Baton Rouge news

• Space heater near bed causes duplex fire

  02-01-2018 21:52
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Fire Department is investigating a duplex fire on Fairfields Drive.BRFD officials confirmed they were on the scene of the fire in the 2700 block of Fairfields Drive near North 26th Street. It started after 9:30 p.m. and was extinguished shortly after, according to officials.Firefighters arrived to find a rear room in the duplex on fire, officials said. It was extinguished before it could spread.Officials said the fire was caused by a space heater too close to a bed
  
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• Trump says his 'nuclear button' is bigger

  02-01-2018 20:12
  WASHINGTON - My nuclear button is bigger - and better - than your nuclear button.  That's the message from President Donald Trump to North Korea's Kim Jong Un.  Trump is tweeting in response to Kim's declaration earlier this week that he has a button for nuclear weapons on his table and the entire U.S. mainland is now within strike range.  Trump asks if someone from Kim's "depleted and food starved regime" can "please inform him that I too h
  
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• Crime, flood recovery, traffic major points of Mayor Broome's 'State of the City-Parish' address

  02-01-2018 19:58
  BATON ROUGE - In the first "State of the City-Parish" address of her term, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said she and her administration remain committed to improving the state of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish."The good news is that I have witnessed the resiliency of my home town Baton Rouge," Mayor Broome said. "That is why I believe that the shared goals that we have for Baton Rouge will rise above the voices of discord and cynicism."Mayor Broome began her address on the topi
  
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• Mississippi gay marriage law affects college baseball

  02-01-2018 19:55
  HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - College baseball is affected by a Mississippi law that lets government clerks or private business people cite their own religious beliefs to deny services to same-sex couples.  The Sun Herald reports the University of Southern Mississippi was supposed to play three games in Hattiesburg in late February against Stony Brook University. The games were canceled because New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned all non-essential state travel to Mississi
  
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• 3 arrested for breaking into NASCAR team owner's home

  02-01-2018 19:48
  LEXINGTON, N.C.- Authorities say three men have been arrested for breaking into the home of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress.The Davidson County Sheriff's Office identified the three as 20-year-old Niquan Victorin and 18-year-old Chantz Kade Hines, both of Winston-Salem, and 18-year-old Armeka Vantonne Spinks of Salisbury. They're charged with attempted first-degree burglary and first-degree trespassing and jailed under $250,000 bond apiece. It's not known if they have attorneys.According to
  
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• New Baton Rouge police chief to be sworn in Monday

  02-01-2018 18:01
  BATON ROUGE - The mayor's office has announced that Baton Rouge's newest police chief will be sworn in during a ceremony this coming Monday.According to a release, the ceremony swearing in Murphy Paul as the new chief of police in City Hall at 2 p.m. The event will be open to the public.Paul was one of seven candidates publically interviewed by Mayor-President Broome’s chief selection review committee. He subsequently made the final round of interviews and was ultimately selected to l
  
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• Western Union agrees to refund millions after 'Nigerian Prince' arrest in Louisiana

  02-01-2018 17:42
  SLIDELL - Police have released new info in a story that received national attention last week as a 67-year-old man was arrested for his role in a 'Nigerian Prince' scam.According to the Slidell Police Department, Michael Neu acted as a middle man for the scam, working in conjunction with at least one other scammer outside of the country. Police say they'd been investigating Neu since May 2016, when they first received a com
  
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• Plumbers busy working calls for frozen, broken lines

  02-01-2018 17:34
  CENTRAL - The weather is keeping plumbing companies busy this week repairing frozen and split pipes. The emergency calls increased Tuesday morning and rose steadily throughout the afternoon.Central Plumbing Company is having to shift their normal work to address emergencies at homes, daycare centers and dentist offices. Industrial Manager Brandon LeBlanc says their work is just getting started."The calls are really starting to come in," he said. "People realizing they don't have water, maybe fr
  
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• Waste Pro customers in Ascension eligible for refunds

  02-01-2018 16:16
  ASCENSION PARISH- A communication problem coupled with people calling out sick is being blamed on a lack of trash pickup for Waste Pro customers in Ascension Parish, and now those customers are eligible for refunds.Some residents haven't received trash service for over two weeks.
  "It's very upsetting," Heather Banker said. "We have trash that we haven't been able to put out here."For many years, Banker has used Waste Pro for her family's trash needs. This is the first time she's encountered two
  
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• East Feliciana Rural Water asking customers to back down water flow amid freeze warning

  02-01-2018 16:16
  EAST FELICIANA PARISH- Due to a winter freeze warning, customers have been running excessive amounts of water through their service lines in order to avoid frozen pipes and busted lines.The East Feliciana Rural Water System is asking customers to back down their water flow to a consistent drip.Due to excessive usage, EFRW has not been able to recover water storage and will not be able to maintain water flow at the current usage for the duration of the winter freeze, a
  
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• Brake for beaks: California officers save chickens from road

