Ready to renew your US passport? You can now apply online - Baton Rouge news - NewsLocker (2024)

WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s an easier way to renew your passport — online.The State Department has opened a trial run allowing a limited number of people to apply for their updated travel documents with a few clicks. You can’t just start anytime — windows will open at midday Eastern time each day and then close once the system has reached its daily limit.The department says it’s taking it slow so it can monitor how the

Dog rescued from late-night fire off Plank Road; investigators determining cause

BATON ROUGE - A dog was rescued from an otherwise-empty home after it caught fire late Sunday night. The fire started shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday on Peerless Street off Plank Road. While the Baton Rouge Fire Department reported there was one person living in the home, they were not present during the fire. However, a dog was rescued from the building and made it out unharmed. The back of the home and the attic were both damaged by flame, and the rest of the home sustained sm

Dog saved from house fire on Peerless Street

BATON ROUGE - Firefighters saved a pet dog from a house fire on Peerless Street Sunday night.Firefighters with the Baton Rouge Fire Department arrived at the scene just before 11 p.m. and found the fire burning the attic and the rear of the home.While crews attacked the fire outside, other firefighters searched the home, where they found the dog that they brought out without injury. Crews got the fire under control just after 11 p.m.A fire investigator is working to determine the cause of the f

'They should always be remembered:' Candlelight vigil held for Loranger victims

LORANGER - Tangipahoa Parish residents gathered for candlelight vigil in remembrance of mother Callie Jo Brunett and her 4-year-old daughter Erin. "How could this happen to her of all people? She was a great mother. She was a good friend to those who needed her. And it's sad that this happened right here in our community," family friend of the Brunetts, Jenafer Sheridan, said. The Brunett's story made headlines June 13 when Callie was found dead and her two daughters missing.

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Double rainbow spotted above Watson

WATSON - A double rainbow was spotted over Watson on Sunday evening. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office shared a photo of the beautiful sight just after 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The double rainbow comes before an excessive heat warning on Monday. For more information about the forecast, click here. Permalink| Comments

Making sense of college sports realignment. Which schools are changing conference affiliation?

College sports in the U.S. has seen scores of schools change conference affiliation over the past century, but the pace has quickened over the past three decades and certainly over the past two years. It is no longer a surprise to see storied programs leave their longtime conference home in search of more stability and more revenue in the college athletics arms race.By early August, a dozen more schools will officially change affiliation, from Stanford and USC to Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona State,

Angel Reese breaks WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles in a single season

CHICAGO - Former LSU women's basketball player Angel Reese broke a WNBA record while playing the Minnesota Lynx Sunday.Reese put up 10 consecutive double-doubles, setting a new record for consecutive double-doubles in a single season.The FT that soldified Angel Reese in the history books for most consecutive double-doubles in a single sznReese finished with 10 PTS, 16 REB pic.twitter.com/Yazfu0OIkp— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2024Reese passed Candace Parker's nine consecutive double-double

Family drapes 50-foot American flag over Walker home in honor of Fourth of July

WALKER - An American flag is now covering one man's entire home in Walker. It weighs more than 60 pounds and is 50 feet wide. Homeowner John Beard says it is his family's way to show their patriotism. "We figured in honor of the Fourth of July week, we would cover our house just to symbolize how America has been so great to us and how it covers us, and covers our household," Beard said.Beard says a Marine veteran gave him the flag after serving four tours in Iraq."We're really good fri

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Sha'Carri Richardson finishes 4th, won't have spot in 200 meters at Olympics

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Sha’Carri Richardson got passed on the outside down the stretch and finished fourth in the 200-meter final at U.S. track trials Saturday, meaning she’ll only have one chance for an individual Olympic gold medal next month in Paris.Gabby Thomas won the race in 21.81 seconds for her second straight national title. Richardson was in the top three in this, her second-best distance, with about 40 meters left, but Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long pass

Zion City neighborhood to be affected by power outage after vehicle hits Entergy pole

BATON ROUGE - The Zion City neighborhood in Baton Rouge will experience a power outage Sunday evening after a vehicle hit an Entergy pole, according to Metro Council member Darryl Hurst.A vehicle accident resulted damage to one of Entergy's poles in the 7400 block of Plank Road.Hurst provided a statement from Entergy around 12 p.m., who said their crews would begin pre-work before switching out the pole in "3-4 hours." Roughly 200-300 customers are expected to be impacted when Entergy begins sw

