Baton Rouge news

• 'Bad insulation' leads to ammonia scare at area elementary school

  19-08-2017 21:55
  ST. AMANT - Piles of large trash bags filled with discarded insulation were taken from Lake Elementary School in St. Amant Saturday.On Friday, students were removed from one of the temporary modular classes after being irritated by an odor. The superintendent says ammonia fumes were coming from "bad insulation" in one of the temporary buildings.  "To put it with our children, our young children, this not acceptable," grandparent Lisa Littrell said.Two childre
  
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• Woman stuck in swimming pool turns to Facebook for help

  19-08-2017 21:09
  A New Hampshire woman who became stuck in a swimming pool after the ladder broke turned to Facebook to ask for help getting out.Sixty-one-year-old Leslie Kahn was swimming in her pool Aug. 11 when the ladder broke, leaving her stranded. She said she didn't have the strength to pull herself. No one else was home and her cellphone was inside.She used a pool pole to drag the chair her iPad was on and posted in a community Facebook page, asking for help. She said
  
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• Report: Hundreds attend 'Take Em Down NOLA' march on Saturday

  19-08-2017 19:52
  NEW ORLEANS - The deadly events in Charlottesville, Virginia has pushed Take Em Down NOLA to organize a march one week later in New Orleans.WWL reports that the group, which pushes for the removal of the city's Confederate monuments, marched from Congo Square to Jackson Square as part of its demonstration."If you've noticed this week, in every other city just like that there. Baltimore took down four statues in one night. Lexington, Kentucky just took down two statues. And so
  
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• Mississippi police dog dies after being left in hot squad car

  19-08-2017 19:05
  SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - Southaven police have confirmed a 6-year-old K-9 officer died after his handler left him in a police car.  Police Chief Steve Pirtle said the handler had just returned to the office Tuesday evening following undercover work when he left his partner, Gunner, in the car with the windows up and the engine off.  WREG-TV reports by the time the officer returned two hours later, Gunner was in complete distress. He was rushed to a nearby animal ho
  
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• Court filings allege Lafayette man organized kidnapping of estranged wife

  19-08-2017 18:17
  LAFAYETTE - New court filings in Lafayette kidnapping suspect Michael Handley's divorce case allege he organized the plot to abduct his estranged wife. Last week, authorities captured Handley at a Slidell motel. According to KATC-TV, Handley is still in the Lafayette Parish jail with a $266,000 bond.Police have not identified the victim as Handley's wife, but documents show that Handley and his wife had been in a divorce dispute rig
  
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• Florida deputy crashes into driver at over 100 mph

  19-08-2017 16:13
  PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - The trial of a Florida deputy is about to begin after he crashed into a smart car while going over 100 miles per hour — leaving the driver in critical condition. In the spring of 2016, Deputy Brandon Heegle was on the highway pursuing a suspect connected to a felony when the accident occurred. Investigators say Heegle was told three times to not follow or engage the suspect vehicle. According to ABC News, dash cam video shows Heegle
  
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• Police: Man admits to smoking marijuana while driving, charged with 3rd DWI

  19-08-2017 16:05
  BATON ROUGE - A man was arrested in Baton Rouge late Friday night after he allegedly went more than 35 miles over the speed limit after smoking marijuana in his car. According to Louisiana State Police, 30-year-old Pernell Lanaute was pulled over on LA 42(Burbank Drive) near Lee Drive after a trooper clocked him going 91 miles per hour in a zone with a speed limit of 55. When the trooper spoke to Lanaute, he noticed his eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He was also unab
  
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• LSP: Man admits to smoking marijuana while driving, charged with 3rd DWI

  19-08-2017 16:05
  BATON ROUGE - A man was arrested in Baton Rouge late Friday night after he allegedly went more than 35 miles over the speed limit after smoking marijuana in his car. According to Louisiana State Police, 30-year-old Pernell Lanaute was pulled over on LA 42(Burbank Drive) near Lee Drive after a trooper clocked him going 91 miles per hour in a zone with a speed limit of 55. When the trooper spoke to Lanaute, he noticed his eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He was also unab
  
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• Funeral held for Virginia trooper killed in helicopter crash

  19-08-2017 15:27
  RICHMOND, Va. - Mourners have gathered for the funeral of a Virginia state trooper who died in the fatal crash of a helicopter that had been monitoring a violent, white nationalist protest in Charlottesville.  Police officers from around the country honored Lt. Jay Cullen on Saturday at Southside Church of the Nazarene near Richmond.  Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe called Cullen, who frequently piloted the governor around the state in a police helicopter, a "s
  
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• Heavy delays on I-10 West at Miss. River Bridge

  19-08-2017 14:33
  BATON ROUGE - Heavy traffic is building on I-10 West at the Horace Wilkinson Bridge due to a stalled vehicle Saturday.According to DOTD, the right lane of the bridge is closed as crews work to remove the vehicle. Traffic is continuing to pass through the remaining lanes.Check back for updates.Keep up with Baton Rouge traffic with WBRZ's advanced traffic-tracking technology.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Mississippi officials begin uprooting big marijuana farm

  19-08-2017 14:31
  PRENTISS, Miss. - Investigators are remaining through the weekend at the site of what they're calling the largest outdoor marijuana farm found in Mississippi since the 1980s.  Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director John Dowdy said agents found a patch with 5,000 more plants at the Jefferson Davis County site on Friday, bringing the total found to 20,000.  An underground bunker and generators were also found, but authorities haven't identified any suspected
  
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• 54 people still hospitalized after Spain attacks

  19-08-2017 14:28
  BARCELONA, Spain - Catalan emergency services say they have identified seven of the 14 people killed in the attacks in Barcelona and the nearby seaside town of Cambrils.  Of the 13 dead from the Barcelona attack, officials have identified four Spaniards, two Portuguese and one Italian. Family members or government officials also say an American man, another Italian man and a woman from Belgium were also killed there.  The one fatality from the attack in Cambr
  
