Parish taking applications for vacant Metro Council seat after new schools leader departs panel - Baton Rouge news - NewsLocker (2024)

BATON ROUGE — LaMont Cole has resigned his seat on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council after being hired as the parish's public school superintendent, creating a vacancy that his former colleagues will have to fill.Under city ordinances, the remaining council members must pick a replacement within 20 days. Because Cole's departure is so near the end of his term, there will not be a special election to fill the post.The Metro Council administrator on Tuesday announced that applic

Summer of Hope hosts Grill and Chill

BATON ROUGE - Children were dancing and singing Saturday afternoon at the Grill & Chill event, one of many Summer of Hope gatherings that hope to decrease violence among young people. "We're showing hip hop in another form," Darius Crockett with Cyphers on the Block said. "We ain't necessarily going to be taking about hurting each other, we're doing it in the spirit of peace to let us know that we can do music differently. We don't necessarily have to be talking about killing each

West Baton Rouge Fire Department adding EMS services with $1.5M grant

PORT ALLEN - Changes are coming to the West Baton Rouge Fire Department since receiving $1.5 million in grant money. The fire department is using the funds to add four ambulances, all with the necessary supplies and equipment to save lives. Officials said Erwinville, Port Allen and Brusly/Addis will have each of their own stationed ambulance, making it faster and more convenient to get to those in need. An opportunity for career growth is in the works for fir

Hot air balloons float through the sky during Zachary festival Saturday

ZACHARY - People gathered at the BREC's Zachary Park on Saturday to watch hot air balloons float through the sky. The Really Hot Air Balloon Festival kicked off at noon and wrapped up around 9 p.m. Festival goers could ride in a tethered balloon. Once the sun went down, glow-in-the-dark balloons took to the air. The event was complete with food trucks, carnival rides, games, different vendors and a band. Permalink| Comments

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Woman hurt in shooting along North Ardenwood Drive on Saturday

BATON ROUGE - A woman was taken to a hospital after being shot Saturday afternoon.The Baton Rouge Police Department said the shooting happened along North Ardenwood around 6:30 p.m. The woman was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No information about a suspect or motive was released. Permalink| Comments

Woman hurt in shooting along East Howell Drive on Saturday

BATON ROUGE - A woman was taken to a hospital after being shot Saturday afternoon.The Baton Rouge Police Department said the shooting happened at a home along East Howell Drive off of North Ardenwood around 6:30 p.m.The woman was taken to a hospital in stable condition. No more information about the shooting or the victim was released. Permalink| Comments

Man arrested for attempted murder after allegedly shooting person during argument

BATON ROUGE - A man was arrested Saturday after allegedly shooting someone multiple times during an argument.The Baton Rouge Police Department said 21-year-old Aaron Brown was arguing with another man just after 12 p.m. on Clayton Street when he pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times. Police said the man was taken to a hospital in critical condition but has since stabilized. Brown was still at the scene when police arrived and was arrested for attempted second-degree murde

Friends of the Animals hosts giveback, dog adoption event Saturday

BATON ROUGE - Friends of the Animals held a giveback and dog adoption event Saturday for pets that are looking for forever homes. The event ran from  11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Agile Brewing. The local microbrewery donated $1 from each beer purchased to the cause. They also threw in a free drink with each donation of dog food or toys. Agile Brewing unveiled a new beer — Puppy Pause — for the special event. Friends of the Animals is a non-profit that take

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Southern University student, Human Jukebox member laid to rest Saturday

BAKER— Family and friends of the former Southern University student Steven Harris honored the life of their loved one as they congregated at his funeral Saturday.Done in proper Jaguar style with music, the member of the Human Jukebox was laid to rest. Those close to him say that's exactly what he would have wanted. "Steven loved music, he loved band, everywhere you see him he was talking about band, he had some type of Human Jukebox paraphernalia on whenever you saw him," sai

U.S. men's basketball defeats France to win fifth straight gold medal

PARIS (AP) — Stephen Curry was thinking about this two years ago, after winning his fourth NBA title. The only thing left for him to win was Olympic gold.And in the ultimate moment, he made sure that medal would be his.The U.S. is atop the international men’s basketball world once again, after Curry scored 24 points and led the way to a 98-87 win over France in the final at the Paris Games on Saturday night. It was the fifth consecutive gold medal for the U.S. — an

