Baton Rouge news

• Texas flood victims find refuge in Louisiana

  01-09-2017 19:47
  BATON ROUGE - More than 1,500 people are staying at shelters in Louisiana in Harvey's aftermath, and the number is rising as more people are evacuated from flood-ravaged communities in Texas.  Shauna Sanford, a spokeswoman for Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, says 1,510 people were in six Louisiana shelters as of midnight Thursday. She says 1,384 of them came from Texas.  The state opened a seventh shelter in Shreveport on Friday that can accommodate approxim
  
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• BRPD: Child hurt, hit by vehicle on Plank Road

  01-09-2017 19:23
  BATON ROUGE - Police say a child was injured after he was hit by a vehicle on Plank Road.According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, a 9-year-old male victim was struck in the 1900 block of Plank Road around 7 p.m. Friday.Officers originally said the driver fled the scene after the crash, but later corrected their preliminary information. They later said no one was ticketed. The 9-year-old was in the street at the time of the crash.Police say the victim suffered minor, non-life threatening
  
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• Texas homeowner finds massive alligator in flooded house

  01-09-2017 18:48
  HOUSTON - A Houston-area man returned to his Harvey-flooded house to find an unwelcome visitor inside: a 9-foot-long alligator.  KTRK-TV reports Brian Foster of Humble discovered the reptile Friday morning when arriving with a work crew to clean the storm-damaged residence. The alligator was in the dining room of the home.  Foster summoned emergency workers, who asked game wardens for assistance.  Video of the reptile removal shows it took f
  
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• Excavator stolen from Livingston Parish job site, found in Mississippi

  01-09-2017 18:36
  SATSUMA - The Livingston Parish Sheriff's office says a parish-owned excavator stolen from a job site in Satsuma this week was later recovered all the way out in Mississippi.According to the sheriff's office, the 18,000-pound piece of machinery went missing from a site off Black Mud Road earlier this week. The excavator was missing for days until a tip led authorities to Mississippi, where they found the stolen equipment.The sheriff's office says it has ident
  
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• Huge fire breaks out at Houston-area chemical plant

  01-09-2017 17:39
  HOUSTON - Aerial video shows another fire at a Houston-area chemical plant that lost power after Harvey.  Flames and smoke could be seen coming from the Arkema plant in Crosby Friday evening. That came after a container of organic peroxides exploded and caught fire early Thursday, sending acrid smoke into the air. An executive had said up to eight more containers could burn and explode.  Arkema says Harvey's floodwaters engulfed its backup generators and knoc
  
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• More shenanigans in White Castle as WBRZ tries to obtain public records

  01-09-2017 17:36
  WHITE CASTLE- Drama continues to unfold involving public records in the Town of White Castle. As the WBRZ Investigative Unit went to check on a request that has been outstanding for about a month, we learned the Town was conducting business on private email servers like Yahoo!Our request involved invoices for tree cutting services back in May after the tornado. Early last month, WBRZ sent a public records request for any invoices and addresses where the trees were cut. We followed up about 13 d
  
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• New Prairieville fire rating could save you money

  01-09-2017 17:30
  PRAIRIEVILLE - Some Ascension Parish residents might want to check with their insurance providers for possible savings. The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) has raised the Prairieville Fire Department's rating from a four to a three.It means the city's protection has improved and it could also mean more money in your wallet."We are proud of this achievement improving our fire rating, which in turn improves services to the residents and businesses of Fire District 3," said Chie
  
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• Trump approves governor's request to expand federal emergency declaration

  01-09-2017 17:29
  BATON ROUGE - President Donald Trump has approved Governor John Bel Edwards' request to expand the federal emergency declaration in Louisiana.The governor's office says the Trump administration approved the expansion Friday to include seven additional parishes impacted by Tropical Storm Harvey, including Acadia, Allen, Iberia, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine and Vernon Parishes.According to the governor, this declaration is for emergency protective measures conducted before, dur
  
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• LSP troopers reunite 91-year-old veteran and family separated by Harvey floods

  01-09-2017 16:42
  ORANGE, Tex. - Louisiana State Police troopers were responsible for a tearful reunion between an elderly flood victim and his missing family Thursday.On Friday, Louisiana State Police shared photos of the moment that 91-year-old William Hays of Orange, Texas was reunited with his family. Police say Hays was rescued from the flood waters caused by Tropical Storm Harvey on Wednesday, however he was separated from the rest of his family in the process. First responders were unable to cont
  
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• Ohio governor reschedules 19 upcoming executions

