Louisiana news

• State receives $156 million in federal funds for solar infrastructure in disadvantaged communities.

  22-04-2024 16:26 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources Monday received $156 million in federal funds to help build out solar infrastructure to improve energy resilience in low-income and disadvantaged communities.The program, "Solar for Y'all," will be overseen by DENR's Energy Office and is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act."Louisiana is in a uniquely positioned to benefit from this federal investment, with so much of its population in the areas of highest risk fo
  
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• Baton Rouge Fire vehicle catches fire after wreck in Central

  21-05-2024 14:54 via wbrz.com
  
  CENTRAL — After a wreck, a Baton Rouge Fire Department vehicle caught fire Tuesday morning in Central after a two-car crash, closing Old Sullivan Thruway and Greenwell Springs Road for about an hour.Central Police and Central Fire responded to the scene around 11:10 a.m. to find the Baton Rouge Fire vehicle up in flames after a traffic crash. By noon, the blockage was cleared.According to BRFD, the driver of the fire vehicle is fine. A person in the other vehicle was brought to a near
  
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• Pedigree recalling 315 bags of dog food for potential loose metal in bag

  21-05-2024 14:11 via wbrz.com
  
  FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The makers of a variety of Pedigree dog food has recalled 315 bags for the potential presence of loose metal pieces in the bag.The 44-pound bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food, which have a best by date of March 4, 2025, and a lot code — located at bottom seal of the bag — of 410B2TXT02, were sold by Walmarts in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.The potential presence of loose metal pie
  
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• LSU baseball beats Georgia 9-1 in first game at SEC Tournament

  21-05-2024 14:00 via wbrz.com
  
  HOOVER, Ala. - The LSU Tiger baseball team picked up a much needed win in their opening game at the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday morning defeating Georgia 9-1.LSU picked up a tremendous outing from starting pitcher Gage Jump who worked seven innings limiting the Bulldogs to just one run on four hits.LSU's offense started fast and continued to put the pressure on the Bulldogs pitching staff as the top of the order reached base in their first two at-bats staking the Tiger
  
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• Tangipahoa Parish deputies investigating two drive-by shootings along La. 40 near Loranger

  21-05-2024 13:44 via wbrz.com
  
  LORANGER — The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating two drive-by shooting incidents that took place Saturday in the Loranger area along La. 40.The first drive-by shooting took place around on La. 40 near the intersection of La. 445 around 11:23 p.m. A victim reportedly told deputies that a small red car pulled in front of her and slowed down before a person shot a pistol at her twice from the front passenger seat. After she saw the muzzle flash, the victim fled the area
  
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• 19 high schoolers among students who receive degrees at BRCC graduation

  21-05-2024 13:44 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge Community College's graduation ceremonies included 19 high school students who also received associate degrees or general studies certificates. The younger graduates are from the GEO Next Generation High School Baton Rouge. Fourteen earned full associate degrees and five earned the general studies certificate for one year of college work. The graduates make up one-quarter of GEO's senior class, up from 10 percent last year. "I'm very thankfu
  
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• Louisiana Democratic Party's new executive director helped oust previous chair

  21-05-2024 13:36 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Democratic Party on Tuesday said it had hired Drew Prestridge as its new executive director. Party chairman Randal Gaines had recommended him for the post.Prestridge co-founded a group called Blue Reboot that last winter worked to replace Gaines' predecessor, Katie Bernhardt. Prestridge previously worked for the party as its finance director and has worked for the campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker, Interior Secretary Deb H
  
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• State Police arrest EBR, St. James residents for theft, connection to disruptive 'bike culture' in NOLA

  21-05-2024 12:29 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Three people are in custody in St. James Parish for the reckless operation of stolen ATVs and dirt bikes on New Orleans-area highways and local roads, State Police said at a press conference Tuesday morning.The investigation, which began following incidents that took place in May 2023, culminated in the three arrests and the seizure of stolen property on Monday, State Police announced with Attorney General Liz Murrill and Gov. Jeff Landry.The raids on the three suspects'
  
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• Newly-appointed St. George officials taking media questions Tuesday

  21-05-2024 09:00 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - The city of St. George's newly-appointed leaders, its mayor and police chief, are taking questions this morning. The Q&A comes a week after Governor Landry appointed Dustin Yates and Todd Morris as the city's mayor and police chief respectively. Watch the Q&A at 9:30 a.m. here.Yates is the chief administrative officer of the St. George Fire Department and is in his 19th year with the agency. He has been involved with the effort to create St. George since
  
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• Pot left unattended causes fire that displaced three residents Monday

  21-05-2024 08:12 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Three people were displaced after an unattended pot started a house fire Monday afternoon. The Baton Rouge Fire Department said the fire started shortly before 4 p.m. Monday when one of the residents of the home on Sycamore Street off Evangeline started cooking something but left to go to another room. The resulting fire was contained to the kitchen but the rest of the home received smoke and water damage. Three residents were displaced, and the Red Cros
  
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• St. Helena Parish school still rebuilding after Hurricane Ida

