WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• Community college construction bill nears passage

  May 14, 2013 1:19 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana higher education leaders are at odds over a proposal to let the community college system tap into construction dollars outside of the traditional budget process. The community colleges are winning the legislative battle so far. A bill allowing the community college system to sidestep the regular... more »

• Delgado, Nunez community colleges to lay off staff

  May 8, 2013 4:43 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Delgado Community College in New Orleans plans to lay off more than a hundred employees, including dozens of faculty members, while Nunez Community College in Chalmette also is letting go staff. Both moves were approved Wednesday by the schools' governing board and come as the campuses seek... more »

• Community meeting tonight over sinkhole tour

  May 1, 2013 6:38 PM

  BAYOU CORNE - A community meeting with members of the governor's blue ribbon commission for the Assumption Parish sinkhole is going on now. The commission has been in Bayou Corne for the past few days examining the sinkhole site. The group was formed to ensure the long-term safety of... more »

• Delgado to close Covington campus next year

  March 20, 2013 8:57 AM

  COVINGTON- Delgado Community College will close its Covington campus at the end of the spring 2014 semester. School officials say classes will slowly be phased out in the months ahead. The Times-Picayune reports students will be directed to growing course offerings from Delgado's sister institution, Northshore Technical Community College, and... more »

• Parades, community service on King day in La.

  January 21, 2013 4:25 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Parades, speeches, prayer and community service marked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday around Louisiana. In Baton Rouge people painted homes and cleaned school campuses as part of a day of service organized by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Many marchers held pictures of King as... more »

• Community health briefing tonight over sinkhole

  December 13, 2012 10:56 AM

  BAYOU CORNE - Health and environmental officials scheduled a community briefing tonight to for Bayou Corne residents evacuated due to a sinkhole near their homes. DHH and DEQ, along with parish officials, said they will specifically address health concerns residents had previously brought up. They will not have information... more »

• Christmas Crusade celebrating with toys Play Video

  December 7, 2012 5:11 PM

  LIVINGSTON - Toys are piled high in Livingston Parish, ready for children in need to open on Christmas. Today was the last day for families to sign up for Sheriff Jason Ard's Christmas Crusade. For 26 years, the toy drive has brought joy to children up to 12 years... more »

• 3 dead after attack at Wyo. community college

  November 30, 2012 11:38 AM

  CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The Casper police chief says three people are dead after an attack at a Wyoming community college. Authorities said in a press conference that the suspect used a sharp-edged weapon, killed two people and committed suicide. One of those killed was a faculty member. Authorities aren't identifying... more »

• Community servant, business leader dies Wednesday night

  November 14, 2012 7:55 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Hillar Moore, Jr., a philanthropist and retired business leader has died. Moore, 87, passed away Wednesday evening after having a heart attack almost two weeks ago. Moore was retired from Associated Grocers, where he was president for 20 years. Prior to that he worked for another... more »

• Jordan Jefferson begins community service

  November 2, 2012 5:37 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson got a jump start on court-ordered community service today. Jefferson spoke to students on the McKinley High School football team this afternoon, stressing how good decisions help lead to success in life. This week, Jefferson pleaded no contest to battery... more »

• Register now for "St. Jude Give thanks. Walk."

  November 1, 2012 10:18 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Join WBRZ and St. Jude for the annual "St. Jude Give Thanks. Walk." The walk helps raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and takes place Saturday, Nov. 17 at BREC's Forest Community Park located at 13900 S. Harrells Ferry Road in Baton Rouge. ... more »

• Pharmacists: Medicaid changes could shut them down

  October 30, 2012 10:35 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Community pharmacists say changes to Medicaid reimbursement rules don't address their complaints that the cuts could jeopardize their ability to remain open. The state's health secretary, Bruce Greenstein, said last week that revisions made in response to pharmacies' complaints should quell the backlash. But The Advocate reports... more »

• Central school system to consider new layoff policy Play Video

  September 28, 2012 5:53 PM

  CENTRAL - The Central Community School System is considering changes that would eliminate tenure as the key criteria when layoffs are necessary. Superintendent Michael Faulk says it does not mean layoffs will happen any time soon. The new policy is available for viewing on the school system's website.... more »

• Lil Wayne opens skate park in hometown N.O.