  01-09-2017 16:14
  Gov. John Kasich has rescheduled executions for 19 condemned killers on Ohio's death row.  The reprieves granted by Kasich push most executions previously scheduled over the next several years forward by a few months. The latest is now set for April 21, 2022.  Kasich said Friday he adjusted the schedule following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer upholding Ohio's three-drug lethal injection process.  The governor says the goal
  
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• Mold, gas leaks and other hazards loom for Harvey evacuees

  01-09-2017 16:06
  HOUSTON - The danger isn't over yet for Harvey evacuees who are returning to flood-ravaged homes where they face the threat of mold, spoiled food, gas leaks and downed power lines.  While some residents of the still-flooded western part of Houston may not be able to return home for days, others are starting a massive cleanup and dragging sodden debris to the curbside. Keeping them safe is a concern of health officials who hope to reach them through Twitter, Facebook and Instag
  
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• Two shot in overnight robberies in Baton Rouge

  01-09-2017 14:51
  BATON ROUGE - Police say robberies led to two people being shot in Baton Rouge overnight.According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, both shootings occurred sometime between late Thursday and early Friday. Police say the first shooting occurred on Monarch Avenue around 8:30 Thursday night. On Friday, police revealed that the shooting occurred during a robbery. The victim was taken from the scene with life-threatening injuries but is expected to survive, according to authorities.A s
  
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• WATCH: Houston police officer serenaded by daughter during Harvey rescue efforts

  01-09-2017 14:46
  HOUSTON - It's been a busy week for the Houston Police Department due to the catastrophic impact of Harvey.Police and other first responders have been working nonstop to rescue victims from the severe flood waters that have persisted since Harvey mad landfall as a hurricane earlier this week.The storm and ensuing rescue efforts kept one Houston police officer away from home on his birthday. But his young daughter wasn't about to let him go back to work without a quick birthday sendoff.
  
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• 2nd Amendment Sales Tax Holiday occurs this weekend

  01-09-2017 14:37
  BATON ROUGE - This weekend, hunters are getting a sales tax discount when shopping for firearms or other hunting supplies. From September 1 through September 3, purchases connected to the 2nd Amendment will be fully exempt from local sales taxes and subject to only three percent sales tax instead of the standard five percent. According to the Louisiana Department of Revenue, the sales tax holiday applies to a wide range of items such as: Hunting firearms Ammu
  
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• Man arrested after beating pregnant wife, leading deputies on high-speed chase

  01-09-2017 14:05
  AMELIA - An area man is facing numerous charges after he kicked his pregnant wife in the stomach and led police on a high-speed car chase Thursday.The Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a complaint early Thursday morning concerning a fight involving several men in Amelia.At the scene, deputies determined that Rodolfo Chan had kicked his pregnant wife in the stomach and left the scene. The victim was then treated at a local hospital.Authorities eventually found Ch
  
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• Kenner man killed after being hit, dragged by bus

  01-09-2017 14:02
  KENNER - A man was killed by a transit bus in Kenner after it hit and dragged him last night. According to WGNO-TV, the incident occurred around 10 p.m. at the intersection of Reverend Richmond Wilson Drive and Coleman Place. The man was found unresponsive at the scene and later pronounced dead. The bus driver told police that he heard a scream and got out to check, but couldn't see anything in the poor lighting and drove away It is believe that the
  
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• Authorities asking for help in identifying hit-and-run driver

  01-09-2017 13:24
  BATON ROUGE- The Baton Rouge Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect in a hit-and-run incident.The suspect is accused of striking a vehicle in the parking lot of Frank’s restaurant at 8353 Airline Highway on August 11.  The suspect struck the driver side of the victim’s vehicle while exiting a parking spot.Authorities describe the suspect as a black female last seen wearing a green top and driving a white step side
  
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• Beaumont loses water supply in wake of historic flooding from Hurricane Harvey

  01-09-2017 13:12
  BEAUMONT - Beaumont, Texas has lost both its main and secondary water supplies in the wake of historic flooding due to Hurricane Harvey, city officials announced early Thursday.The storm has moved out of the east Texas area, but record rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday has caused the Neches River to overflow and damage the city's water pumps, city officials said. The city's secondary water source is located at the Loeb wells in Hardin County, which is also offline.The city said the outage is in
  
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• Tom Cruise fascinated by Baton Rouge's Barry Seal

