Baton Rouge

Unanswered Questions Remain Weeks After Baton Rouge Charity Hospital Closes

Ashley Westerman — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:38:00 +0000

Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge closed its doors for good last month. The cooperative endeavor agreement between the hospital, the state and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for the take-over and eventual shutdown of EKL was reached more than two years ago.

Erica Barham, Kimberly Burkett and Lauren Richard are all former Registered Nurse Supervisors in the EKL Emergency Room. Mental Health Emergency Room Extension Supervisor Amy Germain also used to work there.

They tell WRKF’s Ashley Westerman the transition was bungled and even on closing day, critical questions about how patients would get care and follow-up remained unanswered.

Schapiro's "Heroes": 20th Century Movers and Shakers on Display in Baton Rouge

Ashley Westerman — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:03:00 +0000

The list of people Steve Schapiro has photographed reads more like a Who’s Who list of the 1960s and ‘70s. During his career, Schapiro worked for magazines such as Life, Time, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair and captured the images of influential politicians, celebrities and musicians. He also extensively covered the Civil Rights Movement in the South.

Those icons - Jackie Kennedy, Ray Charles and James Baldwin - are who Schapiro labels "Heroes" in an exhibit of work is on display at the West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen.

Baton Rouge to See 800 Tech Jobs with IBM

Kelly Connelly — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and software company IBM are partnering to expand LSU’s computer science program, revamp downtown property, and bring 800 jobs to Baton Rouge.

IBM will open a new service center downtown in 2015, but will employ 300 locally in 2014.

Under the partnership, LSU’s school of engineering is expected to double its computer science faculty and jump to the top 15 nationally in number of graduates.

Voucher Program Transforms Christian School

Amy Jeffries — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:58:00 +0000

Tuesday, the state Supreme Court will hear arguments in a suit from local school boards and teachers unions wanting Louisiana's school voucher program thrown out.

The legal challenges came almost as soon as the program was passed last year as part of Gov. Bobby Jindal's education overhaul.

Despite that, Hosanna Christian Academy in Baton Rouge went all in.

The school took on almost 300 voucher students, nearly doubling its enrollment. And Hosanna is doing everything it can to make sure all those students can perform at grade level.

Dabadie Appointed Interim Baton Rouge Police Chief

The Associated Press — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:51:15 +0000

Officials say East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden has appointed Lt. Carl Dabadie as interim police chief.

Baton Rouge Gets Tourism Bump From Super Bowl Spill-Over

Ashley Westerman — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:51:00 +0000

Preliminary data from the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation shows Super Bowl XLVII brought an estimated 150,000 visitors to New Orleans, and is expected to rake in an estimated $432 million for the city’s economy.

Just about 80 miles up the road here in the capital city, tourism spill-over from the Super Bowl-boom gave Baton Rouge a bit of an economic bump as well.

Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Paul Arrigo says Baton Rouge started planning for Super Bowl 2013 in 2009, when New Orleans was initially chosen for the site.

Baton Rouge Police to Increase Patrol Numbers

The Associated Press — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Baton Rouge Police Chief Dewayne White says he plans to add several dozen officers to the ranks patrolling the streets of the Capital City.

White said Tuesday the move was inspired by the early success of the Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination crime-fighting project.

Baton Rouge Man Shot, Killed When He Answered Door

The Associated Press — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:00:00 +0000

East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputies say a 41-year-old man was shot and killed when he answered the door of his apartment.

Spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks identified the victim as Ellis Banks.

'Antiques Roadshow' Coming to Baton Rouge in July

The Associated Press — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Baton Rouge will be one of eight cities on the 2013 "Antiques Roadshow" summer tour.

Beth Courtney, president and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting, says the popular show, viewed nationally by an estimated 10 million people per episode, will take over the River Center on July 27 for taping of three episodes.

Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge Celebrates 300K Births

The Associated Press — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Woman's Hospital is celebrating and welcoming its 300,000th baby.

The infant — a boy — was born Thursday at 5:58 a.m.