Baton Rouge news

• President Trump approves Pre-Disaster Emergency Declaration for 17 parishes

  06-10-2017 20:30
  BATON ROUGE - President Trump has approved Governor John Bel Edward's Pre-Disaster Emergency Declaration for 17 Louisiana parishes.The declaration gives Louisiana easier access to federal response resources in the event that they may become necessary following Tropical Storm Nate.“I appreciate the speed and decisiveness with which President Trump granted our Pre-Disaster Emergency Declaration request in anticipation of Tropical Storm Nate making landfall along our coast,” sa
  
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• Louisiana Guard assault helicopter unit deploys

  06-10-2017 18:24
  HAMMOND - More than 140 soldiers with the Louisiana National Guard's 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment, have bid farewell to family and friends during a deployment ceremony.  The Hammond-based unit, known as Task Force Voodoo, deployed Friday afternoon for nine months to Kuwait and other locations to provide aerial medical evacuation support and equipment and personnel transport in support of Operations Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve. &
  
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• Saturday programming for football, Nate coverage

  06-10-2017 17:37
  WBRZ will broadcast extended newscasts this weekend to pass along important information dealing with the weather system Nate.CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FORECASTWBRZ newscasts SATURDAY EVENING:WBRZ News 2 at 6:00WBRZ News 2 at NINE(seen on antenna channel 2.2; cable channels 11, 1011 and 2; and streaming live HERE on WBRZ.com and Facebook Live)WBRZ News 2 at 10:00In addition to scheduled newscasts, WBRZ will show a special report during the half-time show of the afternoon and late footba
  
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• Riverside communities take precautions ahead of Nate

  06-10-2017 17:24
  SPRINGFIELD – Some people along popular boating areas have removed boats from the water or secured them ahead of a potential impact from Nate this weekend.People in the Riverscape neighborhood of Livingston Parish spent Friday planning for rising water. Already, water is higher than usual and they don't want to take any chances."Since we are a waterfront community, the water can rise up over the bulkhead... and push the boat into the yard," resident Michael Cox said.While he and other
  
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• Some evacuate to Ascension to escape Nate

  06-10-2017 17:17
  GONZALES - As people here make plans for possible impact of rain bands from Nate, some are spending the weekend in Ascension Parish having left low-lying areas of Louisiana."Back home, the water is rising," Robert Ferrygood said Friday as he spent the afternoon fishing. He and his wife left their home in LaPlace, worried the area would flood similar to how it did during Isaac."...ISaac and Gustav really did a number," he said. "Ferrygood said he heard some low-lying areas of the River Parishes
  
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• National Guard positions resources in Baton Rouge, other areas ahead of Nate landfall

  06-10-2017 16:55
  BATON ROUGE - High water vehicles are stationed in Baton Rouge and five other parishes as the state prepares for Nate.CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FORECASTThe Louisiana National Guard has mobilized approximately 650 soldiers.  The soldiers are ready to respond to potential flooding and wind damage this weekend.The Guard as high water vehicles and boats in Orleans, Terrebonne, St. John the Baptist, East Baton Rouge, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.  Guardsmen are als
  
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• Angola rodeo canceled this weekend

  06-10-2017 16:33
  ANGOLA - The annual Angola Rodeo for this weekend has been canceled.The state prison system, which organizes the rodeo at the state prison north of Baton Rouge, said it had to cancel Sunday's event out of an abundance of caution related to the expected Saturday landfall of tropical system Nate. Ticket holders will be refunded their money.  The prison is working on a plan to get the money back to ticket holders.Click HERE for the forecast. ***********************Follow
  
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• City plans three-district blight fight Saturday

  06-10-2017 15:51
  BATON ROUGE – The city will step up its blight control efforts this weekend in a sweeping operation unrelated to the weather system expected to impact Louisiana late Saturday evening.The city announced crews will deploy a special cleaning crew to the streets Saturday, targeting illegal yard signs on city right of ways and utility poles. Crews will also pick up litter and trash along major streets and roadways along with trash and debris piles and also illegal tire dumps.Crews will hea
  
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• Iberville Parish to discuss strict new law protecting the American flag

  06-10-2017 15:32
  PLAQUEMINE – Parish leaders are set to discuss a strict new law that would ban anyone from damaging or defacing an American flag.The proposal would also cover the parish's flag along with the Louisiana state flag. Penalties range from a six-month stay in jail to a $1,000 fine.According to the proposal, any “word, mark, design or advertisement of any nature” on the flags would be outlawed. In addition, the flags would be protected from what is described as public mu
  
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• Southeastern University encourages students to go home due to Tropical Storm Nate

  06-10-2017 14:58
  HAMMOND- Southeastern University encouraged students to go home for the weekend and changed its football kickoff time to account for the approach of Tropical Storm Nate. Southeastern students and faculty received a message from the university Friday morning encouraging them to head home for the weekend. The school asked those staying on campus to notify the housing office so the university staff can better prepare an emergency plan. Saturday's game kickoff has been mo
  
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• CATS suspends Saturday night, Sunday morning service over Nate concerns

  06-10-2017 14:15
  BATON ROUGE – CATS will suspend public transportation service at 6:30 p.m. Saturday due to concern over Nate.Public buses will not run between 6:30 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. Bus service will resume Sunday at noon, the agency said in a news release.Click HERE for the latest forecast.  ********************Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz Permalink| Comments
  
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• Cruise ship passenger records rocky waves in Gulf

