, the suspect was arrested and hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
  
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• Donaldsonville residents could see increase in water bills

  01-06-2017 19:05
  
  DONALDSONVILLE – Some residents in Ascension Parish could see an increase in their water bills soon.Officials say the water system in Donaldsonville is old and in need of repairs. In order to pay for the work, officials are recommending a 30 percent increase in water bills.One Donaldsonville resident, Joshua Washington, has been paying about $400 a month for his water service.However, Washington could see his water bill increase by about $53 if a proposed rate goes into effect."That's
  
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• BRPD chief responds to mayor's call for firing of officer

  01-06-2017 18:32
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police Department Chief Carl Dabadie responded to Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome's call for the firing a BRPD officer involved in the shooting death of Alton Sterling by stating it would be "improper" for him to "prematurely hand down discipline."Dabadie's response was sent in a letter to Broome on May 26. Broome released in a statement one day before Dabadie's stating, "I believe they should be removed from paid administrative leave and disciplined cons
  
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• Men found shot, killed in car along rural area highway

  01-06-2017 18:15
  
  GRANGEVILLE – Two men were found dead, shot in the head and left for dead in a car in a quiet, rural community in St. Helena Parish Thursday.Authorities said the bodies were found in a car on Highway 37, just east of LA 63, in Grangeville. The area is along the Amite River northwest of Montpelier.According to the St. Helena Sheriff's Office, both men were shot and left in the back seat of the vehicle. The sheriff's office does suspect foul play in the case. The St. Helena Sheriff's Off
  
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• Report: Armored truck worker fatally shot near bank in Mid-City New Orleans

  01-06-2017 17:18
  
  NEW ORLEANS – An armored truck worker was fatally shot near a back in Mid-City New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. near the Campus Federal Bank near the intersection of Tulane Avenue and South Galvez Street, WWL reports.The truck worker suffered several gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital, where he later died, according to NOPD.No arrests have been made at this time.The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who knows any inf
  
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• Abandoned well destorying woman's yard

  01-06-2017 17:15
  
  PLAQUEMINE - For weeks a Plaquemine woman has been dealing with a neighbor's well that's flooding her backyard.Gilda Coffee lives on Foundry street and says the well on the other side of her fence, is spewing water nonstop."It's still running, this is 24-seven," she said.As a result, her back yard is underwater and resembles a dirty swimming pool. The source, is a free-flowing water well. Coffee says she's tried to contact her neighbor to cap it off, but hasn't had much luck. She called 2 On You
  
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• Man facing contractor fraud charges in Ascension, Livingston arrested again

  01-06-2017 16:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man, who already faces a slew of contractor fraud charges in Livingston and Ascension Parishes, is now facing more charges in East Baton Rouge Parish.Police arrested 46-year-old Michael Simmers on charges of residential contractor fraud after receiving a complaint on March 8. The victim stated he hired Simmers and signed a contract on September 3.According to arrest documents, the victim wrote a check for $10,000 to Simmers to start construction on his home. The victim
  
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• Senate releases $29B budget plan, spends above House plan

  01-06-2017 16:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - Senators unveiled their $29 billion state operating budget proposal for next year, and it contains fewer cuts than the House wanted.The proposal headed to the full senate would keep TOPS college tuition program at full financing, as the House proposed. But the Senate version would spend more than the House sought on colleges, health services, state prisons, veterans programs and the child welfare agency. The House wanted to leave $206 million unspent, in case reve
  
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• Authorities searching for escaped Mississippi inmate

  01-06-2017 16:29
  
  HATTIESBURG,Miss- The Mississippi Department of Corrections and other authorities are searching for a runaway inmate in Hattiesburg. According to authorities, 56-year-old Anthony Boyd Lamar dissappeared Wednesday while working at Tatum Park. Authorites say he was last seen wearing a green and white striped prison uniform.Lamar is serving 16 years for residential burglary in Copiah County. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police: Man arrested for using LSU email address to distribute child pornography

  01-06-2017 16:02
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man has been arrested after police say he used his LSU email address to distribute child pornography on the internet.The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested 18-year-old Thomas Shaw on 40 counts of child pornography.According to arrest documents, special agents of the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation- Cyber Crime Unit received a tip on December 9 of the possible distribution of child pornography. Agents were able to obtain a disk of the videos uploaded to the interne
  
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• Man accused of not completing repairs for 75-year-old after paid $20,000

  01-06-2017 15:38
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man has been arrested after police say he failed to complete repair work on a 75-year-old woman's home following the August flood.The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested 51-year-old Donald Tolliver on charges of home improvement fraud and theft of assets of an aged/disabled person.According to police, the woman entered into a verbal contract with Tolliver on October 21 to complete repairs to her home due to damages caused by the August flood. Tolliver provided the wo
  
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• Trump announces US pull out from climate pact

  01-06-2017 15:03
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, but will begin negotiations to "re-enter the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction."Trump says during a White House Rose Garden announcement that the U.S. will exit the landmark climate agreement aimed at reducing carbon emissions to slow climate change. Trump says the deal "disadvantages" the U.S. and is causing lost jobs and lower wages. The announcement fulfi
  
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• Witnesses: Gunshots and explosions at Philippine mall

