BATON ROUGE — Purple Heart Day was commemorated in Baton Rouge, honoring Americans who were wounded or killed in action while serving in the armed forces.

Mayor-President Sid Edwards spoke to a group gathered on the first floor of City Hall.

"So I'm just honored to be here; we will always honor our heroes. Thank you all for attending," Edwards said.

A special recognition ceremony is planned for the next Metro Council meeting on Aug. 12.

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The daily routine of morning heat and humidity followed by afternoon showers and thunderstorms will continue through the weekend. Another run of significant heat is probable for the end of next week and the following weekend.

Steam First: highs to the mid-90s, feels-like 105 – 110 degrees through Tuesday

Storms Second: isolated to scattered activity, mainly afternoons

Big Heat Back: alert levels possible late next week, next weekend

Tonight & This Weekend: As showers diminish shortly after sunset, expect clearing skies and a muggy night with low temperatures heading into the mid 70s. For the weekend and early next week, the weather pattern will hold in a standard summer groove. A channel of moisture will be streaming into the atmosphere over the central Gulf Coast. This moisture will spark isolated to scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms each day. Assessing the expected rain coverage across the 13 Parish, 2 County Forecast Area each day, expect 30% for Saturday, 40% on Sunday, and 50% on Monday. Daytime highs will consistently hit the low to mid 90s, with morning lows in the mid 70s.

Use the slider to advance through the next 24 hours of Futurecast

Up Next: By Tuesday and Wednesday, a transition to fewer showers, and therefore more heat, will begin. The Climate Prediction Center has highlighted all of southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi for the potential of very hot and humid conditions from Friday, August 14 through Monday, August 17.

A strong high-pressure ridge over the region will cause hot temperatures, combined with humid air from the Gulf, to bring peak heat index values between 105 and 110 degrees, or higher, during this period. As is typical in exceptionally hot weather, showers and thunderstorms will become harder to find.

Get the latest 7-day forecast and real-time weather updates HERE.

Watch live news HERE.

The Tropics: The Gulf, Caribbean and Atlantic are quiet. No tropical development is expected over the next seven days.

– Josh 

The Storm Station is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and X for even more weather updates while you are on the go.

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BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Shakespeare Company is staging its first tragedy with an upcoming production of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet: Prince of Denmark."

Directed by LSC Executive and Artistic Director Jennifer Bouquet, the show runs Sept. 11-13 and 18-19 at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

The production follows Prince Hamlet, who returns to Denmark after his father's death to find his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married his uncle Claudius, who now sits on the throne. When the ghost of Hamlet's father appears and accuses Claudius of murder, Hamlet sets out to uncover the truth, setting off a chain of events that puts everyone in the royal court at risk.

"Hamlet is timeless," Jennifer Bouquet said. "There is something in it for everyone, something that each of us can resonate with and see a part of ourselves in these characters."

The production also marks the first time LSC is bringing sword combat to the stage. "It's the first time we are bringing swords onto the stage and the final fight of the show will be epic," Bouquet said.

"Hamlet is arguably the most studied of all Shakespeare's tragedies and we are highly aware that there are lots of versions and opinions of Hamlet," Bouquet said. "We have made sure that we are taking care of our audiences while also staying true to the story and telling it in a suspenseful and action packed way."

Louis Mangiaracina stars as Hamlet, with Julie Roundtree as Queen Gertrude, Travis Daigle as King Claudius, Antoni Amina Rogers as Ophelia, Chase Bernard as Laertes and Chris Dalton as Polonius. The cast also includes Devin Bureau, Ella Simon, Gray Armond, Aubrey Wesley, Buck Patton, Mary-Beth Blanchard-Loftin and Shauna Fahad.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, 12, 18 and 19 and at 2 p.m. on Sept. 13. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance.

The show takes place at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge at 233 St. Ferdinand St. Tickets are $30 and are available at lashakes.org.

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WACO, Texas - Ascension Parish baseball flipped the script in its second game of the Little League Baseball Southwest Region Tournament. In game one, they trailed early against Arkansas. In game two, Ascension Parish took an early lead and kept it all the way through the game to beat Clinton Baseball Association (Mississippi) 2-0.

With the win, Ascension Parish moves on to the regional semi-final.

After Thursday's slow start, Ascension Parish didn't waste time on Friday. John Landry knocked an extra-base-hit into the gap to give team Louisiana a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Brock Percell made it 2-0 on an RBI single.