  20-05-2024 20:48 via wbrz.com
  
  GREENSBURG - Three years ago, Hurricane Ida devastated Greensburg in St. Helena Parish. On top of damaging homes, the winds and water destroyed St. Helena College and Career Academy’s gymnasium floor. In 2024, repairs are finally on the way for the school.St. Helena College and Career Academy has the only gym floor in the parish accredited by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. It’s where a lot of kids in the parish learn to shoot hoops and practice drills ahead
  
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• Head of Council for a Better Louisiana says legislators, Landry will find a balance eventually

  20-05-2024 19:37 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — While Gov. Jeff Landry has enjoyed a honeymoon with members of the Louisiana Legislature over the past four months, the day will come when the settles into its multi-branch system of government, according to the head of the Council for a Better Louisiana.Landry became governor in January, and lawmakers have largely followed his agenda. They've balked, it appears, at gutting the state's open records law, but a proposal to bypass an independent panel's recommendations for
  
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• Driver narrowly misses gas meter after crashing into school bus in Central

  20-05-2024 19:18 via wbrz.com
  
  CENTRAL - A driver nearly ran into a gas meter after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into a school bus Monday afternoon. Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran said the driver of a pickup truck ran into a school bus near the intersection of Joor Road and Core Lane around 4:15 p.m. There were no children on the bus.Chief Corcoran said the crash pushed the truck off the road and the vehicle was close to hitting a gas meter. The driver of the truck allegedly fell asleep while drivin
  
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• Baton Rouge entrepreneur develops barter system for small business owners

  20-05-2024 16:56 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A community-backed currency is gaining traction among business owners across the state.The alternative form of payment is called Moxey, and it is used within a network of small business owners as a barter system. Currently, more than 3,000 businesses in the United States accept Moxey as a valid payment method. "It's like a giant family, where we keep the money in the family. So the more money you spend with local business owners, the more money those local busine
  
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• Lawyer under restraining order caught on video setting ex's home on fire pleads guilty

  20-05-2024 16:46 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — A man arrested in 2023 for setting fire to an ex-girlfriend's home after repeatedly violating a restraining order she filed against him pleaded guilty Monday, court records show.Texas-based lawyer Christian King, 31, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated arson, with 17 of those years suspended. King will also be credited with time served since the arrest in January 2023. Judge Eboni Johnson Rose also sentenced him to be on probation for five years after his
  
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• Zachary High student killed in New Roads shooting Sunday

  20-05-2024 16:45 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ROADS - Police officers in New Roads are looking for information about the killing of a 16-year-old Zachary High student over the weekend. The New Roads Police Department said a juvenile, later identified as Jonathan Johnson Jr., was found with a gunshot wound around 3 a.m. Sunday along Carver Drive near Wilkins Street.First responders took the Johnson to a hospital where he died.Chief Cedric Epps told WBRZ that the department does not have a suspect yet but officers are investigat
  
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• Teenager killed in New Roads shooting, officers searching for information

  20-05-2024 16:45 via wbrz.com
  
  NEW ROADS - Police offices in New Roads are looking for information about the killing of a teenager over the weekend. The New Roads Police Department said a juvenile was found with a gunshot wound around 3 a.m. Sunday along Carver Drive near Wilkins Street.First responders took the teen to a hospital where they died. Their name has not been released. Chief Cedric Epps told WBRZ that the department does not have a suspect yet but officers are investigating all leads. P
  
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• Judge recusal request denied in case involving Metro Councilman

  20-05-2024 15:54 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - An effort to delay a case yet again involving a Baton Rouge Metro Councilman and his neighbor has been reversed.Metro Councilman Cleve Dunn's attorney, Representative Edmond Jordan, tried to get judge Beau Higginbotham recused from the case. That recusal was reversed by the First Circuit Court of Appeal because the paperwork was filed late.Last March, Higginbotham ordered Dunn to pay $57,000 to his neighbors Donna and Eugene Michelli after adding a cabana and a fence in a place th
  
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• Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office investigating fatal Hammond crash following hit-and-run

  20-05-2024 15:12 via wbrz.com
  
  HAMMOND — Tangipahoa Parish deputies are investigating a fatal crash that left one man dead over the weekend.The crash, which occurred late Saturday night near the Copper Hill Subdivision on Bankston Road, claimed the life of an unidentified Hispanic man. He was pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said.Deputies said that the Jeep Liberty responsible was involved in a hit-and-run in the area before the fatal crash. After fleeing the scene, the vehicle left the road and travelled thr
  
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• Tiger baseball noticeably absent from SEC honors list

  20-05-2024 15:07 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A year after dominating the award circuit, the LSU Tiger baseball team was noticeably absent from the Southeastern Conference 2024 baseball awards and All-SEC teams after a tough year on the diamond.No Tigers made the All-SEC first team and only third-baseman Tommy White and pitchers Luke Holman and Griffin Herring were voted to the second team.The awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches.The future looks brighter for the Tigers as freshmen Ashton Larson and Ste
  
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• LA-22 closed near Crawford Leblanc Boulevard in Sorrento after 18-wheeler overturns in roundabout

