http://feed.informer.com/digests/IMDXGCDKYS/feeder Louisiana State News Respective post owners and feed distributors Sat, 05 Sep 2020 12:30:04 +0000 Feed Informer http://feed.informer.com/ https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-selling-cut-outs-to-stand-in-for-fans-in-tiger-stadium/ WBRZ urn:uuid:c4d176f6-2cf2-bab9-437b-c60e49af0c66 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:49:35 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135366"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/L3C72NKeqnOcfsJoPNOZ4AvihQHbGgcm3aFr6HnI8utNG3PrZKFze68iSex-UQ7DSkv9_8bzjoVH4Fcmgoz5Qu1R5IybJvEDV109h4CwdpJg" alt="LSU selling cut-outs to stand in for fans in Tiger Stadium" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - Only a select few fans will be part of the roughly 25,000 fans who get to attend football games in Tiger Stadium this season, but LSU is giving everyone else an opportunity to leave their mark on game day.</p><p>The LSU Athletics department announced Friday that fans can now purchase cut-outs to place in the empty seats left in the stands. You can upload a picture of yourself for the display, or you can get creative and put someone - or something - else entirely.</p><p>The cut-outs will cost $50 a piece, and fans can opt to pick up theirs at the end of the season.</p><p>You can learn more about the offer <a href="https://lsu-fan-cutouts.aaaflag.com/products/lsu-fan-cutout">here</a>.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-selling-cut-outs-to-stand-in-for-fans-in-tiger-stadium/" title="LSU selling cut-outs to stand in for fans in Tiger Stadium">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-selling-cut-outs-to-stand-in-for-fans-in-tiger-stadium/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/9sv8DHn52rE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/saints-starting-receivers-thomas-sanders-miss-practice/ WBRZ urn:uuid:5424d45f-a6f1-f29c-ed20-dbba9792b4a4 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:35:57 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135365"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/2HXwX2v63wbw93WqDEDhZgS_ehPpzct8TvudyT6tP4Rk50Thr5XAUorv0gd-WS6DsW-6Z4g-aM9cKNS2bTpHSM" alt="Saints starting receivers Thomas, Sanders miss practice" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">METAIRIE, La. (AP) &amp;mdash; Two of the Saints&amp;rsquo; starting receivers, two-time All-Pro Michael Thomas and veteran Emmanuel Sanders, missed practice on Thursday, raising questions about who would replace their production in New Orleans&amp;rsquo; passing attack.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Thomas limped off the field late in Sunday&amp;rsquo;s victory over Tampa Bay, and the team said Thursday he had an ankle injury.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Coach Sean Payton declined to address Thomas&amp;rsquo; prognosis with reporters, maintaining his usual policy of declining to disseminate any details beyond what clubs are required to post on injury reports.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Payton&amp;rsquo;s refusal to discuss the matter left uncertain Thomas&amp;rsquo; prospects for Monday night&amp;rsquo;s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas &amp;mdash; or games beyond that.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Sanders, who left San Francisco as a free agent this past offseason, caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees in his Saints debut. The Saints said Sanders&amp;rsquo; absence from practice Thursday was not injury-related, but no further explanation was provided.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Sanders was not added to the Saints&amp;rsquo; reserve/COVID-19 list, according to transactions released Thursday by the NFL.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Thomas&amp;rsquo; and Sanders&amp;rsquo; absences come after Brees last Sunday passed for 160 yards, well below his usual standard and tying a season low from last year &amp;mdash; excluding a Week 2 loss against the Rams in Los Angeles, which Brees left with an injured throwing hand after his fifth pass.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">The Saints (1-0) also got relatively low production from Thomas, who opened 2020 with three catches after setting an NFL single-season record with 149 catches in 2019.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Brees has had games before in which he&amp;rsquo;s thrown multiple touchdown passes to reserves. Among them was a Thursday night victory over Atlanta in November 2018, when Brees threw scoring passes to four players who had entered the NFL as undrafted free agents within three years of that game: tight end Dan Arnold and receivers Tommylee Lewis, Austin Carr and Keith Kirkwood.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">&amp;ldquo;Our coaching staff does a great job of putting guys in the best position to succeed and building a game plan around the strengths of the guys we do have,&amp;rdquo; Brees said after Thursday&amp;rsquo;s practice.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Brees also makes plenty of throws to running backs such as Alvin Kamara, who had a receiving touchdown in Week 1, and tight ends including Jared Cook, who caught five passes for a team-high 80 yards last Sunday.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m not worried about Drew&amp;rsquo;s passing yards,&amp;rdquo; Kamara said. &amp;ldquo;We just had a slow offensive day, just kind of working some of the kinks out. It was Game 1, so those are when some of those mistakes happen.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Kamara added that the newer and younger offensive skill players who could be called upon this week are &amp;ldquo;locked in. They know what&amp;rsquo;s going on. They know what they have to do. We&amp;rsquo;re focused on a lot of details this week and they&amp;rsquo;ll be ready.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">The Saints&amp;rsquo; third starting receiver, Tre&amp;rsquo;Quan Smith, is healthy.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Last week, New Orleans had two other receivers on the active roster: Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway. Harris was an All-Pro returner as a rookie last season and his play in training camp, along with comments by Payton, have foreshadowed a growing role in the offense for him this season.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">&amp;ldquo;He could have had more touches and more involvement (in the offense) a year ago,&amp;rdquo; Payton said last week.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Callaway is an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">The club could choose to activate any of several receivers from its practice squad, including Bennie Fowler, Austin Carr, Juwan Johnson and Lil&amp;rsquo;Jordan Humphrey.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">Folwer was activated in Week 1 and recovered a kickoff fumbled by Tampa Bay.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-138 Component-p-0-2-121">NOTES: The Saints activated running back Dwayne Washington from their reserve/COVID-19 list. The Saints now have no other players on that list.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/saints-starting-receivers-thomas-sanders-miss-practice/" title="Saints starting receivers Thomas, Sanders miss practice">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/saints-starting-receivers-thomas-sanders-miss-practice/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/iIMroAsfCMU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/firefighter-dies-battling-wildfire-sparked-by-gender-reveal-device/ WBRZ urn:uuid:da73e8fe-b98c-e236-4f72-0fc249e0f37c Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:24:34 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135364"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/8X464GiweWlWb46Fs-Fbtw5I747BqICWmsISEdePCzgoYgIa00wy8MgYNGimMRySTQjEsLKXIEbSiYRG09fFlomLfLD0sdIxIW2c3PnypK9PKm0GzB7G29kRCjhQr84yg" alt="Firefighter dies battling wildfire sparked by gender reveal device" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) &amp;mdash; A firefighter died battling a wildfire in California that officials said was sparked by a device used to reveal a baby&amp;rsquo;s gender.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The death happened Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The fire erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to<span>&amp;nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/gender-reveal-party-sparked-california-wildfire-that-s-spread-to-7-000-acres">reveal their baby&amp;rsquo;s gender</a>, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The name of the firefighter was being withheld until family members are notified. The cause of the death was under investigation.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time,&amp;rdquo; Forest Service spokesperson Zach Behrens said in the statement.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">No other information was released about the firefighter, the agency the firefighter worked for or the circumstances of the firefighter&amp;rsquo;s death. Behrens said in a telephone interview he could not comment beyond details in the statement.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">California&amp;rsquo;s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said earlier this month that the fire was ignited Sept. 5 when a couple, their young children and someone there to record video staged the baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Shortly after the fire began, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson issued a statement saying he was aware of the community&amp;rsquo;s concerns about how the fire started.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;If investigative reports are filed with our office, we will review all facts, evidence, statements, and reports to determine what criminal charges, if any, need to be filed,&amp;rdquo; Anderson said.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The wildfire has burned nearly 30 square miles (77.7 square kilometers) and was about 66% contained, according to Cal Fire. The fire has destroyed 10 buildings and damaged six others.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">More than 17,000 firefighters are battling more than two dozen major wildfires in California. The blazes are blamed for<span>&amp;nbsp;</span><a class="" href="https://apnews.com/c88fc03d9896b028871db59c85c64feb">at least 25 deaths.</a></p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165"></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/firefighter-dies-battling-wildfire-sparked-by-gender-reveal-device/" title="Firefighter dies battling wildfire sparked by gender reveal device">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/firefighter-dies-battling-wildfire-sparked-by-gender-reveal-device/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/XkuGHtivGfc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/st-james-parish-meets-criteria-to-reopen-bars-under-phase-3-guidelines/ WBRZ urn:uuid:932fb0da-5e65-9634-a56e-bb45713213c1 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:02:05 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135363"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/Y_J0RJ-CMVqIzpjEhUwB3w4T1XzBwTGHWDAFnjnLfRSUNxyvuBT217bqu8iPIL292eXeNbQ0iHxro53zfliBq1Xlv67Jw1yvjDE3G7V3swuA" alt="St. James Parish meets criteria to reopen bars under Phase 3 guidelines" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>ST. JAMES PARISH - Officials with St. James Parish announced Friday that the Parish has met the criteria to reopen its bars due to a COVID-19 positivity rate of five percent or less for two consecutive weeks, and will take steps to reopen bars throughout Gramercy and Lutcher.</p><p>Parish President Dufresne issued a statement regarding the decision to opt-in to the Governor&amp;rsquo;s Phase 3 reopening of bars for on-premise consumption, saying, &amp;ldquo;The residents and business owners of our parish have been complying with local and state mandates, therefore, affording us the opportunity to lift restrictions. I encourage businesses to follow the Governor&amp;rsquo;s guidelines in hopes of continuing to lessen restrictions in St. James Parish.&amp;rdquo;</p><p>Bars will be allowed to open under the following conditions:</p><p>-Parish maintains a percent positivity rate of 5% or less; should the parish exceed 10% positivity for two consecutive weeks, bars shall close until percent positivity decreases to 5% or less.</p><p>-Bars are permitted to operate with table service at 25% capacity up to 50 patrons; no walk-up service at the bar shall be allowed.</p><p>-Alcohol sales at all venues must end and bars must close by 11 p.m.</p><p>-Outdoor table service is allowed; no standing room capacity shall be permitted</p><p>-All seating must be socially distanced<br /><br />For more information, refer to gov.louisiana.gov and view the Governor&amp;rsquo;s Phase 3 Proclamation.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/st-james-parish-meets-criteria-to-reopen-bars-under-phase-3-guidelines/" title="St. James Parish meets criteria to reopen bars under Phase 3 guidelines">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/st-james-parish-meets-criteria-to-reopen-bars-under-phase-3-guidelines/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/dhZSTWolZj0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/mom-arrested-cousin-wanted-after-teen-shoots-himself-in-knee/ WBRZ urn:uuid:c9f8cd07-132d-d18c-a888-d092f0b4f84c Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:52:53 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135362"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/nxZTZsd4r_TFvFA6wLLM7Qf1g36HwH_0C7ZxHd3Wfy2HNkQOmGRclrvzY0lf5LrU-jkLV1HPOiOwP_IuPA8Wbj5pUa2gHUZ87dUQNoLU_mgw" alt="Mom arrested, cousin wanted after teen shoots himself in knee" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>ST. TAMMANY PARISH - The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office is searching for Dane Williams, a 30-year-old convicted felon who was caring for his 16-year-old cousin in the Slidell area when the boy accidentally shot himself in the knee on Thursday.&amp;nbsp;</p><p><span>Deputies arrested the teen's mother, Kimberly Taylor, shortly after the incident.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p>The Sheriff's Office says Taylor had been allowing her son to live with Williams <span>at a residence in the Rocket Ranch Trailer Park near Slidell. This was where the teen accidentally shot himself on Thursday afternoon.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p>Deputies say <span>Taylor, who was living in a separate trailer next door, was alerted after her son was injured and she called 911 before driving him to a local hospital, where he was treated and released. </span></p><p><span>She was charged with improper supervision of a minor and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail, after detectives learned she was knowing allowing her minor child to live with a dangerous felon.</span><br /><br /><span>Williams has yet to be arrested. Deputies say he is currently on probation and has multiple prior convictions in Louisiana and in other states for a variety of charges, including, accessory after the fact to attempted second degree murder, felony theft and driving under the influence.</span><br /><br /><span>Warrants have been issued for his arrest on one count each of felon in possession of a Firearm and obstruction of justice.</span></p><p><span>Williams is believed to be driving a gold Ford F-150 with a Florida license plate and anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff&amp;rsquo;s Office at (985) 898-2338.</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/mom-arrested-cousin-wanted-after-teen-shoots-himself-in-knee/" title="Mom arrested, cousin wanted after teen shoots himself in knee">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/mom-arrested-cousin-wanted-after-teen-shoots-himself-in-knee/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/YXyuSIsuct0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/wall-street-drifts-as-another-bumpy-week-of-trading-closes/ WBRZ urn:uuid:91b9aa65-5c02-bf9b-cf63-9f9a24d6cc7a Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:34:31 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135361"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/M1bGmuM0ntZpfLU_Y7nxbQP8QPLAQC8EGI28DYz-frlBQNvhl2I5T5Gceg7MEy_ZXtpswXv0odBAPHb8Qhb886I_AnEcZBZAx_dEceSkx4pcK6nHU6zhmodK5iUhF1pWA" alt="Wall Street drifts as another bumpy week of trading closes" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">NEW YORK (AP) &amp;mdash; Stocks are drifting in mixed trading on Wall Street Friday, as another zig-zag week for markets closes out following their abrupt loss of momentum this month.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">The S&amp;P 500 was down 0.2% after giving up a small gain in the first few minutes of trading. It&amp;rsquo;s still on pace for a gain of 0.2% this week after a two-day slump followed up on a two-day gain.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 118 points, or 0.4%, at 27,783, as of 9:54 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.1%. Both drifted from small gains to losses shortly after trading began. Smaller stocks were still higher, with the Russell 2000 index of small caps up 0.3%.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Analysts warned that the day&amp;rsquo;s trading could be even bumpier than usual. Futures and options on stocks and indexes are set to expire in an event known as &amp;ldquo;quadruple witching,&amp;rdquo; which can drive swings in prices.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Stocks have already swirled this week despite the Federal Reserve&amp;rsquo;s saying it expects to keep short-term interest rates at record lows through 2023. Low rates typically turbocharge the market by encouraging investors to pay higher prices for stocks, but some investors may have been looking for the Fed to be even more aggressive.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Growth in some areas of the economy has also slowed after unemployment benefits and other aid from the federal government expired, and partisan disagreements in Congress are holding up a renewal of support. Investors say it&amp;rsquo;s essential that such aid arrives.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Rising tensions between the world&amp;rsquo;s two largest economies are also continuing to keep markets on edge. The United States said on Friday that it will ban downloads of Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok on Sunday.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">President Donald Trump&amp;rsquo;s targeting of the Chinese tech industry has caused intermittent worries in the market about a possible retaliation against the U.S. industry.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Big Tech stocks already stumbled sharply this month on worries that their prices have grown too expensive following their virtuosic performance through the pandemic. Surging shares of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and others helped carry Wall Street back to record heights, even as the pandemic walloped much of the economy, as the coronavirus accelerated work-from-home and other trends that benefit them.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">But they suddenly lost momentum two weeks ago, causing the market to swing with them. Because these companies have grown so massive, their stock movements have huge sway over broad market indexes, such as the S&amp;P 500.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">On Friday, several Big Tech stocks were swinging from gains to losses. Apple was down 0.8%, and Microsoft was down 0.5%, but Facebook was up 0.5%.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Also on the long list of concerns for markets is how the pandemic progresses, whether a vaccine for COVID-19 could indeed be available in early 2021 as many investors expect and what November&amp;rsquo;s U.S. presidential election will do to the economy.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Treasury yields remain very low, showing the powerful strength of the Federal Reserve and continued expectations by bond investors for only modest economic growth and inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped to 0.67% from 0.69% late Thursday.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Other stock markets around the world made mostly modest moves.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">In Europe, the German DAX lost 0.1%, and the French CAC 40 sank 0.9%. The FTSE 100 in London fell 0.5%.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Asian markets rose. Japan&amp;rsquo;s Nikkei 225 added 0.2%, South Korea&amp;rsquo;s Kospi gained 0.3% and Hong Kong&amp;rsquo;s Hang Seng climbed 0.5%. Stocks in Shanghai rose 2.1%.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-233 Component-p-0-2-225">Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 0.2% to $41.04 to per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, dropped 0.1% to $43.24 per barrel.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/wall-street-drifts-as-another-bumpy-week-of-trading-closes/" title="Wall Street drifts as another bumpy week of trading closes">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/wall-street-drifts-as-another-bumpy-week-of-trading-closes/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/ThSPXACvDVI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/prairieville-man-arrested-on-attempted-second-degree-murder-charge/ WBRZ urn:uuid:9948d2a2-39fc-dd20-c6f1-1b4628dc49f1 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:20:51 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135360"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/-X-o6zavVz_TKPHSQkOcZwPGTkVx6VicNwM-9pcX0YEmUTHarVJGld4Eea_tZeKlXH7lLOtjxsKelHKsoG_XsRYf8vsksYL6RcyJdz9QCcTg" alt="Prairieville man arrested on attempted second-degree murder charge" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>PRAIRIEVILLE - A Thursday afternoon shooting in a Prairieville neighborhood off Bluff Road left one man injured and resulted in the arrest of the alleged gunman, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>The Sheriff's Office issued a statement regarding the incident on Friday, identifying the arrested individual as 28-year-old Ervin LaBostrie III of Prairieville and revealing that the man LaBostrie alleged shot is currently hospitalized but expected to make a full recovery.</p><p>According to the release, LaBostrie shot the man while the two were at a home on Forest Hills Drive and the bullet hit the victim in his upper body. Detectives say LaBostrie then fled the scene.</p><p>But, the release continues, a short while later LaBostrie returned to the home and was apprehended.