Baton Rouge news

• Inmate escaped from work crew in Hammond, was reportedly picked up at Waffle House before being recaptured

  03-03-2023 11:02 via wbrz.com
  
  HAMMOND - Officials said an inmate escaped from a work crew Friday morning and was reportedly picked up at a Waffle House near Southeastern University campus before being recaptured by deputies.University officials initially said the inmate, 48-year-old Gary Frith, was working with a clean-up crew on campus before walking off the job site, prompting an increased police presence. Officials said soon after that Frith was no longer believed to be on campus.The Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office said Frit
  
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• Tangipahoa Parish residents concerned after inmate escapes; 2 still on the run

  28-05-2024 17:26 via wbrz.com
  
  TANGIPAHOA PARISH - In the last four days, four inmates have escaped Tangipahoa Parish Jail. So far, only two inmates have been caught and the other two remain at large.The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said Avery Guidry and Trayvon Johnson escaped from the jail Saturday and were captured Monday. Both men were arrested in 2022 with Omarion Hoofkin in a home invasion killing.The trio is accused of forcing their way into the Hammond home of Donte Perry, who was shot and killed during the inv
  
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• St. George's interim mayor working for free for now; doesn't regret years-long effort

  28-05-2024 17:25 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — The interim mayor of the new city of St. George said Tuesday he's not sure how long he'll serve in the role. Gov. Jeff Landry appointed Dustin Yates as temporary mayor this month, tapping him to serve until the state's newest city can hold elections. When Central went through this nearly 20 years ago, interim mayor Shelton "Mac" Watts served for nearly a year as interim before being elected to the job April 1, 2006."We've asked how long this transition is going
  
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• Denham Springs firefighter hurt in wreck Tuesday

  28-05-2024 17:00 via wbrz.com
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - A Denham Springs firefighter was taken to a hospital from a crash on Tuesday afternoon. The Denham Springs Police Department said the wreck, which involved a fire truck and a tractor trailer, happened at the intersection of Hatchell Lane and Jason Drive at 2 p.m.The firefighter suffered non-life-threatening injuries. As of 5 p.m., Hatchell Lane was still closed. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Gov. Landry declares Tuesday as 'Not on Herb Day' to celebrate Pelican player's achievements

  28-05-2024 16:30 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - After signing multiple bills into law Tuesday, Governor Jeff Landry proclaimed that May 28, 2024, will be known as "Not on Herb Day" to celebrate the sporting achievements of Pelicans guard Herb Jones. Jones was born in Alabama and played for the Crimson Tide during college before being drafted by the Pelicans in the early second round in 2021. During his first NBA season, Jones ranked third for steals, fourth for blocks and was in the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.&nbsp
  
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• East Baton Rouge child porn suspect to move to New Iberia pending trial, judge says

  28-05-2024 16:24 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — A former East Baton Rouge Parish contractor pleaded not guilty to distribution of child pornography Tuesday and a federal magistrate said he could go live with his father in New Iberia pending a trial.Blake Steiner can have no contact with children, including his own, and will be not be able to travel or go onto the internet, Magistrate Judge Erin Wilder-Doomes said. Steiner can be released to his father's custody Wednesday, the judge said.A trial was set for Aug. 5.Acco
  
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• Jefferson Highway work resumes after 'bad soil' paused progress on road improvements

  28-05-2024 16:23 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — A project to repave Jefferson Highway is back on track after "unsuitable soils" were discovered last month.Officials say the soil was removed and replaced with layers of stone, filter cloth and geogrid, a synthetic material, before asphalt base and binder were poured on top.According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, road striping is scheduled for June 3-4. Following the striping, all lanes will be reopened temporarily.The next step involves
  
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• Realtors hope changes bring more transparency to Baton Rouge home market

  28-05-2024 15:43 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - If you are in the home buying or selling market right now, get ready for some changes. Those changes are being implemented soon and are intended to make things more transparent when it comes to real estate.Following a settlement by the National Association of Realtors in a lawsuit brought by home sellers, buyers, sellers, and agents will be navigating some changes to the home sale process."I think it's just going to make the whole process more transparent," said Kristina Cusick, p
  
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• Emergency director concerned about Louisiana residents reluctant to evacuate for storms

  28-05-2024 15:34 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — After last week's prediction that the North Atlantic Ocean would seen an above-average hurricane season, attention turned Tuesday to whether Louisiana is prepared for upcoming storms.The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said it's been working for months to get local governments on the same page when it comes to hurricane prep, including evacuation protocols."What concerns me about Louisiana is our inability and our desire not to evacuate,
  
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• BRPD officers arrest two in string of burglaries along River Road