On the pitching side, Ascension Parish was essentially flawless. 

Liam Hohl, Cooper Suire and John Landry worked together to complete the first combined no-hitter at the Southwest Region Tournament since 2019. Hohl got the bulk of the work, pitching the first four innings of the game with eight strikeouts. Suire and Landry both picked up an inning and a strikeout apiece to complete the no-no bid.

Ascension Parish will face Tulsa National (Oklahoma) in the semifinal on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 3:00 p.m.

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PRAIRIEVILLE — A teenager has been arrested in connection with a series of vehicle break-ins and firearm thefts in Prairieville neighborhoods, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Bobby Webre said the break-ins happened along La. Highway 42 between the early morning hours of July 31 and the early morning hours of Aug. 2.

Detectives identified and arrested one teenager in connection with the crimes. On Aug. 6, the teenager was transported to a juvenile detention facility.

According to police, the teenager faces multiple counts of simple burglary of a vehicle, multiple counts of firearm theft, multiple counts of theft and multiple counts of criminal trespass. One count of attempted simple burglary of a vehicle was also included in the charges.

The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are pending.

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LIVINGSTON - Officials are working a crash on South Frost Road near La. Highway 42, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies said the road would be closed for an "extended period of time." Moderate injuries resulted from the crash.

No other information was immediately available.

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LIVINGSTON — A woman was arrested Thursday after deputies say they received a complaint about a dead dog.

Livingston Parish deputies said after receiving the complaint, their investigation showed 37-year-old Krystin Cortez allegedly failed to provide the dog with water and adequate shelter from the heat. 

Krystin Cortez, 37, was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail for aggravated cruelty to animals.

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PORT ALLEN — Port Allen police are asking for the public's help identifying three women connected to a 2025 stabbing and home invasion.

One woman has already been taken into custody in connection with the case, but three others involved remain unidentified and at large.

Anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the three suspects can contact the Port Allen Police Department at 225-343-5525.

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TANGIPAHOA PARISH — Mosquito samples in the Tangipahoa Parish Mosquito Abatement District have tested positive for West Nile Virus this week.

Eighteen samples came back positive and additional treatments will be performed in the most affected areas.

So far this year, 82 of the 1,557 samples tested in the district have returned positive for West Nile Virus. No human cases have been reported in the district this year.

Officials are asking residents to use basic defense methods to help protect against the spread of disease.

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DONALDSONVILLE — The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is looking for a man caught on surveillance video spray painting explicit graffiti on a local business.

According to the sheriff's office, the incident happened during the early morning hours of Aug. 4. The suspect spray painted vulgar graffiti on the business.

Surveillance video captured the suspect, officials said.

Anyone with information about the suspect's identity is asked to contact the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office Property Crimes Unit at 225-621-8330.

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LIVINGSTON PARISH — A Lafayette man broke into three Livingston Parish homes in one day and stole nearly $40,000 worth of property, according to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Jason Ard said the burglaries happened Jan. 23 in Denham Springs, Livingston and Holden. Livingston Parish deputies arrested Rashon Sterling, 26, but Ard said more arrests could come in the future. 

In Denham Springs, Sterling allegedly forced his way into a home and took a purse, coins and rare bills.

In Livingston, he broke into a home and a vehicle and took a gun, cash and a safe, deputies said.

From the home in Holden, he allegedly stole another gun and safe.

"Almost $40,000 was taken from the 3 sites," Ard said.

LPSO said it appeared that the suspect or suspects scoped out the homes before entering. Detectives also learned similar burglaries were happening in neighboring areas and states around the same time. 

Deputies linked a 2018 Mercedes-Benz with no license plate to the string of burglaries. According to the sheriff's office, that car led them to Sterling. 

"Working with our partner agencies, suspect Rashon Sterling was identified and tied to the vehicle," Ard said. "More arrests and charges could be forthcoming as detectives continue to investigate."

Sterling was booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center. He faces three counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling and one count of simple burglary of a vehicle.

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Hunter McCann has this weekend's MLB & WNBA Best Bet$!

