Baton Rouge news

• Coast Guard suspends search for person missing in Lake Pontchartrain

  08-06-2017 21:45
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard suspended their search for a person in the water in Lake Pontchartrain near Seabrook Bridge Thursday evening.In a statement, the Coast Guard says they searched nearly 218 square nautical miles of the area for about 28 hours. The search was called off at 7:46 p.m.Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from a motorist driving on the bridge who reported seeing a person fall from a capsized 14-foot johnboat in Lake Pontchartrain after 2:40 p.m. Wednesday.Coast
  
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• Corbyn urges UK prime minister 'to go'

  08-06-2017 21:23
  
  LONDON - British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says Prime Minister Theresa May should resign and make way for a new government.
   With results still coming in Corbyn says May's Conservatives have lost seats, votes and support.
   An exit poll projects the Conservatives will be the largest party in Parliament but may fall short of a majority.
   Corbyn says the result means "politics has changed" and people have rejected Conservative austerity.
   Speaking after b
  
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• Victim identified in deadly S. Harrell's Ferry Road crash

  08-06-2017 20:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - The victim of a deadly crash on South Harrell's Ferry Road has been identified.According to BRPD, 20-year-old Christopher Levy died in the crash that occurred on Thursday around 8 p.m.Levy was driving a 2000 Ford Mustang that was occupied by two other people. Levy was traveling west bound on the road when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a light pole.All three occupants of the car were taken the hospital.Levy died at the hospital and the two other passengers are in critica
  
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• One dead, others injured in S. Harrell's Ferry Road crash

  08-06-2017 20:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - Baton Rourge Police confirm one person has died following an accident on S. Harrell's Ferry Road.Baton Rouge Police Department officials say the crash occurred after 8 p.m in the 11000 block of S. Harrell's Ferry Road. They described the incident as "serious."Sources say multiple people have been transported to the hospital following the crash. At least one victim's injuries was described as serious or critical directly following the accident.BRPD officials originally said the cras
  
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• Branson calls Trump 'naive' for exiting Paris climate accord

  08-06-2017 20:27
  
  UNITED NATIONS - British billionaire Richard Branson is calling President Donald Trump very "naive" for withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, saying he failed to recognize that clean energy is cheaper than coal and oil and is going to create "massively more jobs."
   The business magnate, climate activist and philanthropist questioned Trump's decision to put "America First" when there are no barriers to the world's climate.
   He said on World Oceans Day that many supporters o
  
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• Taylor Swift's music is returning to Spotify, Pandora, more

  08-06-2017 19:54
  
  NEW YORK - Taylor Swift is getting back together with a few of her famous exes, including Spotify and Pandora.
   The pop star's representative confirms her full catalog will return to all streaming platforms Friday. Her official Instagram fan account, Taylor Nation, posted the news Thursday.
   Swift's five albums also will be available on Tidal, Amazon and other streaming platforms.
   The singer removed her music from Spotify in 2014 around the release of her Grammy-winni
  
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• STPSO: Dog dragged behind truck was accident, man still charged

  08-06-2017 18:33
  
  SLIDELL – A man has been arrested after pictures posted to social media allegedly showed that the man dragged his dog to death behind a truck.The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Office reports that 50-year-old Willis Brailey turned himself in to police in order to give his side of the story.Brailey told investigators that he took his two dogs for a ride, which he does often, and put them on a leash inside the bed of his pickup truck. One of the dogs jumped out of the truck while Brailey was
  
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• Plans in final stages for Government Street lane reduction

  08-06-2017 17:58
  
  BATON ROUGE – Changes are coming to Government Street as officials finalize their plans to reduce it from four lanes to two.The plans are an attempt to reduce traffic, revitalize the area and make the area safer for cars and pedestrians.However, many business owners along the street are not looking forward to it due to all the construction that comes along with the project.Sean Braswell is an owner of a cafe in mid-city and he, along with other owners, are bracing for major changes."I'
  
