WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• Mississippi River floods north Louisiana farmland

  May 6, 2013 3:45 PM

  LAKE PROVIDENCE - The Mississippi River is again flooding about 8,500 acres of farmland in East Carroll Parish's Bunches Bend, which had a huge levee failure in 2011 that wiped out $10 million in crops. The News-Star reports the 2011 breach on the levee's northern end was fixed, but a... more »

• Louisiana levee plan concerns Mississippi leaders

  May 5, 2013 11:07 AM

  GULFPORT, Miss. - Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says he's worried a proposed levee in Louisiana could place low-lying areas of south Mississippi in danger of flooding. Hosemann told The Sun Herald that he's concerned about a proposal being considered to build a 24-foot barrier levee near Lake Pontchartrain... more »

• Crack found in levee during routine check Play Video

  April 30, 2013 5:40 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Army Corps of Engineer inspectors found a minor crack in the levee near the USS Kidd today during a routine inspection. The inspection, part of the "Phase One Flood Fight," is triggered when the river reaches a certain level, but the Corps says it's no cause for... more »

• Deficient levees found across America

  January 17, 2013 7:23 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Inspectors taking the first-ever inventory of flood control systems overseen by the federal government have found hundreds of structures at risk of failing and endangering people and property in 37 states. Levees deemed in unacceptable condition span the breadth of America. Of those the U.S.... more »

• 2 accused of illegal hunting, damaging levee

  January 16, 2013 6:37 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Two Marksville men are accused of shooting deer from a levee road in LaSalle Parish and damaging the levee with their truck. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says 45-year-old Blaine McNeal and 43-year-old Keith Dauzat were booked with a charge of felony criminal damage to... more »

• Corps: Morganza levee to cost $12.9 billion

  January 4, 2013 2:50 PM

  HOUMA - The Army Corps of Engineers says a federal levee designed to protect Terrebonne Parish and parts of Lafourche Parish from storm flooding will cost $12.9 billion. State and local officials would have to come up with 35 percent, or up to $4.5 billion. The plan released Friday includes... more »

• Levee bonfires light the way for Santa Play Video

  December 24, 2012 10:00 PM

  LUTCHER - The lighting of bonfires went off without a hitch Christmas Eve, despite threats of inclement weather. One by one, the bonfires were set fire to by torch at 7 p.m. Surrounding the bonfires, fireworks lit the night sky. The 200-year-old tradition in St. James and St.... more »

• Annual bonfires will burn despite naughty forecast

  December 24, 2012 5:49 PM

  LUTCHER- An annual Christmas Eve tradition is a go, despite concerns of inclement weather. St. James and St. John parishes will light the bonfires on the Mississippi River levee. There was discussion about cancelling the event because of the severe weather. But, the weather situation is holding-off, and... more »

• Grand Isle still waiting for levee repairs

  November 26, 2012 10:57 AM

  GRAND ISLE - Three months after Hurricane Isaac, Grand Isle is still waiting for repairs to the island's levee system. But Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle tells The Courier he's been told by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the repairs won't begin until June when tourists typically flock... more »

• Corps: Isaac's path, slow speed caused flooding

  November 9, 2012 6:21 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A post-Hurricane Isaac study by the Army Corps of Engineers says Isaac's storm surge flooding of areas that were not inundated during Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav was not caused by post-Katrina improvements to New Orleans area levee system. Instead, the study says, surge flooding during Isaac was... more »

• Laplace flooding study to be finished soon Play Video

  November 1, 2012 6:16 PM

  LAPLACE - Two months after Hurricane Isaac brought two to four feet of storm surge into hundreds of homes, St. John Parish residents can soon expect answers as to why. Days after the storm, Sen. David Vitter asked the Corps of Engineers to investigate if the protection around New... more »

• Residents call for levee protections in LaPlace Play Video

  September 4, 2012 6:23 PM

  LAPLACE - Six days after thousands of people in St. John and St. James parishes were plucked from their homes due to rising flood water, dozens continue to question why they had no warning. As Isaac slowly rolled in Robin Wolf and her family sat inside their LaPlace home... more »

• Crews start breaching levee stressed by Isaac

  August 30, 2012 3:21 PM

  BRAITHWAITE - Crews are breaching a levee stressed by Isaac's floodwaters in southeast Louisiana's hard-hit Plaquemines Parish. At the same time, water at a dam farther north in Mississippi was released in an effort to prevent flooding there. Officials hope the Thursday breach in Plaquemines Parish will relieve pressure on... more »

