Baton Rouge news

• WBR Parish President says drainage tax renewal rejection could affect the parish

  01-04-2025 21:16
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE - Voters rejected a property tax renewal for the city's drainage department during the Mar. 29 election. Its usual millage of 7.2 would have generated $5.9 million for upkeep of the system. "It's strictly to maintain 700 miles that we have within our parish," West Baton Rouge Parish President Jason Manola said. "It's also a parish-wide millage. We also maintain and do some drainage work in all of our municipalities."Manola says if the department is not able to get fund
  
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• Two killed in separate shootings in Baton Rouge in less than two hours

  01-04-2025 19:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - Two people were killed in separate shootings in less than two hours Tuesday.The first person was shot to death around 6:30 p.m. at La Margie Avenue near North Cristy Drive. While officers were at the scene, they heard nearby gunfire that sent onlookers dashing for cover.The second killing occurred on Avenue E shortly before 8 p.m.This is a developing story, and will be updated.Permalink| Comments
  
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• One killed in La Margie Avenue shooting

  01-04-2025 19:29
  
  BATON ROUGE - One person was shot to death Tuesday evening on LaMargie Avenue, officials said.Police were called to the scene around 6:30 p.m.Authorities say it appears to be a targeted shooting.This is a developing story, and will be updated.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Tax increase fails in Tangipahoa Parish; Sheriff Sticker says it's back to the drawing board

  01-04-2025 19:02
  
  HAMMOND - Sheriff Gerald Sticker has ben in office for nearly ten months, and Saturday parish voters chose not to adopt a three-quarter cent sales tax that he says would have benefitted his office.The tax would have raised nearly $25 million dollars. Without that money, Sticker says his office will need to make adjustments."There's just not an abundant amount of finances," Sticker said. "That would have put us on par with our neighboring sheriff's office in Livingston Parish."Sticker says in 20
  
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• Members of a community near site of planned Hyundai steel mill oppose it

  01-04-2025 18:35
  
  MODESTE— After the much-celebrated announcement of a multibillion dollar Hyundai steel mill to be built in Ascension Parish, some residents aren't feeling so festive.The announcement last week came from the White House, with President Donald Trump, Governor Jeff Landry and much of the state's Congressional delegation in attendance. Back in Louisiana, local officials watched as a group and lauded the deal as transformational for Ascension Parish.Ashley Gaignard, the founder of Rural Ro
  
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• Annual Baton Rouge Blues Festival returns this weekend

  01-04-2025 17:51
  
  BATON ROUGE — Music lovers throughout the capital region can sing and dance along to great music at the Baton Rouge Blues Fest this weekend. This free event is happening downtown and attendees are welcome to jam out to music, eat food and enjoy the day with family and friends. Organizers plan to give the crowd a good time by featuring a variety of concerts from multiple acts.Patrons can attend a concert at five different stages during the event. Here's where the concerts will
  
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• Judge rejects Trump administrations bid to move Mahmoud Khalils legal case to Louisiana

  01-04-2025 17:22
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the legal battle over Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation should continue to play out in New Jersey, rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to transfer the Columbia University protester’s case to Louisiana.In a written decision Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark said jurisdiction over the case should remain in New Jersey since Khalil was being held there at the time his lawyers filed their hab
  
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• Spare Notes: Pendergraft Shoots Perfect 300 Game For Denham Springs In D1 Playoffs

  01-04-2025 16:04
  
  BATON ROUGE - Grant Pendergraft of Denham Springs High School provided the Baton Rouge area highlight Tuesday when he rolled a perfect 300 game in the first round of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division I boys/coed bowling playoff at Bowlero Kenner.Pendergraft posted a three-game set of 718 (225-193-300) to help the Yellow Jackets (the defending champions and the No. 14 seed in the 5A bracket) to a 20-7 upset win over third seed Captain Shreve. Logan Nauman had games
  
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• LSU baseball suits up for Tuesday night matchup against Louisiana Tech

