Baton Rouge news

• 'I'm glad nobody else got hurt:' Man hospitalized, burned after boat explosion at Tickfaw 200

  08-05-2025 21:54
  
  LIVINGSTON - A boat exploded at the Tickfaw 200, leaving a man hospitalized with severe burns. Devear "Dee" Tureaud was helping three people fix their recently restored motor Saturday night during the Tickfaw 200 when the motor exploded."Went to crank it the second time, it just blew, no warning, no nothing, just boom," Tureaud said.Dylan Fabre, Gaige Wilcoxon, and Seth Camallo were the three on the boat during the time of the explosion. "It wasn't your normal backfire, somehow fuel or somethin
  
  Read more

• One person injured after deputy-involved shooting in Independence; State Police investigating

  08-05-2025 21:51
  
  INDEPENDENCE - Louisiana State troopers are investigating a Tangipahoa Parish deputy-involved shooting that left one person injured on Labruzza Lane near Louisiana Highway 40.One person was shot and was taken to a local hospital; no deputies were harmed. No specific condition is known for the victim outside of the fact they are alive. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office put out a statement saying an investigation was taking place in the area around 8:10 p.m. Louisiana State Police said their Bur
  
  Read more

• EBR Superintendent discusses realignment plan, goals going into second year

  08-05-2025 20:40
  
  BATON ROUGE -- During the May 3 elections, East Baton Rouge voters approved multiple tax renewals for the school system.They dealt with supporting the alcohol and drug abuse prevention program called "I Care," funding operations and maintenance, improving salaries and benefits for employees, and providing additional support for the school.EBR Superintendent LaMont Cole says the renewals passing will help with their realignment plans."We can address facilities, we can address technology, we can
  
  Read more

• Runaway Ponchatoula 16-year-old found safe

  08-05-2025 20:35
  UPDATE: The missing 16-year-old has been found safe as of 11:20 a.m. Friday. PONCHTOULA — Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's deputies are looking for a missing 16-year-old with a heart condition, who they believe to have run away.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Detectives searching for runaway 16-year-old last seen in Ponchatoula

  08-05-2025 20:35
  
  PONCHTOULA — Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's deputies are looking for a missing 16-year-old with a heart condition, who they believe to have run away.Aiden Reid, 16, was last seen around Highway 22 between Hickory Drive and Wagner Road on Thursday around 2 a.m. Deputies say he was wearing a breast cancer awareness shirt, gray Under Armor shorts and white tennis shoes with black and green trim.Reid is a heart patient with a pacemaker and, according to family members, has recently displayed
  
  Read more

• Religious leaders and experts react to Pope Leo XIV serving as head of the Catholic Church

  08-05-2025 19:19
  
  BATON ROUGE — History was made Thursday as Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff elected to lead the Catholic Church.The pontiff, whose name is Robert Prevost and was born in Chicago, has family ties to Louisiana. Pope Leo spent most of his adulthood in South America, with his ministry in Peru.Bishop Michael Duca of the Baton Rouge Diocese said it's as if God shaped Pope Leo's life for this moment.“He has that foundation in the United States, but he has the mindset t
  
  Read more

• A bill to speed up East Baton Rouge blight cases advances, headed to Senate floor

  08-05-2025 18:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - One of Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ campaign trail promises was tackling blight in East Baton Rouge Parish, and Thursday, city and state officials collaborated on a bill that could speed up blight clean-up. State Sen. Rick Edmonds said since 2016, East Baton Rouge Parish has received 64,000 calls for blight.“That's almost 19 calls a day for the last 3,400 days to address blight in neighborhoods,” Edmonds said.Blight is handled differently in
  
  Read more

• Man found guilty in 2021 killing of 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen

  08-05-2025 18:44
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man was convicted of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice after killing a two-year-old child and hiding her body in Mississippi woods.A jury convicted Phillip Gardner on Wednesday after officials found the body of two-year-old Nevaeh Allen in a wooded area of Hancock County, Mississippi, in 2021. Allen's mother, Lanaya Cardwell, and her live-in boyfriend, Gardner, initially reported Allen missing.Arrest documents said Cardwell punched Allen because she touched her con
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• One Tank Trip: Cane Sugar Toffee Company

