WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• $1 million Powerball ticket sold in La.

  May 20, 2013 10:24 AM

  BATON ROUGE - While no tickets sold in Louisiana matched the biggest Powerball jackpot in history this weekend, one ticket sold in Baton Rouge is worth a $1 million prize. Louisiana Lottery officials said the million-dollar ticket was sold at Matherne's Supermarket on Bluebonnet, and matched all five white... more »

• $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 »

• Powerball jackpot increases to $550 million

  May 16, 2013 2:13 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The Powerball jackpot for the May 18 drawing is now up to $550 million, making it the second largest Powerball jackpot of all time. The cash value is now $350.1 million. The jackpot was last hit on March 30. The largest Powerball jackpot ever won is $587.5... more »

• BP agrees to pay $340 million for restoration projects

  April 30, 2013 3:02 PM

  LAFITTE - Governor Bobby Jindal announced today that BP agreed to fund approximately $340 million in restoration projects for Louisiana. It's part of the $1 billion that BP agreed to invest for early restoration of natural resources damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The restoration will include... more »

• Slidell woman arrested for embezzling over $2M

  March 21, 2013 3:41 PM

  SLIDELL, La. (AP) - A 72-year-old Slidell woman has been accused of stealing more than $2 million from two women who she worked for as a personal assistant for the last 28 years. Sgt. Sean Beavers, of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, says Janice Ricks Linam (ligh-nam) was booked... more »

• Nielsen: 20.6 million watched inauguration

  January 23, 2013 2:36 PM

  NEW YORK- Nielsen says an estimated 20.6 million people watched President Barack Obama's second inauguration on TV, sharply down from his first. The company, which measures television audience, says the number represents just over half of the 37.8 million people who saw Obama's first inauguration in 2009. Eighteen networks aired... more »

• LA jury awards $4.5 million to Filipino teachers

  December 18, 2012 3:10 PM

  LOS ANGELES- A federal jury in Los Angeles has ordered a company to repay $4.5 million to Filipino teachers who paid large fees to obtain U.S. jobs through a placement agency. The jury on Monday found that Los Angeles-based Universal Placement International and its owner, Lourdes Navarro, failed to properly... more »

• Record Powerball jackpot boosted to $500M

  November 27, 2012 12:55 PM

  DES MOINES, Iowa - The record Powerball jackpot is now even bigger. Powerball officials say they've boosted the jackpot for Wednesday's drawing to $500 million from the previously posted $425 million. Huge ticket sales nationally are pushing the payout higher. A single winner choosing the cash payout will take home... more »

• Powerball jackpot builds to $325M for Saturday

  November 23, 2012 11:57 AM

  DES MOINES, Iowa - The jackpot for Powerball's Saturday drawing has climbed to $325 million, the fourth-largest in the game's history. A single winner's cash payout would be nearly $213 million before taxes. Powerball organizers say this is the first run-up to a large jackpot that's fallen over a major... more »

• Next year's budget gap pegged at $963 million

  November 16, 2012 10:56 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The first snapshot of next year's state budget shortfall has been unveiled to lawmakers, and it's grim. Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget advisers said Friday the state is short $963 million to continue running all existing programs and account for inflationary growth in the budget year that begins... more »

• Home valued at $1.5M a total loss in fire

  October 24, 2012 4:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters said a million-dollar Baton Rouge home is a total loss after a fire this afternoon. Curt Monte with Baton Rouge Fire said the fire at the home on Rue Bienvenue was already into the roof when they arrived. They estimated the home to be worth... more »

• Powerball ticket worth $337M sold in Michigan

  August 16, 2012 7:49 AM

  LAPEER, Mich. - A winning ticket in the $337 million Powerball drawing has been sold at a gas station in Michigan. The winning numbers in the Wednesday night drawing were 6, 27, 46, 51, 56 and Powerball 21. The Michigan Lottery says the ticket was sold in Lapeer,... more »

• Patients, clinic brace for state healthcare cut impacts Play Video

  July 25, 2012 5:27 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Some people who rely on Medicaid say they're not sure what's next after hundreds of millions in federal funding cuts for the program in Louisiana. "We're very concerned because I see patients that are on Medicare, Medicaid,just indigent patients," said Dr. Ruth Smother. Last week... more »

• Million-dollar home damaged by fire

  July 9, 2012 3:16 PM

  ZACHARY - Investigators said they're still looking into the cause of a fire which did thousands of dollars in damage to a large home in Zachary this morning. Four departments responded to the million-dollar home on Jackcock Road around 9 a.m. today, including Zachary, Baker, Slaughter and Central fire... more »

