Baton Rouge news

• Alabama GOP meeting ends without vote on Moore

  15-11-2017 21:36
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A meeting of Alabama GOP officials has ended without a vote on whether the party should pull its support for Senate candidate Roy Moore.
   Three sources familiar with the meeting of the 21-member party steering committee say the group met for hours Wednesday night but did not take a vote.
   The party is expected to maintain its support for Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct three decades ago.
   The state party has been silent for the last
  
  Read more

• Christie's: Leonardo sale an honor of a lifetime

  15-11-2017 20:55
  NEW YORK - A New York auction house official says the sale of a rare painting by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci for a record $450 million is "an honor that comes around once in a lifetime."
   The painting shows Christ holding a crystal orb and is called "Salvator Mundi," Italian for "Savior of the World." It sold at Christie's auction house Wednesday.
   Christie's co-chairman of post-war and contemporary art Loic Gouzer describes the artwork as a "painting of the most icon
  
  Read more

• Proposed taxes could improve drainage in Livingston Parish

  15-11-2017 20:07
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - Voters will soon be deciding on whether they want to hand over more money to the government for improved drainage.Saturday's ballot includes new property and sales taxes to improve the drainage system in Killian, Springfield and Albany.The parish has already outlined three drainage districts respectively. Revenue from the taxes will help maintain ditches and other drainage areas.Officials say if the taxes pass, residents in these areas can expect to pay between $20 to $60 a
  
  Read more

• Nationwide outages reported by AT&T customers

  15-11-2017 19:36
  AT&T customers with iPhones may be experiencing problems with their smartphones, as thousands across the country say they are not being able to make or receive calls. Affected customers are reaching out to AT&T on social media, asking for a solution. The company is advising customers to turn their phones off and then back on. If you've experienced an issue when making wireless calls, please restart your device, this might be required multiple
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Nationwide AT&T outages reported by iPhone users

  15-11-2017 19:36
  AT&T customers with iPhones may be experiencing problems with their smartphones, as thousands across the country say they are not being able to make or receive calls. Affected customers are reaching out to AT&T on social media, asking for a solution. The company is advising customers to turn their phones off and then back on. If you've experienced an issue when making wireless calls, please restart your device, this might be required multiple
  
  Read more

• Deputies searching for two men wanted on burglary, theft charges

  15-11-2017 19:11
  ASCENSION- Deputies are searching for two men wanted on burglary and theft charges.The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is actively seeking the whereabouts of 41-year-old Aaron Kimble and 44-year-old Dino Saunders.Both men are wanted on four counts simple burglary, theft, two counts of theft less than $1,000, and three counts simple criminal damage to property.Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call 225-621-4636.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Mississippi teen fighting for life after hit-and-run

  15-11-2017 19:06
  BATESVILLE, Miss. - Panola County investigators have arrested a driver accused of hitting a 15-year-old boy and leaving him to die.  Jadarius Chapman is in critical condition with broken bones and damage to his kidney, liver and spleen.  WHBQ-TV reports the sheriff's office says 36-year-old James Sanford stopped after Monday's accident, but instead of helping, he got back in his car and fled.  Sanford's passenger told his girlfriend what hap
  
  Read more

• Rebel-themed Mississippi flag taken back down from city hall

  15-11-2017 18:30
  OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - The Mississippi state flag with the Confederate battle emblem has once again been removed from a city hall.  For years, the flag was absent from city buildings in Ocean Springs. Republican Shea Dobson ordered that it be put back up when he became mayor in July.  WLOX-TV reports Dobson removed the flag from display Tuesday after hearing repeatedly from residents who say it's racist. He says the flag was a distraction.  
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Tree service takes down dead tree following 2 OYS report

  15-11-2017 17:46
  CENTRAL - A dead tree that's been threatening to fall on a man's garage finally came down Tuesday, after a call to 2 On Your Side. The tree was struck by lightning five years ago.Creel's Tree Service saw last week's WBRZ report and offered to help."We're just helping out the community," said Ben Creel. "They've given us a lot."The roar of a chainsaw is music to Kenny Cutrer's ears. He alerted 2 On Your Side to the problem."This thing has been an eyesore and a danger for the last five-six years,
  
  Read more

• Pointe Coupee residents receive water bill sticker shock

  15-11-2017 17:33
  VENTRESS- Hundreds of residents in Pointe Coupee Parish opened their mail last week and were left with sticker shock.
  In September, Pointe Coupee Parish Water District 1 purchased "M and S" water for $150,000. The parish is now forcing all previous customers of M and S water to pay $100 in deposits and a $15 service fee due on January 31, 2018. Approximately 450 residents who did not have water meters will also be charged $175 that will be paid over the next two years. 
  Residents like
  
