WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• Group rallies in opposition to allowing gay Scouts

  May 17, 2013 2:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Opponents of allowing openly-gay members of the Boy Scouts gathered today in Baton Rouge to voice their concerns. About 15 members of the group "On My Honor" held signs and Scouting uniforms at the Pennington Boy Scouts building on Brookline Drive. It was one of 40... more »

• Teachers' group blasts recommendation for armed staff

  April 2, 2013 1:24 PM

  WASHINGTON - The American Federation of Teachers is denouncing a suggestion that schools train selected staff to carry weapons, and that each school should have at least one armed security officer. The head of the teachers' group calls the idea a "cruel hoax" that won't protect children and schools.... more »

• District Attorney targeting gangs, groups Play Video

  January 29, 2013 5:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE- While the definition of what constitutes a gang in the Capital City may not be exactly clear, the District Attorney is more than clear on who they're targeting and prosecuting for 'Criminal Street Gang Activity.' "We're seeing violent activity on behalf of street gangs or groups of... more »

• Conn. group launches anti-violence initiative

  January 14, 2013 12:59 PM

  NEWTOWN, Conn. - Parents of Connecticut first-graders slain in last month's mass shooting have joined a new group in calling for a national dialogue to help prevent similar tragedies. Nicole Hockley's son Dylan was one of 20 first-graders and six adults killed a month ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School.... more »

• Groups seek investigation in teen's death

  December 11, 2012 11:21 AM

  BREAUX BRIDGE- Several groups including relatives of a 16-year-old who was shot and killed by a Breaux Bridge police officer are demanded an independent investigation. The Advocate reports the groups have characterized the death as excessive force against an unarmed teenager who panicked. State police say Darneisha Harris was shot... more »

• US declaring Syrian rebel group as terrorist body

  December 10, 2012 12:47 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is declaring a Syrian rebel group with alleged ties to al-Qaida as a terrorist organization. It's an effort to blunt the influence of extremists as the U.S. steps up cooperation with the Syrian opposition. The State Department's action blocks Jabhat al-Nusra's assets in the U.S.... more »

• Governors ask for flexibility in fiscal cliff deal

  December 4, 2012 11:52 AM

  WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of governors says they sought assurances from President Barack Obama that any cuts in spending to address the looming "fiscal cliff" would not shift the financial burden onto states. They say they want flexibility from the federal government on mandated programs to allow them to... more »

• Shaw sets meeting for vote on sale

  November 21, 2012 10:43 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Shareholders of The Shaw Group Inc. will meet Dec. 21 to vote on the Baton Rouge company's $3 billion sale to CB&I. Shaw announced Tuesday that the meeting will be held at the company's Essen Lane headquarters. The Advocate reports those who hold shares of Shaw as... more »

• Budget group: Film tax break program needs limits

  August 7, 2012 5:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A new report is suggesting state lawmakers should lessen Louisiana's generous film tax credits and cap the amount of money it can cost the state each year in lost revenue. Louisiana spent $231 million last year to attract movie productions, through a tax break program that continues... more »

• Texas group aids in search of missing student

  July 16, 2012 2:38 PM

  LAFAYETTE - A Texas-based organization that helps search for missing people has been involved in the search for a missing Lafayette college student who is feared dead. Texas Equusearch came to Acadiana last week to assist local authorities with the search for Mickey Shunick. Tim Miller, director of the Houston-based... more »

• Shaw Group posts 3rd-quarter loss of $16 million

  July 10, 2012 10:38 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Shaw Group Inc. said today that losses narrowed in its fiscal third quarter, though most of that was because the company took a special impairment charge in the same period last year. The Baton Rouge technology and engineering firm reported a net loss of $16 million,... more »

• Conservative group asks for video poker bill veto

  June 5, 2012 4:26 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The conservative Louisiana Family Forum is asking Gov. Bobby Jindal to veto three bills that tweak the state's video poker laws. In a letter sent to the governor, Family Forum leader Gene Mills says the changes would deregulate video poker. One measure, sponsored by Republican Sen. Danny... more »