  01-09-2017 13:09
  BATON ROUGE – Tom Cruise is fascinated by notorious local drug runner Barry Seal's life.Cruise opened up about his role in the upcoming movie about Seal in an interview with People. Seal, an informant and associate of Colombian drug lords, was assassinated at a halfway house in 1986 off Airline Highway after agreeing to testify at a trial related to smuggling operations.“...You can’t help but be utterly fascinated by [Seal's life],” Cruise told the magazi
  
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• LSU student arrested for burglarizing Greek house

  01-09-2017 13:04
  BATON ROUGE- An LSU student has been arrested after for allegedly stealing items from an on-campus fraternity house.On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity called the LSU Police Department after they allegedly found a vehicle on the third floor of the University House parking garage with stolen fraternity items inside.When authorities arrived on the scene, they could see the stolen items in plain view in the back seat of the Ford F-150.The owner of the vehicle, Pat
  
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• Restaurant closes after word of owner's donation to ex-KKK leader's campaign

  01-09-2017 12:15
  SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - A Chinese restaurant open in Santa Cruz for almost four decades has closed its doors after a boycott and online backlash against the owner's 2016 campaign donation to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.  The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/2eGM5gy ) that O'mei Szechuan Chinese Restaurant closed, perhaps permanently, after a news site revealed that owner Roger Grigsby donated $500 to Duke's unsuccessful 2016 U.S. Senate campaign in Louisiana.G
  
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• White House prepares initial $5.9B Harvey aid package

  01-09-2017 09:51
  WASHINGTON-The White House is readying a request to Congress for an initial $5.9 billion package in Harvey aid.It would be a first down payment to ensure recovery efforts over the next few weeks are adequately funded. The Trump proposal is being finalized pending White House consultations with key Republicans.It is likely to be just a fraction of an eventual Harvey recovery package that could rival the $100 billion spent on Hurricane Katrina relief. A senior administration official said the pla
  
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• Ascension Parish inland waterways reopening tonight

  01-09-2017 09:41
  BATON ROUGE - The inland waterways in Ascension Parish will reopen Friday at midnight.Parish President Kenny Matassa says the waterways were previously closed due to high water and debris. Officials in Livingston Parish initially said their waterways would reopen Friday as well, however that decision was soon reversed.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Ascension, Livingston Parish inland waterways reopening tonight

  01-09-2017 09:41
  BATON ROUGE - The inland waterways in Ascension Parish will reopen tonight at midnight.Parish President Kenny Matassa says the waterways were previously closed due to high water and debris. The Livingston Office of Emergency Preparedness announced they will also open their inland waterways tonight. Permalink| Comments
  
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• LSU bike officer hit by car, checked out for minor injuries

  01-09-2017 09:40
  BATON ROUGE - An LSU Police bicycle officer was hit by a car while patrolling on campus late Thursday night.Police are searching for the driver.The officer reported minor injuries and was checked out by the Baton Rouge Fire Department and EMS on scene.It happened just before midnight at the corner of S. Campus Drive and Field house Drive.Baton Rouge Law enforcement is looking for a dark colored - possibly gray or blue - Nissan Versa or Toyota Auris with front end damage last seen driving southb
  
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• MD Anderson patients welcomed at Baton Rouge medical centers

  01-09-2017 08:21
  BATON ROUGE- As Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center took on water, patients in need of care are welcomed at medical centers across the south including Baton Rouge.The head of Oncology at Ochsner Medical Center Baton Rouge says it's all about the patients. So far, Dr. Jay Brooks has treated half a dozen MD Anderson cancer patients who aren't able to get treatment in Houston because of flooding.Patients, like Brenden Simoneaux have an appointment after Labor Day, but because of
  
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• In payback mode, US demands Russia close 3 facilities

  01-09-2017 07:08
  WASHINGTON- The United States is giving Russia just 48 hours to close down its consulate in San Francisco and offices in Washington and New York.The Trump administration is making no secret of the fact that the order to vacate the premises is in retaliation for Russia's demand that the U.S. cut its diplomatic staff in Russia.In spite of the move against Russia, a State Department spokeswoman says the U.S. hopes that both countries can now move toward "improved relations" and "increased cooperat
  
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• Cleaning crew finds decomposed body inside empty house

  01-09-2017 06:57
  JACKSON, Miss.- A cleaning crew removing and burning trash at a recently purchased home in Mississippi made a startling discovery - a body wrapped in a blue tarp.Authorities say the remains inside the empty house in Jackson were too decomposed to determine a gender.News outlets reported Thursday that police don't know how long the remains were there and are investigating the case as a suspicious death.Hinds County coroner Sharon Grisham Stewart told police it appears the person had suffered pos
  
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