Should gun store sales get special credit card tracking? States split on mandating or prohibiting it

Beginning Monday, a California law will require credit card networks like Visa and Mastercard to provide banks with special retail codes that can be assigned to gun stores in order to track their sales.But new laws will do the exact opposite in Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee and Wyoming by banning the use of specific gun shop codes.The conflicting laws highlight what has quietly emerged as one of the nation’s newest gun policy debates, dividing state capitols alon

LSU basketball star Flau'Jae Johnson dazzles at BET Awards days after dropping album

LOS ANGELES - LSU basketball star Flau'Jae Johnson attended the BET Awards on Sunday evening, just days after releasing her debut album. Johnson wore a one shouldered olive-green dress with a high leg slit. She was interviewed during the event by Taraji P. Henson. "Baby, you special. You exemplify what sisterhood looks like. You get down in the studio, on the court. You are a monster," Henson said. Flau'Jae responded by plugging her album, specifically a track featuri

Two injured in shooting on Coursey Boulevard early Sunday morning

BATON ROUGE - Two people were injured in a shooting on Coursey Boulevard early Sunday morning, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.The shooting happened at Coursey Boulevard and Jones Creek Road around 2 a.m. after deputies received a complaint of individuals in two vehicles shooting at each other.Shortly after deputies arrived, EBRSO was informed two adult males who suffered gunshot wounds in the arm and leg as a result of the shooting went to the hospital. The severity of those

TEAM 2 TRAFFIC: I-10 Westbound near Port Allen closed due to overturned semi trailers

PORT ALLEN - I-10 westbound at mile marker 149 near Port Allen is closed due to several overturned semitrailers, Louisiana State Police said.A detour is set up from Highway 415 to 190 West. State police are working the scene.Images from the accident showed candles scattered across I-10.No other information is available at this time.Permalink| Comments

LSP: I-10 Westbound near Port Allen closed due to overturned semi trailers

PORT ALLEN - There is a road closure on I-10 westbound at mile marker 149 near Port Allen, caused by several overturned semitrailers. A detour is set up from Highway 415 to 190 West. State police are working the scene. This is all the information we have at this time, we will update you as more information becomes available.  Permalink| Comments

I-10 Westbound near Port Allen re-opened after overturned semi trailers, candles covered road

PORT ALLEN - I-10 westbound at mile marker 149 near Port Allen re-opened after an accident involving several overturned semitrailers, Louisiana State Police said.Images from the accident showed candles scattered across I-10. According to Louisiana State Police, approximately 40,000 pounds of candles were scattered.No other information is available at this time.Permalink| Comments

I-10 Westbound near Port Allen closed due to overturned semi trailers; 40,000 pounds of candles on road

PORT ALLEN - I-10 westbound at mile marker 149 near Port Allen is closed due to several overturned semitrailers, Louisiana State Police said.A detour is set up from Highway 415 to 190 West. Congestion has now reached the Mississippi River Bridge.Images from the accident showed candles scattered across I-10. According to Louisiana State Police, approximately 40,000 pounds of candles were scattered.No other information is available at this time.Permalink| Comments

LSP: Four people killed in three separate crashes across capital area

LIVIGNSTON PARISH - Four people were killed in three separate crashes in Livingston and West Baton Rouge parishes from Friday evening to Saturday morning, according to State Police.In Denham Springs, 28-year-old Kenneth M. Broussard II of Prairieville and 22-year-old Abigail Wheat of Denham Springs were killed in a crash shortly before midnight Friday along LA-16 at Bailey Lane. Three hours later, two crashes happened - one in Livingston and the other in Port Allen. State Poli

Officers looking for suspect in 50-year-old woman's killing

BATON ROUGE - A 50-year-old woman was found shot to death inside a home Saturday morning.The Baton Rouge Police Department said officers found Sheila Mitchell shot inside of a home near the corner of La Margie Ave and North Cristy Drive around 8:45 a.m. Officers are searching for suspect Josue Guevera Mejia, who was last seen driving a white Ford van with temp tag 1366461. Anyone with information can call (225) 389-4869. Permalink| Comments

50-year-old woman found shot to death inside home Saturday

BATON ROUGE - A 50-year-old woman was found dead in her home Saturday morning. The Baton Rouge Police Department said officers found Sheila Mitchell shot inside of her home near the corner of La Margie Ave and North Cristy Drive around 8:45 a.m. Police said they are still searching for suspects. Anyone with information can call (225) 389-4869. Permalink| Comments