  September 26, 2012 4:26 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Lil Wayne is returning to New Orleans, his hometown, for the opening of the Trukstop skate park in the Lower 9th Ward - one of the most devastated sections of the city after levees failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Grammy-winning rapper, who recently launched a... more »

• Meeting scheduled about Assumption sinkhole

  September 18, 2012 8:54 AM

  BAYOU CORNE- Residents will hold an emergency town-hall meeting to encourage state and local officials to provide more information about the sinkhole in Assumption Parish. John Achee Jr., a community activist, said the meeting will be held Thursday at the St. Joseph the Worker Church parish hall in Pierre... more »

• Shunick celebration planned Sept. 29

  September 3, 2012 10:19 AM

  LAFAYETTE - Friends and family of Mickey Shunick say they will hold a community celebration to honor the University of Louisiana at Lafayette student who was kidnapped and killed in May. The Advertiser reports that friends will share memories of the 21-year-old woman, City-Parish President Joey Durel will speak, and... more »

• Wis. governor commends Sikh community at memorial

  August 10, 2012 3:02 PM

  OAK CREEK, Wis. - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says the Sikh community has shown everyone that the best way to respond to hate is with love. Walker addressed hundreds of mourners gathered at a memorial service for the Sikh temple shooting victims at Oak Creek High School is suburban Milwaukee... more »

• Subdivision fights back against crime

  July 19, 2012 10:56 AM

  ETHEL- A community in East Feliciana Parish is tired of crime plaguing their neighborhood, so they're asking for help from the parish police jury. Coming up at 6, News 2's Adrian Pittman, talks to residents about what they want to see done. more »

• Panels plan for Zachary school chief search

  July 6, 2012 6:35 AM

  ZACHARY- The Zachary Community School District's Executive Committee has decided the school board should appoint three committees to work out the details of searching for a new superintendent. Superintendent Warren Drake announced that he's leaving Sept. 4 to take a new job as a state Department of Education network leader.... more »

• BRAVE program progressing in BR Play Video

  June 21, 2012 11:51 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A program aimed at curbing violence in Baton Rouge's roughest neighborhood is through it's first week. BRAVE, also known as Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination, contains six officers dedicated to bettering the relationship between police and people, in order to change the city's culture of violence. ... more »

• Community input requested in Lee High re-opening plans Play Video

  June 13, 2012 10:56 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Once gone, but now, new life for Lee High School in Baton Rouge is in the works. The district wants the building back in use now that Baton Rouge High students are moving back into their renovated school this year. Right now, there are some broad ideas... more »

• Community weighs in on failed school district split Play Video

  May 30, 2012 10:57 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A breakaway school district will get another chance Thursday. A vote failed on the proposed Southeast Baton Rouge District at the State Capitol Wednesday, but News 2 has learned it's been added to Thursday's agenda. Two laws had to pass to get the new district off... more »

• People wait out chemical fire at evacuation centers Play Video

  May 21, 2012 5:14 PM

  PORT ALLEN - Almost 200 people in West Baton Rouge Parish spent the afternoon in evacuation shelters after a fire at a storage facility forced them from their homes. "It sounded like fireworks explosives going boom, boom," said Alyssia Springer, who was evacuated to the Erwinville Community Center. ... more »

• Community and technical colleges could feel pinch Play Video

  May 17, 2012 5:36 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Joe May says his schools are facing historic cuts. Louisiana House members reduced the budget by an additional $268 million dollars in an attempt to get rid of one-time dollars. Dr. May says that could result in $42 million... more »

• WBRZ named community station of the year

  March 29, 2012 2:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE - WBRZ's employees were honored with 3 awards from the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters (LAB) Thursday at the Crowne Plaza hotel. The station and its employees won the award for Community Station of the Year. Projects like Pat's Coats for Kids, Feed a Family, Stuff the... more »

• Community at odds with school over graduation memorial for murdered student

  March 2, 2012 10:22 PM

  LIVINGSTON PARISH- Seniors at French Settlement High School say their principal won't let them remember a classmate at graduation who was murdered five years ago. Kaitlin Aydell was 13-years-old when she was strangled. Mark Lewis is serving a life sentence for the crime. Aydell's classmates have kept her... more »

• Students call for murdered classmate to be honored

  March 2, 2012 4:51 PM

  LIVINGSTON PARISH- The graduating class at French Settlement High School says their school won't allow them to honor a murdered classmate at their graduation in May by leaving a chair open, with her picture on it. Kaitlin Aydell was strangled to death when she was 13. Mark Lewis was... more »

• Community concerned after teen arrested in shooting

  August 22, 2011 5:12 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Many people are concerned about how a 13-year-old got a gun, according to sheriff's deputies, and shot at two people during a marijuana buy. The shooting happened in the parking lot of a popular grocery store at the corner of Burbank and Bluebonnet Boulevard over the weekend.... more »

• Community shows support for Nucor at public hearing

  December 28, 2010 10:10 PM

  Dozens of residents in St. James Parish chimed in on a pig iron plant vying for an air permit from DEQ Tuesday night. Nucor Steel wants to build the plant on a 4,000 acre site, which would create about 1,200 jobs and millions in revenue for the parish. The... more »