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>At this time, the reason for the shooting remains unclear.</p><p>LaBostire&amp;nbsp;was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.</p><p>He was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail where no bond has been set yet.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/prairieville-man-arrested-on-attempted-second-degree-murder-charge/" title="Prairieville man arrested on attempted second-degree murder charge">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/prairieville-man-arrested-on-attempted-second-degree-murder-charge/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/jNO0FvKNK0U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/celebrate-national-cheeseburger-day-with-specials-from-mcdonald-s-wendy-s-and-more/ WBRZ urn:uuid:32d317cc-9965-9529-d9f1-eeff69cdb8da Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:07:00 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135359"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/mrT5Q-gvULNPq9UvaFPNbwysk-PHb15Ov5yo4ktNQGwM8Hw2rdd0xYC7pkzj7b0ums72budRgVMXznhepZMljtZcF8-IbBAdGcFOS-ZNChdA" alt="Celebrate National Cheeseburger day with specials from McDonald's, Wendy's, and more" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - Friday, September 18 marks the national celebration of one of America's most popular and deliciously cheesy foods, the classic cheeseburger.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>According to <span data-preserver-spaces="true"></span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2020/09/18/cheeseburger-day-2020-freebies-bargains-mcdonalds/5804190002/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">USA Today</span></a>, in honor of National Cheeseburger Day <span data-preserver-spaces="true">multiple fast food chains are offering limited-time specials on their twists to classic American cheeseburger.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Some of those deals, including a double cheeseburger from McDonald's for only 50 cents, are listed below. That said, it's</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> typically best to check with your closest location before heading out and keep in mind that some of these deals require that you have the restaurant's app.</span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>National Cheeseburger Specials</strong></span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.applebees.com/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Applebee's</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;Get any Handcrafted Burger with fries and a drink for $8.99 Friday. The burger bundles are available for dine-in, takeout or delivery.</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bk.com/offers" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Burger King</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;Find specials and discounts on the Burger King app. Learn more at&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bk.com/offers" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">www.bk.com/offers</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.jackinthebox.com/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Jack in the Box</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;From Friday through Sunday, get a free Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger with any purchase through the chain's app.</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/mobile-order-and-pay.html" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">McDonald's</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;Get a double cheeseburger for 50 cents exclusively through the McDonald&amp;rsquo;s app Friday. Valid one-time and app download and registration required. Learn more about the app and find offers at&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/mobile-order-and-pay.html" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">www.mcdonalds.com.</span></a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.mooyah.com/news/national-cheeseburger-day-2020" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Mooyah</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;All locations will offer Rewards App members a free "Build Your Own Cheeseburger" with purchase of fries and drink or shake Friday. Learn more at&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.mooyah.com/news/national-cheeseburger-day-2020" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">www.mooyah.com</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.redrobin.com/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Red Robin</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:&amp;nbsp;</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Through Sunday, the chain has a buy-one-get-one 50% off deal on all burgers. For online orders, use promo code BOGO,</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.rubytuesday.com/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Ruby Tuesday</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;Get a $5 cheeseburger served with tots or fries Friday for dine-in or takeout.</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://smashburger.com/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Smashburger</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:&amp;nbsp;</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Classic Smash Double Burger is $5 Friday.</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.steaknshake.com/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Steak &amp;lsquo;n Shake</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:&amp;nbsp;</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Loyalty app members get $2 off the Double &amp;lsquo;n Cheese Steakburger from Friday through Sept. 24. Limited to one per order, per visit and only valid on orders placed through the app. Also for joining the Steak &amp;lsquo;n Shake Rewards Club, get a free specialty milkshake with your first purchase as a club member.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://order.wendys.com/rewards-home" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Wendy's</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;Ahead of National Cheeseburger Day, the chain announced the return of pretzel buns and "the new and improved&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2020/09/01/wendys-pretzel-bacon-pub-cheeseburger-beer-cheese/5681624002/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">." Find offers in the&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://order.wendys.com/rewards-home" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Wendy's app</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://whataburger.com/home" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Whataburger</span></strong></a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">:</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;Through Sept. 20, buy one Patty Melt and get a second one free when you order online.</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/celebrate-national-cheeseburger-day-with-specials-from-mcdonald-s-wendy-s-and-more/" title="Celebrate National Cheeseburger day with specials from McDonald's, Wendy's, and more">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/celebrate-national-cheeseburger-day-with-specials-from-mcdonald-s-wendy-s-and-more/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/JkoaLydHELQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/u-s-to-officially-ban-wechat-tiktok-by-nov-12-due-to-national-security-concerns/ WBRZ urn:uuid:d7e021e5-865c-53ab-ebac-4370302776c1 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 08:14:39 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135358"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/pYySrPlK7GI0WVlMkMOz0QFhDHOugdH-ud_WB7j75tm6E4-QKrETB1QKZPBhEfHMU7FoAnbGZw8qgCV57XWRsjY01TmyLFPhpfozieXU8ZtA" alt="U.S. to officially ban WeChat, TikTok by Nov. 12 due to national security concerns" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">WASHINGTON (AP) &amp;mdash; The U.S. will ban the use of the Chinese app WeChat on Sunday citing national security concerns.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">Downloads of the the app TikTok, owned by the same company, will be banned at the same time, and use of that platform will be banned in the U.S. by Nov. 12. But Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said early Friday on Fox Business News that access to that app may be possible if certain safeguards are in place.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">&amp;ldquo;At the President&amp;rsquo;s direction, we have taken significant action to combat China&amp;rsquo;s malicious collection of American citizens&amp;rsquo; personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations,&amp;rdquo; Ross said in a prepared statement.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">The government said its order, previously announced by President Donald Trump in August, will &amp;ldquo;combat China&amp;rsquo;s malicious collection of American citizens&amp;rsquo; personal data.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">Some security experts have raised concerns that ByteDance Ltd., the Chinese company that owns TikTok, would maintain access to information on the 100 million TikTok users in the United States, creating a security risk.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">Like most social networks, TikTok collects user data and moderates users&amp;rsquo; posts. It grabs users&amp;rsquo; locations and messages and tracks what they watch to figure out how best to target ads to them.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">Similar concerns apply to U.S.-based social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but Chinese ownership adds an extra wrinkle because the Chinese government could order companies to help it gather intelligence.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">TikTok says it does not store U.S. user data in China and that it would not give user data to the government. But experts say the Chinese government can get any information it wants from companies there.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">The action is the Trump administration&amp;rsquo;s latest attempt to weaken influence from China, a rising economic superpower. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. China-backed hackers, meanwhile, have been blamed for data breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax, and the Chinese government strictly limits what U.S. tech companies can do in China.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">Republican and Democratic lawmaker concerns about TikTok include its vulnerability to censorship and misinformation campaigns, and the safety of user data and children&amp;rsquo;s privacy. But the administration has provided no specific evidence that TikTok has made U.S. users&amp;rsquo; data available to the Chinese government.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229">Officials point to the hypothetical threat that lies in the Chinese government&amp;rsquo;s ability to demand cooperation from Chinese companies.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-237 Component-p-0-2-229"></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/u-s-to-officially-ban-wechat-tiktok-by-nov-12-due-to-national-security-concerns/" title="U.S. to officially ban WeChat, TikTok by Nov. 12 due to national security concerns">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/u-s-to-officially-ban-wechat-tiktok-by-nov-12-due-to-national-security-concerns/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/7F3cNxtmJgE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/southern-university-collects-relief-supplies-for-hurricane-laura-survivors-in-lake-charles/ WBRZ urn:uuid:a2282fff-7f2b-475a-4329-8935b3b1d52b Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:54:46 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135357"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/g320gnimqG3fxTaEW7UuKg3-o1_jldmfZX1SwM_3oHBYaED5MMpCzxCssm90fMtBI-mIJBba07C13fHzj4YOlcUujHyJpG7WpX5tv_dK5B8Vkc_MW7qPMV6oi7xiESL_nYD1JAM2SYKSY8NgDPk9cf" alt="Southern University collects relief supplies for Hurricane Laura survivors in Lake Charles" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - Southern University is sponsoring a drive to collect much-needed supplies for Hurricane Laura survivors in Lake Charles.</p><p><span>According to Governor John Bel Edwards, over 12,000 Louisianians have been displaced by Hurricane Laura and Southern University's students, staff, and faculty have stepped up to the plate to gather relief supplies such as bottled water, non- perishable food, and diapers to send to survivors in Lake Charles.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>The university's relief efforts began Wednesday and are expected to continue on into Friday.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p>Among those helping in the relief work are students from Lake Charles who've been impacted by Hurricane Laura's destruction.</p><p>Though these students face the challenging task of helping their families rebuild devastated homes as well as navigating the financial and emotional impact of storm-related losses, they're able to find a measure of comfort in watching their community unite in relief efforts.</p><p>One such student-athlete, Jakoby Pappillion, told WBRZ that his mother and his Uncle survived the storm but were left with damage to their homes.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>"My Uncle lost his house," Papillion said.</p><p>Despite this, Papillion had a positive attitude and he explained why, saying, "Last time I was out there (in Lake Charles), they had people out there cooking food for free. That's really what it is, coming together and trying to make the community stronger."</p><p>Observing fellow Louisianians abandon their own pursuits to focus on helping their neighbors get through a tough time gave Papillion a sense of hope.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>He and other members of Southern University's community will continue to collect supplies for Lake Charles families at least until Friday evening.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>Those who would like to donate supplies can do so by contacting the university's athlete department at (225) 771-5609.</p><p>Other hurricane donations can be made via Southern University's alumni association by <a href="https://www.sualumni.org/default.aspx">clicking here</a>.&amp;nbsp;</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/southern-university-collects-relief-supplies-for-hurricane-laura-survivors-in-lake-charles/" title="Southern University collects relief supplies for Hurricane Laura survivors in Lake Charles">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/southern-university-collects-relief-supplies-for-hurricane-laura-survivors-in-lake-charles/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/BaddkGgqpnY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/forrest-gump-author-winston-groom-dead-at-77/ WBRZ urn:uuid:dca73695-b56e-8309-e27b-3e62babf4888 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:05:45 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135356"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/V5UM0T8Ho_jhEXN6vbymbQNJEgTD4eHENjfubGPHk3Fb1eG6-rmPyxTSEgIZEeVRNQ3VQG2_hkMWkTcJt_6CWUSp3TDueFPLEilk-DUcExrkpdvCjuSxNsX-IRw4A358BfN8H0OkJidmfnOUCWpNIo" alt="'Forrest Gump author Winston Groom dead at 77" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">FAIRHOPE, Ala. (AP) &amp;mdash; Winston Groom, the writer whose novel &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; was made into a six-Oscar winning 1994 movie that became a soaring pop cultural phenomenon, has died at age 77.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Mayor Karin Wilson of Fairhope, Alabama, said in a message on social media that Groom had died in that south Alabama town. A local funeral home also confirmed the death and said arrangements were pending.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump, Winston Groom was a talented journalist &amp; noted author of American history. Our hearts &amp; prayers are extended to his family,&amp;rdquo; Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; was the improbable tale of a slow-witted but mathematically gifted man who was a participant or witness to key points of 20th century history &amp;mdash; from Alabama segregationist Gov. George Wallace&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;stand at the schoolhouse door,&amp;rdquo; to meetings with presidents.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">It was the best known book by Groom, who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1965, according to a biography posted by the university.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Groom served in the Army&amp;rsquo;s Fourth Infantry Division from 1965 to 1969, the university said. His service included a tour in Vietnam &amp;mdash; one of the settings for &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">He wrote 16 books, fiction and nonfiction. One, &amp;ldquo;Conversations with the Enemy,&amp;rdquo; about a American prisoner of war in Vietnam accused of collaboration, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, according to the university.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">It was &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; &amp;mdash; and the success of the 1994 movie starring Tom Hanks in the iconic role of Gump, as well as Sally Field and Gary Sinise &amp;mdash; that earned him widespread fame and some financial success.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The novel is considerably different from the film. Don Noble, University of Alabama professor emeritus of English, and a 40-year friend of Groom&amp;rsquo;s told The Tuscaloosa News that the novel was &amp;ldquo;darker&amp;rdquo; and &amp;ldquo;richer&amp;rdquo; than the movie.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;You can make a lot of money as a comic writer, but you can&amp;rsquo;t get no respect,&amp;rdquo; Noble said. &amp;ldquo;But &amp;lsquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rsquo; is really actually quite a fine novel. It&amp;rsquo;s more subtle and more complicated ... richer than the movie.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The movie, which also starred Robin Wright and Mykelti Williamson, became deeply embedded in the American psyche and has remained an enduring television staple and huge cultural phenomenon since.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;It touched a nerve,&amp;rdquo; Groom told the Tuscaloosa News in 2014.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The film dominated the 1995 Academy Awards, winning six Oscars including best picture, best director for Robert Zemeckis and best actor for Hanks.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">It was 1994&amp;rsquo;s No. 2 grossing film at the box office, second only to &amp;ldquo;The Lion King.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The basic outlines of Gump&amp;rsquo;s life are the same as they are in the book: Gump plays football under Paul &amp;ldquo;Bear&amp;rdquo; Bryant at the University of Alabama, serves in Vietnam and starts a major shrimp business.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">But the film made major departures. Gump was not a math savant as he was in the book, and was a more saintly soul. The film took away Gump&amp;rsquo;s size -- Groom said he envisioned John Goodman playing him -- along with his profanity, and most of his sex life.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">They &amp;ldquo;took some of the rough edges off,&amp;rdquo; Groom told the New York Times in 1994.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Groom also wrote nonfiction on diverse subjects including the Civil War, World War I and Alabama&amp;rsquo;s Crimson Tide football.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">In 2005, Groom released &amp;ldquo;1942: The Year That Tried Men&amp;rsquo;s Souls,&amp;rdquo; which chronicled the first year of U.S. involvement in World War II.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">In 2009 he released &amp;ldquo;Vicksburg 1863,&amp;rdquo; an account of the Union siege that brought a novelist&amp;rsquo;s touch to historical figures like Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman and Jefferson Davis, president of the confederacy.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">His most recent novel, El Paso, was published in 2016.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Groom got $350,000 for the rights to &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; plus 3% of the net profit of the movie. But he got into a serious dispute with Paramount Pictures when they told him a film that had earned over $600 million was in the red after expenses.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">But years later he wasn&amp;rsquo;t bitter.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;They did an excellent job,&amp;rdquo; he told the Tuscaloosa News. &amp;ldquo;I would have probably preferred my version of it, but that thing never would have opened.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The book became a major bestseller in the wake of the film, and Groom got a much better deal for the follow-up novel, 1995&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;Gump and Co.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m happy as a pig in sunshine,&amp;rdquo; he told the Mobile Register.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Nonetheless, sequel-addicted Hollywood somehow never made the new movie.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165"></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/forrest-gump-author-winston-groom-dead-at-77/" title="'Forrest Gump author Winston Groom dead at 77">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/forrest-gump-author-winston-groom-dead-at-77/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/HYQgttnMkI8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/forrest-gump-author-winston-groom-dead-at-77/ WBRZ urn:uuid:28bffb6f-d188-cbed-b26e-54f678c70e6e Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:05:45 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135356"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/V5UM0T8Ho_jhEXN6vbymbQNJEgTD4eHENjfubGPHk3Fb1eG6-rmPyxTSEgIZEeVRNQ3VQG2_hkMWkTcJt_6CWUSp3TDueFPLEilk-DUcExrkpdvCjuSxNsX-IRw4A358BfN8H0OkJidmfnOUCWpNIo" alt="'Forrest Gump' author Winston Groom dead at 77" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">FAIRHOPE, Ala. (AP) &amp;mdash; Winston Groom, the writer whose novel &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; was made into a six-Oscar winning 1994 movie that became a soaring pop cultural phenomenon, has died at age 77.