Baton Rouge news

• Jeff Landry raises "record money" for governors campaign, run off still probable

  20-07-2023 21:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - As candidates continue to make their pitch to Louisianians on why they should be the next governor, one person looks to be far ahead as qualifying is less than one month away.That candidate is Attorney General Jeff Landry."In covering Louisiana politics for two decades, I have never seen a politician corner an electoral market the way Jeff Landry has," Jeremy Alford, Publisher of LaPolitics Weekly told WBRZ.According to the most recent campaign finance report, Landry has over $9 m
  
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• State program fixes roofs for free ahead of peak hurricane season

  20-07-2023 18:40
  
  Veronica Mack, speaking on behalf of her mother, Martha Kaufman, is thrilled to be getting a new roof on her family home in North Baton Rouge."It's very exciting," said Mack. "It brings back quality of life."After a storm, Kaufman began to notice a leak in her ceiling. Experts determined she needed a new roof, but after she paid off her home, she did not have insurance to pay for it.That's when she learned about the Blue Tarp Fund Roofing Repair Program."That was like 'phew'," Mack said. "It fe
  
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• Missing Cleveland girl recovered in Baton Rouge

  20-07-2023 17:40
  
  BATON ROUGE - A 12-year-old girl reported missing from Cleveland has been found in Baton Rouge.U.S. Marshals, working with the Cleveland Police Department and Baton Rouge Police Department, recovered Lidia Garrido Thursday morning in the 12500 block of La Margie Ave., near South Choctaw Drive.The girl was turned over to family service authorities."The fact this recovery happened so far from home, highlights the importance of (our) mission," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said. "We hope this young gi
  
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• Police investigating vulgar tirade sent to Louisiana lawmaker's voicemai

  20-07-2023 17:00
  
  HOUMA - A state senator says he contacted law enforcement after a part-time teacher and grad student at LSU left him a vulgar voicemail following a veto session where lawmakers pushed through legislation banning transgender healthcare for minors. Senator Mike Fesi tells WBRZ that he considered the message a threat and handed the recording over to local law enforcement and State Police. Fesi shared the explicit voicemail, which has since been heard millions of times after it circulated
  
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• LSU grad student banned from teaching after vulgar tirade directed at La. lawmaker

  20-07-2023 17:00
  
  HOUMA - A state senator says he contacted law enforcement after a part-time teacher and grad student at LSU left him a vulgar voicemail following a veto session where lawmakers pushed through legislation banning transgender healthcare for minors. Senator Mike Fesi tells WBRZ that he handed the recording over to local law enforcement and State Police to investigate. Fesi shared the explicit voicemail, which has since been heard millions of times after it circulated on social media Thurs
  
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• Bike paths in EBR to be expanded through the parish over next decade

  20-07-2023 15:42
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Complete Streets Citizen's Advisory Committee rolled out a new master plan Thursday that would expand and improve bike paths through East Baton Rouge Parish in the next 10 years. "It's possible for people to ride in town as it is now, but most people won't because they don't feel it's safe," Mark Martin, Vice Chair of the Complete Streets Citizen's Advisory Committee, said. Martin said he's seen a huge increase in the efforts by BREC and the city to expand bi
  
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• INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: Two out of four finalists for LSU top cop job have checkered pasts

  20-07-2023 15:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - The WBRZ Investigative Unit uncovered major concerns for two of the finalists for the LSU Police Department's top job.
  The four finalists are Thedrick Andres, Terence Calloway, Shanni Durall, and Marshall Walters.WBRZ found big problems for Andres and Calloway that sources said the school was unaware of. Watch live newscasts hereAndres was formerly the police chief in Henderson, a neighboring community in the Las Vegas area. Last year, nearly 95 percent of the officers issued a vo
  
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• Police arrest men accused of aiding woman who allegedly killed her boyfriend, dumped his body

  20-07-2023 15:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - Days after a woman was arrested in her boyfriend's murder, police have booked two more suspects — including the woman's son — for their alleged involvement in the killing.On Thursday, Baton Rouge Police announced the arrests of 45-year-old Gregory Williams and 23-year-old Christopher Smith. Both are booked on charges of obstruction of justice.Williams also faces a charge of second-degree murder, with police saying he may have played a role in the actua
  
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• Woman sought in Plank Road convenience store shooting incident