• Levee in Plaquemines Parish to be breached

  August 29, 2012 6:38 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A state official says the levee in southeast Louisiana's Isaac-flooded Plaquemines Parish will be breached to relieve pressure on it. State Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority head Garret Graves says the levee won't be breached Wednesday because of weather conditions but it will happen as soon... more »

• Jindal: May break levee to relieve pressure

  August 29, 2012 12:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says coastal officials may intentionally break a levee on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish to relieve pressure on the structure. At a news conference in Baton Rouge, Jindal said there's no estimate on when that might occur. He says as many as... more »

• River Road to partially reopen next month

  August 9, 2012 10:26 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Corps of Engineers said repairs to a portion of River Road affected by record-level flooding on the Mississippi River are taking longer than expected, but they could re-open it on a limited basis next month. The roadway is an important corridor for traffic leaving LSU... more »

• Terrebonne residents weigh in on tax for levees

  July 3, 2012 9:47 AM

  HOUMA - Terrebonne Parish residents have given a measure of support at a public hearing in Houma to a 1/2-cent sales tax voters may be asked to approve this winter to help pay for $180 million in new levee protection. The Terrebonne Levee District said the sales tax is necessary... more »

• WBRZ Channel 2 and The Advocate present Fireworks on the Mississippi

  July 2, 2012 10:23 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Join WBRZ Channel 2 and The Advocate as we present our annual "Fireworks on the Mississippi" Independence Day celebration. Show starts at 9 p.m. and can be viewed all along the downtown Baton Rouge Mississippi Levee. If you can't make it out to the fireworks, you... more »

• Detectives: website linked murderer to victim Play Video

  May 3, 2012 6:13 PM

  ST. GABRIEL - Detectives believe the website backpage.com linked a murder victim to the man investigators say killed him. Jason Mascarella, 36, is charged with second degree murder for killing Roderick White, 33. How he did it is what investigators call "heinous, violent, and twisted." Detectives said White... more »

• Large rocks strengthen downtown levee Play Video

  April 17, 2012 5:33 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Large rocks and boulders will provide added strength to a vulnerable section of the levee in Downtown Baton Rouge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started building the rock berm in February. Ten thousand tons of rock was laid on top of the downslope of the... more »

• River road to re-open by summer Play Video

  March 29, 2012 6:17 PM

  BATON ROUGE - River Road south of LSU between Brightside Drive and Ben Hur Road has been closed for months as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adds an extra eight feet of dirt on the levee. Major General and President-Designee of the Mississippi River Commission John Peabody said... more »

• High water, extra Mississippi River levee checks

  February 10, 2012 4:12 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Army Corps of Engineers says it's keeping an eye on Mississippi River levees because the river is high. The twice-weekly checks are a precaution because the water is expected to remain high for a while. The corps said Thursday that patrols began this week for levees... more »

• Corps of Engineers to receive millions for levee repairs

  December 30, 2011 3:47 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Army Corps of Engineers says it's getting $802 million to repair levees and other structures damaged by the historic flooding on the Mississippi River this year - work considered urgent before the next spring flood season starts. With forecasts for another wet spring next year,... more »

• Bonfires set up on levee despite possible rain Play Video

  December 23, 2011 6:40 PM

  GRAMERCY - Fire department members ensure that Santa's path to the river parishes is well lit on Christmas eve by upholding their unique tradition. The Festival of Bonfire Lights invites locals to build fires along the Mississippi River levee. Janice Kennedy promised herself that if she beat cancer,... more »

• Levee repairs close River Road for months

  November 10, 2011 4:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Levee officials closed a portion of River Road near Duncan Pointe today in order to repair damage caused during historic flooding this past spring on the Mississippi River. The $8.85 million project requires the road to be closed for around four months while crews move the... more »

• Police hoping public will help clear year-old levee murder

  September 20, 2011 10:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A year after an innocent teen was gunned-down on the Baton Rouge levee downtown, police are still looking for clues. 17-year-old Darius Augustus was shot about this time a year ago. He and younger family members were on the levee waiting for a ride home, after visiting... more »

• Man accused in hit and run of bicyclist to be sentenced

  September 19, 2011 3:28 AM

  BATON ROUGE- A man accused of a hit-and-run incident that injured an LSU graduate student and member of the university cycling club a year ago is scheduled to be sentenced today. Marshall Hahn, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison for the incident that injured Mike Bitton. ... more »