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Mayor Karin Wilson of Fairhope, Alabama, said in a message on social media that Groom had died in that south Alabama town. A local funeral home also confirmed the death and said arrangements were pending.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump, Winston Groom was a talented journalist &amp; noted author of American history. Our hearts &amp; prayers are extended to his family,&amp;rdquo; Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; was the improbable tale of a slow-witted but mathematically gifted man who was a participant or witness to key points of 20th century history &amp;mdash; from Alabama segregationist Gov. George Wallace&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;stand at the schoolhouse door,&amp;rdquo; to meetings with presidents.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">It was the best known book by Groom, who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1965, according to a biography posted by the university.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Groom served in the Army&amp;rsquo;s Fourth Infantry Division from 1965 to 1969, the university said. His service included a tour in Vietnam &amp;mdash; one of the settings for &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">He wrote 16 books, fiction and nonfiction. One, &amp;ldquo;Conversations with the Enemy,&amp;rdquo; about a American prisoner of war in Vietnam accused of collaboration, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, according to the university.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">It was &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; &amp;mdash; and the success of the 1994 movie starring Tom Hanks in the iconic role of Gump, as well as Sally Field and Gary Sinise &amp;mdash; that earned him widespread fame and some financial success.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The novel is considerably different from the film. Don Noble, University of Alabama professor emeritus of English, and a 40-year friend of Groom&amp;rsquo;s told The Tuscaloosa News that the novel was &amp;ldquo;darker&amp;rdquo; and &amp;ldquo;richer&amp;rdquo; than the movie.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;You can make a lot of money as a comic writer, but you can&amp;rsquo;t get no respect,&amp;rdquo; Noble said. &amp;ldquo;But &amp;lsquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rsquo; is really actually quite a fine novel. It&amp;rsquo;s more subtle and more complicated ... richer than the movie.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The movie, which also starred Robin Wright and Mykelti Williamson, became deeply embedded in the American psyche and has remained an enduring television staple and huge cultural phenomenon since.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;It touched a nerve,&amp;rdquo; Groom told the Tuscaloosa News in 2014.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The film dominated the 1995 Academy Awards, winning six Oscars including best picture, best director for Robert Zemeckis and best actor for Hanks.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">It was 1994&amp;rsquo;s No. 2 grossing film at the box office, second only to &amp;ldquo;The Lion King.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The basic outlines of Gump&amp;rsquo;s life are the same as they are in the book: Gump plays football under Paul &amp;ldquo;Bear&amp;rdquo; Bryant at the University of Alabama, serves in Vietnam and starts a major shrimp business.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">But the film made major departures. Gump was not a math savant as he was in the book, and was a more saintly soul. The film took away Gump&amp;rsquo;s size -- Groom said he envisioned John Goodman playing him -- along with his profanity, and most of his sex life.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">They &amp;ldquo;took some of the rough edges off,&amp;rdquo; Groom told the New York Times in 1994.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Groom also wrote nonfiction on diverse subjects including the Civil War, World War I and Alabama&amp;rsquo;s Crimson Tide football.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">In 2005, Groom released &amp;ldquo;1942: The Year That Tried Men&amp;rsquo;s Souls,&amp;rdquo; which chronicled the first year of U.S. involvement in World War II.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">In 2009 he released &amp;ldquo;Vicksburg 1863,&amp;rdquo; an account of the Union siege that brought a novelist&amp;rsquo;s touch to historical figures like Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman and Jefferson Davis, president of the confederacy.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">His most recent novel, El Paso, was published in 2016.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Groom got $350,000 for the rights to &amp;ldquo;Forrest Gump&amp;rdquo; plus 3% of the net profit of the movie. But he got into a serious dispute with Paramount Pictures when they told him a film that had earned over $600 million was in the red after expenses.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">But years later he wasn&amp;rsquo;t bitter.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;They did an excellent job,&amp;rdquo; he told the Tuscaloosa News. &amp;ldquo;I would have probably preferred my version of it, but that thing never would have opened.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The book became a major bestseller in the wake of the film, and Groom got a much better deal for the follow-up novel, 1995&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;Gump and Co.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m happy as a pig in sunshine,&amp;rdquo; he told the Mobile Register.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Nonetheless, sequel-addicted Hollywood somehow never made the new movie.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165"></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/forrest-gump-author-winston-groom-dead-at-77/" title="'Forrest Gump' author Winston Groom dead at 77">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/forrest-gump-author-winston-groom-dead-at-77/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/HYQgttnMkI8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/federal-gov-grants-louisiana-1-2-billion-line-of-credit-for-flood-mitigation-projects/ WBRZ urn:uuid:36a9cb8b-c1dc-aa2a-0629-f535951b22c1 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:37:34 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135355"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/Eh9yf_XkmFy7b4VuyqSafA-R5a5ZKMUogq0GSwSLecsKcarSwuWlW95pRT8Q65c4DCyU-P9wO365THJ1bK3b83JIqLMnCaR7b7fXGeUCRUR0BqqLlLKAADQ5aekE6OLDk" alt="Federal gov grants Louisiana $1.2 billion line of credit for flood mitigation projects" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">BATON ROUGE</span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;mdash; Governor John Bel Edwards' office announced Thursday that a new grant agreement with the federal government will fund vital flood protection efforts in Louisiana.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development signed a grant agreement with the state, establishing a $1.2 billion line of credit in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funds, a press release from the Governor's office explained.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;ldquo;This agreement marks a major milestone in our mission to create a more resilient Louisiana, which is especially relevant given the severe storm impacts from Hurricane Laura,&amp;rdquo; Gov. John Bel Edwards said. &amp;ldquo;Since the devastating 2016 floods, we have worked diligently to build a statewide framework for reducing flood risk, which we have now with the Louisiana Watershed Initiative. We are prepared to begin spending these long-awaited funds on programs and projects that address some of our state&amp;rsquo;s most immediate flood mitigation priorities, as well as provide us the tools we need for a more resilient future.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The state&amp;rsquo;s&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&amp;task=addMessageClickThru&amp;msgid=2882&amp;uid=d%2Bg%27hb&amp;encoded=1&amp;redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewatershed%2Ela%2Egov%2Faction%2Dplan" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Action Plan</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;for the $1.2 billion grant details its approach to spending the funds on projects, data collection, watershed modeling and policy measures that align with the&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&amp;task=addMessageClickThru&amp;msgid=2882&amp;uid=d%2Bg%27hb&amp;encoded=1&amp;redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewatershed%2Ela%2Egov%2F" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Louisiana Watershed Initiative</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">'s long-term resilience objectives. It includes an initial $100 million&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&amp;task=addMessageClickThru&amp;msgid=2882&amp;uid=d%2Bg%27hb&amp;encoded=1&amp;redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewatershed%2Ela%2Egov%2Fround%2D1%2Dprojects" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">funding opportunity</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;for local and regional projects that are implementation-ready and will address immediate flood mitigation needs throughout Louisiana. The state and its watershed regions will select and award funding for these projects this winter.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;ldquo;The work we&amp;rsquo;ve done since 2016, along with our approved&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&amp;task=addMessageClickThru&amp;msgid=2882&amp;uid=d%2Bg%27hb&amp;encoded=1&amp;redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewatershed%2Ela%2Egov%2Faction%2Dplan" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Action Plan</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;and grant agreement, provide a clear roadmap for using these funds, working in partnership with HUD and other local, state and federal agencies,&amp;rdquo; Gov. Edwards said.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">In addition to allocating $100 million for implementation-ready flood mitigation projects, the state recently initiated comprehensive statewide watershed modeling efforts and is working with local and regional partners to develop flood risk reduction strategies specific to each of the state&amp;rsquo;s watershed regions.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">For more information, click&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&amp;task=addMessageClickThru&amp;msgid=2882&amp;uid=d%2Bg%27hb&amp;encoded=1&amp;redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewatershed%2Ela%2Egov%2Faction%2Dplan" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">here</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/federal-gov-grants-louisiana-1-2-billion-line-of-credit-for-flood-mitigation-projects/" title="Federal gov grants Louisiana $1.2 billion line of credit for flood mitigation projects">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/federal-gov-grants-louisiana-1-2-billion-line-of-credit-for-flood-mitigation-projects/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/H-O_F2tN1qw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-henderson-causes-delays/ WBRZ urn:uuid:d2d5433c-5dcf-9b8e-f62b-35a7b6596d92 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:25:57 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135354"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/h978yHCsOU85HREXHybT7w9fur05jMeKvxItN_N1THDhN8cmFVCJ102gLVs-JqA-o2okToVTenrHUMA3gjCqT5Tan6Qr1gn9_-SO2zIclW8J1lhA_gxQbykDNZGwqWYNjQ4MEttR_4p-DzzEtuky58" alt="Vehicle fire along I-10 E in Henderson causes delays" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>ST. MARTIN PARISH - On Friday morning, shortly after 6 a.m., a car that caught on fire while traveling along I-10 East in Henderson resulting in a lane closure and traffic delays.&amp;nbsp;</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TRAFFIC ALERT: I-10 E CLOSED in Henderson, after car catches on fire. <a href="https://t.co/LMwrjL0lUJ">pic.twitter.com/LMwrjL0lUJ</a></p>&amp;mdash; Ashley Frug&amp;eacute; WBRZ (@ashleywbrz) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashleywbrz/status/1306914024022474753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2020</a></blockquote><p><script charset="utf-8" async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p><p>As of 6:28 a.m., the right lane along I-10 East is closed as a result of the vehicle fire<span>.</span></p><p><span>At this time it is unknown if the incident resulted in any injuries.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Drivers are advised to avoid the area and use an alternate route, such as I-49 North to US 190 East.</span></p><p><span>WBRZ's Ashley Fruge is providing viewers with the latest on traffic conditions all morning on 2une In.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>&amp;gt;<a href="https://www.wbrz.com/pages/live-stream-3/">Click here to watch 2une In online</a>&amp;lt;</span></p><p></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-henderson-causes-delays/" title="Vehicle fire along I-10 E in Henderson causes delays">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-henderson-causes-delays/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/7d-6Pm89Vkc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-henderson-causes-interstate-closure/ WBRZ urn:uuid:ceadabbe-5d2b-0751-7191-26bb81ea24a7 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:25:57 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135354"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/h978yHCsOU85HREXHybT7w9fur05jMeKvxItN_N1THDhN8cmFVCJ102gLVs-JqA-o2okToVTenrHUMA3gjCqT5Tan6Qr1gn9_-SO2zIclW8J1lhA_gxQbykDNZGwqWYNjQ4MEttR_4p-DzzEtuky58" alt="Vehicle fire along I-10 E in Henderson causes interstate closure" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>ST. MARTIN PARISH - On Friday morning, shortly after 6 a.m., a car that caught on fire while traveling along I-10 East in Henderson resulting in a temporary interstate closure and traffic delays.&amp;nbsp;</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TRAFFIC ALERT: I-10 E CLOSED in Henderson, after car catches on fire. <a href="https://t.co/LMwrjL0lUJ">pic.twitter.com/LMwrjL0lUJ</a></p>&amp;mdash; Ashley Frug&amp;eacute; WBRZ (@ashleywbrz) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashleywbrz/status/1306914024022474753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2020</a></blockquote><p><script charset="utf-8" async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p><p>As of 7:06 a.m., <span>I-10 East between LA-347/Cecilia/Henderson/Exit 115 and LA-3177/ Butte La Rose/Exit 121 </span>is closed as a result of the vehicle fire<span>.</span></p><p><span>At this time it is unknown if the incident resulted in any injuries.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Drivers are advised to avoid the area and use an alternate route, such as I-49 North to US 190 East.</span></p><p><span>WBRZ's Ashley Fruge is providing viewers with the latest on traffic conditions all morning on 2une In.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>&amp;gt;<a href="https://www.wbrz.com/pages/live-stream-3/">Click here to watch 2une In online</a>&amp;lt;</span></p><p></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-henderson-causes-interstate-closure/" title="Vehicle fire along I-10 E in Henderson causes interstate closure">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-henderson-causes-interstate-closure/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/ULcBPlSdONY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-st-martin-parish-causes-interstate-closure/ WBRZ urn:uuid:67a4310f-a05a-6275-a46c-6741469aaf94 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:25:57 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135354"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/wALD3Eyil1FMeJM6VuSKgQz5qaCr7tLKF1F3hAwhweAorV9BH4oozDpzxc0UBLI2F6DI0svZX0yxy0r8I4O56H" alt="Vehicle fire along I-10 E in St. Martin Parish causes interstate closure" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>ST. MARTIN PARISH - On Friday morning, shortly after 6 a.m., a car that caught on fire while traveling along I-10 East in Henderson resulting in a temporary interstate closure and traffic delays.&amp;nbsp;</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">TRAFFIC ALERT: I-10 E CLOSED in Henderson, after car catches on fire. <a href="https://t.co/LMwrjL0lUJ">pic.twitter.com/LMwrjL0lUJ</a></p>&amp;mdash; Ashley Frug&amp;eacute; WBRZ (@ashleywbrz) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashleywbrz/status/1306914024022474753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2020</a></blockquote><p><script charset="utf-8" async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p><p>As of 7:06 a.m., <span>I-10 East between LA-347/Cecilia/Henderson/Exit 115 and LA-3177/ Butte La Rose/Exit 121 </span>is closed as a result of the vehicle fire<span>.</span></p><p><span>At this time it is unknown if the incident resulted in any injuries.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Drivers are advised to avoid the area and use an alternate route, such as I-49 North to US 190 East.</span></p><p><span>WBRZ's Ashley Fruge is providing viewers with the latest on traffic conditions all morning on 2une In.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>&amp;gt;<a href="https://www.wbrz.com/pages/live-stream-3/">Click here to watch 2une In online</a>&amp;lt;</span></p><p></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-st-martin-parish-causes-interstate-closure/" title="Vehicle fire along I-10 E in St. Martin Parish causes interstate closure">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/vehicle-fire-along-i-10-e-in-st-martin-parish-causes-interstate-closure/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/lo8oTgcNd7I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/president-trump-references-controversial-cultural-issues-while-campaigning-in-wisconsin/ WBRZ urn:uuid:7a7bd4b4-2282-75a1-f705-5af78a7fe183 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:11:04 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135353"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/6mkbOoTblzpCf7AMMKflhQSxJFKIDJyFBa5TmWxZ36BT_t9lW3jh6UTZ-YFs4P_FPN-ck6EgprFNNmWUYSqaItLr8cdRNAp-8Y9Vo0afGcGJklNuQ0fjIIWZK-ZCG48n6n4oJsCs542DKwjwTK1AGV" alt="President Trump references controversial cultural issues while campaigning in Wisconsin" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">MOSINEE, Wis. (AP) &amp;mdash; President Donald Trump stepped up his rhetoric on cultural issues, aiming to boost enthusiasm among rural Wisconsin voters as he tries to repeat his path to victory four years ago.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Making his fifth visit to the pivotal battleground state this year, Trump views success in the state&amp;rsquo;s less-populated counties as critical to another term. He held a rally Thursday evening in Mosinee, in central Wisconsin, an area of the state that shifted dramatically toward Republicans in 2016, enabling Trump to overcome even greater deficits in urban and suburban parts of the state.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump has increasingly used his public appearances to elevate cultural issues important to his generally whiter and older base, as he hinges his campaign on turning out his core supporters rather than focusing on winning over a narrow slice of undecided voters. In Mosinee, he called for a statute to ban burning the American flag in protest &amp;mdash; a freedom protected by the Supreme Court &amp;mdash; and criticized sports players and leagues for allowing demonstrations against racial inequality.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">&amp;ldquo;We have enough politics, right,&amp;rdquo; he said, joking that sometimes, &amp;ldquo;I can&amp;rsquo;t watch me.&amp;rdquo; He added of protests in sports, &amp;ldquo;People don&amp;rsquo;t want to see it and the ratings are down.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Earlier Thursday, in a speech at the National Archives to commemorate Constitution Day, he derided The New York Times&amp;rsquo; &amp;ldquo;1619 Project,&amp;rdquo; which aimed to recognize the often overlooked consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">&amp;ldquo;For many years now, the radicals have mistaken Americans&amp;rsquo; silence for weakness. But they are wrong,&amp;rdquo; Trump said. &amp;ldquo;There is no more powerful force than a parent&amp;rsquo;s love for their children &amp;mdash; and patriotic moms and dads are going to demand that their children are no longer fed hateful lies about this country.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump told supporters in Wisconsin: &amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re launching a new pro-American lesson plan for students called 1776 Commission. We&amp;rsquo;re going to teach our children the truth about America.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump&amp;rsquo;s last visit to Wisconsin came on Sept. 1, when he met with law enforcement and toured damage from protests in Kenosha that turned violent after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man hit seven times in the back during an attempted arrest. Trump has sought to use the unrest after the August shooting of Blake and the May police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis to tout a &amp;ldquo;law and order&amp;rdquo; message and paint an apocalyptic vision of violence if Democrat Joe Biden wins on Nov. 3.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">&amp;ldquo;I saved the suburbs,&amp;rdquo; Trump said Thursday of his call for federal law enforcement and national guard troops to confront protesters. He added that police &amp;ldquo;did a great job in Kenosha.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump also previewed aid to the region&amp;rsquo;s farmers, saying $13 billion would begin flowing &amp;ldquo;starting next week&amp;rdquo; to help farmers. He provided no details.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump took another victory lap two days after he presided over Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognizing Israel in a White House ceremony.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">&amp;ldquo;I got nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. That&amp;rsquo;s a big deal,&amp;rdquo; Trump said, adding, &amp;ldquo;I should&amp;rsquo;ve gotten nominated seven times.