Baton Rouge news

• Baton Rouge contractor arrested, reportedly committed fraud against flood victim

  06-06-2017 21:41
  BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge contractor was arrested Tuesday after he reportedly failed to make repairs on a flood victim's home.According to arrest records, Joseph Armant, 35, owner of RJ Custom Home & Interior, Inc., was arrested after a complaint was filed on April 19 by the Louisiana State Licensing Board of Contractors.Armant allegedly agreed to make repairs to the flood-damaged house and entered into a contract with the resident. The job was supposed to be completed for just over $112,0
  
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• Cell phone tax to pay for deaf services passed by lawmakers

  06-06-2017 20:59
  BATON ROUGE - A new 4.25-cent monthly tax will be added to Louisiana cell phone bills if the governor agrees with a bill backed by lawmakers.The dollars would pay for technology assistance and services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.Current law imposes a 5-cent monthly tax on landline phones, with the money deposited into the Telecommunications for the Deaf Fund. The bill would drop that rate to 4.25 cents a month, but expand the tax to wireless services.The bill by Rep. Patricia Smi
  
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• Two adults, one child fatally shot in Utah suburb

  06-06-2017 20:13
  SANDY, Utah - Utah police say a man, a woman and a boy are dead after a shooting in a suburban Salt Lake City neighborhood that also wounded a boy and a girl.Police Sgt. Jason Nielsen said the Tuesday afternoon shooting was first reported to police as a domestic dispute but officers were still trying to identify those involved and their relationships.Nielsen says police don't know what precipitated the dispute on a neighborhood street but a good Samaritan passing by picked up a woman and two juv
  
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• Trump proposes solar panels on border wall

  06-06-2017 19:49
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is raising the idea of lining his proposed southern border wall with solar panels.That's according to a GOP aide with knowledge of a meeting Tuesday where Trump discussed the idea. The meeting with GOP congressional leaders focused on health care, tax reform and other agenda items, but Trump also used the opportunity to muse about putting solar panels on the wall he hopes to build between the U.S. and Mexico.The GOP aide spoke on condition of anonymity to disc
  
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• UN chief warns of serious clean water shortages by 2050

  06-06-2017 19:19
  UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that by 2050 the global demand for fresh water is projected to grow by more than 40 percent and at least a quarter of the world's population will live in countries with a "chronic or recurrent" lack of clean water.Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that "strains on water access are already rising in all regions." He said the United Nations is ready to engage in preventive diplomacy to keep water from sparking con
  
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• Arrest made in Ireland connected to UK attacker

  06-06-2017 19:15
  LONDON - Irish police say they have arrested a man in connection with the London Bridge attack.Ireland's police force, Garda Siochana, said a man in his 30s was arrested Tuesday in Wexford county, south of Dublin, under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act.He is being questioned about documentation connected to Rachid Redouane, one of the three attackers identified by British police.Redouane, who claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan, had spent time in both Britain and Ireland.Redouane and two other men
  
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• Tesla says new law will prohibit direct sales in Louisiana

  06-06-2017 17:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - Electric car company Tesla says it will be unable to sell cars in Louisiana, under a bill Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed into law.Tesla enthusiasts had urged the Democratic governor to veto the legislation, but it was on a list of signed measures released by Edwards' office Tuesday.The electric car brand is sold through a direct-to-customer model, rather than the franchise dealership relationships other auto manufacturers use. The bill strips language in law that allows limited e
  
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• Former Angola employee arrested for allegedly using department funds for personal use

  06-06-2017 17:15
  BATON ROUGE - A former employee of the Angola prison was arrested after allegedly using a credit card for one of the prison's internal organizations to make personal purchases.
  Attorney General Jeff Landry's office reported the arrest of 52-year-old Sidney Davis for charges of unauthorized use of a moveable (over $1,500) and malfeasance in office.
  After receiving information from the Legislative Auditor's office, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation into Davis after he a
  
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• Contractor faces fraud charges in three parishes

  06-06-2017 16:32
  LIVINGSTON PARISH- A subcontractor from the New Orleans area who is unlicensed, according to arrest documents obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit, is accused of taking flood victims and contractors for a ride in three parishes.
  Chris Barron faces charges in Livingston, Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes.
  Currently, he's locked up in Livingston Parish. He is accused of taking money from a flood victim and not completing the work. Before he was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail, he w
  
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• Peacock causes $500 worth of damage to liquor store in California

  06-06-2017 16:25
  ARCADIA – A female peacock found its way into a Los Angeles-area liquor store, causing about $500 worth of damage inside.
  The incident happened at the Royal Oaks Liquor Store in Arcadia on Monday, ABC reports. The store manager, Rani Ghanem, says he tried to guide the bird outside but was unsuccessful.After ninety minutes along with $500 worth of broken champagne and wine bottles, an animal control officer and Ghanem were able to capture the bird.
  Ghanem says the bird took out some of
  
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• Police: Suspects wanted for burglarizing vacant Baton Rouge apartments

