Baton Rouge news

• Dr. Fauci throws first pitch of MLB season, players kneel in Black Lives Matter salute

  23-07-2020 21:59 via wbrz.com
  
  Dr. Anthony Fauci took a break from fighting the coronavirus pandemic as the nation's top infectious disease expert to throw the first pitch of the 2020 Major League Baseball season.On Thursday evening, Fauci took the mound at Nationals Park before a game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees.The doctor wore a face mask and Nationals cap and jersey. The 79-year-old appeared to be a much better doctor than pitcher as he threw the ball nearly halfway to first base, se
  
  Read more

• Iberville nursing home asks for handwritten letters for isolated residents

  23-07-2020 21:18 via wbrz.com
  
  PLAQUEMINE - At Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation, the months of lockdown for their residents has been anything but easy."We have worked really, really hard to try to keep them uplifted and not feel isolated from their loved ones, Sherly Albin, Legacy's Director of Community Relations said.As the moratorium on nursing home visitors continues indefinitely, that task is becoming much harder, which is why Legacy's activities director came up with the idea to look for pen pals for the residents. Th
  
  Read more

• Livingston Parish construction boom comes paired with drainage issue

  23-07-2020 21:00 via wbrz.com
  
  WALKER- Growing pains in Livingston Parish have officials calling the state for help. A construction boom is causing drainage issues in the region."About half the calls that public works get is related about drainage improvements are along state highways," Parish Councilman Garry Talbert said.A problem that Talbert says the state should take care of, not the parish.At the request of the parish's Department of Public Works, Talbert placed a resolution on Thursday's council agenda insisting the s
  
  Read more

• Hospitalized judge not exempt from re-election rules; appeal pending at La. Supreme Court

  23-07-2020 19:57 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE – The First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request from District Judge Richard "Chip" Moore's campaign team to act on his behalf to qualify for re-election.State Judge Wilson Fields ruled Thursday that Moore must abide by state requirements to get back on the ballot, which includes signing qualification documents. Moore, who is hospitalized on a ventilator battling COVID-19, cannot sign the documents himself.The Appeals Court rejected the campaign team's appe
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Appeal pending before state Supreme Court: Hospitalized judge not exempt from re-election rules

  23-07-2020 19:57 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE – The First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request from District Judge Richard "Chip" Moore's campaign team to act on his behalf to qualify for re-election.State Judge Wilson Fields ruled Thursday that Moore must abide by state requirements to get back on the ballot, which includes signing qualification documents. Moore, who is hospitalized on a ventilator battling COVID-19, cannot sign the documents himself.The Appeals Court rejected the campaign team's appe
  
  Read more

• Rising coronavirus cases putting strain on Louisiana hospitals

  23-07-2020 19:08 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - The surge in COVID-19 is putting a strain on hospitals across the state. Our Lady Of the Lake says its running out of staff to take care of patients."We're not going to run out of beds for you, but we're going to run out of the best care we can offer you. And we don't want to do that," said Dr. Catherine O'Neal, Chief Medical Officer & Infectious Disease Expert at OLOL.Top doctors, first making an urgent plea to the community, are now being forced to take action. Health offici
  
  Read more

• Baton Rouge mask mandate helped reduce spread of coronavirus in July, mayor says

  23-07-2020 17:45 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Weeks after Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome signed an order requiring masks inside Baton Rouge businesses, she say the area is seeing a smaller percentage of residents testing positive for the virus.According to a statement from the mayor's office Thursday, East Baton Rouge had a 13-percent positivity rate in the weeks leading up to the order. This week, the parish is reporting a rate of nine-percent.“While we are finding more new COVID-19 cases than before the mask
  
  Read more

• Baton Rouge mask mandate helped limit spread of coronavirus in July, mayor says

  23-07-2020 17:45 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Weeks after Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome signed an order requiring masks inside Baton Rouge businesses, she says the area is seeing a smaller percentage of residents testing positive for the virus.According to a statement from the mayor's office Thursday, East Baton Rouge had a 13-percent positivity rate in the weeks leading up to the order. This week, the parish is reporting a rate of nine percent.“While we are finding more new COVID-19 cases than before the mas
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Woman's costly adventure with home warranty company ends in settlement

  23-07-2020 17:19 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - An 83-year-old says she's had quite the experience with a home warranty company and it's cost her a lot of money.Climmie Craft has been a customer of American Home Shield since 2012. She tried to give the company the benefit of the doubt, but after months of putting a band-aid on a problem she's had enough."I feel like I have been treated so unjust," Craft said.Months ago, Craft says her air conditioner starting blowing hot air. She called American Home Shield, which sent a local
  
