Baton Rouge news

• Officials: Lawyer wanted for fraud captured in Honduras

  04-12-2017 21:09
  Officials say a fugitive Kentucky lawyer who escaped before his sentencing in a massive Social Security fraud case has been captured in Honduras.  The Honduras public magistrate's office says in a news release that Eric Conn was captured by police Monday as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba. The office says Conn is expected to be transferred to the U.S. on Tuesday.  Federal agents spent months tracking down Conn, who cut off his elec
  
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• Trump heading to Mississippi for civil rights museum opening

  04-12-2017 20:33
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will be traveling to Mississippi on Saturday to attend the opening of a new civil rights museum.  That's according to a White House official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the trip before it is formally announced.  The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and adjacent Museum of Mississippi History are scheduled to open at 11 a.m. Saturday.  Trump faced criticism for several racially-ch
  
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• FBI doubles reward in Texas border patrol agent's death

  04-12-2017 20:13
  EL PASO, Texas - The FBI has doubled its reward for information in the death of a border patrol agent that could lead to resolving the case.  Agent Rogelio Martinez died after he was found Nov. 18 with severe head injuries and broken bones. The reward for information increased from $25,000 to $50,000 Monday.  Investigators have said Martinez's partner, who radioed for help and has not been named, is recovering from similar injuries but does not remember what
  
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• Florida police say mass shooting at Islamic center thwarted

  04-12-2017 20:07
  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Police say they stopped a man from carrying out a planned mass shooting at a Florida Islamic center.  Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced Monday that police arrested 69-year-old Bernardino Gawala Bolatete after he tried to buy a gun silencer from an undercover officer.  Police began investigating Bolatete after receiving a tip from a confidential source that Bolatete was planning a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of Northeast
  
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• Flooded Denham Springs bank to host grand reopening Dec. 6

  04-12-2017 19:30
  DENHAM SPRINGS- Previously flooded Neighbors Federal Credit Union will have its grand reopening on December 6.The grand reopening will be an all-day event Dec. 6 starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. The ribbon-cutting will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m.The "Branch of the Future" event is open to the public, regardless of membership status.Neighbors will be showcasing a "Back to the Future" model DeLorean for guests to exhibit.Other attractions will include photos with
  
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• Texas police officer fatally shot while serving warrant

  04-12-2017 19:13
  SAN MARCOS, TEXAS - A police officer was shot in the line of duty while serving a warrant Monday afternoon, according to the City of San Marcos.City officials said the officer was serving a warrant in the El Camino Real subdivision along with other officers when the suspect shot the officer multiple times.The officer was wearing protective gear, but was seriously injured in the shooting. He was taken to an area hospital where succumbed to his injuries around 3:50 p.m.According to KXAN,
  
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• St. Bernard deputies searching for missing Meraux teen

  04-12-2017 18:02
  ST. BERNARD- The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office is searching for a girl from Meraux who was last seen on Saturday.According to the sheriff’s office, 16-year-old Caitlynn Murrell was last seen near her grandmother’s home on Saturday night. She was seen walking near the corner of Paul and 1st streets in Meraux.Murrell was also seen carrying bags of what appeared to be clothes and was seen getting into an older model, red Pontiac Grand Prix arou
  
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• Rental house falling into sinkhole will be demolished

  04-12-2017 17:48
  BATON ROUGE - A rental house with a growing sinkhole underneath it will soon be demolished. The City-Parish investigated, following an inquiry from 2 On Your Side and determined it would be the best option.The homeowner received the news last week and says he's ready to wash his hands of the mess and move on with his life."They say they're going to take care of it, instead of me," said Jesse Hayes. "They going to take care of it."The rental property was built by a previous owner but the City-Pa
  
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• Body-cam shows officer saving life of newborn baby

  04-12-2017 17:32
  SAVANNAH, Ga. - Savannah police are crediting an officer with saving the life of a choking newborn baby by racing to her apartment and then using chest compressions to restart the infant's breathing.  Dramatic video from an officer's body-worn camera shows the infant's desperate mother, Tina Adkins, holding her unresponsive 29-day-old baby on Friday.  Savannah-Chatham police Officer William Eng's camera shows him racing up three flights of stairs and then per
  
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• 3 teens charged as adults with fatally beating homeless man

