BATON ROUGE - After a 2-8 2025 season, the McKinley Panthers football program made a move at head coach and brought in Marc Brown from Baker. Coach Brown inherits a roster with talent, but also one that has a few question marks.

Four members of last year's offensive line return for this season, and Chase Williams is back at running back behind that front. Coach Brown expects the o-line to be the strength of his team.

On defense, the Panthers bring back five starters from 2025, but they'll look completely different in the linebacker room.  The main concern Brown had was if his roster could stay healthy and withstand the physicality of a District 6 schedule in 4A.

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BATON ROUGE - You may know 13th Gate for its nationally recognized haunted attraction, but beyond Halloween, the venue offers a year-round adventure that challenges visitors to think fast, work together, and solve their way out.

13th Gate Escape features eight immersive escape rooms, each with its own storyline, theme, and level of difficulty. From haunted asylums to ancient Mayan caverns, every room is designed to make guests feel like they've stepped into another world.

"We want to give people experiences so they feel like they're walking through a door and going to a whole different world," said Escape Manager Jeremy Scheel.

Unlike traditional escape rooms, the environments are built to resemble movie-quality sets. Hidden passageways, moving walls, secret doors, and interactive elements transform the experience as players uncover clues and advance through the game.

Teams work against the clock to solve puzzles and unlock new areas before time runs out. According to Scheel, the attraction offers three beginner rooms, four intermediate rooms, and one expert-level challenge he calls the "brain crusher."

The escape rooms have also earned national recognition. Scheel said Cut Throat Cavern was voted the No. 1 escape game in the United States and No. 2 in the world in 2018.

Whether it's your first escape room or your fiftieth, each game offers a different storyline, new puzzles and unexpected twists.

13th Gate Escape is open seven days a week. Guests have one hour to solve the clues and escape before the clock runs out.

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BATON ROUGE - When the dust settled on the line-item vetoes released by Gov. Jeff Landry, the New Orleans area saw the most impact, with most of the vetoes involving projects or issues centered in the Crescent City; still, the capital city also caught the governor’s knife.

During the legislative session, a group of bills addressed state finances and statewide spending projects, and HB 312 makes supplemental, one-time appropriations for next year.

Across the state, money remains tight, and few understand budgeting quite like Baton Rouge City Constable Terrica Williams, who said the equipment her team relies on can often be unreliable.

Since taking on the leadership role in 2019, Williams said she has been slowly replacing clunky computers and other out-of-date equipment. The bus used to transport inmates back and forth is also nearly 20 years old.

While the city-parish approved raises for the office, those raises don’t cover the cost of updates. Williams said the cost of replacing equipment and paying her understaffed team quickly adds up.

Williams says she contacted local representatives and worked to secure additional funding from the state, instead of the city of Baton Rouge, which also struggles with a tight budget. The City Court of Baton Rouge requested $75,000 for the constable’s office for acquisitions and equipment purchases.

The legislature approved the request, but this week, Gov. Landry vetoed that particular item.

The governor also denied half a million dollars for the Baton Rouge Mentorship program 29:11 Academy, $125,000 to Port Allen’s Youth Village Restoration Center, Inc., for operating expenses, and $50,000 to the McKinley High School Alumni Association for the Alumni Center for operational support and preservation services.

The Louisiana Black Caucus objected to the vetoed items, saying the decisions "represent a deliberate step backward for working families and historically underserved communities."

Williams said her office did receive other funding from the state, but was hopeful this amount would supplement the cost of modernizing her office.

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BATON ROUGE — A judge whose son is a convicted serial rapist will still preside over the trial of a man who is accused of raping Madison Brooks despite the state's second request for her recusal. 

Judge Gail Horne Ray will continue to handle the trial of Casen Carver, a 22-year-old from Denham Springs who was 18 when he was indicted with first-degree rape, third-degree rape and video voyeurism, after the state's second request for recusal was denied.

WBRZ previously reported Brooks left Reggie's bar in Tigerland with Carver, Everett Lee, Kaivon Washington and Desmond Carter on Jan. 15, 2023. The group went to a parking lot, where Washington and Carter are accused of raping Brooks in the backseat of Carver's vehicle. The men told officers that Brooks requested to go home and they dropped her off in the Pelican Lakes subdivision.

After they left, Brooks wandered into the roadway and was hit and killed by a rideshare driver. Arrest documents said Brooks' blood alcohol content was .319 percent, and she had physical injuries consistent with rape. 