  28-05-2024 15:06 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge Police say they have arrested two teenagers and accused them of burglarizing multiple vehicles along River Road.Officers using a drone surveyed the area and were able to arrest the pair. Those arrested were Daquan Turner, 19, and a 15-year-old whose name was not released because of his age.Turner was booked on 14 counts of simple burglary, and resisting an officer.The younger suspect was booked on 14 counts of simple burglary, and also with resisting an offic
  
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• Fight at community event between two Pierre Part residents results in public disturbance, battery arrests

  28-05-2024 14:34 via wbrz.com
  
  PIERRE PART — Two Pierre Part residents were arrested for disturbing a community event and attacking deputies and then each other over the weekend, Assumption Parish deputies said.Hobie Paul Hebert and Farrah Domingue, both 26, were booked on two counts each of disturbing the peace after they were began fighting one another at a Saturday night community event.As deputies working security for the event approached the confrontation, Hebert attempted to walk away after being told to stay
  
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• St. George fire crews battling blaze on Amy Drive in Gardere area

  28-05-2024 13:57 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Members of the St. George Fire Department were battling a blaze at a building in the Gardere section of East Baton Rouge Parish on Tuesday morning.Firefighters were summoned to the 8300 block of Amy Drive. The scene is near where smoke from a shed fire two weeks ago chased 22 people from their apartments. It's also near the site of a triple-shooting at the start of the Memorial Day weekend.A WBRZ reporter is on the scene. Check back for more details.Permalink| Comments
  
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• St. George fire crews battle blaze on Amy Drive in Gardere area; clothes dryer to blame

  28-05-2024 13:57 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Six people were chased from their homes Tuesday by a fire that started in a clothes dryer at an apartment in the Gardere area of Baton Rouge.The St. George Fire Department said it was summoned to the 8300 block of Amy Drive. The fire was contained to one apartment but a downstairs unit sustained water damage. The blaze was ruled accidental.The fire was near where smoke from a shed fire two weeks ago chased 22 people from their apartments. It's also near the site of a tri
  
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• Ponchatoula police officer found dead in cruiser parked outside grocery store

  28-05-2024 13:05 via wbrz.com
  
  PONCHATOULA — A Ponchatoula police officer was found dead inside her police car in the parking lot of a Ponchatoula grocery store Tuesday morning.Officials said Cpl. Pricilla Dean Pierson was parked in the Rouses parking lot on La. 22 overnight. Bystanders believed she was sleeping until an employee checked on her and found her unresponsive. The Tangipahoa Parish Coroner was contacted soon after. The cause of the officer's death was not immediately clear and was pend
  
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• Sen. Cleo Fields says House bill laying out plan for constitutional convention idea is dead

  28-05-2024 13:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — The chairman of a Senate committee key to Louisiana holding a constitutional convention this summer said Tuesday that a House-passed proposal setting out a plan will not win passage in the current legislative session.Sen. Cleo Fields, a Democrat from Baton Rouge who heads the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, described HB800 as essentially dead. "HB800 will not be heard in this session of the Legislature," Fields said in an interview with WBRZ after his
  
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• Two adults, one juvenile arrested for breaking into multiple cars in Iberville Parish

  28-05-2024 12:23 via wbrz.com
  
  IBERVILLE PARISH - Two adults and a juvenile were arrested Tuesday in connection with multiple vehicle burglaries in Iberville Parish. The Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office and Plaquemine Police Department worked together to make the arrests. They said the group worked together to burglarize more than 20 vehicles. Law enforcement is still searching for two additional suspects. No makes have been released pending additional arrests. Permalink| Comments
  
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• One person hurt in shooting along Alco Avenue

  28-05-2024 12:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - One person was hurt in a shooting along Alco Avenue on Tuesday evening. Emergency officials said the shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. along Alco Avenue near Kolin Drive. The victim suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Zachary woman shot multiple times while confronting suspected car burglar

  28-05-2024 09:07 via wbrz.com
  
  ZACHARY - A woman was reportedly shot multiple times after she confronted a suspected burglar. The Zachary Police Chief Darryl Lawrence said a woman confronted a man looking in cars. Following the confrontation, she was shot multiple times. The woman's injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening. No arrests were made, Lawrence said, but officers are investigating a possible suspect. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Governor Landry to host bill signing ceremony Tuesday morning

  28-05-2024 08:56 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - At the end of the legislative session, Governor Jeff Landry is signing several bills at a ceremony Tuesday morning. The ceremony will be held at the capital and will be streamed on WBRZ's YouTube page here. The bills being signed this morning include ones relative to education, safety, health, the economy, and the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board. The ceremony also comes days before the deadline to decide whether the session will be extended to hold a
  
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• Governor Landry signs several bills in Tuesday ceremony; says he vetoed food desert bill due to lack of funding

