Baton Rouge news

• Dog mauls 69-year-old woman to death at a Phoenix boarding facility

  20-12-2017 19:48
  PHOENIX (AP) - Authorities say a dog mauled a 69-year-old woman to death at a Phoenix boarding facility.  Phoenix police say the victim was found Wednesday in a dog exercise area at Canine Country Club and Feline Inn with significant injuries consistent with dog bites.  She was rushed to a hospital, where she died. Her name hasn't been released yet.  The woman reportedly volunteered at a rescue group called Akita Advocates that rents space a
  
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• WATCH: School surprises maintenance man with new lawnmower for Christmas

  20-12-2017 19:30
  VILLA RICA, Ga.- A daycare center in Georgia surprised one of their employees with an exciting new gift for his home this Christmas.James Jackson, 72, has worked at Sunbrook Academy of Carrollton for seven years as a maintenance man, and he's somewhat of a "celebrity at the school.""The kids literally get out of their cars searching for Mr. James in the morning," one of the school directors said. "It’s unbelievable. Even our 1-year-olds. It’s crazy how much
  
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• McConnell gives Trump gift to celebrate tax win

  20-12-2017 18:14
  WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he's given President Donald Trump a baseball bat to symbolize that he'd "gone to bat for the middle class."  The Kentucky Republican presented it to Trump on Wednesday when Republican lawmakers gathered at the White House to celebrate passage of their $1.5 trillion tax bill.  The dark brown bat is a Louisville Slugger, made by the company of the same name that started in that Kentucky city.&nbs
  
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• Al Franken to officially leave US Senate seat on Jan. 2

  20-12-2017 18:11
  ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Sen. Al Franken plans to officially leave the U.S. Senate on Jan. 2.  The announcement Wednesday from a Franken spokesman should put to rest questions surrounding the timing of the Minnesota Democrat's departure and concern that he might reverse his planned resignation.  Franken announced earlier this month that he would leave "in the coming weeks" amid several sexual misconduct allegations. His office later indicated it would come some
  
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• One hurt in crash on Jefferson Highway near Hoo Shoo Too Road

  20-12-2017 18:04
  BATON ROUGE - One person was taken to the hospital after a crash on Jefferson Highway Wednesday evening.The crash was reported sometime around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday near Hoo Shoo Too Road. Authorities say one person was taken to a hospital, however the extent of that person's injuries is unknown.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• LSU shines above Times Square; Graduate rings trading day's closing bell

  20-12-2017 17:15
  NEW YORK – L-S-U and its iconic lettering and color scheme radiated through Times Square Wednesday evening as an LSU graduate rang the closing bell, signaling the end of the NASDAQ trading day.Stephen Herbert, chairman and CEO of USA Technologies ceremoniously closed the trading day. Herbert graduated from LSU.USA Technologies handles cashless payments for the self-service retail market.Herbert and his family also made a contribution to the LSU Foundation.LSU filled the 8-story monito
  
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• WATCH: 'Love Actually' star welcomes home travelers at Heathrow airport

  20-12-2017 15:37
  LONDON- Passengers traveling home for Christmas were welcomed with a warm surprise at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday.Martine McCutcheon, who plays Hugh Grant's love interest in Love Actually, greeted travelers deplaning in Terminal 5. She even gave some a hug just like she did in the classic Christmas film."It was one of my all-time favorite scenes to film and even now I get so excited every time I'm at Heathrow. Welcoming someone home is such a great feeling that never gets old,
  
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• Two taken to hospital after knife fight in Livingston Parish

  20-12-2017 14:54
  LIVINGSTON PARISH- Authorities say two people have been transported to a hospital after a reported knife fight.According to officials, the incident happened Wednesday afternoon on Catfish Landing Road off of LA-22 in Maurepas. A woman at the scene, Lisa Morgan, said the confrontation began when her estranged husband, 52-year-old Mike Petsh, arrived at her home. Morgan, also 52-years-old, said Petsh had been in rehab in Shreveport and showed up uninvited Wednesday afte
  
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• Edwards says he asked ex-State Police leader to live onsite

  20-12-2017 14:14
  BATON ROUGE- Gov. John Bel Edwards says he asked retired Louisiana State Police leader Mike Edmonson to live in a state-owned home when Edmonson was agency superintendent.The arrangement drew criticism from a legislative audit as possibly violating state law because Edmonson didn't pay rent or taxes on the benefit.Edwards said Wednesday he asked Edmonson to remain in the house, where Edmonson had lived since he was named superintendent by former Gov. Bobby Jindal. Edwards said he thought that w
  
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• Authorities discover variety of narcotics during traffic stop

