BATON ROUGE - Law enforcement is investigating after a cyclist was hit and killed on Jones Creek late Sunday night. 

Officials arrived at the scene on Jones Creek around 11 p.m.. Sunday. 

The parish coroner's office identified the victim as 60-year-old Michael Sterling. 

WBRZ has reached out to law enforcement for more information on whether anyone was charged or if they are looking for a suspect vehicle. 

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FRENCH SETTLEMENT - A crash on Highway 16 Monday morning left one person dead, officials confirmed. 

The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said the crash happened on highway 16 between Highway 22 and La Trace around 7 a.m. Monday. 

Louisiana State Police later confirmed there was one fatality in the crash, but the identity of the victim was not immediately clear. 

Another person was also taken to the hospital in non-critical condition. 

"Traffic is being turned around at LA 16/LA 444 and at the roundabout LA16/LA 22," the LPSO said, while it worked the incident. 

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BRUSLY - This Saturday, walk to raise awareness for asthma with the TUFF Project!

The 11th annual Asthma Awareness Walk is being hosted on May 3. Registration for the walk opens at 8 a.m. and the walk kicks off at 9 a.m.. 

The walk will take place in Lukeville Park in Brusly. 

Monday morning, event organizers spoke with April Davis about what the walk means to them and how you can get involved. 

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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals arriving for the first day of informal meetings after Pope Francis’ funeral were swarmed at the city-state’s gates by journalists eager for hints of whether any consensus was building around the election of a successor. 

Sources told CNN the date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor would be May 7. 

In a chaotic scene, journalists shouted out questions about the mood inside, whether there was unity, and when the conclave would begin. A reporter for a satirical Italian television program repeatedly asked whether an Italian cardinal who has been convicted by the Vatican criminal court on finance-related charges would be allowed to vote.

“There is the hope of unity,” said Argentine Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi, the 66-year-old archbishop of Cordoba who was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023.

Many cardinals cited the desire to continue Francis’ pastoral focus on people who are marginalized and against war. But conservatives in the ranks may be more focused on forging unity and refocusing the church back to core doctrines emphasized by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, rather than continuing Francis’ social justice focus and outreach to women and gays.

British Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the 79-year-old archbishop of Westminster, was adamant that the church must strive for unity, and he downplayed divisions.

“The role of the pope is to essentially hold us together and that’s the grace we’ve been given from God,” said Nichols.

Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo expressed confidence that once the conclave begins, a decision would be quick, “between two and three days.”

Cardinal electors
The College of Cardinals that will elect a new pope includes members from far-flung corners of the globe whom Francis named over his 12-year papacy to bring in new points of views of the Catholic Church hierarchy. Many have spent little or no time in Rome getting to know their colleagues, injecting some uncertainty into a process that requires two-thirds of the voting-age cardinals to coalesce behind a single candidate.

Nichols acknowledged that the 135 cardinal electors — 108 of whom were appointed by Francis — don’t know each other very well. The last 20 were appointed in early December.

“We’ve got all week,” Nichols said as he arrived Monday.

Only cardinals under 80 are eligible to vote, and it is not clear how many of the 135 will participate. A Spanish cardinal has already said he won’t come to Rome for health reasons.

A big uncertainty is whether Cardinal Angelo Becciu, once one of the most powerful cardinals in the Vatican, will be allowed in the Sistine Chapel. Francis in 2020 forced Becciu to resign as head of the Vatican’s saint-making office and renounce his rights as a cardinal because of allegations of embezzlement and financial fraud. Becciu denied any wrongdoing but was put on trial in the Vatican criminal court and convicted of finance-related charges in December, 2023.

He is appealing the conviction and has participated in the pre-conclave meetings, but there is a lingering question about whether he is entitled to vote. The Vatican’s official statistics list him as a “non-elector.” When he was ousted in 2020, Becciu told a hastily arranged press conference that he wouldn’t be voting in any future conclave, but recently, he has insisted he is entitled to vote and canon lawyers have been poring over the Vatican document regulating the conclave to determine if he’s right.

Papal candidates
While Francis stacked the ranks with his cardinals, it is not necessarily the case that all of them will want to see the church continue in his image.

On Monday morning, any glimpse of a red cap appearing along St. Peter’s Square’s stately colonnade set journalists running with cameras and voice recorders aloft to capture the mood inside, however fleeting.

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, considered a contender to be the next pope, navigated the scrum of converging journalists with humor, but didn’t give anything away. He joked that he was “holding his breath” as the microphones and cameras surrounded him all the way to the Vatican gate.

African voices
Nigerian Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, the emeritus archbishop of Abuja, was asked if the African cardinals were coalescing around a particular candidate.