  28-05-2024 08:56 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — At a ceremony celebrating the bills he did sign, Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday said he vetoed a bill addressing the available of fresh produce because there was no guarantee there would be funding for it.The governor signed several bills Tuesday related to education, safety, health, the economy, and the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board. The legislation included a bill reclassifying abortion pills as controlled substances, a bill banning the production and sale of nitrous
  
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• Man sentenced to federal prison for impersonating and stealing money from victims through wire fraud

  28-05-2024 08:40 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man was sentenced to almost six years in federal prison after being sentenced for wire fraud and the impersonation of his victims. As part of his guilty plea, Terrance August, 48, admitted to conspiring top commit wire fraud with some co-conspirators. August used the personal information of bank customers to call financial institutions and request changes be made to their accounts. On top of the changes, August and his accomplices also withdrew thousands of dol
  
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• Brittany Rose from 100.7 The Tiger announces the winner of the CMA Flyaway Contest!

  28-05-2024 06:55 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - After hints and clues and several chances to enter and win a trip to the CMA Fest in Nashville, the time has finally come to announce the winner of the CMA Flyaway Contest!Brittany Rose from 100.7 The Tiger announced the winner on 2une In Tuesday morning!Permalink| Comments
  
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• Houma man finds 12-foot python in backyard

  27-05-2024 21:24 via wbrz.com
  
  HOUMA - A Houma resident got a surprise over the weekend after a python slithered up from the bayou behind his home and into his backyard. WWL spoke with Bradley Lirette, who found the snake coiled up in one of his flower pots. He said that the serpent ate two of his pet geese. "When I went to call the police department, I went back to count my geese, there were two three-month-old geese that were missing. I’m assuming that it ate the geese," Lirette told the news st
  
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• Pedestrian hit, killed while walking along Erwinville highway

  27-05-2024 19:19 via wbrz.com
  
  ERWINVILLE - A person from Gretna was hit by a truck and killed early Monday morning while walking on an Erwinville highway. State Police said 55-year-old Adrian Hammond was walking on Flynn Road near Section Road around 3 a.m. when they were hit by a truck. Troopers said Hammond died at the scene. The driver was not wearing their seatbelt, but was not hurt. Toxicology samples were taken from the driver and Hammond. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Crews cleaning Denham Springs High School after weekend fire

  27-05-2024 18:38 via wbrz.com
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - Crews worked at Denham Springs High School on Monday after a fire in the building over the weekend. Crews said a fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. Sunday and damaged the English Hall. School officials said there was no structural damage and the cause has not been determined. The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating what started the fire. No more information was immediately available. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Ex-EBR contractor due in federal court Tuesday in child exploitation case

  27-05-2024 18:03 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — A former city-parish contractor is scheduled for a hearing in federal court Tuesday on allegations he sent an obscene video involving a child to an undercover investigator and discussed an interest in bestiality and incest.Blake Steiner is due at the U.S. District Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon for a detention hearing and arraignment. Steiner was arrested last week after a raid on his home in East Baton Rouge Parish. An affidavit said Steiner sought admission t
  
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• Boat rental company giving back with discounts for military members, families on Memorial Day weekend

  27-05-2024 17:15 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ROADS - In New Roads, residents on False River Drive have been sailing through the Memorial Day weekend.Since Friday, Geaux Outdoors has been booked and busy with boat rentals. Owner Joey Dupont rented out six of their boats for the whole weekend at half price, and for good reason. "The impact that we're doing is by giving veterans half off and the families who have lost loved ones half off," Dupont said. "You don't just have to be in the military. If you lost a loved one, or if yo
  
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• TEAM 2 TRAFFIC: Crash at I-10 at Perkins Road blocks one lane

  27-05-2024 15:19 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Cars piled up along I-10 near Perkins Road on Monday afternoon following a wreck that shut down one lane. According to DOTD, the right lane was blocked around 3 p.m. for a disabled semi truck. No injuries have been reported. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Landry vetoes bill requiring state agriculture officials to join fight against food deserts

  27-05-2024 15:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry has vetoed a bill that would have directed state agriculture officials to set up programs targeting areas of the state where it's difficult to obtain fresh produce.The House and Senate overwhelmingly approved Senate Bill 287, which would have established grant or loan programs among qualified non-profit groups or local banks. The public-private partnerships would have been subject to competitive bidding.Under the proposal, the Louisiana Department of Agr
  
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• One injured in Monday afternoon shooting on North 15th Street

  27-05-2024 14:58 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — One person was brought to the hospital after a Monday afternoon shooting at a home on North 15th Street, the Baton Rouge Police Department said.The shooting, which happened in the 1800 block of North 15th Street near Chestnut Street, resulted in one person sustaining minor injuries. Police are investigating the shooting.Permalink| Comments
  
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