Friday

MLB:
Blue Jays @ Phillies: Phillies ML
Mets @ Pirates: u8.5 Total Runs
Angels @ Marlins: Marlins ML
Twins @ Brewers: Brewers ML
Cubs @ Royals: Cubs ML
Dodgers @ Diamondbacks

WNBA:
Dream @ Mystics: Dream -5.5
Mercury @ Sun: Sun +6.5
Valkyries @ Wings: Wings -1.5

Saturday

MLB:
TBD

WNBA:
TBD

Sunday

MLB:
TBD

WNBA:
TBD

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GONZALES — In Ascension Parish, council members are working to get ahead of any efforts to bring data centers into the parish as similar projects advance in other parts of the state. 

The parish council, at its Thursday night meeting, approved a resolution calling on the Planning and Zoning Commission to create guidelines for what they call "high-impact development facilities." 

The council said that many residents have come forward with concerns about potential data centers and that they want to make sure ordinances are in place before companies are able to apply for permits. 

"We have to get black-and-white guidelines on if you apply, what that data center looks like, where it can be built, what's the proper zoning. We don't have a data center inside of our zoning right now. Those are all things we want to do before anyone even tries to apply," Council Chair Chase Melancon said. 

No company has proposed building a data center in Ascension, the council noted. 

Two major data center projects are in various stages of development across the state. Meta is building the world's largest data center in Richland Parish, while HUT 8 is developing a $12 billion project in West Feliciana Parish.

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NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints signed former LSU linebacker and New Orleans native Deion Jones, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday.

Jones, 31, will now have played for all four NFC South teams. He was drafted by the Falcons in 2016 and spent six seasons in Atlanta. He spent the 2022 season with the Cleveland Browns, then played for the Carolina Panthers in 2023. In 2024 and 2025, he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jones averaged more than 108 tackles per season in Atlanta, but his production sharply declined after joining the Browns. 

In his senior season at LSU, his only as a starter, Jones led the team in tackles as an outside linebacker. He played high school football at Jesuit High School in New Orleans. 

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BATON ROUGE — Metro Councilman Anthony Kenney joined WBRZ's Mia Monet on Friday to discuss this weekend's Who Run It Alumni Basketball Tournament.

The tournament brings together six Baton Rouge high schools—Scotlandville, Glen Oaks, Broadmoor, Catholic, Peabody and Tara high schools—for a day of spirited competition, school pride and community engagement.

"This tournament is about much more than basketball," Kenney said. "It's about bringing people together, celebrating the schools that helped shape us, and creating positive opportunities that strengthen our community. Baton Rouge has produced incredible athletic talent, and this event gives alumni an opportunity to compete, reconnect, and inspire the next generation."

Tip-off for the tournament is Saturday at 2 p.m. at Scotlandville Magnet High School. Tickets are available here.

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BATON ROUGE — WBRZ, as the Official News Station of LSU Athletics, will expand its weekly fall LSU football lineup to include Inside LSU and The Lane Kiffin Show. 

Each Wednesday during football season, the 30-minute Inside LSU show will air at 9:30 a.m. on WBTR and 10:35 p.m. on WBRZ+. 

The Lane Kiffin Show, which premieres Sept. 3 ahead of the LSU-Clemson game on Sept. 5, will air every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on WBTR, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on WBTR and WBRZ+.

Where to Watch WBTR:

Over the Air (Antenna): Channel 36.1
Cox Cable: Channel 19
REV: Channels 144 & 844
Fidelity: Channel 19
AT&T U-verse: Channel 19

Where to Watch WBRZ+:

Over the Air (Antenna): Channel 2.2
Cox Cable: Channel 11
REV: Channels 2 and 702
Fidelity: Channel 19
Streaming: WBRZ Streaming Apps

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NEW ROADS — The Pointe Coupee Parish government is applying for state grant funding to remove blighted and condemned buildings across the parish. 

According to parish officials, the funds can be used to remove residential and commercial structures. The grant money, if approved, will cover all costs for demolition and removal at no cost to property owners. 

The property owners of these structures will maintain ownership of the property, the parish reassured. 

The parish is also asking property owners to volunteer their property for removal in an effort to remove blight. Those who want their property considered should contact the parish government at 225-240-7950 or jhendrix@pcparish.org by Aug. 15.

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BRUSLY — Full Moon Market is moving to Brusly, with the first event in its new home set for late August.

The monthly market, which was previously held in Plaquemine, features more than 40 local vendors selling handmade goods and food, live music and a way to support local communities.

Organizers on Facebook thanked the Plaquemine community for helping the market grow, as well as vendors, shoppers and anyone who spread the word over the years.

The first market in Brusly will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 28 at Saint James Park. Click here to see a list of vendors. 

