Baton Rouge news

• Woman's Hospital breaks down safety precautions for pregnant women amid pandemic

  02-07-2020 21:55 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE- Woman's Hospital has released updated safety guidelines for pregnant women after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that pregnant women with COVID-19 could be at a higher risk of more severe symptoms.Having a baby, caring for a newborn, and healing from childbirth are all exhausting, stressful, and typically overwhelming experiences. For those who are going through these challenging times during a pandemic, there are even more hardships.Delivering a baby
  
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• Baton Rouge businesses prepare for mask requirement to begin Friday

  02-07-2020 18:31 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - With less than 24 hours until Baton Rouge's mask requirement goes into effect, local business owners are bracing for the change."You have to have a mask to enter the establishment. It's just going to be what it has to be at this point," Mike Anderson's Restaurant General Manager Joshua Jones said.After a surge in coronavirus cases across the capital city, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome is making face masks inside businesses a requirement."Everything's been a big challenge fo
  
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• AP Source: NFL to play Black anthem before national anthem

  02-07-2020 18:15 via wbrz.com
  
  “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” will be performed live or played before “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to each NFL game during Week 1 and the league is considering putting names of victims of police brutality on helmet decals or jersey patches, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.The person said the league is working collaboratively with players to recognize victims of systemic racism throughout the season in a variety
  
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• Texas governor issues mask order to fight coronavirus

  02-07-2020 17:55 via wbrz.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered that face coverings must be worn in public across most of the state, a dramatic ramp up of the Republican’s efforts to control spiking numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.Abbott, who had pushed Texas’ aggressive reopening of the state economy in May, had previously said the government could not order individuals to wear masks. His prior virus-related orders had undercut efforts
  
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• Redskins sponsor FedEx asks team to change its name

  02-07-2020 17:39 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - FedEx, one of the most prominent sponsors of the Washington Redskins, has asked that the team change its name.The shipping company released a statement Thursday explaining that it had made a request for the NFL franchise to change its team name. The company owns the naming rights to the team's current stadium, FedEx Field.JUST IN: @FedEx has asked the Washington @Redskins to change its name. Here is the statement:“We have communicated to the team in Washington our request
  
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• Redskins move closer to officially changing team's name

  02-07-2020 17:39 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - As of Friday (July 3) morning, the Washington Redskins are one step closer to officially changing their team's name.The NFL franchise is moving from conducting internal discussions related to the renaming into leading an official review of the name change, according to journalist/NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.The team issued a statement regarding the matter, Friday.In the announcement, Head Coach Ron Rivera said: "This issue is of personal importance to me and I look forward to working
  
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• Court record shows St. Louis couple pulled gun before

  02-07-2020 17:24 via wbrz.com
  
  O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — The white St. Louis couple who became internationally famous for standing guard with guns outside their mansion during a protest have pulled a gun before in defense of their property, according to an affidavit in an ongoing case.As demonstrators marched near the Renaissance palazzo-style home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey on Sunday, video posted online showed him wielding a long-barreled gun and her with a small handgun. No shots were fired.The proteste
  
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• City of Walker to encourage social distancing during annual Fourth of July celebration

  02-07-2020 17:17 via wbrz.com
  
  WALKER – While a lot of Fourth of July celebrations have been canceled, the City of Walker's is still on.“I’m ecstatic. So many people are cooped up with nothing to do, and this is going to get a lot of people out. It's safer to be outside,” Tracy Baron said.Baron lives across the street from Sidney Hutchinson Park where the annual Independence festivities will be taking place. He watches the fireworks show in his front lawn.“All of my neighbors
  
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• CONGRATS! WBRZ anchor Sylvia Weatherspoon ranked 225's 'Best'

  02-07-2020 17:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sylvia Weatherspoon was voted Best TV personality in the Baton Rouge area in the 2020 Best of 225 awards.The annual program from 225 Magazine ranks readers' favorites among TV presenters, radio personalities, businesses and food.  Sylvia bested Pat Shingleton for the top-ranked TV personality.  225 Magazine said 170,000 people voted.  The Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day Parade was voted the community's best event.The spe
  
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• Face masks encouraged, not mandatory in Ascension Parish

