Baton Rouge news

• Two people killed in school bus fire identified

  12-12-2017 20:00
  OAKLAND, Iowa - Family and friends are remembering the 16-year-old girl and 74-year-old school bus driver who died in a fire in western Iowa.  Eighteen-year-old Bailey Rose told the Omaha World-Herald she took a weightlifting class with Megan Klindt last year and remembers her caring and energetic nature.  Klindt and Donnie Hendricks died Tuesday morning after fire engulfed their bus.  Riverside Community Schools Superintendent Timothy Mitch
  
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• DA: Lab delays stall indictment of man charged in 8 deaths

  12-12-2017 19:45
  BROOKHAVEN, Miss. - A Mississippi prosecutor says grand jurors won't consider charges this year against a man accused of killing eight people in May.  Lincoln County District Attorney Dee Bates tells The Daily Leader that a shortage of pathologists at the state crime lab means autopsy reports haven't been finalized.  Bates says he expects to present the case against 35-year-old Willie Godbolt to a grand jury in February or later.  Godbolt ha
  
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• Report: Indiana state trooper shot in head while pursuing suspect

  12-12-2017 19:41
  JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. - Reports say an officer was shot in the head while chasing a suspect in Southern Indiana Tuesday night.According to a report from RTV6, the shooting occurred around 7 p.m. in Clark County. The report says the Indiana state trooper was shot while pursuing a suspect in Jeffersonville, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.The trooper was reportedly taken to University of Louisville Hospital in unknown condition. His identity was not released, but ISP
  
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• Polls close in Alabama Senate race

  12-12-2017 19:10
  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Polls are closed in Alabama in the race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.  At time of national reckoning over long-suppressed misconduct by powerful men, the choice between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones has taken on outsized significance. Moore has faced allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers, dividing the GOP and giving Democrats hope of picking up a seat in a reliably red state.  Pr
  
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• Democrat Doug Jones wins election to US Senate from Alabama

  12-12-2017 19:10
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Democrat Doug Jones wins election to the U.S. Senate from Alabama, as voters in the deeply conservative and heavily Republican state deal a stark political blow to President Donald Trump and narrow the GOP's majority in the Senate to two seats. The state's former U.S. attorney beat Roy Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court whose campaign was upended by allegations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls amid a national reckoning with such sordid cond
  
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• Louisiana man credits dog with alerting him to house fire

  12-12-2017 18:55
  BOUTTE- A Louisiana man credits his dog with saving him from a fire that destroyed their home.The fire happened Sunday morning in Boutte in southeast Louisiana. Calvin Baldwin tells WVUE television he was asleep on the couch of his home when his little dog, Rusty, started scratching his arm to wake him up.Baldwin woke up, saw smoke, grabbed Rusty and fled the house.Baldwin says the dog is a life-saver.The roof of his home collapsed and everything was charred in the home Baldwin once shared with
  
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• Homeland Security watching Alabama election

  12-12-2017 18:53
    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Department of Homeland Security is keeping its eye on Alabama's special U.S. Senate election.  The agency's top infrastructure and cybersecurity official says a federal protective security adviser and a cybersecurity adviser are in the capital city of Montgomery and working "side by side" with state government officials in case issues arise.  Christopher Krebs says he's not aware of any specific threats. But he says
  
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• Man sentenced in crash that killed 2 after Easter Egg hunt

  12-12-2017 18:42
  FLEMINGTON, N.J. - A New Jersey man who pleaded guilty in a head-on car crash that killed an elderly couple returning home with family from an Easter egg hunt has been sentenced to eight years in prison.  Twenty-five-year-old Whitehouse resident Frank Cabezas was sentenced Tuesday in Hunterdon County Court. Court records show he pleaded guilty in September to vehicular homicide, assault by auto and driving under the influence.  Prosecutors say Cabezas must se
  
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• Money Carlo match-to-win mailer misleading to consumers