LSU Olympians: Vernon Norwood, United States earn gold medal for 4 x 400m relay

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Rai Benjamin held off Letsile Tebogo on the anchor leg to give the United States a gold medal andformer LSU Tiger Vernon Norwoodan Olympic-record time in the men’s 4x400-meter relay at the Paris Games on Saturday night.“I calculated that run very well to a T,” Benjamin said. “I have a really good, high ‘track IQ’ on people and how they run and how to do a quick time, so I didn&

Gun violence activists holds community prayer for teachers, students as school starts back up

BATON ROUGE -- Community members gathered at the 100 Black Men of Greater Baton Rouge headquarters to pray for the safety of teachers and students as they start school again.Cathy Toliver organized the event. She's been an activist since her three-year-old grandson, Devin Page Jr., was killed. The child was sleeping in his bed when a stray bullet came through his window."I was gonna move out of Baton Rouge until this happened to my grandbaby. There was no way I was gonna let this slide. I'm fig

Two arrested for child sexual exploitation in St. Tammany, Jefferson parishes

SLIDELL - Two people were arrested for child sexual exploitation in St. Tammany and Jefferson parishes, according to Louisiana State Police.The investigation resulted in the arrest of 35-year-old Uri Parra Gonzalez of Slidell and 31-year-old Gregory Wright of Belle Chasse. Each individual was charged with indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor.The investigation was done by the Louisiana State Police Special Victim’s Unit, the FBI,

USWNT wins fifth Olympic gold medal in women's soccer with a 1-0 victory over Brazil in final

PARIS (AP) — The U.S. women’s soccer team won its fifth Olympic gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0 on Mallory Swanson’s early second-half goal in the tournament final Saturday at the Paris Games.The Americans, who hadn’t won gold since the 2012 London Olympics, closed out an undefeated run to the title in their first international campaign under new coach Emma Hayes.Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher preserved the win with a one-handed save on Adriana’s hea

Brazilian authorities are investigating the cause of the fiery plane crash that killed 62

VINHEDO, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian authorities worked Saturday to piece together what exactly caused the plane crash in Sao Paulo state the previous day that killed all 62 people on board.Local airline Voepass’ plane, an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop, was headed for Sao Paulo’s international airport in Guarulhos with 58 passengers and 4 crew members, when it went down in the city of Vinhedo.Initially, the company said its plane had 62 passen

Two people hurt in Zachary shooting Saturday night

ZACHARY - Two people were hurt in a shooting along Old Scenic Highway in Zachary on Saturday night. Zachary Police officers are currently investigating the shooting incident. Officials said the shooting happened on Old Scenic near Rollins Road before 9:30 p.m. No information about the victim's condition has been released. Permalink| Comments

Susan Wojcicki, former YouTube CEO and longtime Google executive, has died at 56

Susan Wojcicki, the former YouTube chief executive officer and longtime Google executive, has died, her husband said. She was 56.“My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non small cell lung cancer,” Dennis Troper said in a social media post late Friday.“Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many,” Troper said.No other

2MAD: Small Business Administration employee celebrates 50 years on the job

BATON ROUGE - This week's 2 Make a Difference highlights a woman who has helped prospective business owners fulfill their dreams for half a century.Anyone interested in highlighting someone making a difference in the community should send a name, information and a brief summary to [emailprotected]| Comments

One transported with serious injuries, three others injured after Morganza car crash

MORGANZA - Four people were injured with one serious injury in Morganza after a two-vehicle crash, according to the Morganza Fire Department.MFD says the crash took place on Highway 1 and resulted in the road being blocked.Three people were transported for minor injured and one person was transported with serious injures.Permalink| Comments

One injured in shooting at Michigan Avenue in Port Allen

PORT ALLEN - One person was injured in a shooting on Michigan Avenue Friday evening, according to the Port Allen Police Department.Police say the shooting took place at 4:48 p.m. An adult male was transported to the hospital with non-fatal injuries.The investigation is ongoing.Permalink| Comments

Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions not civilly liable in Stanford Trust Ponzi scheme

BATON ROUGE - A jury found the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions not civilly liable in the Stanford Trust Ponzi scheme in an 11-1 decision Friday.The jury did say that the OFI owed a duty to the plaintiffs, but did not engage in reckless conduct.Allen Stanford and the Stanford Trust Company operated a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of nearly a billion dollars; Stanford is serving a life sentence after the Security Exchange Commission caught on to Allen's antics and in 2009, US

