Baton Rouge news

• Miss Louisiana to compete in Miss America Pageant tonight

  10-09-2017 20:14
  ATLANTIC CITY - An LSU student is competing for the Miss America 2018 Pageant Sunday evening.Laryssa Bonacquisti has stunned crowds with her physique and talent, taking home a victory from the lifestyle and fitness category last week. Tonight the pageant hopeful is competing for the final category - the crown. Bonacquisti's journey to Miss America started when she competed for the Miss Louisiana title earlier this
  
  Read more

• Miss Louisiana finishes in top 7 of Miss America competition

  10-09-2017 20:14
  ATLANTIC CITY - LSU student and Miss Louisiana 2018, Laryssa Bonacquisti placed in the top 7 in Sunday's Miss America competition.  Bonacquisti has stunned crowds with her physique and talent, taking home a victory from the lifestyle and fitness category last week. Bonacquisti's journey to Miss America started when she competed for the Miss Louisiana title earlier this summer. The Miss America hopeful won over crow
  
  Read more

• Man sends texts as Irma passes through his area

  10-09-2017 19:32
  KEY LARGO, Fla. - John Huston is riding out the storm in his house on Key Largo, Florida, where he's lived since 1993. His neighborhood is on the Atlantic side of the island, just south of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.  He's been sharing his experience via text message with The Associated Press on Sunday morning, as Hurricane Irma comes ashore in the island chain.  His unedited dispatches:  7:23 a.m.: Its blowing with gusts up to abo
  
  Read more

• Average US gas price jumps after Harvey shuts refineries

  10-09-2017 16:38
  CAMARILLO, California - The average price of gasoline jumped in the past two weeks after Hurricane Harvey prompted the closure of refineries.  Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that it was the biggest price hike recorded by the Lundberg Survey since 2011.  But she says whole gasoline prices have started to decline since refineries came back online and she expects prices at the pump will follow.  In the survey on Sept. 8, the avera
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• PHOTO STORY: Rockport, Texas rebuilds after Hurricane Harvey

  10-09-2017 14:23
  ROCKPORT, Texas - Hurricane Harvey tore through Southeast Texas two weeks ago destroying homes, businesses and lives. Houston, the country's fourth largest city was devastated, and Harvey bashed other places on the coast of the Lone Star state as well.Properties south of Columbia are still under water. Many buildings in Rockport are now piles of rubble.Power company workers have been going around the clock to get power back to people in impacted areas. Volunteers from all over the coun
  
  Read more

• 'It' floats away with record-breaking $117.2 million weekend

  10-09-2017 13:55
  LOS ANGELES - 'It' is a hit.  The Stephen King adaptation from New Line and Warner Bros. has earned a record-breaking $117.2 million from 4,103 locations according to studio estimates on Sunday.  Not only is "It" now the largest opening for a horror movie ever and the largest September opening of all time, the film more than doubled the earnings of the previous record holders.  "It" also had a modest price tag, costing around $35 million to
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Utility says it will take weeks to restore power

  10-09-2017 13:36
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The latest on Hurricane Irma. All times are in EST. 6 p.m.  President Donald Trump has declared a major disaster in the state of Florida, making federal aid available to people affected by Hurricane Irma in nine counties already hit by the storm.  The federal help includes temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover in the co
  
  Read more

• Early morning fire destroys Goodwood Ave. home

  10-09-2017 13:21
  BATON ROUGE – Fire destroyed a home on Goodwood Ave. near Marion Drive early Sunday morning.Baton Rouge Firefighters arrived around 2:00 a.m. to the home fully engulfed in flames.At daybreak, firefighters were back out at the home spraying more water on hot spots.Fire officials have not released a total monetary estimate of the damage, but the home is considered a total loss.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• FEMA sees trailers only as last resort after Harvey, Irma

  10-09-2017 13:18
  HOUSTON - In a 2017 hurricane season that has already seen two monster storms, manufactured homes are turning out to be just a small fraction of the federal government's plan to deal with displaced people, with a mere 1,700 trailers available.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a contract out for 4,500 more, but has made it clear they will only be used as a last resort.  That's in contrast to 2005, when 144,000 FEMA trailers were used after Hurrican
  
  Read more

• Battling cancer, McCain says his prognosis is 'pretty good'

  10-09-2017 13:16
  WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain says battling brain cancer is a challenge but that his prognosis is "pretty good."Speaking in his first interview since his diagnosis, McCain acknowledged the situation has been tough on his family but says he is optimistic. He says he has "faced other challenges" and he's "very confident about getting through this as well."The 81-year-old Arizona senator says he will have a MRI Monday and that his test results so far have been "excellent."McCain returned to Washin
  
  Read more

• $126M-plus haul breaks Tulane University fundraising record

  10-09-2017 13:12
  NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University in New Orleans has broken its fundraising record, taking in gifts and commitments that exceeded $126 million during the last school year.  The school says more than 20,000 alumni, parents and friends donated during the 2016-17 financial year, the best year for donations in Tulane's 183-year history. The $126 million-plus in new gifts and commitments bested Tulane's five-year average by $20 million.  The increased giving comes a
  
  Read more

• Extension given to submit Louisiana flooding insurance form

  10-09-2017 13:10
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana residents who had damage from last summer's widespread flooding have more time to submit the proof of loss form required for a flood insurance claim.  The deadline's been extended until the end of the year.  FEMA says more than 29,600 claims have been filed with the National Flood Insurance Program from policyholders affected by the August 2016 floods. About 100 claims remain to be processed.  The proof of loss form -
  
  Read more

• Livingston Parish educators give back to Harvey-affected peers

  10-09-2017 12:26
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - Teachers, faculty and staff from Livingston Parish schools are some of the latest to give back to their peers affected by Hurricane Harvey. The schools collected donations for faculty and students in and around the Houston area. "Our schools just wanted to give back," Southside Jr. High principal Wes Partin said. "We can remember when the flood took place, how many people affected our lives." Partin met
  
  Read more

• Hurricane Irma evacuees find shelter in Baton Rouge

  10-09-2017 12:24
  BATON ROUGE - As hotels in other states fill up with Hurricane Irma evacuees, some Floridians are seeking shelter in Baton Rouge. According to a hotel clerk at the Days Inn Motel in Baton Rouge, about 13 Florida natives have checked in since the storm.
   
  Evacuees like David Restuccia and his wife said this was the only hotel they could find since leaving Florida. "We couldn't find a hotel room. All the way here is the only place we could find from Ga
  
  Read more

Follow @BatonRougeNews_ on Twitter!