Baton Rouge news

• 'Suspicious package' at Slidell post office turns out to be human waste

  19-01-2018 21:15
  SLIDELL - Police investigating a suspicious package found at a post office Friday afternoon said there was no threat to the public after it was discovered to actually be a box filled with human waste.Officials from the Slidell Police Department updated the public on Twitter around 8:30 p.m., saying the box turned out to be about 70 pounds of human sewage or feces.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The suspicious package at the pos
  
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• Budget deal 'Not looking good,' Trump tweets

  19-01-2018 21:01
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says efforts to avert a government shutdown are "Not looking good."  Trump says in a tweet late Friday evening that it's "Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border."  And he's blaming Democrats, saying they want a federal government shutdown "in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy." &am
  
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• Fugitive wanted in Mississippi arrested in Louisiana

  19-01-2018 20:52
  GRAY (AP) - A man wanted in Mississippi on sexual battery charges has been arrested in Louisiana.  Louisiana State Police and the U.S. Marshal's Service arrested 27-year-old Trey Verrett on Friday.  Verrett, a registered convicted sex offender in Terrebonne Parish, was wanted by the Tishomingo County Sheriff's Office on three counts of sexual battery. Troopers found Verrett at his home in Gray, Louisiana, and arrested him without incident. He's being held at
  
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• Family: Tom Petty died of accidental drug overdose

  19-01-2018 18:33
  NEW YORK (AP) - Tom Petty's family says his death last year was due to an accidental drug overdose.  His wife and daughter released the results of Petty's autopsy via a statement on his Facebook page Friday night. Dana and Adria Petty say they got the results from the coroner's office earlier in the day that the overdose was caused due to a variety of medications.  They say Petty suffered from emphysema, a fractured hip and knee problems that caused him pain
  
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• Rebel-themed flag stays down at police office, up elsewhere

  19-01-2018 18:03
  TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - A City Council in Mississippi is not challenging the mayor's decision to stop flying the Confederate-themed state flag outside a police building.  However, the Tupelo council is requiring that flag remain up at other city buildings. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports four white council members voted for the new ordinance Thursday. One white and two black members voted against it.  Mayor Jason Shelton, a white Democrat, issued
  
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• Homeowner still waiting on $3,500 repairs

  19-01-2018 17:50
  CENTRAL - Promises made and not kept. It's what one Central homeowner says happened to her when she ordered a $3,500 door for her flood-damaged home.Carolyn Blount and her husband rebuilt their home after the flood. One of the last things that needs to be built and replaced is their front door. Blount says she's always been careful with who she hires, but this time she feels like she let her family down.After doing business with them before, she contacted Frank's Doors and Building Supply. She
  
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• 2 teens plead guilty in death of passenger hit by sandbag

  19-01-2018 16:12
  TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - Two of four teenage boys arrested after a sandbag tossed from an Ohio interstate overpass killed a Michigan man have pleaded guilty to charges including involuntary manslaughter.  A prosecutor in Toledo said Friday the 14- and 15-year-old boys didn't toss the sandbag that killed 22-year-old Marquise Byrd, of Warren, Michigan. She says one of the boys threw another sandbag from the overpass the night of Dec. 19.  Byrd died a few days after
  
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• Lawsuit over officer seizing phone, deleting photo settled

  19-01-2018 15:45
  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A settlement has resolved a federal lawsuit that accused a Louisiana police officer of violating a woman's constitutional rights by grabbing her cellphone and deleting a photo she took of her son in the officer's vehicle.  The Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government agreed to pay $12,000 to cover the woman's attorneys' fees. It also agreed to train its officers on the public's First Amendment right to photograph police performing their duties.&n
  
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• Jets WR Anderson arrested in Florida on slew of charges

  19-01-2018 15:40
  SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson faces a slew of charges in Florida, including threatening a police officer's family and saying he would rape the officer's wife.  A Sunrise police report shows the 24-year-old Anderson was stopped early Friday in a sport utility vehicle after it ran two red lights and was swerving while traveling about 105 mph (168 kph).  After he was stopped, police say he made the threats and then boasted about
  
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• Ex-employee: Michael Douglas fondled himself in front of her

