Baton Rouge news

• Firefighters respond to small fire at Another Broken Egg Cafe

  08-06-2021 21:26 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - The St. George Fire Department (SGFD) responded to a reported fire at Another Broken Egg Cafe around 8 p.m. Tuesday evening. The initial call came from the alarm system company, as well as being reported by witnesses who saw heavy smoke coming from the building. The restaurant was closed at the time and no one was inside the building. Firefighters responded quickly, forcing entry into the closed restaurant and located the fire under a vent hood in the kitchen are
  
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• Iberville Parish joins moratorium discussion, vote next week

  08-06-2021 17:36 via wbrz.com
  
  IBERVILLE PARISH – On Tuesday night, the Iberville Parish Council introduced an ordinance to temporarily halt future subdivision development on the East side of the parish. This only begins the discussion.Some homeowners have flooded twice in the parish in a matter of weeks. That includes Marie Carter who lives off of Besson Street in St. Gabriel.“This has been very stressful and it’s been really rough,” said Carter.Carter has had to pile up brand new doo
  
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• Louisiana homeowners face flood insurance rate hikes

  08-06-2021 17:34 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE- U.S. Senator John Kennedy has proposed a bill to stop those increases for hundreds of thousands of homeowners.He wants congressional approval before any changes can be made by FEMA."The Biden administration, through its new FEMA leadership, is about to increase flood insurance premiums. I'm not going to repeat how important flood insurance is to the people in Louisiana," said Kennedy.David Earle and his wife Penny have been through a lot in life. Last month's flood destroyed their
  
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• Taxpayer-funded agency doled out raises to some employees during height of pandemic

  08-06-2021 16:32 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Council on Aging, an organization funded by millions of dollars in taxpayer money, handed out up to four-percent raises for employees during the height of the pandemic.Chief Executive Officer Tasha Clark Amar is among those who received the four-percent raise. Everyone could have received a raise, but not everyone did according to payroll records obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit. Some of those who did not get a raise include rank and file employees.A fo
  
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• Scammers impersonating Livingston sheriff as part of email scheme

  08-06-2021 14:31 via wbrz.com
  
  Authorities are warning residents to be on the lookout for scammers impersonating Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard.The sheriff's office said Tuesday that emails from senders claiming to be the sheriff were seeking gift card donations for a Louisiana Sheriff's Association drive to benefit local veterans.Ard, who also serves as president of the LSA, said those emails were phony and that no law enforcement agency would request donations in the form of gift cards.Ard said in a social media post
  
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• Louisiana college athlete endorsement bill heads to governor

  08-06-2021 14:27 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana is poised to join more than a dozen other states allowing college athletes to earn cash from endorsements and sponsorship deals under an effort gaining steam across the country because of the NCAA’s inaction on a national policy.The Senate voted 35-0 Tuesday for House changes to Sen. Pat Connick’s bill to let the student athletes profit off the use of their name, image and likeness, the final vote needed to send t
  
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• Man slaps President of France in the face

  08-06-2021 13:49 via wbrz.com
  
  TAIN-L'Hermitage, France - As the President of France spoke to the public during a visit to southeast France on Tuesday, he was unexpectedly slapped in the face by a man in a crowd, according to CNN.Footage circulated on social media showing the episode, during which a man in the French village of Tain-l'Hermitage slaps French President Emmanuel Macron and shouts an abusive term at him.In the video, Macron approaches a metal fence, clasps the arm of a man in the crowd, and begins to greet onloo
  
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• Social Security offices remain closed, woman having issues with proving her disability

  08-06-2021 13:47 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A woman is having a tough time getting her social security benefits reinstated even though she says she won an appeal to do just that.Lakisa Jackson has been on disability for at least 20 years. She's legally blind and has a doctor's note that says so. But in the last year, she's had some issues with her social security benefits."My lights are off. I can't pay rent," Jackson said. "They're taking all my benefits."She received an overpayment letter in the mail in November that said
  
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• Amorous cicada blamed for causing car crash in Cincinnati

  08-06-2021 13:32 via wbrz.com
  
  CINCINNATI - An amorous cicada was blamed for causing a car crash in Ohio.The insect flew through an open window, striking the driver in the face on Monday night, Cincinnati police said. The motorist drove off Riverside Drive and crashed into a utility pole, damaging the vehicle.The motorist sustained minor injuries, but police tweeted photos showing the car was heavily damaged.Cicadas are swarming across the Cincinnati area. They're part of Brood X, which emerge from the ground every 17 years
  
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• Family of murdered toddler not satisfied with progress of case, demands more action

  08-06-2021 13:02 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - It's been eight days since Ja'tyri Brown was killed by a stray bullet while hanging out with her family by the pool. "Look at my baby, I will never hold my baby again,” Hope Provost said, holding pictures of her granddaughter.The enormity of her pain is matched with her resolve."Justice is going to be served for Ja'tyri Brown, I will die trying, somebody is going to pay," Provost said.Ja'tyri's toys and tiny shoes share space at her grandmother's house with a gr
  
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• Family of murdered toddler not satisfied with progress of case, demanding more action