  06-06-2017 16:13
  BATON ROUGE - Police are seeking multiple suspects in connection to several burglaries on Airline Highway.According to Baton Rouge Police, the suspects are accused of burglarizing several vacant apartments at the construction site of the Port Royal Apartment complex on May 15. Investigators believe the suspects stole an undisclosed amount of miscellaneous appliances from the units, loaded them in a newer model Chevrolet or GMC type truck and fled the area.Anyone with any inform
  
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• Sheriff's office warns St. Helena residents of IRS payment scam

  06-06-2017 15:48
  ST. HELENA – The St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office is warning residents of an IRS scam after one man was told to pay more than $10,000.On Monday, the sheriff's office responded to a resident receiving a call from someone who identified himself as an investigator with the IRS. The caller stated the victim needed a payment of $10,500 to prevent him from being arrested for taxes owed. According to the sheriff's office, the caller demanded double that amount.The sheriff'
  
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• Senators introduce bill to help special needs students transition to college

  06-06-2017 15:42
  WASHINGTON - Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and other legislators from across the country have announced a new bill that would ease the burden on students with disablities as they transition to college.In addition to Senator Cassidy, the RISE Act was also authored by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH).The bipartisan proposal would amend the Higher Education Act (HEA), clarifying that documentation used in K-12 education and other settings to
  
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• Dixon prison employee arrested after attempting to smuggle in drugs, cellphone

  06-06-2017 15:04
  JACKSON – A Dixon Correctional Institute employee was arrested for allegedly trying to bring drugs and other contraband into the prison. During a routine search of 49-year-old Kenneth McManus, investigators found a package containing 35 ecstasy pills, 131 grams of synthetic marijuana, a cellphone and a cellphone charger. McManus confessed to the smuggling attempt and admitted to hiding the contraband under a car in the prison parking lot, according to the Department o
  
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• Amazon offers Prime discount to those on government benefits

  06-06-2017 14:45
  NEW YORK - Amazon is offering a sizable discount on its Prime membership for people who receive government assistance.Customers that possess a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer card, used for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, or food stamps, will pay $5.99 per month.The typical monthly payment for Prime membership is $10.99, but users can also pay $99 per year up front, which equates to $8.25 per month.Prime members get free shipping on goods and unlimited streami
  
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• Man pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2015 fatal stabbing of step-grandson

  06-06-2017 14:39
  LABADIEVILLE - A 63-year-old man pled guilty to a manslaughter charge Monday in connection to the fatal stabbing of his step-grandson in 2015.According to District Attorney Ricky Babin, William Thompson pled guilty to one count of manslaughter after he stabbed 20-year-old Daquan Rainey Feb. 17, 2015.Assumption Parish Sheriff's Deputies reportedly found an unresponsive Rainey lying in Thompson's driveway on Violet Street with a stab wound to his upper torso. Paramedics were called to evaluate Rai
  
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• Kendrick Lamar, The Killers, Foo Fighters to headline 2017 Voodoo fest in New Orleans

  06-06-2017 14:38
  NEW ORLEANS – Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, The Killers, LCD Soundsystem and DJ Snake are among the healiners of the 2017 Voodoo Music and Arts Experience in New Orleans.Other artists scheduled to perform at the festival are Galantis, Post Malone, Miguel, RL Grime, Khelani, Flow Tribe and several more.Three-day general admissions tickets go on sale June 9 at 10 a.m. and are $130. The festival runs from October 27-29 in City Park. General admissions tickets for one day have not gone on
  
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• Lawmakers: Louisiana students should get to carry sunscreen

  06-06-2017 13:52
  BATON ROUGE - Students shouldn't need a doctor's permission or their school's blessing to bring sunblock to Louisiana public schools.That's the decision of state lawmakers, who sent a bill authorizing Louisiana's public school students to carry sunscreen at school, to the governor for consideration.The House gave final passage to the measure Tuesday with an 87-0 vote. The legislation spells out that a student "may possess and self-apply sunscreen" at school, on a school bus or at a school functi
  
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• Ban on paddling students with disabilities to become law

  06-06-2017 13:50
  BATON ROUGE - Public school students with disabilities will be shielded from paddling and spanking for misbehavior, under a bill that received final passage from Louisiana lawmakers.The corporal punishment prohibition measure by Rep. Franklin Foil, a Baton Rouge Republican, was sent to the governor with an 89-0 vote Tuesday. Gov. John Bel Edwards supports the bill as part of his legislative agenda and will sign it into law.Passage of Foil's bill came after House lawmakers rejected a broader prop
  
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• Third London attacker named as Youssef Zaghba, 22

  06-06-2017 13:16
  LONDON - British police have named the third London Bridge attacker at 22-year-old Youssef Zaghba, believed to be an Italian national of Moroccan descent.Police said Tuesday he is from east London and his family has been notified.Police say he was not a "subject of interest" to police or the intelligence services.The other two attackers were named Monday as Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Campus 'free speech' bill backed by Louisianan lawmakers

