Baton Rouge news

• Airport honors service dog with retirement party after 5 years on the job

  17-06-2017 21:50
  
  ORLANDO, Fla. - After years on the job, one lucky dog got the retirement party of a lifetime.Gema, a service dog who worked at Orlando International Airport for nearly five years, was feted with a party last week."We're celebrating the retirement of one of our most loyal and dedicated employees - & we're sending her off in style," the Florida airport wrote on Twitter.The pup was surrounded by her furry friends, according to the airport which documented the party on social media. Her
  
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• Authorities: Pastor missing after search for hidden treasure in Colorado

  17-06-2017 20:56
  
  GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Authorities say a pastor from Grand Junction who has been reported missing in New Mexico was searching for a famous hidden treasure, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports.  The newspaper says that New Mexico State Police Lt. Elizabeth Armijo confirmed family members told authorities that Paris Wallace had come to the Espanola area to search for a chest of gold rumored to be hidden in the mountains.  The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
  
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• LSU names Scalise honorary CWS coach, will send game ball

  17-06-2017 20:10
  
  OMAHA, Neb. - The LSU baseball team has named Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise an honorary coach for the College World Series, and he will be given the game ball from the Tigers' opening game against Florida State on Saturday night.  Scalise was upgraded from "critical" to "serious condition" Saturday and continued to show signs of improvement after he was wounded in a shooting at a baseball field outside Washington on Wednesday. Scalise, among five people shot, was practicing with
  
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• 150 gather at Minnesota park for Castile rally

  17-06-2017 19:42
  
  ST. PAUL, Minn. - About 150 people gathered in a Minneapolis park for a rally and downtown march in response to the acquittal of a police officer who shot and killed a black driver, a muted response compared to protests one night earlier.  One of the organizers, Samantha Pree-Stinson, a candidate for City Council, tells the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the group wouldn't be marching onto a freeway after its gathering Saturday night at Loring Park.  On Friday
  
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• Another noose found near museum in nation's capital

  17-06-2017 18:54
  
  WASHINGTON - Authorities say a noose was found hanging from a lamp post outside a museum in the nation's capital, the third such incident in recent weeks.  U.S. Park Police Sgt. Anna Rose said the noose was found Saturday afternoon outside the National Gallery of Art.  She said her agency is currently investigating how it got there.  Tourists found a noose last month on the floor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
  
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• Report: Rapper Juvenile in jail over $150,000 child support debt

  17-06-2017 16:56
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans-born rapper Juvenile is in jail after a judge found that he owes $150,000 in child support payments.According to a report from WWL, the 42-year-old rapper, whose real name is Terius Gray, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center early Saturday morning. Records show a civil court judge ruled in May that Gray must spend either 30 days in jail or pay his child support debt.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Multiple crashes cause delays on I-10 East

  17-06-2017 15:53
  
  BATON ROUGE - All lanes have reopened on I-10 East near the Acadian Thruway following an accident involving an 18-wheeler Saturday.According to DOTD, the crash blocked the right  and center lanes of the interstate. All lanes have since reopened.A second accident was reported near LA 415(Lobdell), blocking the left lane. That lane has since reopened.Police say no life-threatening injuries have been reported.The queue from this incident has reached five miles in length.Check back for upda
  
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• VIDEO: Florida man fights off armed robbers with machete

  17-06-2017 15:03
  
  SARASOTA, Fla. - Five men are under arrest in South Florida after an attempted armed robbery was caught on video Thursday morning.According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, a homeowner was able to disarm an alleged robber by using a machete and hold the suspect until deputies could arrive on the scene.In the video, three men armed with a crowbar, a machete and a shotgun entered the victim's porch with the intent to rob the homeowner.According to theSarasota County Sheriff's Office report
  
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• Oregon residents granted non-gender option on driver's license

  17-06-2017 14:50
  
  SALEM, Ore. - Oregon has approved a new rule giving its residents the option of not specifying their gender on driver's licenses, learner's permits and identity cards, becoming the first state in the US to do so.  LGBT rights organizations hailed Thursday's move.  According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, under the new rule, which takes effect on July 1, Oregon residents will have the option to mark their sex as "not specified" on their application
  
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• Lobbyist shot is expected to make full recovery

  17-06-2017 14:27
  
  WASHINGTON - The family of a lobbyist shot multiple times during a Republican baseball practice outside Washington says he has undergone additional surgery and doctors expect a full recovery.  In a statement Saturday, Matt Mika's family says he will remain in the intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital at least through the weekend. They say he is able to communicate through notes, and signed the game ball from Friday's congressional baseball game. 
  