  Read more

• Louisiana man freed after rape conviction tossed

  15-11-2017 17:23
  BATON ROUGE - Wilbert Jones says freedom feels wonderful and he refuses to be bitter about his nearly five decades behind bars.  Jones met with reporters as he walked out of East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, surrounded by family and friends and members of a legal team that fought to overturn his conviction in a 1971 rape case.  Jones repeatedly stressed that religious faith got him through his ordeal. And he said he forgives the people who put him in prison.&am
  
  Read more

• Blackwater Bayou bridge to be closed through much of December

  15-11-2017 16:14
  CENTRAL - The East Baton Rouge Department of Transportation has announced that a small bridge in Central will be shut down for just over a month.The bridge on Carey Road, which passes over Blackwater Bayou, will be closed starting November 20. It's expected to remain closed until Dec. 22.Officials say the detour will be Brown Rd to Dyer Rd to Blackwater Road to Carey Road.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Woman climbs through McDonald's drive-thru window, steals cash and food

  15-11-2017 15:59
  COLUMBIA, Md.- Surveillance video shows a woman burglarizing McDonald's by climbing through the drive-thru window.The Howard County Police Department released a surveillance video of a woman burglarizing the McDonald's in the 8300 block of Benson Drive in Columbia, Maryland. The crime took place on Sunday, Nov. 5th.The woman helped herself to a fountain drink, then stole cash and food before leaving.Detectives are offering a reward of up to $500 for anyone with information on this crime. Contac
  
  Read more

• Southwest Airlines pilot arrested, loaded gun found in carry-on

  15-11-2017 15:29
  ST. LOUIS, Mo.- A 51-year-old Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested Wednesday at St. Louis Lambert International Airport for unlawful use of a weapon.According to ABC News, TSA officers discovered a loaded pistol in the pilot's carry-on bag around 4:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.TSA Spokesperson Mark Howell said the Smith & Wesson was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition when it was discovered in the Southwest employee's carry-on bag. TSA alerted law enforcement&
  
  Read more

• Driver found guilty in deadly, fiery crash will be re-sentenced

  15-11-2017 15:06
  BATON ROUGE – One of two drivers convicted in a drunken road-rage crash on the interstate four years ago that left five people dead will need to be re-sentenced, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.David Leger was originally sentenced to eight years in prison following the 2013 crash on I-10 at the Ascension/EBR parish line. There are still a group of crosses marking the spot where the wreck happened.The wreck claimed the life of a 29-year-old mother, her two children and another ch
  
  Read more

• Party foul: Truck carrying beer spills load on Highland Rd.

  15-11-2017 14:58
  BATON ROUGE - A traffic incident involving a beer truck made for a small spectacle on Highland Road Wednesday afternoon.The crash happened around 1:20 p.m. on Highland near Alice Street. Video from the scene showed several cases of beer strewn about the roadway. According those at the scene, the driver of the truck was exiting the Mississippi River Bridge when the truck came to a sudden stop. Cases of beer then reportedly smashed through the front of trailer, littering the roadway betw
  
  Read more

• Party foul: Beer truck spills load on Highland Rd.

  15-11-2017 14:58
  BATON ROUGE - A traffic incident involving a beer truck made for a small spectacle on Highland Road Wednesday afternoon.The crash happened around 1:20 p.m. on Highland near Alice Street. Video from the scene showed several cases of beer strewn about the roadway. According those at the scene, the driver of the truck was exiting the Mississippi River Bridge when the truck came to a sudden stop. Cases of beer then reportedly smashed through the front of trailer, littering the roadway betw
  
  Read more

• WATCH: WWE superstar Big Show buys coats for local children in need

  15-11-2017 14:28
  BATON ROUGE- Pat's Coats for Kids got some help from a very special guest Wednesday.WWE superstar The Big Show was live Wednesday morning with Pat Shingleton outside of Walmart collecting donations for Pat's Coats for Kids, a donation drive spearheaded by WBRZ's chief forecaster.The Big Show walked around the store and greeted shoppers as he bought items to donate to local children."I totally and wholeheartedly support [Pat's Coats for Kids]," the WWE star said. "This is kind
  
  Read more

• Terry Crews compares alleged sexual assault to being a POW

  15-11-2017 14:06
  LOS ANGELES- Terry Crews names his alleged attacker and compares being sexually assaulted to being a prisoner of war in an appearance Wednesday on "Good Morning America."Crews told host Michael Strahan that he "never felt more emasculated" than when a powerful Hollywood agent groped him at a party last year and says last month's news of sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein triggered an episode of post-traumatic stress.Crews confirmed that he recently filed a police report agai
  