Carver is charged with rape, although there is no evidence that he had sex with Brooks. The law says first-degree rape occurs when two or more offenders take part. In its definition of "participation," the law notes both taking part in the actual rape or "physically assist in the commission of such act."

Through the legal battle, the state moved to have Ray removed from the trial. In Nov. 2025, Ray was recused in the case. District Attorney Hillar Moore's office filed the recusal.

He said the request was due to previous rulings and the judge seeing evidence related to Brooks' sexual history that was thrown out, but the document included text messages from Carver to his father, saying the judge's "son was accused of rape a while back so she knows to help us." Ray's son, Nelson Dan Taylor, admitted to raping six of his classmates at Baton Rouge High School between October 1995 and April 1996. 

Excerpt from reasons for and order on motion to recuse 

Carver's attorney appealed the decision, but the First Circuit Court of Appeals said Ray's rulings and her exposure of impertinent information about Brooks' sexual history wouldn't justify recusal, but leaving her off the case was still the best way forward.

The defense pushed the appeal to the State Supreme Court, which ruled that Ray could stay, and the state did not meet its burden for removal. The state requested a rehearing, which was declined. 

Now, Carver's attorney Joe Long has filed a motion for a speedy trial. 

"We look forward to a swift trial date so that my client can have his day in Court and the people will clearly see his innocence regarding these charges. Let the facts and evidence, not passion and emotion, decide this case," Long said. 

Carver is due back in court on Monday. 

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BATON ROUGE - A man was arrested in a 1987 stabbing after DNA results identified him as a suspect, the Baton Rouge Police Department said.

Thomas Klotz, 45, was in Baton Rouge working with a local radio station when he was found dead in a hotel room on April 19, 1987. Officials at the time determined Klotz was stabbed to death.

Sean Atkinson, 62, was arrested in Mobile, Alabama after evidence from the crime scene in 1987 was submitted for DNA analysis. Atkinson is awaiting extradition back to Baton Rouge.

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BATON ROUGE — After it unanimously passed through the Louisiana Legislature, Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed a bill that would have designated the Atlantic tarpon as a Louisiana saltwater game fish.

Advocates of the bill say they simply wanted protections for a "declining species," with Louisiana being the lone holdout of the Gulf Coast states to not designate tarpon as a saltwater game fish. 

Tarpon, also known as the "silver king," is a widely sought-after sportfish across the Gulf Coast region. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries lists it as "vulnerable" and "at moderate risk" of going extinct in the state, two levels below "critically imperiled" species. 

House Bill 688 by Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Cut Off, would have added tarpon to the Sportsman's Paradise's list of saltwater game fish, which currently includes sailfish, five types of marlin and red drum.

“It is difficult to understand why we would not want the same protections for tarpon as already apply to so many species in Louisiana waters," Louisiana Wildlife Federation Executive Director Rebecca Trice said in a press release on Thursday. 

Landry vetoed HB 688 on June 12, calling it "a solution in search of a problem."

"I can discern no corresponding conservation benefit in this designation," Landry said in a veto letter. "There is no real harvest pressure on tarpon, and nothing in the science suggests we need new limits or restrictions to protect them. Louisiana's anglers do not need more regulatory hurdles for their recreational activities."

Landry added that the legislation could lead to regulations on the number and size of tarpons that Louisiana anglers could catch.

"For tarpon, none of that would provide a real benefit, but it could limit our sportsman's time on the water," Landry wrote. 

LWF Advocacy Director Rick Owens disagreed with the governor's veto message, saying that the bill would have corrected a common misconception. 

“Many people in Louisiana believe tarpon is already being monitored and managed in Louisiana but it is not,” Owens said. “While the veto message frames HB 688 as unnecessary regulation, the bill did not create any new recreational limits, seasons, reporting requirements, or gear restrictions."

Landry ended his veto message by promising to keep fighting for the accessibility and abundance of Louisiana's fisheries.

"I'm always willing to support more research when there's a real need, but I'm not willing to add
red tape just for the sake of doing something," Landry said. 

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BATON ROUGE — Potholes are appearing more frequently on local roads following last week's rain, and city crews are working to keep up with repairs.

Experts say this kind of increase is common during the summer.

For Baton Rouge resident Stephen Nichols, the potholes have become a regular part of the drive. He says avoiding them isn't always easy, whether on neighborhood streets or major roads.

"There are a lot of potholes, and sometimes it rattles my new car, and I'm thinking it's going to rattle it apart because of the potholes," Nichols said.

