WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• $1 million in jewels stolen near Cannes film fest

  May 17, 2013 8:48 AM

  PARIS- A French police official says jewelry worth about $1 million has been stolen from a safe in a Cannes hotel room, against the backdrop of the Riviera resort town's film festival. Cmdr. Bernard Mascarelli, a judicial police spokesman in the nearby city of Nice, said a culprit or culprits... more »

• ExxonMobil found liable in NH pollution trial

  April 9, 2013 11:47 AM

  CONCORD, N.H.- A jury in New Hampshire has found ExxonMobil liable in a long-running lawsuit over groundwater contamination by the gasoline additive MTBE. The oil giant could pay hundreds of millions of dollars to clean it up. The jury must now deliberate the cost of damages. Jurors sat through nearly... more »

• Fed to spend $45B to sustain bond purchases

  December 12, 2012 11:40 AM

  WASHINGTON- The Federal Reserve will spend $45 billion a month to sustain an aggressive drive to keep long-term interest rates low. And it set a goal of keeping a key short-term rate near zero until unemployment drops below 6.5 percent. The policies are intended to help an economy that the... more »

• Dollar coins could save country billions Play Video

  November 30, 2012 5:37 PM

  BATON ROUGE- An idea to exchange dollar bills for dollar coins is resurfacing as the country debates how to trim the budget. While the coins would cost more to mint than bills, they would last decades longer than paper money. The switch could save the federal government nearly $4.4... more »

• Federal deficit tops $1 trillion for fourth year

  October 12, 2012 2:14 PM

  WASHINGTON - The federal budget deficit has topped $1 trillion for a fourth straight year. But the deficit for the just-ended 2012 budget year is $207 billion less than last year. The deficit totaled $1.1 trillion for 2012. The government's revenue was boosted by a modest improvement in economic... more »

• CBO tallies 2012 deficit at $1.1 trillion

  October 5, 2012 12:43 PM

  WASHINGTON - A new estimate puts the deficit for the just-completed 2012 budget year at $1.1 trillion, the fourth straight year of trillion dollar deficits on President Barack Obama's watch. The result was a slight improvement from the 2011 deficit of $1.3 trillion. The bleak figures from the Congressional Budget... more »

• Oil price drops below $80 for first time since Oct

  June 21, 2012 10:17 AM

  NEW YORK - The price of oil has dipped below $80 for the first time since October. Benchmark U.S. crude, which has been tumbling since May, hit a low of $79.82 per barrel in morning trading. That's the lowest level since Oct. 6. Prices have been falling as the world... more »

• Gulf residents to get extra $64M for spill claims

  April 20, 2012 7:28 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Justice Department says more than $64 million will be paid to about 7,300 people and businesses whose claims with BP's $20 billion compensation fund were shortchanged or wrongfully denied after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The department recently announced that an independent... more »

• Corps has more than $500M for river repairs

  March 9, 2012 7:02 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans District of the Army Corps of Engineers says it has more than a half billion dollars to spend on projects to fix damage from the historic flooding on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers last year. The Army Corps says it plans to spend $257... more »

• $10K worth of cigarettes stolen in Baton Rouge

  November 17, 2011 12:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police are trying to identify the man pictured here after he was caught on camera stealing almost $10,000 worth of cigarettes. Detectives say he walked into the Circle K at 1910 Brightside at 4:30 a.m. September 21st and took four boxes of cigarette cartons. He... more »

• Governor Jindal announces $12 million for coast

  March 1, 2011 5:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Governor Bobby Jindal says there are urgent needs along the coast that must be addressed immediately. He announced plans to spend $12 million dollars to re-establish oyster beds and stabilize the coast. BP would reimburse the state at some point in the future. Jindal and other... more »

• Latest Medicaid shortfall won't prompt cuts

  January 3, 2011 6:04 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The state health department will reshuffle dollars within its budget to fill a new $19 million shortfall that has emerged in the state's Medicaid program, without making new budget cuts. The department also plans to reverse cuts to the Medicaid rates paid to hospitals for taking care... more »

• LHSAA files suit against state

  November 18, 2010 5:49 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is suing the state, after allegations of misspending by former LHSAA Commissioner Tommy Henry. A state audit indicates there is a lack of records for more than 2,300 purchases totaling nearly $400,000. There is also an ongoing investigation by the IRS.... more »

• "Boot and Tow" enforcement on the rise in Baton Rouge

  November 17, 2010 9:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Changes to the way the City of Baton Rouge comes to collect for past-due parking tickets is in motion. A committee of the Metro Council okayed bringing the "boot and tow" method back, as a way to get people to pay parking tickets. The new law... more »

• MFP shortage could solidify federal money switch for schools

  November 15, 2010 9:38 PM

  BATON ROUGE - An increase in public school students means an increase in the state's money woes. There are 9,000 more students in classrooms than the state planned for, and because school districts get paid per-student, the state now has to find $42 million to pay for them. The... more »

• EBR budget saves jobs, services next year

  November 5, 2010 6:15 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Mayor-President delivered next year's budget to Metro Council this morning. With it, he delivered news that jobs and services will stay intact, despite operating costs coming in 2.5% less than last year. In his address to council, Kip Holden said public safety... more »

• Metro Council focuses on crime camera costs

  October 13, 2010 10:36 PM

  The Metro Council posed lots of questions Wednesday night about the costs to watch crime on-camera around Baton Rouge. Members wanted to know why hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance were spent without contracts. News 2's Ashley Rodrigue found out why no one has the big picture. more »

• LSU faculty, students face off with chancellor over budget cuts

  September 28, 2010 10:25 PM

  The financial future of LSU took center stage as the chancellor faced off with faculty and students at a forum Tuesday. Faced with a panel of five and a room of 200, LSU Chancellor Michael Martin took on the tough financial situation facing the school one question at a time.... more »

• State audits LHSAA, finds $400,000 in questionable expenses

  September 27, 2010 10:34 PM

  Questionable expenses were found after an audit of the group that regulates high school sports. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association's former Commissioner Tommy Henry said the organization's Board of Directors approved every purchase, making those purchases legitimate buys in his eyes. Now, the organization said it's no longer business... more »

• LRA Board holds final meeting

  June 24, 2010 5:51 PM

  The Louisiana Recovery Authority Board held its final meeting today. The board was charged with leading the most extensive rebuilding effort in U.S. history. The LRA was established in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. It helped spend more than $9.6 billion in allocated funds for housing. The LRA also... more »

• State audit grades St. Gabriel bookkeeping a C

  October 16, 2009 10:33 PM

  State legislative auditors found some discrepancies in the City of St. Gabriel's financial paper work. Among other things, the city failed to update its books for the past year. The mayor also let the city clerk sign checks drawn on the city's account. The issue that jumped out... more »