Baton Rouge news

• $53 million project will expand LA 70 near Sunshine Bridge as area sees industrial growth

  11-05-2023 18:01
  
  DONALDSONVILLE - A major highway in Ascension Parish is getting an upgrade as part of a multi-million-dollar plan to address industrial growth in the area. Officials broke ground on the project in February and construction began soon after. Plans call for LA 70 to be expanded to a four-lane divided highway between LA 22 and the Sunshine Bridge. DOTD says the work is being done to improve capacity along the roadway that is surrounded by dozens of plants.According to th
  
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• Ex-Istrouma teacher barred from any K-12 campus as judge sets bond on rape accusation

  11-05-2023 16:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - An East Baton Rouge Parish district judge Friday ordered a former Istrouma High School teacher and track coach to stay away from all K-12 schools — if he is able to post a bond and get out of jail.District Judge Gail Ray set Johnnie Butler's bond at $32,500 after he was accused of raping an 18-year-old student. Butler was arrested Thursday and had his first court appearance Friday.Butler, 41, is accused of third-degree rape and of having sexual contact with a student. Ra
  
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• Bond set for Baton Rouge teacher accused of raping student on campus

  11-05-2023 16:46
  
  UPDATE: Judge Gail Ray has set Butler's bond at $32,500. Butler must also stay away from all K-12 schools and will have to sign a protective order keeping him away from the victim if he does bond out. Butler will also be subject to location monitoring and is required to stay within the state.-----BATON ROUGE - A former teacher and track coach at Istrouma High has been arrested after being accused of raping an 18-year-old student at the school last week.Johnnie Butler, 41, was listed in
  
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• Baton Rouge teacher accused of raping student on campus booked into jail Thursday

  11-05-2023 16:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - A former teacher and track coach at Istrouma High has been arrested after being accused of raping an 18-year-old student at the school last week.Johnnie Butler, 41, was listed in East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's records Thursday — two days after WBRZ aired allegations raised by the victim's father. Until then, the parish school system had only placed Butler on paid leave.The sheriff's department, where Butler worked as a reserve deputy, said it pulled Butler's enforceme
  
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• Officer in critical condition after shootout at Denham Springs shopping center - Latest here

  11-05-2023 16:38
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - A police officer is in critical condition and a suspect is dead after a gunfight erupted at a shopping center in Livingston Parish Thursday afternoon.The gunfire was first reported around 4 p.m. along South Range Avenue, just north of I-12. Officers with multiple agencies — local, state and federal — swarmed the strip mall and a second scene near the intersection of Eugene Street and US 190.RELATED: Community rolling up sleeves to help wounded officerOfficer
  
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• Advocates say parole is not enough for those convicted by juries that are not unanimous

  11-05-2023 15:55
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — People convicted of felonies years ago by nonunanimous juries in Louisiana would have a chance for parole under a measure advanced at the Legislature on Thursday — over the objections of criminal justice advocates who said it doesn’t go far enough to right a historic, racist wrong.Advocates and relatives of people imprisoned on 10-2 or 11-1 verdicts harshly criticized the bill, saying that granting parole — instead of a new trial &m
  
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• Police seeking 5th suspect in pregnant woman's murder at Baton Rouge party

  11-05-2023 15:15
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police are looking to make a fifth arrest in the death of a pregnant woman whose car was shot up in a case of mistaken identity. The Baton Rouge Police Department said Thursday that it is seeking Torey Campbell, 18, faces a charge of first-degree murder and first-degree feticide.Police believe several shooters opened fire on 36-year-old Kerisha Johnson's car outside what police described as a "teen party." Investigators said the shooters thought they recognized Johnson's
  
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• Shrimpers gather at La. capitol to protest rising prices, falling profits

  11-05-2023 14:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - Dozens of local fishermen and women gather on the steps of the State Capitol Thursday morning to protest the low prices of freshly-caught shrimp and their competition with imported seafood.The protestors told WBRZ that due to competition and the inability to sell their haul, sometimes they don't make enough money to justify a single fishing trip. "Inflation went up, shrimp's down, can't even afford fuel to go out," one protestor said."We shouldn't be [at the Capitol] righ
  
