Baton Rouge news

• Firefighters respond to house fully engulfed in flames on Cefalu Drive

  23-12-2017 21:55
  BATON ROUGE- Officials are responding to a house fire that occurred Saturday night.According to fire officials, the incident took place around 9 p.m. Saturday.The Baton Rouge Fire Department is assisting District 6 Fire Dept. in containing the fire. Sources say the house is fully engulfed in flames.Injuries are still unknown. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Parents' Christmas gifts to teachers getting social media backlash

  23-12-2017 21:27
  OHIO- A family is receiving some major social media backlash about a joke labeled on the wine bottles gifted to their son’s teachers.Parents Mary and Paul Sommers labeled the bottles with a picture of their 14-year-old son's face and a funny message that says: "Our child might be the reason you drink, so enjoy this bottle on us.”The older brother of Jake Sommers, the 14-year-old on the bottle, posted a picture of the gift on Twitter where most of the response was po
  
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• Hospital dresses newborn babies as gingerbread cookies for Christmas

  23-12-2017 19:47
  PITTSBURGH, Pa.- A maternity hospital decoratively dressed up their newborns this Christmas season, and it's pretty cute. Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC posted photos to their Facebook page of brand new babies clad in crochet-gingerbread cookie outfits."To celebrate babies born during the holidays, Magee is transforming its nursery into a gingerbread house. Newborns will dress the part by wearing festive onesies and hand-knitted gingerbread caps," the hospital said in
  
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• Law enforcement teams up with community leaders at Christmas event for local children

  23-12-2017 19:04
  SCOTLANDVILLE - Community leaders and law enforcement teamed up for a Christmas celebration today.In efforts to inspire children, Baton Rouge police officers are showing kids what community and Christmas are really about."Someone that's here to see to their needs, to see to their safety. I think it's important for them to see us a more of a positive light," Sgt. Elvin Howard of the Baton Rouge Police Department said.Pat McCallister-LeDuff with "Community Against Drugs and Viol
  
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• Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank preps for Christmas, expects to feed 100,000 people

  23-12-2017 18:57
  BATON ROUGE- As shoppers are making last minute purchases and putting finishing touches on their holiday plans, one Baton Rouge business is still working to give many families a merry Christmas.Business has been kicked into overdrive at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank as Christmas quickly approaches. Mike Manning is still getting donations in the form of cans and cash."We have a tremendous amount of food coming in at the end of the year. Every canned good, every dollar, every volunteer can ma
  
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• O Christmas tree! Storm topples Tennessee's holiday spruce

  23-12-2017 18:41
  NASHVILLE, Tenn.- O Christmas Tree! A Grinch of a storm has toppled the official holiday spruce in Tennessee's capital city.Area media outlets report that Nashville's 40-foot Norway spruce was toppled overnight, with officials blaming a combination of wind, rain and possibly a defective anchor.More than 2,000 people had turned out Dec. 1 for the tree's lighting ceremony with Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, including a performance by the husband-and-wife duo of Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires.The Te
  
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• Early-released inmates seeking help from homeless shelters this holiday season

  23-12-2017 16:49
  BATON ROUGE- While many people are spending this Christmas with family at home, some will be looking at homeless shelters for warm beds and hot meals.St. Vincent de Paul has seen an increase in need as former convicts have no other place to go after being released from prison.Back in November, nearly 2,000 inmates were released early from prison thanks to criminal justice reform. While those releases continue, many former inmates have no homes to return to. This holiday season, they're looking
  
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• Man's 1944 love letter found within remodeled home's walls

  23-12-2017 16:30
  GREENFIELD, Mass.- Massachusetts police have a new mystery to solve: Who wrote a 1944 love letter discovered within the walls of a house being remodeled?The Greenfield Police Department took to Facebook on Saturday to ask for the public's help in figuring out the backstory behind the handwritten letter. Police say the letter is dated April 19, 1944, and was penned by a man who identified himself only as Walter.The letter was addressed to Miss Betty Miller, of Greenfield. In the letter, Walter m
  
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• WATCH: Spider monkeys rip open Christmas presents at Nashville Zoo

  23-12-2017 15:43
  NASHVILLE, TN- Christmas came a few days early for spider monkeys at the Nashville Zoo.The zoo posted the adorable video to their Facebook page just two days before Christmas. Footage shows the excited monkeys tearing into their Christmas presents and enjoying what appears to be delicious treats inside.Check out the video to witness the cuteness.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Grandparents arrested, authorities seize 60 pounds of marijuana 'meant for Christmas gifts'