  02-07-2020 16:08 via wbrz.com
  
  On the heels of East Baton Rouge's mask mandate announcement, Ascension leaders say the parish has no plans of enforcing a mask requirement for now.Parish President Clint Cointment said in a statement Thursday afternoon that the parish is "strongly encouraging" people to wear masks in public, but there is no plan for a mandate like Baton Rouge.“I have conferred with Parish leaders, and we all concur that we must act to counter the recent rise of infections in Ascension Parish,&rdq
  
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• Face masks encouraged, not mandatory in Ascension & Livingston parishes

  02-07-2020 16:08 via wbrz.com
  
  On the heels of East Baton Rouge's mask mandate announcement, Ascension and Livingston leaders say the parishes have no plans of enforcing a mask requirement for now.Parish President Clint Cointment said in a statement Thursday afternoon that Ascension Parish is "strongly encouraging" people to wear masks in public, but there is no plan for a mandate like Baton Rouge.“I have conferred with Parish leaders, and we all concur that we must act to counter the recent rise of infections in A
  
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• Epstein pal arrested, accused of luring girls for sex abuse

  02-07-2020 15:45 via wbrz.com
  
  British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday on charges she helped lure at least three girls — one as young as 14 — to be sexually abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of victimizing dozens of girls and women over many years.According to the indictment, Maxwell, who lived for years with Epstein and was his frequent companion on trips around the world, facilitated his crimes and on some occasions joined him in sexually abusing the girls.E
  
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• Stocks rise on jobs data, S&P 500 ends week with solid gain

  02-07-2020 15:31 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing higher Thursday after a report showed the U.S. job market continues to climb out of the crater created by the coronavirus pandemic in the spring.The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and finished the holiday-shortened week with a gain of 4%. Stocks also rose across Europe and Asia, while oil prices strengthened on hopes that a recovering economy will mean more demand. Worries about the virus are still weighing on investors, however.Florida reported another sharp
  
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• Ascension Parish outlines Aug. 5 school reopening plans

  02-07-2020 15:08 via wbrz.com
  
  GONZALES - The Ascension Parish School System is outlining how schools there will reopen amid the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis.The school district revealed a special website for parents to track reopening plans, which are listed in phases: 1 through 3.  The district said more guidance will be released by July 17.The website is: www.apsb.org/2020-21."Our schools and district leaders have been working on detailed plans for reopening schools and providing educational services this fall
  
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• Boy Scouts recall scout pins that contain high levels of lead

  02-07-2020 14:52 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE- The Boy Scouts of America are recalling cub scout outdoor activity pins that contain lead levels above the federal limit.The rhomboid-shaped pin is silver with a gold animal paw painted on a blue background is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.About 78,000 pins were manufactured and distributed at Boy Scouts of America retail stores and authorized distributors nationwide. The pins were also a
  
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• Hugh Downs, genial presence on TV news and game shows, dies

  02-07-2020 14:33 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Hugh Downs, the genial, versatile broadcaster who became one of television’s most familiar and welcome faces with more than 15,000 hours on news, game and talk shows, has died at age 99.Downs died of natural causes at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday, said his great-niece, Molly Shaheen.“The Guinness Book of World Records” recognized Downs as having logged more hours in front of the camera than any television personality until
  
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• Deputies search for suspect involved in robbing a daiquiri shop

  02-07-2020 14:23 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - Authorities are investigating an armed robbery that took place at a daiquiri shop Wednesday afternoon.Around 3:30 p.m. the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, received a call about a man robbing a daiquiri shop on Hwy 16 at gunpoint.Sheriff Jason Ard said, ‘We know the suspect demanded cash while pointing a handgun at the employee."The suspect is described as a 6-foot tall male. Video and pictures from the incident can be seen below. No injuries were repor
  
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• Deputies looking for man who robbed daiquiri shop at gunpoint

  02-07-2020 14:23 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - Authorities are investigating an armed robbery that took place at a daiquiri shop Wednesday afternoon.Around 3:30 p.m., the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office received a call about a man robbing a daiquiri shop on LA 16. The sheriff says the robber demanded money from an employee at gunpoint.No injuries were reported.Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the sheriff's office at 225-686-2241.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Found: Elderly woman in Baker home safe and sound after going missing Wednesday

  02-07-2020 14:12 via wbrz.com
  
  BAKER - An elderly woman is now home safely after going missing on Wednesday, July 1.According to the Baker Police Department, she is home safe and sound.Police detectives say shortly after the search was on media outlets, the woman was found.Anyone with information on a missing person's whereabouts in Baker, Louisiana is urged to contact the Baker Police Department at 225-775-6000, extension 1.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Authorities search for missing 78-year-old woman; last seen in Baker