  08-05-2025 17:44
  
  DONALDSONVILLE — Forget the golden ticket to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and take a trip to Cane Sugar Toffee Company, a new Donaldsonville confectionery shop, offers a taste of pure imagination rooted in the state's sweetest resource.This unique destination isn't just about satisfying your sweet tooth; it's a place where handcrafted toffees and brownies meet a heartwarming journey through local history.The sugarcane used in their signature toffee is grown here at home, as Lewis S
  
  Read more

• WBRZ FLASHBACK: Capital area experienced worst tornado in its history in 1975

  08-05-2025 17:43
  
  BATON ROUGE — Fifty years ago, on May 8, 1975, six tornadoes touched down across Louisiana and the most devastating hit Baton Rouge.What was categorized at the time as two F-2 tornadoes cut across Slaughter and Livingston and St. Helena parishes, ripping up homes and moving them off their foundations.However, the brunt of the damage was closer to Baton Rouge, spanning from Broadmoor and Shenandoah to Concord Estates and Southdowns. One of the most devastating scenes was along College
  
  Read more

• BRPD detective honored after identifying four suspects in shooting, armed robbery on North Foster Drive

  08-05-2025 16:34
  
  BATON ROUGE - A detective was honored by the Baton Rouge Police Department for identifying four of five suspects in a shooting and armed robbery on North Foster Drive.Detective Tiffany Smith and BRPD uniformed officers responded to a shooting and armed robbery on January 11. BRPD said Smith was able to identify five suspects through investigative measures and the use of technology.Four of the five suspects were arrested for armed robbery. BRPD said this case required "extensive researched that
  
  Read more

• Pope Leo XIV's family has ties to Louisiana going back more than 100 years, historian says

  08-05-2025 16:07
  
  NEW ORLEANS — The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has ties to Louisiana from more than a century ago, a New Orleans historian and genealogist said Thursday.The former Cardinal Robert Prevost, elevated to the papacy Thursday, has connections to the New Orleans Creole community, said historian Jari Christopher Honora. Honora said Prevost's maternal grandparents married at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Annette Street in New Orleans in 1887.Honora, who has written for the Historic New Orlean
  
  Read more

• Pope Leo XIV has ties to Louisiana going back more than 100 years, historian says

  08-05-2025 16:07
  
  NEW ORLEANS — The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has ties to Louisiana, a New Orleans historian and genealogist said about the first pope born in the United States of America on Thursday. Born in Chicago, former Cardinal Robert Prevost has connections to the New Orleans Creole community. According to historian Jari Christopher Honora, Prevost's maternal grandparents married at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Annette Street in 1887.By 1900, they lived on North Prieur Street in the
  
  Read more

• Tori Edwards & Jayden Heavener selected as top 10 finalists for National Freshman of the Year award

  08-05-2025 15:56
  
  LOUISVILLE, Ky. – LSU softball stars Tori Edwards and Jayden Heavener were announced as top 10 finalists for the 2025 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award on Thursday.In the Tigers' single-season record book, Edwards is the all-time leader with a .850 slugging percentage and has tied the home run record at 18. She is currently ranked No. 4 with 70 RBI, No. 5 with a .513 on-base percentage, and No. 6 with a .405 batting average, which are all freshman records at
  
  Read more

• BRCC softball wins first ever postseason game

  08-05-2025 15:17
  
  PIEDMONT, Okla. - The Baton Rouge Community College Bears softball team edged past the Northern Oklahoma College-Enid Jets on Thursday to secure their first postseason win in program history.The Bears rallied late to secure a 2-1 victory in an elimination game of the South-Central District Tournament at F&M Bank Stadium.The Jets struck first in the top of the third inning, but the Bears broke through in the sixth inning, scoring two runs to take a 2-1 lead. Mary Wicke came off the bench and
  
  Read more

• State troopers, LDWF agents cite eight for DWI over two-day 2025 Tickfaw 200 Poker Run

  08-05-2025 14:39
  
  TICKFAW — Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents and Louisiana State Police troopers made eight drunken driving arrests of boaters over the two-day 2025 Tickfaw 200 Poker Run.Agents and troopers did vessel patrols in the area because waterways are so busy during the annual event.On May 2, Wallace Wolfe, 54, from Gonzales; Todd Bourgeois, 38, from Paulina, and Dustin Miller, 24, from Franklinton, were arrested on a charge of driving a vessel while impaired on the Blind R
  