  12-12-2017 18:24
  BATON ROUGE - In the last few days, mailers advertising big prizes have shown up in thousands of Baton Rouge mailboxes. One man thought he won a brand new ATV but tells 2 On Your Side he was offered a different, much smaller prize."We won," Cleveland Johnson said. "This is my first time ever winning anything."The feeling corresponded with winning the lottery, but Johnson says that excitement quickly turned to disappointment and he feels misled."They baited me in saying that I won, but then offe
  
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• City of Baton Rouge fills more than 700 potholes

  12-12-2017 18:09
  BATON ROUGE- Earlier this month, the city pledged to fill up numerous potholes around Baton Rouge."Operation: Fill Potholes" began early in December. The city says that Department of Maintenance crews have worked hard to sucessfully fill 765 potholes around the capital city.About 350 other potholes remain and will be taken care of next week.Earlier this month, we announced Operation: Fill Potholes. Since then, we're proud to say that 700+ potholes have been filled since & only 351 known pot
  
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• EBR Metro Council approves mayor's 2018 budget

  12-12-2017 16:54
  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Metro Council voted Tuesday to approve Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome's $319M budget for 2018.According to the mayor's office, the council voted unanimously to approve the budget, which had a less-than-one percent increase compared to last year's.“While this budget has not changed much from last year, we will continue to work diligently on behalf of the citizens that we serve daily,” Mayor-President Broome said.The mayor says
  
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• Gap closing Mall of Louisiana location

  12-12-2017 16:04
  BATON ROUGE – The Gap is closing its Mall of Louisiana location in the next few weeks.Both The Advocate and The Business Report published Tuesday afternoon that the local store would not re-sign its lease that expires at the end of the year – one of 200 Gap stores that are closing over the next three years. Gap is part of a company that also includes Old Navy and Banana Republic.Jacob Wilson, the general manager of the mall, said a negotiation is being worked out with a &
  
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• Mom who posted video of bullied son denies being racist

  12-12-2017 15:00
  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee woman who posted a video of her tearful son recounting being bullied at school has appeared on national media outlets to deflect accusations of racism.  Kimberly Jones told Good Morning America and CBS This Morning on Tuesday that a photo of her family with a Confederate flag posted on social media was real, but that it didn't make her a racist.  The photo surfaced Monday, three days after Jones posted video of her son, Keaton,
  
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• Moore's wife: 'One of our attorneys is a Jew'

  12-12-2017 14:28
  MIDLAND CITY, Ala. - The wife of embattled Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore fought back against accusations that her husband doesn't support blacks or Jews, saying at one point that one of their attorneys "is a Jew."  Speaking at a campaign rally Monday night in Midland City, Alabama, Kayla Moore pointed out that her husband appointed the first black marshal to the state Supreme Court. She said they also have many friends who are black.  But she raised the
  
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• Hundreds mourn Mayor Ed Lee at City Hall

  12-12-2017 14:25
  SAN FRANCISCO - Hundreds of city workers and community members went to at San Francisco's City Hall to mourn the death of Mayor Ed Lee and hear acting Mayor London Breed honor Lee.  They crowded on a balcony outside the mayor's office on the second floor Tuesday overlooking the building's main floor and swarmed upper floors as Breed gave a short speech honoring Lee as a sweet and humble man who she said never wanted to be a politician.  Elected officials wipe
  
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• Vet removes 21 pacifiers from dog's stomach

  12-12-2017 14:21
  EDMOND, Ok.- An Oklahoma veterinarian had to remove an alarming amount of baby pacifiers from a dog's stomach.A couple from Edmond, Oklahoma recently had a baby and noticed the child's pacifiers were constantly disappearing. One day, the child's grandmother saw the dog, Dovey, jump up on the counter and take off with one.When Dovey later vomited up the pacifier, the owners decided it was time to take the dog in for an X-ray, according to Gentle Care Animal Hospital's
  
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• Vet removes 21 child pacifiers from dog's stomach

  12-12-2017 14:21
  EDMOND, Ok.- An Oklahoma veterinarian had to remove an alarming amount of baby pacifiers from a dog's stomach.According to Gentle Care Animal Hospital's Facebook post, a couple from Edmond, Oklahoma recently had a baby and noticed the child's pacifiers were constantly disappearing.One day, the child's grandmother saw the dog, Dovey, jump up on the counter and take off with one. When Dovey later vomited up the pacifier, the owners decided it was time to take the dog in for an X
  
