Baton Rouge news

• US unemployment claims up for 2nd straight week as virus worsens

  25-11-2020 09:01 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week for a second straight week to 778,000, evidence that the U.S. economy and job market remain under strain as coronavirus cases surge and colder weather heighten the risks.The Labor Department’s report Wednesday said that jobless claims climbed from 748,000 the week before. Before the virus struck hard in mid-March, weekly claims typically amounted to only about 225,000. They shot up to
  
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• Former Ascension Parish Deputy Assessor arrested, accused of changing tax values for his property

  23-04-2024 15:51 via wbrz.com
  
  GONZALES - The former deputy of the Ascension Parish Assessor's Office was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly changed tax values for his personal property. Jail records said 44-year-old Justin Champlin was booked for two counts of computer tampering, two counts of injuring public records and one count malfeasance in office. The Gonzales Police Department said Champlin has been working at the assessor's office since 2012 and the issue happened while he was working as the deput
  
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• Livingston Parish declares emergency for Village of Killian over water failure

  23-04-2024 15:10 via wbrz.com
  
  KILLIAN - The Livingston Parish President's Office declared a state of emergency for the Village of Killian due to a water system failure. The declaration of emergency says immediate assistance of the state is requested to minimize the effects of a disaster event. According to the document, the water system failed Monday. It is unclear what happened to prompt the declaration. In 2023, Killian received one of the state's lowest scores on the drinking water grading system.&n
  
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• Which LSU gymnasts will speak at championship celebration? Parade starts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

  23-04-2024 14:58 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — LSU's parade celebrating its women's gymnastic team's national championship, and the public is invited to join the party. Schedule:  The celebration will start at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Music Building on Dalrymple Drive.  From there, the parade will roll to the traffic circle outside the Journalism Building and then down the hill to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.   A celebration will follow inside the PMAC at a
  
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• WATCH: LSU gymnasts hawk chicken ahead of championship celebration set for Wednesday evening

  23-04-2024 14:58 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — LSU's parade celebrating its women's gymnastic team's national championship will be held Wednesday afternoon, and the public is invited to join the party. Tuesday, team members worked behind the counter at Raising Cane's just north of campus. WBRZ's Falon Brown was there and captured the team outside of its natural habitat. Here are the details for Wednesday's party:Schedule:  The celebration will start at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Music Buildi
  
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• Ponchatoula High School, Martha Vineyard Elementary School put on lockdown following shooting threat

  23-04-2024 14:58 via wbrz.com
  
  PONCHATOULA — Ponchatoula High School and Martha Vinyard Elementary School were put on lockdown Tuesday morning after Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's deputies were alerted to a potential shooter.Deputies responded to an anonymous tip that claimed someone was on their way to the high school with a gun around 11:30 a.m. The school went on immediate lockdown and deputies from across the parish responded. They have been on the campus since. Out of precaution, Martha Vinyard Elementary School
  
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• LSU releases parade map for gymnastics celebration; festivities start at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

  23-04-2024 14:58 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — LSU's parade celebrating its women's gymnastic team's national championship will start at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Music Building on Dalrymple Drive.From there, the parade will roll to the traffic circle outside the Journalism Building and then down the hill to the Assembly Center.A celebration center will follow inside the PMAC at about 7 p.m.LSU on Saturday defeated Utah, California and Florida to win its first national championship in gymnastics.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Castration for man convicted of rape won't be mandatory until one week prior to end of his 50-year sentence

  23-04-2024 14:52 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON - A man from Springfield was sentenced to 50 years in prison and physical castration after pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl multiple times. District Attorney Scott Perrilloux's Office said 54-year-od Glenn Sullivan Sr. pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree rape on Wednesday. The DA's office said in July of 2022, a young woman went to law enforcement and told them that Sullivan raped her multiple times when she was 14 and impregnated her as a tee
  
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• Amite Police searching for man connected to multiple thefts at Walmart

  23-04-2024 14:42 via wbrz.com
  
  AMITE — The Amite City Police Department is searching for a man connected to two thefts at a Walmart in Amite.On March 26, the suspect was seen on security cameras entering the store and grabbing several bottles of liquor from the shelf and concealing them on his person. He then exit the store without paying for them.The same man seemingly did the same thing on April 17. After both thefts, the suspect can be seen leaving in a light blue sedan with a temporary license plate.An
  
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• Former City Councilman, State Representative Carl Crane dead at 84

  23-04-2024 14:41 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Former city council member and state representative Carl Crane passed away at age 84, according to an obituary released by the Advocate. Crane was a Ponchatoula native and a Baton Rouge resident. He served on the city council from 1977 to 1982 when he was elected to serve as a state representative. While on the legislature, Crane worked his way up to be the Chairman of the House Education Committee, a position he held from 2000 to 2007, and co-authored the TOPS C
  
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• Baton Rouge woman shedding light on Infertility through her own struggles