  04-12-2017 17:15
  PHILADELPHIA - Police have charged three teen boys with the fatal beating death of a 57-year-old homeless man in Philadelphia.  The teens were taken into custody Sunday and charges were released Monday.  Police were responding to reports of a robbery in progress on Nov. 26 when they found Kevin Cullen on the ground unconscious with his pockets empty.  The man was transported to a nearby hospital, and he died from his injuries the next day.&a
  
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• At least one hurt in motorcycle crash

  04-12-2017 17:04
  BATON ROUGE- Sources say at least one person has been injured after a motorcycle crashed Monday afternoon.The incident happened around 2 p.m. at the Mohican-Prescott crossover.One person has been transported to a hospital for moderate injuries, sources said.No further details have been made available. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• At least one hurt in Mid-City motorcycle crash

  04-12-2017 17:04
  BATON ROUGE- Sources say at least one person has been injured after a motorcycle crashed Monday afternoon.The incident happened around 2 p.m. at the Mohican-Prescott crossover.One person has been transported to a hospital for moderate injuries, sources said.No further details have been made available. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Father killed, daughter hurt in weekend ATV crash

  04-12-2017 16:58
  ZACHARY - A man is dead and his daughter is in the hospital after the two were involved in a four-wheeler crash in Zachary over the weekend.According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, the two were riding on the vehicle in the 400 block of Flanacher Road at the time of the crash. The sheriff's office says 44-year-old Ronald LeDuff Jr. was driving, with his daughter riding along as a passenger.Deputies say he lost control of the ATV and swerved into a ditch, where it str
  
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• Louisiana auditor to do review of sexual misconduct policies

  04-12-2017 16:14
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's legislative auditor says he hopes to complete a review of the state government policies for handling sexual misconduct allegations before the legislative session starts in March.  Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Slidell Republican, requested the performance audit from Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera's office after a top aide to Gov. John Bel Edwards resigned following sexual harassment accusations.  Purpera said Monday that he'll follow the
  
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• Pedestrian seriously hurt in Ascension Parish hit-and-run, troopers seeking suspect

  04-12-2017 15:43
  PRAIRIEVILLE- Troopers are looking for the suspect who seriously injured a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash Monday morning.According to State Police, troopers were contacted around 4 a.m. Monday to investigate a hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian on LA 74 in Ascension Parish.A 24-year-old Geismar man was walking across the LA 74 overpass at I-10 sometime between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Monday morning when he was struck by a passing vehicle.Troopers urge anyone with any inf
  
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• Woman accused of burglarizing home for pills said she was looking for Wi-Fi password

  04-12-2017 15:14
  BRAZOS COUNTY, TX.- A woman was arrested this week after authorities say she broke into a house to steal painkillers.According to the Brazos County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to a house on Monday after a couple said their home had been burglarized.The house was monitored with home security cameras, which showed a woman entering through the bathroom window carrying a flashlight. The video showed the woman going into the kitchen and digging through various medicine bottles before le
  
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• Bulldogs fan rubs in SEC title win with neighborhood wake-up call

  04-12-2017 14:45
  After the University of Georgia claimed the SEC title over Auburn in this weekend's championship game, Bulldog fans were naturally excited. But one fan took things to a whole other level.A video making the rounds on Twitter shows one of those fans rubbing in the loss for an Auburn fan and next-door neighbor. His chosen method of bragging? An 8 a.m. wake-up call on a Sunday morning, involving a microphone and some loud speakers.My Georgia neighbor 8 a.m. this morning waking up
  
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• LSU students building 35 local playgrounds, 1 in memory of fallen student

  04-12-2017 14:29
  BATON ROUGE- A group of LSU students are building 35 playgrounds around Baton Rouge, one in particular, is being built in honor of a student who lost his life in 2012.Dr. Marybeth Lima and her Biology in Engineering classes are building the playgrounds.According to the LSU Foundation, Lima wanted to lead a community design project that all students would have some level of knowledge and experience in. Lima completed the first playground in 1998. After that, she realized the need for up
  
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• LSU foundation builds playground in honor of student killed by impaired driver

  04-12-2017 14:29
  BATON ROUGE- A group of LSU students are building 35 playgrounds around Baton Rouge, one in particular, is being built in honor of a student who lost his life in 2012.Dr. Marybeth Lima and her Biology in Engineering classes are building the playgrounds.According to the LSU Foundation, Lima wanted to lead a community design project that all students would have some level of knowledge and experience in. Lima completed the first playground in 1998. After that, she realized the need for up
  
