Baton Rouge news

• Former Amite bar owner killed in fishing accident

  25-05-2023 19:57
  
  ROSELAND - The former owner of multiple bars in southeast Louisiana was killed after he went overboard in a pond while fishing Wednesday night. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said Jimmy Chandler, 64, was fishing with a friend in a small pod along Highway 51 when their boat tipped over. When Chandler didn't resurface, his friend called 911.Chandler's body was later recovered, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff's office said Chandler was well known in t
  
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• House panel shoots down bill brought in wake of Madison Brooks' death, alleged rape

  25-05-2023 19:09
  
  BATON ROUGE — The mother of LSU student Madison Brooks, who died in January, pleaded
  with a House committee Thursday to pass a bill to hold bars responsible for serving people under 21.But, despite her emotional testimony, members of the House Judiciary Committee shot down the bill in a tied 6-6 vote, expressing concerns that insurance rates would spike for bars and that sophisticated fake IDs would leave good-faith bartenders open to legal action.“I think this is a horrible
  
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• House panel shoots down bill brought in wake of LSU student death, alleged rape

  25-05-2023 19:09
  
  BATON ROUGE — The mother of LSU student Madison Brooks, who died in January, pleaded
  with a House committee Thursday to pass a bill to hold bars responsible for serving people under 21.But, despite her emotional testimony, members of the House Judiciary Committee shot down the bill in a tied 6-6 vote, expressing concerns that insurance rates would spike for bars and that sophisticated fake IDs would leave good-faith bartenders open to legal action.“I think this is a horrible
  
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• Town of Livingston could soon make golf carts street-legal

  25-05-2023 17:56
  
  LIVINGSTON - Many residents in the town of Livingston use golf carts or other low-speed motorized vehicles to get around in residential areas, but according to Louisiana state law, it's illegal to do so. Mayor Jonathan "JT" Taylor is preparing to introduce an ordinance at the next town council meeting to change that. He says the growing small town is seeing more and more golf carts and UTVs on the roadways, and he wants those residents to be able to enjoy them safely and legally.&n
  
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• Business owner who settled federal racism complaint appointed by governor to elite board

  25-05-2023 16:09
  
  BATON ROUGE - The owner of a popular Lafayette-area butcher shop that was sanctioned by a federal judge and slapped with a consent decree due to racism was recently appointed to the State Police Commission.Mark Aubrey Cole owns Don's Specialty Meats. A Don's employee alleged he was exposed to racist conditions while working there and that he was treated so badly that he quit in the summer of 2020. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Don's in September 2021; court records show Cole
  
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• Special gift presented to LSU Tigers as DC visit underway

  25-05-2023 14:49
  
  WASHINGTON - LSU women's basketball Head Coach Kim Mulkey on Thursday accepted a special gift from the Louisiana congressional delegation as her Tigers team began a 2-day visit to Washington.The national champions will be at the White House on Friday to meet with President Joe Biden.Shortly after they arrived in Washington, Mulkey and her players were presented the American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol on the day they won their title.U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise wore an LSU football jersey a
  
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• LSP: Man accused of severing pedestrian's arm in hit-and-run surrenders while carrying marijuana

  25-05-2023 14:27
  
  BATON ROUGE — A man accused of felony hit-and-run after striking a pedestrian on Siegen Lane and severing a man's arm surrendered to State Police this week, and when he turned himself in troopers found marijuana on him and booked him on an additional count, court records show.Kyron T. Fisher, 25, surrendered Monday on accusations first raised after a pedestrian was struck on Siegen Lane near I-10 last June. "During his detainment, troopers located marijuana on his person. Mr.
  
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• Popular NOLA store set to make its Baton Rouge debut

  25-05-2023 13:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - A store chain steeped in New Orleans-inspired themes is making its way to Baton Rouge.Fleurty Girl announced that it will soon open its ninth location in the 3600 block of Government Street in Mid-City.In a social media post, founder Lauren LeBlanc Haydel wrote, "Sorry it took us 14 years to get here, we were stuck in Baton Rouge traffic."The post noted that hiring for the new store is underway, and noted the opening is expected to happen sometime this summer.Fleurty Girl has rece
  
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• How busy will Atlantic hurricane season be? Depends on who wins unusual battle of climatic titans

  25-05-2023 13:47
  
  (Associated Press) - Two clashing climatic behemoths, one natural and one with human fingerprints, will square off this summer to determine how quiet or chaotic the Atlantic hurricane season will be.An El Nino is brewing and the natural weather event dramatically dampens hurricane activity. But at the same time record ocean heat is bubbling up in the Atlantic, partly stoked by human-caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas, and it provides boosts of fuel for
  