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• Video shows burglar stalking through home in Livingston Parish

  11-05-2023 12:59
  
  FRENCH SETTLEMENT - Home security footage caught a burglar stealing multiple hunting-related items from a home in Livingston Parish. The video shows a person walking around a home. While the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office did not specify what items were taken, deputies say the missing items may be used for hunting.Anyone with information is encouraged to call the LPSO at (225) 686-2241 or Capital Region Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Multiple hunting items stolen from home in French Settlement

  11-05-2023 12:59
  
  FRENCH SETTLEMENT - Home security footage caught a burglar stealing multiple hunting-related items from a home in Livingston Parish. The video shows a person walking around a home. While the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office did not specify what items were taken, deputies say the missing items may be used for hunting.Anyone with information is encouraged to call the LPSO at (225) 686-2241 or Capital Region Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.Permalink| Comments
  
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• 13-year-old, police officer injured in gun battle in Florida, authorities say

  11-05-2023 12:40
  
  LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A 13-year-old exchanged gunfire with police during a chase through a residential neighborhood in Florida, wounding one officer and ending up in the hospital after being shot himself, officials said.One officer was shot in the foot Wednesday evening in Lakeland, between Tampa and Orlando in central Florida, and is expected to be released from a hospital in the coming days, police said. No other officers were injured.Officers were responding to reports of a drive-b
  
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• Where'd my traffic fine go? Feds lodge charge against ex-WBR sheriff's employee

  11-05-2023 08:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - The woman in charge of processing payments for traffic citations in West Baton Rouge Parish was accused Thursday of embezzling more than $150,000 over the past five years.A series of reports by the WBRZ Investigative Unit last year first exposed the allegations against Mandy Miller. The U.S. Attorney's office released paperwork Thursday outlining how the purported scheme worked.The documents say Miller falsified journal entries. As part of her job duties, Miller was responsible fo
  
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• Former sheriff's office employee federally charged with embezzling funds from department

  11-05-2023 08:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Former West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office employee Mandy Miller was federally charged Thursday with federal program theft after she was accused of embezzling more than $150,000 from the sheriff's office accounting system. The WBRZ Investigative Unit has done multiple reports on Miller and the alleged theft. Arrest documents say Miller falsified journal entries while she was working in the accounting department and in charge of cash used to pay for traffic tickets.
  
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• Oschner laying off hundreds of employees as healthcare costs soar

  11-05-2023 07:45
  
  One of Louisiana's largest private employers, Oschner Health, is laying off 770 employees across Louisiana and Mississippi in its 42 hospitals and more than 200 urgent care and emergency centers, according to The Advocate. The newspaper reports that the layoffs represent 2% of the system's 38,000-person workforce. The cuts will not affect doctors, nurses, or other patient-facing staff. Oschner is not closing or consolidating any of its facilities in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lak
  
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• Ochsner laying off nearly 800 employees as healthcare costs soar

  11-05-2023 07:45
  
  One of Louisiana's largest private employers, Ochsner Health, is laying off 770 employees across Louisiana and Mississippi in its 42 hospitals and more than 200 urgent care and emergency centers.An email sent to Ochsner staff reports that the layoffs represent 2% of the system's 38,000-person workforce. The cuts will not affect doctors, nurses, or other patient-facing staff. Ochsner is not closing or consolidating any of its facilities in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, or Shreve
  
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• Ochsner laying off hundreds of employees as healthcare costs soar

  11-05-2023 07:45
  
  One of Louisiana's largest private employers, Ochsner Health, is laying off 770 employees across Louisiana and Mississippi in its 42 hospitals and more than 200 urgent care and emergency centers, according to The Advocate. The newspaper reports that the layoffs represent 2% of the system's 38,000-person workforce. The cuts will not affect doctors, nurses, or other patient-facing staff. Ochsner is not closing or consolidating any of its facilities in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lak
  
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