Baton Rouge Pride Fest takes over the River Center on Saturday

BATON ROUGE - Thousands made their way to the Raisin' Canes River Center Saturday afternoon for the annual Baton Rouge Pride Fest.The fest has grown every year. What originally started out as just a picnic has now become so large the event moved to the River Center. A few years down the road, they even hope to add a parade to the festivities.Pride Fest has always been about celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, organizers say but it also acts as a resource fair.The fest has also given a lot of smal

New Tangipahoa Parish sheriff details plan to fix parish jail, gives update on high-profile murder case

AMITE - The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office is getting ready for a leadership transition amid ongoing challenges, including a multi-state murder investigation and a search for an escaped inmate.Sheriff Elect Gerald Sticker was sworn in Saturday morning. Tangipahoa Parish residents still have worries about recent escapes from the parish jail and are looking to their new leader to fix the issue."There are a lot of improvements that have been made to the jail already, as we all know with the es

There are 4.8 billion reasons why other leagues are watching the fallout from 'Sunday Ticket' case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Professional sports leagues have 4.8 billion reasons to review how they distribute out-of-market broadcasts after Thursday’s judgement against the NFL in the “Sunday Ticket” case in U.S. District Court.“It’s going to require other leagues to take a close look at their model and make sure that the means by which they’re providing consumer choice really does ensure true choice,” sa

What it means for the Supreme Court to throw out Chevron decision, undercutting federal regulators

WASHINGTON (AP) — Executive branch agencies will likely have more difficulty regulating the environment, public health, workplace safety and other issues under a far-reaching decision by the Supreme Court.The court’s 6-3 ruling on Friday overturned a 1984 decision colloquially known as Chevron that has instructed lower courts to defer to federal agencies when laws passed by Congress are not crystal clear.The 40-year-old decision has been the basis for upholding thou

Tangipahoa Parish swears in first new sheriff in 20 years

HAMMOND - The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office will see a new sheriff sworn in for the first time in 20 years. Saturday morning, Sheriff Elect Gerald Sticker was sworn in ahead of his term start date, scheduled for July 1. According to Sticker, he believes change is vital for the parish. "It's incumbent upon me as the leader of this organization that starting July 1, I make sure my employees are well-equipped, mentored, and educated in the tenets of doing the job,"

Ten Commandments. Multiple variations. Why the Louisiana law raises preferential treatment concerns

Christians and Jews believe in the Ten Commandments — just not necessarily the version that will hang in every public school and state-funded college classroom in Louisiana.The required text prescribed in the new law and used on many monuments around the United States is a condensed version of the Scripture passage in Exodus containing the commandments. It has ties to “The Ten Commandments” movie from 1956, and it’s a variation of a version commonly assoc

Former LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell fired as coach, accused of stealing $74,000 check

MOBILE - Former LSU quarterback and number one overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft JaMarcus Russell was fired as a volunteer assistant coach and faces a lawsuit accusing him of taking a $74,000 check meant as a donation to the school.According to ESPN, a local business owner wrote the check and said Russell approached him about a donation to help the Williamson High School football team purchase weight room equipment. The school said they never received the check, and Russell reportedly deposite

Vacant house fire on Mulberry Street determined to be arson

BATON ROUGE - A vacant house on Mulberry Street caught fire as a result of arson early Saturday morning, fire investigators say.According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, the fire was first called in by 1:54 a.m. and firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire on the front of the home. A powerline burned as a result and fell into the backyard, preventing firefighters from access to the back of the structure.The fire was contained by 2:28 a.m.Permalink| Comments

EBR superintendent finalists chosen; interim superintendent not among them

BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board chose three finalists Friday for the superintendent's job, and interim Superintendent Adam Smith was not among them.Smith, who has worked in the school system for 28 years, has vied for the role twice before.The only local finalist is Kevin George, director of the LSU Lab School.The other finalists are Krish Mohip, chief education officer for the Illinois State Board of Education, and Andrea Zayas, who was previously the chief academic offi

EBR board stuns packed room; selects 3 finalists for superintendent but rejects interim

BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board chose three finalists Friday for the superintendent's job, and interim Superintendent Adam Smith was not among them. Smith, who has worked in the school system for 28 years, has vied for the role twice before but will not be the next leader of the state's second-largest traditional school system."Almost 70 comments were submitted (to the board before the vote). Over 90 percent overwhelmingly put their support behind interim Superin