  20-12-2017 13:57
  LAFOURCHE PARISH- Deputies from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a man Tuesday after finding a variety of drugs inside his vehicle during a traffic stop.Deputies conducted a traffic stop on LA Highway 1 at around 11:30 p.m. The driver was identified as 44-year-old Tarkus Pitre. In speaking with authorities, Pitre said he was in the process of purchasing the vehicle and did not have any documentation for it.A K-9 unit was called to the scene. During a perimeter sweep of the vehicle
  
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• Louisiana governor sets Jan. 19 to reach deal with House GOP

  20-12-2017 13:55
  BATON ROUGE (AP) - Gov. John Bel Edwards set a Jan. 19 deadline to reach a tax deal with House Republican leaders to close a $1 billion budget gap.  If no deal is reached, the Democratic governor says he won't call a February special legislative session. Lawmakers would then have to craft a budget that strips the entire amount through cuts or let it linger unfinished until a June special session.  No one has offered a specific proposal for slashing that much
  
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• Charlottesville dedicates street to car attack victim

  20-12-2017 13:20
  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - The mother of a young woman killed when a car plowed into a crowd protesting a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville says she is proud of the legacy her daughter left behind.  Susan Bro addressed residents and city officials who gathered Wednesday near the site where Heather Heyer died to dedicate part of a downtown street in her honor.  Heyer's father, Mark Heyer, said he was honored by the city's decision to memorialize his
  
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• Law enforcement helps West Feliciana inmates visit family for the holidays

  20-12-2017 13:13
  ST. FRANCISVILLE - A select group of inmates got a Christmas treat Wednesday as they were allowed to briefly visit with their families for the holidays.It's part of an annual tradition at the West Feliciana Parish Detention Center, where the staff allows inmates to visit with their loved ones as the holidays approach. Some of the inmates were even allowed to hold their children for the first time.Sheriff's office officials and jailer also used their own money to buy toys so th
  
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• Acadiana school official accused of indecent behavior with a juvenile

  20-12-2017 12:52
  BATON ROUGE- An athletic director and basketball coach in Grand Coteau has been arrested for allegedly soliciting a minor via the internet.According to Attorney General Jeff Landry authorities charged Mark Aune with attempted production of sexual abuse images/videos of children, indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer aided solicitation of a minor.KATC reports that Aune worked at the Academy of the Sacred Heart.Schools of the Sacred Heart, Gra
  
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• Arson determined in overnight fire at local business

  20-12-2017 12:46
  BATON ROUGE - Authorities are looking for suspects in an arson that dealt significant damage to a local business Wednesday night.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, crews were called to the 200 block of Lobdell Boulevard after 10 p.m. Wednesday. Firefighters say heavy flames were found in three different rooms at business, owned by Gemini Real Estate Holdings.Investigators have determined that arson was the cause of the fire and authorities are now looking f
  
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• Vandals destroy 115-million-year-old dinosaur footprint at national park

  20-12-2017 12:43
  Authorities are searching for the person responsible for damaging a fossilized dinosaur footprint in Bunurong Marine Park at Australia's renowned “Dinosaur Dreaming” site, Victoria Park officials said Tuesday.ABC News reports that Melanie McVey-Di Lazzaro, a spokeswoman for Parks Victoria, said the  damage done to the footprint was discovered last week. Authorities said a hammer or a hand tool was used to break pieces off of the fossil.The footprint was dis
  
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• Authorities looking for ATM card cloners

  20-12-2017 11:53
  BATON ROUGE- The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office is looking for suspects they say placed a skimmer on an ATM and cloned people's cards.The incident occurred Dec. 3 at the Perkins Road Neighbors Federal Credit Union.Authorities do not know when the device was collected, but several people who used the ATM reported their debit cards were cloned and used starting on Dec. 9. The cloned cards have been used in Lafayette, Gonzales, and Harvey, as well as other locations, according to autho
  
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• Confederate statue removed from Memphis park

  20-12-2017 11:06
  MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A crew in Memphis has removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from a park after the city sold it to a private entity.
   Live video from the scene captured cheers as the statue was lifted off its marble base and placed on a flatbed truck late Wednesday.
   The Commercial Appeal reports that the City Council approved the sale of two public parks containing Confederate statues for $1,000 each to Greenspace Inc. Memphis Chief Legal Officer Bruce M
  
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• Man arrested after two fires confirmed as arson

  20-12-2017 11:03
  BATON ROUGE- Authorities arrested a man for his connection to two different fires at a residence last month.On Nov. 6, Baton Rouge Fire Investigators were at the scene of a fire in the 2800 block of 75th Street. After processing the scene, the fire was determined to be the result of arson.The fire was started in an outside storage room that was attached to the home. The suspect's mother and infant child were inside the home at the time of the fire. Authorities say the fire caused minor structur
  
