Louisiana news

• Gov. Edwards: state seeing 'early signs' of case plateau; urges continued compliance

  28-07-2020 21:21 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - At his Tuesday COVID-19 press conference, Gov. John Bel Edwards hinted at positive signs in the state's effort to slow the spread."We are seeing early signs, at least, of a plateauing of our cases, which is obviously a good thing," Edwards said.Edwards offered a cautiously optimistic tone while delivering the state's latest coronavirus data. The biggest piece of that data driving the governor's message was the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, which has been steadily
  
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• LWC says new possible federal unemployment program would be 'nightmare situation'

  28-07-2020 21:07 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Congress has just three days to act before federal coronavirus unemployment benefits expire.Republicans and Democrats both want another $1,200 stimulus check for most Americans, but have two different plans for the millions of Americans still out of work.Democrats want to extend the additional $600 weekly unemployment check until the end of the year. Republicans are calling to cut that aid to $200 a week for the next two months. After that, a person would receive 70 percent of the
  
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• EBR Sheriff's Office asks for help identifying suspect in attempted break-in

  28-07-2020 20:30 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE- The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect that was caught on surveillance camera attempting to break into a home early Monday morning.Authorities say the person pictured attempted to break into a house in the 10600 block of Cypress Vine Avenue on July 27 around 2:30 a.m.Anyone with information about incident or suspect is urged to contact the Armed Robbery & Burglary Division at (225)389-5064.This is a develo
  
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• $9M roadwork project near Tiger Stadium nearing finish line

  28-07-2020 19:15 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE- After two long years of construction and gridlocked traffic, the nine million dollar road project On Nicholson Drive at the intersection of Brightside and Lee is nearing the finish line.It's a long-awaited promise to ease traffic and reduce commute times.But, the construction's been a pain for drivers. Kaleb Duncan lives nearby and chooses to walk instead."It's always backed up. If I'm coming to go over to Rouses Market, it takes about 10 or 15 minutes longer than it should," Duncan
  
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• ICU doctor discusses second wave of COVID-19 cases, staff shortage

  28-07-2020 19:04 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE- Dr. Stephen Brierre of Baton Rouge General says in the ICU, the second wave of COVID-19 is not much different from the first."The surge is very similar. The patients are similar," Brierre said.
  But there is one critical difference."It is more difficult the second time around because of the nursing shortages that we're having."Dr. Brierre says there's a misconception that empty hospital beds are the same thing as beds available for new COVID patients.
  "There are physical beds that a
  
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• Woman arrested after ex-boyfriend ends up hospitalized with bloody nose, gunshot wound

  28-07-2020 17:24 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A woman allegedly shot her former boyfriend of 10 years after the pair traded blows in his car Monday night.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office says Lesley Cole was arrested Tuesday on charges tied to the confrontation outside her apartment on Stoneview Avenue.According to arrest records, the incident started with Cole striking her ex-boyfriend in the face multiple times while sitting in his car. Cole said her ex hit her too during that encounter, and he left in his car after th
  
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• $250 one-time payments to Louisiana workers begin this week

  28-07-2020 16:34 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE, La. — Payments start going out this week to Louisiana’s front-line workers who remained at grocery store checkouts, in health care facilities and on bus routes in the first months of the coronavirus outbreak, the revenue department said Tuesday.Louisiana is offering $250 one-time payments, financed with federal relief aid, to as many as 200,000 people who meet eligibility requirements set by state lawmakers. Approved applicants will receive payment thro
  
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• Feds approve supplemental August SNAP benefits for Louisiana residents

  28-07-2020 16:21 via wbrz.com
  
  The federal government has approved a request from the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services to expand August SNAP benefits for households not already receiving their maximum allotment. DCFS announced Tuesday that eligible recipients will receive additional benefits to bring them to the maximum amount for their household size in August. They will be loaded onto SNAP recipients EBT cards on Aug. 21.Households already at the max will not receive additional benefits.&nb
  
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• Air travel not expected to recover until 2024

  28-07-2020 14:45 via wbrz.com
  
  FRANKFURT, Germany — Global air travel is recovering more slowly than expected and it will take until 2024 to return to pre-pandemic levels, the trade association for the airline industry said Tuesday.The International Air Transport Association pushed back its prediction by one year due to the slow containment of the outbreak in the U.S. and in developing countries.The industry is seeing a rebound from the depths of the shutdowns in April, but the bad news is that any increase &ld
  