  19-01-2018 15:29
  NEW YORK (AP) - A woman who worked for Michael Douglas in the late 1980s says he fondled himself in front of her - an allegation the actor has vigorously denied.  Susan Braudy appeared Friday on NBC's "Today" show.  Braudy, a journalist and author, says Douglas unbuckled his belt, put his hand into his trousers and fondled himself in her presence. She says a friend later cautioned her not to tell anyone.  Douglas, a two-time Oscar winner, to
  
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• Authorities: Body of missing woman found in New Orleans

  19-01-2018 15:08
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A criminal court document accuses the ex-boyfriend of a Minnesota woman with killing her and burning her body in Louisiana.  Twenty-seven-year-old Cristina Prodan, of Edina, was reported missing by her mother Jan. 5. Prodan's former boyfriend, 25-year-old Joseph Porter, was arrested by Arkansas State Police last week on suspicion of auto theft at a Little Rock home he shares with his husband.  The Star Tribune reports the theft charging doc
  
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• School board president to resign amid fallout from teacher's forceful removal

  19-01-2018 14:06
  ABBEVILLE - Vermilion Parish School Board President Anthony Fontana is reportedly resigning early amid a whirlwind of controversy, according to a report from Abbeville Meridional. Fontana sent a letter to the newspaper Friday announcing his intentions.Fontana fell under a cloud of controversy after he tried to silence a teacher's questioning of the district superintendent's raise when teacher salaries hadn't been increased in 10 years. Video of the teacher&am
  
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• Supreme Court to rule on Trump travel ban

  19-01-2018 13:23
  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has agreed to decide the legality of the latest version of President Donald Trump's ban on travel to the United States by residents of six majority-Muslim countries.  The justices plan to hear arguments in April and issue a final ruling by late June.  The action follows last month's ruling by the federal appeals court in San Francisco that struck down the travel ban.  The federal appeals court in Richmond,
  
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• Mom uses stroller to collect 20,000 diapers for families in need

  19-01-2018 13:22
  NEW YORK CITY - With a stroller and a Facebook post, a New York City mom was able to collect 20,000 diapers to donate to families in need.Audrey Symes, a consultant and mom to a then 2-year-old, was looking for a way to volunteer in her free time. So she called the Good Plus Foundation and asked them if she could help out, perhaps by updating spreadsheets.But what they really needed, Symes told ABC News, was diapers."I had never heard of this need," Symes said. "My daughter was still in diapers
  
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• Cancer Services to merge with Mary Bird Perkins

  19-01-2018 13:20
  BATON ROUGE- After working together for years, two cancer-focused organizations in the capital area are merging.According to a release Friday, Cancer Services is merging with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. The two said no changes or interruptions in client services are expected.Cancer Services says leveraging Mary Bird Perkins’ 18-parish service area throughout Southeast Louisiana will help it extend its reach and service more people throughout the state."The best part is t
  
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• Defense: McKnight killing self-defense. Prosecutor: not so

  19-01-2018 12:21
  GRETNA- Attorneys have made their opening statements in the trial of the man who fatally shot former NFL player Joe McKnight.  Defense attorneys say 56-year-old Ronald Gasser fired in self-defense when McKnight approached his car after a traffic confrontation in December 2016.  Prosecutors say Gasser falsely claimed McKnight tried to lunge into Gasser's car when it was stopped at a traffic light. They say physical evidence indicates he made no such aggressive
  
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• Government shutting down amid partisan standoff

  19-01-2018 12:03
  WASHINGTON - The U.S. government shut down at midnight after Congress failed to resolve a partisan standoff over immigration and spending.
   In a late-night vote, Senate Democrats joined to block a bill that would have kept the government running for another four weeks. A flurry of last-minute negotiations failed to beat the deadline.
   Democrats have tried to use the Friday night funding deadline to win concessions from Republicans, including an extension of an Obama-era progra
  
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• Free clinic continues this weekend

  19-01-2018 11:48
  BATON ROUGE - Hundreds of residents visited the Mosquito Control facility on Veterans Blvd. for the first of three days of a free clinic.The free, three-day dental, medical, and vision clinic is open from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.The clinic will provide eye exams with prescription and glasses, dental fillings, cleaning and extractions, partials as well as diabetes and blood pressure screenings, and more, at no cost to the patient.Patients will be cared for on a firs
  
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• WATCH: Penguin jumps into researchers' boat for a visit