  01-06-2017 14:55
  
  MANILA, Philippines - Witnesses say gunshots and explosions have been heard at a mall, casino and hotel complex near Manila's international airport in the Philippine capital.Philippine police rushed to the Resorts World Manila complex early Friday after gunshots rang out at the complex, where smoke began billowing from the upper floor of the building.Philippine policemen have not given details about the incident but have begun cordoning off the area near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.Pe
  
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• Hurricane awareness event to be held at BTR airport

  01-06-2017 13:59
  
  BATON ROUGE – The Mayor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will host a hurricane awareness event on Thursday, which marks the beginning of hurricane season.The event will be held at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.Representatives from MOHSEP, city-parish government, the National Weather Service and East Baton Rouge Parish first responders will be present to help prepare the community for the hurricane season.The National Oceanic and Atmos
  
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• Comey set to testify June 8 on Russia

  01-06-2017 13:35
  
  WASHINGTON - Former FBI director James Comey is set to testify June 8 before the Senate intelligence committee investigating Russian activities during last year's election.The committee said Thursday that Comey will testify in an open session, which will be followed by a closed session.The committee's Republican chairman and senior Democrat have said members want to hear from Comey on his role in the development of the U.S. intelligence agencies' assessment that Russia interfered in last year's
  
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• Victim dies after robbery on North Donmoor Avenue

  01-06-2017 13:15
  
  BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge Police detectives are investigating a deadly shooting that occurred in May on North Donmoor Avenue.The shooting claimed the life of 20-year-old Anaival Ac on May 30, however the shooting occurred on May 7 around 1:54 a.m. According to BRPD, Ac was shot after being robbed by an unknown suspect as he sat in a vehicle in the parking lot at 760 North Donmoor Avenue.Police describe the suspect as a light-skinned black male, with a slim build and last seen fleeing t
  
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• Bill to toughen standards for Louisiana TOPS program dropped

  01-06-2017 13:12
  
  BATON ROUGE - Future high school students won't have to meet tougher standards to get their college tuition paid through Louisiana's TOPS program, at least for now.Rather than face likely defeat in the Senate, a Baton Rouge lawmaker Thursday dropped his proposal to bump the grade point average from 2.5 to 2.75 for a student to get the basic TOPS award to attend a four-year university. The change would have taken effect in four years.Instead, Republican Rep. Franklin Foil said he'll work with a p
  
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• Walmart testing store employee delivery of US online orders

  01-06-2017 13:06
  
  BENTONVILLE - Walmart says it's testing a delivery service using its own store employees, who will deliver packages ordered online while they are driving home from their work shifts.The "associate delivery" program would use Walmart's 4,700 U.S. stores and roughly 1.2 million employees to speed delivery and cut costs. The world's largest retailer says workers can choose to participate and would be paid. The service is being tested at two stores in New Jersey and one in Arkansas.It's the company'
  
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• Trump asks Supreme Court to reinstate travel ban

  01-06-2017 13:05
  
  WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to reinstate its ban on travelers from six mostly Muslim countries.The Justice Department filing to the high court late Thursday argues that the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, made several mistakes in ruling against the Trump travel policy. The government says the nation will be safer if the policy is put in place.Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores says that ban is lawful. Immigration officials would
  
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• Senators refuse to ban Louisiana felons running for office

  01-06-2017 12:42
  
  BATON ROUGE - Senators have blocked re-enactment of a prohibition that would have convicted felons waiting years after serving their sentences before they could run for office in Louisiana.The House had overwhelmingly agreed to the constitutional amendment by Rep. Greg Miller, a Norco Republican, which would have required felons to wait eight years.But the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee rejected the proposal Wednesday, with two senators voting for it and three voting against it.Louisi
  
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• Weekend closure of I-10 moved to next weekend

  01-06-2017 09:19
  
  SORRENTO – A total closure of I-10 East will be put on hold until the weekend of June 9-12, the state announced Thursday.A closure was planned for June 2, 3 and 4. Crews will instal a repaired section of the overpass above I-10 that was previously damaged. Earlier this year, crews removed the damaged section in a previous weekend closure. Click HERE to see pictures of the closure and how crews removed the bridge span.The state advised that beginning Friday, June 9, at 9 p.m. both eastb
  
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• Denham Springs woman charged in 2015 deadly crash in Baton Rouge

  01-06-2017 06:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - A woman from Denham Springs was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, accused in a deadly crash more than a year ago in Baton Rouge.Lea Luna-Pesina faces a list of charges including vehicular homicide, hit and run, along with possession of alcohol and drugs.Police say Luna-Pesina was under the influence when she crashed into another vehicle on a service road off Florida Boulevard on November 7, 2015. The crash claimed the life of Stephanie Butterfield.According to arrest
  
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• TRAFFIC ALERT: Overturned 18-wheeler closes I-12 eastbound

  01-06-2017 05:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - News 2's Ashley Fruge’ has you covered with live updates for your Thursday morning commute.Beat the traffic every time using WBRZ's advanced traffic tracking technology. Click here to go to our traffic center. Tweets by WBRZtrafficPermalink| Comments
  
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• Boy killed during Baton Rouge police chase: report

  01-06-2017 03:30
  
  The child was trying to run across the road when he was struck, family members said.
  
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• Jury to decide fate of man who joined ISIS and fled three months later

  01-06-2017 02:56
  
  As soon as his cab arrived in an Islamic State safe house in December 2015, his lawyers say, Mohamad Khweis realized he had made a huge mistake.
  
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