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• Joe Burrow agrees to rookie contract worth $36.1M

  28-07-2020 14:38 via wbrz.com
  
  CINCINNATI- Former LSU star quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner, and national champion Joe Burrow is finalizing his first NFL deal.The recent No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft agreed to a four-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals worth $36.1 million on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.That contract includes a $23.9 million signing bonus, which Burrow is expected to receive within 15 days of an executed contract.The contract is pending a physical that will take place later this
  
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• LSU Police: Woman arrested for alleged sexual assault of disabled man

  28-07-2020 14:28 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana State University Police arrested a 22-year-old woman for allegedly raping a man who suffers from traumatic brain injury.According to an official police document, Alyssa Jade Hooks drove the victim to an area near New Orleans and then to LSU's campus in Baton Rouge on March 25, 2019 and assaulted him twice during the drive.In the document, police say, 'It should be noted the victim... has a medically documented Traumatic Brain Injury that makes it difficult for him to act
  
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• East Baton Rouge surpasses Orleans Parish in total coronavirus cases

  28-07-2020 14:27 via wbrz.com
  
  East Baton Rouge has overtaken Orleans Parish as the area with the second-most coronavirus infections in Louisiana.State data released Tuesday shows EBR has now reported 10,155 total cases since March. Orleans, one of Louisiana's first COVID-19 hot spots, is reporting 10,071 as of Tuesday.Both are still behind Jefferson Parish, which currently has more than 13,000 cases on record.Despite East Baton Rouge eclipsing Orleans Parish Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Health says the parish's rate
  
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• LIVE TRAFFIC UPDATES: Tuesday afternoon commute

  28-07-2020 14:12 via wbrz.com
  
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• Dystopian series 'Watchmen' leads all Emmy nominees with 26

  28-07-2020 13:57 via wbrz.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Watchmen,” cloaked in superhero mythology and grounded in real-world racism, received a leading 26 nominations Tuesday for the prime-time Emmy Awards.The series, which captured America’s unease as it faces racial clashes amid a pandemic, was nominated as best limited series and received bids for cast members including Regina King and Jeremy Irons.King was part of a vanguard of actors of color who showed that TV academy voters took heed
  
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• Veteran BRPD officer appointed to cancer foundation's board

  28-07-2020 13:47 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A longtime Baton Rouge police officer known for raising awareness for pancreatic cancer was appointed to the Let's Win! Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Board of Directors.The Organization announced Tuesday that Sergeant Elvin Howard Jr. was one of two new appointments to join the board Tuesday. Howard, who lost his father to the disease, was recognized for his "advocacy and education about better treatment options for this disease."Sgt. Howard is the President of Elvin Howard, Sr. Pa
  
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• St. Tammany Parish delays start of school to September

  28-07-2020 13:11 via wbrz.com
  
  St. Tammany Parish school officials announced Tuesday that classes would not be starting until after Labor Day, in-person or otherwise.According to a statement from the school system, the 2020 school year will begin Sep. 8 with staggered return. One fourth of students will attend classes on campus each day based on the first letter of their last names.The statement says the regular school schedule will begin Sep. 14 with "whether it is distance learning, hybrid, or in-person at that time." The
  
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• AP source: 4 more Marlins test positive for coronavirus

  28-07-2020 13:05 via wbrz.com
  
  MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak could endanger the Major League Baseball season, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, as the number of their players testing positive rose to 15.The Marlins received positive test results for four additional players Tuesday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person declined to be identified because the results had not been publicly released.Nine players on the 30-man roster, two taxi squad players and
  
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• Cosmetology students, hairstylists describe a race divide

  28-07-2020 12:28 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — After repeatedly being denied service by high-end salons because her hair was perceived as “too difficult” to style, Kanessa Alexander took an unusual step. She opened a shop of her own in a predominantly white Boston neighborhood with four Black stylists serving all hair textures.“I wanted to be someplace where we existed but were not represented,” the African American cosmetologist said of her decision five years ago to set up
  
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• Seafood restaurant employees spot and save rare blue lobster