&amp;rdquo; His supporters chanted &amp;ldquo;Nobel Peace Prize&amp;rdquo; in response.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump won Marathon County, which includes Mosinee, by more than 12,000 votes in 2016 &amp;mdash; over three times more than the margin by which 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney won the area. Trump&amp;rsquo;s team is wagering the 2020 contest on a similar performance in the county and the dozens of others like it across battleground states.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump&amp;rsquo;s path to 270 Electoral College votes may well hinge on Wisconsin, and his campaign is investing tens of millions of dollars on advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts in the state.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Trump&amp;rsquo;s event took place largely outside an aircraft hangar at the Mosinee airport, his campaign&amp;rsquo;s preferred format for mass rallies during the coronavirus pandemic, though Trump has been willing to host large events indoors as well, sometimes in violation of state and federal distancing guidelines.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-60 Component-p-0-2-52">Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin was set to join Trump on Air Force One but ended up under quarantine Thursday after learning he was exposed to someone earlier in the week who subsequently tested positive for the virus. Johnson tested negative on Wednesday night, his office said.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/president-trump-references-controversial-cultural-issues-while-campaigning-in-wisconsin/" title="President Trump references controversial cultural issues while campaigning in Wisconsin">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/president-trump-references-controversial-cultural-issues-while-campaigning-in-wisconsin/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/SKm7TmFo3Qo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/carnival-to-part-ways-with-18-ships-as-u-s-cruises-remain-banned-amid-pandemic/ WBRZ urn:uuid:b9402cd0-08ba-65f5-ec30-52e7a93211c4 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 05:25:47 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135351"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/_yxumwJJEw2GSqsS57vqwggMDRauE6SifYLopZ9wmXdcKHyQK_puJqh93LoYfEcqlzeRs8HnUcWwa-YIrHv34NNdn2fjKl4nakF93mMIrSrA" alt="Carnival to part ways with 18 ships as U.S. cruises remain banned amid pandemic" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Carnival Corporation is letting go of 18 of its ships amid efforts to cut costs while cruises remain banned in the U.S. until October, the </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article245746700.html" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Miami Herald&amp;nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">reports.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The nearly 50-year-old company announced an adjusted third-quarter loss of $1.7 billion in a financial filing Tuesday, six months after shutting down operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Last week, as Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald took part in </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true">a public meeting with Miami-Dade commissioners, he urged the CDC to let cruises reopen in the U.S. Donald explained that the company was in the process of developing science-based protocols to keep passengers and crew safe and to prevent burdening government resources</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Despite Donald's attempt to persuade officials, a spokesperson for the CDC said the agency does not have enough information to say when it will be safe for cruise ships to resume passenger operations.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Ships that have already been scrapped include&amp;nbsp;</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Fascination, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration and Costa Victoria.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The company has also adjusted the delivery schedule of new ships now expecting only five of the nine ships originally scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2021.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">At least 24 Carnival Corporation ships have been impacted by novel coronavirus and at least 80 of the company&amp;rsquo;s passengers and crew have died from the virus, according to a Miami Herald investigation. Carnival Corp., along with its competitors, have struggled to contain outbreaks among crew members on its ships after all passengers were repatriated. </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true"></span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/carnival-to-part-ways-with-18-ships-as-u-s-cruises-remain-banned-amid-pandemic/" title="Carnival to part ways with 18 ships as U.S. cruises remain banned amid pandemic">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/carnival-to-part-ways-with-18-ships-as-u-s-cruises-remain-banned-amid-pandemic/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/0pvYUEXHxCk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/rescuers-reach-people-cut-off-by-gulf-coast-hurricane/ WBRZ urn:uuid:c3f274e1-71e9-0c91-3923-5fbd08800d02 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 04:56:18 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135350"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/hrkZAZ6TeyRuVan8xR-73wyHy7nzLD9x3vgmlbTk4P7cP_ZwWRFbSzTE43C1kes2XGLVd5iaVcRAZAo6ysSZoSe6nNK2CfF3D5t2VNwxRuLXqjgtnuzueQjMS_Ji0BdnhGUpm-xckBv3h9oe9UTfeo4f6TYYoNEzuT3ExjAc7Cng" alt="Rescuers reach people cut off by Gulf Coast hurricane" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) &amp;mdash; Rescuers on the Gulf Coast used boats and high-water vehicles Thursday to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, even as a second round of flooding took shape along rivers and creeks swollen by the storm&amp;rsquo;s heavy rains.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Across southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, homeowners and businesses began cleaning up, and officials inspected bridges and highways for safety, a day after Sally rolled through with 105 mph (165 kph) winds, a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet (0.3 to 0.8 meters) of rain in many places before it began to break up.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Sally sped up late Thursday, moving at 15 mph compared to its previous crawl of 3 and 5 mph (5 and 8 kph), but was still dumping heavy rains in southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina, where forecasters also said there was a chance of tornadoes. The storm was expected to dump as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) in parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia, prompting warnings of flash flooding and moderate river flooding. As much as 8 inches of rain fell in central Georgia on Thursday.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">In hard-hit Pensacola and surrounding Escambia County, where Sally&amp;rsquo;s floodwaters had coursed through downtown streets and lapped at car door handles on Wednesday before receding, authorities went door-to-door to check on residents and warn them they were not out of danger.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165"><span>&amp;ldquo;Please, please, we&amp;rsquo;re not out of the woods even if we&amp;rsquo;ve got beautiful skies today,&amp;rdquo; said Escambia County emergency manager Eric Gilmore.</span></p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Panhandle residents not to let their guard down. &amp;ldquo;You&amp;rsquo;re going to see the rivers continue to rise,&amp;rdquo; DeSantis said after an aerial tour of the Panhandle.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Most rivers fed by the storm were cresting in Alabama and the Panhandle on Thursday, although the Shoal, in Florida was still rising, said Steve Miller of the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama. Near Crestview, Florida, portions of Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90 &amp;mdash; the two main roadways running east to west through the Panhandle &amp;mdash; were closed because of flooding from the Shoal, the Florida Highway Patrol said.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Crews carried out at least 400 rescues in Escambia County, Florida, by such means as high-water vehicles, boats and water scooters, authorities said. Rescuers focused their efforts Thursday on Innerarity Point, a narrow strip of land close to Pensacola that is home to waterfront homes and businesses. Floodwaters covered the only road out.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Richard Wittig and his family were among scores of people hemmed in by floodwaters on an island at the tip of the point. Two generators powered his house.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;If I didn&amp;rsquo;t have a working generator, we&amp;rsquo;d be dead. Nobody can get to us,&amp;rdquo; said Wittig, 77. He said he and his son rely on oxygen machines to stay alive.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">The Florida National Guard said it had deployed about 500 soldiers and airmen to help local authorities evacuate 113 people, though it did not say when and where the rescues took place.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">In Alabama, on both sides of Mobile Bay, National Guard soldiers from high-water evacuation teams used big trucks Thursday to rescue at least 35 people, authorities said.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">A volunteer rescue group based on Marcos Island, Florida, known as the Marcos Patriots, received three calls for help, including from an 80-year-old woman in Gulf Shores, Alabama, whose roof had blown off.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">When a rescue team arrived, &amp;ldquo;she was safe and sound with a neighbor but her house was destroyed,&amp;rdquo; said group co-founder ErinMia Milchman.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">About 35 miles (56 kilometers) inland, a swollen Murder Creek cut off access between the Alabama towns of Brewton and East Brewton, inundating a grocery store, a tobacco shop, a park and more. Residents behind a police roadblock gazed at the neighboring city across fast-moving water covering a bridge.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">East Brewton resident Brenda Davenport said it took only four hours for the water to rise. &amp;ldquo;It could take two days for it to go down,&amp;rdquo; she said.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">In Orange Beach, Alabama, Janice Sullivan swore she would never ride out a hurricane again. She and her daughter huddled in a second-floor bathroom as Sally blew ashore.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;You could hear everything hitting the house,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;You could hear the house moving back and forth. It was literally moaning and cracking.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">A few people cleaned up in Bristol Park, a creekside neighborhood where as much as 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water filled brick homes north of Pensacola.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Susan Cutts&amp;rsquo; parents fled rising water inside their home into the garage, where they desperately called for help on a dying cellphone until aid arrived.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">&amp;ldquo;They were on top of their car when they got to them,&amp;rdquo; Cutts said.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">At least one death, in Alabama, was blamed on the hurricane. Nearly 400,000 homes and businesses were still without power Thursday night, mostly in Alabama and Florida.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">A section of the main bridge between Pensacola and Pensacola Beach collapsed after it was hit by a barge that broke loose during the storm.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">At a downtown marina, at least 30 sailboats, fishing boats and other vessels were clumped together in a mass of fiberglass hulls and broken docks. Some boats rested atop sunken ones.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-173 Component-p-0-2-165">Also on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said a new tropical depression formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters said the depression could become a tropical storm as it moves slowly over the western Gulf during the next few days. Meanwhile, Hurricane Teddy strengthened to a powerful Category 4 storm in the Atlantic. The storm currently poses no threat to land.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/rescuers-reach-people-cut-off-by-gulf-coast-hurricane/" title="Rescuers reach people cut off by Gulf Coast hurricane">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/rescuers-reach-people-cut-off-by-gulf-coast-hurricane/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/Z2z_WDtpQW8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/burrow-sets-records-still-takes-loss-in-second-game-of-season/ WBRZ urn:uuid:bc368f16-d898-5f6b-9c65-d57d68dbfd16 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 23:32:15 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135349"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/dwFXFGXydX4U9JzebFop6QairoP1dL3OOG-Mb0-bWvjYVymll20bVT0N7s0qBDznQiP63WL75t9h9fVF_irrUD" alt="Burrow sets records, still takes loss in second game of season" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>CLEVELAND (AP) &amp;mdash; Baker Mayfield found Odell Beckham Jr. and maybe some of his missing swagger.</p><p>Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for two scores and 124 yards and the Cleveland Browns gave coach Kevin Stefanski his first NFL victory Thursday night by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 35-30 on the NFL&amp;rsquo;s 100th birthday.</p><p>Mayfield connected with Odell Beckham Jr. o n a 43-yard scoring pass in the first half as the Browns (1-1) rebounded from an atrocious performance last week in Baltimore, where they were roughed up 38-6 by the Ravens and looked mostly inept in Stefanski&amp;rsquo;s debut.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re not going to ride the wave,&amp;rdquo; Stefanski said. &amp;ldquo;We don&amp;rsquo;t look behind or look ahead.&amp;rdquo;</p><p>Things went much more smoothly for Mayfield and Cleveland&amp;rsquo;s offense against the Bengals (0-2) and No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, who threw three TD passes and showed incredible poise in just his second game.</p><p>Burrow's third TD pass &amp;mdash; a 9-yarder to Tyler Boyd with 43 seconds left &amp;mdash; pulled the Bengals within five, but the Browns recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.</p><p>Mayfield made it a priority to get the ball early to Beckham, who had only three catches for 22 yards in the opener. Beckham finished with four catches for 74 yards.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>Burrow finished 37 of 61 for 316 yards. He wa s sacked three times, and had an unfortunate moment when he tried to call timeout and had the ball snapped past him. But the reigning Heisman Trophy winner matched Mayfield pass for pass and showed why the Bengals believe he can turn them around.</p><p>Burrow&amp;rsquo;s attempts were the second-most in history for a rookie. Only Carolina&amp;rsquo;s Chris Weinke (63) threw more in a game as a rookie.</p><p>Fittingly, the matchup between Ohio&amp;rsquo;s teams came as the NFL officially turned a century old. It was on Sept. 17, 1920, when an agreement during a meeting in Canton laid the groundwork for what became a multi-billion dollar business and America&amp;rsquo;s most popular sport.</p><p>There were 6,000 fans inside 68,000-seat FirstEnergy Stadium for Cleveland&amp;rsquo;s home opener after the Browns were granted a variance by the state of Ohio to have a gathering larger COVID-19 regulations allow.</p><p>Burrow kept the Bengals in it with a 23-yard TD to C.J. Uzomah in the second quarter, but Cincinnati&amp;rsquo;s defense couldn&amp;rsquo;t slow down the Browns and Mayfield tossed a 6-yard TD pass to a wide-open Hunt gave Cleveland a 21-10 lead.</p><p>The Browns pushed it to 28-13 in the third quarter on Chubb&amp;rsquo;s second TD run, which came after Myles Garrett stripped Burrow near the goal line and Cleveland recovered.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>STREAK STOPPED</p><p>Due to the coronavirus, Bengals owner and president Mike Brown didn&amp;rsquo;t travel and missed his first regular-season game since 1968.</p><p>The 85-year-old Brown told the team&amp;rsquo;s website that not going was &amp;ldquo;wrenching.&amp;rdquo;</p><p>Brown had attended 824 consecutive games. The only one he had missed previously was in 1991, when he skipped a preseason game to be with his dying father, coaching great Paul Brown.</p><p>&amp;nbsp;</p><p>INJURIES:</p><p>Bengals: Uzomah was carted off with a right Achilles tendon injury after making a catch in the fourth.</p><p>Browns: DE Adrian Clayborn went out with a hip in injury in the second quarter. He sacked Burrow before going out.</p><p>UP NEXT</p><p>Bengals: Visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 27.</p><p>Browns: Host the Washington Football Team on Sept. 27. Cleveland leads the series 33-12-1.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/burrow-sets-records-still-takes-loss-in-second-game-of-season/" title="Burrow sets records, still takes loss in second game of season">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/burrow-sets-records-still-takes-loss-in-second-game-of-season/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/nqxm_6Ixq6o" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/fed-up-teachers-parents-make-their-voices-heard-at-livingston-school-board-meeting/ WBRZ urn:uuid:90ff8a44-a39a-55fe-97be-f5db1224459c Thu, 17 Sep 2020 22:33:59 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135348"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/xMVk5YscDl5XUCBw3HPVMQ7COF0yXVGOIeSEJJufaGaluKvVtQ4cJE9qryEnUUIhZ4m-cK78lWv0qLFU-d5HqmuVlyr7UbvRiKDUDO7iM6ow" alt="Fed-up teachers, parents make their voices heard at Livingston School Board meeting" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">LIVINGSTON PARISH - Dozens of frustrated teachers, parents, and students attended the Livingston Parish School Board meeting Thursday evening to voice their concerns about this current school year.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Teachers say even with the state moving forward to Phase 3, that does not solve all of their problems when it comes to balancing teaching both in-person and online students.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Their message Thursday remains the same&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/frustrated-teachers-say-livingston-school-board-won-t-address-concerns/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">from the past two meetings</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. They say with the way things are currently running, they can&amp;rsquo;t provide the same level of education that they&amp;rsquo;re expected to.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">A large watch party gathered outside the school board meeting due to the limited seating inside because of COVID-19 restrictions.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">One by one, fed up teachers, parents, and students made their way inside for public comment. Many described what they say is a lack of communication and concern on the board and administration&amp;rsquo;s part.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;ldquo;Our teachers are struggling. I&amp;rsquo;m emailing them and they&amp;rsquo;re teaching in class and they&amp;rsquo;re doing virtual and they need assistance,&amp;rdquo; one parent said.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;ldquo;Lately, I have seen something so unusual and so different in my teachers. I feel that they are exhausted, struggling, and drowning in the deep,&amp;rdquo; one student said.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">With the state moving forward to Phase 3, it means&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/livingston-parish-school-board-announces-plans-for-transition-into-phase-3-of-reopening/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">more kids are coming back to the classroom</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. But around 2,200 students are still learning 100% virtually in Livingston. That&amp;rsquo;s on top of the 24,000 students now back on school campuses.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;ldquo;Which we really have no room to social distance them. It does not take away teachers having to plan additional lessons and material for virtual students or give teachers more time to prepare,&amp;rdquo; Tamara Cupit with the Livingston Federation of Teachers and School Employees.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Some teachers say this is now bigger than issues stemming from the virus.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;ldquo;I think what we&amp;rsquo;re dealing with tonight surpasses COVID, it surpasses a lot of things that they think that we&amp;rsquo;re upset about. We&amp;rsquo;re dealing with years of neglect. We&amp;rsquo;re dealing with years of feeling like we don&amp;rsquo;t have an avenue or a voice to say &amp;lsquo;hey, this isn&amp;rsquo;t working, how can I help?'&amp;rdquo; Walker High School teacher Andrew Pullman said.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Superintendent Joe Murphy addressed some of those concerns at the start of the meeting. He says the district's strong start committee, which was formed in response to the virus, now includes a handful of teachers.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">That&amp;rsquo;s something educators pushed for at the last meeting,&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/frustrated-teachers-say-livingston-school-board-won-t-address-concerns/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">but it was shot down by all but two board members</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;ldquo;Last board meeting I was just so shocked. Not only at the divide between the board and the teachers, but also the divide among yourselves. The fact that there was a powerful motion up there and there really wasn&amp;rsquo;t a lot of discussions,&amp;rdquo; Keith Courville, Executive Director at Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana, said.