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• Grieving grandmother calls out State Representative over failed bill

  25-05-2023 12:29
  
  BATON ROUGE- Ever since three-year-old Devin Page Jr. was shot and killed while sleeping in his home in April 2022, his mother, Tye Toliver, and his grandmother, Cathy Toliver, have been pushing for legislation to make rental properties safer for tenants.The bill would require landlords to provide adequate lighting and cameras around rental properties. It also would allow tenants to break their lease if two or more criminal incidents within a half-mile radius are reported to police in a six-mon
  
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• EBR Narcotics seizes pounds of opioids, guns, cash in drug bust

  25-05-2023 12:19
  
  BATON ROUGE- Narcotics agents found a pound of fentanyl and more than two pounds of heroin Thursday in searches of four sites being used by a group of drug dealers, authorities said.One woman was arrested after the searches of two apartments, one house and a storage unit. Investigators also found cocaine, marijuana, guns, a pill press and more than $27,000 in cash.Amber Johnson, 27, was booked with a litany of drug charges including possession of fentanyl and heroin with the intent to distribut
  
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• EBR deputies seize pound of fentanyl, guns & cash in series of drug raids Thursday

  25-05-2023 12:19
  
  BATON ROUGE- Narcotics agents found a pound of fentanyl and more than two pounds of heroin Thursday in searches of four sites being used by a group of drug dealers, authorities said.One woman was arrested after the searches of two apartments, one house and a storage unit. Investigators also found cocaine, marijuana, guns, a pill press and more than $27,000 in cash.Amber Johnson, 27, was booked with a litany of drug charges including possession of fentanyl and heroin with the intent to distribut
  
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• U-High student reported missing in the Bahamas after falling from cruise ship

  25-05-2023 09:10
  
  A recent University Lab School graduate was reported missing in the Bahamas after he reportedly fell from a nighttime cruise. Officials with the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas said that a U.S. citizen was reported missing after falling from a ship. The United States Coast Guard was confirmed to have been looking for him, but the agency did not provide any further information. Sources told WBRZ that the teenager went overboard Wednesday night and the boat stayed in the area for ho
  
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• Search continues for missing U-High grad in the Bahamas - Latest developments here

  25-05-2023 09:10
  
  BATON ROUGE - A newly graduated University Lab School student is missing in the Bahamas after he went overboard during a commercial boat ride. The teen, identified as 18-year-old Cameron Robbins, graduated just days ago and was on a trip with grads from several schools from the Baton Rouge area. Robbins arrived with a group of grads from U-High on Wednesday, just hours before his disappearance. Robbins is well-known at the Lab School, having started his education there more th
  
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• Killian mayor allegedly locked residents out of meeting addressing new water company contract

  25-05-2023 08:14
  
  KILLIAN - Residents in Killian are upset after finding out their mayor unilaterally decided to hire a new company to manage the town's water. Wednesday night, Killian's Board of Aldermen held a special public meeting after they were notified of Mayor Ronnie Sharp's decision to hire JNH Aqua to temporarily manage the town's water after Sharp's water operator license expired. This decision came after the board had previously voted to partner with Curtis Environmental. T
  
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• House fire on Napoleon Street displaces two residents

  25-05-2023 07:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - A house fire started in the kitchen of a home and displaced two residents Wednesday evening. According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, the fire started around 6 p.m. Wednesday at a home on Napoleon Street. Firefighters found flames on the back wall of the kitchen spreading to the attic. The rest of the home had heavy smoke and water damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The home's two residents were inside at the time of the fire but wer
  
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• Construction to begin on long-term project to prevent storm surge and help coastal parishes

  25-05-2023 06:52
  
  Hurricane season starts next week and several long-term projects to protect against storm surge are just getting started. Washington recently signed off on the money to provide some peace of mind for those in Ascension, Assumption, and St. James parishes.The bill will deliver better flood control, coastal restoration, and hurricane protection, as well as direct investments in our ports and waterways."It's a long drawn out process when you recover from a hurricane," said Ascension Parish Sheriff
  
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• Kentucky man shot roommate after accusing him of eating the last Hot Pocket, police say

  25-05-2023 06:10
  
  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A man in Kentucky’s largest city is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting his roommate during a dispute over a Hot Pocket, authorities say.Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested on assault charges Sunday after he accused his roommate of eating their last Hot Pocket and attacked him, shooting him in the buttocks, Louisville Metro Police Department officials told WLKY-TV.According to police, Williams started throwing tiles at the man after he real
  
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