Baton Rouge news

• Hospital: 1 more person dies from Vegas shooting

  03-10-2017 21:35
  LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas hospital says another person has died from wounds suffered in the weekend shooting.  Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center said the victim died Tuesday afternoon. No details about the person were released and the hospital said it still has 31 people in critical condition.  The additional fatality kept the death toll at 59 after Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg revised his earlier count of victims downward by one.  Th
  
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• White House to seek $29B disaster aid package

  03-10-2017 20:57
  WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is finalizing a $29 billion disaster aid request that combines $16 billion to shore up the government-backed flood insurance program and almost $13 billion in new relief for hurricane victims.
   That's the word from a senior administration official and top Capitol Hill aides.
   The government-guaranteed flood insurance program is maxing out on a $30 billion line of credit from Treasury. The upcoming proposal would erase $16 billion of that d
  
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• Governor Edwards tweets 'stay informed' as forecasters eye tropical disturbance

  03-10-2017 20:19
  BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards said residents need to stay informed as forecasts suggest tropical development could move into the Gulf of Mexico.At the time of this post, the disturbance is located in the Caribbean Sea near Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.The National Hurricane Center predicts the disturbance has a 50 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next two days, and a 70 percent chance of development in the next five days.Forecasts suggest if a tropical
  
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• Puerto Rico raises hurricane's official death count to 34

  03-10-2017 19:34
  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The governor of Puerto Rico says the official death toll from Hurricane Maria has been increased to 34 from 16.  Gov. Ricardo Rossello also says he believes the hurricane caused $90 billion in damage across the island.  The governor made the announcement at a news conference following U.S. President Donald Trump's short visit to the U.S. territory to assess the storm's impact.  During his stop, Trump congratulated Pue
  
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• Country star Jason Aldean cancels tour dates after shooting

  03-10-2017 19:29
  Country star Jason Aldean is cancelling three upcoming tour dates after a mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas out of respect for the victims and to take time to mourn.  The singer was onstage Sunday when a gunman shot at the Route 91 Harvest festival. Aldean said in a statement Tuesday that this weekend's shows scheduled for Los Angeles, San Diego and Anaheim, California, would be cancelled and he would resume his tour on Oct. 12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.&nbsp
  
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• Theater manager fired for giving employees degrading nicknames

  03-10-2017 18:46
  BATON ROUGE - Dozens of Movie Tavern employees are furious after the discovery of a leaked scheduling document labeling over twenty employees as 'peasants'.The document was discovered Sunday by an employee at the Movie Tavern at Citiplace, who brought it to the attention of fellow staff. Employees said a large group was huddled, crying over what they called ‘degrading’ and ‘humiliating’ descriptions. The manager responsible has since bee
  
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• Airlines offer free travel for Las Vegas victims' families

  03-10-2017 18:15
  DALLAS - Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air say they are offering free flights to family members of people who were killed or injured in the Las Vegas shooting.  A Southwest spokeswoman said Tuesday that the offer was good for up to five family members. She said the airline will also help transport bodies of those killed.  A spokeswoman for Allegiant Air says more than a dozen people accepted the airline's offer by midday Tuesday.  At leas
  
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• Authorities seeking masked man after armed robbery in Ascension Parish

  03-10-2017 18:02
  PRAIRIEVILLE - Deputies are seeking a masked man who robbed an Ascension Parish gas station at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, a masked man armed with a handgun entered the Super Stop Gas Station on Highway 73 near Highway 621 around 12:30 a.m. The man was captured on video as he pointed the handgun at the cashier and robbed the store. The sheriff's office says the man was wearing all black clothing and some sort of mask during the rob
  
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• Mother seeks answers following homecoming dress mix-up

  03-10-2017 17:47
  BATON ROUGE - A Denham Springs High School senior is without a dress for homecoming. Her mother, Sundi Freeman-Rodgers called 2 On Your Side because she says this should have never happened.Freeman-Rodgers says she got one excuse after another from a dress boutique on Florida Blvd. in Baton Rouge. The homecoming dance is this Saturday."He said, 'leave the dress with me, I'm going to get on the phone with my reps and if I cannot get the dress I will give you your money back because it was my fau
  
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• Hundreds pay respect to fallen Georgia police officer

  03-10-2017 17:42
  ROCKMART, Ga. - Hundreds of people have filled a Georgia church to say their goodbyes to a fallen officer.  Services were held Tuesday at Victory Baptist Church in Rockmart for Polk County police Detective Kristen Hearne, who was fatally shot Friday when she and Officer David Goodrich investigated a stolen car found beside a rural road. Goodrich's bulletproof vest protected him from serious injury.  The suspected gunman, 31-year-old Seth Brandon Spangler, was
  