  06-06-2017 13:16
  BATON ROUGE - Legislation seeking to protect controversial speakers' appearances at Louisiana colleges and calling on campuses to penalize students who disrupt them has won final passage from lawmakers, but only after its punishment provisions were watered down.Rep. Lance Harris, chairman of the House Republican Delegation, has said his bill is a response to university decisions to scrap events like Berkeley's canceling of conservative commentator Ann Coulter's speech.Harris' proposal - given fi
  
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• Signature pieces of criminal justice revamp head to governor

  06-06-2017 13:13
  
  BATON ROUGE - Signature pieces of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' planned criminal justice overhaul are headed to the governor's desk, with one measure only narrowly scraping through the Senate.Three bills shrinking sentences and expanding probation and parole opportunities for some offenders, mainly those jailed for non-violent crimes, won final passage Tuesday with Senate votes.The most contentious proposal, which expands parole eligibility to some violent offenders, passed by one vote. It wa
  
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• New National WWII Museum exhibit looks at fight on homefront

  06-06-2017 12:44
  NEW ORLEANS - The newest permanent exhibit at the National World War II Museum tells the story of the homefront from the 1920s to the development of the atomic bomb."Salute to the Home Front" opens to the public Saturday at the museum in New Orleans. Technological innovation and racial discrimination are among the complex topics explored in nine galleries covering nearly 10,000 square feet (930 sq. meters).Museum President and CEO Nick Mueller says most of the 6-acre museum campus shows how the
  
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• Heavy delays due to wrecks on Airline near I-12 Tuesday

  06-06-2017 12:34
  BATON ROUGE - Airline Highway slowed to a crawl between I-12 and Coursey Tuesday morning due to two wrecks that are likely connected.A crash happened at the intersection of Airline Highway and Dawnadele Avenue, then a second wreck happened at the Airline/I-12 on-ramp.  At first, it was reported a person walking may have been hit, but authorities later learned no pedestrian was struck.
  Sources say the crash at Airline and I-12 was a possible hit and run crash. The crash may have involved
  
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• Budget deal could resolve governor, attorney general dispute

  06-06-2017 12:32
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers say they have a struck a deal they expect to end a budget feud, and the lawsuit associated with it, between Louisiana's governor and attorney general over an escrow account containing millions.Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry sued Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration in April, accusing the administration of improperly withholding the money that the attorney general's office says is needed to finance its operations.The agreement was brokered by Republica
  
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• Convenience store fire in Baton Rouge under investigation

  06-06-2017 09:04
  BATON ROUGE- Fire officials are looking into what caused a fire Tuesday morning at a convenience store in Baton Rouge.It happened around 6 a.m. at the SPI Mart on Government Street.Firefighters believe the fire was smoldering for hours before they arrived.There was extensive damage to the store, and all the store's inventory was lost.No one was hurt in the fire.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Utility crews working to restore power in Walker

  06-06-2017 07:43
  
  WALKER - Utility crews with Entergy are out working to restore a power outage on both sides of the I-12 in Walker.According the company's website, a wire is down and crews are out making repairs.The estimated time for the power to come back on it around 9A.M.Just over 1,100 people are impacted by the morning outage.Permalink| Comments
  
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• LSU baseball Super Regional schedule announced

  06-06-2017 07:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - With a trip to Omaha on the line, another Louisiana Saturday night is set for the LSU baseball team.The Tigers will take on Mississippi State at 8 p.m. Saturday, in Alex Box Stadium for the first game, in the best-of-three Super Regional series.The first pitch of game two will be hurled at 8 p.m. Sunday. If necessary, the decisive game three will be Monday, time is TBD.#SuperRegional: @LSUbaseball v. @HailStateBB -Evening start should keep typical afternoon showers from bothering S
  
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• Louisiana has second worst economy

  06-06-2017 06:25
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A recent study says Louisiana has the second to worst economy in the United States.NOLA.com/the Times-Picayune reports (http://bit.ly/2qWqs3M ) an analysis released by WalletHub found the state's economy ranks 50th among others plus the nation's capital. The Washington, D.C.-based financial advising website released its findings on Monday after examining indicators including employment, building permits, government spending and growth in science and technology industries.Only
  
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• Former U.S Sen. David Vitter returns to practing law to focus on energy issues

  06-06-2017 05:24
  BATON ROUGE, La. - Former U.S. Sen. David Vitter has returned to practicing law, joining the New Orleans office of a firm with a focus on energy issues.Butler Snow announced Tuesday the Republican former senator has joined its team of lawyers. Donald Clark Jr., firm chairman, touted Vitter's background in politics and policy work as valuable to the company.Vitter also will keep his lobbying job with Mercury LLC, working both in Washington and Louisiana.Vitter left the Senate in January after two
  
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• Mississippi St., drama coming for Super Regional showdown

  06-06-2017 01:42
  
  Baton Rouge - The Super Regional match-up has been set for this upcoming weekend in Baton Rouge and there will be more drama expected in Alex Box Stadium than you could find in a high school cafeteria.The Mississippi State Bulldogs advanced out of the Hattiesburg Regional by beating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles twice on Monday evening and will now face off against LSU at a time and date to be determined.LSU breezed through their Baton Rouge Regional with three straight wins and will now face
  
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