  01-04-2025 15:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - The LSU baseball team opens up its April slate of games with an in-state matchup against Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night in Alex Box Stadium.The Tigers are 26-3 on the season with a 7-2 mark in SEC play after sweeping the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their three-game series over the weekend.LSU is No. 1 in the SEC and No. 3 in the nation in batting average with a .338 mark. The Tigers also lead the league in hits and doubles with 324 and 71, respectively. The Louisiana T
  
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• Raising Canes' founder Todd Graves ranked among 300 richest people in the world by Forbes

  01-04-2025 14:54
  
  BATON ROUGE — Raising Cane's founder and Baton Rouge native Todd Graves cracked Forbes' newest list of the richest people in the world.Graves ranked No. 293 on the list with a net worth of $9.5 billion.This is Graves' second year on the list, with his net worth up by about $400 million. Still, he fell several spots from last year's list.More than 3,000 billionaires from around the world made the list, with Elon Musk — worth more than $300 billion — topping the list
  
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• LSU men's basketball adds star guard from UNLV

  01-04-2025 14:39
  
  BATON ROUGE - LSU men's basketball went into the transfer portal to add to their 2025-26 season roster, as former UNLV guard Dedan Thomas Jr. signed with the Tigers on Monday night.Thomas Jr. started in all 26 games he appeared in this past season for the Runnin' Rebels and scored double figures in 22 of those games. He led UNLV in scoring and assists this season with 15.6 points and 4.7 assists per game. The star guard was named the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year in the 2023-24
  
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• TEAM 2 TRAFFIC: New four-lane configuration at College Drive exit opens Sunday

  01-04-2025 14:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - Beginning Sunday, drivers will see a new four-lane configuration at the end of the westbound College Drive exit ramp at the traffic signal.DOTD says only new addition is the continuous flow lane that bypasses that traffic signal and goes straight to Corporate. The other three lanes have been there and will continue to operate as normal.Project managers say this will be the permanent configuration for College Drive end of the exit ramp. New exit lanes from I-10 and I-12 are under c
  
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• Crews will begin work on a fourth lane at the I-10 College Drive exit this weekend

  01-04-2025 14:38
  
  BATON ROUGE — A fourth lane will be added to the westbound College Drive exit ramp on Interstate 10 this weekend.On Sunday, the Department of Transportation Development will start construction on a four-lane exit configuration at the I-10 westbound exit on College Drive. The new lane is part of the ongoing College Flyover Project.A free-flow lane will bypass the traffic signal into Corporate Boulevard and be separated from College Drive by a rollover curb.Additionally, motorists trave
  
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• Pointe Coupee deputy struck while directing Livonia traffic is stable, on 'long road to recovery'

  01-04-2025 14:00
  
  LIVONIA — A Pointe Coupee Parish deputy is in stable condition but has a "long road to recovery" after he was hit by a car while directing traffic on U.S. 190 in Livonia.Robert Williams was struck while directing traffic around the scene of a large-scale oil tank fire caused by a lightning strike from Monday's severe weather.Williams was helping a fire official's pickup truck to leave the tank fire when he was hit. The car also struck the pickup truck, injuring two firefighte
  
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• Lost in the mail: package containing firearm last scanned at Bluebonnet location missing

  01-04-2025 13:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - An item shipped from Illinois appears to be lost in the mail. One man doesn't want it falling into the wrong hands and reached out to 2 On Your Side.Harrison Beasley is a firearm collector and, in his spare time, searches the internet for bucket list items."I will sit there and research a firearm like my mom would research recipes to cook with," Beasley said.Recently, he found a firearm he's been looking for at a licensed firearm dealer in Illinois. The gun — a combo pac
  
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• Shred Fest happening this weekend to help fight identity theft

  01-04-2025 13:20
  
  BATON ROUGE - Have any spare personal information laying around? Good news! The 18th annual Better Business Bureau's "Shred Fest" is happening this weekend.It's a free event to help fight ID theft by shredding paper documents that contain personal information.Secure Shredding & Recycling is also accepting items for e-waste recycling such as computer towers, monitors and hard drives.The event is happening this Saturday, April 5 from 9a to 12p at the Baton Rouge Police Department Headquarters
  