  02-07-2020 14:12 via wbrz.com
  
  BAKER - Police are searching for a 78-year-old woman who was last seen midday Wednesday.According to the Baker Police Department, Gloria M. Fuqua left her home around noon on July 1, 2020.Family members say that around the beginning of each month, Fuqua buys groceries and other supplies in the Zachary and Baker area.Relatives have also informed authorities that Fuqua has a poor memory, which appears to be early signs of dementia. As of now, Fuqua has not been diagnosed with any mental or medica
  
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• EBR school board president calls for Connie Bernard's resignation

  02-07-2020 13:43 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge School Board President Michael Gaudet announced Thursday that he is calling on Connie Bernard to resign from the board.The announcement comes more than a week after Gaudet renounced Bernard's actions during a school board discussion regarding the renaming of Lee High. Bernard was seen online shopping during the meeting and made controversial statements regarding the school's original namesake, Robert E. Lee.Video from the board meeting went viral and led to widesp
  
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• 3 Baton Rouge protesters accused of causing $800K in damage handed federal indictments

  02-07-2020 13:43 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Three people accused of setting a handful of Baton Rouge-area businesses on fire as part of a political statement amidst the George Floyd protests earlier this year were formally charged in federal court.Court documents reveal Terry Dorsey, Kenyatta Huggins and Shamyrin Djhodi Johnson were all indicted on arson charges related to the fires set at four different businesses. The fires were set throughout the area over the course of a few days beginning in late May.The total cost of
  
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• LAPD funding slashed by $150M, reducing number of officers

  02-07-2020 13:22 via wbrz.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — City leaders voted Wednesday to slash the Los Angeles Police Department budget by $150 million, reducing the number of officers to a level not seen for more than a decade amid nationwide demands to shift money away from law enforcement agencies during America’s reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice.About two-thirds of the funding was earmarked for police overtime and will be used to provide services and programs for communities of color, inc
  
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• Inauguration ceremonies held for Louisiana Sheriffs

  02-07-2020 13:11 via wbrz.com
  
  A series of swearing-in ceremonies were held Thursday, July 1 for those elected to the role of Sheriff in their parishes.Some of those sworn in included Sheriff Jeff Travis of East Feliciana Parish, Sheriff Bobby Webre of Ascension Parish, and Sheriff Becket Breaux of St. Martinville Parish. Though the ceremonies were slightly different from those of previous years due to the implementation of social distancing practices in an effort to ward off the spread of COVID-19, each of the Sher
  
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• EBR evidence tossed in grisly Tennessee murder case after son charged with butchering, dismembering parents

  02-07-2020 13:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE- A man arrested in Louisiana on suspicion of stabbing and dismembering his parents at their Tennessee home in 2016 has been granted a motion to suppress evidence found in his Baton Rouge apartment.In the case of 32-year-old Joel Michael Guy Jr., Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword denied his motion to suppress key pieces of evidence seized from the home without a warrant, including gruesome photos of of the victims' dismembered bodies.Sword's ruling follows the Tennessee Su
  
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• Unemployment claims up as Louisiana fights COVID-19

  02-07-2020 12:23 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly 22,000 Louisiana residents filed new claims for unemployment last week, the state’s labor department reported Thursday.The number of initial claims was up from fewer than 20,000 a week earlier. The figures show the continued effects of the fight against the new coronavirus. For the comparable week last year, initial unemployment claims were about 2,206.The total number receiving unemployment benefits rose above 306,000 last week. F
  
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• Unemployiment claims up as Louisiana fights COVID-19

  02-07-2020 12:23 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly 22,000 Louisiana residents filed new claims for unemployment last week, the state’s labor department reported Thursday.The number of initial claims was up from fewer than 20,000 a week earlier. The figures show the continued effects of the fight against the new coronavirus. For the comparable week last year, initial unemployment claims were about 2,206.The total number receiving unemployment benefits rose above 306,000 last week. F
  
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• Central Police: Missing teen found

  02-07-2020 12:23 via wbrz.com
  
  CENTRAL- The Central Police Department confirmed that 16-year-old Christopher James Stuart has been found as of Friday, July 3rd and is safe at home. He was reported missing on Thursday evening. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, NCIC, in the United States, an estimated 460,000 children are reported missing every year.Click here for more information on missing children.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Authorities search for missing teen last seen in Central