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• Desperate cancer patient turns to Nakamoto; Insurance company springs into action

  08-06-2017 16:41
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE- A mother of four children battling an aggressive form of breast cancer is in one of the biggest fights of her life. For nearly a month, she not only battled cancer, but also her insurance company after it denied her participation in a clinical trial that could possibly cure her.
  Daphne Spears, 47, is a wife, mother of four children and a nurse at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. In 2013, she was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer, Triple Negative. After a mastecto
  
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• Movie trailer released of Barry Seal film; Tom Cruise plays local smuggler

  08-06-2017 16:40
  
  BATON ROUGE – The trailer about the life story of the notorious CIA informant Barry Seal of Baton Rouge was released this week.Universal Pictures' American Made premieres in September. The trailer can be seen in this post or HERE via YouTube.The movie follows the life of Seal, played by Tom Cruise, who was a drug smuggler, informant and associate of Colombian drug lords. Seal was assassinated at a halfway house in 1986 off Airline Highway after agreeing to testify at a trial related to
  
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• Church bus crashes in Atlanta area; several injured

  08-06-2017 16:32
  
  ATLANTA - A church bus carrying high school students and adults has crashed in the Atlanta area, leaving several people injured.It was not immediately clear how many people were hurt in the wreck Thursday afternoon. Firetrucks and ambulances swarmed the area near Atlanta's airport. Mount Zion Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama, posted on its Facebook page that a bus with its student ministry mission crashed while traveling to the airport.Images from the scene showed the bus on top of another
  
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• Louisiana marriage law rewrite wins passage, amid lawsuit

  08-06-2017 16:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to add an exception to a law requiring people to produce a birth certificate to get a marriage license.A federal judge in March stopped enforcement of the 2016 statute after a foreign-born U.S. citizen sued because he was unable to produce the birth document and obtain a marriage license.Language added into the bill by Rep. Jerome "Zee" Zeringue, a Houma Republican, would allow applicants who aren't able to provide a birth certificate to get a waiver
  
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• Fiery crash on State Street leaves thousands without power

  08-06-2017 15:58
  
  BATON ROUGE – An afternoon crash has left more than 2,000 people near East State Street without power on Thursday afternoon.The crash has closed East State Street at Dalrymple Drive. The crash has caused downed power lines that caught fire. Witness say the car hit a pole and overturned in an embankment.Car hits pole, crashes in embankment on E. State Street. Witnesses say they heard a loud 'boom.' Driver is expected to be okay. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/KpEY3TC497— Danie
  
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• Powerball prize now 10th largest after months without winner

  08-06-2017 15:11
  
  DES MOINES - After more than two months without a winner, the Powerball jackpot has grown to $435 million.The jackpot for Saturday night's drawing would tie for the nation's 10th largest lottery prize.No one has matched all the balls drawn in the Powerball game since April 1, when a player in Arizona won $60 million.Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturdays and Wednesdays. To win the jackpot, players must match six numbers drawn from a drum. There are five white balls d
  
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• 18-wheeler loses load of mangoes on I-10 near Gross Tete; all lanes open

  08-06-2017 14:59
  
  GROSS TETE – An 18-wheeler carrying mangoes lost its load after it overturned on I-10 east early this morning and crews are still working Thursday afternoon to clear it.The 18-wheeler overturned around 2 a.m. on I-10 east at mile marker 145 between Gross Tete and Lobdell and blocked the left lane.As of 10:30 p.m., all lanes of traffic were cleared and roads were reopened.Traffic congestion reached up to 12 miles in length following the incident. There are no reported injuries.
  
