Baton Rouge news

• Escaped Angola inmate back in custody

  14-09-2017 20:59
  ST. FRANCISVILLE - A Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate has been captured by authorities after an escape Thursday evening.Emmanuel Scott was captured on the roof of Camp D after 9 p.m., according to Assistant Warden of Programming Gary Young. He says Scott has been incarcerated at Angola since 2009, convicted of second-degree murder in Caddo Parish in 2009.Young says all security procedures, including emergency calls to residents, boat teams in the river, and chase teams in place, were activat
  
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• Livingston Parish cutting property taxes as flood victims rebuild

  14-09-2017 19:50
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - Gwen Jackson and her husband have been living in a one-bedroom FEMA trailer in Denham Springs for almost a year."It's tight, but I thank God because we could have been outside. But God blessed us to have this unit right on our property," Jackson said.The trailer sits in front of their 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom home that's being fully restored. Everything is being replaced, from floors, to ceiling fans, to a new kitchen sink.Even though the Jacksons haven't lived in th
  
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• Crash, possible fuel leak closes I-10 near LA 415

  14-09-2017 19:42
  PORT ALLEN - A crash has shut down a portion of I-10 East Thursday night.  Authorities a crash and a reported fuel leak prompted the closure of the interstate near LA 415 around 7:30 p.m. There is currently no word on injuries.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Prairieville juvenile shot in apparent home invasion

  14-09-2017 15:42
  PRAIRIEVILLE- The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is currently investigating reports of a home invasion that occurred Thursday around five in the morning.A juvenile was shot and taken to the hospital after the reported home invasion on Northwood Alley off Highway 73. That's located between Airline Highway and I-10.  Investigators said three men entered the house wearing masks demanding money."A struggle ensued with the people who entered the home and the residents there," Col. Bobby
  
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• Drainage ditch dug following 2 On Your Side report

  14-09-2017 15:30
  DENHAM SPRINGS - For years, a Denham Springs woman has watched has her property fills with water every time it rains. Good news came this week and an excavator crew showed up to level the property in question.Mae Callahan lives along Tuck Lane in Robinhood Subdivision and for the past 17 years, she's been holding her breath after every storm, curious how far the water will reach. It's rotted out the bottom of her tool shed and it's surrounded her home. When the water recedes, debris and trash m
  
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• LSU collecting donations for hurricane victims

  14-09-2017 14:49
  BATON ROUGE – LSU is planning a donation drive for victims of Hurricane Harvey over the upcoming weekend.The school will collect items for victims of Hurricane Harvey on Sunday, September 17 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Winn-Dixie parking lot on the corner of Lee and Burbank Drive.The LSU football 18-wheeler will be on location at Winn-Dixie on Sunday and will serve as the drop off point for donated items.Donated items will be distributed to victims in southeast Texas including
  
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• Sheriff: Fire chief cleared in wife's shooting death

  14-09-2017 14:45
  COVINGTON - A Louisiana sheriff says a local fire chief has been cleared in the shooting that killed his wife before her home burned down in July.  St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith said in a news release Thursday that District 12 Fire Chief Stephen Krentel has cooperated fully with investigators looking into Melissa Krentel's death.  He also said detectives are still waiting for some lab results, and that's why he said in a news release Wednesday that h
  
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• Officials: Fire chief cleared in wife's death; fire was set

  14-09-2017 14:45
  COVINGTON - A Louisiana sheriff says a local fire chief has been cleared in the shooting that killed his wife before their home burned down in July.  And the state fire marshal's chief deputy, Brant Thompson, says the fire was intentionally set.  St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith said Thursday that District 12 Fire Chief Stephen Krentel has cooperated fully with the investigation of Melissa Krentel's death.  He also said detectives are
  
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• Authorities seeking Most Wanted fugitive with ties to Baton Rouge

  14-09-2017 14:20
  AUSTIN – A suspected human trafficker with ties to the  Baton Rouge area has been added to the Texas Department of Public Safety's most wanted list.DPS has added Herman Henry Fox, 35, to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, and a cash reward of up to $5,000 is now being offered for information leading to his capture. Fox is wanted for trafficking of persons and compelling prostitution by force/threat.Fox has been wanted since July 2017 and has ties to Baton Rouge, Louisia
  
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• 57-year-old man booked for sexual battery of juvenile