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• House passes bill against late-term abortions

  03-10-2017 17:28
  WASHINGTON - Republicans have pushed a bill through the House outlawing most late-term abortions.  A Republican president is waiting in the White House to sign the bill. But the measure won't reach Donald Trump because Senate Democrats have enough votes to kill it with a filibuster - a delaying tactic that takes 60 votes to overcome.  The measure remains a top priority of anti-abortion groups. It would make it a crime to perform an abortion after 20 weeks of
  
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• Man charged with stalking, resisting arrest after disturbance at LSU library

  03-10-2017 16:07
  BATON ROUGE - A spokesperson with LSU says a man was arrested Tuesday after he was seen screaming and resisting officers on the university campus.According to LSU Director of Media Relations Ernie Ballard, Benjamin Schexnayder was arrested on charges of stalking, simple battery, resisting an officer, battery of a police officer, and criminal damage to property.A video posted on social media Tuesday showed Schexnayder's confrontation with campus police at the Middleton
  
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• Ascension, Livingston Parish waterways closed until further notice

  03-10-2017 15:40
  ASCENSION PARISH - Officials in Ascension and Livingston Parishes have announced that all inland waterways will close due to hazardous conditions Tuesday afternoon.Officials with both parishes announced the closures will begin 6 p.m. Tuesday, attributing the decision to high water and debris. The closures will remain in effect until further notice.We've reached out to parish officials for more information.Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Report: Bride's Cake ice cream is back, but only in Louisiana

  03-10-2017 14:47
  NEW ORLEANS - Blue Bell has announced the return of one of its most sought-after flavors. Bride's Cake ice cream is making its return, exclusively in Louisiana.The company told WWL there should be enough to satiate the whole state, which went into a frenzy when the flavor debuted in May for a limited run.“We listened to our consumers and brought back the Bride’s Cake flavor back a lot sooner than we thought,” said Ron Davis, branch manager of New Orleans’
  
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• Man found gunned down on his patio overnight

  03-10-2017 14:31
  BATON ROUGE – A man was found shot to death on the patio of his home overnight.Police said Roosevelt Netter, 52, was gunned down sometime around midnight at his home in the 6300 block of Bluegress Drive near the Zion City area. Netter was shot multiple times, detectives said.Police are investigating who shot him and why, but have no suspects, according to a news release from the Baton Rouge Police department.Check back for updates.  **********************Follow the p
  
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• Small jet with 6 people aboard goes off runway; no injuries

  03-10-2017 14:28
  NEW ORLEANS - A small jet with six people aboard went off the end of a runway at New Orleans' main airport.  No injuries have been reported and commercial flights were not interrupted.  A news release from Louis Armstrong International Airport says a Learjet 35 ran off the end of a runway and came to a stop a little before 8 a.m. Tuesday.  The jet had four crew members and two passengers on board.  Airport spokeswoman Miche
  
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• Judge revives challenge to LGBT religious objections law

  03-10-2017 14:27
  JACKSON, Miss. - Opponents might get another chance to block a Mississippi law that lets government workers or private businesspeople cite religious beliefs to deny services to gay or lesbian couples.  It's considered the broadest religious-objections state law enacted since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.  U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves blocked the Mississippi law before it could take effect in 2016, saying it unconstitutional
  
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• BRPD: 24-year-old killed in early-morning crash on Highland Road

  03-10-2017 13:29
  BATON ROUGE - Police are investigating a deadly single-vehicle crash on Highland Road Tuesday morning.According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, 24-year-old Ardyce Dupuy was traveling in the 1300 block of Highland Road around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday. For reasons unknown, police say Dupuy failed to navigate a turn and crashed into a concrete bridge barrier.Police determined Dupuy was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and he was pronounced dead at
  
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• Trump tours Puerto Rico, contrasts Hurricane Maria with Katrina

  03-10-2017 13:16
  President Donald Trump is touring the storm damage of San Juan and hearing the stories of residents still recovering from Hurricane Maria.  The president is visiting neighborhoods and has told one resident that the governor and the mayor are "doing a good job."  Recently, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz criticized the pace of the federal government's response and drew Trump's scorn.  The president's visit included meetings with her and othe
  
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• Born in same hospital, on same day. Now they're married

  03-10-2017 13:10
  TAUNTON, Mass. - A couple born on the same day at the same Massachusetts hospital have exchanged vows more than two decades later.  The Taunton Gazette reports that Jessica Gomes and Aaron Bairos got married Sept. 9. Each was born on April 28, 1990, at Morton Hospital in Taunton.  The two did not grow up together. Aaron grew up in Taunton. Jessica first lived in Raynham and later moved to the city.  They met through mutual friends in high sc
  