  08-06-2021 13:02 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - It's been eight days since Ja'tyri Brown was killed by a stray bullet while hanging out with her family by the pool. "Look at my baby, I will never hold my baby again,” said Hope Provost as she held pictures of her Granddaughter.Their pain only grows, while the message has stayed the same."Justice is going to be served for Ja'tyri Brown, I will die trying, somebody is going to pay," said Hope.In that same house where her toys and shoes still sit and now flowers
  
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• Illinois mans body found in gas tanker hauled by truck

  08-06-2021 12:32 via wbrz.com
  
  BUCKLEY, Ill. (AP) — A southern Illinois man’s body was found inside a tanker filled with gas after two truck drivers noticed the fuel wasn’t flowing smoothly during unloading, police said.The drivers were trying to unload the tanker Friday at a gas transfer hub in Iroquois County when they found the body after opening it to determine why the fuel wasn’t flowing steadily, Coroner Bill Cheatum said.The drivers said they had faced problems unloading gas fro
  
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• Global sting: FBI-run messaging app tricks organized crime

  08-06-2021 09:03 via wbrz.com
  
  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Criminal gangs divulged plans for moving drug shipments and carrying out killings on a messaging app secretly run by the FBI, law enforcement agencies said Tuesday, as they unveiled a global sting operation they said dealt an “unprecedented blow” to organized crime in countries around the world.The operation known as Trojan Shield led to police raids in 16 nations. More than 800 suspects were arrested and more than 32 tons of drugs &am
  
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• Federal officials recover millions in ransom funds Colonial Pipeline paid to hackers

  08-06-2021 08:40 via wbrz.com
  
  The U.S. Justice Department announced the successful seizure of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency Colonial Pipeline paid to a group of cyber criminals who hacked into the company via a ransomware attack last month, ABC News reports.The announcement was made Monday, stating that the funds were recovered after a group of hackers known as 'DarkSide' carried out a cyberattack that led the pipeline to briefly shut down its operations.During a Monday news confe
  
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• Multiple websites across the globe temporarily shut down due to cloud outage

  08-06-2021 07:57 via wbrz.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Multiple websites went offline briefly across the globe Tuesday after an outage at the cloud service company Fastly, revealing how critical a handful of companies running the internet’s plumbing have become.Dozens of sites including the New York Times, CNN, some Amazon sites, Twitch, Reddit, the Guardian, and the U.K. government’s home page, could not be reached.In Asia, cities like Hong Kong and Singapore were also affected, with users unable to acce
  
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• Eight super-regional hosts announced by NCAA Division

  08-06-2021 07:37 via wbrz.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee announced Tuesday, the eight super-regional hosts.The super regionals, which will be played Friday, June 11, Saturday, June 12, and possibly June 13 and 14, are detailed below. The national seed is indicated before the team name, while updated records through the regionals are in parentheses.Tennessee baseball (48-16) will host the LSU Tigers (37-23) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, and the winner will move on to the College Wor
  
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• Overnight police pursuit that began in north Baton Rouge ends across the river

  08-06-2021 07:17 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - In the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 8, part of I-10 was shut down following a police pursuit that began in north Baton Rouge and ended across the river, in West Baton Rouge.Representatives with the Baton Rouge Police Department say the suspects involved were tied to an attempted robbery that occurred earlier, on Monday night.A helicopter was called in to assist with the search.This article will be updated as authorities provide additional information related to the case. P
  
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• Louisiana bill to ban handheld phone use while driving fails

  08-06-2021 07:03 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana senators Monday put the brakes on a bill that would have required motorists to use a handsfree device or speaker mode to talk on a cellphone while driving.The proposal by Republican Rep. Mike Huval fell one vote short of passage in the Senate, getting only 19 votes instead of the required 20. The House earlier had voted 77-20 for the bill.Huval, of Breaux Bridge, has tried and failed for years to ban handheld cellphone use while driving.Supporters des
  
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• Traffic Update: All lanes open on I-10 E at Washington exit following crash

  08-06-2021 06:47 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - On Tuesday morning, as of 6:57 a.m., all lanes have reopened at the scene of a multi-car crash along I-10 East at the Washington Street exit.The crash has been cleared, but area traffic is still moving slowly.Earlier, the center and left lanes were closed as law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency personnel responded to a wreck that appeared to involve at least three vehicles.Officials say at least one person was injured and taken to an area hospital.Crash has multiple lanes
  
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• Convicted sex offender sentenced to 24-years in federal prison

  08-06-2021 06:44 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - As of Tuesday, June 8, a Livingston Parish man convicted of the attempted enticement of a minor has been sentenced to 24-years in federal prison. Officials say 46-year-old Jonathan Kimbrell will spend 292 months behind bars followed by five years of supervised release and an obligation that he register as a convicted sex offender. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles handed down the sentencing after Kimbrell was unanimously convicted by a jury on February 13 o
  
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• Kids 5 and up get shots in tests for COVID vaccine

  08-06-2021 06:22 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Seven-year-old Russell Bright squeezed his dad’s hand tightly as tests of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine started Monday in Louisiana for children ages 5 through 11.Children held stuffed animals, played under chairs and a few cried at Ochsner Medical Center, just outside New Orleans. Their temperature and blood pressure were checked, their noses swabbed and their blood drawn for tests. Finally, they got a shot of either the vaccine or a placebo.Ochsner
  
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