  14-09-2017 14:03
  THIBODAUX- A 57-year-old man has been arrested after he was accused of 'forcibly fondling' a juvenile in June.In August, juvenile detectives with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation after learning Kenneth McDonalds allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact with a child under 15 years old.McDonald turned himself in Tuesday and was booked with sexual battery (forcible fondling). He was released the same day after posting a $75,000 bond.Permal
  
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• La. attorney general objects to anti-discrimination proposal

  14-09-2017 13:44
  BATON ROUGE- Attorney General Jeff Landry says an anti-discrimination proposal being considered by the state bar association to govern Louisiana's lawyers is overly broad and would violate the U.S. Constitution.The proposed professional conduct rule would prohibit Louisiana lawyers from discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status or disability. Lawyers can face disciplinary action if they violate conduct rules.Landry's office issued t
  
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• Governor travels to D.C. to discuss Comite River diversion canal funding

  14-09-2017 13:37
  BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards will travel to Washington, D.C. Monday to  meet with the Commanding General and Chief of Engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the long-delayed Comite River Diversion Canal.The project, intended to be funded by the Corps, has been delayed since it was first approved in 1992.  Following the 2016 floods, Gov. Edwards and members of the Louisiana legislature have met regularly to determine ways to move this proj
  
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• Police on scene of reported shooting on Alaska Street

  14-09-2017 13:30
  BATON ROUGE - Emergency crews are responding to a reported shooting on Alaska Street.The shooting occurred after 11 p.m. in the 3000 block of Alaska Street, in a park between Aster and West Roosevelt streets.While officials did not immediately release details on the victim's condition, witnesses on scene said it appeared as though the shooting could be fatal.This is a developing story. Check back for details.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police investigating fatal shooting on Alaska Street

  14-09-2017 13:30
  BATON ROUGE - Police are investigating a fatal shooting on Alaska Street Thursday evening.The shooting occurred after 11 p.m. in the 3000 block of Alaska Street, in a park between Aster and West Roosevelt streets.BRPD officials confirm the shooting was fatal. No other details were immediately available.This is a developing story. Check back for details.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police identify victim in Alaska Street shooting

  14-09-2017 13:30
  BATON ROUGE - Police are investigating a fatal shooting on Alaska Street Thursday evening.The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Donald Smart.The shooting occurred after 11 p.m. in the 3000 block of Alaska Street, in a park between Aster and West Roosevelt streets. Smart was found lying in the roadway suffering multiple gunshot wounds.He died at the scene. At this time authorities do not have a suspect or motive.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Federal Trade Commission investigating Equifax breach

  14-09-2017 13:23
  NEW YORK - The Federal Trade Commission has become the latest entity to announce an investigation into the security breach at Equifax.  The FTC said Thursday that it was opening an investigation into how Equifax got hacked and 143 million Americans' personal information was either accessed or stolen. Typically the FTC does not disclose who it is investigating, but the agency said the high amount of attention in this case made it necessary.  The FTC is not the
  
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• Mother of 3 claims $2M Powerball prize

  14-09-2017 12:49
  BATON ROUGE- A woman cashed in a $2 million winning Powerball ticket the day before her 26 birthday.On September 5, Sarah Hebert cashed in the winning ticket at the Louisiana Lottery Headquarters.Hebert purchased her winning ticket days before the historic August 23 drawing for the $758.7 million jackpot.  The mother of three said she plans to invest a portion of the prize money for her children, ages 2, 4 and 8. Hebert received $1,400,000 after state and federal tax withholdings.Heber
  
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• All Baton Rouge Police Chief applicants approved

  14-09-2017 12:04
  BATON ROUGE- All 12 of the applicants that applied for the Baton Rouge Police Chief position have been approve by the board.The Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board just confirmed that all the candidates met initial qualifications.The next step is for applicants to take the Police Chief Civil Service Test on October 10, then a review of the scores on November 16.Applicants are: Shawn Lee Caldwell, Lake Charles Police; Myron K. Daniels, Baton Rouge Police; Sharon Williams Dougl
  
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• Passenger volume was up at BTR in August despite Hurricane Harvey

  14-09-2017 09:58
  BATON ROUGE- Passenger enplanements was up 12 percent in August at the Baton Rouge Metro Airport despite several Houston flight cancellations on United due to Hurricane Harvey.BTR said year-to-date enplanements are up 4.2 percent. There was a total of 61,930 passengers that traveled through the airport last month, and 508,193 year-to-date.Airport officials say increased seating capacity due to the use of larger aircraft at BTR was a big factor in the uptick in passenger volume.BTR’s p
  