African bishops had made a remarkably united stand last year against Francis’ outreach to LGBTQ+ people, refusing to implement his declaration allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. Given such a stand, there is some speculation that the 18 African cardinal electors could help block a progressive candidate from emerging.

“We have not come here for a political rally. We have come to get a pope out,” said Onaiyekan, who at 81 is too old to vote but can have a role in influencing how younger electors might.

Asian and Latin American voices
Indian Cardinal Anthony Poola, the 61-year-old archbishop of Hyderabad, said he had experienced a sense of unity among his fellow cardinals but allowed that “anything could happen.” As a relatively young cardinal, Poola is one of four Indian electors who will participate in the conclave, three of whom, including Poola, were named by Francis.

“Anyone who is coming up must be the successor of St. Peter, and we all hope that he will be a good pope,” he said.

Rossi, the Argentine cardinal, said he hoped that Francis’ message of “mercy, closeness, charity, tenderness and faith,” would accompany them in finding a successor.

But he acknowledged the job was daunting. Asked how he felt about participating in his first conclave, he responded with a laugh: “Afraid.″

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Daily commute updates can be found here: 

5:30a.m.: Wreck on I-10 westbound at Perkins causing heavy early morning delays. 18- wheeler lost rear axel. 

7:10 a.m.: CLOSED- Hwy 16 Both NB/SB north of Hwy 22 and LA-444 due to wreck 

8 a.m.: Wreck at 10/110 split eastbound leaves left lane blocked on MSRB

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BATON ROUGE - A few high school students in East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana parishes were shouted out on social media for their involvement with school projects. 

At Northdale Academy in Baton Rouge, students finished their "Paint Like A Pro" mural. They worked with professional artist Ellen Ogden to do the collaborative mural which is on the school's wall.

At Baton Rouge Magnet High, student Sofia Lockridge was celebrated for her winning art piece, “Everything I Learned in High School and All the Questions I Still Have." Lockridge won Best In Show at the high school art competition at the Baton Rouge Gallery and had her art featured on a billboard.

At East Feliciana High School, a group of students in Ms. Chambers' carpentry class are nearly finished building a storage shed. The hardworking students just have to add a roof and it will be complete. 

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BATON ROUGE - Earth Day Baton Rouge returned downtown Sunday after a six-year hiatus. 

The Clean Green Neighborhood Alliance partnered with the Old South Baton Rouge Economic Redevelopment Group to educate and inspire sustainability and conservation alongside eco-friendly vendors. There were also hands-on demonstrations, exhibits and live music. 

Organizer Thomasina Joseph said it's important for the community to recognize Earth Day and take eco-friendly actions in daily life. 

"We have a whole new generation of kids that don't even know what that looks like and to start teaching them the right way to recycle, different ways of sustainability," Joseph said. 

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BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge family is mourning the loss of an 18-year-old who was found shot to death inside his car Saturday night.

The Baton Rouge Police Department said Jonathon Triplett was stopped between the red light and the train tracks at the intersection of North 38th Street and Choctaw Drive when his car was shot at.

Triplett's aunt Crystal Kinchen said she talked to him right before he died.

“That was the last call. He told me he was on the way home. And I told him to call me when he makes it there. So that’s what I was waiting on,” Kinchen said.

Kinchen said she raised Triplett, and he was known as "J Boy' to the family. She said growing up he was a good kid, and they shared an unbreakable bond. She said she is now left with pain and questions.

“The amount of times he got shot, like it really didn’t make no sense. Like what he did to y'all to make y'all shoot that car up so bad like that? I really want to know,” Kinchen said.

Kinchen said Triplett was just released from prison in February. She said he was in the process of enrolling in trade school and pursuing work at a plant. She warned him of being in the streets.

“Something is going on every day. Everyday! Stay in the house – like you don’t even have to stay in the house. Don’t hang with the wrong crowd,” she said.

She said she is heartbroken from losing her nephew and wishes she could have done something to save him.

“But if I could have done anything to save him, I would have because my nephew didn’t deserve that. He was a good person,” she said.

BRPD said the shooting was likely targeted but they did not identify any suspects or what the motive may be.

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BATON ROUGE - Addis American Idol contestant John Foster advanced through the first live round and into the Top 12 on Sunday night.

Foster's weekend performance was his version of Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock."

The West Baton Rouge Parish native will be back on the big screen during Monday night's show on WBRZ which starts at 7 p.m. 

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BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers say a bill to ban balloon releases is a step toward protecting the environment, while others argue it is a blow to cherished traditions for grieving families.