Jury finds Louisiana OFI not civilly liable in Stanford Trust Ponzi scheme

BATON ROUGE - A jury found the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions not civilly liable in the Stanford Trust Ponzi scheme in an 11-1 decision Friday.The jury did say that the OFI owed a duty to the plaintiffs, but did not engage in reckless conduct.Allen Stanford and the Stanford Trust Company operated a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of nearly a billion dollars; Stanford is serving a life sentence after the Security Exchange Commission caught on to Allen's antics and in 2009, US

LSU Wildlife Hospital releases seventh rehabilitated bald eagle this year; sets new record for hospital

BATON ROUGE — A young bald eagle was sent back to the wild Friday morning thanks to the efforts of LSU's School of Veterinary Medicine's Wildlife Hospital.Hospital members and students of the school let the bird go back into the wild after two and a half months of rehabilitation."This was a juvenile eagle. This bird would've been born this past season so it's less than half a year old. And she was found down and basically very wet. They weren't sure where her nest was, but she was dow

Masked 'Peeping Tom' in BR Garden District also possibly spotted in Spanish Town

BATON ROUGE - A masked man caught looking into windows of homes on Rittiner Drive may have also been spotted by residents in Spanish Town.The alleged "Peeping Tom," who has yet to be identified by police, was seen lurking around homes in the Baton Rouge Garden District several times since the beginning of July. After a handful of home surveillance cameras recorded the suspect, one victim went to the police. "They are waiting for an opportunity to commit a crime," the victim told 2 On Y

WBRZ Investigative Unit: See how the Supreme Court booted Eboni Johnson Rose from Baton Rouge bench

NEW ORLEANS — A Baton Rouge judge was removed from the bench this week after members of the state Supreme Court reviewed stories by WBRZ and other media outlining numerous violations of various judicial guidelines, documents obtained by WBRZ on Friday show.Justices on Tuesday ordered the temporary suspension of 19th Judicial District Judge Eboni Johnson Rose, acting upon a request by the state Judiciary Commission. Former appellate court judge Mike McDonald was named Friday to sit in

Questions raised after teen was found dead on the side of a street during a school day

BATON ROUGE — A 14-year-old was found shot dead in a ditch on Dayton Street near Interstate 110, Thursday afternoon.Around 12:49 p.m., gunshots were reported in the area Thursday, officials said. The teenager's body was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was later identified as Travez Washington. A motive and suspect aren't known."It's always hard to tell who's involved in what, especially when it comes to these young juveniles or young people in general," Baton Rouge Police spoke

$$$ Best Bets: USA! USA! USA! $$$

Hunter McCann has this weekend's best bets for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the MLB! FridayMLB:Athletics @ Blue Jays: Blue Jays MLAstros @ Red Sox: Astros MLCubs @ White Sox: Cubs MLBraves @ Rockies: Braves -1.5Pirates @ Dodgers: Dodgers -1.5Tigers @ Giants: Giants -1.5SaturdayOlympics:Women's Soccer: Brazil vs. USA: USA Wins in 90 MinutesWomen's Volleyball: Brazil vs Turkey: Brazil -9.5 pointsMen's Basketball: France vs USA: USA -13.5MLB:Padres @ Marlins: Marlins +1.5Cardinals @ Royals

Man arrested twice for violent sexual assault in two parishes had multiple restraining orders against him

LIVINGSTON - An alleged serial rapist is behind bars in East Baton Rouge, and he faces more sexual assault accusations in Livingston Parish.After WBRZ reported on David Blake Coutee’s arrest in June, Livingston deputies say another victim came forward. Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard says there may be even more victims out there.The earliest reports on Coutee are from 2021 when he was arrested in Livingston on second-degree rape. At the time he was not charged with rape, but he pl

Correctional sergeant, former prison employee both arrested for having sex with St. Gabriel prison inmates

ST. GABRIEL — Two women, a correctional sergeant and a former state prison employee, were arrested for having sex with inmates at a St. Gabriel prison, arrest records show.Arraneisha Valentine and Ja'camry Davis, both 22, were each arrested for malfeasance in office, sexual conduct with a person in a correctional institution by the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office.Davis was also arrested on three counts of smuggling contraband into a prison.Valentine was arrested on Wednesday. Accord

Correctional sergeant, former prison employee arrested for having sexual conduct with inmates

ST. GABRIEL — Two women, a correctional sergeant and a former state prison employee, were arrested for sexual conduct with a person in a correctional institution at a St. Gabriel prison, arrest records show.Arraneisha Valentine and Ja'camry Davis, both 22, were each arrested for malfeasance in office, sexual conduct with a person in a correctional institution by the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office.Davis was arrested Friday for having sex with an inmate and smuggling cell phones to a