Baton Rouge news

• House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

  31-05-2023 20:44
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Veering away from a default crisis, the House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.The hard-fought deal pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative — a devastating economic upheaval if Congress failed to act. Tensions ran hig
  
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• Man arrested for raping girl under the age of 13

  31-05-2023 19:54
  
  LAPLACE - A man was arrested for the rape of a girl under the age of 13 on May 27 after learning of the alleged assault months earlier. The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office said they received a complaint about 51-year-old Patrick Buckhalter raping a juvenile girl in January of 2023. Deputies said they obtained evidence that Buckhalter had sex with the girl and booked him with first-degree rape, two counts of sexual battery, and two counts of indecent behavior with
  
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• Sarasota Drive bridge reopened after nearly a year of construction

  31-05-2023 17:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - Construction workers were busy Wednesday afternoon watering the freshly-laid patches of grass along the edges of the new bridge on Sarasota Drive. Work to reconstruct the bridge began in July of 2022. A traffic engineer for the EBR City-Parish told WBRZ that the bridge needed to be rebuilt because it was old and the support beams underneath it were rotting. Residents of the Monticello neighborhood, like Audrey Fountain, say they are happy to return to their norma
  
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• Pointe Coupee arrests 2 juvenile drive-by suspects. Between them, they're wearing 5 ankle monitors

  31-05-2023 17:33
  
  NEW ROADS — A pair of juveniles wearing multiple ankle monitors for crimes in other parishes have been accused of a drive-by shooting in New Roads, authorities said.The names of the juveniles involved in the drive-by were not released due to their ages.Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux said his deputies were contacted this week after the pair showed up in court in Avoyelles Parish. Thibodeaux said one suspect is facing a murder charge in another parish and was wearing two a
  
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• Actor Danny Masterson found guilty of 2 out of 3 counts of rape in retrial

  31-05-2023 16:37
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury found “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson guilty of two out of three counts of rape Wednesday in a Los Angeles retrial in which the Church of Scientology played a central role.The jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days spread over two weeks. They could not reach a verdict on the third count, that alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. They had voted 8-4 in favor of convict
  
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• Head of Louisiana's coastal protection agency is resigning, governor says

  31-05-2023 16:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - The chairman of Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced he's resigning his position effective July 3. Governor John Bel Edwards announced Chairman Chip Kline's resignation on Wednesday, saying that he was exiting his role as CPRA chair and as director for Coastal Activities.The governor named Bren Haase to serve as chair of CPRA. Current Deputy Director Greg Grandy will serve as CPRA executive director. Read the full announcement below.
  
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• New Baton Rouge casino almost complete, 100 job openings need to be filled

  31-05-2023 15:59
  
  BATON ROUGE- An overhaul is now nearly complete at the Hollywood Casino. It comes with a new name: The Queen Baton Rouge, the new land-based casino replacing the riverboat.A law passed in 2018 allows the gambling facility to be on land. The $85 million dollar project is only months away from completion."We're hoping here the end of summer, early fall, we will be able to open up," Hollywood Casino general manager, Matthew Shehadi, said.It will be double the size and will feature several new rest
  
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• University Lab School 5th grader tripped up in fourth round of Nat'l Spelling Bee

  31-05-2023 15:46
  
  WASHINGTON - A 5th grade student at University Laboratory School saw his quest for a national spelling title come to an end on Wednesday.Rishaan Reddy fell in the fourth round when he misspelled the word, "ulcerative." He started his spelling of that word with an "a" in place of the "u."The 10-year-old tied for 74th place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking place this week in Washington.Permalink| Comments
  
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• University Lab School 5th grader eliminated in fourth round of National Spelling Bee

  31-05-2023 15:46
  
  NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - A 5th-grade student at University Laboratory School saw his quest for a national spelling title come to an end on Wednesday.Rishaan Reddy fell in the fourth round when he misspelled the word, "ulcerative." He started his spelling of that word with an "a" in place of the "u."The 10-year-old tied for 74th place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking place this week just outside Washington. Despite his slip-up, Rishaan made it to the fourth round, making it over halfwa
  
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• Mike Pence to launch campaign for president June 7

  31-05-2023 14:53
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his widely expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week, adding another candidate to the growing GOP field and putting him in direct competition with his former boss.Pence will hold a kickoff event in Des Moines on June 7, the date of his 64th birthday, according to two people familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details ahead of the official annou
  
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• WATCH: Car soars through the air after hitting tow truck ramp on Georgia highway

  31-05-2023 14:09
  
  LOWNDES COUNTY, Ga. - A distracted driver hit the ramp of a tow truck on a busy Georgia highway, sending their car soaring through the air in a wild crash that was caught on video. The high-flying accident was caught on video by a Lowndes County sheriff's deputy's body camera. Law enforcement was responding to another wreck May 24 on US 84 May 24 when another car failed to slow down as it approached the crash scene. The car goes up the lowered ramp on the tow truck and flips a
  