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• Officer rescues frantic dog from frozen pond

  20-12-2017 09:27
  TITUSVILLE, N.J.- Officers from the Hopewell Township New Jersey Police Department rescued a dog that fell through the ice into a pond.Authorities say the dog was unable to get out of the pond on her own. Officers Robert Voorhees and George Peterson, along with Hopewell Valley Emergency Services and Pennington Fire Company personnel arrived at the scene to assist the dog's owner.Officer Voorhees volunteered to be fastened to a rope and crawled out to the edge of the ice towards the dog whose na
  
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• Man accused of deleting ex-girlfriend's important files

  20-12-2017 08:45
  BATON ROUGE- Authorities charged a man with offenses against intellectual property after he allegedly logged into his ex-girlfriend's account and deleted several files.On Nov. 28 LSU officers responded to a complaint of a woman claiming that she thought her ex-boyfriend logged into her email account without her authorization and deleted several important files that had been saved to her mailbox. The victim told authorities that the files were all related to a domestic battery case against her e
  
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• Prison guard arrested for having sex with inmate, bringing drugs into jail

  20-12-2017 08:15
  NEW ORLEANS- A female guard at the Orleans Justice Center was arrested for having sexual contact with an inmate and bringing illegal drugs into the jail, according to authorities.WWL-TV reports that Oshen Heilman, 25, was arrested at the jail Tuesday when she arrived for work.Heilman was booked with three counts of sexual battery, five counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and other drugs, several contraband and conspiracy charges, as well as sexual malfeasance in prison.Heil
  
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• Ochsner in tentative deal to run north Louisiana hospitals

  20-12-2017 07:39
  BATON ROUGE - Management of the state-owned safety-net hospitals in north Louisiana could soon be changing hands.Southeast Louisiana-based Ochsner Health System has tentatively agreed to take over day-to-day oversight of the Shreveport and Monroe facilities from BRF.The move announced Tuesday by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration is aimed at ending years of disputes over operations of the facilities.The Edwards administration and LSU, which previously managed the hospitals, sent breach-of-co
  
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• Airline Highway at Greenwell Springs closed until Friday

  20-12-2017 07:13
  BATON ROUGE- Airline Highway is closed in the southbound direction at Greenwell Springs for necessary drainage repair operations.The road closed today at 6 a.m. According to DOTD, the road will reopen Dec. 22 at 4 p.m.Motorists may detour from Airline Highway southbound to Greenwell Springs Road to Wooddale Boulevard, then to Choctaw Drive, and back to Airline Highway southbound.US 61 South will be closed at LA 37 (Greenwell Springs Rd) 6AM Wednesday until 4PM Friday due to drainage repair oper
  
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• Louisiana vet accused of killing neighbor's dog because of its barking

  20-12-2017 06:41
  HARAHAN- A Jefferson Parish veterinarian was arrested and accused of cruelty to animals after authorities say she shot a neighbor's dog in the head because of its incessant barking.The Advocate reports that Kelly Folse, 35, is accused of shooting Bruiser, a 15-month-old American bulldog. The incident occurred on Dec. 13.Authorities say the owner rushed the dog to Abadie Veterinarian Hospital in Harahan, the same officer were Folse worked, but Bruiser died the next day. Folse was not involved in
  
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• LDWF to close oyster harvest in Sister Lake

  20-12-2017 06:28
  TERREBONNE PARISH- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will close the oyster harvest in the Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation a half hour after sunset on Dec. 22.Authorities say recent harvest pressure has depleted the limited supply of oysters in the public area. Protection of the remaining oyster resources is in the long-term best interest of the oyster populations in these areas, according to LDWF. To view, a map of current closure area click here.Permalink|
  
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• Suspect sought by authorities for using false identity

  20-12-2017 06:13
  LAFOURCHE PARISH- The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of a man wanted for using another person's identity to acquire a store credit card.On Dec. 7, detectives began investigating a complaint where a man's identity was used to open a credit card at an area department store. Detectives learned an unidentified male suspect opened a line of credit at the store on Nov. 28 and made a purchase in excess of $1,500.Anyone who may be able to id
  
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• Authorities asking for help identifying suspect

  20-12-2017 05:52
  LIVINGSTON PARISH- Detectives from the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect they say attempted to steal cigarettes.The incident occurred on Dec. 7 just after 3 p.m. Authorities say the suspect tried to steal cartons of cigarettes from a store in Denham Springs. The store is located at Magnolia Beach and Highway 61.Authorities say the suspect was scared away by an employee.Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to call the sh
  
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