• Navy awards $212M contract to Textron in Slidell

  July 6, 2012 5:57 PM

  SLIDELL - The Navy has awarded a $212 million contract for a Textron Inc. facility in Slidell to design and build an amphibious landing craft called a "Ship-to-Shore Connector." Sen. Mary Landrieu's office said the contract announced Friday includes options that could make it worth as much as $570 million.... more »

• Former secretary pleads guilty to embezzling $1.9M

  June 25, 2012 12:34 PM

  AMITE - A former secretary and clek pleaded guilty today in Amite to embezzling nearly $1.9 million from a juvenile justice program. Brenda Bickford, 61, of Hammond pleaded guilty to theft and fraud charges in district court. She admitted she took the money from the Florida Parishes Juvenile Justice... more »

• AP study finds typical CEO made $9.6M last year

  May 25, 2012 7:40 AM

  NEW YORK - Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs. An analysis by The Associated Press finds that the head of a typical public company made $9.6 million in 2011. That was up more than 6 percent from the previous year and... more »

• $1.2 million paid for rare baseball card

  April 20, 2012 10:32 AM

  ST. LOUIS - A New Jersey man has paid $1.2 million for an extremely rare 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card. The buyer placed the highest of 14 bids in an online auction that ended Friday. Missouri collectibles dealer Bill Goodwin, who auctioned off the card for a Houston seller, says... 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 »

• CATS tax debate heats up Play Video

  April 17, 2012 6:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE - You practically have to shut your eyes to avoid a sign about the tax intendend to keep the Capital Area Transit System running. CATS says it needs $2 million to fill a deficit. On Saturday voters will decide whether to approve or deny a tax that... more »

• Winning lottery ticket sold at BR store unclaimed

  April 3, 2012 12:51 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A winning ticket sold at a Baton Rouge convenience store remains unclaimed Tuesday leaving the quarter of a million dollar prize up for grabs. Jeff's Food Mart on Jefferson Highway sold the ticket. The ticket matched the five white balls in last Friday's Mega Millions... more »

• $90 million program to improve NO-area roads

  April 3, 2012 8:24 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A $90 million program has been started to repair, restore and improve more than 60 roadways in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Many of the roads were damaged during hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and then used as major hauling routes for post-story recovery operations. Repairs will... 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 »

• $336 million Powerball winner

  March 6, 2012 10:47 AM

  CRANSTON, R.I. - The winner of last month's $336 million Powerball jackpot is an 81-year-old woman. Rhode Island lottery officials said Louise White of Newport won the sixth largest jackpot in US history. The winning ticket for the February 11th drawing was sold at a Stop & Shop supermarket in... more »

• Tulane, LSU med institutions getting $3.96M

  February 28, 2012 7:45 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Two New Orleans medical institutions are getting nearly $4 million in disaster grants for Hurricane Katrina damages from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's office said $2.27 million will pay for repairs made at the Tulane University Medical School building that was badly damaged... more »

• VA to spend $6M on homeless center in New Orleans

  February 28, 2012 4:08 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will spend $6 million to open a new homeless center in New Orleans. The homeless center will be in the first floor of an addition to a downtown VA hospital. The center will be a place where veterans and homeless... more »

• Accountant bills N.O. Traffic Court for nearly $1.3M

  December 27, 2011 1:46 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - An accountant billed New Orleans Traffic Court nearly $1.3 million dollars in less than three years. The Times-Picayune says records and checks show that Vandale Thomas started with a one-year, $75,000 contract - but billed the city for that much within six weeks, and just kept going.... more »

• $2 million approved for new aquarium roof

  December 13, 2011 3:01 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The federal government has approved spending just over $2 million to replace the roof of the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. Patchwork repair was completed on the roof in May 2006 for its reopening after Hurricane Katrina. Aquarium officials say that the repair... more »

• FEMA gives New Orleans $52M to repave streets

  December 8, 2011 3:55 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - More roads damaged by flooding during Hurricane Katrina are going to get new paving. On Thursday, city officials announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving the city $52 million to fix roads in five neighborhoods that flooded after levees broke in August 2005. The announcement... more »

• LSU doctor gets $9M to develop pneumonia vaccine

  October 23, 2011 9:32 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- The National Institutes of Health is giving an LSU doctor about $9 million over five years for work toward a vaccine against a major cause of pneumonia in people who have HIV. Dr. Judd Shellito of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans - says pneumocystitis is the... more »

• FEMA gives $11M to raise homes in Jefferson Parish

  September 10, 2011 9:47 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded more than $11 million to pay for the elevation of 77 homes in Jefferson Parish. FEMA says the homes to be raised are in areas that repeatedly flood. The money comes from FEMA's Severe Repetitive Loss program. The homes... more »

• La. National Guard surpasses 1M gallons of water dropped on marsh fire

  September 1, 2011 2:28 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Governor Bobby Jindal announced today that the Louisiana National Guard's UH-60 Black Hawks have dropped more than one million gallons of water in the aerial firefight against the marsh fires in the Bayou Sauvage area. Governor Jindal said, "Our guardsmen have worked tirelessly to fight the... more »