"Because that becomes dangerous when you have to drive around it and you have to drive into the other lane so it's really kind of dangerous," he said.

William Daniel from the mayor's office explained how potholes form. "Well, a pothole is when a portion of the road, the top portion, breaks up and leaves a hole down to the base of the street," Daniel said.

Daniel says water from heavy rain can seep into cracks in the pavement. As vehicles continue driving over those weakened areas, potholes can form more quickly.

For drivers, that can mean a rough ride and potential damage to their vehicles. "I'd describe them as being really awful because it's hard to steer around them because the lanes are narrow and you have to go through them," Nichols said.

The city says crews are working to address the problem. "We're taking care of them pretty much as fast as we're getting called in," Daniel said.

Residents who spot a pothole can report it to the city's Pothole Posse by dialing 311.

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ROSELAND — A man arrived at an emergency room with multiple gunshot wounds on Wednesday afternoon, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office is working to identify who shot him.

TPSO said the 21-year-old man was in critical but stable condition on Thursday. 

Deputies said the shooting happened along Sawdust Lane in Roseland. Investigators believe the man met up with a group of people and, "at some point, shots were fired."

No additional injuries were reported.

TPSO asks anyone with information about the shooting to contact its criminal investigations division or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers. 

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With daily showers and thunderstorms becoming the exception rather than the rule, temperatures are set to climb. Triple-digit heat indices will be common by late weekend.

Weekend Sizzle: several highs in the mid-90s, heat alerts possible

Dusty Tropics: Saharan layer stops tropical development, brings colorful sunsets

Next Boost in T-Storms: isolated afternoon activity by the middle of next week

Tonight & Tomorrow: Skies will clear out overnight as low temperatures reach for the mid 70s. Friday will bring plenty of sunshine with highs in the low 90s. There is just a tiny 10% chance of a stray afternoon shower.

The first major Saharan dust plume will track across the Atlantic Basin and toward the Gulf Coast. This dry air mass acts as a natural shield against tropical development by choking out the moisture that storms need to grow and thrive. Additionally, dust particles create hazy daytime skies before scattering the light rays to produce vivid, fiery-orange sunsets. Haze was already noticed across the region on Thursday. Sometimes, the dust concentrations can be thick enough to lower air quality so that potential health issues will need to be monitored for anyone with a breathing sensitivity.

Up Next: A ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere will tighten its grip on the region this weekend into next week. The ridge overhead results in warm, sinking air that squashes most thunderstorm development and causes warmer temperatures. Afternoons will soar into the mid 90s. Since the region is so green and wet from recent heavy rain, the air will feel extra thick as lush plants release moisture into the atmosphere in a process known as evapotranspiration. The heat and humidity combination will result in feels-like temperatures between 108 – 112 degrees, especially on Sunday and Monday. The National Weather Service (NWS) may need to issue heat alerts.

By Tuesday and Wednesday, that ridge will finally shift northward toward the Ohio River Valley. This movement will allow small "ripples" in the atmosphere to slide into our area, lifting the air and boosting daily rain coverage back up to 30%. These isolated, afternoon thunderstorms will bring some relief from the heat.

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

Watch live news HERE.

The Tropics: For the North Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean, all is quiet. No 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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DENHAM SPRINGS - A Denham Springs man was sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted of assaulting a postal employee.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Cody Gaspard, 27, of Denham Springs approached a United States Postal Service worker delivering mail in Livingston Parish. Gaspard allegedly began using aggressive and racially charged language before intimidating, assaulting and physically confronting the postal worker, causing bodily injury to the employee. 

The assault ended only after another resident intervened to help the mail carrier escape.

Gaspard was found guilty of this crime after a three-day jury trial in March 2026.

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ETHEL - A man was arrested for selling drugs out of his East Feliciana Parish home following several weeks of investigation by law enforcement.

Lavell Matthews, 43, was arrested after investigators raided his home on Tuesday. Law enforcement discovered an array of illicit drugs, five guns, and over $32,000 in cash. They seized approximately 220 pills, which are believed to contain fentanyl, as well as 38 grams of methamphetamine, according to the East Feliciana Sheriff's Office. 

Matthews was charged with two counts of intent to distribute Schedule I drugs, three counts of intent to distribute Schedule II drugs and illegal carrying of weapons with controlled dangerous substances.

His bond has been set at $255,000.