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Board member Devin Gregoire says he feels that some small progress is now being made. But he encouraged that the processes should be expedited to satisfy educator and student needs.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Superintendent Joe Murphy says that the strong start committee met last Friday to come up with short-term and long-term concerns that they&amp;rsquo;ll look to address. He also says that teachers will be receiving two professional development half days to make up for one they lost in September.</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/fed-up-teachers-parents-make-their-voices-heard-at-livingston-school-board-meeting/" title="Fed-up teachers, parents make their voices heard at Livingston School Board meeting">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/fed-up-teachers-parents-make-their-voices-heard-at-livingston-school-board-meeting/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/d1UXWYpjiOM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/primate-monkeys-around-with-students-phone-takes-selfies/ WBRZ urn:uuid:e734d8db-13c5-10e0-7a2a-859ffe66f61c Thu, 17 Sep 2020 20:24:39 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135346"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/ZcMmFiLcX40dyJlDpYMPaA9Spg4vw0HFg1vjPdoRPyJ3Lqd6hE-QJ9gqz_2DmYAYGcaOx1pqT-nySNNmJzYOZOmpysC4F6rrP70FHR86lRgQ" alt="Primate monkeys around with students phone, takes selfies" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia &amp;mdash; A Malaysian student whose cellphone was stolen while he was sleeping has tracked down the culprit: a monkey who took photo and video selfies with the device before abandoning it.</p><p>Zackrydz Rodzi, 20, said Wednesday that his phone was missing from his bedroom when he woke up Saturday. He found the phone&amp;rsquo;s casing under his bed, but there was no sign of robbery in his house in southern Johor state.</p><p>When his father saw a monkey the next day, he searched in the jungle behind his house. Using his brother&amp;rsquo;s phone to call his own device, he found it covered in mud under a palm tree. But a bigger surprise came when he found a series of monkey selfies and videos recorded in the phone.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;My uncle was joking that maybe the monkey took some selfies with the phone. ... So when I checked my phone picture gallery, I was shocked. The suspect&amp;rsquo;s face was plastered on the screen. It was hilarious,&amp;rdquo; Zackrydz said.</p><p>He said he was curious why the monkey took the phone and not the camera or other things in his room. He said the primate must have thought it was food as it has a colorful casing.</p><p>Most of the images were blurry, but some showed the monkey&amp;rsquo;s face. One of the videos taken from atop a tree showed glimpses of the monkey opening his mouth and appearing to try to eat the phone.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;My house is now in a total lockdown,&amp;rdquo; Zackrydz said, laughing, adding that he didn&amp;rsquo;t want a repeat of the incident.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/primate-monkeys-around-with-students-phone-takes-selfies/" title="Primate monkeys around with students phone, takes selfies">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/primate-monkeys-around-with-students-phone-takes-selfies/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/QHfDrCKQ7WU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/stealthy-primate-monkeys-around-with-student-s-phone-takes-selfies/ WBRZ urn:uuid:335c49fc-e0cc-d9bc-3ac3-a13e9ed52a3a Thu, 17 Sep 2020 20:24:39 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135346"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/ZcMmFiLcX40dyJlDpYMPaA9Spg4vw0HFg1vjPdoRPyJ3Lqd6hE-QJ9gqz_2DmYAYGcaOx1pqT-nySNNmJzYOZOmpysC4F6rrP70FHR86lRgQ" alt="Stealthy primate 'monkeys around' with student's phone, takes selfies" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia &amp;mdash; A Malaysian student whose cellphone was stolen while he was sleeping has tracked down the culprit: a monkey who took photo and video selfies with the device before abandoning it.</p><p>Zackrydz Rodzi, 20, said Wednesday that his phone was missing from his bedroom when he woke up Saturday. He found the phone&amp;rsquo;s casing under his bed, but there was no sign of robbery in his house in southern Johor state.</p><p>When his father saw a monkey the next day, he searched in the jungle behind his house. Using his brother&amp;rsquo;s phone to call his own device, he found it covered in mud under a palm tree. But a bigger surprise came when he found a series of monkey selfies and videos recorded in the phone.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;My uncle was joking that maybe the monkey took some selfies with the phone. ... So when I checked my phone picture gallery, I was shocked. The suspect&amp;rsquo;s face was plastered on the screen. It was hilarious,&amp;rdquo; Zackrydz said.</p><p>He said he was curious why the monkey took the phone and not the camera or other things in his room. He said the primate must have thought it was food as it has a colorful casing.</p><p>Most of the images were blurry, but some showed the monkey&amp;rsquo;s face. One of the videos taken from atop a tree showed glimpses of the monkey opening his mouth and appearing to try to eat the phone.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;My house is now in a total lockdown,&amp;rdquo; Zackrydz said, laughing, adding that he didn&amp;rsquo;t want a repeat of the incident.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/stealthy-primate-monkeys-around-with-student-s-phone-takes-selfies/" title="Stealthy primate 'monkeys around' with student's phone, takes selfies">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/stealthy-primate-monkeys-around-with-student-s-phone-takes-selfies/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/GSymp6iwbW4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/haunted-houses-prep-for-a-safe-spooky-season-with-new-guidelines-amid-pandemic/ WBRZ urn:uuid:f79b5123-18f4-038f-813c-95d4e751fb96 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 19:48:32 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135345"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/uc3L9awYFLTFiqScFhmaqA5mlH5H6-CbTaefZha0kS5yjUiUTTecHUO02ZPw8S7YqRBTfIWB20bzA-fjPO8r3Nv71GpFwiHbemlPOWQDGjFg" alt="Haunted houses prep for a safe spooky season with new guidelines amid pandemic" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">BATON ROUGE - As we wait for the doors of haunted houses to open this Halloween season, their operators prepare for a new kind of scare.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">They're trying to figure out how to keep both guests and ghouls safe with COVID-19 in the mix.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Haunted houses, like 13th Gate, are currently closed, but operators say they are working to make all of the necessary changes to comply with the State Fire Marshal's Office.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">"You shouldn't be scared of the haunted houses this year. We're making them very safe and we're making them COVID-free," State Fire Marshal Butch Browning said.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">But there's nothing scarier, Browning says, than getting people sick.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">"We want to give them all of the tools and information so they can operate a safe COVID-free business, but also to protect the people that come into the haunted house."</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Under the governor's current orders in Phase 3, haunted houses are not among the businesses allowed to reopen. However, the operators of indoor amusements like these can submit a proposal to be given special permission to open.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">This October there will be a few changes, including fewer people to start.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">"In addition to that, we're recommending that folks develop a system where they schedule times for people to come. It might just be easier in maintaining social distancing where people don't have long wait times. Also, all of the same measures that you see everywhere else."</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Browning says these measures will give people a good, safe spook this Halloween season.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Haunted house operators can find out how to submit requests to open online at on opensafely.la.gov in the document for "other amusements," or by&amp;nbsp;</span><a target="_blank" href="https://opensafely.la.gov/" class="editor-rtfLink" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">clicking here</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/haunted-houses-prep-for-a-safe-spooky-season-with-new-guidelines-amid-pandemic/" title="Haunted houses prep for a safe spooky season with new guidelines amid pandemic">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/haunted-houses-prep-for-a-safe-spooky-season-with-new-guidelines-amid-pandemic/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/ilWxrznVIns" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/br-company-supporting-emergency-workers-in-florida-with-free-mobile-housing-during-storm-clean-up/ WBRZ urn:uuid:e8273408-e7af-5cd4-2748-00c4153088a7 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:39:56 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135343"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/B23POenfNy3kWoojR3zFbg5dTbfnJps1QUVtk1gG9purtpij7cc31hJI4fVJebFFcK2w3GPnjLiSM8JAhzlyDAlkNqMe4ZLCDrzWsbUZ_utH0fCF6sb3gUQsSoLNh3x3Q" alt="BR company supporting emergency workers in Florida with free mobile housing during storm clean-up" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - It's been a non-stop three weeks for the Disaster Response Group.</p><p>"We are extremely busy. This is really a record-setting year, " said Rod Alsop, logistics director for Disaster Response.</p><p>The company provides temporary living and dining facilities or base camps for power company workers sent to restore electricity in communities hit by natural disasters.</p><p>"We provide all the catering, all the restrooms, all the showers and laundry for those crews," Alsop said.</p><p>More than 90 sleeper trailers that just left areas affected by Hurricane Laura were turned around at the storage facilities on Airport Drive near the Cortana Mall. They're now in the Pensacola, Florida area to house utility workers repairing damage from Hurricane Sally.</p><p>It was the first time the company's had to respond to back-to-back emergencies in its eight-year history.</p><p>"It kinda reminds me of 2005, the year with the most number of hurricanes reported. And we're on pace to break that record", Alsop said.</p><p>The company is based in Baton Rouge but has two other locations. One in Georgia and another in North Carolina.</p><p>The sleeper trailers stored in Baton Rouge each have 16 beds and HEPA air filters which help filter out airborne bacteria and viruses.</p><p>"The social distancing is not as strong in a trailer as it is outdoors. So with the UV light and the HEPA filter, at least we got the best air you can possibly have," Alsop said.</p><p>The sleeper trailers began rolling out for Florida Wednesday morning, and the base camp at the Pensacola Fairgrounds is already up and ready to house 1,000 utility workers as of Thursday afternoon.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/br-company-supporting-emergency-workers-in-florida-with-free-mobile-housing-during-storm-clean-up/" title="BR company supporting emergency workers in Florida with free mobile housing during storm clean-up">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/br-company-supporting-emergency-workers-in-florida-with-free-mobile-housing-during-storm-clean-up/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/WP1h_zy88WY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/governor-changes-cut-off-time-for-alcohol-sales-at-bars-restaurants-during-phase-3/ WBRZ urn:uuid:2c45f67e-a138-30c0-1639-c10a18c1ff26 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 17:34:23 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135342"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/x_dfx_XiWlUGt2421QaMpwTjmJZZAGxm7eiWzJoxP1fKLG6I0j7VZOpi6GREfw6g-WxTu8FZYhcss5ZUyOYlMb88cCaw01xBRxJssZqHw3NQ" alt="Governor changes cut-off time for alcohol sales at bars, restaurants during phase 3" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - Governor Edwards announced Thursday he will extend the window for restaurants and bars to serve alcohol during phase 3. Read the full announcement below.&amp;nbsp;</p><p><em>"Following discussions with restaurant and hospitality industry leaders, Gov. John Bel Edwards today altered his Phase 3 order to allow the on premises sale and consumption of alcohol until 11 p.m. at restaurants, casinos and bars in parishes that are eligible to opt in to reopen bars. However, all bars must still close by 11 p.m.</em></p><p><em>The Governor&amp;rsquo;s order previously ended the sale or service of alcohol for on-site consumption at 10 p.m. as part of mitigation measures recommended by the White House and designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 across the state. While bars remain closed for on-site consumption in some areas, in parishes with lower incidence of COVID, local government may opt in to open their bars. Four parishes that are eligible have opted in so far: Acadia, Jefferson Davis, St. Landry and Plaquemines. </em></p><p><em>&amp;ldquo;I had a productive discussion this week with several restauranteurs and the Louisiana Restaurant Association and agreed that allowing the sale and service of alcohol until 11 p.m. for on premises consumption was a meaningful change we could make to the Phase 3 order to benefit restaurants that may have later service. To be consistent, my updated order will allow casinos and bars in parishes where they are allowed to be open to also serve alcohol for on-site consumption until 11 p.m. However, opened bars will still be required to close at 11 p.m.,&amp;rdquo; Gov. Edwards said. &amp;ldquo;Limiting hours for alcohol consumption is designed to reduce the amount of higher risk behavior in the community. This change has been implemented in several states, including Colorado, and has also been recommended by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.&amp;rdquo;</em></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/governor-changes-cut-off-time-for-alcohol-sales-at-bars-restaurants-during-phase-3/" title="Governor changes cut-off time for alcohol sales at bars, restaurants during phase 3">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/governor-changes-cut-off-time-for-alcohol-sales-at-bars-restaurants-during-phase-3/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/fclqh_H4HMQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/high-school-coaches-players-required-to-wear-masks-on-sidelines-see-full-lhsaa-guidelines-for-fall-sports-here/ WBRZ urn:uuid:adc81f31-522d-d493-00c5-156086f23c03 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 17:06:53 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135340"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/u77eKbliBnWgUD7fgXibqwZx-cM_jZ1wmt6RV4N5IKYyez4EXUQKBNucK8hwRk_2uY6-7hxyQzCaP6ogZcPrfAY0H4kh-HJu2yoh5yWniWVA" alt="High school coaches, players required to wear masks on sidelines; see full LHSAA guidelines for fall sports here" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - A requirement for all players and coaches to wear masks on the sidelines is among the new requirements for high school football this season.</p><p>The latest guidelines laid out by the LHSAA Thursday mandate that all personnel on the sidelines stayed masked up while they're not actively playing on the field. Cheer and dance crews are also required to wear face coverings except while they're performing.</p><p>The mask requirement will also extend to any fans in attendance, and stadium capacity must be in line with state regulations.</p><p>You can read the full guidelines <a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/dddb7521801/9320a8f0-a8f6-49a4-8d55-17e3ffb5ff73.pdf">here</a>.</p><p></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/high-school-coaches-players-required-to-wear-masks-on-sidelines-see-full-lhsaa-guidelines-for-fall-sports-here/" title="High school coaches, players required to wear masks on sidelines; see full LHSAA guidelines for fall sports here">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/high-school-coaches-players-required-to-wear-masks-on-sidelines-see-full-lhsaa-guidelines-for-fall-sports-here/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/IvKtPXgQlF4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/cheer-star-jerry-harris-arrested-on-child-porn-charges/ WBRZ urn:uuid:ab2f364f-fe51-9c86-c4e2-c3ca5a0ef0c7 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 16:29:29 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135338"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/8d7Hf14TG971AcWsq0pXPAMxPCfTK76zgXfK-8pm2ynGGlwiOHV-ci5wdg6ZalsvTcuMzPQZOkBy5ulMZLY6Dklf_Hv1mJWadJjtXiYuw18V8WQtDxl_SZE7J3ykVQe6c" alt="'Cheer' star Jerry Harris arrested on child porn charges" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>CHICAGO (AP) &amp;mdash; Jerry Harris, the star of the Netflix documentary series &amp;ldquo;Cheer,&amp;rdquo; was arrested Thursday with producing child pornography, three days after twin boys filed a lawsuit alleging he sent them sexually explicit photos of himself and cornered one of them in a bathroom and begged for oral sex.</p><p>According to the complaint, Harris admitted during an interview after FBI agents raided his home in the Chicago suburb of Naperville on Monday that he had asking one of the teens to send him photographs and videos of his penis and buttocks on Snapchat. He also admitted that he repeatedly asked the teen, identified only as Minor 1, between December 2018 and March of this year for such photographs and videos.</p><p>Further, according to the complaint, Harris admitted to requesting and receiving on Snapchat child pornography from &amp;ldquo;at least between 10 to 15 other individuals he knew were minors.&amp;rdquo;</p><p>Harris, who was taken into custody on Thursday, will remain in jail until at least Monday after a judge ordered him to return for a detention hearing on Monday morning.</p><p>The boy&amp;rsquo;s mother told the newspaper that both of her sons had spoken to the FBI, and the lawsuit alleges that she also reported the allegations to Fort Worth police, the FBI and others. The complaint contends that the mother contacted authorities after she saw messages from Harris on one of her son&amp;rsquo;s cellphones. Prosecutors said they recovered several text messages between Harris and the boys, as well as Harris&amp;rsquo; admission that he had solicited pornographic images and videos from the boys and had sent explicit images of himself.</p><p>Harris, 21, was the breakout star of the show that followed the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, as it sought a national title.</p><p>Harris did not respond for comment from USA Today, and attempts by The Associated Press to find a phone number for Harris have not been successful.</p><p>In interviews with USA Today at their Texas home, the boys &amp;mdash; who are now 14 years old &amp;mdash; described a pattern of harassment both online and at cheer competitions, which began when they were 13 and Harris was 19. They said it continued for over a year.</p><p>Besides accusing Harris of sexual misconduct, the lawsuit alleges that cheer organizations failed to protect the boys. The organizations named in the lawsuit are U.S. All Star Federation, which governs competitive cheerleading; Varsity Spirit, which puts on competitions; and the Cheer Athletics, a chain of gyms.</p><p>A Varsity official in Aug. 1 letters to police in Florida and Texas said the organization had learned of &amp;ldquo;inappropriate sexual conduct&amp;rdquo; allegations against Harris, USA TODAY reported.</p><p>Cheer Athletics owner Angela Rogers told the newspaper that Harris hasn&amp;rsquo;t been affiliated with the gym since March 1. Rogers told the newspaper that she learned of the allegations against him in mid-May and reported them to police.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;Cheer&amp;rdquo; was an instant success when it was released in January, and Harris drew fans for his upbeat attitude and his encouraging &amp;ldquo;mat talk.&amp;rdquo; Earlier this year, he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the Academy Awards for &amp;ldquo;The Ellen DeGeneres Show.&amp;rdquo;</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/cheer-star-jerry-harris-arrested-on-child-porn-charges/" title="'Cheer' star Jerry Harris arrested on child porn charges">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/cheer-star-jerry-harris-arrested-on-child-porn-charges/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/oCNqPojX3Z4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-s-covid-19-testing-incentive-working-students-lining-up-at-testing-centers/ WBRZ urn:uuid:a23a6a6c-0635-b221-eb42-a9fbf2e78845 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 16:24:29 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135337"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/j9MGYi--8jj6LXgudn7pMg5Airznwds7vY97V9hVJZM_D3nRX1_A6hQJhIaAAsW0KjKXpwLkZgdcvEtoCUHVNNEMV3F7GQv6srmczFW-jPzg" alt="LSU's COVID-19 testing incentive working, students lining up at testing centers" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE &amp;ndash; The LSU incentive for students to get tested for COVID-19, giving them priority in getting football tickets, seems to be working. One thousand more people got tested in less than a week.</p><p>Last Wednesday, LSU reported 4,142 tests were completed since mid-August, when students returned to campus. As of Monday, that number rose to 5,186 and is still rising.</p><p>LSU officials say 580 people stopped by the testing center near the Union on Wednesday alone. There are five other testing locations around campus.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;[Students] will do anything to go to a football game,&amp;rdquo; LSU senior Kaitlyn Nassar said with a laugh. &amp;ldquo;Sports don&amp;rsquo;t quit in Louisiana.&amp;rdquo;</p><p>Nassar got tested with her friend Mollie Faucheaux. If they get tickets, this will be the first time the pair will be going to a game as just fans. They&amp;rsquo;ve been in the band for previous years.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;[Testing] will make everyone safer at the game, and help to know people there have already been tested. Plus, it&amp;rsquo;s good to get more people out and tested for COVID-19,&amp;rdquo; Faucheaux said.