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• Funeral held for 1 of 2 slain prison guards in Georgia

  17-06-2017 14:12
  
  MCINTYRE, Ga. - Hundreds of mourners are remembering one of two Georgia prison guards killed when two inmates escaped from a prison transfer bus.  WSB-TV reports that law enforcement officers from around the state joined relatives and friends of Sgt. Curtis Billue for his funeral Saturday at a high school in McIntyre, central Georgia. Billue was 58.  Billue's casket was draped with an American flag for the funeral at Wilkinson County High School. He w
  
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• Police: Girl, 4, fatally shot by 6-year-old in home

  17-06-2017 13:58
  
  SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Authorities say a 4-year-old girl has been shot and killed by her 6-year-old sibling in their South Carolina home.  Spartanburg Police spokesman Maj. Art Littlejohn said in a statement that officers are investigating the Friday afternoon shooting. The statement says it appears to be accidental and charges likely won't be filed.  Authorities say one bullet hit Carley Mack and she died at the hospital about 45 minutes later. &nbs
  
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• Care center loses license after child wanders into street

  17-06-2017 13:52
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A Louisiana child care center has lost its license and public funding after a toddler wandered into traffic.  The child was not hurt. But, the Louisiana Department of Education says Five Star Learning Academy in New Orleans failed to report the incident to the state and did not give the child's parents all the details of what happened.  The center is ineligible for public money for a program that aids low-income families. It has two weeks to appe
  
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• Former LSU player reminisces on Tigers' first trip to College World Series

  17-06-2017 13:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sports bars all around the Baton Rouge area were crowded as fans eagerly awaited LSU's first College World Series match-up Saturday. “It’s crazy to see it all evolve," Michael Papajohn said.While he’s not physically in Omaha, Papajohn can’t help but feel nostalgic and a bit nervous waiting for the game to come on the screens all over Walk-Ons.“I love LSU baseball, I actually was on the very first
  
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• BRPD investigating early morning fatal hit-and-run crash on Scenic Hwy.

  17-06-2017 13:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating a fatal hit-and-run crash that took place early Saturday morning on Scenic Highway.According to BRPD, the crash occurred around 2 a.m. in the 1600 block of Scenic Highway. The initial investigation revealed that a 2006 Honda Accord, driven by 20-year-old Caleb Wilson of Baton Rouge, was making a left turn from Bay Street onto Scenic Highway. The Honda was then struck by a 2007 GMC Yukon that was traveling south on
  
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• Mississippi shipyard wins $3B contract for assault ship

  17-06-2017 13:26
  
  PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The U.S. Navy will pay Huntington Ingalls Industries $3 billion to design and build an amphibious assault ship at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi.  Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2018 on what will be the Bougainville, which will be able to launch Marine Corps landing craft at water level, plus accommodate helicopters and fighter planes on its flight deck. The ship is scheduled to be completed in 2024.  Ingalls got the origin
  
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• Louisiana sets new restriction for minors seeking abortion

  17-06-2017 13:20
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has agreed to toughen requirements for parental consent when a minor seeks an abortion.  Current law requires a notarized statement from a legal guardian of an unmarried girl younger than 18 before a doctor can perform an abortion on her. The changes will require the guardian also to provide proof of identity, including a government-issued identification card such as a driver's license. The doctor will have to keep a copy of the ID
  
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• Port Allen gears up for bigger, better 'Juneteenth' celebration

  17-06-2017 13:05
  
  PORT ALLEN - The City of Port Allen is going all out for this year's Juneteenth Freedom Festival.More than just a festival, it's a full-on carnival with rides, food and games.Residents have been celebrating Juneteenth here for almost 20 years. But this year, the city kicked in some extra funds."We brought it to the city council and they went along with it. It's grown bigger this year. Much better, much bigger," Mayor Pro Tem Ray Helen Lawrence said, Juneteenth
  
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• Shooter went to GOP baseball practice with list of names

  17-06-2017 12:42
  
  WASHINGTON - The man who shot House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and others at a congressional baseball practice this week had with him a piece of paper with doodles and the names of three lawmakers.  This is according to a person familiar with the case who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press Saturday on condition of anonymity.  The person says investigators aren't sure of the significance of the names and it's not clear wheth
  
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• Police: 58 missing, presumed dead in London fire