  20-05-2024 14:56 via wbrz.com
  
  SORRENTO — LA-22 at Crawford Leblanc Boulevard in Sorrento is closed after an 18-wheeler overturned in the roundabout.The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said that there is no timeline as to when the roadway will reopen but will be providing updates.In the meantime, deputies will be redirecting traffic. The Sheriff's Office says to expect major delays while travelling in the area.This is the second crash at the roundabout that WBRZ has reported on in the past year. In August, an 18-
  
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• Police searching for two men who broke into car, used owner's credit cards

  20-05-2024 14:53 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Police are searching for two people who broke into a car and stole a wallet on March Street near City Park.Baton Rouge Police said that the men burglarized the vehicle on May 1. They then used stolen credit cards from the theft victim's wallet to make unlawful purchases, police said.The men were each seen in surveillance footage wearing black hoodies. One was wearing a Hollister hoodie, while the other wore a Grambling State University football hoodie.Permalink| Comments
  
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• St. Helena schools finally seeing repairs years after Hurricane Ida

  20-05-2024 14:42 via wbrz.com
  
  GREENSBURG - After three years of recovery following Hurricane Ida, some buildings still damaged from the storm are finally being repaired. The damaged roof at the central office for the St. Helena Parish School District is getting a refurbishment as well as the gym floor at the St. Helena College and Career Academy. "These long-awaited projects, funded by FEMA, will put an end to the persistent issues we have faced throughout this period," the school district said in a Facebo
  
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• Central Police searching for man who damaged gas station with truck, drove off

  20-05-2024 14:40 via wbrz.com
  
  CENTRAL — Central Police are searching for a man wanted for a hit-and-run that damaged a gas station earlier in May.Police were called to Romero's Food Mart on Joor Road on May 10 after the store owner said that a man driving a white Ford pick-up truck backed into a gas pump, disabling it. Police said that workers at the store attempted to approach the driver, but he left the scene.The man and his truck were seen in security footage from the store, police said. The footage is timestam
  
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• BRFD: Sunday morning fire at South Harrells Ferry Road storage unit complex was arson

  20-05-2024 13:39 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — A fire that set a South Harrells Ferry Road storage unit complex ablaze Sunday morning was a result of arson, firefighters said Monday.The Baton Rouge Fire Department arrived at the Storage Rentals of America building just after 5:15 a.m. Sunday. Nearly two hours later, BRFD called in another fire department to help suppress the flames.Firefighters worked together to get the fire under control by 10 a.m. Two firefighters were treated for dehydration and released
  
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• Woman found in Waco may be from Louisiana, authorities looking for family

  20-05-2024 12:58 via wbrz.com
  
  WACO - Officials are searching for family members of a woman found in Texas that may have Louisiana ties. The Waco Police Department said the woman was found Sunday by paramedics acting delusional. She was taken to a Waco hospital. Authorities said the woman's name may be Kelly or Caleigh and she's from Louisiana but she can't remember her last name, date of birth, family members names or her social security number. Anyone who recognizes the woman can call (254) 750-7
  
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• Tickets are still on sale for the St. Jude Dream Home!

  20-05-2024 12:46 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — There are still about 1,000 tickets available for the St. Jude Dream Home giveaway.The goal right now is to surpass last year's sales of 12,000 to reach 13,000 sold by the time of the giveaway on June 7.St. Jude will be showing the Dream Home, a $550,000, 3,000 square foot-house with a spacious kitchen and living room, as well as all of the bells and whistles you could ask for like a luxurious bathroom with a free standing tub and a double-steam shower, at an open house
  
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• Less than 1,000 tickets are still on sale for the St. Jude Dream Home!

  20-05-2024 12:46 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Less than 1,000 tickets are still available for the St. Jude Dream Home giveaway.The goal right now is to surpass last year's sales of 12,000 to reach 13,000 sold by the time of the giveaway on June 7.St. Jude will be showing the Dream Home, a $550,000, 3,000 square foot-house with a spacious kitchen and living room, as well as all of the bells and whistles you could ask for like a luxurious bathroom with a free standing tub and a double-steam shower, at an open house on
  
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• Interstate 12 eastbound at I-10 scheduled for closure again Monday night

  20-05-2024 12:34 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Highway workers plan to close the eastbound lanes of Interstate 12 at its interchange with I-10 Monday night and try again to remove an overpass.The bridge must be taken out to accommodate new lanes on I-10 westbound. Equipment problems 10 days ago prevented its removal. Earlier attempts at the work were delayed by weather.Beginning about 10 p.m. Monday, crews will divert I-12 traffic onto I-10 toward Essen Lane, then northbound on Essen back to I-12.The road is schedule
  
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• 'My path has led me home:' LSU basketball legend Seimone Augustus to join university's coaching staff

  20-05-2024 12:14 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Seimone Augustus, an LSU basketball legend and the first female athlete to be honored with a statue on campus, is joining the women's basketball coaching staff. "Life always guides you to where you belong," Augustus told LSU Monday. "Thus, my path has led me home."When Augustus played for the Tigers in the early 2000s, she led the team to their first Final Four appearance - and then again - and again, in 2004, 2005, and 2006. She was the first female athlete to have her j
  
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