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• No. 3 LSU softball looks to bounce back in midweek matchup against McNeese

  01-04-2025 13:13
  
  LAKE CHARLES - The LSU Tigers head on the road to face the McNeese Cowgirls on Tuesday night.No. 3 LSU softball looks to get back in the win column after dropping its first SEC series of the season against the South Carolina Gamecocks this past weekend. The Tigers now hold a season record of 31-4 with a 6-3 mark in conference play. LSU is batting .359 on the season and ranks No. 2 in the country with a .472 on-base percentage. In the circle, the team ranks No. 2 in the SEC and No. 7 in
  
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• One lane blocked along Highway 42 in Livingston Parish due to crash

  01-04-2025 13:12
  
  LIVIGNSTON PARISH - Deputies in Livingston Parish blocked one lane along Highway 42 shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office shared a photo of a small tanker truck that was on the shoulder of the roadway near RKM. No information about the crash was immediately available. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Highway 42 in Livingston Parish re-opened after crash

  01-04-2025 13:12
  
  LIVIGNSTON PARISH - Deputies in Livingston Parish blocked one lane along Highway 42 shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office shared a photo of a small tanker truck that was on the shoulder of the roadway near RKM. The roadway has since been re-opened.No information about the crash was immediately available. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Tuesday is Take Down Tobacco Day, event to raise awareness against vaping and smoking

  01-04-2025 13:04
  
  BATON ROUGE - Tuesday is Take Down Tobacco Day, a day to raise awareness against the leading cause of preventable death in the country. The movement is designed to prevent people from ever picking up the addictive habit. Today on 2une In, the Health Promotions Manager from the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living and a member of the Youth Advisory Board spoke on air about the campaign and how you can help. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Federal prosecutors told to seek death penalty against UnitedHealthcare killing suspect Luigi Mangione

  01-04-2025 12:56
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel on Dec. 4.Mangione, 26, faces separate federal and state murder charges for the killing, which rattled the business community while also galvanizing health insurance critics. The federal charges include murder through use of a firearm, which c
  
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• Coroner responds after body found in Mississippi River

  01-04-2025 08:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - The parish coroner's office responded to reports of a body being found in the Mississippi River Tuesday morning. Officials confirmed the coroner was responding to the area around 200 South River Road, near the USS KIDD Museum and the planetarium. The Baton Rouge Fire Department reportedly recovered a body from the water and contacted the coroner's office. Emergency Medical Services and BRFD were on scene. WBRZ is working to obtain more details.&
  
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• Man who killed pregnant girlfriend and threw toddler off bridge avoids trial, pleads guilty to manslaughter and feticide

  01-04-2025 06:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man accused of killing his girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child at the time, and the woman's 2-year-old son pleaded guilty Tuesday ahead of his April trial date.In 2022, Brynnen Murphy was arrested for two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of 24-year-old Kaylen Johnson and her son Kaden.WBRZ previously reported that then-20-year-old Murphy confessed to shooting and killing Kaylen in the parking lot of his apartment complex on North Harrells Ferry Road. Murphy
  
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• Sunday Journal: You Are My Sunshine

  01-04-2025 05:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - You know the song, but do you know the history behind it? Join JP on this week's Sunday Journal for a sit-down with Bob Mann, who recently published a book about the history of the tune - and the man behind it. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Still haven't filed your taxes? The final countdown is on to do so!

  01-04-2025 04:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - With the start of April, the countdown to get taxes filed is on.All taxes must be filed by Apr. 15 unless authorized through an extension.If you need more time you can request an extension by the same deadline to avoid penalties.According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), they received 1.1% fewer returns so far this year and overall $55 million dollars in refunds have been given as of Mar. 21.To file taxes, you need to gather your W-2s, 1099s and any deduction paperwork. You
  
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