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• 12 states launch new legal challenge to California egg law

  04-12-2017 13:52
  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.- A dozen states want the U.S. Supreme Court to block a California law requiring any eggs sold there to come from hens that have space to stretch out in their cages.The Missouri attorney general says a lawsuit will be filed Monday alleging California's law has cost consumers nationwide up to $350 million annually because of higher egg prices since it took effect in 2015.The lawsuit claims California's requirements violate the U.S. Constitution's interstate commerce clause and
  
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• Trump scales back 2 big Utah national monuments

  04-12-2017 13:45
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has signed proclamations to formally scale back two sprawling national monuments in Utah: Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante.  Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to make the announcement and sign the declarations. The move is supported by Utah's top Republican officials but opposed by tribes and environmental groups.  Trump said in a speech Monday at the Utah State Capitol that past presidential administrations had "sev
  
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• Lawsuit says city stifled black leaders' talk of police shooting

  04-12-2017 13:30
  BATON ROUGE - A federal lawsuit accuses a Louisiana city official of violating the free-speech rights of black community leaders who were removed from a city council meeting when they tried to talk about a black man's fatal shooting.  The lawsuit filed Monday says Baton Rouge Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wilson ordered police to remove several audience members who tried to speak at a Metro Council meeting about the shooting death of Alton Sterling.  Baton Rouge NAACP
  
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• Astronauts make, fling, float, eat pizzas on space station

  04-12-2017 13:22
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.- The first-ever pizza party in space is getting sky-high reviews.Astronauts at the International Space Station posted pictures over the weekend of their small, made-from-scratch pizza pies. The fixings flew up last month on a commercial supply ship, and the crew wasted little time pulling out the flatbread, tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni and olives.When you really, really miss pizza... you CASUALLY mention it to the International @Space_Station ? Boss during a live public
  
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• Trial delayed for Louisiana man who tried to get Trump's tax returns

  04-12-2017 12:29
    BATON ROUGE - A federal trial has been postponed for a Louisiana private investigator accused of trying to illegally obtain Donald Trump's tax returns during last year's presidential campaign.  Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday for Jordan Hamlett's federal trial, but a filing from the court says it must be rescheduled due to an "unforeseen conflict with the court." A new trial date wasn't immediately set.  The 32-year-old Lafaye
  
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• Audit: $718K spent in Louisiana on dead Medicaid patients

  04-12-2017 12:25
  BATON ROUGE - A new audit says the Louisiana Department of Health improperly paid $718,000 over four years for Medicaid patients who were no longer receiving services because they had died.  Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera's office released a report Monday that says the department spent the money between July 2013 and August 2017 for 712 deceased Medicaid patients.  Most of the improper spending involved payments made to managed-care companies that oversee
  
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• Local attorney accepts federal government appointment

  04-12-2017 12:22
  BATON ROUGE - A local attorney specializing in cases related to healthcare fraud has accepted a presidential appointment to serve in Washington.Alec Alexander, a partner in Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson’s Healthcare Section, will serve as Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Director of the agency’s Center for Program Integrity in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD. Alexander will assume his new responsibilities on Dec. 4.As Deputy Admi
  
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• Sports betting case heard in Supreme Court

  04-12-2017 12:17
  WASHINGTON- The Supreme Court is wrestling with a case that could make sports betting widely available.The case heard Monday is a result of New Jersey's yearslong effort to bring sports betting to its casinos and racetracks. The case pits New Jersey and other states against all four major U.S. professional sports leagues, the NCAA and the federal government.New Jersey is challenging a federal law that bars states from authorizing sports gambling. The law has exceptions for Nevada, Montana, Oreg
  
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• RNC resumes support of Roy Moore Senate campaign

  04-12-2017 12:10
  WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee is once again supporting embattled Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore after President Donald Trump formally endorsed him Monday.  An RNC official confirmed the committee will resume its financial support to the Alabama Republican Party's effort to elect Moore to the U.S. Senate, despite the allegations of sexual misconduct against him.  The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the inter
  
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• Man arrested for allegedly drawing graphic image on child's homework

  04-12-2017 12:00
  PORT ST. JOE, Fla- Authorities say a man is facing charges after he allegedly drew an image of a school shooting on a Florida elementary school student's homework.WWL-TV reports that 33-year-old Robert Paul Alexander Edwards was arrested Friday by the Gulf County Sheriff's Office in Florida. According to CBS News, Edwards is accused of drawing a school on fire, a person on fire running from the building and others being shot.News outlets report that the image also included the words "Pew, Pew,
  