  17-06-2017 12:35
  
  LONDON - London police say 58 people who were in Grenfell Tower are still missing and assumed to be dead.  Police Commander Stuart Cundy said Saturday that this number, which was based on reports from the public, may rise. He says it will take weeks or longer to recover and identify all the dead in the public housing block that was devastated by a fire early Wednesday.  He said there may have been people in the tower that police are not aware of, which would a
  
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• The Latest: Afghan soldier wounds 7 American soldiers

  17-06-2017 12:33
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan - The Latest on the shooting of several U.S soldiers by an Afghan army soldier. All times local:  9:30 p.m.  The U.S. military says that seven America soldiers were wounded in the insider attack by an Afghan soldier. A statement on the Resolute Support Twitter feed Saturday says the seven were wounded when an Afghan army soldier opened fire. The attacker was shot and killed and one Afghan soldier was wounded. There were no U.S. fatalities.&a
  
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• Afghan soldier wounds 7 American soldiers

  17-06-2017 12:33
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S. military says that seven America soldiers were wounded in the insider attack by an Afghan soldier.A statement on the Resolute Support Twitter feed Saturday says the seven were wounded when an Afghan army soldier opened fire. The attacker was shot and killed and one Afghan soldier was wounded.There were no U.S. fatalities.  A Taliban spokesman praised the attack but did not claim responsibility.  ___  7 p.m.&n
  
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• Afghan soldier attacks foreign soldiers, wounding 4

  17-06-2017 12:33
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan officials say that at least four foreign soldiers have been wounded after an Afghan soldier opened fire on them, while the U.S. military confirms that at least some of the casualties are American soldiers.  Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the 209th Army corps, confirmed Saturday that an insider attack took place at a camp in Mazar-e Sharif. Araam said the soldiers returned fire and killed the attacker.  Gen. Dawlat Waziri, spokesma
  
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• Home health firm to pay investors $43.8M in lawsuit

  17-06-2017 12:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - A nationwide home health firm has agreed to pay $43.8 million to settle a lawsuit by investors who claim it used Medicare fraud to inflate its bottom line.  Shareholders filed the federal lawsuit in 2010 against Amedisys Inc. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and some senior executives.  Amedisys agreed in 2014 to pay $150 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit accusing it of billing Medicare between 2008 and 2010 for services that weren't
  
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• 'Trooping the color' in London for queen's official birthday

  17-06-2017 12:25
  
  LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II and senior royals have marked her official birthday in the annual Trooping the Color celebration.  The 91-year-old monarch was greeted Saturday by hundreds of well-wishers on a sunny day in the heart of ceremonial London. She rode with her husband Prince Philip in an open carriage in the procession along Horse Guards Parade.  Prince William and Prince Charles were on horseback. William's wife Kate and Charles' wife Camilla were in a
  
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• States test worksite charter schools for company kids

  17-06-2017 12:23
  
  RALEIGH, N.C. - A rarely applied experiment in education enabling companies to host taxpayer-funded charter schools for their employees' children may be about to spread.  Florida is the only state bringing business-backed charter schools to work sites so far. Louisiana and Connecticut laws also encourage these charters.  Louisiana's first school, partly financed by a hospital, is set to open next year. And now North Carolina lawmakers are weighing a law copied
  
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• Artists turn a pile of sand into a thing of beauty

  17-06-2017 12:20
  
  HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. - Artists have spent the past several days on a New Hampshire beach turning mounds of sand into massive sculptures that include a bird, warrior and, of course, a castle.  The 10 sculptors are taking part in the 17th Annual Master Sand Sculpting contest on a fenced-in section of Hampton Beach.  The artists, one from the Netherlands, started carving their creations with 10 tons of sand each on Thursday and have until Saturday to finish them.&
  
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• Vatican, Germany reaffirm Paris climate accord post-US

  17-06-2017 12:14
  
  VATICAN CITY - German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Pope Francis encouraged her to work to preserve the Paris climate accord despite the U.S. withdrawal and shared her aim to "bring down walls," and not build them.  Merkel and Francis met for about 40 minutes Saturday, focusing on the Group of 20 summit Germany is hosting in Hamburg July 7-8.  The Vatican said the talks focused on the need for the international community to combat poverty, hunger, terrorism an
  
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• Jury deadlocks in Cosby trial; mistrial declared

  17-06-2017 09:53
  
  NORRISTOWN, Pa. - Bill Cosby's trial on sexual assault charges has ended without a verdict after jurors failed to break a deadlock.  Jurors deliberated more than 52 hours over six days before telling a judge they couldn't reach a unanimous decision on whether "The Cosby Show" star drugged and molested Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.  The judge then declared a mistrial for the 79-year-old comedian. 
  
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