  Read more

• Tangipahoa crash claims life of 29-year-old Greenwell Springs woman

  15-11-2017 13:57
  TANGIPAHOA PARISH- A 29-year-old woman was killed early Wednesday morning on I-55.Grace Dianne Magee of Greenwell Springs, Louisiana died Wednesday morning in a car accident on I-55 south of LA 440.51-year-old Joni Dianne Magee was driving a 2000 Toyota pickup truck northbound on I-55 when her vehicle was hit from behind by an 18-wheeler driven by 29-year-old Dustin M. Curran.Magee's vehicle overturned and impacted several trees. None of the occupants in the Toyota truck were properly restraine
  
  Read more

• Cards Against Humanity says it's fighting border wall

  15-11-2017 13:48
  HOUSTON- The party game Cards Against Humanity says it's bought U.S.-Mexico border land and hired a lawyer to try to stop President Donald Trump's proposed border wall.  A promotion called "Cards Against Humanity Saves America" offered 150,000 subscribers to its game a map of the land and a "certificate of our promise to fight the wall."  To build sections of the existing border fence, the U.S. government took hundreds of private landowners in Texas to court.
  
  Read more

• Cassidy attaches Louisiana flood aid to Senate tax rewrite

  15-11-2017 13:43
  BATON ROUGE- U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy says he's attached to the Senate tax overhaul legislation special disaster tax breaks for people affected by south Louisiana's devastating flood last year.Cassidy said in a statement Wednesday that his amendment, if it wins final passage from Congress, would offer $200 million in tax relief to his state's flood victims.The aid would be for Louisiana residents with damage from the August 2016 flooding, but not the March 2016 flooding in north Louisiana.The Rep
  
  Read more

• Movie-prop money circulated at BR store

  15-11-2017 13:05
  BATON ROUGE - Detectives are unsure of how some fake money ended up on the streets of Baton Rouge, but are confident a woman caught with it was too confused to know what she had.Earlier Wednesday, the sheriff's office posted an image from an area grocery store's surveillance system, looking to identify a woman seen using counterfeit money.  The money was a movie prop, authorities said.The woman purchased $62.24 worth of items and left.She was located later Wednesday and told detectives
  
  Read more

• EBRSO looking for suspect who used movie-prop money at grocery store

  15-11-2017 13:05
  EAST BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Sheriff's detectives are looking for a woman suspected of using counterfeit money at a Hi Nabor supermarket.The incident took place on Oct. 23, 2017.According to reports, the suspect used movie-prop currency to purchase $62.24 worth of goods at the local grocery store. She then left in a white SUV. The suspect is described as a black female wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. Anyone with information concerning this incide
  
  Read more

• Bus driver saves students from fiery crash in Georgia

  15-11-2017 12:03
  AUSTELL, Ga.- A school bus driver is being called a hero after she and all of her passengers escaped from a fiery bus crash.The crash happened Friday in Austell, Georgia.Bus driver Shuronda Richardson and all three students on board escaped the crash without injury. Crawford said her immediate thought was to get the get the kids off the bus."We noticed it and saw smoke," Richardson said. "I didn't think it was that bad but it just got worse and the bus was definitely on fire, so I told the kids
  
  Read more

• Can you detect the counterfeit bill?

  15-11-2017 11:49
  BATON ROUGE - Agent Luis Velez with the Secret Service handles counterfeit money everyday. In fact, he says the use of these faux bills is on the rise."It's prevalent enough that we're having to get on the media. Before it was a small up tick, now we're starting to see it in our usual counterfeit activity," said Velez.Some of it is easy to spot, others not so much. Recently the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office was looking for a woman who unknowingly used so-called "movie money" to buy grocerie
  
  Read more

• I-10 west reopens from BR to Lafayette after morning of delays

  15-11-2017 11:24
  UPDATE: All lanes are open on I-10 west at Henderson. The diversion at LA 415 is no longer in effect. Congestion is approaching College Drive. BATON ROUGE – A closure of I-10 West on the far western side of the basin has trickled into gridlock through downtown Baton Rouge.A crash on I-10 in St. Martin Parish required a total closure of the Basin Bridge earlier Wednesday. Traffic was being diverted at LA 415 in the Baton Rouge area. So much traffic moving from I-10 to the stat
  
  Read more

• Hannity demands Moore clarify 'inconsistencies'