• Romney to address key conservative group at NRA event

  April 13, 2012 6:43 AM

  ST. LOUIS - Mitt Romney's speech to the National Rifle Association is a high-profile chance for the Republican presidential candidate to gain the acceptance of wary conservatives. The address in St. Louis on Friday comes at a moment of heightened concern about gun use. Florida officials recently charged a neighborhood... more »

• Activist Group: 124 dead across Syria

  February 27, 2012 2:35 PM

  BEIRUT - A Syrian activist group says 124 people have been killed across the country, including 64 who died while fleeing an embattled area in the central city of Homs. The deaths were reported Monday by the Local Coordination Committees, one of the main Syrian activist groups. The group says... more »

• Shaw Group building first nuclear reactor in decades

  February 9, 2012 3:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group will build the first new nuclear power plant the U.S. has seen in decades. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 4-1 to approve Atlanta-based Southern Co.'s request to build two nuclear reactors at its Vogtle site south of Augusta. Representatives from... more »

• Support group helping crime victims' families move on

  January 13, 2012 10:29 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Families of victims of violence are joining together to help cope with what crime leaves them with. The Healing Hearts Grief Support Group started a month ago. The woman who started it lost her son to crime four years ago. The recent crime in the Capital... more »

• Muslim group claims new Nigeria attacks

  December 25, 2011 1:21 PM

  MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) - A radical Muslim group that has killed nearly 500 people this year in Nigeria has struck again on Christmas Day. It's claiming responsibility for an explosion that ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital, killing at least 25 people. The group also... more »

• LSU researchers investigate ruins of Fort Proctor

  November 14, 2011 10:23 AM

  ST. BERNARD - An LSU architecture professor and a group of students are investigating the ruins of Fort Proctor in St. Bernard Parish. The team is working to document every aspect of the fort through drawings and photographs that will be archived in the Library of Congress. The fort,... more »

• Volunteer group aims to ease hurricane evacuations

  August 13, 2011 3:28 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- As New Orleans heads into the peak of hurricane season, an all-volunteer group is geared up to help ease the evacuation process for those who don't have their own transportation out of town. Evacuteer.org is in its third hurricane season. The volunteer group was founded by photographer... more »

• Group home gets pass from judge

  July 29, 2011 6:17 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A federal judge issued a temporary injunction preventing the eviction of more than a dozen women from two group homes. The homes, operated by the Oxford House, are meant to offer a stable environment to recovering substances abusers. But the parish attorney's office says the two homes... more »

• Baton Rouge group home wins ruling on eviction

  July 29, 2011 1:31 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction that bars officials from evicting members of Oxford House group homes from neighborhoods zoned exclusively for single-family residences. Oxford House is a Maryland nonprofit organization that establishes self-governing group homes for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.... more »

• Stabbing victim dies, suspect charged with murder

  July 20, 2011 2:14 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The victim in a stabbing this morning at a Baton Rouge home for the mentally-challenged has died, and the man suspected of doing it is now accused of murder. Harold Lopez, 30, was arrested in suspicion of second-degree murder in the death of Kentrell Osby, 27.... more »

• Neighborhood disputing group home

  July 15, 2011 6:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A neighborhood association is at odds with a Baton Rouge group home they claim is breaking the law. According to the Unified Development Code in Baton Rouge, a single family dwelling cannot have more than two unrelated people living in a home or more than four if... more »

• Baton Rouge contractor to remain independent

  February 18, 2011 7:16 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Managers with the Turner Industries Group announced today that they would continue to remain an independent, family-owned company. "Insuring the long-term legacy of the Turner name, as well as maintaining the company's commitment to its employees, clients and the community, led to the decision," said CEO... more »

• Industry leader: Abolish Baton Rouge ABC board

  February 7, 2011 11:46 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The head of a Baton Rouge restaurant group says he supports a proposal before the Metro Council to abolish the Alcoholic Beverage Control board. Andy Blouin, president of the Baton Rouge chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, tells The Advocate that eliminating the board would save money... more »