  06-10-2017 14:00
  NEW ORLEANS – Cruise ship passengers are experiencing rough conditions in the Gulf of Mexico due to Nate.Video posted Friday morning by passengers on a ship sailing from New Orleans toward Mexico recorded high waves and a slightly rocking ship. The video appears to be recording conditions as the ship sails south – when the camera is pointed south, the skies are darker but sunshine peeks through clouds from the rear of the ship – likely a more northern direction.The
  
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• Police: Motorcyclist killed in North St. crash

  06-10-2017 13:34
  BATON ROUGE – A motorcyclist died in a crash on North Street.Baton Rouge Police identified the motorcyclist as Jerome Kinchen, 31. The crash happened a few blocks from Kinchen's home address, also on North Street.Police said Kinchen collided with another vehicle that turned into his path near Roselawn Cemetery.Police said the crash is under investigation.*****************Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltzPermalink| Comments
  
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• Area events altered leading up to Hurricane Nate

  06-10-2017 13:00
  BATON ROUGE - As Hurricane Nate approached the Gulf Coast, residents are scrambling following changes to the schedules of various weekend plans.Denham Springs junior Bayleigh Larimore had plans to attend her homecoming dance on Saturday. But after the school sent out a notice moving the dance to 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon due to Hurricane Nate, Larimore says she can't make it."It upsets me because I can't do it anymore, because of soccer," Larimore said. "I play on a club team and my r
  
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• Local man arrested for attempted murder, theft

  06-10-2017 09:48
  BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Deputies have arrested a man they believe is connected to a March attempted murder case and a July theft investigation. According to the affidavits, authorities responded to a shooting in the 4000 block of Dawson Street the morning of March 21. At the scene, three victims were suffering from gunshot wounds. Upon investigation, detectives learned that the victims were inside a home when 25-year-old Marvus Green and another man came to th
  
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• Gov. Edwards officially declares State of Emergency for Louisiana

  06-10-2017 09:05
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards proclaimed a State of Emergency for Louisiana ahead of potential severe weather from Tropical Storm Nate. In a press release, Gov. Edwards says "we are taking the potential impacts of Tropical Storm Nate seriously and mobilizing all of the state’s emergency preparedness and response mechanisms for a full readiness should this storm severely impact our state.”“I encourage all Louisianans throughout
  
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• Homicide detectives called to scene of morning fire

  06-10-2017 08:30
  BATON ROUGE - Authorities say one adult male is being transported to the hospital in critical condition after a house fire broke out on Harry Drive Friday morning. The fire is in the 8100 block of Harry Drive near Orangewood Drive. Officials say a man was found in the back yard of a home. He escaped the fire through a window. The Baton Rouge Fire Department and EMS were called to the scene. Baton Rouge Police homicide detectives were also called to t
  
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• Cause of blaze unclear, man injured in jump from burning home Friday

  06-10-2017 08:30
  BATON ROUGE - Fire investigators aren't sure what caused a Friday morning house fire that left a man injured.The fire department said it responded to the 8100 block of Harry Drive near Orangewood Drive around 8 o'clock Friday morning.  When the first units arrived, witnesses said someone was inside.  Firefighters searched the home and found the person inside had jumped through a window to escape.The person was found in the backyard, injured from cuts related to the ju
  
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• Houma man arrested on 8 counts of child pornography

  06-10-2017 08:10
  ZACHARY - Zachary Police officers arrested a man from Houma for possession of child pornography. According to Zachary Police Chief David McDavid, 48-year-old Steven Munson was a primary suspect in a child exploitation case conducted by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations. LBI agents informed ZPD detectives that Munson was staying in a Zachary hotel for work. On October 4, detectives found Munson who agreed to be question
  
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• Nobel Peace Prize awarded to anti-nuclear campaign group

  06-10-2017 06:57
  OSLO, Norway — The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a group of mostly young activists pushing for a global treaty to ban the cataclysmic bombs.The award of the $1.1-million prize comes amid heightened tensions over both North Korea’s aggressive development of nuclear weapons and President Donald Trump’s persistent criticism of the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program.The prize committee wanted &
  
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• St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's detective arrested on malfeasance charge

  06-10-2017 06:25
  COVINGTON - A Louisiana sheriff's detective faces charges after an internal investigation found he had released confidential information to possible suspects related to ongoing narcotics investigations.  St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith says Jordan Hollenbeck, a member of the sheriff's Narcotics Task Force, was arrested Thursday on one count of malfeasance in office. He's being held at the St. Tammany Parish jail. Jail records did not list an attorney who could speak for
  
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• Amid concerns about Nate, New Orleans worries about drainage systems

  06-10-2017 06:21
    NEW ORLEANS - With forecasts putting New Orleans in the path of Tropical Storm Nate, one big question looms in the minds of residents and business owners: Will the pumps work?  Nate is forecast to make landfall in southeast Louisiana early Sunday, possibly as a Category 1 hurricane.  An unexpected Aug. 5 rainstorm caused flash floods that revealed personnel and equipment problems at the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, the agency that
  
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• 19 killed in Russia after train collides with bus

  06-10-2017 06:14
  MOSCOW - Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry says that 19 citizens of the ex-Soviet nation were killed when a train slammed into a bus carrying them near Moscow.  Russia's state Investigative Committee said that another five passengers of the bus were injured in Friday's collision, which occurred in the town of Pokrov, about 85 kilometers (53 miles) east of Moscow.  The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said that 56 people on the bus were Uzbek citizens and two others, driver
  
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