</p><p>Thursday is the last day students have to request tickets. At each home game, 2,200 students will be able to attend. LSU is trying to make sure each student that wants to will have a chance to go to at least one game.</p><p>Since mid-March, there have been 768 positive COVID-19 cases. Right now, 47 students are in isolation and 107 are in quarantine for the virus.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-s-covid-19-testing-incentive-working-students-lining-up-at-testing-centers/" title="LSU's COVID-19 testing incentive working, students lining up at testing centers">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-s-covid-19-testing-incentive-working-students-lining-up-at-testing-centers/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/HAt7-TmPtt0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-s-covid-19-testing-incentive-working-students-lining-up-at-testing-centers/ WBRZ urn:uuid:7bb23fe7-ac19-adf5-8dce-b1cb72a31e59 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 16:24:29 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135337"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/j9MGYi--8jj6LXgudn7pMg5Airznwds7vY97V9hVJZM_D3nRX1_A6hQJhIaAAsW0KjKXpwLkZgdcvEtoCUHVNNEMV3F7GQv6srmczFW-jPzg" alt="LSU's COVID-19 testing incentive working; students lining up at testing centers" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE &amp;ndash; The LSU incentive for students to get tested for COVID-19, giving them priority in getting football tickets, seems to be working. One thousand more people got tested in less than a week.</p><p>Last Wednesday, LSU reported 4,142 tests were completed since mid-August, when students returned to campus. As of Monday, that number rose to 5,186 and is still rising.</p><p>LSU officials say 580 people stopped by the testing center near the Union on Wednesday alone. There are five other testing locations around campus.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;[Students] will do anything to go to a football game,&amp;rdquo; LSU senior Kaitlyn Nassar said with a laugh. &amp;ldquo;Sports don&amp;rsquo;t quit in Louisiana.&amp;rdquo;</p><p>Nassar got tested with her friend Mollie Faucheaux. If they get tickets, this will be the first time the pair will be going to a game as just fans. They&amp;rsquo;ve been in the band for previous years.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;[Testing] will make everyone safer at the game, and help to know people there have already been tested. Plus, it&amp;rsquo;s good to get more people out and tested for COVID-19,&amp;rdquo; Faucheaux said.</p><p>Thursday is the last day students have to request tickets. At each home game, 2,200 students will be able to attend. LSU is trying to make sure each student that wants to will have a chance to go to at least one game.</p><p>Since mid-March, there have been 768 positive COVID-19 cases. Right now, 47 students are in isolation and 107 are in quarantine for the virus.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-s-covid-19-testing-incentive-working-students-lining-up-at-testing-centers/" title="LSU's COVID-19 testing incentive working; students lining up at testing centers">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-s-covid-19-testing-incentive-working-students-lining-up-at-testing-centers/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/HAt7-TmPtt0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/ascension-livingston-waterways-reopening-friday-135336/ WBRZ urn:uuid:7176d909-46d0-3516-e790-ddeb69d2ae48 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 15:19:58 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135336"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/PvWG9r66sfr4Jdfm7heeDwTskxsWsf6w8_bxa6M2svUoUWuQq5-XARWUyLzSflU0gd2hxn-efkbmo58Ozab4Q_3vWSggztxN0Ro02WhBvtKTLEWeoqxGNeznF-QxiMSbw" alt="Ascension, Livingston waterways reopening Friday" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>Waterways in both Ascension and Livingston Parish will reopen on Friday, Sept. 18.</p><p>Officials announced the reopening Thursday afternoon, stating both parishes would reopen waterways at 6 a.m.</p><p>The waterways were closed due to high water from Hurricane Sally's storm surge.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/ascension-livingston-waterways-reopening-friday-135336/" title="Ascension, Livingston waterways reopening Friday">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/ascension-livingston-waterways-reopening-friday-135336/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/hQntWsfAKeE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/fired-teacher-faces-felony-assault-charges-after-pulling-gun-in-tirade-during-flooding/ WBRZ urn:uuid:7d597229-4ea5-aeb7-83aa-a10108dfa76f Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:52:41 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135335"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/4kOx4QB0GyIrj6_XaZGk0wq70csaUeD750a9-crGoJO5VLyTZyB5VLODDis1FdToGR7dOh51ozAepzeE8ztYA0GhMrGMLQchyd-DkNXfTrKA" alt="Fired teacher faces felony assault charges after pulling gun in tirade during flooding" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - A fired East Baton Rouge school teacher is facing felony charges after a video showed her <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/teacher-who-pulled-gun-in-viral-video-fired-by-ebr-school-system/">threatening people driving through her flooded neighborhood</a> while she waved a gun.</p><p>Records show Bridgette Digerolamo is set to appear in court Oct. 30 to face three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>Digerolamo was fired from her job as a P.E. teacher in July after <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/woman-catching-drivers-on-flooded-street-arrested-after-threatening-tirade-with-bat-gun/">a video</a> of her striking a family's vehicle with a bat and grabbing a gun from inside her home circulated on social media. Neighbors claimed the former teacher was enraged in part because she had recently finished repairing her house that flooded last year.</p><p>One of the people confronted by Digeralmo told WBRZ back in July that there was no excuse for her actions.</p><p>"You don't play with guns and threaten people," said Demetra Turner-Louis, whose family was inside the vehicle. "If we had a gun it could have been a different outcome. To witness my child screaming and seeing this, and I'm outside the car, I don't know her state of mind. She could have shot me."</p><p>Digerolamo is currently out of jail on a $2,500 bond.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/fired-teacher-faces-felony-assault-charges-after-pulling-gun-in-tirade-during-flooding/" title="Fired teacher faces felony assault charges after pulling gun in tirade during flooding">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/fired-teacher-faces-felony-assault-charges-after-pulling-gun-in-tirade-during-flooding/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/JN7d5jHDX2Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/sex-offender-confesses-to-inappropriate-relationship-with-minor-police-say/ WBRZ urn:uuid:6fbc417e-273b-58d1-5f44-9f153484f76e Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:40:03 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135334"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/jVTrSuaeJyPNE2Qqvs5zvAd42DXWrdcgJfn-wYH30Iin3mc6wa3p2513IoWBF3GsESnLgXzt8sfsRAI1LBygI7SNyZNculndrt2-ejVeb66USF1VpuriW-AVGiTfwmcMg" alt="Sex offender confesses to inappropriate relationship with minor, police say" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p is="qowt-word-para" qowt-lvl="undefined" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-eid="E282" class="qowt-stl-NormalWeb"><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E283">THIBODAUX - Authorities charged a sex offender with f<span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E297" id="E297">ailure t</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E298" id="E298">o register and notify as a sex offender &amp; molestation of a juvenile.</span></span></p><p is="qowt-word-para" qowt-lvl="undefined" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-eid="E282" class="qowt-stl-NormalWeb"><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E283"><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E298">The <span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E310" id="E310">Thibodaux Police Department arrested 38-year-old <span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E312" id="E312">Aljyross</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E314" id="E314"> Smith.</span></span></span></span></p><p is="qowt-word-para" qowt-lvl="undefined" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-eid="E300" id="E300" class="qowt-stl-NormalWeb"><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E301" id="E301">On Wednesday</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E302" id="E302">, </span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E303" id="E303">September</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E304" id="E304"> </span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E305" id="E305">16</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E306" id="E306">, 2</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E307" id="E307">0</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E308" id="E308">20</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E309" id="E309">,</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E310" id="E310"> the TPD started an investigation involving a sexual relationship between <span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E314" id="E314">Smith </span>and a juvenile.</span></p><p is="qowt-word-para" qowt-lvl="undefined" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-eid="E300" class="qowt-stl-NormalWeb"><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E310" id="E310">During the investigation Thibodaux Police Department Criminal Investigations Division learned that </span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E314" id="E314">Smith </span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E316" id="E316">was accused</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E318" id="E318"> of sexual intercourse</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E319" id="E319"> and multiple sexual encounters</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E320" id="E320"> with a girl under the age of 17. </span></p><p is="qowt-word-para" qowt-lvl="undefined" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-eid="E300" class="qowt-stl-NormalWeb"><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E324">Later Smith confessed that the allegations were true.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p is="qowt-word-para" qowt-lvl="undefined" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-eid="E300" class="qowt-stl-NormalWeb"><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E339" id="E339">Smith was booked into</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E341" id="E341">&amp;nbsp;</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E342" id="E342">L</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E343" id="E343">afourche Parish Correctional Complex</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E344" id="E344"> </span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E345" id="E345">where he remains on </span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E347" id="E347">a</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E349" id="E349"> $110</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E350" id="E350">,</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E351" id="E351">000</span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E352" id="E352">.00 </span><span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E353" id="E353">bond.</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/sex-offender-confesses-to-inappropriate-relationship-with-minor-police-say/" title="Sex offender confesses to inappropriate relationship with minor, police say">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/sex-offender-confesses-to-inappropriate-relationship-with-minor-police-say/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/lI6bz5WO8Fk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/report-most-of-lsu-baseball-team-quarantined-over-possible-coronavirus-exposure/ WBRZ urn:uuid:6cb0f530-fead-2f4f-8b1a-e6653ed03d12 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:35:40 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135333"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/3DJyV-D9U-1MsW6fU609rQ9g-3aOS5C-OlqCuBmICBrWSdJPh7KGGjgh_UvlYB5YiuOaPd8huDi4hJYPyvNmULyaDShqwBnjfGbGYoBKMX6A" alt="Report: Most of LSU baseball team quarantined over possible coronavirus exposure" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - The LSU baseball team has delayed the start of fall practice as a majority of players are quarantined.</p><p>A majority of the team is quarantining because they have either tested positive for COVID-19 or have come in close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus, The Advocate reports.</p><p>Practice will begin on Sunday, Sept. 27, a week later than originally scheduled.</p><p>This is a developing story.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/report-most-of-lsu-baseball-team-quarantined-over-possible-coronavirus-exposure/" title="Report: Most of LSU baseball team quarantined over possible coronavirus exposure">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/report-most-of-lsu-baseball-team-quarantined-over-possible-coronavirus-exposure/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/d1VbFBGy3v4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/man-arrested-in-ascension-after-allegedly-trying-to-meet-child-for-sex/ WBRZ urn:uuid:8d971e86-00a4-90cf-f660-53316d278970 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:20:02 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135332"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/XwQ8LmCctiCY_p_qxwVY5gN_zM74xvnq9_dDre6hAiTZXnvrIFvGZ76ELJv7sDxDR1YjMKqmWUkDRDECXIHzelZjwDkxLo2Ep1doYI6KjM5Qq95DS9_YbVzlMb363vx0U" alt="Man arrested in Ascension after allegedly trying to meet child for sex" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>GONZALES - A man was arrested in Ascension Parish after he was caught trying to solicit sex from a minor during an online child exploitation sting involving the FBI.</p><p>Louisiana State Police said Derrick Louque, 38, was taken into custody Wednesday on several charges.</p><p>Louque was arrested after he arranged a meet-up with an undercover federal agent posing as a juvenile on social media. Investigators say Louque intended to have sex with what he though to be a child.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>Troopers and the FBI took Louque into custody after he arrived for the meet-up.</p><p>He is booked in the Ascension Parish jail on charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile, computer-aided solicitation for sexual purposes, and attempted felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile.</p><p></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/man-arrested-in-ascension-after-allegedly-trying-to-meet-child-for-sex/" title="Man arrested in Ascension after allegedly trying to meet child for sex">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/man-arrested-in-ascension-after-allegedly-trying-to-meet-child-for-sex/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/C7HbOOkjpT0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/live-traffic-updates-thursday-afternoon-commute-135331/ WBRZ urn:uuid:3b1db540-e4de-68c6-fd5b-1f4a9b9d5dce Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:10:47 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135331"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/UMEb0kRedElr_4Z2vhGM-AaDrxxnExL9EUSgxc1b-c5WdBKmVwoZ8xXtm0sDtBIJpxg8ab-L0WloAjYNUAfS7oWlvdFNqXAXFKND_Fn3XunlPyjbwa6ZPMZT6mQc0-C9Q" alt="LIVE TRAFFIC UPDATES: Thursday afternoon commute" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p><a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/wbrztraffic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Tweets by wbrztraffic</a></p><script charset="utf-8" async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/live-traffic-updates-thursday-afternoon-commute-135331/" title="LIVE TRAFFIC UPDATES: Thursday afternoon commute">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/live-traffic-updates-thursday-afternoon-commute-135331/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/CYhYFLNHtzo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/donations-push-reward-to-nearly-300k-for-shooter-who-ambushed-sheriff-s-deputies/ WBRZ urn:uuid:18eaf01d-7990-b4a3-dcd7-66291a844b64 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 13:17:00 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135330"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/pOseRCRPs1nwKxQuRxEDUASzlp6C9jJV7bRN4epUMw2i5uFt54c61Fw9nqvnC8zgRSXdj8ENDVas0DqyARCfDFo2DjjfFTimEPGWwmZKIJ6Q" alt="Donations push reward to nearly $300K for shooter who ambushed sheriff's deputies" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>LOS ANGELES - The search continues for a person who shot two California sheriff's deputies while they were sitting in their vehicle last week.</p><p>The $100,000 reward authorized by Los Angeles officials for information leading to the arrested of the gunman ballooned to almost $300,000 Wednesday with the help of public donations. The donations included $75,000 from the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and another $75,000 from two private donors.</p><p>The shooting happened outside a Metro train station in Compton Saturday night.&amp;nbsp;Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced Wednesday that one of the deputies, who suffered gunshot wounds to his forehead, arms and a hand, was released from the hospital.</p><p>"He has a long road ahead for recovery. But he's not alone. We, as a community, are in this together," Villanueva said in a statement posted to social media.</p><p>His partner, who was shot in the jaw and arms, remained in the intensive care unit as of Wednesday night.</p><p>Villanueva, who called the shooting a "cowardly act," said he swore both deputies in as members of the sheriff's department 14 months ago.</p><p>He has not identified the deputies by name.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/donations-push-reward-to-nearly-300k-for-shooter-who-ambushed-sheriff-s-deputies/" title="Donations push reward to nearly $300K for shooter who ambushed sheriff's deputies">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/donations-push-reward-to-nearly-300k-for-shooter-who-ambushed-sheriff-s-deputies/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/e4jDJkB_KNs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-teacher-uses-joe-burrow-and-some-presidential-figures-to-practice-social-distancing/ WBRZ urn:uuid:b1092f1a-9571-fe04-ba0e-105088b7e615 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 13:03:05 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135329"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/cJr4C-xNToRaxxFPCQkLMgvwzIPmnO1iEXXUmLo-otXIxamhI_lRlS43y2Hc86k51NRdB6Z_D8DUuQkoTeviCHYCYpR-oeG01XTGERP-YuhQ" alt="Louisiana teacher uses Joe Burrow and some presidential figures to practice social distancing" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <div class="mcntkvgmc6g5 mcntcxmmr5t8 mcntoygrvhab mcnthcukyx3x mcntc1et5uql mcntii04i59q"><div>LORANGER, La. - With Louisiana now in Phase 3 of reopening one Tangipahoa Parish teacher welcomed her students back on campus on Thursday with a few special guests in attendance.</div><div></div><div>Loranger High School teacher, Ms. Starkey, is practicing social distancing with the help of some famous guests to help keep her students safe from the novel coronavirus.&amp;nbsp;</div><div></div><div>Ms. Starkey placed cut-out figures of Joe Burrow, Barrack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, President Donald Trump, and other notable figures at some of the desks, so that students will be able to stay 6 ft. apart from each other.&amp;nbsp;</div><div></div><div></div></div><p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTangischools%2Fposts%2F3237559042959595&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=552&amp;height=838&amp;appId" width="552" height="838" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-teacher-uses-joe-burrow-and-some-presidential-figures-to-practice-social-distancing/" title="Louisiana teacher uses Joe Burrow and some presidential figures to practice social distancing">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-teacher-uses-joe-burrow-and-some-presidential-figures-to-practice-social-distancing/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/eYhFdzdxgr8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/better-business-bureau-hosting-13th-annual-shred-fest-saturday/ WBRZ urn:uuid:7a20b151-7caa-20f8-f07f-f3bf5d740f10 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 11:27:55 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135327"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/Q-LHD3SHrgiA-tEx7BrpTgtBx5fFVzn77dgG_5qsTon0IQv1gX9SXaeWaqkG8HI9BiTtEl6NRIM89S8OY_gWPnW4kzCbF9ofO44HGUqPj0kg" alt="Better Business Bureau hosting 13th annual 'Shred Fest' Saturday" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - The Better Business Bureau of South Central Louisiana wants to help you dispose of your sensitive documents this weekend.</p><p>People across the Baton Rouge area are invited to attend the 13th Annual Free Community Shred Fest. There, attendees will be able to have their sensitive documents shredded and disposed of free of charge as part of an effort to keep it out of the hands of scammers.</p><p>The event will last from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the parking lot of the Baton Rouge Police Department on Airline Highway.</p><p>The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank will also be there collecting canned goods.</p><p></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/better-business-bureau-hosting-13th-annual-shred-fest-saturday/" title="Better Business Bureau hosting 13th annual 'Shred Fest' Saturday">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/better-business-bureau-hosting-13th-annual-shred-fest-saturday/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/qyptR1XEo5U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/40-years-of-paying-wbrz-s-bills-second-generation-finance-manager-celebrates-fortieth-anniversary-at-ch-2/ WBRZ urn:uuid:8f599fdd-2379-7039-834f-b9125b98329a Thu, 17 Sep 2020 11:05:07 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135326"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/x0Vt28RI16YO7ZXSRbmXpgGr_giVdGrFW63eJwQ8R1drJdfKrZaalDJbH4L6kSn4mdPTxxhn0R-3ssC3gkKeMfmTdQjscYiWUApuE_6ddmuvGSoy70FCp4JGbGm1MDLoU" alt="40 years of paying WBRZ's bills: Second-generation finance manager celebrates fortieth anniversary at Ch 2" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE &amp;ndash; There&amp;rsquo;s a joyful celebration within the halls of WBRZ Thursday as a second-generation employee celebrates forty years of paying the bills.