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• Homeowner "bumrushed" shoots, kills suspected intruder

  14-09-2017 08:45
  LAPLACE- A Louisiana homeowner has shot and killed a man accused of breaking into his house.Local news outlets report the 32-year-old told authorities he opened his backdoor after hearing people talking in his yard Tuesday night. Authorities say the homeowner shot 27-year-old Kalvin Ferrygood after he entered through the backdoor and "bumrushed" the owner.St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre says Ferrygood was struck once in the abdomen, even though the LaPlace homeowner fired severa
  
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• Weiner seeks leniency at his sexting sentencing

  14-09-2017 08:06
  NEW YORK-Lawyers for disgraced former New York congressman Anthony Weiner say he's no predator and have asked a judge to spare him prison when he's sentenced for transmitting obscene material to a 15-year-old North Carolina girl.Weiner's attorneys portrayed him sympathetically when they filed papers Wednesday with his sentencing judge. The papers argue Weiner is a better man than when he committed the crime. They say his crime stemmed from a sad confluence of untreated addiction and profit-seek
  
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• Medicare card remake to protect seniors

  14-09-2017 07:44
  WASHINGTON- Medicare cards are getting a makeover to fight identity theft.Medicare is replacing the Social Security numbers on cards with a unique new number to identify beneficiaries. The government will begin mailing new cards to participants next April, a massive transition expected to take a year.Medicare chief Seema Verma says it's about protecting increasingly vulnerable seniors from fraud.Medicare is revealing the cards' new design on Thursday, as the agency gears up for the change and b
  
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• Mattis' message: US is not intimidated by North Korea

  14-09-2017 07:38
  MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D.- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is delivering a subtle message with his visit to a North Dakota nuclear weapons base: America is a mature nuclear power not intimidated by threats from an upstart North Korean leader who flaunts his emerging nuclear muscle.Mattis on Wednesday inspected a mock-up nuclear warhead, but there was no Kim Jong Un-like posing for photographs. He chatted with nuclear missile launch officers in their underground command post, but there was no talk
  
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• Sean Spicer pressed as 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' guest

  14-09-2017 06:58
  NEW YORK- It was a different Sean Spicer who paid a visit to ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."This was a smiling, chill Spicer on Wednesday night, in marked contrast to the six hot-tempered months he spent as White House Press Secretary that ended with his resignation in July.Spicer took Kimmel's ribbing in much better spirits than the grilling the White House press corps dished out.But if Kimmel thought Spicer would dish dirt on Republican President Donald Trump, he was disappointed. Spicer insisted
  
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• Japan: North Korea threat to sink Japan is 'outrageous'

  14-09-2017 06:48
  TOKYO- Japan's top government spokesman has called a North Korean threat to sink Japan with a nuclear bomb extremely provocative and outrageous.Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday that the statement distributed by North Korea's state news service "significantly escalates tensions in the region."The statement from a group called the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee attacked the United States for leading a push for stronger U.N. sanctions against North Korea, as well as Japan f
  
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• China mourns death of oldest panda

  14-09-2017 06:39
  BEIJING- China is mourning the death of the world's oldest panda, Basi, who passed away at the age of 37.Caretakers in the eastern city of Fuzhou said Basi was suffering from a number of ailments, including liver and kidney problems, when she died Wednesday.Her body is to be preserved and placed in a museum dedicated to her life.Pandas are generally considered old after reaching 20 but can live for many more years in captivity, where they can be treated for diseases and shielded from accidents.
  
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• Man gets 20-year-sentence in Louisiana child porn case

  14-09-2017 05:58
  NEW ORLEANS- A Louisiana man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal child pornography charge.The U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans says 30-year-old Giorgio Cosenza of Gretna was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt. Cosenza also was ordered to register as a sex offender.Prosecutors said in a news release that the FBI searched Cosenza's home April 14, 2016. They had obtained a warrant after he posted an online advertisement and to
  
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• Louisiana National Guard deploys 75 soldiers to Afghanistan

  14-09-2017 01:42
  BOSSIER CITY - Family and friends have bid farewell to 75 soldiers with the Louisiana National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Company who are headed to Afghanistan.  Lt. Col. Jonathan Lloyd, commander of the HHC's 165th Combat Sustainment and Support Battalion, says the Bossier City-based unit left Monday for a 10-month deployment to assist with logistical operations in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan.  Lloyd says the 165th's mis
  
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