Baton Rouge news

• Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer has died at age 58

  09-09-2024 07:05 via wbrz.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — Walt Ehmer, the president and CEO of Waffle House and a member of the board of trustees for the Atlanta Police Foundation, has died at age 58, the foundation announced Sunday.Ehmer joined Waffle House in 1992 and quickly rose to senior leadership, becoming president of the company in 2002, and later adding the titles of CEO and chairman, according to information from Georgia Tech University, his alma mater.“His leadership, dedication and warmth touched the liv
  
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• Friends of Tito Jackson say that Baton Rouge was like 'home' to him

  16-09-2024 21:25 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - After the passing of legendary musician Tito Jackson, Baton Rouge blues icons Kenny Ray and Raful Neal looked back on the past three decades of friendship with the star.Kenny Neal met Tito Jackson more than 30 years ago at a show in Detroit and they've been friends ever since, saying he'd visit Baton Rouge often. He even helped Jackson with his last album."He'd always come down here and visit you know, to feel normal and be himself," he said.Neal says that Jackson grew up in the l
  
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• Plans revealed to revamp the Amite River Basin

  16-09-2024 21:02 via wbrz.com
  
  ASCENSION PARISH - The Amite River Basin has a population of more than 700,000 people. Parish leaders met with the public to introduce a master plan to preserve and enhance the river.Monday night, leaders from the seven parishes affected by the Amite River Basin met with the community to discuss a master plan, which will be used to strategize the future of flood prevention projects along the river and secure funding.Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment says up to this point, the Amite Riv
  
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• Livingston Parish deputies arrest 19-year-old for allegedly threatening attack on school

  16-09-2024 20:35 via wbrz.com
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - A 19-year-old was arrested by Livingston Parish deputies after allegedly threatening an attack on a school. Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said 19-year-old Didier Antonio Pineda Ramos was arguing with a juvenile off of school property and outside of school hours. Deputies said Ramon threatened to have planned an attack on a school. Deputies said Ramos did not specify a school, no weapons were discovered and nothing happened on any Livingston Parish campuse
  
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• Deputies looking for four runaway Hammond teens, all last seen on Patti Road

  16-09-2024 20:02 via wbrz.com
  
  HAMMOND - Deputies in Tangipahoa Parish are searching for four teenage girls who ran away from home and all were last seen along Patti Road in Hammond. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said Paris Blount, 16, Alex Hill, 13, and Dakeila Hudson-Evans, 17, were seen leaving the Patti Road area the evening of Sept. 14. Shayla Collins, 16, was spotted in the same location on Monday, Aug. 26, and has not been seen since. Anyone with information about the teenagers' location can
  
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• Deputies looking for four Hammond teens, all last seen on Patti Road

  16-09-2024 20:02 via wbrz.com
  
  HAMMOND - Deputies in Tangipahoa Parish are searching for four teenage girls who all were last seen along Patti Road in Hammond. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said Paris Blount, 16, Alex Hill, 13, and Dakeila Hudson-Evans, 17, were seen leaving the Patti Road area the evening of Sept. 14. Shayla Collins, 16, was spotted in the same location on Monday, Aug. 26, and has not been seen since. Anyone with information about the teenagers' location can call 985-902-2031.The
  
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• Two years after her murder, Allie Rice's family still does not have answers

  16-09-2024 18:07 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Monday marks two years since LSU student, Allison "Allie" Rice was shot dead in her car on Government Street while waiting for a train to pass. Since that day, Allie's family has struggled to make sense of her death and move forward in a meaningful way. No arrests have been made in connection with her murder. "When the words came out of the detective's mouth — about Allie being with the coroner — it's like everything just changed in an instant
  
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• Ascension Parish waterways re-open for recreational use Tuesday morning

  16-09-2024 18:06 via wbrz.com
  
  ASCENSION PARISH — Ascension Parish waterways will re-open for recreational use at dawn on Tuesday.The waterways have been closed due to high waters from Hurricane Francine.Ascension Parish Homeland Security advises that there is still debris and to use extreme caution when operating on the waterway. Permalink| Comments
  
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• EBR offering debris pick up for homeowners, Ascension offers drop off locations

  16-09-2024 17:12 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Hurricane Francine left behind a trail of destruction, and homeowners are trying to clean up their yards.East Baton Rouge Parish signed off on their city-parish emergency debris collection that began Monday.Starting Tuesday, contracted trucks will be going into neighborhoods picking up debris from residents' front yards.EBR Chief Communications Officer Mark Armstrong said residents should place their debris in the front, and call 311 to get it picked up. He said homeowne
  
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• As sugar cane harvest opens, watch for slow-moving trucks on Pointe Coupee roads

  16-09-2024 16:55 via wbrz.com
  
  MORGANZA — Harvest season for many Pointe Coupee Parish sugarcane farmers began Monday and officials are urging those on the roads to drive safely around sugarcane trucks and agricultural equipment.For Marty Frey, this is his twenty-fifth season growing sugarcane. He said the season went well with a good crop and no impact from Hurricane Francine.“It’s our livelihood. It’s everything. Without it, we wouldn’t survive. In today’s market,
  