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• US Army: Louisiana-based Texas soldier killed by IED in Iraq

  03-10-2017 13:01
  FORT DRUM, N.Y. - U.S. Army officials say a soldier from Texas serving with the 10th Mountain Division's Louisiana-based brigade combat team has been killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.  Officials at Fort Drum in northern New York say 20-year-old Spc. Alexander Missildine, of Tyler, Texas, was killed Sunday when an IED detonated near his convoy.  Missildine served with the division's 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team based
  
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• Crews responding to reported shooting on Bawell Street

  03-10-2017 12:53
  BATON ROUGE - Police are on the scene of a reported shooting on Bawell Street.Initial reports suggested the shooting happened on Bawell Street near College Drive.Details are limited at this time.WBRZ has a crew on scene.This is a developing story check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• 22-year-old injured in shooting on Bawell St.

  03-10-2017 12:53
  BATON ROUGE - An unidentified 22-year-old male remains in a Baton Rouge hospital suffering from what police say are life threatening gunshot wounds.The victim was pulled from a bullet riddled vehicle on Bawell St. near Balis Dr. around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
  Baton Rouge Police say there are no motives or suspects at this time.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Former Southern Lab head football coach files lawsuit

  03-10-2017 12:28
  BATON ROUGE - Former Southern Lab head football coach Marcus Randall filed a lawsuit against Southern Lab Tuesday.Randall was terminated in August after a Louisiana High School Athletic Association investigation revealed a number of alleged recruiting violations."I did not recruit players to come play for Southern Lab," Randall said.According to the lawsuit, both the LHSAA and Southern Lab failed to cooperate and release information Randall had requested. He said he hasn't seen any of the docum
  
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• LSU professor, others with Livingston Parish science observatory win Nobel Prize

  03-10-2017 09:30
  LIVINGSTON – An LSU professor and other staff associated with the LIGO center in Livingston Parish which proved Albert Einstein's theory of relativity were awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physics.WBRZ.com reported extensively on the discovery in February 2016 – click HERE for more. Then, LIGO – short for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory – released its findings after it detected gravitational waves from the collision of two black
  
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• Man arrested on numerous charges after police chase ends on College Drive

  03-10-2017 07:04
  BATON ROUGE - An early-morning chase involving Louisiana State Police caused traffic to back up near I-10W and College Drive Tuesday morning. According to LSP First Class Trooper Bryan Lee, the chase began on Airline Highway near Stumberg Lane. Authorities followed 31-year-old Alvin Lathers of Port Allen until he pulled over after the I-10/I-12 merge. Lathers was taken into custody at the College exit. He was booked on numerous charges, including hit-and-run driving,
  
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• Early morning car chase ends at I-10W near College Dr

  03-10-2017 07:04
  BATON ROUGE - An early morning chase between a suspect and Louisiana State Police caused traffic to back up near I-10W and College Drive Tuesday morning. According to LSP First Class Trooper Bryan Lee, the chase began on Highway 61 near Stumberg Lane. Authorities followed the suspect until they pulled over after the I-10/I-12 merge. The suspect is now in custody. The name of the suspect nor the reason for the chase have been released. This is a devel
  
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• Las Vegas death toll rises to 59, no clear connection to terrorism

  03-10-2017 06:35
  At least 59 people were killed and 527 injured in Las Vegas Sunday night when a gunman opened fire on a music festival crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in what is now the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.The death toll from the incident could possibly go up, said Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg in a press conference Monday afternoon.Jason Aldean was the headliner of Sunday night's concert; video showed him rushing off the stage amid the gunfire. Othe
  
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• Man shot, crawls to nearby fire station off Old Jefferson Hwy.

  03-10-2017 04:29
  BATON ROUGE - Ascension Parish and East Baton Rouge authorities say one man was shot and crawled to a nearby fire station late Monday night. According to Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office Lt. Col. Bobby Webre, the shooting happened around 11:45 p.m. near Old Jefferson Hwy. The victim was shot multiple times before crawling to a fire station on Hoo Shoo Too Road. Emergency responders then took the victim to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Perm
  
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• Russia says its strikes killed hundreds of Islamic State members

  03-10-2017 04:16
  MOSCOW - Russia's military says its airstrikes in eastern Syria this week killed more than 300 Islamic State militants.  Russia has been a major backer of Syria's President Bashar Assad whose government troops have been advancing in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour against IS under the cover of Russian airstrikes.  Meanwhile, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are also marching against the Islamic State group, backed by the U.S.-led coalition.&n
  
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