• River Road by Brightside now open

  July 5, 2011 10:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A section of River Road by LSU has reopened after water seeping in from the levee forced it to close. The section of road south of Brightside Drive near the BREC Farr Park Equestrian Center had been closed since mid-May. Now the high-water period is... more »

• "Fireworks on the Mississippi"

  July 4, 2011 2:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE - It's the biggest 4th of July fireworks show in Louisiana at 9 pm and you're invited! The fireworks can be seen from the Mississippi River levee, from both Port Allen and Baton Rouge. Other events that fill the day downtown this Independence Day are as... more »

• Levees drying up in Baton Rouge, showing damage across the country

  June 27, 2011 9:51 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Flaws were left behind by the record level of the Mississippi River and could take up to $2 billion to fix. In Baton Rouge, since the river dipped below flood stage, people are seeing fewer sand bags and more dry levee land. Department of Public Works... more »

• Levee reopens in downtown Baton Rouge

  June 11, 2011 6:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A portion of the Downtown Levee is now open again to pedestrians and cyclist. The levee river walk was closed while high water threatened Baton Rouge and to prevent accidents near flood protection equipment. Dozens of people returned to the levee Saturday to revisit the river. "It's... more »

• Part of Baton Rouge levee opens as river falls

  June 11, 2011 10:20 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Part of the Mississippi River levee is reopening to pedestrians and bicyclists in downtown Baton Rouge. Mayor-President Melvin "Kip" Holden closed the levee May 13, as crews put sandbags and other flood-control devices in low areas because record high water was expected. Since the river began... more »

• Downtown BR levee to reopen Saturday

  June 10, 2011 2:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE - People will once again be able to walk the levees in downtown Baton Rouge this weekend. Mayor-President Kip Holden's office said the levee north of the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino will no longer be off-limits to pedestrians and cyclists starting Saturday. Jim Ferguson with... more »

• Krotz Springs could still see floodwater

  June 8, 2011 5:20 PM

  KROTZ SPRINGS- While waters begin to recede in some parts of Louisiana, backwater flooding is now beginning to threaten parts of Krotz Springs protected by a temporary levee system. Flood waters are a few hundred yards away from the levee constructed by the Louisiana National Guard, but many folks... more »

• Tiger Dam being removed from BR levees

  June 6, 2011 5:51 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The downtown levee in Baton Rouge could be open soon, as Department of Public Works are beginning to remove the Tiger Dam system used to protect against possible floods. Workers will take up to ten days to completely drain, remove and store the system before the levee... more »

• Levees, River Road downtown being reopened

  June 3, 2011 3:25 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A section of River Road in downtown Baton Rouge that was closed due to the rising Mississippi River is back open, and the downtown levees should soon follow suit. DOTD removed sandbags and traffic barriers today from River Road near the Hollywood Casino, which had been... more »

• Discussions begin to reopen downtown levee

  June 2, 2011 4:44 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The Department of Public Works is discussing a time line to reopen parts of the downtown levee to pedestrian and bike traffic. Officials with DPW tell News 2 that once the go-ahead is given, the department would need eight to ten days to remove the Tiger Dams... more »

• Levee renovation in store for Baton Rouge

  June 1, 2011 9:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Engineers are planning to permanently beef up protection along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. A part of River Road has been closed near Brightside Lane for two weeks while they tested high river pressure at seepage points in the levee, measured water flow from that seepage... more »

• Melville flood protection working, so far

  May 24, 2011 5:31 PM

  MELVILLE- Melville work crews say the levee protection around the town is working fine, but there are several homes outside the system where water is starting to creep up. Operator Floyd Davenport, Jr., remembers the last major flood in 1973. Davenport says the problems now are not that bad.... more »

• Mississippi crests in Vicksburg lower than feared

  May 20, 2011 2:33 AM

  VICKSBURG, Miss.- The Mississippi River has crested at more than 14 feet above flood stage in Vicksburg, Miss., slightly lower than expected, easing worries about water spilling over a nearby levee and inundating thousands more acres of farmland. Still, officials warn that the flood is by no means over. The... more »

• Guard completes levee project in Krotz Springs

  May 18, 2011 5:24 PM

  KROTZ SPRINGS, La.- Hundreds of homes might stay dry thanks to a two-mile levee the Louisiana National Guard finished building yesterday. It's in Krotz Springs, La. and protects an area where people where people were told to evacuate. Jeannette Ellis lives across the street from the levee, and plans... more »

• Mississippi River to crest this week, Atchafalaya the next

  May 16, 2011 12:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Mississippi is set to crest this week, with the Atchafalaya doing the same the next. The Mississippi will rise to 45 feet at Baton Rouge on May 17 and stay at that level for the duration of the week. The river will also crest... more »

