Baton Rouge news

• White House aide says Russia probe 'detracts' from agenda

  05-06-2017 21:27
  
  WASHINGTON - The White House director of legislative affairs says the ongoing investigations into possible links between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign have undoubtedly detracted from the administration's agenda.Marc Short tells reporters at a White House briefing Monday evening that, "There's no doubt that keeping members focused on investigations detracts from our legislative agenda."He adds that it also "detracts from what we're trying to deliver to the American people."Short sp
  
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• 2 men charged with trafficking cocaine on commercial flight

  05-06-2017 21:15
  
  BOSTON - Two men have been charged with trafficking nearly 15 pounds of cocaine into Boston on a commercial airline.The U.S. Attorney's office says Juan Luis Perez Garcia, of the Bronx, New York, and Juan Artiles Taveras, of Lakewood, New Jersey, were arrested Friday in Attleboro and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.Authorities say federal agents intercepted a suitcase after it arrived in Boston from the Dominican Republic on a JetBlue Airways flight. They say the suitca
  
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• Britain frees 12 detained after London attack

  05-06-2017 20:12
  
  LONDON - British police say all 12 people who were arrested in the early hours after the weekend London Bridge attack have been released without charge.All were detained Sunday in the Barking district of east London. Police say the area was home to the two attackers who have been publicly identified: 27-year-old Khuram Butt and 30-year-old Rachid Redouane.That pair and a third attacker whose name has not been released were shot dead by police after they rammed pedestrians with a van on the bridg
  
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• Crews respond to residential fire on Poinsettia Drive

  05-06-2017 20:07
  
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters responded to the scene of a residential fire on Poinsettia Drive Monday night.The fire was reported around 7 p.m. in the 7700 block of Poinsettia Drive. Authorities say the fire has since been put out and no one was hurt as a result.The fire was reportedly contained to one bedroom and the home suffered minimal damage. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Senators restart debate over Louisiana marriage license law

  05-06-2017 19:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers have revived efforts to rewrite a Louisiana law requiring people to produce a birth certificate to get a marriage license, a statute that has been temporarily blocked.A federal judge in March stopped enforcement of the 2016 law after a foreign-born U.S. citizen sued because he was unable to obtain a marriage license.But a House-backed proposal to tweak the law was derailed in a Senate committee after it ran into criticism from those involved in the lawsuit.Senators on Mon
  
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• US-backed Syrian rebel force launches battle for IS capital

  05-06-2017 19:56
  
  BEIRUT - An official for the non-aligned, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces says its fighters have launched a battle to capture Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group.SDF political official Rezan Hiddo says the official announcement of the battle will come "within hours."He says SDF fighters have attacked IS positions on the edges of Raqqa at three points. He spoke to The Associated Press by phone late Monday from northern Syria.Separately, the activist collective Raqqa Is Bei
  
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• Lawmakers agree to continue colleges' ability to raise fees

  05-06-2017 19:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's colleges and universities would get continued authority to raise fees on students if Gov. John Bel Edwards supports a bill backed by state lawmakers.The schools' governing boards currently have that fee-hiking ability, but it's set to expire on June 30. A bill by Rep. Chris Broadwater, a Hammond Republican, would continue the authority to set and modify fees until mid-2020.The Senate gave final passage to the bill Monday with a 30-8 vote, sending it to the governor's de
  
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• Financial issues linger in Louisiana session's final days

  05-06-2017 18:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - Only days remain in Louisiana's lawmaking session. Legislators are negotiating a final budget deal, the House is sitting on a construction financing plan and major pieces of a criminal justice revamp are nearing the governor's desk.The two-month legislative session must end by Thursday. As usual, some major items remain unsettled until the last days, including the bills that enact the spending plans for the financial year that begins July 1.As a precaution, Gov. John Bel Edwards ha
  
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• Drainage a constant concern along Jefferson Highway

  05-06-2017 17:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - Ditches holding debris and water-blocking culverts are creating problems for drivers and residents.It's about a mile stretch on both sides of Old Jefferson Highway between Tiger Bend and Barringer Foreman Road.Business owner Bob Hendrick says he's been watching it get worse for nearly a decade. He admits the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has been out to address what's happening with the ditches, but says there's still an issue."Every time you drive
  
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• La. Congressman Higgins on radical Islam: "Kill them all"

  05-06-2017 17:45
  
  WASHINGTON - A Republican congressman from Louisiana says a terror attack in London over the weekend shows that the free world "is at war with Islamic horror" and says "radicalized Islamic suspects" should be hunted down and killed.Rep. Clay Higgins says in a Facebook post: "Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all."Higgins, a former sheriff's captain known as the "Cajun John Wayne," was elected to Congress last year representing southwest and south central Lo
  
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• Man accused of several burglaries, thefts in Livingston Parish

  05-06-2017 17:13
  
  LIVINGSTON – A man was arrested after the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office linked him to several crimes in the area. The sheriff's office arrested 25-year-old Seth Vallet after deputies linked him to four shed burglaries, 11 vehicle burglaries, two vehicle thefts and one theft.
  On May 30, members of the sheriff's office Uniform Patrol Division responded to Adora Avenue in Denham Springs in reference to a vehilce theft. The sheriff's office says the vehicle was being taken ov
  