• Southern budget balanced... almost

  August 24, 2011 6:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE-- Southern's University is balanced... almost. First, the university's board will have to approve a financial exigency, or in plainer terms, a financial emergency. The only way to cut $2 million from faculty salaries is for the faculty to agree to ten percent furloughs or to declare a... more »

• Charity Hospital replacement spending tops $100M

  July 16, 2011 3:00 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- State spending on a replacement for Charity Hospital has topped $100 million, although construction has yet to begin. The Times-Picayune reports that $46.3 million has been spent for land, $43 million for architectural-engineering consultants and $7 million for other consultants. The Office of Facility Planning and control... more »

• Settlement for 1 drywall case progresses

  July 14, 2011 2:28 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A proposed $55 million settlement of claims against a Miami-based supplier of tainted Chinese drywall has been granted preliminary approval by a federal judge in New Orleans, but it is far from a done deal. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon's approval on Thursday sets the stage... more »

• Michael Jackson 'Thriller' jacket fetches $1.8M

  June 26, 2011 4:44 PM

  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A famed black-and-red calfskin jacket that Michael Jackson wore in the classic "Thriller" video has sold at auction for $1.8 million. Darren Julien, president and CEO of Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, says the jacket was purchased Sunday by Milton Verret, a commodities trader from... more »

• Russian millionaire buys most-expensive U. S. home ever

  March 31, 2011 12:09 PM

  LOS ALTOS HILLS, Calif. - A Russian billionaire investor has purchased a lavish, 25,500-square-foot mansion in Silicon Valley for $100 million, believed to be the most ever paid for a single-family home in the United States. The Wall Street Journal reports that 49-year-old Yuri Milner, an investor in Facebook,... 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 »

• Nearly $1 million owed for ethics fines

  February 14, 2011 3:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE - We've got an update to a News 2 report from last week. People inside political circles owe nearly $1 million dollars in outstanding fines to the Louisiana Ethics Board. More than three dozen people on the list are from EBR, Livingston and Ascension Parishes. We've tracked some... more »

• BR Council says buses still roll, CATS budget still short

  January 26, 2011 10:23 PM

  BATON ROGUE- A fare hike and route cut-backs were denied Wednesday night by the Metro Council. That means the transit system has to come up with ways on its own to fill a budget gap. But riders were mostly ecstatic about the hold on services. "I am so... more »

• CATS approves budget with $1.2 million deficit

  December 14, 2010 10:21 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Capital Area Transit System has approved a budget that's short more than $1 million. CATS Board Member and Metro Councilwoman Donna Collins-Lewis says she abstained from the vote because public hearings on the budget weren't held yet. Lewis says CATS plans to go to the... more »

• People line up early for access to Palin signing

  November 28, 2010 10:15 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Although Sarah Palin's book signing in Baton Rouge isn't until Tuesday, people were standing in line as early as 4:00 a.m. so they could get access. The eager customers are hoping to get a bracelet that will get them into Palin's book signing event Nov. 30... more »

• CATS tax proposition on the ballot

  September 30, 2010 10:29 PM

  You vote on a tax to raise cash for the bus system Saturday, and it could mean better buses, more jobs and less traffic. The tax would put millions into vehicles, facilities, and people-power. While some said it's a benefit, others said it's a financial burden the city won't be... more »

• Lawmaker earmarks added to state budget

  June 22, 2010 4:53 PM

  State lawmakers added $30 million worth of pet projects to the state budget just before the session deadline. The amendments include funding for things like elderly organizations, road work and fire departments. The earmarks are often one of the more controversial issues. House Speaker Jim Tucker, (R) Terrytown,... more »

• $15 million settlement for injured worker

  June 20, 2010 4:36 PM

  An oil field rigger severely injured in a post-Hurricane Katrina salvage job has agreed to settle his court claims for $15 million. A trial for Randall James Wooley's lawsuit against his employer, Longnecker Properties Inc., and several other companies was scheduled to start July 18 in a Lafourche Parish... more »

• Chinese drywall program approved by LRA

  November 12, 2009 10:33 AM

  The Louisiana Recovery Authority gave its final approval to creation of a $5 million program to help some homeowners rehabilitate property with Chinese drywall problems. But the program requires legislative and federal approvals before it can begin and the aid also won't flow until federal officials devise a national... more »

• Kennedy concerned about state computer contract

  September 25, 2009 4:48 PM

  State Treasurer John Kennedy is concernd about an estimated $150 million dollars being spent for state computers. The project involves financial computers being installed for most state departments. Kennedy says IBM was awarded the contract despite past problems with the state. He says the current budget problems also make... more »