  02-01-2018 16:02
  LOS ANGELES- It was a race against the cluck as California Highway Patrol officers scrambled to rescue nearly 20 chickens that ran through highway lanes near Los Angeles.The agency says the birds blocked a portion of Interstate 605 in the Norwalk area Tuesday morning after their cage fell from the back of a truck.The agency tweeted photos and video of the chickens on the highway and a motorcycle officer collecting them.Officers managed to rescue 17 birds. Two died.The driver transporting the ch
  
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• 2017 marks record number of killings in Louisiana capital

  02-01-2018 15:31
  BATON ROUGE (AP) - Homicides reached a record high in the parish housing Louisiana's capital city during 2017, and the new year also started with violence.  Police say two men were killed Sunday night and Monday morning in East Baton Rouge Parish.  Baton Rouge police spokesman Sgt. Don Coppola says 38-year-old Benjamin McKeel died Sunday night after being stabbed. Authorities arrested 34-year-old Katrice Belezaire on a second-degree murder charge in the stabb
  
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• Man found dead in ditch, shot multiple times in Gonzales

  02-01-2018 15:30
  GONZALES- Authorities say a body has been found in a ditch behind a trailer park Tuesday afternoon.Sources say officers from the Gonzales Police Department were dispatched around 3 p.m. to a clearing between Vesta Trailer Park and Verna Street.Upon arrival, officers found a deceased middle-aged male who had been shot multiple times. City of Gonzales detectives are currently investigating. Little information is available at this time.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Pe
  
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• Tulane gets $3.7M military grant to develop computer tech

  02-01-2018 15:15
  NEW ORLEANS- A Tulane University professor is getting a $3.7 million, three-year military grant to help develop computing technology.The university announced Tuesday that professor Michael Mislove, chair of Tulane's computer science department, received the grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.The research grant is aimed at creating new technology related to quantum computing, specifically targeting the development of programming languages for quantum computers.The comput
  
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• Texas prison officials monitoring inmate hunger strike

  02-01-2018 14:50
  IOWA PARK, Tx.- A spokesman for the Texas prison system says officials are "closely monitoring" a hunger strike involving about 40 inmates that started eight days ago.Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Robert Hurst said by email Tuesday that 37 prisoners in segregation are participating. The number has fallen since Sunday, when he told the Houston Chronicle that 45 inmates were involved.The inmates refusing meals are housed at the Allred Unit in Iowa Park, about 120 miles northwest
  
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• Parts of Tangipahoa Parish under boil water advisory

  02-01-2018 14:04
  TANGIPAHOA PARISH- The Hammond, Tickfaw and Independence areas owned and operated by the French Settlement Water Company are experiencing low pressure or no water.A precautionary boil water advisory has been issued. The advisory will remain in effect until the freeze ends and bacteriological samples can be collected the week of Jan 8.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Franken's exit will set stage for Smith to join Senate

  02-01-2018 13:53
  ST. PAUL, Minn.- Sen. Al Franken's time in the U.S. Senate is coming to a close.The Democrat's resignation was expected to be made official Tuesday. It comes nearly a month after he announced his plans to leave Congress after a swirl of sexual misconduct allegations that began in November.The timing of his official resignation was unclear. But it sets the stage for current Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to be sworn in Wednesday morning.Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton picked his second-in-command last
  
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• Hatch announces he will not seek re-election

  02-01-2018 13:47
  WASHINGTON- Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah says he will not seek re-election after serving more than 40 years in the U.S. Senate.Hatch, 83, says he's always been a fighter, "but every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves."Hatch is the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. He chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee and was a major force in getting a tax overhaul through in December. His retirement opens the door for Republican Mitt Romney to run for his seat.Hatch says he
  
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• Train hits 18-wheeler hauling sand in Caddo Parish

  02-01-2018 13:29
  SHREVEPORT - Officials say a train collided with a tractor-trailer in northwest Louisiana.The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office said it responded Tuesday to an accident involving a KCS train that hit the 18-wheeler near the town of Vivian.No one was injured in the crash that the sheriff's office said occurred when the driver of the vehicle was struck at the rear of the trailer while crossing the railroad tracks.The truck was hauling sand, and the sheriff's office says the train cars were empty. The
  
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• Amber Alert issued for missing Texas teens; Police seeking 44-year-old suspect

  02-01-2018 12:59
  Two girls who have been missing from their Texas home since Saturday may have been abducted by a 44-year-old man, according to authorities.Luluvioletta Bandera-Margret, 7, and Lilianais Griffith, 14, were last seen in Round Rock, about 20 miles north of Austin, where they both live, according to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children.The suspect in the girl's disappearance has been identified as 44-year-old Terry Miles, according to officials. His relationship with the missing gi
  
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• Man killed in motorcycle crash on LA 27 Monday night

  02-01-2018 12:44
  CALCASIEU PARISH- Authorities say a man is dead after crashing the motorcycle he was on Monday night.Shortly before 9 p.m. Louisiana State Troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a motorcycle on LA 27 near Sam Vincent Road just south of Carlyss.Authorities say a 2002 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by 48-year-old Daniel Shavor was traveling south on LA 27 when he failed to negotiate a curve and lost control of the motorcycle causing him to be ejected.Shavor, who was
  