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• Louisiana Supreme Court suspends Ascension council member from law practice for 30 days

  31-05-2023 13:52
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE — An Ascension Parish lawyer who had a violent confrontation with a client in 2021 has been suspended from practicing law for a month.Corey Orgeron, also a member of the Ascension Parish Council, was convicted of simple battery after a fight with client Roydall Lumar. The state Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed a suspension of one year plus one day, but suspended all but 30 days. Orgeron will be on two years' probation after the month-long suspension is over.&am
  
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• Water issues in Pierre Part may linger through Friday

  31-05-2023 13:27
  
  ASSUMPTION PARISH - A failed clamp that led to a water outage in Pierre Part may soon be replaced, but it will likely be Friday before everything returns to normal, officials said.The community lost water service Wednesday morning, and crews traced the issue to a 30-year-old repair to a main line.They are working to replace the broken part, but the Assumption Parish Waterworks District says all of Pierre Part will be under a boil advisory once the flow of water returns.That advisory will remain
  
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• Water back on in Pierre Part, but boil advisory in place until further notice

  31-05-2023 13:27
  
  6:30 P.M. UPDATE: Repairs have been made to a main line serving Pierre Part and officials said water should be flowing to customers this evening. A boil water advisory will remain in effect until test results show it is no longer needed.The Assumption Parish Waterworks District No. 1 thanked crews who worked throughout the day to restore service.ASSUMPTION PARISH - A failed clamp that led to a water outage in Pierre Part may soon be replaced, but it will likely be Friday before everything retur
  
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• Minors may need parent's permission to be on social media, proposed bill says

  31-05-2023 12:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - Protecting children online has been a nationwide conversation and Louisiana lawmakers have taken the first step in adding legislation to make sure parents know what their kids are doing on the internet. Senator Patrick McMath says there are dangers on social media and would like to give parents more tools to keep their children safe from what they could be seeing on the platforms. The Senate Committee of Appropriations discussed the bill, which says social media
  
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• One person killed, possibly more hurt in shooting on Prescott Court

  31-05-2023 12:46
  
  BATON ROUGE - One person was killed in a shooting Wednesday night and possibly more people were injured. According to authorities, the shooting happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. near the corner of Prescott Road and Prescott Court. No other information about the shooting has been released. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Debris truck pulls down power lines, leaves part of residential road closed

  31-05-2023 12:28
  
  BATON ROUGE - A debris truck picking up trash in a neighborhood off Bluebonnet Boulevard pulled down two telephone poles and a street line Wednesday morning.According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, two poles and a street line were pulled down on Houston and Field Drives in a neighborhood off Bluebonnet Boulevard. The two roads were closed while cleanup efforts continued. No injuries were reported, but approximately 140 people were left without power. Permalink| Comm
  
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• Make sure your supply kits are ready! Officials urge people to stay prepared during hurricane season

  31-05-2023 08:53
  
  Hurricane season starts June 1 and city-parish officials are gearing up because as the saying goes, it only takes one storm. Whether the season is busy or not, it's always important to stay prepared for what's to come.You should take the time to build your hurricane preparedness kit. Make sure to keep all your important documents together and have a plan in place for you, your family, and your pets."First you need to stay informed, be sure to download the WBRZ app and have your stuff ready," sa
  
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• How and when to remove children from their homes? A federal lawsuit raises thorny questions

  31-05-2023 08:53
  
  BOSTON (AP) — When child welfare workers and police knocked on Sarah Perkins’ and Joshua Sabey’s front door well past midnight one weekend last summer, the parents were shocked to learn the state of Massachusetts had come to take their two young sons.It’s the kind of harrowing scene that plays out daily across the country as social workers motivated by a desire to protect children run up against confused and concerned parents.What followed was emotional a
  
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• Names of BRPD police officers killed in helicopter crash etched into law enforcement memorial

  31-05-2023 07:45
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department etched three new names into the law enforcement memorial plaque in front of its headquarters, including the names of two officers who were killed in a helicopter crash while on duty. The names of Lt. Michael Godawa, Sgt. David Poirrier, and Cpl. Scotty Canezaro were etched into the memorial plaque Tuesday afternoon. Godawa passed away in 2021 just days after his retirement due to complications from COVID-19. Poirrier and
  
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• Resident and four dogs rescued from early-morning house fire

  31-05-2023 04:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters responded to a home on Voss Drive early Wednesday morning where they rescued one resident and four dogs from a house fire. According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, officials responded to Voss Drive shortly after 2 a.m. to find one of the home's residents unharmed on the front porch. Crews made their way inside and found another person with four dogs. All five were brought out and the resident was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The dogs
  
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