  Read more

• Hospitalized Baton Rouge judge could lose seat due to battle with coronavirus

  23-07-2020 17:14 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Judge Chip Moore may not qualify to run for re-election after a request to allow his team to file the necessary paperwork on his behalf was denied by the district's chief judge.The Advocate reports Moore's colleague in the 19th Judicial District Court shot down the request that would allow the judge to run the fall election. Moore has been hospitalized in serious condition after contracting COVID-19 earlier this month, meaning he's been unable to submit his own paperwork
  
  Read more

• Trump calls off GOP National Convention events in Florida over coronavirus 'flare-up'

  23-07-2020 16:47 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has canceled segments of the Republican National Convention scheduled for Florida next month, citing a “flare-up” of the coronavirus. Convention events will still be held in North Carolina.“To have a big convention is not the right time,” Trump said of Jacksonville.Trump moved parts of the GOP convention to Florida last month amid a dispute with North Carolina’s Democr
  
  Read more

• Nigerian man gets prison for stealing from bank customers

  23-07-2020 16:24 via wbrz.com
  
  SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A Nigerian citizen was sentenced this week to federal prison for using fraudulent ATM bank cards to steal more than $260,000 from dozens of bank customers, federal prosecutors said Thursday.Chief U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. ordered Damiola Bamidele Isaac Samuel, 22, on Monday to serve 33 months and pay $276,790 in restitution, U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph said in a news release. Following his release, Samuel will face deportation proceedings, Josep
  
  Read more

• LSU providing face masks to everyone on campus to encourage compliance

  23-07-2020 16:24 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE – LSU is receiving shipments of thousands of face masks that will be passed out to students, faculty and staff for the fall semester. Face coverings will be required inside classrooms and public spaces.“When folks are driving on campus or walking more than 6 ft. from others outside there's some flexibility, but certainly we want people wearing masks,” Vice President for Student Affairs Jeremiah Shinn said.There are three different options for the masks
  
  Read more

• Tropical Storm Hanna forms in Gulf, wet weather for Louisiana

  23-07-2020 15:38 via wbrz.com
  
  Tropical Storm Hanna has formed in the central Gulf of Mexico. See the latest track from WBRZ Weather on Twitter, below. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft identified lower pressure at the center of circulation and winds in excess of 39mph, therefore upgrading the system from tropical depression to tropical storm. The associated showers and thunderstorms have become slightly better organized, and conditions appear favorable for some additional strengthening over the next two days as
  
  Read more

• Friends share Powerball jackpot win, keeping 1992 promise

  23-07-2020 14:56 via wbrz.com
  
  MENOMONIE, Wis. (AP) — A western Wisconsin man will share his millions in lottery winnings with a longtime friend because of a promise they made to each other nearly three decades ago.Friends Tom Cook and Joseph Feeney shook hands in 1992 and promised that if either one of them ever won the Powerball jackpot, they would split the money.That promise came to fruition last month when Cook bought the winning ticket for a $22 million jackpot at Synergy Coop in Menomonie.When Cook called to
  
  Read more

• Mother of slain 9-year-old arrested on cruelty charges in New Orleans

  23-07-2020 14:52 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS - The mother of a 9-year-old who was shot to death in front his home last week is no facing criminal charges. WWL-TV reports 32-year-old Donna Howard was booked on charges of cruelty to a juvenile, accessory after the fact and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.Howard's son, Devante Bryant, was shot in front of the home on Pauger Street along with two teenagers. Both teens survived the shooting.Police are still searching for those responsible for the shooting.Cour
  
  Read more

• Deputies investigating reported gun battle between vehicles on Bluebonnet Blvd.

  23-07-2020 14:27 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sheriff's deputies are investigating a shootout that reportedly unfolded on a roadway near I-10 Thursday.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office says shots were fired on Bluebonnet Boulevard near the interstate around noon. A sheriff's office spokesperson said the bullets were fired from two vehicles which were targeting one another.It did not appear that anyone was struck by the gunfire. No other details about the incident were immediately available.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Deputies investigating people shooting at each other from their vehicles on Bluebonnet Blvd.

  23-07-2020 14:22 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Emergency crews responded to a shooting Thursday afternoon.Officials arrived on scene after a shooting took place on Bluebonnet Blvd. near I-10 interstate around 12 p.m.According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, occupants in two cars were shooting at each other on Bluebonnet Blvd. One vehicle's window is broken.No injuries have been reported.Details are limited. This is a developing story. Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Ex-Redskins become Washington Football Team for 2020 season

  23-07-2020 14:01 via wbrz.com
  
  The NFL team formerly known as the Redskins will go by the Washington Football Team for the 2020 season, giving the organization time to choose a new, full-time name.The club announced the placeholder name Thursday, ahead of the start of training camp next week.“The decision to use ‘Washington Football Team’ for this season allows the franchise the ability to undertake an in-depth branding process to properly include player, alumni, fan, community and sponsor input
  