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• 69-year-old babysitter arrested after indecent behavior with 2-year-old

  05-06-2017 16:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - On Monday, deputies arrested a 69-year-old man who is accused of inappropriately touching a 2-year-old while he was babysitting.According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, John Foretich was babysitting the child at the time of the incident. Family says Foretich allegedly kissed the 2-year-old girl on the crotch and then forced the child to touch his genitals while he was changing her diaper. They say he admitted the crime to at least two members of the family.Foret
  
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• Man arrested after leaving shirt, items at scene of armed robbery

  05-06-2017 16:47
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man was arrested after police linked him to the scene of an armed robbery on Poinsettia Drive.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office arrested 32-year-old Kelvin Martin for one charge of armed robbery.
  The sheriff's office responded to the 7400 block of Poinsettia Drive and were informed that three to five suspects entered and ransacked a home at the location. Arrest documents note, the suspects were armed with guns and demanded the victims give them jewelry, cell phones,
  
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• Heavy traffic on I-10 East near Prairieville due to nine-vehicle crash

  05-06-2017 16:14
  
  BATON ROUGE - Drivers can expect heavy delays on I-10 East past LA 73 after an accident involving nine vehicles.Though the accident has since been cleared, heavy congestion remains in the area. DOTD says traffic is backed up about seven miles.The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office says there were minor injuries as a result of the crash.Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Residents can pre-register for DSNAP in preparation for hurricane season

  05-06-2017 16:06
  
  BATON ROUGE – As the 2017 hurricane season begins, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is encouraging residents to pre-register for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also called Disaster Food Stamps. DSNAP provides food assistance for eligible households who do not receive regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income of damages following a disaster.
  Any fa
  
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• Firefighters rescue dog from Baton Rouge house fire

  05-06-2017 15:27
  
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters say a dog is safe and sound after it was rescued from a house fire in Baton Rouge Monday morning.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, crews responded to the fire in the 2500 block of Jura Street around 9:30 a.m.. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke coming from the home.Firefighters say no one was home at the time of the fire, but were told that a small dog was still inside the house.Crews forced their way into the home where actin
  
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• Lanes of US 190 closed for two weeks due to guard rail installation

  05-06-2017 15:06
  
  POINTE COUPEE – The east and west bound left lanes of US 190 in Pointe Coupee Parish will be closed for two weeks starting Monday.
  According to DOTD, the closure will run through June 18 for the removal and installation of guard rails. DOTD says asphalt patching will also be performed. The closure will start at the intersection of US 190 and LA 77 (Livonia) and will end at Krotz Spring Bridge. The closure will be 24 hours a day.
  DOTD advises drivers to be aware of construction
  
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• London police name 2 of 3 attack suspects

  05-06-2017 14:37
  
  LONDON - Police in London have named two of the three suspects in the van and knife attack near London Bridge that left seven people dead.London police said 27-year-old Khuram Shazad Butt was a British citizen born in Pakistan and Rachid Redouane had claimed both Libyan and Moroccan nationality.Redouane's age was not immediately known because he gave two different dates of birth.Both men were from the Barking neighborhood of east London, where police raids began shortly after the attacks Saturda
  
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• Coast Guard suspends search for diver off Louisiana coast

  05-06-2017 14:26
  
  CAMERON - The U.S. Coast Guard said it has suspended the search for a diver who went missing off Louisiana's Gulf coast.Coast Guard officials say they called off the search Sunday evening for the diver, who had been missing since Friday afternoon about 35 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana.The missing diver was identified as Chet Cassell, a man in his mid-40s from Alexandria, Louisiana.The Coast Guard said the search began after a mayday call on marine band radio reporting that Cassell had gone s
  
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• Lane closure on I-10 West due to accident

  05-06-2017 14:04
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - One lane has been closed on I-10 West due to an accident Monday afternoon.The Department of Transportation says the left lane is blocked past LA 73 due to the accident. Traffic is continuing to pass through the right lane, but congestion from the incident has reached about four miles as of 1:50 p.m. Monday.Check back for more updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Louisiana lawmakers back $3.7B financing formula for schools

  05-06-2017 13:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers have adopted their first new financing formula for the state's public elementary and secondary schools since 2014.The $3.7 billion formula, given final passage Monday with a 35-1 Senate vote, will pay for more than 700,000 students in the 2017-18 school year.The amount paid per student won't rise. But the formula will grow by about $42 million.Increases will pay for growth in student enrollment and will direct new dollars for higher-need students and dual enroll
  
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• Man arrested after chase with police while 7-year-old in car

  05-06-2017 13:50
  
  BATON ROUGE – A man was arrested after police say he was involved in a car chase while a seven-year-old was in his vehicle. The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested 28-year-old Ahmad Beauchamp on charges of aggravated flight from an officer, cruelty to juveniles, failure to restrain a child, failure to obey a stop sign and disobeying a traffic signal.
  While an officer was patrolling, Beauchamp failed to stop at a red traffic light on Plank Road. The officer attempted to cond
  
