Louisiana news

• Video shows officer kneeling on neck of man who died

  26-05-2020 13:48 via wbrz.com
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis was seen on a bystander’s video pleading that he could not breathe as a white officer knelt on his neck during the arrest and kept his knee there for several minutes after the man stopped moving.The death Monday night after a struggle with officers was under investigation by the FBI and state law enforcement authorities. It drew comparisons to the case of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in 20
  
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• Man says his emotional support alligator, known for its big social media audience, has gone missing

  02-05-2024 09:00 via wbrz.com
  
  BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man who credits an alligator named Wally for helping relieve his depression for nearly a decade says he is searching for the reptile after it went missing during a vacation to the coast of Georgia.Joie Henney has thousands of social media users following his pages devoted to Wally, the cold-blooded companion that he calls his emotional support alligator. He has posted photos and videos online of people petting the 5 1/2-foot (1.7 meter) alligator l
  
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• Bills in committee would allow Southern University to establish medical, pharmaceutical colleges

  02-05-2024 06:43 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Two House bills, HR 51 and HR52, would allow for the Southern University system to establish medical and pharmaceutical schools on their campuses if passed. The bills were read in committee during regular session Wednesday after both being unanimously reported on favorably in the Committee on Education. Both bills were passed to their third readings. Xavier University, another HBCU in New Orleans, has also moved closer to establishing its own medical and
  
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• Advocates against domestic violence pleading to lawmakers for more money to help support victims

  01-05-2024 18:39 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Wednesday at the Capitol, the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence spoke to lawmakers in hopes legislators would include money in the state's budget for domestic violence shelters and other related programs.For years, shelters and other programs have suffered from a lack of resources. In 2021, the Legislative Auditor released a report stating over 2,500 requests for shelter went unmet every year. Louisiana is currently ranked fifth highest in the nation when it comes to d
  
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• Kitten finds new home after Kenner firefighter saves baby animal from storm drain

  01-05-2024 17:28 via wbrz.com
  
  KENNER - A kitten has found a new home after the baby animal fell into a storm drain and was saved by a Kenner firefighter. The Kenner Fire Department shared photos of the rescue operation on Wednesday. Pictures showed a firefighter in a man hole to rescue the kitten that got trapped in the storm drain. The department said the kitten is doing well and found a loving home with one of the operators. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Former Lafourche art teacher found guilty of sexually abusing student in 2009

  01-05-2024 17:01 via wbrz.com
  
  THIBODAUX — A former middle school art teacher in Lafourche Parish was found guilty Wednesday of sexually abusing a student in 2009.Ralph Cheramie Jr., 64, was convicted of molestation of a juvenile, sexual battery of a minor under 13 and indecent behavior with a juvenile under 13 after a three-day trial. It took the jury an hour to arrive at their verdict, which carries with it a combined sentence of over 100 years.The victim initially reported the incident to school administrators,
  
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• Former Lafourche art teacher found guilty of sexually abusing former student

  01-05-2024 17:01 via wbrz.com
  
  THIBODAUX — A former middle school art teacher in Lafourche Parish was found guilty Wednesday of sexually abusing a student in 2009.Ralph Cheramie Jr., 64, was convicted of molestation of a juvenile, sexual battery of a minor under 13 and indecent behavior with a juvenile under 13 after a three-day trial. It took the jury an hour to arrive at their verdict, which carries with it a combined sentence of over 100 years.The victim initially reported the incident to school administrators,
  
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• Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office warns people of scammers pretending to be deputies

  01-05-2024 16:49 via wbrz.com
  
  LIVINGSTON PARISH - The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office warned people within the parish that scammers are pretending to be LPSO deputies to get money.According to the LPSO, scammers tell potential victims that they owe fines and court costs for past citations, and then tell potential victims to send funds via CashApp or gift cards to avoid facing a warrant for their arrest.The LPSO tells those contacted by scammers to contact them at 225-686-2241 x1.Permalink| Comments
  
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• State agency asking for public's help to find missing cow

  01-05-2024 16:46 via wbrz.com
  
  KENTWOOD - The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is looking for a cow that went missing in Kentwood. The LDAF said the cow was last seen on a property on Miller Road in early April. The cow is a white crossbred Charolais with a single horn on the left side and a circle X brand on her right flank.Anyone with information on the cow's whereabouts can call (985) 542-2250. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Diocese of Baton Rouge appoints new executive director of Catholic Charities

  01-05-2024 15:27 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Diocese of Baton Rouge announced their new executive director for Catholic Charities Wednesday afternoon.Stephanie K. Sterling, the current Director of Family Services at Catholic Charities, will succeed David C. Aguillard, who served 15 years as the executive director.Sterling will become the new executive director on July 1.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Killian crews use camera to seek source of sediment in town's water supply; boil order still in place