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• St. George Fire searching for man suspected of setting cars on fire with gas in Twin Peaks parking lot

  16-09-2024 16:28 via wbrz.com
  
  ST. GEORGE — St. George Fire is searching for a man who allegedly set fire to two cars in a parking lot of Twin Peaks on Siegen Lane.Shortly after midnight on Aug. 4, the man was seen on surveillance footage buying $1.50 of gas and pouring it on another vehicle's hood. St. George Fire officials said two vehicles, including a white Audi, were damaged in this fire. If you have any information on this incident you can call 225-279-1064Permalink| Comments
  
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• Entergy: Power restored in most areas that experienced outages caused by Francine

  16-09-2024 16:22 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Nearly every Entergy Louisiana customer who lost power during Hurricane Francine that can safely receive electric service has had their power restored, Entergy said Monday.At the height of Hurricane Francine, multiple parishes, including Assumption, Ascension and St. Mary parish, had more than 50% of customers without power. According to Entergy, crews restored power to 90% of customers who experienced outages in the three days following the Category 2 storm mak
  
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• Dunham School senior dies in car crash after truck hit tree while driving on Mississippi highway

  16-09-2024 16:10 via wbrz.com
  
  GILLSBURG, Miss. — A senior at the Dunham School in Baton Rouge died in a car crash in Amite County, Mississippi, WLBT reports.Mason Prima, 17, was driving east on Miss. 568 around 7:52 p.m. on Friday when his 2010 Toyota Tacoma left the road and collided with a tree, Mississippi Highway Patrol told WLBT.Prima was then airlifted to Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge and pronounced dead, WLBT said. The cause of the crash is under investigation."The Dunham community mourns the loss of
  
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• St. George Mayor speaks to Baton Rouge Press Club about progress of new city's transition

  16-09-2024 15:59 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Appointed Mayor of St. George Dustin Yates spoke Monday at Press Club about the progress of the new city's transition, but also what's coming in the future. Yates highlighted the progress of the city transition over the last couple of months. "I think everything is moving very smoothly, I thank my council for that," Yates said.One thing Yates highlighted was the need for a city manager. He explained St. George is working toward a council-manager form of governmen
  
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• INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: Woman struggles to get clarity in relative's in-custody death at Elayn Hunt

  16-09-2024 15:13 via wbrz.com
  
  ST. GABRIEL - They may not be blood-related, but Dana Hebert considers herself a sister to Douglas Barnes."I'd known him since young childhood and he didn't really have a lot of support growing up," Hebert said.Barnes was convicted of second-degree murder for his part in a deadly fist-fight that killed Lance Aydell in 1999. Barnes was 19 at the time."He was there and did participate, so he and the co-defendant both got life without parole," she said. After serving nearly 25 years at An
  
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• Long-awaited Glen Oaks Middle demolition set to begin on Tuesday

  16-09-2024 14:58 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Tuesday marks the first day of the 135-day demolition project for the now-abandoned Glen Oaks Middle School.Glenn Oaks Middle, already unused for years, has sat abandoned since November 2023 when a fire ravaged the site. It has since become a hotbed for vandalism.A team has already assessed the building and classified it as having "hazardous content," officials said."We'll treat this whole building as if it has asbestos in it and haul it to the appropriate landfill," project manag
  
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• Long-awaited demolition of abandoned Glen Oaks Middle School set to begin Tuesday

  16-09-2024 14:58 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Tuesday marks the first day of the 135-day demolition project for the abandoned Glen Oaks Middle School.The former school has sat abandoned since the summer of 2020, when a charter school that had taken up residence at the property moved out. Last November, a fire ravaged the site, and the site has since become a hotbed for vandalism.A team has already assessed the building and classified it as having "hazardous content," officials said."We'll treat this whole building as if it ha
  
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• Police searching for man accused of burglary, attempted burglary at multiple Ben Hur Road homes

  16-09-2024 14:57 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge Police are searching for a man accused of both burglary and attempted burglary at multiple homes on Ben Hur Road on Monday.Police said that the individual, pictured in security footage, attempted to burglarize a residence in the 700 block of Ben Hur Road on Monday. Shortly after, the suspect was able to gain entry into a residence in the 900 block of Ben Hur Road.The suspect was seen leaving the area in a silver or gray sedan, police said.Anyone with informat
  
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• Pipeline explosion shot a towering pillar of flame over a Houston suburb

  16-09-2024 14:36 via wbrz.com
  
  LA PORTE, Texas (AP) — A massive pipeline fire shooting a towering pillar of flame for hours over suburban Houston on Monday as first responders evacuated a surrounding neighborhood and tried to keep more nearby homes from catching fire.The blaze involving a 20-inch pipeline carrying natural gas liquids must burn itself out, according to its operator, Dallas-based Energy Transfer. The company said the gas flow was shut off but residual material inside could burn for hours to come.Fire
  
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• Pipeline explosion shooting a towering pillar of flame over a Houston suburb