  Read more

• Judge orders Michael Cohen to be released from prison

  23-07-2020 13:09 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A judge ordered the release from prison of President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer on Thursday, saying he believes the government retaliated against him for writing a book about Trump.Michael Cohen’s First Amendment rights were violated when he was ordered back to prison on July 9 after probation authorities said he refused to sign a form banning him from publishing the book or communicating publicly in other manners, U.S. District Judge Alv
  
  Read more

• Back to School Giveaway and COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing in Plaquemine and Donaldsonville

  23-07-2020 13:03 via wbrz.com
  
  CareSouth Medical and Dental is hosting a COVID-19 drive-thru community testing and a Back to School Giveaway in Plaquemine and Donaldsonville.On Tuesday, July 28 the event will take place in Plaquemine at 59340 River West Dr.On Wednesday, July 29 the event will take place in Donaldsonville at 904 Catalpa St.The events will be from 9 a.m. to noon. CareSouth will be distributing 300 backpacks filled with school suppliesOther sponsoring organizations and community partners will also distributing
  
  Read more

• Wall Street's rally stalls amid discouraging rise in layoffs

  23-07-2020 12:41 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are stalling on Wall Street Thursday, undercut by a discouraging report showing that layoffs are picking up across the country with coronavirus counts.The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in morning trading, easing off a rally that had sent it higher for four straight days. Other stock indexes around the world were mixed, while all the uncertainty dominating markets helped gold tick up again to its highest price in nearly nine years.The Dow Jones Industrial Average wa
  
  Read more

• Livingston superintendent explains parents can opt on 100% virtual classrooms for students

  23-07-2020 09:29 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - Livingston Parish Schools Superintendent Joe Murphy reiterated Thursday that parents who are fearful of sending their children to in-person classes amid the coroanvirus health crisis have the option of enrolling their children in a completely virtual instruction plan.In a Thursday morning email, Murphy provided additional clarification related to what students can expect if their parents opt to not send them to their designated school campus during the Phase 2 and/or Phase 3
  
  Read more

• Respected Denham Springs city council member passes away shortly after COVID-19 diagnosis

  23-07-2020 09:02 via wbrz.com
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS — A long-time member of Denham Springs' City Council passed away shortly after testing positive for novel coronavirus.According to The Advocate, Arthur Perkins Sr., who served on the City Council for more than 36 years, as a Livingston Parish educator for 40 years, and as a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, died Monday, July 20.Members of the beloved educator and veteran's family said he died of kidney failure after testing positive for COVID-19.Perkins, who was born an
  
  Read more

• House fire on North 36th Street leaves one person displaced

  23-07-2020 08:39 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters responded to a house fire within the 800 block of North 36th Street early Thursday morning.First responders with the Baton Rouge Fire Department were dispatched to the residence shortly after 4 a.m. where they found flames on the home's front porch.They worked quickly to extinguish the blaze, which caused a total of $20,000 in damages.No one was injured during the fire, but one resident was displaced.Investigators say the cause of the house fire is currently undetermi
  
  Read more

• Man injured following reported shooting at hotel on Mead Road

  23-07-2020 07:41 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Authorities say a shooting took place at a hotel near Sherwood Forest Boulevard early Thursday morning.A representative with the Baton Rouge Police Department issued a statement shortly after the incident, saying, police were dispatched to the 10900 block of Mead Road in response to a reported shooting that left one man injured.The address provided corresponded with OYO hotel on Mead Road. At this time, the extent of the man's injuries are unknown as are the circumstances surround
  
  Read more

• Tesla chooses Austin, Texas for site of second US vehicle assembly plant

  23-07-2020 07:35 via wbrz.com
  
  After encountering problems with the local California government where Elon Musk's Fremont-based Tesla Inc. plant is located and threatening to move elsewhere, the innovative automobile company has chosen a new site for a second location.The company has decided on building in Austin, Texas, where it plans to create an auto assembly plant employing at least 5,000 workers.Work on the plant is already underway, with Tesla building on a 2,100-acre (85-hectacre) site in Travis County near Austin. Th
  
  Read more

• New literary prize is $50,000 honor for best New York story

  23-07-2020 07:18 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A new literary award with a $50,000 cash prize will honor those best at telling a New York story.The Gotham Literary Prize, announced Thursday, came out of a conversation between businessman-philathropist Bradley Tusk and political strategist Howard Wolfson, who told The Associated Press that they first thought of the award last year and saw a renewed urgency for it after the spread of the coronavirus.“It occurred to us that this would be an opportune moment
  
  Read more

• Southern University to hold free food distribution, COVID testing event Saturday