  28-07-2020 12:07 via wbrz.com
  
  Sometimes being different is good, even life-saving. One incredibly unique lobster was spared from certain death due to his odd appearance. According to ABC News, the little blue lobster found himself in an Ohio Red Lobster restaurant, on his way into a cooking vessel when two employees noticed that the rare crustacean's brightly colored blue shell stood out as different among the other red lobsters surrounding him. In awe of his unique coloring, they decided to contact conser
  
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• Twitter places restrictions on Donald Trump Jr.'s account

  28-07-2020 09:38 via wbrz.com
  
  Twitter has limited some functionality on Donald Trump Jr.'s account after he tweeted a video that violated the company's policies on COVID-19 misinformation.According to CNN, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed the company's decision, Tuesday.The spokesperson explained that some of the account's functionality will be limited for 12 hours.Twitter has asked the President's son to delete the tweet with the video.Permalink| Comments
  
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• NFL players show up for Day One of training camp, Tuesday

  28-07-2020 09:11 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Tuesday, July 28 kicks off the first day of training camps for NFL teams, and the League is taking extra precautions to make sure players stay safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Usually, players have pad time before they find out whose been purged from the rooster. But due to this season's many changes, those purges are expected to take place sooner this year.As Saints players begin training Tuesday, they'll first simply show up to take a COVID-19 test and then return home.
  
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• Pedestrian killed on state highway in Iberia Parish

  28-07-2020 08:32 via wbrz.com
  
  IBERIA PARISH - Louisiana State Police issued a statement, Tuesday, reporting the death of a pedestrian who was killed in an Iberia Parish crash.The crash occurred early Tuesday morning, around 4 a.m., on LA Hwy 88 south of US Hwy 90.Police said, in a statement,"The crash claimed the life of 33-year-old Bradley Paul Comeaux of New Iberia."State Police went on to explain that Comeaux has been walking east in the eastbound lane of LA 88 when he was struck by an eastbound 2011 Chevrolet Silverado
  
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• 'Ellen' show under investigation for allegations of racism, hostility in workplace

  28-07-2020 08:24 via wbrz.com
  
  Though Ellen DeGeneres, a Metairie-born comedian, has become a beloved national figure, her show has recently come under fire for allegedly having a hostile workplace environment. WarnerMedia is launching an internal investigation into “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” following numerous accounts of workplace problems.According to Variety, executives from show producer Telepictures and distributor Warner Bros. Television sent a memo to staffers last week saying they have e
  
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• Women reflect on sexist slur that often goes unpunished

  28-07-2020 08:01 via wbrz.com
  
  Ask a woman if she’s been called the B-word by a man — perhaps modified by the F-adjective — and chances are she’ll say, “You mean ever, or how many times?”Because most women will tell you it’s a pretty universal experience, especially if they’ve held a position of power in the workplace. “I’d say, maybe 25 times?” estimates Ellen Gerstein, who spent years in technology publishing, a fa
  
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• I-10 West reopened after flipped tanker causes hours-long closure

  28-07-2020 07:02 via wbrz.com
  
  UPDATE: State police say the roadway has reopened as of 4 p.m.*****Louisiana State Police will temporarily close I-10 West between the Lobdell and Grosse Tete exits at 9 a.m. Tuesday due to an early morning crash involving an overturned 18-wheeler.The crash occurred before 6 a.m. and sources say three people were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.Around 9 a.m. police say a tow truck will assist in the safe removal of the overturned tanker. Once the process is completed the interstat
  
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• I-10 WB between Lobdell, Grosse Tete to close for removal of overturned 18-wheeler

  28-07-2020 07:02 via wbrz.com
  
  Louisiana State Police are investigating a crash involving an overturned 18-wheeler on I-10 west between the Lobdell and Grosse Tete exits.The crash occurred early Tuesday morning before 6 a.m. and sources say at least one person was injured, but is expected to recover.As of 7 a.m. a tow truck is on its way to the scene of the crash and once it arrives that part of I-10 will temporarily shut down to allow for the safe removal of the overturned tanker.Officials say the 18-wheeler had been carryi
  
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• I-10 WB between Lobdell, Grosse Tete to close at 9 a.m. for removal of overturned tanker