  16-09-2024 14:36 via wbrz.com
  
  LA PORTE, Texas (AP) — A massive pipeline fire shooting a towering pillar of flame for hours over suburban Houston on Monday as first responders evacuated a surrounding neighborhood and tried to keep more nearby homes from catching fire.The blaze involving a 20-inch pipeline carrying natural gas liquids must burn itself out, according to its operator, Dallas-based Energy Transfer. The company said the gas flow was shut off but residual material inside could burn for hours to come.Fire
  
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• Galvez fire chief dies after 18 years of fire service

  16-09-2024 14:28 via wbrz.com
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - Byron "Bo" James, the fire chief of the Galvez-Lake Volunteer Fire Department, passed away Thursday. He was 68. James was the fire chief until the time of his death. He worked in fire service for 18 years. Ascension Parish sheriff Bobby Webre said James was "more than a colleague - he was a brother in service and a great leader in our community. He was a man whose courage and compassion touched countless lives, always putting others before self."Thank you, Bo, f
  
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• Local seafood shop remembers Tito Jackson as regular customer

  16-09-2024 14:19 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE - Owners of Tony's Seafood say they remember the late Tito Jackson as a regular customer who would come to visit every time he was in town. Manager Darren Pizzolato says Jackson had come into the store a couple of times before he was even recognized. "I saw him walking around a little bit, and first I thought it was just a regular customer," Pizzolato said. It was only after other customers started pointing him out that Pizzolato approached him. "He said he'd been
  
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• Denham Springs man previously arrested for child pornography charged with 10 additional counts

  16-09-2024 13:52 via wbrz.com
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS — Livingston Parish deputies on Monday charged a man previously arrested for multiple child pornography charges with additional child porn charges, as well as solicitation and indecent behavior.Everett Walker, 25, was charged with 10 additional child pornography charges, as well as one count each of indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor, deputies said.Walker was previously arrested and booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Ce
  
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• Deputies arrest man accused of identity theft, stealing lawnmowers from Hammond store

  16-09-2024 13:41 via wbrz.com
  
  HAMMOND — A man accused of using fake IDs to buy lawnmowers from a Hammond business in August turned himself over to authorities on Monday, deputies said.Tyrese Livers, 22, was wanted on multiple felonies, including identity theft, forgery, bank fraud, theft of a motor vehicle and criminal conspiracy, at Star Equipment, a farm equipment supplier in Hammond.On Aug. 21, Livers is believed to have used a counterfeit identification card and stolen personal information to fraudulently comp
  
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• Man suspected in second apparent assassination attempt on Trump charged with federal gun crimes

  16-09-2024 12:33 via wbrz.com
  
  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump was charged Monday with federal gun crimes, making his first court appearance in the final weeks of a White House race already touched by violence.Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigati
  
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• Brian Kelly: Tigers to focus on preparing schemes, personnel after nail-biting win in South Carolina

  16-09-2024 12:03 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — LSU football is back in action on Saturday after a close Week 3 win over the University of South Carolina.Head coach Brian Kelly met with the media on Monday to discuss the "hard-fought victory on the road" and to preview this week's upcoming game against UCLA on Saturday in Death Valley.Watch the full news conference here: Following the win, Kelly said that he wants to focus on cleaning up the team's performance in three areas: schemes, personnel and preparatio
  
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• Brian Kelly speaks at weekly news conference following LSU's nail-biting away win over South Carolina

  16-09-2024 12:03 via wbrz.com
  
  BATON ROUGE — LSU football is back in action on Saturday after a close Week 3 win over the University of South Carolina.Head coach Brian Kelly is meeting with the media on Monday at noon to discuss the win and to preview this week's upcoming game against UCLA on Saturday in Death Valley.The Tigers are 2-1 following the 36-33 win over the Gamecocks and are currently ranked No. 16 in the country in the latest Associated Press poll released on Sunday. The Tigers face the Bruins
  
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• Assumption Parish asking residents to conserve water

  16-09-2024 12:02 via wbrz.com
  
  ASSUMPTION APRISH - Leaders in Assumption Parish are asking residents to conserve water after issues from Hurricane Francine. The Assumption Parish Waterworks Dist. 1 said that the hurricane changed the chemistry of the raw water in the bayou, which caused treatment upsets at the plant. The water district said that due to the issues, they are having trouble keeping up with demand and asking residents to slow consumption. They said they hope to have a fix by Monday nig
  
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• MSA West in Iberville evacuated after students, faculty report smell of burning wires

  16-09-2024 09:00 via wbrz.com
  
  PLAQUEMINE - MSA West in Iberville Parish was evacuated as a precautionary measure Monday morning after students and faculty reported the smell of burning wires. The Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed the evacuation and the smell. There was no immediate word on the cause of the smell. The sheriff's office will update WBRZ if and when an all-clear is given. Permalink| Comments
  
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• Tito Jackson's family says the Jackson 5 member has died at 70

  16-09-2024 06:51 via wbrz.com
  
  Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died at age 70.Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which include global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a music-making family whose songs are still beloved today.“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man wh
  
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