• "Pride?" campaign hopes to improve BR neighborhoods

  December 25, 2010 10:03 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Some in the south Baton Rouge area are pushing their neighbors to restore pride to the streets with a campaign that gets people asking what they're proud of. The "Pride?" campaign is backed by a group of community activists and a handful of churches. The group says... more »

• Iberville school redesign plan on hold

  December 13, 2010 10:24 PM

  WHITE CASTLE - The Iberville Parish School Board voted to wait on making a decision about a controversial redesign plan for two high schools Monday night. The superintendent is pushing the plan, which would offer career and honors courses at Plaquemine High School, while offering basic and college prep... more »

• BR officials face off in turkey-carving competition

  November 24, 2010 5:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE – Community leaders from around East Baton Rouge Parish showed off their turkey-carving skills during a contest at St. Vincent de Paul Church today. Sheriff Sid Gautreaux won the competition, followed by LSU gymnastics coach D. D. Breaux and Rudy Macklin, the director of the Governor’s Office of... more »

• New organization hopes to solve Baton Rouge problems

  November 9, 2010 5:02 PM

  BATON ROUGE - After two years of planning and organizing, community leaders today announced the formation of a multi-issue initiative called "Together Baton Rouge." The initiative will focus on issues such as crime, neighborhood improvement, economic development and education. Organizers will start by hosting a three-month campaign of small... more »

• Central community reacts to state audit of school system

  October 11, 2010 10:19 PM

  Outrage and understanding emerged from a standing room only crowd in Central Monday night. The reactions came after the school board addressed an audit that outlined bid law violations, money and record mismanagement. News 2's Ashley Rodrigue found out more on why some said they understand the school system... more »

• Orleans clinics to stay open

  September 23, 2010 5:43 AM

  A partnership between state, federal and local governments will ensure that a network of community primary care health clinics will remain open in New Orleans. Low-income and uninsured residents will continue to have access to the clinics - regardless of their ability to pay - under a waiver negotiated by... more »

• Residents concerned after shooting on N. Lobdell Ave. last night

  September 22, 2010 7:05 PM

  People in one Baton Rouge community have had enough with crime. One of last night’s two murders happened at Hawthorne Heights Apartments on North Lobdell Avenue. As News 2’s Michael Shingleton found out, people who live there are ready for a change. more »

• Ascension council to cut aid to groups

  September 17, 2010 7:34 AM

  The Ascension Parish Council has approved a 20 percent, across-the-board cut in 2011 appropriations to nonprofits and other community and government groups. The Advocate reports the cut saves the parish over $142,000 if all 2010 funding targets are renewed in 2011 with the reduction included. Thursday's 7-2 vote came after... more »

• Community pleased with BR crime meeting

  September 16, 2010 11:02 PM

  More than 100 citizens came to the crime town hall meeting in Baton Rouge with hopes of getting guidance and giving goals. However, city leaders said they know those people want to help. What they said they really needed was the attention of the 4 percent of the city... more »

• Community is happy about jobs, pay Nucor will provide

  September 15, 2010 9:35 PM

  Nucor is coming to Louisiana, and it could be the biggest job-generating announcement in years for the state. It means hundreds of jobs in St. James Parish next year, when Nucor will begin construction on a steel mill. It will be built in phases near Convent, and Nucor could spend... more »

• Shelter for abused women reopens

  August 17, 2010 5:27 PM

  Battered women have somewhere to call home in Livingston Parish. Women Outreaching Women, an emergency domestic violence home, closed in January because it ran out of money. Mona Mistric, Women Outreaching Women founder, says it's because of support from the community that the shelter reopened last month. "If... more »

• Schriever man supports BP with 'God Bless BP' sign

  August 12, 2010 10:28 PM

  The oil spill in the Gulf drew a lot of anti-BP feelings. One man defends the company with a homemade sign. He put it in his front yard in Schriever near Thibodaux. He said his defense of BP isn't personal but necessary because no one else is doing it. "I... more »

• Legendary record shop shutting down

  July 6, 2010 10:26 PM

  A legend in the Scotlandville area is the latest victim of the struggling economy. Bowie's record shop will close Saturday after 37 years of business. It's been a favorite for Southern University students and others in the community, who are saddened but supportive of the owner's decision. Owner... more »

• Community and Technical College enrollment up

  February 12, 2010 4:44 AM

  The Louisiana Community and Technical College System is reporting record-breaking enrollment for the spring semester. A system news release says system-wide enrollment is up 16.3 percent, from 58,454 students in the spring of 2009 to 67,862 students in spring 2010. All of the system's colleges experienced an increase in enrollment.... more »

• No pattern of illicit conduct found on ACORN video

  December 7, 2009 9:36 AM

  An attorney brought in by the community-organizing group ACORN has found no pattern of intentional, illegal conduct by ACORN staffers on undercover videos shot by conservative critics of the group. The lawyer, former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, says there were lapses, however. He said the advice that ACORN staffers... more »