  19-01-2018 09:59
  ANTARCTICA- A group of scientists got a surprise visit from a curious bird during a research trip in Antarctica.News 7 reports that researchers with the Australian Antarctic Program were collecting water samples in Newcomb Bay when a young penguin leaped out of the water and onto their boat.The penguin looking around for a few seconds before returning to the ocean.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Delta wants to know if your dog can behave before it flies

  19-01-2018 09:40
  DALLAS- Delta Air Lines says for safety reasons it will require owners to provide more information before their animal can fly in the passenger cabin, including an assurance that it's trained to behave itself.The airline says complaints about animals biting or peeing and pooping have nearly doubled since 2016.Starting March 1, Delta will require owners to show proof of their animal's health or vaccinations at least 48 hours before a flight.Owners of psychiatric service animals and so-called emo
  
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• Man punches self in face to avoid sobriety test

  19-01-2018 08:51
  BELFAST, Maine- Police in Maine have accused a man of punching himself in the face three times to avoid a sobriety test.  Police in the town of Belfast say they found 27-year-old Brian Fogg in his car, stuck in a ditch last week.  WGME-TV reports police said when they tried to test for his blood-alcohol level, Fogg punched himself in the face, causing himself to bleed. Police tended to his injuries instead of giving him the test, but later charged him with op
  
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• Seeing global "packaging problem" Coke vows to cut waste

  19-01-2018 08:41
   ATLANTA - Recognizing a global waste problem, Coca-Cola will attempt to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one that it sells within 12 years.  CEO James Quincey says The Coca-Cola Co. has a responsibility to help solve the problem.  A report issued last summer showed that global industry has produced 9.1 billion tons of plastic since 1950, and there is enough still in circulation to bury Manhattan under more than two miles of trash.&n
  
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• Decision to come Feb. 20 in dispute on Louisiana opioid suit

  19-01-2018 08:09
    BATON ROUGE- A state district judge will decide in February whether Gov. John Bel Edwards or Attorney General Jeff Landry should have control over Louisiana's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.  The Democratic governor and Republican attorney general have been unable to reach a compromise over how to handle litigation accusing drug companies of worsening opioid abuse in Louisiana.  The Edwards administration filed a lawsuit in September
  
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• Court hearing planned in dispute over Louisiana opioid suit

  19-01-2018 08:09
  BATON ROUGE - A dispute over whether Gov. John Bel Edwards or Attorney General Jeff Landry should have control over Louisiana's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers is going before a state judge.  The Democratic governor and Republican attorney general have been unable to mediate a compromise on their own over how to handle litigation accusing drug companies of worsening opioid abuse in Louisiana.  The Edwards administration filed a lawsuit in September throu
  
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• Man wanted after $30,000 of heroin found inside home

  19-01-2018 08:02
  DONALDSONVILLE - Deputies are searching for a man they say is wanted on multiple drug charges.On Thursday, Ascension Parish Sheriff's Deputies responded to a burglary alarm at a home on Bourg Street in Donaldsonville. At the scene, deputies saw that the back door was opened and entered the home.Inside, deputies found a shoe box that had been tipped over containing heroin.As the investigation continued, narcotics detectives found 2.6 ounces of marijuana and 2.3 pounds of more heroin. The approxi
  
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• After being closed for two days, 19th JDC expected to open

  19-01-2018 07:35
  BATON ROUGE- Icy conditions and low water pressure are still impacting state offices around Louisiana.Offices in 13 parishes are still closed, while the rest of the state offices are open. To see a full list of closures, click here.The courthouse in East Baton Rouge is expected to be open. State officials will continue to monitor conditions and update any openings through Monday.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Early morning fire reported on W. Garfield Street

  19-01-2018 06:19
  BATON ROUGE- Emergency crews were on the scene of a house fire on West Garfield Street Friday morning. The call came in shortly after 6 a.m. for a fire in the 500 block of W. Garfield near Alaska Street. According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department fire was under control before 6:20 a.m.No injuries were reported at this time. An investigation into what caused the fire is underway. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Early morning fire on W. Garfield Street reported as arson

  19-01-2018 06:19
  BATON ROUGE- Authorities say a fire that engulfed a home early this morning has been ruled as arson.A call for a fire in the 500 block of West Garfield Street came in at 5:58 a.m. Firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to adjacent homes.By 6:19 a.m., the fire was under control.Authorities say the house is considered a total loss. Anyone with information on the case can call 225-354-1419.Permalink| Comments
  
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