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• Zoo welcomes new endangered African penguin chick

  04-12-2017 11:15
  APPLE VALLEY, Minn- The Minnesota Zoo recently announced the birth of a new endangered African penguin chick.The chick hatched Nov. 21 and weighed 50.5 grams. The new baby is being cared for behind the scenes by its parents Burner and Snickers.According to the zoo, African penguins are currently listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Minnesota Zoo has successfully hatched 21 African penguin chicks since opening the
  
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• Moore tweets thanks for Trump's endorsement

  04-12-2017 09:38
  WASHINGTON- Roy Moore has tweeted his thanks for President Donald Trump's endorsement.Moore, the Republican candidate in Alabama's special election for the U.S. Senate seat created after Jeff Sessions became attorney general, says he "can't wait to help" Trump "#DrainTheSwamp."Trump endorsed Moore in a tweet Monday morning, saying Moore's vote is needed in Congress.Thankful for President Trump's support.The America First agenda will #MAGA. Can't wait to help him #DrainTheSwamp.#ALSEN https://t.
  
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• Today marks National Cookie Day

  04-12-2017 09:25
  BATON ROUGE- Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle or Oatmeal Raisin? Whatever your favorite type of cookie, today is the day to celebrate.Dec. 4 is known as National Cookie Day.Accord to WWL-TV, here's where to get your cookie fix:-Coolhaus: At scoop shops, get a free cookie with purchase of any sammie, scoop or shake.-Great American Cookies: Get one free original Chocolate Chip cookie at participating stores. No purchase necessary and limited one per customer.-Insomnia Cookies: Get a free traditional
  
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• Man arrested for connection to September Rosenwald shooting

  04-12-2017 08:40
  BATON ROUGE- Police arrested a man for his connection to the shooting death of a man on Rosenwald Road in September.Kendrick Davis, 22, was arrested Dec. 3 for the killing of 22-year-old Craig Thomas. Thomas was found lying next to his vehicle around 12:02 a.m. in a parking lot in the 1100 block of Rosenwald Road suffering with multiple gunshot wounds Sept. 26.Thomas died at the scene.Davis is charged with second-degree murder. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Unrestrained man killing in Pointe Coupee Parish crash

  04-12-2017 08:13
  POINTE COUPEE PARISH- Troopers from the Louisiana State Police Department were on the scene of a crash in Pointe Coupee the left one man dead Sunday.The crash occurred on US Highway 190 west of LA Highway 413 in Pointe Coupee Parish, and took the life of 64-year-old Billy Bookman.Authorities said the crash occurred as Bookman was traveling eastbound on US Highway 190 in a 2003 Jaguar S-Type. For reasons still under investigation, the Jaguar ran off the roadway to the right and struck several tr
  
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• Pedestrian struck on Airline Highway early Monday morning

  04-12-2017 07:36
  BATON ROUGE - A person was struck by a vehicle in the 8400 Airline Highway near the Academy on Greenmoss Drive early Monday morning.According to authorities, one woman was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.This is a developing story. Check back for details.Permalink| Comments
  
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• 18-wheeler overturns, spills fertilizer on I-10 eastbound on ramp

  04-12-2017 07:18
  BATON ROUGE- Early Monday morning an 18-wheeler spilled its load on I-10 East.The accident occurred at the entrance ramp from LA 415 South to I-10 East. The truck spilled fertilizer onto the roadway. A crane was at the scene scooping up the fertilizer and putting it into another truck.Delays reached Commerical Drive.Clean-up underway. A crane now helping with spill on the on ramp from LA 415 to I-10 E. Delays on LA 415 SB to Commercial Dr. pic.twitter.com/lHZuZwezYj—
  
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• Mother of man accused of four killings out on bond

  04-12-2017 06:16
  BATON ROUGE - The mother of a man who killed four people and helped him flee to Alabama is out on bond.Belinda Folse, mother of accused killer Taurus Hamilton, was booked into jail Dec. 1 and posted her $5,000 bond on Saturday.Last week, Hamilton waived extradition and was sent to East Feliciana Parish to face his murder charges.Hamilton is accused of killing three people in East Feliciana Parish and one in East Baton Rouge Parish. Three victims were found in
  
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