  Read more

• LSU softball bows out of SEC Tournament after 4-1 loss to Oklahoma

  08-05-2025 14:30
  
  ATHENS, GA - The LSU Tiger softball team lost 4-1 to Oklahoma in their second game of the SEC Tournament in Athens, Georgia after struggling to get a hit against Sooner starter Sam Landry.The Tigers will now await the NCAA Selection Show to determine their path in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.  LSU is expected to host Regional play at Tiger Park next weekend and could potentially be a top-8 national seed meaning they would also host Super Regional play the following week as they try to
  
  Read more

• Doyle softball presented a Key to the City after claiming state championship

  08-05-2025 14:08
  
  LIVINGSTON— The community celebrated the Doyle Tigers softball team on Thursday afternoon after being crowned state champions this past Sunday.Mayor JT Taylor presented the squad with a Key to the City at the Town of Livingston Town Hall and proclaimed Sunday, May 4th, 2025, as Doyle Lady Tiger Day."As a coach, this is the best team I have ever had, hands down, between baseball and softball," said Head Coach Kyle Wieck. Doyle narrowly defeated Jena, 4-3, in the Division III N
  
  Read more

• Plaquemine ferry out of service Thursday afternoon after sustaining damage

  08-05-2025 13:36
  
  PLAQUEMINE - The Plaquemine ferry will be out of service on Thursday, May 8 due to damage it sustained from a vehicle on board. The ferry, which normally runs from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., will be out of service for the remained of Thursday. Officials said the boat was damaged by a vehicle on board this morning. There was no estimation on when the ferry would be back in service. The secondary boat is out of service until further notice to service Cameron Parish. Per
  
  Read more

• Trump appoints former East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor Kurt Wall to serve as US Attorney

  08-05-2025 13:24
  
  BATON ROUGE — President Donald Trump has nominated former East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor Kurt Wall to serve as the top federal prosecutor for the Middle District of Louisiana. Wall, who currently serves as the Second Vice President of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, will succeed Ronald C. Gathe Jr. if confirmed. Gathe's position has been held by First Assistant United States Attorney April Leon since he was removed alongside other Biden appointees.The nomine
  
  Read more

• Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV

  08-05-2025 13:14
  
  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order, took the name Leo XIV. He appeared on the loggia of St. Peter’s Square wearing the traditional red cape of the papacy — a cape that Pope Francis had eschewed on his e
  
  Read more

• A new pope has been chosen as white smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel

  08-05-2025 13:14
  
  VATICAN CITY (AP) — White smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled Thursday after cardinals elected the 267th pope to lead the Catholic Church.The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers, priests made the sign of the cross and nuns wept as the crowd shouted, “Viva il papa!” after the white smoke wafted into the late afternoon sky.The smoke signal means the winner secured at leas
  
  Read more

• Police investigating reported attempted robbery at Baton Rouge bank

  08-05-2025 12:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police are investigating a reported attempted robbery at a Regions bank location in Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Police Department was investigating the attempted robbery, which happened at Regions on South Sherwood Forest. WBRZ has a crew on scene and has reached out to BRPD for more information about whether any arrests were made or if anyone was injured. Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Police commend citizens who stopped attempted Baton Rouge bank robbery

  08-05-2025 12:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - After an attempted armed robbery at a Regions Bank in Baton Rouge, police are commending two people who stepped up and were able to subdue the suspect. The Baton Rouge Police Department was investigating the attempted robbery which happened at Regions on South Sherwood Forest. Police spokesman L'Jean McKneely said as the suspect approached the counter, two "concerned citizens" stepped up and were able to get the gun away from the man and "subdue" him until law en
  
  Read more

• Man arrested in Baton Rouge Regions Bank robbery previously arrested in 2014 for robbing same bank

  08-05-2025 12:47
  
  BATON ROUGE - Officials identified a man who they arrested for attempting an armed robbery at a Regions Bank in Baton Rouge before being stopped by citizens. Officials and court documents confirm the man was previously arrested in a 2014 robbery at the same bank.Police are commending two people who stepped up and were able to subdue the suspect at the Regions Bank on South Sherwood Forest.Police spokesman L'Jean McKneely said as the suspect, Quarles Harris, 51, approached the counter, two "conc
  