House Bill 581 would criminalize balloon releases in the state for people older than 16, imposing civil fines of $150 for a first violation, $250 for the second and $500 for any additional citations.

Representative John Illg proposed the bill and stated it aims to address litter in the state.

"You don't realize the damage you're doing. I understand the memorial thing, but would you be okay with people littering to memorialize something?” Illg said.

Illg said balloons can become caught in power lines, potentially causing outages. They also pose serious threats to animals that might ingest them or become entangled.

“Cattlemen say the baby calves eat them, and they get lodged in their intestines, which causes medical problems for the farm animal. It always ends up in our waterways, which affects our fishermen," Illg said.

However, balloon releases are a common coping ritual for grieving families.

Cathy Toliver lost her 3-year-old grandson Devin Page Jr. to gun violence three years ago. She's held balloon releases in his memory but also encourages others to participate.

"Because we know they're no longer here in the natural, but when we release those balloons, it's like we're sending them up to Heaven and reaching our loved ones. Why would someone want to make a bill to stop that?" Toliver said. “So if you're going to say because of the environment, we're living in Hell. We're living in all types of things that are wrong in this universe.”

She said this bill would rip away part of people's grieving process.

"If you pass this bill and say no more balloon releases you are becoming a dictator and that is wrong. You do not dictate to people how they can grieve," Toliver said.

The bill is headed to a final vote in the House on Monday, if it passes it will go to the Senate.

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BATON ROUGE - One person was killed in a shooting along Kilona Drive on Sunday afternoon. 

Officials said that the shooting happened just before 7 p.m. along Kilona in the neighborhood off of Greenwell Street and Lanier Drive. 

No information about the person's identity or what happened to lead up to the shooting was released.

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Deputies are investigating. 

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AMITE - Deputies in Tangipahoa Parish are trying to track down a burglar who broke into an Amite business and took off with more than $2,000 in merchandise. 

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said on April 15 an unknown male went to a business along U.S. Highway 51 near Anderson Road and cut the locks on the fence before driving into the yard. Deputies said the man took several sheets of tin and different pieces of equipment. 

Anyone with information can call (985) 402-0214.

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BATON ROUGE - A pair of St. George firefighters saved a tiny raccoon that got stuck in a storm drain over the weekend. 

The department said that firefighters were called out by a homeowner that found the little animal.

They said Captain Boykin and Firefighter/Operator Roe came to rescue the raccoon. 

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DENHAM SPRINGS - A 13-year-old from Denham Springs died early Sunday morning after he was hit while bicycling along Lockhart Road. 

State Police said teenager Matthew Temple was riding his Huffy bicycle down Lockhart near Magnolia Boulevard just before 1:30 a.m. when a Dodge Dart hit the bike from behind. 

Temple was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries. Troopers say the driver was uninjured and routine toxicology samples were taken. 

The crash is still under investigation. 

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ST. GABRIEL — A woman was killed early Sunday morning in a car crash in St. Gabriel, the St. Gabriel Police Department said. 

Authorities say they responded to a car crash around midnight on LA-30 near LA-3115, where they found a woman suffering from severe injuries near the intersection. Emergency responders were called, but she died from her injuries. 

According to officials, the driver, 51-year-old Sean Alteri, remained on the scene. Officers say they noticed signs of impairment, so the Louisiana State Police were contacted to perform a field sobriety test. Authorities say that during the test, Alteri showed visible signs of impairment and was transported to the St. Gabriel Police Department to provide a breath sample, where he blew over the legal limit.

Alteri was arrested for driving under the influence and vehicular homicide. He was booked into the Iberville Parish Jail.

The victim's name has not been released at this time.  

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PORT ALLEN — A woman was arrested after deputies found drugs and a handgun in her car during a traffic stop on Friday, April 25, the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies say that during the traffic stop on Rosehill Drive, they found a handgun, "crack" cocaine, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, a digital scale and various drug paraphernalia. An unrestrained minor was also found inside the vehicle.

44-year-old Jackie Honore was arrested and booked into the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center on multiple charges including but not limited to illegal carrying of a weapon with CDS, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting an officer, possession of CDS in the presence of persons under 17, child passenger restraint violation, two counts of possession with intent to distribute schedule I and possession with intent to distribute schedule II. 

Honore remains in custody with no bond set at this time. 

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BATON ROUGE — An 18-year-old was found dead in a car after a shooting in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, the Baton Rouge Police Department said.

Detectives say Jonathan Triplett was found dead in a Dodge vehicle just before midnight on N. 38th Street near Choctaw Drive. Officials say there were multiple bullet holes in the car.