• Mayor: Expect to see water, wet soil

  May 15, 2011 5:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A warning from the Mayor about "ponding" water because of a rising river. "Even though the opening of the Morganza Spillway is helping to stabilize rising Mississippi River levels, residents can expect to see ponding water in low areas and saturated soils within 3000 feet of... more »

• Iberville Parish continues flood preparations

  May 14, 2011 8:42 PM

  PLAQUEMINE - Sandbags are being made available in Iberville Parish to prepare for possible flooding there. A 300-foot stretch of the Mississippi River levee between Bayou Goula and White Castle has been sandbagged as a precautionary measure, according to the parish president's office. Sandbags may also be picked... more »

• Crews shore up low levee spots in Ascension Parish

  May 13, 2011 8:11 PM

  DONALDSONVILLE - Crews are shoring up a portion of levee following concerns raised by the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office. Right now there's work on the levee in front of Aben near the Sunshine Bridge. Prisoners from Hunt Correctional moved thousands of sandbags to raise the height of the levee.... more »

• La. Guardsmen help raise levee in St. Landry

  May 13, 2011 2:22 PM

  KROTZ SPRINGS - Louisiana National guardsmen were drafted to help raise a levee to protect 240 homes in Krotz Springs from potential flooding. The guardsmen, part of the 139th Regional Support Group and the 225th Engineer Brigade, began Wednesday building part of a two-mile long levee which raises a... more »

• Levee protection to be added to low point in south EBR

  May 12, 2011 10:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Two miles of levee will be built higher with sand and dirt since there's a two-foot drop compared to Baton Rouge. The levee south of LSU past the Iberville Parish line has inconsistencies in elevation. The East Baton Rouge side of Manchac Point is where the drop... more »

• Foot, bicycle traffic banned on levees in EBR, Port Allen

  May 12, 2011 5:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The levees in Baton Rouge and Port Allen have been big draws for people who want to see the historic levels of the Mississippi River. But today, only police will be on the levee. Levees on both sides of the river will be closed to all... more »

• National Guard teams with Krotz Springs crews to build levee

  May 11, 2011 10:12 PM

  KROTZ SPRINGS- It's a race against time in Krotz Springs. The town is on the St. Landry-Pointe Coupee Parish line and in the center of the Atchafalaya Basin. It could take on 15-feet of water in back-flooding if the Morganza Spillway is opened to relieve the swelling Mississippi River.... more »

• Inspectors check levees

  May 10, 2011 6:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE-- Cracks, sand boils, and dirt sloughing downhill are what inspectors with the Pontchartrain Levee District are looking for all day, every day on the levee system in Baton Rouge. So far, they haven't found any cracking of the surface, but they have found a handful of sand... more »

• BRPD: No parking on the levee side of River Road

  May 10, 2011 1:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE - People visiting the levees in Baton Rouge to see the rising Mississippi River need to be careful where they park, according to city police. Sgt. Don Stone with BRPD said for now, people can't park on the west side of River Road along the Mississippi River... more »

• Sandbags being deployed in East Baton Rouge Parish

  May 6, 2011 9:55 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Sandbags started going out today along lower points of the levees in East Baton Rouge Parish ahead of expected record-breaking river levels. Dozens of Department of Public Works employees were out early putting up sandbag barricades along the levee at River Road and North Street in... more »

• Sandbagging begins on river levee in Baton Rouge

  April 30, 2011 6:57 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Following predictions that the Mississippi River could be hitting levels not seen in decades the Army Corps of Engineers are taking proactive measures to prevent possible seepage in a problem spot on the river levee. Crews have targeted the Duncan Point location, a spot on the river near... more »

• Police say levee protecting Mo. town has breached

  April 26, 2011 12:55 PM

  POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - A police officer says a levee protecting a southeast Missouri town from major flooding has breached and that authorities are planning to evacuate residents from more homes in the area. Poplar Bluff police Officer Daron House said Tuesday that water is pouring through a crack... more »

• Levee inspectors watching high river level effects

  March 28, 2011 10:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The water level is high in the Mississippi River and that means the watch is on. Inspectors are on regular rotations checking for seepage and sand boils along the levee system. When the water levels rise in the spring, the increased pressure pushes water underneath the... more »