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• Deputies searching for suspect attempting to use counterfeit bills in Ascension

  12-12-2017 14:08
  ASCENSION PARISH- Deputies are searching for information regarding a suspect who attempted to use counterfeit money at multiple Smoothie King locations.According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, the suspect attempted to pass counterfeit bills at a Smoothie King on Highway 61 in Prairieville on two separate occasions.The suspect also attempted to pass fake bills at another Smoothie King located in Dutchtown, authorities say. On this occasion, the suspect went through the drive-thru wind
  
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• New Orleans Saints season ticket holder sues team over anthem protest

  12-12-2017 13:51
  GRETNA- A New Orleans Saints season ticket holder said he is suing the NFL team for a refund because some of the players knelt during the national anthem.WWL-TV reports that ticket holder Lee Dragna filed the lawsuit Monday. The lawsuit claims that the protest of police brutality by some players prevented Dragna and his family from enjoying the games.The lawsuits says that Dragna has not been to a Saints game since the home opener against the New England Patriots. Before the g
  
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• Louisiana law enforcement train to investigate opioid deaths

  12-12-2017 13:41
  BATON ROUGE- Police officers and prosecutors from agencies around Louisiana are training to investigate and bring to court cases involving deaths from opioid abuse, as such deaths are on the rise.Attorney General Jeff Landry's office hosted the all-day education session Tuesday in Baton Rouge, coordinating with the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute.Law enforcement officials from around the country were on hand to discuss investigative tactics, legal tools for prosecutin
  
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• $191M Powerball prize finally claimed in Louisiana

  12-12-2017 13:39
  BATON ROUGE - The massive $191 million Powerball jackpot, Louisiana's largest prize ever, has finally been claimed.The Louisiana Lottery says Lafayette attorney Jean C. Breaux Jr. appeared at Lottery headquarters Tuesday morning and claimed the prize via a Power of Attorney on behalf of his client, a three-member family partnership.The winning ticket from the October 25 Louisiana Powerball drawing was sold at Brownie's in Eunice. Nationally, a total of 17,429,345 tickets (plays) were s
  
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• Man faces new charges for attempting to bribe witness in his rape case

  12-12-2017 13:14
  NAPOLEONVILLE- Deputies from the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office have arrested a man already in jail on new charges of public bribery of a witness.The new charges are being brought against 21-year-old Terrance Dupaty. Warrants for the arrest of 22-year-old Tyrone Tucker in the same public bribery case have been obtained by authorities.In mid-to-late October, investigators received information that Dupaty, who is currently charged with first-degree rape  in the Assumption Pa
  
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• Anonymous donor pays off layaway items for 200 families

  12-12-2017 13:12
  EVERETT, Pa.- An anonymous donor has paid off all the items on layaway at a Pennsylvania Walmart, giving 200 families a holiday gift.WJAC-TV reports that staff members at the Everett store say this is the second year in a row that the anonymous donor has made such a gift.Store veteran Barbara Kearns says she's never seen generosity and humility on this scale before.The Walmart staff has been making calls to families with the news, letting them know their Christmas gifts on layaway are paid off.
  
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• Ho-ho-hole! Christmas tree planted in Mississippi sinkhole

  12-12-2017 12:25
  JACKSON, Miss. - There's only one thing under the Christmas tree decorating Poplar Boulevard in Jackson - a pothole that residents hope will get fixed soon.  WLBT-TV reports somebody placed a tree fully decorated with ornaments and lights in the sinkhole that appeared weeks earlier in the Belhaven neighborhood. A sign on the tree says: "From our sinkhole to yours."  Resident Kelsey Berry says the pothole posed a hazard to unsuspecting motorists because the st
  
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• Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2017: 'Feminism'