  01-05-2024 15:18 via wbrz.com
  
  KILLIAN — Town officials in Killian went to work Wednesday to find what's causing problems in their water supply.Dirt, sand and other sediment have worked their way into the system, leaving the one-well town without clean water. Residents said the color of their tap water varied the longer it ran. At one home last week, the water ran clear when the tap was turned on, but soon it turned brown, with dirt contaminating it.In tests Wednesday, laborers removed the wellhead and inserted a c
  
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• Killian crews use camera to seek source of sediment in town's water supply

  01-05-2024 15:18 via wbrz.com
  
  KILLIAN — Town officials in Killian went to work Wednesday to find what's causing problems in their water supply. Dirt, sand and other sediment have worked their way into the system, leaving the one-well town without clean water. Residents said the color of their tap water varied the longer it ran. At one home last week, the water ran clear when the tap was turned on, but soon it turned brown, with dirt contaminating it.In tests Wednesday, laborers removed the wellhead and in
  
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• Landry administration opts-in to EBT program after initially refusing summer feeding program for children

  01-05-2024 14:49 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Almost three months after the state initially refused the USDA's summer EBT program, Gov. Jeff Landry's administration said they will be participating in the federal summer feeding program for needy children, Shreveport's KTBS reports.Landry said for months that Louisiana would not be participating in the program. Tuesday, however, he reportedly decided to opt-in to the program after a closed-door meeting with legislators.When Landry initially refused the federal program
  
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• Landry administration opts in to EBT program after 'hogwash' resistance to summer feeding program

  01-05-2024 14:49 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Almost three months after the state initially refused the USDA's summer EBT program, Gov. Jeff Landry's administration said they will be participating in the federal summer feeding program for needy children, Shreveport's KTBS reports.Landry said for months that Louisiana would not be participating in the program. Tuesday, however, he reportedly decided to opt-in to the program after a closed-door meeting with legislators.Louisiana House Appropriations Chairman Rep. Jack
  
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• NAACP, others file notice of appeal in battle over Louisiana Congressional maps

  01-05-2024 14:46 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — A handful of intervenors in the battle over Louisiana's proposed congressional map filed a notice of appeal Wednesday after a three-judge panel tossed out a plan that would have established a second minority-majority district extending from Shreveport to Baton Rouge.Judges on Tuesday rejected the map, saying Louisiana lawmakers relied too heavily on racial considerations when drawing up new boundaries to use in this year's congressional elections. A dissenting judge said
  
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• Governor Jeff Landry declares May 1 as National Heatstroke Prevention Day

  01-05-2024 14:23 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Governor Jeff Landry declared Wednesday, May 1, as National Heatstroke Prevention Day as a reminder for drivers not to leave unattended children in their car.More than 1,083 children have died from heatstroke in hot cars since 1990, and at least another 7,500 survived with varying types and severities of injuries, according to data collected by Kids and Car Safety.Additionally, the overwhelming majority of victims are age five and younger, with rear-facing child
  
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• Gov. Jeff Landry declares May 1 as National Heatstroke Prevention Day

  01-05-2024 14:23 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Jeff Landry declared Wednesday, May 1, as National Heatstroke Prevention Day as a reminder for drivers not to leave unattended children in their car.More than 1,083 children have died from heatstroke in hot cars since 1990, and at least another 7,500 survived with varying types and severities of injuries, according to data collected by Kids and Car Safety.Additionally, the overwhelming majority of victims are age five and younger, with rear-facing child safe
  
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• Georgia Republican wants vote next week on whether Johnson should stay as Speaker

  01-05-2024 14:13 via wbrz.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Wednesday she would call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson, forcing her colleagues to choose sides in a difficult showdown after Democratic leaders announced they would provide the votes to save the Republican speaker's job.Speaking outside the Capitol, Greene ranted against Republican Party leaders at the highest levels and pushed back against their public entreaties, including from Donald Trump, to av
  
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• East Ascension seniors celebrate the last day of school in a traditional way

  01-05-2024 13:54 via wbrz.com
  
  GONZALES - If you attended East Ascension High School, you know the traditional way seniors celebrate their last day of school: to jump into the campus pond. The class of 2024 joined in on the long-running tradition this morning, and drone footage from the school captured the seniors' triumphant moment. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Denham Springs man arrested for allegedly soliciting child porn in multiple states

  01-05-2024 13:44 via wbrz.com
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS — An 18-year-old man from Denham Springs was arrested for allegedly using social media to solicit child pornography from 12 and 13-year-olds in multiple states.The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office booked Glenn Walter April 23 on several counts of computer aided solicitation of minors and juveniles, as well as possession of pornography involving juveniles. The 10 victims in the case reportedly span seven other states.Deputies began investigating the case earlier that m
  