  23-07-2020 07:05 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Southern University is continuing to show its support of the capital city's most vulnerable residents by organizing a food distribution/drive-thru COVID testing event for families in need.The distribution will take place Saturday, July 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on campus and volunteers plan to distribute 1,500 boxes of food.Patrons who stop by to pick up food (as well as those who show up to be tested for COVID-19) are required to wear masks or other face coveri
  
  Read more

• CareSouth drive-thru COVID testing closed Thursday due to bad weather

  23-07-2020 06:50 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - CareSouth Medical and Dental COVID-19 Drive-thru Community testing in the Baton Rouge and Plaquemine Clinics will be closed Thursday, July 23 due to inclement weather. However, walk up testing is still available.Testing in Baton Rouge is from 9 a.m. to noon and testing in Plaquemine is from 3 to 5 p.m. Patients must register in order to take the test by going to the clinic's website at caresouth.org or calling (225) 650-2000.Permalink|
  
  Read more

• Reality star featured on 'Bad Girls Club' dies at 34

  23-07-2020 06:41 via wbrz.com
  
  A reality star who appeared on the Oxygen show "Bad Girls Club" has passed away at the age of 34.According to Variety, Demitra “Mimi” Roche has died, and the cause of her death is currently unknown. Roche’s colleague, record producer Vince Valholla, announced her death via Twitter on Wednesday. Valholla is the founder of Valholla Entertainment in Miami, Fla., where Roche had worked as vice president of A&R since 2011.“I’m at a loss
  
  Read more

• Many more likely sought jobless aid as virus surges back

  23-07-2020 06:28 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — With the nation gripped by an alarming resurgence of coronavirus cases, the U.S. government will provide its latest report Thursday on the layoffs that have remained stuck at an elevated weekly level above 1 million since the pandemic erupted in March.The pace of applications for unemployment benefits has stalled at roughly double the record high that existed before the virus sent the economy spiraling into a deep recession.Now, as many states and localities reimpose
  
  Read more

• 1.4 million seek jobless aid, first increase since March

  23-07-2020 06:28 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of laid-off Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week for the first time since the pandemic struck in March, evidence of the deepening economic pain the outbreak is causing to the economy.The rise in weekly jobless claims to 1.4 million underscores the outsize role the unemployment insurance system is playing among the nation’s safety net programs — just when a $600 weekly federal aid payment for the jobless is set to expir
  
  Read more

• Civil rights trailblazer C.T. Vivian to be laid to rest

  23-07-2020 06:13 via wbrz.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — The nation will pay its final respects Thursday to the Rev. C.T. Vivian, a pioneer of the civil rights movement who helped end segregation across the South and left an abiding imprint on U.S. history.The funeral for Vivian, a close ally of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is set for 11 a.m. at Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Vivian died Friday in Atlanta at age 95.Vivian’s friends and sons are expected to speak at Thursday’s service,
  
  Read more

• Hurricane Douglas may bring strong winds, flooding to Hawaii

  23-07-2020 06:04 via wbrz.com
  
  HONOLULU (AP) — Hurricane Douglas gathered strength as it barreled west toward the Hawaiian Islands on a track to potentially bring strong winds and flash flooding to the island chain over the weekend, weather forecasters said.The storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph), making it a Category 2 hurricane as of late Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.Hurricane #Douglas strengthens to a category 2 storm with the 5 pm HST advisory. There's an increasing chance th
  
  Read more

• Mayor of Portland, Oregon, tear gassed by federal agents

  23-07-2020 05:27 via wbrz.com
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, was tear gassed by the U.S. government late Wednesday as he stood at a fence guarding a federal courthouse during another night of protest against the presence of federal agents sent by President Donald Trump to quell unrest in the city.Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, said it was the first time he’d been tear gassed and appeared slightly dazed and coughed as he put on a pair of goggles someone handed him, and drank water. H
  
  Read more

• Pandemic taking a toll on mental health of hospital workers

  23-07-2020 05:17 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Sonia Malhotra is intimately familiar with death. As a doctor who treats seriously ill patients, she’s comforted countless people and their families through their final moments. But this coronavirus pandemic is affecting her and her team in ways no health care worker was prepared for.“The amount of death and dying that we’ve seen in such a short period of time is surreal to me, and this is my line of work,” said Malhotra, the
  
  Read more

• Rescue Alliance Louisiana Pet Food Bank 'urgently' in need of donations

  23-07-2020 04:59 via wbrz.com
  
  Gonzales – A nonprofit animal rescue organization is in need of public support.Wednesday, Rescue Alliance Louisiana Pet Food issued a statement regarding its desperate need for donations.In its email, the nonprofit stated: “Right now, because the Demand for food assistance is rising at an extraordinary rate, just as the Louisiana Pet Food Bank is being struck by shortages of both donated food and volunteer workers that serves Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parish
  
  Read more

Follow @BatonRougeNews_ on Twitter!