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• Woman with cancer marries in hospital hours before her death

  02-01-2018 12:38
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut woman fighting breast cancer got married at a hospital 18 hours before she died.  Heather Mosher was dressed in her wedding gown and lying in bed wearing an oxygen mask as she and David Mosher said "I do" Dec. 22 at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. The 31-year-old died the next day.  The East Windsor couple fell in love after meeting at a swing dancing class in 2015.  He told news orga
  
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• Arizona ranch suspends 'monster truck tours' after rollover

  02-01-2018 12:26
  PICACHO, Ariz. (AP) - Monster truck tours at an Arizona ostrich farm have been suspended following a rollover involving a dozen people.  KVOA-TV in Tucson reports that the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch announced this weekend that it would stop running the tours after a truck overturned Friday with 12 people inside.  Pinal County Sheriff's spokeswoman Navideh Forghani says three of the injured, including the driver, were airlifted to a hospital. &
  
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• Store shelves empty as cold snap continues

  02-01-2018 11:55
  BATON ROUGE- Space heaters and pipe covers were in short supply Tuesday at Goodwood Hardware and Outdoors off Jefferson Highway."It kind of snuck up on us. We should have more tomorrow," said one store clerk.The last four heaters were sold out by lunch. Pipe insulation and faucet covers were gone before that."Business picked up Saturday. We've been getting calls all day," said another clerk, Anna Milhet.Not everyone was struggling to stay warm and protect their homes. Customer Denise Emery boug
  
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• Slidell Police issue warrant for Queen Elsa after record low temps

  02-01-2018 09:42
  SLIDELL- The Slidell Police Department has issued an arrest warrant for Disney's Queen Elsa after temperatures dipped below freezing for the second day in a row.WWL-TV reports the police department shared the wanted poster offering a $100 million reward for the "dead or alive" capture of the queen from the popular Disney movie Frozen.“As you can see by the weather, she is a very dangerous girl. Approach with caution,” the Slidell Police Department shared.For more updates on
  
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• Mayor Broome to deliver State of the City-Parish address today

  02-01-2018 08:28
  BATON ROUGE- Mayor Sharon Weston Broome will deliver her State of the City-Parish address this evening.Broome will discuss current and future projects about education, transportation, neighborhood revitalization, public safety and more.The address will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Old Louisiana State Capital on 100 North Boulevard.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Hoda Kotb named as replacement for Matt Lauer on TODAY show

  02-01-2018 07:37
  Hoda Kotb has been named a permanent co-anchor of the Today show alongside Savannah Guthrie following Matt Lauer's firing amid sexual harassment allegations.WWL-TV reports that NBC fired Lauer Nov. 29 after receiving what NBC News chairman Andy Lack called a "detailed complaint" about "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace."NBC News chairman Andy Lack shared the news about Kotb in a staff memo Monday morning."I’m proud to share the news with you that Hoda Ko
  
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• Commissioner: 16 people hurt in New York fire will be OK

  02-01-2018 07:25
  NEW YORK- New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says all of the seven adults and nine children hurt in a Bronx fire are expected to be OK.  Investigators believe the fire started in a first-floor furniture store around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Residents from the apartments above fled, including a man who ran outside with no shirt and no shoes. Nearby, icicles hung from power lines.  Resident Erica Ortiz told WCBS that a window guard blocked a f
  
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• 23 hurt, including firefighter, in Bronx blaze

  02-01-2018 07:25
  NEW YORK - The Fire Department of New York says 23 people, including a firefighter, are hurt following a Bronx blaze.  All of them are expected to be OK.  Investigators believe the fire started in a first-floor furniture store around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Adults and children fled from the three stories of apartments above, including a man who ran outside with no shirt and no shoes. Nearby, icicles hung from power lines and ladders. &a
  
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• Louisiana Recreational Creel Survey certified by NOAA Fisheries

  02-01-2018 06:58
  BATON ROUGE- NOAA Fisheries has announced the certification of the Louisiana Recreational Creel survey design.The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries uses LA Creel as an alternative general survey to estimate recreational fishing catch and effort, or number of anglers trips, according to the LDWF. It was designed to provide catch estimates for offshore fisheries, that are more precise than the Marine Recreational Information Program general survey estimates.Now that the LA C
  
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• F-16s intercept small plane that violated Trump's airspace

  02-01-2018 06:38
  PALM BEACH, Fla.- Two F-16 fighter jets intercepted a private plane that was flying in air space prohibited by President Trump's visit to Florida.A North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman tells news outlets the fighter jets from Homestead Air Reserve Base were already patrolling the area near Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence on New Year's Eve when they were alerted that the plane violated airspace restrictions.Officials said the plane was some 29 miles  north of Palm Beach when
  
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• Early morning house fire reported on 78th Ave.

  02-01-2018 05:50
  BATON ROUGE- Firefighters are working the scene of a house fire on 78th Avenue.The fire broke out at a house in the 2300 block shortly before 5 a.m. Authorities say the occupants were evacuated.No injuries have been reported. The fire was under control before 6:30 a.m.Details are limited at this time and the fire is still ongoing. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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