• Corps: Morganza study on track to be done by 2012

  January 6, 2011 10:05 AM

  HOUMA - The Army Corps of Engineers says it will take at least two more years to finish a study to re-evaluate the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane levee system. The corps determined that building the Terrebonne Parish levee system would cost much more than initially estimated. Congress authorized $886 million for the... more »

• Corps to shore up trouble spot in NO flood defense

  October 16, 2010 11:14 AM

  The Army Corps of Engineers is doing more work to strengthen the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal, a spot in New Orleans where floodwalls broke during Hurricane Katrina. The corps says it will reinforce levees and floodwalls along the IHNC to meet beefed-up standards the corps is using in the wake... more »

• Community gathers at memorial for levee murder victim

  October 8, 2010 10:11 PM

  People from all walks of life gathered to shine a light on the life of 17-year-old Darius Augustus in Baton Rouge. Augustus was shot and killed while walking on the levee downtown last weekend. News 2’s Kristy Davis was at the memorial this evening as people sent a rallying cry... more »

• Memorial planned for teen killed at downtown BR levee

  October 8, 2010 3:16 PM

  A memorial is planned tonight for a 17-year-old who was shot and killed on the Mississippi River levee in Baton Rouge last Saturday. Darius Augustus was shot an hour before midnight after leaving a haunted house with a group of friends. The group was standing on the levee near... more »

• Police increasing security after levee shooting

  October 4, 2010 5:59 PM

  Baton Rouge Police Chief Jeff LeDuff and District Attorney Hillar Moore met with the family of a teenager murdered over the weekend. 17-year-old Darius Augustus was shot on the levee near the River Center. Police said he was hit when two groups started shooting at each other. "This... more »

• Teen shot to death on levee in Baton Rouge

  October 3, 2010 9:22 AM

  A teenager was shot to death on the Mississippi River levee in Baton Rouge about an hour before midnight. Baton Rouge Police identified the victim as 17-year-old Darius Augustus. According to police Augustus left a haunted house with a group of friends and was standing on the levee near... more »

• Court revives claims over Katrina levee breaches

  September 15, 2010 10:13 AM

  A federal appeals court has ruled that a government contractor isn't immune from liability for its work on a New Orleans floodwall and levee system that failed during Hurricane Katrina. Tuesday's ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revives claims against Washington Group International Inc. over Industrial Canal... more »

• Corps experiments with steeper sloped levee

  August 13, 2010 5:18 AM

  A new technique could help save residents' land in Plaquemines Parish in the Army Corps of Engineers plans to raise a part of the Mississippi River levee. The corps says it will use stabilized soil to build a steeper slope on 1,000 feet of river levee near Belle Chasse and... more »

• BP asked to pay to plug leaking levee

  July 10, 2010 1:16 PM

  Terrebonne Parish levee officials are asking BP to pay for a temporary plug in a leaking levee, fearing oil from its busted well in the Gulf of Mexico could pass through. The Houma Courier reported the Terrebonne Levee District wants $298,000 for work on the levee in the Montegut area.... more »

• Man killed in ATV crash in Gonzales

  June 3, 2010 8:50 AM

  Louisiana State Police say a man from Gonzales was killed riding an ATV on River Road before 5 p.m. Wednesday. Troopers say Joshua A. Williams was riding an ATV south on the Mississippi River levee when he went onto LA 75 north of LA 73 and struck an SUV traveling... more »

• High water prevents Ouachita levee inspection

  March 10, 2010 9:22 AM

  High water has kept the Army Corps of Engineers from making its annual inspection of Ouachita River levees, leaving accreditation - and FEMA flood maps - up in the air. The corps' Joe McFarland told the Tensas Basin Levee District board on Tuesday that five or six dry days are... more »

• Rapides, Alexandria & Pineville to meet jointly

  February 22, 2010 8:37 AM

  The Army Corps of Engineers' refusal to certify levees in Rapides Parish is bringing the governments of the parish and its two biggest cities together for a joint meeting. Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy says he and Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields and Police Jury President Richard Billings have been working... more »

• Army Corps decides bonfires can go up Friday

  December 3, 2009 1:47 PM

  The Army Corps of Engineers has decided that the Mississippi River levels have dropped low enough that people can start building bonfires starting Friday in St. James Parish. Bonfire building was put on hold because the river levels were higher than usual, and officials were concerned that heavy traffic... more »

• No decision made on bonfires

  December 2, 2009 10:26 AM

  Bonfire builders in St. James Parish will have to wait a few more days before finding out if they can begin construction. High water in the Mississippi River has some worried that increased traffic on the levee could weaken it. The exeuctive director of the Pontchartrain Levee District... more »