  12-12-2017 12:24
  This may or may not come as a surprise, but Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2017 is "feminism."According to ABC News in 2017, lookups for feminism increased 70 percent over 2016 on Merriam-Webster.com and spiked several times after key events.Lexicographer Peter Sokolowski, the company's editor at large, told The Associated Press about the word of the year ahead of Tuesday's annual word reveal.Events that spiked the lookup increase include the Women's March on Washington in Janu
  
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• South Carolina man arrested after Airbnb guest finds camera

  12-12-2017 12:13
  GREENVILLE, S.C. — A South Carolina man has been arrested after a woman who rented an apartment from him using Airbnb found a hidden camera.Media outlets reported that Greenville police arrested 35-year-old Cesar Adan Mendez Fuentes late last week and charged him with voyeurism.A 26-year-old woman from Calhoun, Georgia, reported finding a hidden camera in an alarm clock in the bedroom. Police Sgt. Johnathan Bragg said the woman was trying working on the alarm and realized there was no
  
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• Authorities warn against local warrant scam

  12-12-2017 11:36
  LAFOURCHE PARISH- The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a warrant scam which is targeting local citizens.Authorities said that several citizens have reported receiving the phone call on Dec. 11.The scam artists identifies himself as a member of the U.S. Marshals or similar agency and claims that the person failed to appear in court. Authorities say the man references the 17th Judicial District and even local judges by name.The scammer then demands residents pay a sum
  
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• Man arrested in June vehicle theft, arson

  12-12-2017 11:02
  BATON ROUGE - A 37-year-old man was arrested after he reportedly stole a vehicle and later set it on fire.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, on June 6, 2017, BRFD was called to the 100 block of Marilyn Avenue in reference to a vehicle fire.The fire was already out when BRFD arrived. The vehicle was reported stolen from the 2600 block of Weeler Avenue, according to BRFD.Through the investigation and witness statements, it was determined that Donald Scott, 27, was responsible for the t
  
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• Local library system wins sixth consecutive Library Journal award

  12-12-2017 09:49
  BATON ROUGE- The East Baton Rouge Parish Library System was recently presented with the 2017 Library Journal's America's Star Libraries Award.According to a release, it is the sixth consecutive year the library system has won the award. The East Baton Rouge Library System was the only state library system to be selected for the award.“East Baton Rouge Parish Library is gratified to have received a five-star rating from Library Journal," said Library Director Spencer Watts. "This indep
  
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• Man intervenes in couple's argument, is thrown from bridge

  12-12-2017 09:32
  DERBY, Conn.- Connecticut police say a man threw another man 45 feet off a bridge because he intervened in an argument between the suspect and his girlfriend.Derby police charged Gregory Rottjer with attempted murder in connection with the Thanksgiving morning encounter that left the victim seriously injured. He faces arraignment Tuesday.Rottjer's friend Matthew Dorso was charged with assault while Rottjer's girlfriend, Jennifer Hannum, was charged with lying to police.Police say Rottjer and Ha
  
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• Arctic report card: Permafrost thawing faster than before

  12-12-2017 09:23
  NEW ORLEANS- A new report finds permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever before.The annual report card released Tuesday also finds water is warming and sea ice is melting at the fastest pace in 1,500 years at the top of the world.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Earth's northern region has entered a "new normal" for levels of warming.And while Arctic temperatures this year weren't record-breaking hot, scientists are still concerned.Jeremy Mathis, head of NOAA
  
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• Prescribed burn planned in marsh north of New Orleans

  12-12-2017 08:57
  LACOMBE- Weather permitting, federal crews will begin burning a small part of a national wildlife refuge north of New Orleans on Tuesday to kill invasive plants.The US Fish and Wildlife Service says it plans to burn about 60 acres of marsh in the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, starting Tuesday.Burning the invasive plants will let native marsh grasses return.The refuge covers 18,000 acres of forests, marshes and wetlands on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.A news release says si
  
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• Subway bomb suspect charged

  12-12-2017 08:33
  NEW YORK—The New York Police Department says the man accused of the subway bombing has been charged with supporting an act of terrorism.The NYPD said Tuesday on Twitter that Akayed Ullah also has been charged with making at terroristic threat and weapon possession.Federal charges are expected later.Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller said on CBS “This Morning” on Tuesday that Ullah was not on police or the FBI’s radar bef
  