  20-07-2023 15:24
  
  BATON ROUGE - Capital Region Crime Stoppers is asking for assistance identifying a woman suspected in connection with gunfire at a local convenience store.Images taken from surveillance video show the person suspected of entering the Kangaroo Express in the 6200 block of Plank Road -- just south of the US 190 interchange --on July 18, about 1:30 a.m., and firing two shots at the clerk.The bullets struck a plexiglass barrier and the woman ran away.Anyone with information is asked to call Crime S
  
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• High-profile Louisiana lawmaker bowing out of politics, partially blames 'toxic' political landscape

  20-07-2023 14:26
  
  BATON ROUGE - One of the top lawmakers in the Louisiana House says he will not seek re-election when his term expires in 2024, in part blaming the "toxic stew" at the state Capitol for his exit from politics. In a series of tweets Wednesday, Speaker Pro Tem Tanner Magee said he was leaving politics at the end of his current so he could focus more on his family and so that "someone else gets a crack at improving our state."Magee, who has served in the legislature for eight years, said h
  
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• Electrical malfunction likely sparked fire at apartment along Lee Drive

  20-07-2023 14:22
  
  BATON ROUGE - Fire investigators believe an equipment malfunction inside a utility closet likely sparked a fire at an apartment complex along Lee Drive Thursday morning.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, crews were contacted around 8:50 a.m. after a resident at the Place Du Plantier Apartments found smoke coming from a closet housing the HVAC system and the water heater. The building was cleared safely, and the fire was contained to the apartment where it originated, though
  
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• Jury awards Florida girl burned by McDonalds Chicken McNugget $800,000 in damages

  20-07-2023 13:28
  
  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald’s restaurant.Lawyers for the family of Olivia Caraballo, who was 4 when she was burned in 2019, were seeking $15 million in damages. Jurors reached their verdict after deliberating for less than two hours on Wednesday, the South Florida SunSentine
  
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• EBR schools debut new culturally-inclusive, vegetarian options as part of upgraded lunch menu

  20-07-2023 13:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge School District will debut its new school menu this year.The menu will be inclusive of all cultures and will include vegetarian options for those who don't eat meat.  The district feeds 24,000 kids across 74 sites every day. "We're really trying to rebrand our child nutrition program with EBR," says Nichola Hall, the Chief HR officer. Permalink| Comments
  
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• EBR debuts new culturally-inclusive, vegetarian options as part of upgraded lunch menu

  20-07-2023 13:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge School District will debut its new school menu this year.The menu will be inclusive of all cultures and will include vegetarian options for those who don't eat meat.  The district feeds 24,000 kids across 74 sites every day. "We're really trying to rebrand our child nutrition program with EBR," says Nichola Hall, the Chief HR officer. Permalink| Comments
  
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• La. state schools chief to address local 'Moms for Liberty' chapter

  20-07-2023 12:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley will be the featured speaker when the East Baton Rouge chapter of "Moms for Liberty" meets next week, the group has confirmed.The appearance has prompted push-back from some advocacy groups, many of them citing the inclusion of Moms for Liberty on lists of extremist organizations.But on Wednesday, Brumley defended the scheduled appearance, telling the non-profit website "The Illuminator" that "it is wrong to characterize Baton Rouge m
  
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• Hay barn in Tangipahoa expected to burn for days

  20-07-2023 08:42
  
  TANGIPAHOA - A hay barn that caught on fire is expected to burn for days. According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, the hay barn on Highway 440 near I-55 caught fire early Thursday morning. Fire departments attempted to extinguish the fire for several hours before withdrawing and saying that they would let the flames burn themselves out. "Citizens who are unfamiliar with hay fires should know that hay bales on fire are typically unable to be extinguished unless they
  
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• Garth Brooks talks to WBRZ about headlining Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff; win tickets here

  20-07-2023 06:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana-favorite Garth Brooks will be headlining the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff, a music and entertainment event to celebrate the start of the 2023 football season. Win tickets before they go on sale! Details posted here.Brooks joined 2une In Thursday morning to talk about the event and what audiences should expect for its first-ever weekend. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Garth Brooks talks to WBRZ about headlining Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff

  20-07-2023 06:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana-favorite Garth Brooks will be headlining the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff, a music and entertainment event to celebrate the start of the 2023 football season. Brooks joined 2une In Thursday morning to talk about the event and what audiences should expect for its first-ever weekend. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Garth Brooks joins 2une In to talk headlining the Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff: 'It's gonna be stupid'

  20-07-2023 06:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana-favorite Garth Brooks will be headlining the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff, a music and entertainment event to celebrate the start of the 2023 football season. Brooks joined 2une In Thursday morning to talk about the event and what audiences should expect for its first-ever weekend. Permalink| Comments
  
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