  23-04-2024 14:13 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - According to the Center of Disease Control, 1 in every 5 women under 49 are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. A Baton Rouge woman, Adrienne Allen, is opening up about her journey to raise awareness about infertility during National Infertility month."I was walking through a season of infertility a few years ago and I was feeling so many different emotions," Allen said. "Anger, disappointment, discouragement, envy."To cope with these emotions, Allen started journalin
  
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• Pretrial hearing date set for NBA YoungBoy after prescription fraud ring arrest

  23-04-2024 13:56 via wbrz.com
  
  LOGAN, Utah - Baton Rouge rapper NBA YoungBoy had his pretrial court date agreed upon Tuesday. Following his arrest in alleged connection to a prescription drug fraud ring, with which he was identified as a possible suspect due to his Louisiana accent, the musician —whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden — will attend a pretrial hearing on April 29. This decision comes after an order was signed to have him return to Louisiana due to the Utah arrest. P
  
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• NBA YoungBoy faces hearing next week after prescription fraud ring arrest in Utah

  23-04-2024 13:56 via wbrz.com
  
  LOGAN, Utah — Baton Rouge rapper NBA YoungBoy will appear in court Monday amid attempts by Louisiana officials to rescind his release ahead of a trial on gun and weapons charges.Kentrell Gaulden, 24, was arrested April 23 on 63 counts alleging he ran a prescription drug fraud ring in Utah, where he is being held on home detention. His lawyers had argued to a Louisiana federal judge that placing him in Utah would "keep YoungBoy out of trouble."If a Utah judge releases Gaulden on the ne
  
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• Summons details stalking allegation against 1 of 2 West Baton Rouge sheriff employees put on leave

  23-04-2024 13:54 via wbrz.com
  
  PORT ALLEN — Investigators say one of two West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office employees placed on administrative leave stalked his ex-wife's home and business in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes for more than a year.Deputy Donald Dawsey, 51, was named in a misdemeanor summons issued April 17. It says Dawsey had screenshots of surveillance footage of his ex-wife's East Baton Rouge business on his cell phone.The images, dating to March 5, was from a camera placed in the woo
  
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• Cory Dennis named Executive Director of Republican Party of Louisiana

  23-04-2024 13:47 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Cory Dennis, a former employee of the state's Attorney General Office and campaign manager for Governor Jeff Landry, has been named the new Executive Director for the LAGOP.Dennis is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was the campaign manager for Landry's successful gubernatorial bid. Chairman of the LAGOP Derek Babcock said "we are assembling a dynamic team of leaders to bring more historic victories to the Republican Party in the years ahead. Cory Den
  
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• Six students injured in Addis school bus crash

  23-04-2024 12:04 via wbrz.com
  
  ADDIS — Six students were injured after a school bus crash in Addis Tuesday morning.The Addis Police Department said the single vehicle crash happened after the bus driver turned into the parking lot of The First Bank of Addis and hit the roof of the building. This caused the passenger wall and roof of the bus to sustain severe damage while 14 students from Iberville Charter Academy were on board. Six students were brought to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.Perm
  
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• 6 students injured in Addis school bus crash

  23-04-2024 12:04 via wbrz.com
  
  ADDIS — Six students were injured after a school bus crash in Addis Tuesday morning.The Addis Police Department said the single vehicle crash happened after the bus driver turned into the parking lot of The First Bank of Addis and hit the roof of the building. This caused the passenger wall and roof of the bus to sustain severe damage while 14 students from Iberville Charter Academy were on board. Six students were brought to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.Perm
  
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• Report: LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark, staff to stay at university after Georgia pursues

  23-04-2024 09:53 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — LSU gymnastics head coach Jay Clark and the rest of the coaching staff will remain at the university following the team's first national championship, The Advocate reports.Clark and his assistants were reportedly being eyed by the University of Georgia to return to his former school, but LSU has reportedly drawn up new contracts for Clark, as well as assistant coaches Garrett Griffeth, Courtney McCool Griffeth and Ashleigh Gnat. According to a report from the At
  
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• Apartment resident said they forgot they were cooking, started fire Tuesday morning

  23-04-2024 09:30 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters were called to a scene on Cloverfield Avenue in response to a house fire Tuesday morning. The Baton Rouge Fire Department arrived to the apartment building on Cloverfield at Gladiola Street shortly after 7 a.m.. The building sustained heavy smoke and water damage and two residents were displaced. There were no injuries. The fire was ruled accidental after one of the residents told investigators they forgot they were cooking. Permali
  
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• Apartment fire ruled accidental after occupant says 'they forgot they were cooking'

  23-04-2024 09:30 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Firefighters ruled an apartment fire on Gladiola Street accidental after a resident told investigators "they forgot they were cooking."Heavy smoke billowed from the complex in the 3600 block of Gladiola Street, off Stanford Avenue near Perkins Road. Firefighters were able to get a person out of the apartment unharmed.Fire damage was limited to one apartment, but other apartments nearby had smoke and water damage. "Fire investigators arrived on the scene and inte
  