</p><p>Tonya Hebert runs WBRZ&amp;rsquo;s finance department, a job she&amp;rsquo;s held since Wednesday, September 17, 1980.</p><p>In remembering her first years Thursday, Hebert recounted how little &amp;ndash; almost nothing &amp;ndash; was done on computers. Instead, the television station&amp;rsquo;s finances were recorded entirely by hand. When it was time to make payments or run payroll, Hebert would have to leave WBRZ&amp;rsquo;s Old South Baton Rouge studio for the Advocate headquarters &amp;ndash; then downtown &amp;ndash; to key-in checks and information.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;Forty years sounds like a long time, but it really doesn&amp;rsquo;t feel like it,&amp;rdquo; Hebert said with a smile when congratulated by co-workers in September 2020.</p><p>In an age of impermanence, Hebert and her family are figures of an era that even in memory helps keep the peace in such trying times: Life-long employees whose family is now in its third generation of working at WBRZ.</p><p>Hebert started working at WBRZ with her mother, Pat Collier, who spent 30 years at Channel 2. Collier started working soon after WBRZ signed on the air and spent her entire career greeting visitors in the lobby, managing finances and later the station&amp;rsquo;s broadcast schedule. Collier&amp;rsquo;s grandchild and Hebert&amp;rsquo;s daughter, Cagney Blanchard, is nearing 15 years with WBRZ, too. And, since Blanchard&amp;rsquo;s a mom, who knows &amp;ndash; there could be a fourth generation within the halls of WBRZ one day!</p><p>Hebert is a life-long resident of the west side of the river and like her mom and daughter, has driven the hour-long commute from the sleep banks of the bayous to the chaotic world of TV since starting at WBRZ in 1980.</p><p>Collier, Hebert, Blanchard and a handful of other career-long WBRZ employees have become something of an enigma in an industry that sees change as quickly as the days. Like their employees, so are the station owners, the Manship family, which have committed to local broadcasting&amp;rsquo;s future by solidifying their stake in the station and the Baton Rouge community year after year.</p><p>WBRZ signed on the air in 1955 when the Manship family of Baton Rouge added television to their newspaper business, having first owned The Advocate. WBRZ remains one of the rare, locally-owned television stations in the country.</p><p>The Manship family owns Baton Rouge TV stations WBRZ, WBRZ Plus and entertainment station WBTR along with Texas&amp;rsquo; KRGV and Spanish-language TV station KRGV Azteca Valle.</p><p>Proof of the Manship&amp;rsquo;s local commitment can be seen when Hebert lets in on a secret &amp;ndash; the largest check she&amp;rsquo;s ever paid? She wouldn&amp;rsquo;t specify, but said it was to a local philanthropy!</p><p><em>Congratulations, Tonya and thanks for all you do!</em></p><p>************************</p><p>Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter:<a href="https://twitter.com/treyschmaltz" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> @treyschmaltz</a></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/40-years-of-paying-wbrz-s-bills-second-generation-finance-manager-celebrates-fortieth-anniversary-at-ch-2/" title="40 years of paying WBRZ's bills: Second-generation finance manager celebrates fortieth anniversary at Ch 2">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/40-years-of-paying-wbrz-s-bills-second-generation-finance-manager-celebrates-fortieth-anniversary-at-ch-2/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/X4ir-B4xA8c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/woman-holds-fatal-stabbing-suspect-at-gunpoint-in-michigan/ WBRZ urn:uuid:008caa71-5686-9f8c-9b3b-e9de0a4698ec Thu, 17 Sep 2020 10:58:11 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135324"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/SHYGFXWQsCK9REnK-oyrvAnUsPIm5Nuy5qu2w9_HOas01uCEmebeEO9w9C31foPMAZ4fy29L4iS1ABjxihdc99EZjSJ3C-BWqF86JbKT3Ujg" alt="Woman holds fatal stabbing suspect at gunpoint in Michigan" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>ADRIAN, Mich. - An 85-year-old man was stabbed to death inside a southern Michigan supermarket, but his attacker was unable to flee because a woman who witnessed the attack held him at gunpoint until the police arrived.</p><p>The victim was stabbed multiple times in the head and neck Wednesday afternoon at a Meijer store in Adrian, The Daily Telegram of Adrian reported. He died at the scene.</p><p>Adrian Police Chief Vincent Emrick said the woman with a handgun ordered the 29-year-old suspect to the floor and held him there until officers took him into custody. Emrick said the woman has a concealed pistol license.</p><p>A knife believed used in the stabbing was found on a store shelf.</p><p>The victim and suspect entered the store separately, Emrick said. The victim's name was not immediately released. The chief did not discuss a motive and the investigation is continuing.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;At this time, we&amp;rsquo;re reviewing video footage from the store surveillance cameras as well as cellphone camera footage from witnesses at the scene,&amp;rdquo; he said. Adrian is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Detroit.</p><p>A commotion in the store drew the attention of some shoppers who didn't witness the attack.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;We were getting in line and we heard people start screaming in the back of the store,&amp;rdquo; said Becky Perez, who was with her husband, Rudy. &amp;ldquo;Then, I see some employees start running and then I see people running from the back. They were screaming and running out the front door.&amp;rdquo;</p><p>A &amp;ldquo;code 50&amp;rdquo; was announced over the store&amp;rsquo;s PA system and employees could be seen running in the direction of the commotion, she said.</p><p>A spokesman for Meijer was not immediately available for comment, according to the newspaper.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/woman-holds-fatal-stabbing-suspect-at-gunpoint-in-michigan/" title="Woman holds fatal stabbing suspect at gunpoint in Michigan">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/woman-holds-fatal-stabbing-suspect-at-gunpoint-in-michigan/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/ZXrnkAchLDE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/hawaii-to-allow-travelers-to-skip-quarantine-with-virus-test/ WBRZ urn:uuid:e41900bc-de38-1897-9a6e-ca6b7277d9ac Thu, 17 Sep 2020 10:49:11 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135323"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/9TRGbqhDpRcNd2lPvQN8HQ1aVDxFsmvWO4yWuMtAdIYIwXBi4veOqi2q_u2Dm0AkxNfbVo8Vs6k0idUE6At7-mh3wENKZtFpmLdw5Bpp7_LErnv1rxB_xwlu9OEVTlL9s" alt="Hawaii to allow travelers to skip quarantine with virus test" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>HONOLULU (AP) &amp;mdash; Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Wednesday that starting Oct. 15, travelers arriving from out of state may bypass a 14-day quarantine requirement if they test negative for COVID-19.</p><p>Travelers will have to take the test within 72 hours before their flight arrives in the islands. Ige said drug store operator CVS and healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente will conduct the tests as part of an agreement with the state.</p><p>Earlier this year Ige planned to start a pre-travel testing program on Aug. 1 only to have to postpone it as COVID-19 cases spiked on the U.S. mainland and in Hawaii. A shortage of testing supplies also forced delays. Another start date for Sept. 1 was also canceled. Airlines are expected to help inform travelers of the requirement.</p><p>Hawaii leaders are hopeful that pre-travel testing will encourage people to return to Hawaii in a way that keeps residents safe. Tourism traffic to the state has plunged more than 90% since the pandemic began, forcing hundreds of hotels to close and pushing many people out of work.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;I want to emphasize that this pre-travel testing will allow us to add a greater element of safety for travel into our state,&amp;rdquo; Ige said at a news conference.</p><p>Lt. Gov. Josh Green, who joined the news conference via Zoom because he tested positive for the disease and is isolating at home, said the program will provide economic opportunity at a time when so many people are suffering. Upheaval from the pandemic pushed nearly one-quarter of Hawaii&amp;rsquo;s workforce into joblessness. In April, Hawaii had the third-worst unemployment rate in the nation after Nevada and Michigan.</p><p>&amp;ldquo;I worry about the long term impacts of economic distress and that impact this has on our people, when they can&amp;rsquo;t afford their homes as easily or groceries or health care,&amp;rdquo; Green said.</p><p>On Wednesday, the state Department of Health reported Hawaii had an average of 118 cases per day for the past seven days. That&amp;rsquo;s down from a seven-day daily average of 255 on Aug. 28.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/hawaii-to-allow-travelers-to-skip-quarantine-with-virus-test/" title="Hawaii to allow travelers to skip quarantine with virus test">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/hawaii-to-allow-travelers-to-skip-quarantine-with-virus-test/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/c0WeXBhyKiE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/gulf-shores-orange-beach-fort-morgan-peninsula-closed-until-sept-26-for-hurricane-relief/ WBRZ urn:uuid:c0f267e3-6f5a-7d9c-196e-e51dd448aa82 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 10:19:17 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135322"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/x9TFIkRzcQIBydoy9CYmfgz68Dij1rihM4Xm8dfwad3zU5a7dElgRjDa00wHp_KdjMa7UrKmQbRiGWDatDElOUc4JEF7dM-K1KXfTWYMYh2fmrtUeF4dvU3xUahgKNosmcO1mOZf88sYYWPtMwdf8S" alt="Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan Peninsula closed until Sept. 26 for hurricane relief" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>Gulf Shores &amp; Orange Beach Tourism announced Wednesday that due to damage from Hurricane Sally, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and the Fort Morgan Peninsula will remain closed at least through September 26.</p><p>Officials say the area sustained significant damage with major flooding, extensive power outages, structural damage, wide-range beach erosion, fallen trees, and many roads are closed/impassable.</p><p>The closure of the beaches and waters in the previously mentioned three areas will allow sufficient time for damage assessment, cleanup, and repairs.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>Visitors with existing reservations for these dates should contact the hotel or company they have reservations with for information regarding policies related to storms, cancelations, and rescheduling.</p><p>Residents and visitors are advised to stay off the roads unless it is an emergency because of debris and downed power lines, as well as continued flooding issues. Officials warn against taking to the roads to sightsee and look at damage. Roadways need to remain clear for city workers, power company workers and emergency responders.</p><p>Curfews are in place for all of Baldwin County &amp;ndash; including Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan Peninsula and nearby Foley &amp;ndash; each evening from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. until further notice.</p><p>The Highway 59 bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores (main bridge onto the island) is closed for entry to the island until further notice except for residents with valid hurricane re-entry stickers or contractors with appropriate contractor passes.</p><p>The Foley Beach Express toll bridge and Perdido Pass bridge in Orange Beach are also closed for entry to the island until further notice except for residents with valid hurricane re-entry passes and workers who can provide proof of employment via work identification or pay stub.</p><p>Visitors currently in Orange Beach can depart the island heading north via the Foley Beach Express toll bridge.</p><p><span>Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Wednesday morning as a hurricane with 105 mph (165 kph) winds. It moved slowly, exacerbating the rains&amp;rsquo; effects. More than 2 feet (61 centimeters) fell near Naval Air Station Pensacola, and nearly 3 feet (1 meter) of water covered streets in downtown Pensacola, the National Weather Service reported.</span></p><p></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/gulf-shores-orange-beach-fort-morgan-peninsula-closed-until-sept-26-for-hurricane-relief/" title="Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan Peninsula closed until Sept. 26 for hurricane relief">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/gulf-shores-orange-beach-fort-morgan-peninsula-closed-until-sept-26-for-hurricane-relief/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/N6T8rcQ2-20" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/wall-street-slumps-as-big-tech-once-again-leads-decliners/ WBRZ urn:uuid:83c4bf41-86d6-9993-1d84-c8a9e7875784 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 10:09:59 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135321"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/ALBOJ1toOzfkC3cPs5n1sA_p1ZlBhWdOq71bWDOPveUE9S4vKPBSAz6JetLFWheZPrBfq41cAWLyIvl5dNVGePayL1QOnzMAsiPC6H3hiAlkm4BnumycC_ZztQlHzZjeA" alt="Wall Street slumps as Big Tech once again leads decliners" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">NEW YORK (AP) &amp;mdash; U.S. stocks are lower Thursday as Wall Street continues to swirl after the Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates at nearly zero for years to help nurse the wheezing economy.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">The S&amp;P 500 was 1% lower in morning trading, after trimming an earlier loss that reached 1.6%. It follows up on a volatile day, where the index at first rose following the Fed&amp;rsquo;s announcement before giving out in the last hour of trading to drop to its first loss in four days.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 165 points, or 0.6%, to 27,866, as of 10:25 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was down 1.7%. The selling was widespread, with all 11 sectors that make up the S&amp;P 500 lower and the heaviest losses in those that are homes to Amazon, Facebook and Apple.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Low interest rates are usually a boon for investors, sending stocks soaring, and analysts gave varying possible reasons for the market&amp;rsquo;s weakness. Among them: the gloomy outlook Fed Chair Jerome Powell gave for the economy&amp;rsquo;s prospects and built-up expectations in some corners that the Fed would be even more generous with its stimulus. This also isn&amp;rsquo;t the first hangover stocks have had following a rate announcement by the Fed.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Markets &amp;ldquo;hoped for the Fed to put policy money where the mouth is&amp;rdquo; but &amp;ldquo;ended up a tad disappointed,&amp;rdquo; Mizuho Bank said in a report. The Fed was &amp;ldquo;long on talk and short on action.&amp;rdquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Another possibility for the weakness is the diminishing odds that Congress will deliver more aid for the economy anytime soon after benefits for unemployed workers and other stimulus expired recently. Investors say such aid is crucial for the recovery, and Powell talked about the importance of it in a press conference Wednesday.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">A report on Thursday showed that another 860,000 workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. But partisan disagreements on Capitol Hill have held up any renewal of Congressional support.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">&amp;ldquo;Fundamentally, the economy is still moving in the right direction, but the risk of potentially jeopardizing the recovery from reduced fiscal support is becoming uncomfortably high,&amp;rdquo; Piper Sandler strategist Craig Johnson wrote in a report.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Economists say the impact of Congress&amp;rsquo; inaction may already be showing in the data. Retail sales growth weakened last month, for example, as unemployed workers were no longer getting $600 in extra weekly benefits from the federal government. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in early August to provide a scaled-back version of the benefits, but that program is expiring.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Trump urged his fellow Republicans on Wednesday to move toward a big package of aid, which is what Democrats have been arguing for, but negotiations still remain far apart.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">The number of workers applying for jobless benefits has been coming down slowly, but it remains incredibly high compared with history.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Big Tech stocks were again at the center of Wall Street&amp;rsquo;s selling. After flying through the pandemic on expectations that their strong growth will only continue, Apple and other superstar stocks suddenly lost momentum earlier this month amid worries they had become too expensive.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Apple fell 2%, Amazon sank 3% and Facebook lost 2.4%.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Among the few gainers was Herman Miller, which jumped 28.9% after reporting much stronger profit for its latest quarter than analysts expected. It benefited from a rush of people buying furniture for home offices they had to suddenly set up due to the pandemic.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Treasury yields fell in a sign of increased caution in the market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 0.65% from 0.69% late Wednesday.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">Stocks in markets around the world were also weak.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">In Europe, the German DAX lost 0.5%, and the French CAC 40 fell 0.6%. The FTSE 100 in London sank 0.2%.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-218 Component-p-0-2-210">In Asia, Japan&amp;rsquo;s Nikkei 225 fell 0.7%, South Korea&amp;rsquo;s Kospi dropped 1.2% and Hong Kong&amp;rsquo;s Hang Seng lost 1.6%. Stocks in Shanghai slipped 0.4%</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/wall-street-slumps-as-big-tech-once-again-leads-decliners/" title="Wall Street slumps as Big Tech once again leads decliners">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/wall-street-slumps-as-big-tech-once-again-leads-decliners/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/JXCVY-AOHGw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/injured-denham-springs-high-football-player-continues-to-recover-coach-o-offers-his-support/ WBRZ urn:uuid:b6ba0bb6-cf69-f901-6c3b-980ae0bae2ea Thu, 17 Sep 2020 09:40:30 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135320"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/3DUU5yfSVaJERE1v4TIELQejmpdwTvth2Efvmkf3RG6--RZpYjvyWgwDMTdTpbUooznygscswD2deFP3w_JTgAoT_5P7vJPs0_nHKPpcFLAhLSihJCD9EyvxCp4LrbCFA" alt="Injured Denham Springs High football player continues to recover, Coach O offers his support" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>DENHAM SPRINGS - A Yellow Jacket lineman with the Denham Springs High School football team who collapsed at practice on Tuesday is beginning to improve while under treatment at a New Orleans Hospital.&amp;nbsp;</p><p>As of Wednesday night, the beloved student-athlete, known as Remy, is said to have improving vital signs.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/livingston_tangipahoa/article_f744aee6-f86c-11ea-b677-07277e8c79d7.html">The Advocate</a>, Remy may have suffered a heatstroke while at practice.</p><p>Since his sudden collapse and hospitalization, the community has rallied around the young football player and his family.</p><p><span>On Wednesday night, several hundred students with candles in hand, gathered at the Denham Springs High School football stadium to offer prayers on Remy's behalf.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>That same night, Coach O offered his support during a radio interview, saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the young man from Denham Springs who had an issue at practice yesterday, had an injury. I don't know how severe it is. But we ask that you fight like a tiger. We know you will."&amp;nbsp;</span></p><div id="fb-root"></div><p><script defer="defer" async="" src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v8.0"></script></p><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/hidalgoashl/posts/10157137696657000" data-show-text="true" data-width=""><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/hidalgoashl/posts/10157137696657000" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><p>The more I see for my son the more grateful I am to everyone who is praying and rooting for Remy. I cannot wait does Remy to wake up and see how truly loved he is. Thamk you Coach O !!!!</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hidalgoashl">Ashley Roberson</a> on&amp;nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hidalgoashl/posts/10157137696657000">Wednesday, September 16, 2020</a></blockquote></div><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/injured-denham-springs-high-football-player-continues-to-recover-coach-o-offers-his-support/" title="Injured Denham Springs High football player continues to recover, Coach O offers his support">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/injured-denham-springs-high-football-player-continues-to-recover-coach-o-offers-his-support/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/FWpBOyq2WLs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/hospitalized-high-school-football-player-in-need-of-blood-donations-family-says/ WBRZ urn:uuid:0ce6f978-0f3b-68f3-049a-6a2c0c60ce65 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 09:40:30 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135320"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/3DUU5yfSVaJERE1v4TIELQejmpdwTvth2Efvmkf3RG6--RZpYjvyWgwDMTdTpbUooznygscswD2deFP3w_JTgAoT_5P7vJPs0_nHKPpcFLAhLSihJCD9EyvxCp4LrbCFA" alt="Hospitalized high school football player in need of blood donations, family says" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>DENHAM SPRINGS - A Denham Springs High football player who collapsed at practice Tuesday is in need of blood donations, his family said Thursday.