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• NFL Network suspends analysts over sexual misconduct suit

  12-12-2017 08:28
  NEW YORK- Hall of Fame player Marshall Faulk and two other NFL Network analysts have been suspended after a former employee alleged sexual misconduct in a lawsuit.NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy on Tuesday identified the three as Faulk, Ike Taylor and Heath Evans. He says they have been "suspended from their duties at NFL Network pending an investigation into these allegations."According to court documents first reported by Bloomberg, former wardrobe stylist Jami Cantor described several sexually
  
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• NFL Network suspends analysts, all with ties to Louisiana, over sexual misconduct suit

  12-12-2017 08:28
  NEW YORK- Hall of Fame player Marshall Faulk and two other NFL Network analysts have been suspended after a former employee alleged sexual misconduct in a lawsuit.NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy on Tuesday identified the three as Faulk, Ike Taylor and Heath Evans. He says they have been "suspended from their duties at NFL Network pending an investigation into these allegations."All three employees have ties with Louisiana sports, with Evans being a member of the Saints' Super Bowl-winning squad in
  
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• Commercial fishing for non-sandbar large coastal sharks opens Jan. 1

  12-12-2017 08:01
  BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has announced that the commercial fishing season for non-sandbar large coastal sharks will open in January.LDWF said the season will open in Louisiana waters at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 2018. Federal waters will also open in the Gulf of Mexico at this time.Officials said the commercial and recreations season for the harvest of all sharks in Louisiana state waters will be closed from 12:01 a.m. April 1 until 12:1 p.m. on July 1, per an exist
  
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• Ribbon cutting ceremony to be held for new portion of water campus

  12-12-2017 07:19
  BATON ROUGE- Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for a portion of the new water campus in downtown Baton Rouge.This has been over a year and a half in the making and today, Edwards will host a ribbon cutting for the urban water campus that's developing right along River Road.The ceremony is for the Center of Coastal and Deltaic Solutions. The event will also celebrate another element of the 34,000 square foot facility. The building is still under constructi
  
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• Community recovery through Denham Strong

  12-12-2017 06:30
  DENHAM SPRINGS- Today in Denham Springs, officials are continuing their visionary plans of recovery from the August flood.Denham Strong will be holding a meeting tonight at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Denham Springs City Hall.According to the site, Denham Strong is a community-focused initiative charged with helping Denham Springs become a more resilient community in the wake of the August 2016 flooding.A recovery plan is expected to be adopted by the city council tonight. Following
  
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• LSU, Louisiana-Lafayette to lead research into teacher prep

  12-12-2017 06:06
  NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana's Department of Education says two universities have been chosen to lead a network that will research teacher preparation efforts in the state.Louisiana State University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will co-chair the Louisiana Educator Research Consortium. The two universities will direct research and seek grants for the consortium. Members of the consortium will be chosen from among teacher preparation programs around Louisiana. The work is to begin in J
  
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• Man pleads guilty, gets 40 years for raping juvenile

  12-12-2017 05:50
  SHREVEPORT- A Louisiana prosecutor says a 38-year-old man has pleaded guilty to raping one juvenile and molesting another.Caddo Parish district attorney's spokesman John Andrew Prime says Jonas Jaggers Coffman of Shreveport pleaded guilty Monday, the day his trial was to begin.He says in a news release that District Judge John Mosely Jr. sentenced Coffman to 40 years on a charge of forcible rape and 10 for molesting a minor. The sentences are to run at the same time.He had been charged with agg
  
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• Turbulent Senate race now in hands of Alabama voters

  12-12-2017 05:42
  BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- An internationally watched Senate election is down to Alabama voters.The controversies surrounding Republican Roy Moore give Democrat Doug Jones an opening in the GOP-dominated state. Polls open Tuesday morning.Multiple women have accused Moore of sexual misconduct with teen girls when he was in his 30s. Moore is now 70 and denies the charges. He's telling voters they know his character already.Jones is saying decency must prevail. He's urging Alabama voters to see the race as
  
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