Baton Rouge news

• Mayor-President Broome releases statement on recent deadly shootings

  18-09-2017 21:36
  BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome released a statement Monday night regarding two recent shooting deaths that police say are related. The fatal shootings took place last week on Florida Blvd. and Alaska Street.Read the full statement below:"I commend the BRPD for its work on the investigation surrounding the two apparently related homicides in our community. I have confidence that they, along with the district attorney, will bring closure to this inves
  
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• Senate approves $700 billion defense policy bill

  18-09-2017 20:45
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has approved a defense policy bill that authorizes a $700 billion Pentagon budget.  The measure sailed through the chamber, 89-8, even though lawmakers have yet to agree on a plan for waiving restrictions imposed by a six-year-old law to control government spending.  The Senate bill would provide $640 billion for core Pentagon operations, such as buying weapons and paying troops, and another $60 billion for wartime missions in Afghanis
  
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• Man shot multiple times on Crestwood Street, suspect in custody

  18-09-2017 19:50
  BATON ROUGE - A man was reportedly shot multiple times on Crestwood Street Monday evening.According to authorities, the shooting occurred in the 3000 block of Crestwood Street around 7:30 p.m.The male victim was transported to a local hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to authorities. His injuries appear to be life threatening at this time, according to Baton Rouge Police.One person has been taken into custody in relation to the shooting, according to BRPD.This
  
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• Report: Tourist chased down, beaten and robbed in French Quarter

  18-09-2017 19:39
  NEW ORLEANS - An out-of-towner says he was chased down, beaten with a baseball bat and robbed in New Orleans Thursday night.According to a report from WWL, 33-year-old Kevin Guin was in town for a bachelor when two men attacked him with a baseball bat in the French Quarter. Guin's brother, Jason, told WWL that he had left a club around 11 p.m. to head back to his hotel. Guin apparently took a wrong turn, and that's when he was attacked.When officers arrived on the sce
  
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• Police say more than 120 arrested in Sunday protests

  18-09-2017 19:24
  ST. LOUIS - St. Louis police say 123 people were arrested Sunday, all but three of them for failure to disperse, and most of them occurred after hundreds of officers in riot gear filled downtown streets near midnight and cleared them in response to demonstrators vandalizing businesses.  Protests began Friday after a judge found a white former police officer not guilty in the 2011 shooting death of a black suspect.  Hundreds held a nonviolent protest downtown
  
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• Maria strengthens into Category 5 hurricane

  18-09-2017 19:13
  MIAMI - Forecasters say Hurricane Maria has become a Category 5 storm as the eye nears Dominica.  The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Monday evening that Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter planes found that Maria had strengthened into a storm with 160 mph (260 kph) winds.  The hurricane is about 15 miles (25 kilometers) east-southeast of Dominica and moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).Permalink| Comments
  
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• Hurricane Maria moves onshore in Dominica

  18-09-2017 19:13
  MIAMI - The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the eye wall of Category 5 Maria is moving onshore over Dominica.  Forecasters say that the "potentially catastrophic" hurricane with 160 mph (260 kph) winds will likely travel over the Leeward Islands and the extreme northeast Caribbean through Monday night and Tuesday.  They expect Hurricane Maria will approach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Tuesday night and Wednesday.  Maria coul
  
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• Slender Man juror: Doctors' testimony key to finding

  18-09-2017 19:05
  MILWAUKEE (AP) - One of 10 jurors who decided a Wisconsin girl was mentally ill when she helped stab a classmate to please the fictional horror character Slender Man says the most powerful evidence was testimony by medical experts.  Anissa Weier, now 15, will go to a mental hospital rather than prison after Friday's verdict. Weier and a co-defendant, Morgan Geyser, admitted to stabbing a classmate in a Waukesha park in 2014, but Weier argued she was mentally ill and not respon
  
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• Texas woman arrested in Metairie after allegedly shooting, dismembering boyfriend

  18-09-2017 18:20
  BAYTOWN, Texas - Police in Louisiana have arrested a Texas woman accused of shooting and dismembering her boyfriend, and dumping parts of his body in southeast Texas.  Police say 30-year-old Cierra Sutton was jailed without bond following her Thursday arrest in Metairie.  Jail records don't list an attorney for Sutton, who lives in Baytown, just east of Houston and about 85 miles (137 kilometers) from the Texas-Louisiana border.  Investigato
  
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• School bus involved in Staring Lane crash Monday afternoon

  18-09-2017 15:53
  BATON ROUGE – A school bus was involved in a crash on Staring Lane Monday afternoon.About fifty students were on the bus when it collided with another vehicle near the intersection of High Point. There are few details available as of this post about the crash, though it did not appear that there were any serious injuries. Authorities say about 50 children were on the bus at the time of the crash.Traffic in the area was heavy immediately after the wreck.Click HERE for live tra
  
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• Four children hurt in school bus crash Monday afternoon