  02-07-2020 12:23 via wbrz.com
  
  CENTRAL- The Central Police Department is asking for help in the search for a missing teenager.Christopher James Stuart, 16, was last seen on Wednesday, July 1 leaving his home on Loveott Road.Police say the 16-year-old boy got into a red car at the McDonald's at Hooper and Joor Wednesday night.Stuart is said to have an athletic build, standing 5'11" tall, weighing about 155 pounds. He has sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes, last seen wearing basketball shorts, a grey shirt, and black sneakers.An
  
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• Not so random acts: Science finds that being kind pays off

  02-07-2020 12:08 via wbrz.com
  
  Acts of kindness may not be that random after all. Science says being kind pays off.Research shows that acts of kindness make us feel better and healthier. Kindness is also key to how we evolved and survived as a species, scientists say. We are hard-wired to be kind.Kindness “is as bred in our bones as our anger or our lust or our grief or as our desire for revenge,” said University of California San Diego psychologist Michael McCullough, author of the forthcoming book &
  
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• Diocese of BR: Fr. George Gensler added to list of credible accusations of sexual abuse by clergy

  02-07-2020 09:58 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Diocese of Baton Rouge reports that the diocesan list has added a new name to its list of credible accusations of sexual abuse by clergy.The following individual has been added to reflect the recent receipt of additional allegations: Fr. George Gensler Dates of Abuse: Late 1970s and between 1984-1998 Dates Reports Received: 2/6/1994, 10/26/2018, 2/5/2020 and 2/7/2020 Gensler was incardinated into the Diocese of Baton Rouge in 1978 and over t
  
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• Police: Bogalusa man killed in crash after deer runs into roadway

  02-07-2020 09:38 via wbrz.com
  
  BOGALUSA – Louisiana State Police say a Wednesday night crash resulted in the death of a Bogalusa man.According to police, John Helton was headed eastbound on LA 60, west of LA 1072, when a deer ran into the road, causing him to crash into the deer and then swerve off-road into a ditch where his vehicle began to overturn.Police say Helton wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and he was pronounced dead on scene by the Washington Parish Coroner's office. Helton wa
  
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• BR Firefighters: Family of five escapes home engulfed in flames

  02-07-2020 09:17 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Officials say a family of five fled their home as flames engulfed it, eventually destroying the residence.Baton Rouge Firefighters were dispatched to the 300th block of South 16th Street early Thursday morning to find the home in flames. They worked quickly to extinguish the fire, but the building was decimated, resulting in a $60,000 loss.The structure was a duplex and the living space opposite the family's was vacant, investigators believe the fire started near the back of the v
  
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• Woman's Hospital: Pregnant women should take extra precautions due to COVID-19

  02-07-2020 09:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Shortly after The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that pregnant women with COVID-19 may be at an increased risk of a more severe illness than women who are not pregnant, Woman’s Hospital issued a notice stating that its physicians encourage pregnant women to take additional precautions to protect their health and the health of their baby.The CDC findings were based on a study that noted pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to be hospit
  
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• Suspect accused of firing deputy's weapon in Cortana Walmart extradited to EBR Parish

  02-07-2020 08:51 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man who'd been apprehended in the state of Indiana after fleeing Baton Rouge authorities has been extradited back to Baton Rouge . Records indicate that 31-year-old Gabriel Nicole Francis was officially handed over to East Baton Rouge Parish authorities on Wednesday, July 1.Deputies with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office say the incident in question took place June 15, when Francis was suspected of shoplifting at Baton Rouge's Cortana Walmart.After being appr
  
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• Tensions rise as EBR School Board finalizes new superintendent's salary, contract

  02-07-2020 08:19 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - During a Wednesday night meeting, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board approved a three-year contract for its new superintendent along with an annual pay of $255,000, in addition to benefits.But according to The Advocate, not everyone was on board with the decision as several board members voted against granting incoming superintendent, Leslie Brown, an annual salary that they felt was too high.  Those who were against the final decision, in a 6-3 vote, inclu
  
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• Police: NOLA-based company stole children's identities to purchase big-ticket items

  02-07-2020 07:10 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans-based business is accused of leading an identity theft scam that involved using the stolen identities of more than 100 children to purchase luxury cars and other items. According to The Advocate, 20 people have been arrested in connection with the complex scheme.Investigators say Fresh Start Financial Group of New Orleans was operating the scheme; the company's directors, 31-year-old Charles Roy and 32-year-old Tanya Ward, worked with Fresh Start's
  