• CATS and NxGen hope to save capital bus system

  January 11, 2011 5:40 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A new mass transit advocacy group hopes to "raise awareness" in order to the increase the number of bus riders in the capital area. NxGen Mass Transit formed from local business and community leaders. Through public forums and social media, the groups plans to get the... more »

• La. veterans group disbands amid declining numbers

  December 12, 2010 11:56 AM

  METAIRIE, La.- After 28 years, the south Louisiana chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of Wars has disbanded because of dwindling numbers, a fate faced by several other military fraternities in recent years. Eight men bound by the experience of wartime detention exchanged hugs and handshakes last week in Metairie... more »

• Shaw Group to engineer plant in India

  December 8, 2010 11:04 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Shaw Group Inc. says it has been selected by an India-based company to provide technology and engineering for an ethylene plant. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed Wednesday by Baton Rouge-based Shaw. The plant will be part of GAIL Ltd.'s petrochemical complex in Pata, India.... more »

• Group wants truck stop tiger removed

  November 23, 2010 11:55 AM

  BATON ROUGE – An animal rights group has asked state officials to revoke a truck stop’s permit to have a live tiger named Tony on display. The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a petition with the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, claiming the tiger’s conditions and habitat at... more »

• Group sues EPA over lead ammunition, tackle

  November 23, 2010 11:29 AM

  WASHINGTON - Three environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency to try to force it to prevent lead poisoning of wildlife from spent ammunition and lost fishing tackle. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington by the Center for Biological Diversity and two other groups.... more »

• Group wants to repeal some of La.'s $7B in tax breaks

  November 18, 2010 5:17 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A group of unions, nonprofit organizations and health care advocates are urging Gov. Bobby Jindal and state lawmakers to consider repealing some of the more than $7 billion in tax breaks on the state's books. The newly-formed organization, called Better Choices for a Better Louisiana, says the... more »

• Clinton home has until Monday to appeal closure

  November 14, 2010 10:31 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A state official says a military-styled group home for abused, neglected or delinquent children will be shut for good if owners don't appeal the decision by Monday. Trey Williams, spokesman for the state Department of Children and Family Services, says that on Friday, director Brandi Phipps had... more »

• Report: La. prison unsafe for juvenile offenders

  November 10, 2010 10:01 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A juvenile justice advocacy group says conditions at a juvenile prison in Monroe continue to be unfit for young offenders. The Times-Picayune says the report claims the offenders at the Swanson Center for Youth face almost daily fights among inmates, excessive use of force by staff and... more »

• Two dead on Delphine Street

  October 19, 2010 6:55 AM

  Police and EMS are on the scene of Delphine Street and Louisiana Avenue where two people were found dead behind a group home. Neighbors say they heard at least seven gunshots ring out around 3 o'clock Tuesday morning. Police drove through the neighborhood, but East Baton Rouge Police... more »

• Tuesday World Cup scores

  June 22, 2010 4:17 PM

  Four World Cup games were in action today. Tournament host South Africa was first in action defeating France 2-1. However despite the victory, South Africa became the first host nation to be knocked out of the World Cup during the group stage. In game 2, Uruguay edged a win... more »

• Report says doctors helped refine harsh methods

  June 7, 2010 7:08 AM

  The government is denying a medical group accusation that human research was done on terrorism detainees to refine waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques. The allegation was made by a group known as Physicians for Human Rights, which charged that the research was done under the guise of safeguarding detainees'... more »

• Ex-claims adjuster sentenced

  June 3, 2010 6:21 AM

  A former claims adjuster has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for stealing nearly $300,000 from a worker's compensation group in Lafayette. Edward Paul Verdin, of Franklin, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering. Over a two-year period, prosecutors say Verdin diverted over $297,000 from the Louisiana Oilfield... more »

• Shaw gets nuclear plant contract

  September 17, 2009 2:27 PM

  The Shaw Group has been awarded a six year contract with Ameren Corporation of Saint Louis. The Baton Rouge based group will provide maitenance services at the Callaway nuclear power plant in Missouri. No word as of yet on the terms of the contract. more »