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• Parts of Edwards' criminal justice revamp win final passage

  05-06-2017 13:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - Parts of Gov. John Bel Edwards' plan to drop Louisiana's incarceration rate are headed to the governor's desk, winning final passage in the Senate. But one measure stalled at least temporarily with senators.The Senate voted Monday for proposals to reinvest 70 percent of any savings from the criminal justice redesign into anti-recidivism programs and to make it easier for ex-offenders to get occupational licenses.The Senate also passed a bill to decrease offenders' fines and court f
  
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• APSO: Man wanted for failing to register as a sex offender

  05-06-2017 13:31
  
  ASCENSION – The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office has issued an arrest warrant for a man who has failed to register as a sex offender.The arrest warrant was issued for 36-year-old Sidney Fairchild, Jr.According to the sheriff's office, Fairchild failed to complete his annual registration after he was arrested on May 1 on unrelated charges of simple battery. Upon being released from jail the same day, Fairchild was told that he had three business days to notify the sex offender division
  
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• Police seek missing Zachary doctor

  05-06-2017 13:09
  
  ZACHARY - Multiple police departments are asking for the public's assistance in locating a missing 77-year-old man who's been missing for two days.The Zachary and Las Cruces Police Departments are seeking Donald Fonte, an orthopedic surgeon in the Zachary area who they believe may be in danger.Fonte was reportedly last seen at his home in New Mexico around 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Fonte's wife says he left with his dog to go to a dog park in Las Cruces. It's not known if he ever made it to the park.F
  
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• Bills prompted by Sterling death gain legislative backing

  05-06-2017 12:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to increase police training requirements and better track officers' disciplinary records, nearly a year after Alton Sterling was fatally shot.Baton Rouge Rep. Ted James' bill calls for officers to receive at least 400 hours of basic training and study de-escalation practices and how to recognize biases. The bill was prompted by the July death of Sterling, a black man killed during a struggle with two white Baton Rouge police officers.The Senate gave
  
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• Disgruntled ex-worker killed 5 in Orlando, then himself

  05-06-2017 12:37
  ORLANDO - Authorities say five people have been killed in a workplace shooting near Orlando.Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said during a briefing Monday that the gunman was a disgruntled former employee who was fired in April. Demings says the gunman shot and killed himself. The sheriff says the shooting is not believed to have any link to terrorism.The shooting happened inside a business that manufactures awnings.The sheriff says the shooter, who has not yet been identified, had been invol
  
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• TRAFFIC ALERT: All lanes open on I-10 W at Acadian Thruway after accident

  05-06-2017 12:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - All lanes are open on I-10 West at Acadian Thruway following a vehicle accident, according to the DOTD.It is unknown how many injuries occurred as a result of the crash, but no injuries appear to be life threatening at this time, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department.Congestion is minimal, the DOTD says.Permalink| Comments
  
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• 13 people shot in New Orleans, most in single day of 2017

  05-06-2017 12:25
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Two people died and 11 were wounded amid the most shootings New Orleans has had in one day this year.The Times-Picayune reports police say Saturday's gunfire resulted in the highest number of shooting victims in a single day of 2017. As of Sunday morning, more than 300 have been shot this year in the city at a rate of roughly two people a day.The violence began around 12:30 a.m. Saturday when five were shot during an incident that left two men killed.Hours later, a 35-year-old man
  
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• Louisiana legislature back in session

  05-06-2017 07:00
  
   
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Republican House lawmakers say they're concerned the Senate version of the state operating budget would leave Louisiana vulnerable to another round of midyear cuts next year.The House spending plan sought to leave $206 million unspent, even though the state income forecast predicts the dollars will be available.House GOP leaders say they want to give the state a cushion against their expectations the forecast is too optimistic. If the forecast comes up short,
  
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• Massive fire in Florida closes U.S. 1 into Florida Keys

  05-06-2017 06:50
  
  MARATHON, Fla. - A massive marina fire has closed U.S. 1, the only road in or out of the Florida Keys.The fire broke out early Monday at the Vaca Key Marina in Marathon, which is 113 miles (182 kilometers) south of Miami. The highway - also known as the Overseas Highway - runs south to Key West, which is 48 miles (77 kilometers) away. Monroe County Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin says the road in closed in both directions.Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark said in a news release that respo
  
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• Residents rally after noose found in Southeast D.C.

  05-06-2017 06:46
  
  WASHINGTON - Community members have rallied in southeast Washington to denounce the hanging of a noose near an elementary school in a historically black neighborhood.The noose found last week near Anne Beers Elementary School is one of several that have been found in the city recently. Authorities are investigating nooses left at two Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and bananas hung from nooses on the campus of American University. A noo
  
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• LIVE UPDATES: Monday traffic report

  05-06-2017 06:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - News 2's Ashley Fruge’ has you covered with live updates for your Monday 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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