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• Louisiana wildlife agent shot in traffic stop back on patrol

  19-08-2017 14:16
  BATON ROUGE - An enforcement agent for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries who was shot in a January traffic stop is back at work.  Tyler Wheeler, of Ouachita Parish, had multiple surgeries, including to reattach part of his skull and to repair jaw damage, before he was cleared to return. His first day again in uniform was Aug. 4, and he just completed his first week back on patrol duties.  Department Secretary Jack Montoucet said Wheeler had a
  
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• Louisiana State Police training academy welcomes 36 recruits

  19-08-2017 14:14
  BATON ROUGE - Thirty-six men and women are reporting to the Louisiana State Police training academy, hoping to become the latest state troopers.  The state police cadets begin their training regimen Sunday. They were chosen for the cadet class after a process that included a written test, physical assessment, psychological exam, background check, polygraph and oral interview.  The training academy lasts about 20 weeks. The agency says cadets will receive educ
  
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• Duke University removes statue of Confederate general

  19-08-2017 14:13
  DURHAM, N.C. - Duke University has removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee days after it was vandalized.  The university said it removed the carved limestone likeness early Saturday morning from Duke Chapel amid a national debate about monuments to the Confederacy. A statue of Lee was at the heart of a violent protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned deadly a week ago.  University president Vincent Price said in a letter to the campus comm
  
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• Second arrest made in family beating at elementary school

  19-08-2017 13:36
  BATON ROUGE - A second arrest has been made after two siblings allegedly assaulted a woman at a local elementary school Wednesday.According to arrest records, the incident took place on Wednesday, August 16, around 11:30 a.m. at Park Elementary School located on Fuqua Street.Authorities said the suspect, Christopher Parker, 24 of Baton Rouge, was upset because the victim, who is his child's mother, was attempting to register their child into the school. The child was reportedly withdra
  
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• High school student faces terrorizing charge

  19-08-2017 13:35
  THIBODAUX - A 15-year-old boy faces a terrorizing charge after he allegedly threatened to shoot a teacher and students at South Lafourche High School.  Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre says the incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday, but was not reported to school administrators until Friday.  WVUE-TV reports the teen was absent from school Friday but investigators found him at his home, where he was arrested on a charge of terrorizing and transported t
  
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• LSP: One killed in head-on collision in Washington Parish

  19-08-2017 12:43
  VARNADO - A 71-year-old woman died following a two-vehicle crash in Washington Parish Friday night.According to Louisiana State Police, Troopers responded to the crash on LA 436-1 south of Varnado around 9:50 p.m.The crash claimed the life of 71-year-old Hazel Marie Caruso of Angie, according to State Police.Through the investigation, State Police determined Caruso was driving a 2006 Toyota Camry southbound on LA 436-1.Caruso's vehicle traveled into the northbound lane, directly into the path o
  
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• Denham Springs holds festival to showcase city progress, community

  19-08-2017 12:37
  DENHAM SPRINGS - The residents of Denham Springs are gathering for a weekend-long celebration put on by volunteers to bring relief to flood-affected families and showcase the progress the city has made.Denham Strong, a group created after the August 2016 flood, hosted what they call "Celebration of Hope."“It’s been tough,” said Alexa White, a young flood victim whose family lost multiple homes and are still recovering.No matter how young or old, v
  
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• Police: 7-year-old kidnapped from home; 2 arrested

  19-08-2017 12:27
  MORGAN CITY - Two people were arrested after a 7-year-old juvenile was reportedly kidnapped from a home Friday night, according to the Morgan City Police Department.Officers with Morgan City PD responded to the area of Roderick Street around 9:15 p.m. Friday night in response to a reported kidnapping.Officers learned a 7-year-old juvenile was removed from the residence without the parent's knowledge, according to MCPD. Detectives then responded to the scene, and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's
  
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• 7-year-old reportedly kidnapped from home, two arrested after child found safe

  19-08-2017 12:27
  MORGAN CITY - Two people were arrested after a 7-year-old juvenile was reportedly kidnapped from a home Friday night, according to the Morgan City Police Department.Officers with Morgan City PD responded to the area of Roderick Street around 9:15 p.m. Friday night in response to a reported kidnapping.Officers learned a 7-year-old juvenile was removed from the residence without the parent's knowledge, according to Morgan City PD.Detectives then responded to the scene, and the Terrebonne Parish S
  
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• Winning numbers announced for $535 million Powerball drawing

  19-08-2017 09:08
  UPDATE: The winning Power Ball numbers are:17, 68, 19, 43, 39 and Powerball 13BATON ROUGE - The jackpot in Saturday's Powerball drawing is the 5th-largest in its history.The prize is an estimated $535 million.  The winning numbers will be drawn at 9:59 p.m. Saturday (Baton Rouge local time).  Watch WBRZ News 2 at 10:00 for the numbers or bookmark this page; Numbers will be updated here.There were 65 million tickets sold for Wednesday's drawing, which no one won.  No o
  
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• $535 million on the line tonight; Powerball drawing is at 9:59

  19-08-2017 09:08
  BATON ROUGE - The jackpot in Saturday's Powerball drawing is the 5th-largest in its history.The prize is an estimated $535 million.  The winning numbers will be drawn at 9:59 p.m. Saturday (Baton Rouge local time).  Watch WBRZ News 2 at 10:00 for the numbers or bookmark this page; Numbers will be updated here.There were 65 million tickets sold for Wednesday's drawing, which no one won.  No one has won the Powerball since the June 10 drawing.  Then, the winnin
  
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