Baton Rouge news

• New trash contract starts Friday in EBR Parish, causing several changes in the future

  31-08-2023 21:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - Change with trash pickup in East Baton Rouge has been a major topic in the past year. In March, the Metro Council approved a new contract, and that is why people have since been paying $35 a month for twice-a-week pick up.Last month, talks to bring that price down were happening. But in the end, the $35 a month price will stick, and now there will be an extra seven dollar charge for every additional bin.So what else will change?First off, Republic will no longer be in charge of ga
  
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• New changes to EBR trash pickup start Friday - Here's what it means for you

  31-08-2023 21:49
  
  BATON ROUGE - Change with trash pickup in East Baton Rouge has been a major topic in the past year. This past year, the Metro Council approved a new contract, and that is why people have been paying $35 a month since March for twice-a-week pick up.Last month, talks to bring that price down were happening. But in the end, the $35 a month price will stick, and now there will be an extra seven dollar charge for every additional bin.So what else will change?First off, Republic will no longer be in
  
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• Bond reduced for defendant in Brooks rape case; videos shows at hearing

  31-08-2023 21:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - A judge on Thursday lowered the bond for one of four defendants in the Madison Brooks rape case -- but only after prosecutors showed videos that could play a significant role in the upcoming trials.Desmond Carter has remained in custody since he was charged earlier this year. Though 17 at time of his arrest, he will stand trial as an adult and is being held at the parish jail.Prosecutors at the bond hearing opposed the reduction, and introduced several short videos as they present
  
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• Bond reduced for defendant in Brooks rape case; videos shown at hearing

  31-08-2023 21:43
  
  BATON ROUGE - A judge on Thursday lowered the bond for one of four defendants in the Madison Brooks rape case -- but only after prosecutors showed videos that could play a significant role in the upcoming trials.Desmond Carter has remained in custody since he was charged earlier this year. Though 17 at time of his arrest, he will stand trial as an adult and is being held at the parish jail.Prosecutors at the bond hearing opposed the reduction, and introduced several short videos as they present
  
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• Woman who allegedly gunned down 12-year-old girl indicted for murder as others shed charges

  31-08-2023 19:06
  
  CENTRAL - A woman who allegedly shot and killed a 12-year-old girl who knocked on her front door was indicted for murder Thursday as two others implicated in the shooting had their charges reduced or thrown out all together. East Baton Rouge court records show that Ester Williams was formally charged Thursday in the May 13 shooting of 12-year-old Cedrica Lee. Lee was shot in a Central neighborhood after she was caught in the middle of a feud between Williams, 26, and her boyfr
  
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• Electrical malfunction in parked car leads to apartment fire

  31-08-2023 18:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - An electrical malfunction in a parked car led to an apartment fire that completely destroyed the car and damaged the apartment Thursday evening.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, they were called in to handle a fire around 3:56 p.m., and they got the fire under control 4:07 p.m.. The firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from the building's attached garage. They entered the garage and found a car on fire, which they contained before there was significant damage
  
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• Fourth suspect sought in gun store burglary

  31-08-2023 18:42
  
  ASCENSION PARISH - Authorities are seeking a fourth man in connection with a late July break-in and theft at a Prairieville gun shop.The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as Kalib Walker, 18, of Convent.He's wanted for the burglary of Hebert Guns, on Airline Highway, on July 31.Three others were previously arrested as part of the investigation. Officials said the men -- all between the ages of 18 and 22 -- forced their way into the store after crashing a stolen pickup tru
  
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• Arrest warrant filed for fourth person involved in Baton Rouge club shooting that injured 12

  31-08-2023 17:48
  
  BATON ROUGE - An arrest warrant has been filed for a fourth person suspected to be involved in a January nightclub shooting that injured 12 people.Jron Hines, 17, is wanted on 12 counts of attempted first degree murder and one count of illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities. On Jan. 22, 2023, the Dior Bar & Lounge off College Drive was holding a "back to college" night from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m., when people inside the club started firing rounds around 1:30 a.m..Police
  
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• Livingston school system sues social media companies, blaming them for teens' decaying mental health

  31-08-2023 17:40
  
  The Livingston Parish School System is pursuing legal action against TikTok, Instagram and multiple internet service providers, accusing them of rotting the mental health of its students and other teens across the country.The suit was originally filed in parish court last month but was moved this week to federal court. It names the two hugely popular social media platforms along with their parent companies: ByteDance and Meta. It also lists internet providers Charter and Cox Communications.&
  
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• Task force organizes to tackle suicide in African American community

  31-08-2023 17:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - In Louisiana, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10 to 24-year-olds. While suicide among teens is an uncomfortable conversation, state leaders are making it their priority by committing research to finding solutions, especially for African American teens. A task force organized by Representative Edmond Jordan is now studying those rates, and they say suicide statistics are worse in the Black community. The group met for the first time at the state capitol Th
  
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• Trucker who killed three Southern University band members sentenced, expected to spend a year in prison

  31-08-2023 17:22
  
  NATCHITOCHES - A man who struck and killed three Southern University students with his semi truck while they were on the side of the road changing a flat tire was sentenced after he plead guilty to three counts of negligent homicide.The crash happened along I-49 near Natchitoches, where Gay's 1997 Freightliner drifted onto the northbound shoulder, struck the left side of the Jeep and impacted all three pedestrians, according to Louisiana State Police. Law enforcement found no signs of intoxicat
  
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• Trucker who killed 3 Southern University band members in I-49 crash sentenced, expected to spend a year in prison

  31-08-2023 17:22
  
  NATCHITOCHES - A man who struck and killed three Southern University students with his semi truck while they were on the side of the road changing a flat tire was sentenced after he plead guilty to three counts of negligent homicide.The three students, Dylan Young, Brody Moore and Tyran Williams, were traveling home Dec. 6 to visit family during their winter break. Investigators said the trio was stopped on the shoulder of the interstate with a flat tire when Clyde Gay's truck hit them
  