There is no motive or suspect at this time, and this is an ongoing investigation. 

If you have any information on this homicide investigation, you should contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-7867.

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PONCHATOULA — Tangipahoa Parish Deputies are searching for a woman accused of theft and fraud.

Deputies say the woman was seen entering the On-the-Run convenience store in Ponchatoula and allegedly taking multiple items from the shelves, hiding them in her purse, leaving the store and returning for a refund. 

Sheriff Gerald Sticker encourages anyone with information to contact the Organized Retail Crime Unit at (985) 902-2043. If you would prefer to report anonymously, call the Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa tip line at 1 (800) 554-5245.

You may be eligible for a cash reward.

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PORT ALLEN — The eastbound I-10 on-ramp from the northbound lanes of La. 1 in Port Allen will be fully closed overnight Sunday and Monday. 

The closure will last from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. each night. 

DoTD said the closure is necessary to install a new asphalt shoulder along the on-ramp, install temporary concrete barriers and place temporary striping.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Vancouver police ruled out terrorism in a car ramming attack that killed 11 people at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city, saying the suspect has a history of mental health issues.

Dozens of others were injured, some seriously, as the ramming shook the country before a federal election.

A man driving a black Audi SUV entered the street just after 8 p.m. Saturday and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival. A Vancouver man was arrested.

“It is the darkest day in Vancouver’s history,” Vancouver Police Interim Chief Steve Rai told a news conference.

“The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health," he said.

Video of the aftermath shows the dead and injured along a narrow street in South Vancouver lined by food trucks. The front of the driver's SUV is smashed in.

Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle enter past the barricade slowly before the driver slammed on the gas in an area that was packed with people after a concert. He said hearing the sounds of bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind.

"He sideswiped someone on his right side and I was like, ‘Oh, yo yo.’ And then he slammed on the gas,” he said. “And the sound of the acceleration, it sounds like an F1 car about to start a race.

"He slammed on the gas, barreled through the crowd. And all I can remember is seeing bodies flying up in the air higher than the food trucks themselves and landing on the ground and people yelling and screaming. It looked like a bowling ball hitting hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air.”

Pangilinan said that it would be hard to believe “that someone has some malice against the Filipino people.”

Suspect was detained by bystanders before the police arrived

A 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested at the scene. Rai said that the man was arrested after initially being apprehended by bystanders.

Video circulating on social media shows a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him.

“I’m sorry,” the man says, holding his hand to his head.

Rai declined to comment on the video.

Prime Minister Mark Carney canceled his first campaign event on the final day of the election campaign before Monday’s vote.

“Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son or a daughter. Those families are living every family's nightmare,” Carney said. “And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences."

In 2018, a man used a van to kill 10 pedestrians in Toronto. Eight women and two men died. Alek Minassian, who was found guilty, told police that he belonged to an online community of sexually frustrated men, some of whom have plotted attacks on people who have sex.

Witnesses describe how they leaped out of the way

Carayn Nulada said that she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the SUV. She said that her daughter suffered a narrow escape.

“The car hit her arm and she fell down, but she got up, looking for us, because she is scared,” said Nulada, who described children screaming, and pale-faced victims lying on the ground or wedged under vehicles.

“I saw people running and my daughter was shaking.”

Nulada was in Vancouver General Hospital’s emergency room early Sunday morning, trying to find news about her brother, who was run down in the attack and suffered multiple broken bones.

Doctors identified him by presenting the family with his wedding ring in a pill bottle and said that he was stable, but would be facing surgery.

James Cruzat, a Vancouver business owner, was at the event and heard a car rev its engine and then “a loud noise, like a loud bang” that he initially thought might be a gunshot.

“We saw people on the road crying, others were like running, shouting, or even screaming, asking for help. So we tried to go there just to check what was really actually happening until we found some bodies on the ground. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured,” Cruzat said.

Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said in a social media post that the city would provide more information when possible.

“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event,” Sim said. “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time."

Vancouver's large Filipino population was honoring a national hero

Vancouver had more than 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage in 2021, representing 5.9% of the city’s total population, according to Statistics Canada, the agency that conducts the national census.

Lapu Lapu Day celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century. The organizers of the Vancouver event — which was in its second year — said that he “represents the soul of native resistance, a powerful force that helped shape the Filipino identity in the face of colonization.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a statement expressing sympathy with the victims and their families.

“The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver is working with Canadian authorities to ensure that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and that the victims and their families are supported and consoled,” he said.

The country's Department of Foreign Affairs said that “we remember the 1 million strong Filipino community in Canada and pray for their continued strength and resilience.”

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