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BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed the state's eighth heat-related death this year and is urging people to watch out for their neighbors as extreme heat continues across the state.

LDH said seven of those eight deaths were people 65 or older.

From 2023 through 2025, LDH says it recorded 172 heat-related deaths. People 65 and older accounted for 38 percent of those deaths while making up roughly 19 percent of the state's population.

About 60 percent of the people who died were in a residence, and 15 percent had no or limited air conditioning, health officials said.

Older adults may not adjust as well to sudden temperature changes, LDH said. Chronic conditions can complicate the body's response to heat, and some prescription medicines can affect temperature control, sweating or hydration.

"These deaths are preventable," LDH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein said. "Check that the older adults in your life have water, working air conditioning or another cool place to go and someone checking on them. Hydrate. Find shade or a cool indoor space. Rest. Those simple steps can save a life."

Health officials said families, neighbors and caregivers should check on older adults at least twice a day during periods of extreme heat. They should confirm the older adult has water, a cool place to stay and is not showing signs of heat stress, which include a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, nausea, weakness, heavy sweating or unusual thirst. LDH also recommends that a health care professional or pharmacist explain how medicines may affect heat tolerance.

Residents should also take extra care to protect children from the heat, LDH said, especially as school starts back up with carpools, recess, marching band and after-school practices. Adults should remind children to drink water regularly, take breaks and speak up if they feel dizzy, weak, nauseated or unusually hot.

LDH also warned that a vehicle can quickly become dangerous. Adults should never leave a child in a parked vehicle, even briefly or with a window open.

Health officials say to take a break from whatever you are doing at the first signs of heat illness and move to a cool or shaded place while frequently sipping on cool water.

Confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures or a very high body temperature may indicate heat stroke and 911 should be called immediately.

Vibrio cases have also increased recently due to extreme heat, LDH said. Nine cases of Vibrio vulnificus have been reported among Louisiana residents so far in 2026. All nine patients were hospitalized and five died.

LDH also notes that Cyclosporiasis can cause dehydration, which worsens symptoms of heat illness. Staying up to date on recalls, washing all fresh food before eating and storing food properly can help reduce that risk.

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BATON ROUGE - Welcome back to Positively BR, WBRZ's new digital lifestyle show highlighting the positive stories that the capital city is full of.

Positively BR focuses on the people, places, and experiences that make the Capital Region special. In each episode, Angelica Butine will highlight local businesses, community members, upcoming events and hidden gems, all while giving viewers a chance to be part of the conversation. 

Episode two kicks things off with a Baton Rouge home you won’t forget. It’s covered in color, packed with sculptures and filled with stories — and the man behind it has spent more than three decades turning his home into his own living museum. We’re taking you inside to meet the psychiatrist, artist and storyteller who created it all.

Then, we’re hitting the road for a One Tank Trip to GolfSuites in Baton Rouge — where a driving range, sports bar and plenty of fun come together for a different kind of day out.

Jacob Rhodes, who runs the facility, said the concept covers a lot of ground.

"GolfSuites is a driving range, but it's also a sports bar, so it's a place to come hit golf balls and practice and work on your game but also have a fun date night and play virtual courses and everything like that," Rhodes said.

Inside each bay, guests can choose their own experience. Options include range practice, course play, or a "map my bag" feature that works like a personal caddy.

The technology built into every swing is part of what draws people in.

The second episode also celebrates International Cat Day on August 8th. Angelica speaks with Companion Animal Alliance about what responsibilities come with raising these four-legged friends. Also, they are doing an adoption special on August 8th. 

To celebrate International Cat Day on Saturday, August 8, they will be offering 50% off adoption fees for all spayed or neutered felines.

The shelter is open from 12:00–6:00 p.m. and is located at 2550 Gourrier Ave., Baton Rouge.

We’ll also get you in the know on what’s happening around town this weekend, including the Zachary Hot Air Balloon Festival happening August 14th and 15th from 4 to 9:30 p.m.

And we’re wrapping things up by getting to know the woman behind 2 On Your Side. Brittney Weis is talking books, family, golf — and maybe showing us a side of her you don’t always see in the newsroom.

From food and art to local events and the people making a difference, Positively BR aims to showcase the stories that make Baton Rouge a place to celebrate.

We'd love it if you subscribe to this new program either through YouTube or Spotify.  It'll premiere each Friday at noon!  

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