  18-09-2017 15:53
  BATON ROUGE – Four children were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a bus was involved in a crash on Staring Lane Monday afternoon.About fifty students were on the bus when it collided with another vehicle near the intersection of High Point. Four students were transported from the scene, but no serious injuries were reported.Authorities say about 50 children were on the bus at the time of the crash.Traffic in the area was heavy immediately after the wreck.Click HERE for
  
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• Man leads police on high-speed chase, returns borrowed vehicle

  18-09-2017 15:11
  BATON ROUGE - A high-speed police chase along I-110 ended near downtown Baton Rouge after the driver returned the vehicle to its rightful owner Monday afternoon.According to Louisiana State Police, the chase began on I-110 in the Zachary area and reached South Baton Rouge around 3 p.m.Troopers say they spotted the vehicle speeding and gave chase after the driver refused to stop on I-110 South. The chase ended around 15 minutes later after the vehicle came to a stop on Peach Street.&
  
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• Man in horror-film mask shoots 3 in Mississippi; 1 killed

  18-09-2017 14:23
  JACKSON, Miss. - Police say a man wearing a Jason Voorhees mask from the horror movie "Friday the 13th" shot three people in Mississippi, killing one and injuring two.  The Clarion-Ledger reports that 30-year-old Kendrick Hughes was shot dead at the Pine Ridge Apartments in Jackson on Sunday afternoon. Two others were injured. Their conditions were not known Monday.  Sgt. Derrick Jordan says the suspect came from behind one of the apartment buildings with a h
  
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• New Orleans' inspector general stepping down

  18-09-2017 14:18
  NEW ORLEANS - The inspector general for the city of New Orleans says he's taking a leave of absence for health reasons and will step down from the office when his term ends on Oct. 19.  Ed Quatrevaux has served as inspector general since 2009. The city created the inspector general post in 2006 to root out waste and corruption in city government.  In New Orleans, the post is appointed by the city's ethics review board, which has already begun a search for can
  
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• Victory for a convicted ex-mayor at Louisiana Supreme Court

  18-09-2017 14:10
  NEW ORLEANS- The former mayor of a Louisiana city has won a new trial on a malfeasance charge.Leslie Thompson is the former mayor of Jonesboro in north Louisiana. He was convicted in 2013 on three counts of malfeasance. In one count, prosecutors said he illegally denied the state legislative auditor access to Jonesboro's financial records. Two other counts said he used city money to pay benefits to people who weren't eligible for them.On Monday, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled there was insuf
  
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• Friend talks about killing of homeless man

  18-09-2017 14:01
  BATON ROUGE- A friend of a homeless man who was shot to death in Baton Rouge last week says he heard the gunshots but did not see the shooter.Terrell Griffin has a food stand in a parking lot less than a block from where 59-year-old Bruce Cofield was gunned down about a week ago. Griffin said Monday that he waited for the gunfire to quiet before he ran over to find his friend lying face-down on the ground.He said he didn't see a shooter but spoke to others who did see a white man fire
  
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• Tulane Medical School gets $25 million gift for research

  18-09-2017 13:48
  NEW ORLEANS- Tulane University School of Medicine has received its largest donation ever: $25 million, to support research.The school will rename its Department of Medicine for John W. Deming, a medical school graduate who died in 1996, at age 76.Medical school dean Dr. Lee Hamm said in a news release Monday that the money will provide critical support to launch the careers of junior investigators while also helping senior faculty members.Deming's wife, Bertie Deming Smith, says she wanted to h
  
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• Episcopal investigating alleged sexual assault involving employee, former student

  18-09-2017 12:52
  BATON ROUGE - Episcopal School of Baton Rouge released a statement regarding an alleged sexual assault involving an employee and former student.According to the statement, law enforcement, along with a special board appointed by the school, are separately investigating the incident that reportedly took place several years ago.Read the full statement below:"Episcopal has been informed very recently of an allegation of sexual assault concerning an employee
  and a former student. Steps began prompt
  
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• Residents receive update on Comite River Diversion Canal Project

  18-09-2017 12:28
  GREENWELL SPRINGS - Residents attended a Comite River Diversion Canal community meeting Monday night to discuss what's holding up the project.State representatives, senators, and the City of Central mayor attended Monday's meeting to give an update on the project."We have got to fix the problem, we can't put it off we cant kick the can down the road. And why would should we? We have the money now." State Representative Valerie Hodges said. Fighting on the behalf of her constit
  
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• Man arrested for firing gun from vehicle while intoxicated

  18-09-2017 12:09
  MORGAN CITY- A man was arrested Saturday after firing a gun from a vehicle while intoxicated.The Morgan City Police Department said a patrol officer was working a security detail when they observed a gun being fired from a dark colored SUV traveling on Victor II Boulevard. An off-duty officer was able to follow the SUV until patrol officers arrived.The vehicle was stopped in the area of Federal Avenue. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Arturo Garcia, who authorities say was intoxicate
  
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• Police identify victim in deadly I-110 crash