  23-12-2017 14:28
  YORK COUNTY, Neb.- An elderly couple has been arrested after deputies pulled them over for a traffic violation and found 60 pounds of marijuana in their vehicle.According to NPR, the York County Sheriff's Office pulled over a pickup truck for driving over the center line and failing to use a signal.During the traffic stop, deputies detected a strong smell of raw marijuana, the sheriff's office said.Deputies say 80-year-old Patrick Jiron and 83-year-old Barbara Jiron, from California, were on th
  
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• Miss America leadership resigns in email shaming scandal

  23-12-2017 14:18
  ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - The top leadership of the Miss America Organization has resigned, sweeping out officials implicated in an email scandal that targeted past pageant winners for abuse based on their appearance, intellect and sex lives.  CEO Sam Haskell resigned from the Atlantic City, New Jersey-based organization on Saturday, a day after he was suspended by the board. Also on Saturday, President Josh Randle and Chairman Lynn Weidner resigned.  The organiz
  
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• Gretna man arrested for contractor fraud in EBR, multiple victims scammed

  23-12-2017 13:57
  BATON ROUGE - A 43-year-old Gretna man was arrested after he failed to complete work for a woman affected by the August 2016 flood.According to arrest records, an officer with the Baker Police Department was called to a home regarding a complainant about contractor fraud.The victim stated that in Feb. 2017, she paid a contractor by the name of Marlon Kevin Thomas $25,000 to do repairs to her home.Thomas started the repairs and improvements but hadn't been back to the house to complete the job i
  
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• Giant snapping turtle among bonfires to be lit Christmas Eve

  23-12-2017 12:57
  GARYVILLE - A snapping turtle that can stick out its neck and snap its jaws was built to burn along with scores of teepee-shaped bonfires on Christmas Eve in Louisiana.  Every year, miles of levees between New Orleans and Baton Rouge are lit up in a tradition said to help Pere Noel find his way to homes in Louisiana's River Parishes. Tens of thousands of tourists come to watch.  Joshua Weidert tells news outlets the 24-foot-long snapping turtle was built of p
  
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• Appeals court: Trump exceeded authority with travel ban

  23-12-2017 12:54
  HONOLULU - A federal appeals court panel has ruled that President Donald Trump once again exceeded the scope of his authority with his latest travel ban, but the judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put their decision on hold pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court, meaning the ban involving six majority Muslim countries will remain in effect.  The 77-page ruling released late Friday says Trump's proclamation makes no finding whatsoever that simply being from one o
  
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• Louisiana agriculture chief unveils mobile pet shelter

  23-12-2017 12:53
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's agriculture department has unveiled its second mobile pet shelter for emergencies.  It's similar to one rolled out during the 2015 hurricane season. The new unit is a 48-foot transport truck equipped with up to 55 metal cages, feed, water bowls and a wash down system. It has an air ventilation system to provide proper air circulation and temperature for the pets.  The agriculture department can accommodate up to 3,000 pets at establi
  
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• $122M in homeowner aid awarded to Louisiana flood victims

  23-12-2017 12:50
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's homeowner rebuilding program has awarded $122 million in grants to victims of the 2016 floods that hit much of the state.  New figures about the Restore Louisiana program were released recently, announcing that 4,200 homeowners have been awarded aid for rebuilding so far.  The $1.3 billion homeowner assistance program was created with federal recovery dollars to help those with damage from the March and August 2016 floods. &
  
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• Deputies still seeking information on identity of 2016 St. Martin homicide suspects

  23-12-2017 12:32
  ST. MARTIN PARISH - Sheriff's deputies are still seeking information on the identity of two suspects after a 43-year-old man was killed at his home in St. Martin Parish last year.According to the St. Martin Sheriff's Office, on December 23, 2016, around 8:30 p.m., deputies responded to a 911 call at a residence in the 1100 block of Orchard Park Drive in Cecilia, La. in reference to a homicide.Upon arrival, deputies identified the deceased male as the homeowner, Lionel Potier, 43, of Cecilia.Sur
  
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• APSO: Gonzales man arrested on multiple drug charges

  23-12-2017 11:57
  GONZALES - A 31-year-old Gonzales man was arrested on multiple drug charges Friday.According to Chief Deputy Bobby Webre, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office Narcotics Division executed a search warrant on an apartment located in the 41000 block of Busy Needles Road.Detectives located a quantity of heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, suboxone and digital scales in the residence, according to Webre.As a result, John Davis was placed under arrest and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail on the
  
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