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• Birthday boat ride turns tragic; couple dies

  02-07-2020 06:36 via wbrz.com
  
  VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — A birthday boat ride turned to tragedy with the deaths of a Mississippi couple on the lake where they own a vacation home.Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey identified the couple on Wednesday as James Reno Jr., 57, and Debra Reno, 61, of Raymond, news agencies reported. Monday, the day the couple went boating, was Debra Reno’s birthday, he said.Both drowned, he told The Associated Press.Foul play is not suspected, Sheriff Martin Pace told&
  
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• Louisiana businesses can apply for virus grants on July 28

  02-07-2020 06:33 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana will start accepting applications July 28 from small businesses seeking up to $15,000 grants to help with coronavirus expenses, Treasurer John Schroder announced Wednesday.The Republican state treasurer said he will use three contractors to help run the website portal for applications. They are to review and approve grant recipients and market the program, which will hand out at least $260 million in grants.“I expect once somebody qualifies,
  
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• Video leads to charges in abuse of man with cerebral palsy

  02-07-2020 06:27 via wbrz.com
  
  KENNER, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man faces dozens of criminal charges related to the beating and sexual abuse of a 26-year-old man with cerebral palsy.The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports that court records show weeks of abuse was recorded by surveillance equipment at the victim’s home in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner. Jefferson Parish court records show 39-year-old Patrick Bowden pleaded not guilty on June 25 to five counts of being a principal to s
  
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• Baton Rouge prepares for new mask mandate

  02-07-2020 06:07 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — As Louisiana continues to contend with a surge in coronavirus cases, residents of the capital city are adjusting to a new mandate that requires them to wear either a mask or face covering while inside of a business. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome issued the announcement Wednesday, following an announcement of the state's largest daily coronavirus case spike since April.Statewide, nearly 2,100 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Wednesday, accompanied b
  
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• Diocese of BR's Child Nutrition Program distributes meals throughout July

  02-07-2020 05:34 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Child Nutrition Program of the Diocese of Baton Rouge will continue to serve meals Monday through Friday during the month of July at the times and locations listed below.The organization issued this announcement Wednesday, stating, "This is especially important because it's possible some other providers have discontinued distribution of meals effective June 30. Thank you for any assistance you can give us to assure that all children through 18 years of age, regardless of faith
  
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• Global stocks follow Wall Street higher on vaccine hopes

  02-07-2020 05:23 via wbrz.com
  
  BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets and Wall Street futures rose Thursday as hopes for development of a coronavirus vaccine competed with concerns about rising U.S. infections.London and Frankfurt opened higher. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Australia also advanced.Investors were encouraged after Pfizer and BioNtech announced preliminary data from a vaccine test, one of a series being carried out by global developers.At the same time, the populous American states of California and Te
  
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• US adds 4.8 million jobs as unemployment falls to 11.1%

  02-07-2020 05:16 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a substantial 4.8 million jobs in June, and the unemployment rate fell to 11.1%, as the job market improved for a second straight month yet still remained far short of regaining the colossal losses it suffered this spring.The nation has now recovered roughly one-third of the 22 million jobs it lost to the pandemic recession. And with confirmed coronavirus cases spiking across the Sun Belt states, a range of evidence suggests that a job market rec
  
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• Predicted surge in US job growth for June might not last

  02-07-2020 05:16 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers likely rehired several million more workers in June, thereby reducing a Depression-level unemployment rate, but the most up-to-date data suggests that a resurgent coronavirus will limit further gains.Economists have forecast that businesses, governments and nonprofits added 3 million jobs — a record high — and that the unemployment rate fell a full percentage point to 12.3%, according to data provider FactSet. The predicted hiring g
  
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• Landslide at Myanmar jade mine kills at least 113 people

  02-07-2020 05:11 via wbrz.com
  
  YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Rescue workers say at least 113 people have been killed in a landslide at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar.At least another five people have been injured in Thursday’s accident, said Khin Maung Win, chairman of Thingaha rescue group working at the site now.Maung Myint, a lawmaker from Hpakant where the accident occured, said the rescue groups with which he had been in contact said 113 bodies have been recovered and 54 injured sent to hospitals.Ac
  
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