</p><p>Remy Hidalgo's mother said on social media that the teen is in need of B- and AB- blood donations. He was said to be in "very critical" condition at a New Orleans Hospital Thursday.</p><p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fhidalgoashl%2Fposts%2F10157138610257000&amp;width=500" width="500" height="212" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p>A list of donation spots can be found below.</p><p><img src="//dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/img/wbrz/images/news/2020-09/the_blood_center_1.png" width="600" height="777" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p><p>You can also visit this <a href="https://www.thebloodcenter.org/">website </a>for more info on donor center sites. Due to coronavirus precautions, donors are asked to make an appointment.</p><p>Since his sudden collapse at football practice Tuesday, the community has rallied around the student-athlete and his family.</p><p><span>On Wednesday night, several hundred students gathered with candles in hand at the Denham Springs High School football stadium to pray for Remy.&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><span>That same night, Coach O offered his support during a radio interview, saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the young man from Denham Springs who had an issue at practice yesterday, had an injury. I don't know how severe it is. But we ask that you fight like a tiger. We know you will."&amp;nbsp;</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/hospitalized-high-school-football-player-in-need-of-blood-donations-family-says/" title="Hospitalized high school football player in need of blood donations, family says">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/hospitalized-high-school-football-player-in-need-of-blood-donations-family-says/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/1Pux08BbSus" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-workforce-commission-issues-apology-for-overpayment-issue/ WBRZ urn:uuid:31a11124-095f-cb8b-2258-097033bf3641 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 09:06:41 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135319"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/0ZByUcwsdkAwvondv8_yRAOWPexrjCG3PZqJKrUFRDU-hmxTjT5pc2eUfFbMGzor2vfcgI4LrLDqY_-is-_YTkhX8_HThYYA33NPF1Xm3I_WJvtyvNIGvYmP3VQKkyBwk" alt="Louisiana Workforce Commission issues apology for overpayment issue" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE &amp;ndash; On Thursday morning, the Louisiana Workforce Commission posted a brief response on its website noting its awareness of a severe overpayment error that impacted over 7,000 individuals in the state and vowed to send a "Notice of Adjustment" to most of those affected, confirming that their overpayment balance is $0.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This morning, <a href="https://twitter.com/LouisianaWorks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LouisianaWorks</a> put out a news release saying the apologize for sending 7,600 overpayment notices, many of which said people owed back thousands of dollars. LWC says it&amp;rsquo;s a &amp;ldquo;technical issue&amp;rdquo; and many people actually don&amp;rsquo;t owe anything.</p>&amp;mdash; Brittany Weiss WBRZ (@MsBWeiss) <a href="https://twitter.com/MsBWeiss/status/1306594838029021184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2020</a></blockquote><p><script charset="utf-8" async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p><p>The notice said, "(LWC) is aware of approximately 7,600 Unemployment Insurance overpayment notices that were generated on September 9 - 10, 2020. LWC is working with the vendor to correct this technical issue.</p><p>We apologize for any confusion.</p><p>The LWC will send a &amp;ldquo;Notice of Adjustment&amp;rdquo; to these individuals within the next week that will indicate their overpayment balance is $0. Currently, no action is required by any of those impacted.</p><p>The vast majority of individuals will not owe anything related to this issue. We will continue to work to resolve any further outstanding issues.</p><p>The LWC has established an email inbox exclusively for these overpayment related issues. If you have additional questions once your receive your Adjustment Notice, please contact the LWC via email, Septovrpymtissue@lwc.la.gov. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your patience."</p><p>&amp;gt;<a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/letters-to-unemployed-warn-they-were-overpaid-some-may-owe-thousands">Click here to view original coverage of this story from WBRZ's 2 on Your Side</a>&amp;lt;</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-workforce-commission-issues-apology-for-overpayment-issue/" title="Louisiana Workforce Commission issues apology for overpayment issue">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-workforce-commission-issues-apology-for-overpayment-issue/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/wPMoxxV3mYw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/cvs-to-double-its-covid-19-testing-nationwide-add-two-new-drive-thru-sites-in-ebr/ WBRZ urn:uuid:2ccd19ae-9941-3e34-22d0-00b70769b286 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 08:55:00 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135318"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/K6-T98Occfg6Gi19XO3r4QJ2nXYOA7qm3sWNE_4sh3P5_3Z3tu2l2N8zeuDkORqJW8pZHQywrACgQjHMVlYpRAA-flg1fhk0OGVOR1HJIDew" alt="CVS to double Its COVID-19 testing nationwide, add two new drive-thru sites in EBR" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - CVS Health announced Thursday that it plans to open 28 new COVID-19 drive-thru test sites at select CVS Pharmacy locations across Louisiana, and two of those sites will be in East Baton Rouge Parish.</p><p>The company's aim is to is announcing today plans to boost access to testing and help slow the spread of the virus.</p><p>The EBR sites are located at:</p><p class="mcntMsoNormal"><span>-CVS Pharmacy, 11705 Coursey Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70805</span></p><p class="mcntMsoNormal"><span>-CVS Pharmacy, 14360 Wax Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70818</span></p><p>All of the new testing locations will open Friday, September 18.</p><p>The no-charge test is available for people age 12 and over who meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.</p><p>The company hopes to add a nationwide total of more than 2,000 new COVID-19 drive-thru test sites at select CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide by mid-October.</p><p>The full list of Louisiana drive-thru sites to be added can be found below:&amp;nbsp;</p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Bossier&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3001 E. Texas Street, Bossier City, LA 71111</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 4890 Barksdale Road, Bossier City, LA 71111</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Caddo&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3300 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA 71105</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">East Baton Rouge&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 11705 Coursey Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70805</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 14360 Wax Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70818</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Iberia&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 185 North Lewis Street, New Iberia, LA 70560</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Iberville&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 24600 Church Street, Plaquemine, LA 70764</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Jefferson&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 5300 Veterans Boulevard, Metarie, LA 70003</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1203 Westbank Expressway, Westwego, LA 70094</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1600 Lapalco Boulevard, Harvey, LA 70058</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Lafayette&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 6800 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA 70501</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1315 Moss Street, Lafayette, LA 70501</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3604 West Pinhook, Lafayette, LA 70508</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">LaFourche&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 16804 West Main, Cut Off, LA 70354</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Orleans&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3700 S. Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2585 Leon C. Simon Drive, New Orleans, LA 70122</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 5902 Read Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70165</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Rapides&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 4443 Jackson Street, Alexandria, LA 71303</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">St. Bernard&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2600 Paris Road, Chalmette, LA 70043</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">St. Mary&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 6502 Highway 182, Morgan City, LA 70380</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">St. Tammany&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2915 Highway 190, Mandeville, LA, 70471</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2101 Collins Boulevard, Covington, LA 70433</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 627 West 21st Avenue, Covington, LA 70433</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1695 Highway 59, Mandeville, LA 70448</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 70550 Louisiana Highway 21, Covington, LA 70433</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Tangipahoa&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 285 West Pine, Ponchatoula, LA 70454</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Terrebonne&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 9407 East Park Avenue, Houma, LA 70363</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Washington&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 329 Superior Avenue, Bogalusa, LA 70427</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/cvs-to-double-its-covid-19-testing-nationwide-add-two-new-drive-thru-sites-in-ebr/" title="CVS to double Its COVID-19 testing nationwide, add two new drive-thru sites in EBR">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/cvs-to-double-its-covid-19-testing-nationwide-add-two-new-drive-thru-sites-in-ebr/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/Py5gwWKZ3kQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/cvs-to-double-its-covid-19-testing-nationwide-add-two-new-drive-thru-sites-in-ebr/ WBRZ urn:uuid:55b8db41-cf79-8184-010b-7632bd80380a Thu, 17 Sep 2020 08:55:00 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135318"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/K6-T98Occfg6Gi19XO3r4QJ2nXYOA7qm3sWNE_4sh3P5_3Z3tu2l2N8zeuDkORqJW8pZHQywrACgQjHMVlYpRAA-flg1fhk0OGVOR1HJIDew" alt="CVS to double its COVID-19 testing nationwide, add two new drive-thru sites in EBR" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p>BATON ROUGE - CVS Health announced Thursday that it plans to open 28 new COVID-19 drive-thru test sites at select CVS Pharmacy locations across Louisiana, and two of those sites will be in East Baton Rouge Parish.</p><p>The company's aim is to is announcing today plans to boost access to testing and help slow the spread of the virus.</p><p>The EBR sites are located at:</p><p class="mcntMsoNormal"><span>-CVS Pharmacy, 11705 Coursey Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70805</span></p><p class="mcntMsoNormal"><span>-CVS Pharmacy, 14360 Wax Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70818</span></p><p>All of the new testing locations will open Friday, September 18.</p><p>The no-charge test is available for people age 12 and over who meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.</p><p>The company hopes to add a nationwide total of more than 2,000 new COVID-19 drive-thru test sites at select CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide by mid-October.</p><p>The full list of Louisiana drive-thru sites to be added can be found below:&amp;nbsp;</p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Bossier&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3001 E. Texas Street, Bossier City, LA 71111</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 4890 Barksdale Road, Bossier City, LA 71111</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Caddo&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3300 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA 71105</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">East Baton Rouge&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 11705 Coursey Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70805</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 14360 Wax Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70818</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Iberia&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 185 North Lewis Street, New Iberia, LA 70560</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Iberville&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 24600 Church Street, Plaquemine, LA 70764</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Jefferson&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 5300 Veterans Boulevard, Metarie, LA 70003</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1203 Westbank Expressway, Westwego, LA 70094</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1600 Lapalco Boulevard, Harvey, LA 70058</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Lafayette&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 6800 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA 70501</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1315 Moss Street, Lafayette, LA 70501</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3604 West Pinhook, Lafayette, LA 70508</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">LaFourche&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 16804 West Main, Cut Off, LA 70354</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Orleans&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 3700 S. Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2585 Leon C. Simon Drive, New Orleans, LA 70122</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 5902 Read Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70165</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Rapides&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 4443 Jackson Street, Alexandria, LA 71303</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">St. Bernard&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2600 Paris Road, Chalmette, LA 70043</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">St. Mary&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 6502 Highway 182, Morgan City, LA 70380</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">St. Tammany&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2915 Highway 190, Mandeville, LA, 70471</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 2101 Collins Boulevard, Covington, LA 70433</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 627 West 21st Avenue, Covington, LA 70433</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 1695 Highway 59, Mandeville, LA 70448</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 70550 Louisiana Highway 21, Covington, LA 70433</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Tangipahoa&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 285 West Pine, Ponchatoula, LA 70454</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Terrebonne&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 9407 East Park Avenue, Houma, LA 70363</span></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Washington&amp;nbsp;</span></strong></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">&amp;bull; CVS Pharmacy, 329 Superior Avenue, Bogalusa, LA 70427</span></p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/cvs-to-double-its-covid-19-testing-nationwide-add-two-new-drive-thru-sites-in-ebr/" title="CVS to double its COVID-19 testing nationwide, add two new drive-thru sites in EBR">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/cvs-to-double-its-covid-19-testing-nationwide-add-two-new-drive-thru-sites-in-ebr/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/Py5gwWKZ3kQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://www.wbrz.com/news/report-another-860-000-americans-filed-for-unemployment-benefits-last-week/ WBRZ urn:uuid:39794f65-8183-c723-ab6f-1e02d7ee97be Thu, 17 Sep 2020 08:12:19 +0000 <div align="center"><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/mobile/cleanStory.cfm?n=135317"><img src="https://dcer237tfveol.cloudfront.net/v2/Bk1P3L1OxhqjT-bkoxtqnAvD20717CloR557mIRsxQ-n_OciBZjycs_mGUS8kONEAdHjyRs7p8r_UzNDKHKq_AdvnsEmPCS7ojjNtIgfleUb0nlifkAgLoDnyhog-2bxk" alt="Report: Another 860,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week" border="0" align="left" vspace="4" hspace="8"/></a></div> <p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">WASHINGTON (AP) &amp;mdash; The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to 860,000, a historically high figure that reflects economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">Before the pandemic hit the economy, the number signing up for jobless aid had never exceeded 700,000 in a week, even during the depths of the 2007-2009 Great Recession. Now they&amp;rsquo;ve topped 700,000 for 26 straight weeks.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">The Labor Department said Thursday that U.S. jobless claims fell by 33,000 form the previous week and that 12.6 million are collecting traditional unemployment benefits, compared with just 1.7 million a year ago.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">The pandemic has delivered an colossal shock to the economy. Until the pandemic upended the operations of American companies, from factories to family diners, weekly jobless aid applications had never exceeded 700,000 in the U.S.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">The overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, collapsed at an annual rate of 31.7% from April through June, by far the worst three months on record, as millions of jobs disappeared.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">The economy and job market have recovered somewhat from the initial shock. Employers added 10.6 million jobs from May through August, but that&amp;rsquo;s still less than half the jobs lost in March and April.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">The recovery remains fragile, imperiled by continuing COVID-19 infections as schools begin to reopen, and the failure to deliver another economic rescue package in Washington.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">An extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits ran out July 31, squeezing households that had depended on the beefed-up payments. President Donald Trump issued an executive order Aug. 8 providing a scaled-back version of the expanded jobless aid. Most states signed up for federal grants that let them increase weekly benefits by $300 or $400.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">That program is expiring.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">Charissa Ward, 37, was furloughed in April from her job as a server at a restaurant in Disney&amp;rsquo;s Hollywood Studios resort near Orlando, Florida. Since then, she&amp;rsquo;s been helping at her partner&amp;rsquo;s online retail business, applying for jobs and waiting to see what Disney will do. &amp;ldquo;We have no idea when we&amp;rsquo;re going to get called back,&amp;rdquo; she said.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">The extra $600 in weekly jobless benefits didn&amp;rsquo;t replace all her lost income but helped. The reduced $300 she received briefly from Trump&amp;rsquo;s program made life &amp;ldquo;a little less stressful.&amp;rdquo; But Ward said Congress needs to agree to another financial rescue and do &amp;ldquo;what&amp;rsquo;s best for working people.&amp;rsquo;&amp;rsquo;</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">Last week, nearly 659,000 people applied for jobless aid under a new program that extends eligibility for the first time to self-employed and gig workers, down from 868,000 the previous week. The figure for those seeking Pandemic Employment Assistance isn&amp;rsquo;t adjusted for seasonal trends, so it&amp;rsquo;s reported separately.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">Altogether, the Labor Department said that 29.8 million people are receiving some form of unemployment benefits, though the figure may be inflated by double-counting by states. Analysts also worry about evidence that the number of people collecting special pandemic aid has been swollen by cases of fraud in California.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">A summertime resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the South and West forced many businesses to close again in July -- though the data firm Womply finds that closings have mostly stabilized over the last few weeks. Womply did find a sharp increase in spending at bars in southern and western states, including South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama, as college students returned to campus.</p><p class="Component-root-0-2-174 Component-p-0-2-166">Unemployment claims &amp;ldquo;remain high even as economic activity is resuming more fully,&amp;rdquo; Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote Thursday. &amp;ldquo;The risk going forward continues to come from virus outbreaks and intermittent interruptions to activity. Overall, the labor market is less weak compared to April but remains at risk of permanent damage from repeated closures.&amp;Prime;</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/report-another-860-000-americans-filed-for-unemployment-benefits-last-week/" title="Report: Another 860,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week">Permalink</a>| <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/report-another-860-000-americans-filed-for-unemployment-benefits-last-week/#comments" title="View user submitted comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><br/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wbrz/news/~4/S6wOsoDix7g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>