  Read more

• Trump agrees to cut tariffs on UK autos, steel and aluminum in a planned trade deal with Britain

  08-05-2025 12:45
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has agreed to cut tariffs on U.K. autos, steel and aluminum in a planned trade deal with Britain, which would buy more American beef and streamline its customs process for goods from the United States.The symbolically resonant agreement still has yet to be finalized, but it suggested that Trump was still able to negotiate with other countries after his vast set of tariffs stoked fears around the world of an economic downturn and higher inflatio
  
  Read more

• State house approves bill that could cut Louisiana's flat income tax rate

  08-05-2025 12:44
  
  BATON ROUGE (Manship News Service) – The House of Representatives voted 86-13 Wednesday to approve a bill that might further cut the state’s new flat individual income tax rate and create a tax break for seniors starting in 2027.But the changes could occur only if voters were to pass a constitutional amendment allowing the state to shift hundreds of millions of dollars from reserve funds into the state general fund.Wednesday’s vote was just the first step in a leng
  
  Read more

• Hammond's airport to receive $84,000 in funds from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

  08-05-2025 12:41
  
  WASHINGTON — Hammond's airport is set to receive more than $80,000 to improve its taxiways and terminal from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2022, Sen. Bill Cassidy said Thursday.Under the Biden-era bipartisan legislation, the City of Hammond will receive $84,000 in federal funding to rehabilitate 36,000 feet of taxiways and 640 square yards of the terminal apron at Hammond Northshore Regional Airport. Cassidy said the money will be used to "maintain pavement inte
  
  Read more

• Good 2 Eat: Shrimp Succotash

  08-05-2025 09:40
  
  Welcome to Good 2 Eat, where every Thursday 2une In will be cooking with Chef Kevin Belton to show you a new and delicious recipe to try at home!Shrimp Succotash4 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided8 oz. cherry tomatoes
  2 cups corn kernels
  Kosher salt
  1 onion, finely chopped
  1/2 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
  3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
  2 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
  1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  1 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
  Pars
  
  Read more

• St. George Fire Department responds to apartment complex off Gardere Lane

  08-05-2025 08:10
  BATON ROUGE - Crews responded to a reported fire at an apartment complex of Gardere Lane Thursday morning. Video from the scene showed a large fire department response to an apartment complex on Jade Avenue around 7:45 a.m..WBRZ has reached out to the St. George Fire Department for more information on how the fire started and whether there were any injuries. Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Paqui Kelly joining 2une in on WBRZ this morning

  08-05-2025 06:24
  
  BATON ROUGE - Paqui Kelly is on 2une-in Thursday morning to discuss the third annual Golden Cleats Combine.This year's event is on June 10 at the LSU Football Operations Building. For all the details on the event, 2une-in for the live interview with Paqui Kelly at 6:45 A.M. on 2une-in.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• 2une In Previews: Golden Cleats Combine at LSU tackles health, education issues with fundraiser fun

  08-05-2025 06:24
  BATON ROUGE - Paqui Kelly joined 2une-in Thursday morning for an exclusive interview on the official news station of LSU Athletics to discuss the Golden Cleats Combine in June.This is the third year the Golden Cleats Combine has been hosted by Coach Brian Kelly and his wife Paqui at LSU.
  This year's event is June 10 at the LSU Football Operations Building. It's a night of women coming together who love LSU Football and want to support the mission to help people in the community. The event featu
  
  Read more

• Fire department confirms vacant house fire on Kansas Street

  08-05-2025 04:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - A suspected vacant home caught fire on Kansas Street early Thursday morning.Emergency personnel responded to the fire quickly, just before 4 a.m. Thursday. Smoke billowed out of the house as a heavy police presence was called out to Kansas Street.Firefighters were able to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to other properties.The vacant home is a total loss.It is still unknown what caused this fire. This is a developing story.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Early Morning House Fire on Kansas Street

  08-05-2025 04:30
  
  BATON ROUGE - A reported vacant home caught fire on Kansas Street early Thursday morning.Emergency personnel responded to the fire quickly, just before 4 a.m. Thursday. Smoke billowed out of the house as a heavy police presence was called out to Kansas Street.It is unknown what caused this fire or how much damage was done. This is a developing story.Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

Follow @BatonRougeNews_ on Twitter!