  18-09-2017 09:58
  UPDATE: Police have identified the victim as Jose Zavala of Houma.According to BRPD, Zavala's vehicle had broken down on the interstate and he was trying to flag down assistance when he was struck by another vehicle.He was pronounced dead at the scene.The crash remains under investigation.*****BATON ROUGE- A fatal crash closed I-110 North at Mohican Street Monday morning.Sources say one person has died in the crash and four were injured.The accident occurred just before 10 am
  
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• Woman pled guilty in fatal stabbing of boyfriend

  18-09-2017 09:24
  ASCENSION- A 21-year-old woman has pled guilty to negligent homicide and illegal carrying of weapons for killing her boyfriend in 2015.Jonqualya Benton, then 19, was arrested for stabbing her 21-year-old boyfriend Deshad Perry.According to authorities Benton and Perry had gotten into an argument that turned physical. Benton grabbed a knife and stabbed her boyfriend in the chest one time.The incident took place at the home the two shared in the 18000 block of Pinehurst Drive.At the scen
  
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• LSU AgCenter finalizes medical marijuna contract

  18-09-2017 08:18
  BATON ROUGE- The LSU AgCenter has finalized its agreement with GB Sciences Louisiana LLC, to produce medical cannabis.The products will be for qualified patients in Louisiana.GB Sciences, a cannabis company focused on biopharmaceutical development, will produce medical cannabis under the LSU AgCenter’s license for patients with very specific conditions.In compliance with the Alison Neustrom Act, approved medical care providers will oversee patients with debilitating conditions, includ
  
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• Person of interest in two deadly shootings out on bail

  18-09-2017 07:11
  BATON ROUGE - A person of interest in connection with two deadly shootings in Baton Rouge has bonded out of jail Monday.The first shooting occurred Tuesday night on Florida Boulevard. Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was found shot multiple times.The second shooting happened on Thursday night. Donald Smart was found the same way, shot multiple times on Alaska street. Smart was gunned down on his walk to work at the popular LSU diner Louie’s Café.“The suspect shot
  
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• Person of interest in deadly shootings out on bail

  18-09-2017 07:11
  BATON ROUGE- A person of interest in connection with two deadly shootings in Baton Rouge is out of jail this morning.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office is investigating 23-year-old Kenneth Gleason's connection to the slayings on Florida Boulevard and Alaska Street last week.EBRSO homicide division and Baton Rouge Police Department were investigation the fatal shootings. During the investigation, BRPD detectives identified Gleason as a suspect.The deadly sh
  
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• Three squirrels apprehended following 6 attacks on humans

  18-09-2017 06:56
  NEW ORLEANS- Following reports of up to six attacks on humans, three squirrels have been apprehended in New Orleans.News outlets report New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control put out traps near St. Pius X Catholic Church last Wednesday after multiple people reported being attacked by aggressive squirrels in the Lake Vista area, with one assault caught on camera.The victims include one man who is undergoing rabies shots after being bitten and two parishioners who were attacked in the c
  
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• Top US diplomat says closing embassy in Cuba 'under review'

  18-09-2017 06:46
  NEW YORK- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the Trump administration is considering closing down the U.S. Embassy in Havana following unexplained incidents that have affected the health of American diplomats.Tillerson's comments are the strongest indication to date that the United States might mount a major diplomatic response, potentially jeopardizing the historic restart of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. The former foes reopened embassies in Washington and Havana in 2015 after a hal
  
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• Three Baton Rouge museums showcase Louisiana in World War I

  18-09-2017 06:39
  Three exhibits about Louisiana's part in World War I will include a walk-through simulation of a trench and dugout on the Western Front, propaganda posters and a vase crafted from a spent artillery shell.The Louisiana State Museum's Capitol Park Museum , the Old State Capitol Museum and the USS Kidd Veterans Museum all will hold free receptions on Sept. 28 to open the exhibits.The exhibit of propaganda posters at the castle-shaped Old State Capitol will close Dec. 17. The Capital Park Museum ex
  
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• Major crash on Hwy 74 jams traffic

  18-09-2017 06:26
  ASCENSION- State police are working a crash that occurred on Highway 74 between Bluff Road and Hwy 3115.The crash took place between Dutchtown and St. Gabriel early Monday morning.DOTD is diverting traffic onto LA 73 South to LA 30 North.Police say there were two vehicles involved in the crash, and one was overturned. The overturned vehicle is causing major delays.Injuries are being reported as non-life threatening, police say.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Hwy 74 now open after major crash

  18-09-2017 06:26
  ASCENSION-All lanes are open on LA 74 after an early morning crash shut down the roadway part of the highway.State police responded to the crash that took place between Dutchtown and St. Gabriel early Monday morning.Police say there were two vehicles involved in the crash, and one was overturned.Injuries are non-life threatening, police say.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Trump: Fate of Iran nuclear deal hangs on tough UN policing

  18-09-2017 06:08
  VIENNA- U.S. President Donald Trump is warning that Washington will walk away from a nuclear deal it agreed to with Iran if it deems that the U.N. agency monitoring the agreement is not tough enough in monitoring it.In a message Monday to a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency read by U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Trump says "we will not accept a weakly enforced or inadequately monitored deal."But Iran says the greatest threat to the deal is "the American administration's overl
  
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