  15-11-2017 08:53
  WASHINGTON-Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity has given Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore 24 hours to explain "inconsistencies" in his response to allegations of child molestation false or exit the Alabama race.Hannity called on Moore during his show Tuesday night to "immediately and fully come up with a satisfactory explanation" for "inconsistencies." Moore has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct years ago.Keurig announced Saturday it had pulled advertising from "Hannit
  
  Read more

• 'Titanic' sailing back into theaters for one week

  15-11-2017 08:40
  LOS ANGELES- Twenty years after Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet fell in love on that doomed ship, "Titanic" is sailing back into theaters for one week.Dolby Laboratories, Paramount Pictures and AMC Theaters said Wednesday that a re-mastered version of the James Cameron film will be shown at select AMC locations nationwide starting Dec. 1.Cameron says it is the best-looking version of "Titanic" ever released. Cameron's "Titanic" grossed over $2 billion at the box office and won 11 Academy Awa
  
  Read more

• $1.7 million grant funds Tulane blood vessel research

  15-11-2017 08:19
  NEW ORLEANS- A Tulane University professor has received a $1.7 million Department of Defense grant for blood vessel research.The New Orleans university says in a Tuesday news release that the grant went to Stryder Meadows, a cell and molecular biology professor.The grant will fund research into a type of defect in arteries, veins and capillaries from a genetic disorder known as Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome.Meadows' lab will analyze the role of a specific gene in the formation of the defect.Permal
  
  Read more

• $1.7 million grand funds Tulane blood vessel research

  15-11-2017 08:19
  NEW ORLEANS- A Tulane University professor has received a $1.7 million Department of Defense grant for blood vessel research.The New Orleans university says in a Tuesday news release that the grant went to Stryder Meadows, a cell and molecular biology professor.The grant will fund research into a type of defect in arteries, veins and capillaries from a genetic disorder known as Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome.Meadows' lab will analyze the role of a specific gene in the formation of the defect.Permal
  
  Read more

• Clune named president at Nicholls State University

  15-11-2017 08:00
  THIBODAUX- A new president has been chosen for Nicholls State University.The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors named Jay Clune president of the Thibodaux-based university on Tuesday.Clune most recently has served as interim graduate dean at the University of West Florida, where he has held various administrative posts over the past 13 years.The university system says in a news release that Clune is a Nicholls graduate and a native of Houma.Clune becomes the sixth Nicholls Stat
  
  Read more

• Help pack the pod for Pat's Coats for Kids

  15-11-2017 07:00
  BATON ROUGE- Today WBRZ's Pat Shingleton is packing the pod at the Walmart on College Drive.The donations collected benefit Pat's Coats For Kids. Since its conception more than a million dollars have been received, reflecting 83,000 purchases and distributions to 125 schools. In addition, Pat's Coats for Kids has collected more than 197,000 used coats.Residents can come out to Pack the Pod at Walmart until 6:30 tonight. Donations can also be made online.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Deputies looking for woman who stole case of Red Bull

  15-11-2017 06:10
  ASCENSION PARISH- Deputies from the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office looking for a woman who stole a case of Red Bull energy drinks.The incident took place on Oct 26.Authorities say the woman stole a case of Red Bull valued at approximately $70. The case was stolen from Rouses Supermarket on Highway 42.The woman is described as being approximately 5'5'' and 170 pounds.Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office at 225-621-4636.Permalink| Comme
  
  Read more

• Overturned truck hauling lumber closes I-10 west

  15-11-2017 05:55
  BATON ROUGE- I-10 westbound is closed between Lobdell and Henderson due to an accident that occurred at 11:30 last night.The crash involved an 18-wheeler hauling lumber which spilled its load. The crash was not fatal.The left lane is currently open at the accident site to bleed out traffic stuck behind it. Traffic is being diverted onto LA 415, to US 190, to I-49, then back to I-10.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Overturned log truck closes I-10 W

  15-11-2017 05:55
  UPDATE: All lanes are open on I-10 west at Henderson. The diversion at LA 415 is no longer in effect. Congestion is approaching College Drive. BATON ROUGE- Traffic is heavy in the Baton Rouge area from an overnight crash in Henderson, west of the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.I-10 westbound is closed between Lobdell and Henderson due to an accident that occurred at 11:30 last night.The detour starts at LA 415 in Lobdell, jamming traffic back to College Drive.The crash involved an 18-wheeler
  
  Read more

• Man fatally shot tried to run, fought with officer: Baton Rouge police

  15-11-2017 04:22
  
  The Louisiana State Police said 24-year-old Calvin Toney "attempted to flee on foot" when a state child welfare case worker and the city officer showed up Monday evening.
  
  Read more

Follow @BatonRougeNews_ on Twitter!