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• Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office offering $5,000 reward for information on 2021 homicide

  01-05-2024 13:29 via wbrz.com
  
  PONCHATOULA — The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office is offering a $5,000 reward for information regarding the 2021 homicide of a 69-year-old man.Deputies say Harry Hughes was found dead inside his North 11th Street home after an apparent drive-by shooting on July 4, 2021. Loud noises initially believed to be fireworks were overheard sometime after 3:00 a.m. by neighbors.Later that morning, a family member discovered Hughes' lifeless body laying in his bed, deputies said.Anyone with i
  
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• Man accused in Scotland Avenue killing pleaded guilty in unrelated domestic violence case day after deadly shooting

  01-05-2024 12:39 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man who was arrested after a standoff in Baker on Tuesday was connected to a fatal shooting that happened April 22 — one day before he pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge in court. U.S. Marshals helped Baton Rouge and Baker police officers arrest 27-year-old Alvin Mott Jr. after a brief standoff in a Baker neighborhood. According to an arrest warrant, Mott was involved in a gun battle at the Kangaroo Express on Scotland Avenue that killed 51-
  
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• Baker standoff suspect was allegedly connected to April shooting that left one dead, bystander injured

  01-05-2024 12:39 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - A man arrested after a brief standoff in Baker Tuesday is a suspect in a fatal shooting from April 22. U.S. Marshals were serving a warrant for 27-year-old Alvin Mott Jr. in Baker. He was arrested after a brief standoff. The warrant connected Mott to a fatal shooting from April that happened on Scotland Avenue and left Michael Thomas, 51, dead and another person injured. Arrest documents said Mott and Thomas were involved in a shootout outside the Kangar
  
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• Victim in Central crash thanks first responders who saved him

  01-05-2024 12:33 via wbrz.com
  
  CENTRAL - Two weeks after a major crash along Hooper Road in Central, a driver who was stuck underneath a semi-truck is out of the hospital. Driver Brandon Ray said he was heading through Central, trying to get to his house in Mississippi before nightfall when a truck swerved in his lane—causing him to flip his vehicle. Ray says during the nearly three hours of being trapped it was a stranger who helped him push through. "I just want to thank the first respo
  
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• Lawmakers answer questions amid looming constitutional convention

  01-05-2024 12:29 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - As a state constitutional convention approaches, lawmakers are broadly planning for what ought to stay in the state's guiding document. Once the measure, HB 800, from Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia passes, state leaders will have just 14 days to revise the 50-year-old document.The two-week-long convention could cost the state more than $62,000. The amount includes a daily $179 payment to Landry's 27 appointees. Among the delegates is Baton Rouge's Mayor-President Sharon Weston
  
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• West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office looking for runaway juvenile

  01-05-2024 12:04 via wbrz.com
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH - Deputies are searching for Elijah Morris, a 12-year-old boy who ran away from home Wednesday. The West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office said Elijah was last seen wearing a red Brusly Middle School uniform shirt with khaki pants. Anyone with information should call (225) 490-8599. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Runaway 12-year-old found safe

  01-05-2024 12:04 via wbrz.com
  
  WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH - A 12-year-old boy reported missing Wednesday night has been found safe. The boy was in good health and returned to his family. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Inmate shot while being transported through West Feliciana Parish

  01-05-2024 09:48 via wbrz.com
  
  ST. FRANCISVILLE — An inmate was shot Wednesday morning while being transported through West Feliciana Parish by the Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Office.Catahoula Parish Sheriff's deputies were transporting the inmate in a van from the Catahoula Correctional Center. At some point while driving near St. Francisville on US-61, deputies checked on the inmate, who seemed to be experiencing health complications. He then reportedly reached for a deputy's gun and was shot.The West Feliciana Pa
  
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• Truck driver dead after running off Iberville Parish gravel road Tuesday night

  01-05-2024 08:02 via wbrz.com
  
  WHITE CASTLE - Deputies are investigating after a service truck driver ran off a gravel road and into a cane field, overturning his vehicle and being fatally injured Tuesday night. The Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office said the truck driver was driving on a gravel road off River Road Tuesday when he apparently lost control and ran into a cane field. His truck overturned, and the driver died on scene. Officials said the road was "well-maintained" and that there was no clear rea
  
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• Truck driver dead after running off Iberville Parish gravel road Tuesday afternoon

  01-05-2024 08:02 via wbrz.com
  
  WHITE CASTLE - Deputies are investigating after a service truck driver ran off a gravel road and into a cane field, overturning his vehicle and being fatally injured Tuesday afternoon. The Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office said the truck driver was driving on a gravel road off River Road Tuesday when he apparently lost control and ran into a cane field. His truck overturned, and the driver died on scene. Officials said the road was "well-maintained" and that there was no clear
  
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