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• LSU Gymnastics team to take over Highland Road Cane's on Tuesday

  22-04-2024 21:05 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Members of the LSU Gymnastics team will be serving up chicken fingers and slinging box combos at the Cane's on Highland Road on Tuesday. LSU Tigers Haleigh Bryant, Kiya Johnson, Savannah Schoenherr, Konnor McClain, Aleah Finnegan and Livvy Dunne will be at the Cane's starting at 10 a.m. Permalink| Comments
  
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• National Championship coach Jay Clark stops by to talk title times

  22-04-2024 19:44 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark stopped by the WBRZ studios just days after his Tiger team won the school’s first ever national championship in the sport.Clark and the Tigers took home the title in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday beating Cal, Utah and Florida for the programs first national title.LSU was led by Haleigh Bryant on vault and Konnor McClain on beam as the Tigers navigated a couple of mistakes overcoming them with a huge finish on beam where they posted a near f
  
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• Group of 25 LSU journalism students set to cover the Olympics this summer

  22-04-2024 18:43 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — The Olympics is something many will only experience through their television screens. A group of 25 LSU journalism, public relations and political science students, however, will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cover the event as they join thousands of people descending on Paris, France, this summer.Students participating in the study abroad program, selected from hundreds of applicants, will earn three college credits in sports reporting and will each develop
  
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• Springfield man sentenced to physical castration, 50 years in prison for rape of juvenile

  22-04-2024 18:18 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON - A man from Springfield was sentenced to 50 years in prison and physical castration after pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl multiple times. District Attorney Scott Perrilloux's Office said 54-year-od Glenn Sullivan Sr. pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree rape on Wednesday. The DA's office said in July of 2022, a young woman went to law enforcement and told them that Sullivan raped her multiple times when she was 14 and impregnated her as a tee
  
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• Springfield man sentenced to physical castration, 50 years in prison for impregnating juvenile

  22-04-2024 18:18 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON - A man from Springfield was sentenced to 50 years in prison and physical castration after pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl multiple times. District Attorney Scott Perrilloux's Office said 54-year-od Glenn Sullivan Sr. pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree rape on Wednesday. The DA's office said in July of 2022, a young woman went to law enforcement and told them that Sullivan raped her multiple times when she was 14 and impregnated her as a tee
  
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• Springfield man sentenced to 50 years in prison, physical castration for rape of juvenile

  22-04-2024 18:18 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON - A man from Springfield was sentenced to 50 years in prison and physical castration after pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl multiple times. District Attorney Scott Perrilloux's Office said 54-year-od Glenn Sullivan Sr. pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree rape on Wednesday. The DA's office said in July of 2022, a young woman went to law enforcement and told them that Sullivan raped her multiple times when she was 14 and impregnated her as a tee
  
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• For one 19th JDC judge, controversy over rulings is nothing new

  22-04-2024 17:49 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - When it comes to trial judges, their decisions are usually held in the highest regard. For 19th JDC Judge Eboni Johnson Rose, some of those decisions have seen a lot of pushback.Watch live newscasts here. This month during a bench trial, Rose convicted a former Baton Rouge Police officer of a crime that doesn't exist, then three weeks later declared him innocent.Donald Steele was accused of groping a motorist after a traffic stop. She declared him guilty of misdemeanor ma
  
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• Two killed, one hurt in separate shootings nearly an hour apart

  22-04-2024 17:05 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gunfire riddled three Baton Rouge streets throughout Sunday night into early Monday morning.Around 11 p.m., 25-year-old Keith Price was shot and killed outside of a Circle K gas station on Floynell Drive in the Inniswold neighborhood. Neighbors told WBRZ they heard at least eight shots. The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office is working the case.Nearly an hour later, 51-year-old Michael Thomas was shot and killed at a different gas station along Scotland Avenue. The Baton Rou
  
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• Covington man pleads guilty to felony charges in connection to Jan. 6 Capitol riots

  22-04-2024 16:52 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON - A Louisiana man pleaded guilty Monday to felony charges for his involvement in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.Colby Purkel, 27, pleaded guilty to civil disorder. He and his father, Willard Purkel Jr., 51, were originally charged together on one count of civil disorder and several misdemeanors.Court documents indicate that on Jan. 6 around 3 p.m. Colby Purkel joined a crowd of rioters on the east side of the U.S. Capitol, where the group entered by force as law enforcement
  
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• 2MAD: Unlikely friendship sparks when boy mistakes multimillionaire for homeless man

  22-04-2024 16:46 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A good deed on Good Friday led to an unlikely friendship for Kelvin Ellis and Matthew Busbice. During an early morning in March, Matthew woke up to the sound of a fire alarm and rushed out of his apartment. While he was out of his building, Matt stopped for a coffee and a morning prayer outside of a nearby CC's. Kelvin saw Matt, standing with his eyes closed in the corner of the outside seating area, and thought he was homeless. Kelvin said he's always wanted to
  
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