  28-07-2020 07:02 via wbrz.com
  
  Louisiana State Police will temporarily close I-10 West between the Lobdell and Grosse Tete exits at 9 a.m. Tuesday due to an early morning crash involving an overturned 18-wheeler.The crash occurred before 6 a.m. and sources say three people were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.Around 9 a.m. police say a tow truck will assist in the safe removal of the overturned tanker. Once the process is completed the interstate will reopen.Officials say the 18-wheeler had been carrying gasoli
  
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• Flipped tanker closes I-10 W near Iberville-WBR parish lines

  28-07-2020 07:02 via wbrz.com
  
  Louisiana State Police will temporarily close I-10 West between the Lobdell and Grosse Tete exits at 9 a.m. Tuesday due to an early morning crash involving an overturned 18-wheeler.The crash occurred before 6 a.m. and sources say three people were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.Around 9 a.m. police say a tow truck will assist in the safe removal of the overturned tanker. Once the process is completed the interstate will reopen.Officials say the 18-wheeler had been carrying gasoli
  
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• Generous customers at NOLA restaurant regularly purchase meals for strangers amid pandemic

  28-07-2020 06:49 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS — Since the pandemic began, a slew of generous customers at a New Orleans restaurant have made a habit of purchasing a meal for themselves and an extra meal for a stranger in need. According to WWL-TV, Shawarma On-The-Go's customers were inspired by the actions of the restaurant's owner, Abbas Alsherees. When customers saw him offering free meals to the needy, they decided to follow his example and pay for extra meals that Alsherees could give away.The Ma
  
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• Former NFL player convicted of rape

  28-07-2020 06:15 via wbrz.com
  
  A former NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers was convicted of rape and other charges in a California courtroom Monday.According to CNN, 49-year-old Dana Stubblefield was found guilty of luring a developmentally disabled woman to his Morgan Hill home in April of 2015. He's said to have contacted her through a babysitting website and promised her a babysitting job. He faces 15 years to life in prison.The former defensive tackle, who was with the 49ers for seven years, was found guilty by a jur
  
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• Former Vernon Parish state lawmaker and sheriff dies

  28-07-2020 05:59 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Frank “Frankie” Howard, a former Louisiana state lawmaker and Vernon Parish sheriff, has died at age 81.Howard won election as a Republican member of the House of Representatives for three terms from 2008 through 2020. He was unable to run for reelection because of term limits. Before that, Howard had been Vernon Parish sheriff for more than two decades.Gov. John Bel Edwards and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder confirmed Howard’s dea
  
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• Grant program opening for Louisiana virus-harmed businesses

  28-07-2020 05:49 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana small businesses that have been hammered by the coronavirus outbreak and haven’t received federal aid can start applying Tuesday for grants up to $15,000 to cover pandemic-related expenses, under a program created by state lawmakers.Grants in the $275 million, federally financed Main Street Recovery Program are expected to run out quickly. More than 450,000 businesses are estimated to be eligible, but fewer than 20,000 would be able to colle
  
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• Education software firm moving headquarters to Louisiana

  28-07-2020 05:46 via wbrz.com
  
  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Education software company SchoolMint Inc. will move its headquarters from San Francisco to Louisiana as it consolidates its United States operations in Lafayette, the company’s CEO and Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday.The firm, which develops enrollment, application and behavioral management software for schools, also will relocate corporate offices from New York and Miami to Lafayette as part of the consolidation plans.The restructuring &mda
  
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• Police: Man told to wear mask shoots at employees

  28-07-2020 05:33 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Authorities in Louisiana said an enraged man shot at convenience store employees after they told him to put on a mask.New Orleans police said the shooting happened Sunday night at Brother’s Mart on Bullard Avenue, news outlets reported.Police said the employees asked the man to wear some type of face covering when he came into the store.The man stormed out of the store and returned with a gun, firing multiple rounds at the employees, police said. No one wa
  
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• CareSouth's Plaquemine site hosts virus drive-thru testing, back-to-school giveaway Tuesday

  28-07-2020 05:26 via wbrz.com
  
  PLAQUEMINE – CareSouth Medical and Dental along with other community sponsors is hosting a COVID-19 Drive-thru Community Testing and Back to School Supplies Giveaway in Plaquemine Tuesday, July 28. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon.CareSouth will be distributing 300 backpacks filled with school supplies and its community partners will also be distributing items. Supplies will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis.Parents have to be tested to obtain the supplies, and
  
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