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• Lawsuit update: Judge's ruling means the hunt for Les Miles must continue

  31-08-2023 16:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - A ruling from a federal district court judge extends a legal game of hide-and-seek tied to a lawsuit against LSU by a former athletics department employee.Sharon Lewis sued the university and a number of individuals associated with the school in 2021, listing accusations of discrimination, a hostile work environment and other misconduct.The individuals named in the original filing -- among them, former head football coach Les Miles -- were later dropped as defendants, leaving only
  
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• NAKAMOTO: EBR school system ignored multiple complaints against alleged pedophile working as a teacher

  31-08-2023 15:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - The WBRZ Investigative Unit confirmed complaints in 2020 and 2021 against an alleged pedophile employed by the East Baton Rouge Parish School System fell on deaf ears until he was fired this week for having an inappropriate relationship with a male sophomore at Belaire High.See the full story from the WBRZ Investigative Unit at 6:00 on WBRZ and WBRZ+Justin Broussard, who was the Time Out Room coordinator, was terminated this week. The East Baton Rouge Parish School System said Wed
  
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• Teenager from Ghassemi murder-for-hire plot sentenced to 30 years for role in slaying

  31-08-2023 14:46
  
  BATON ROUGE — A Denham Springs man who was brought into a murder-for-hire scheme when he was still a teenager was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for his role in the 2015 attack.Court records show that District Judge Tarvald Smith sentenced Skyler Williams, 22, on a manslaughter count. Williams had initially been accused of first-degree murder following the death of Tahereh Ghassemi.The woman's ex-husband, Hamid Ghassemi, was convicted this month of paying three men to kill h
  
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• Accomplice in Ghassemi murder-for-hire plot sentenced to 30 years for role in slaying

  31-08-2023 14:46
  
  BATON ROUGE — A Denham Springs man who was brought into a murder-for-hire scheme when he was still a teenager was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for his role in the 2015 attack.Court records show that District Judge Tarvald Smith sentenced Skyler Williams, 22, on a manslaughter count. Williams had initially been accused of first-degree murder following the death of Tahereh Ghassemi.The woman's ex-husband, Hamid Ghassemi, was convicted this month of paying three men to kill h
  
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• BRPD dismantles unit linked to 'Brave Cave' probe, launches criminal investigation into officers' actions

  31-08-2023 13:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department has scuttled its Street Crimes unit, a division dedicated to tackling crime in the most violent corners of the city, as the agency faces scrutiny over its use of a little-known processing facility known as the "Brave Cave."Mayor Sharon Weston Broome also said a preliminary probe yielded enough "disturbing" evidence to trigger a criminal investigation into the workings of the Street Crimes unit. All officers — nine in total — wh
  
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• Tropical Storm Idalia leaves shredded homes, roads blocked with powerlines in Florida and Georgia

  31-08-2023 13:30
  
  HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Idalia headed out to sea Thursday after thrashing parts of Florida and Georgia with punishing rains and destructive winds, leaving residents to begin the arduous process of clearing fallen trees, restoring electricity and picking through the debris of devastated homes.Thus far, authorities have confirmed one death, that of a man hit by a falling tree in Georgia. As many as a half-million customers were without power at one point in Florida a
  
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• Councilman says resolution to solve red dust problems in Gonzales neighborhood is in the works

  31-08-2023 12:36
  
  GONZALES - Four years later, and people living in a Gonzales neighborhood, Pelican Crossing, are still dealing with red dust covering their homes.The red dust is bauxite, and it's coming from the former site of Lalumina Burnside Refinery and is covering everything in the neighborhood."It's in my garage, it's underneath my patio, you can't go outside barefoot because your feet will turn red, you got to wipe everything down every other day and it's red as can be," resident James Cantillo
  
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• LSU Professor of Journalism honored with prestigious lifetime achievement award

  31-08-2023 08:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - John Maxwell Hamilton, the founding dean of the Manship School, has been awarded the American Journalism Historian's Association's highest honor. Hamilton, a longtime journalist and author, was chosen to receive the Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement.“Dr. Hamilton has provided a wealth of invaluable contributions to our field over his many decades as an academic,” said Willie Tubbs, chair of the selection committee. “The Service Awar
  
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• Customers flock to ALDI now open in Central

  31-08-2023 07:39
  
  CENTRAL - Listen up shoppers: there's a new grocery store opening today in Central. The first-ever ALDI in the Greater Baton Rouge area has opened its doors. The chain is popping up all over the country now with more than 1,000 stores, and they boast of having the lowest prices.When it comes to shopping, saving money is at the top of our minds. ALDI already had a line waiting outside the store in Central. Customers were stocking up on produce, meats, canned foods, and any deal they cou
  
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• Large police presence at Boulevard de Province apartment complex forces residents to evacuate

  31-08-2023 05:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - Residents of Village de Province, a gated community off Boulevard de Province, were forced to evacuate their homes due to a situation early Thursday morning. Video from the scene showed law enforcement responding to the community, but no details on what exactly was happening were provided. WBRZ has reached out to law enforcement for more details. Permalink| Comments
  
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• After hours-long standoff, police enter apartment to find suspect missing

  31-08-2023 05:08
  
  BATON ROUGE - Officers said the scene of a standoff was cleared Thursday morning, but the suspect in an overnight home invasion was not found inside a barricaded apartment.Residents of Village de Province, a gated community off Boulevard de Province, were evacuated from their apartments around 5 a.m. when the standoff began. The Baton Rouge Police Department later said a man allegedly involved in an overnight home invasion was barricaded inside of one of the apartments. The department
  
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