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• Renovated gorilla exhibit opens 1 year after Harambe's death

  08-06-2017 14:57
  
  CINCINNATI - Part of an expanded gorilla exhibit has opened at the Cincinnati Zoo, about a year after a 3-year-old boy fell into the enclosure, leading the zoo to kill an endangered gorilla named Harambe.WXIX-TV reports the renovations started in the fall but had been in the works since before the gorilla's death.The outdoor portion of the enclosure is now open. Work continues on a new indoor enclosure that will allow visitors to see the apes year-round.Harambe was killed May 28, 2016, after the
  
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• House votes against giving parole eligibility to teen lifers

  08-06-2017 14:27
  
  UPDATE: Shortly after Sen. Dan Claitor's compromise bill, the House revisited the measure and gave it final passage. BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana House has rejected a proposal to give people who committed murder as juveniles a chance at parole after 25 years.Backers of Sen. Dan Claitor's compromise bill fell seven votes short of passage Thursday in the House. Rep. Sherman Mack, criminal justice committee chairman, argued that parole eligibility should only be granted after 30 years.The b
  
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• BRPD: Man arrested for deadly shooting on Rosenwald Road

  08-06-2017 13:46
  
  BATON ROUGE – One person has been arrested for the shooting death of a man on Rosenwald Road.The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested 18-year-old Deon Winsey for the second degree murder of 27-year-old Quenton Gilmore. Winsey was also charged with illegal use of a weapon.Gilmore was found dead in the road around 9:15 p.m. on Sunday in the 1600 block of Rosenwald Road.BRPD says the shooting is believed to be a result of a drug deal.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Masked men rob gas station in Hammond

  08-06-2017 13:28
  
  HAMMOND – The Hammond Police Department is searching for two men who allegedly committed an armed robbery at a gas station located at 1200 South Morrison Boulevard.According to police, two black men entered the Circle K store with hand guns and demanded money. The men then left of foot, heading southbound on the boulevard.Both men were wearing black hooded jackets, and white masks. One man was wearing tan or khaki-colored pants and the other was wearing what appears to be red gym short
  
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• Alternating lane closures scheduled on I-12 for patch work

  08-06-2017 12:56
  
  BATON ROUGE – I-12 east and west bound, between the I-10/12 split and the Livingston Parish line, will have alternating lane closures next week.The lane closures will be from Friday, June 9 through Friday, June 16 at 8 p.m. each night until 5 a.m.According to DOTD, at least one lane in either directions will be open at all times.The closures are necessary for patching and related work.DOTD advises that drivers use caution while traveling through the construction sites and be aware of w
  
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• Wanted suspect in murder, carjacking turns himself in

  08-06-2017 12:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - A suspect wanted in connection to a Murder at a Baton Rouge apartment complex turned himself in Thursday evening.According to a spokesperson with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, Donte Tate surrendered to the Louisiana State Police Fugitive Task Force at their Violent Crimes Unit sometime Thursday.Tate is a suspect in the murder of 29-year-old Jonathan Besson. Besson was found shot dead in a Sherwood Forrest apartment complex Monday morning.Two other suspects were arrested in
  
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• Facebook video of gator, frog hunt gets 3 arrested

  08-06-2017 12:36
  
  JENNINGS - A Facebook video got three men arrested on charges that they illegally killed two alligators and some frogs, Louisiana authorities say.The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says Rhett Guidry, 24, Dodie Bouley, 19, and Kyle Thibodaux, 23, all of Jennings, were cited with taking alligators out of season and three other counts.Their phone numbers could not immediately be located in online directories.Agents were told that Guidry had posted incriminating video on Facebook, en
  
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• Ochsner to expand into planned Baton Rouge 'Health District'

  08-06-2017 12:32
  
  BATON ROUGE – The so-called “Health District” city and medical officials have been pushing for an area along I-10 will get a new tenant.Ochsner revealed plans for a $100 million doctor's office, “micro hospital” and surgical hospital between Bluebonnet and Siegen Lane in an area behind the Mall of Louisiana. The complex will be on about 25 acres and part of the High Grove development – an upscale, mixed-use housing and business communit
  
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• Some states reviewing election systems after Russians' reported efforts to target software

  08-06-2017 07:37
  
  Officials in some states are trying to figure out whether local election offices were targeted in an apparent effort by Russian military intelligence to hack into election software last fall.
  
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