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BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday announced that he has implemented safeguards designed to protect Louisiana residents, communities and natural resources from dangers posed by AI data centers while ensuring the state is at the forefront of the artificial intelligence era.

In a press conference at the Capitol, Landry signed an executive order dubbed the “Louisiana Rate-Payer and Community Protection Initiative.”

The state currently has four data center campuses, and according to the governor, Louisiana is “finally the prettiest girl at the dance.”

“But guess what? Before they can even ask us out, they got to go look at this executive order,” Landry said.

According to Landry, his executive order will ensure that utility costs are not passed onto residents and local businesses by requiring “power-intensive companies” to “fully fund the generation, transmission and infrastructure needed to serve them.”

Landry said the initiative protects the state’s electrical grids, ensures partnerships between companies and communities to provide training and education, and gives local governments “meaningful tax benefits” to support schools, health care, public safety and services.

According to Louisiana Economic Development, companies will be required to submit detailed reports to LED outlining how they will meet these standards before being allowed to develop in Louisiana.

Landry said that Louisiana has lagged behind other states for far too long and finally has a chance to be on the frontlines of innovation. The initiative is Landry’s way of navigating what he called the challenge of “distinguishing between the temporary costs of building the future and the lasting consequences of choosing not to.”

Before signing the order, Landry emphasized how important he believes it is for Louisiana to be a leader in the artificial intelligence space.

He compared the AI race to the dawn of electricity, even pointing to John D. Rockefeller’s opposition to it so that people would keep using kerosene lamps.

“The communities that embraced electrification didn’t just replace kerosene with better lighting, they became centers of manufacturing, innovation and economic growth, while those who hesitated were eventually forced to catch up,” Landry said.

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ZACHARY — The Zachary Community School District and the school bus company it contracts with are in a legal disagreement over who is liable after a middle school student said she was sexually attacked by classmates on a school bus.

The girl's parents sued both the Zachary school district and First Student, the company contracted to operate school buses for the district. The lawsuit, filed in May 2024, claims that the girl was attacked on the way home from school after months of bullying from other students, and that a bus driver employed by First Student was present during the alleged attack. 

However, the bus company filed a motion arguing that it is not responsible for the incident, citing a line in its contract with Zachary that absolves it of liability in instances of "student-on-student violence." 

Zachary schools argued that, because the contract does not specifically define "student-on-student violence," First Student's motion is premature until the court determines whether the alleged attack qualifies as student-on-student violence. The school district also said the bus company is liable because the students were in the bus driver's custody at the time of the incident.

In response, First Student accused the school district of understating the violence of the incident. 

"As expected, Zachary brazenly downplays those activities as potentially 'non-violent," the bus company argued in a court filing. 

On Thursday, the Zachary Community School District filed a motion asking the judge to deny First Student's initial motion and confirm that the bus company is, in fact, liable.

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BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge Police arrested a woman on attempted murder charges after a shooting earlier this week injured one person along Delaware Street.

A BRPD spokesperson said that 22-year-old Alyssa Jackson and another woman got into a fight along Delaware near the intersection of Sherwood Street around 10:42 p.m. on Tuesday. 

At some point during the fight, a gun was drawn and shots were fired. A man intervened and took the gun from Jackson. 

Police eventually arrived and learned that Jackson had fired the gun that seriously injured the other woman, who was taken to the hospital. The injuries are non-life-threatening, police said.

Jackson was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon charges.

Later in the evening, another unrelated shooting happened about a mile south along Winbourne Avenue. WBRZ reported that one person was injured in the shooting. 

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BATON ROUGE - A man was arrested for the murder of a toddler Thursday, more than three years after the then-2-year-old was seriously injured while in his care. 

According to court documents, 40-year-old Howard Youngblood was arrested in 2022 for second-degree cruelty to a juvenile after police were called to Elm Drive for an unresponsive child. 

Paperwork says the toddler Youngblood was babysitting suffered multiple bleeds inside his head, causing brain damage.

Youngblood told officers that the child, identified as Tyshawn Brumfield, fell off his steps, but doctors said the severe injuries could not have been caused by one fall.

Officers spoke to Brumfield's mother, who said she would drop the child off at Youngblood's before going to work. 

Youngblood pleaded guilty to the charge in 2025 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and five years were suspended. He was released from prison in May 2026 and placed on probation. 

The Baton Rouge Police Department said Thursday that Brumfield died in hospice on June 8, 2026. The child's brain damage was so severe that he was blind and unable to feed himself or walk.

Youngblood was booked for first-degree murder in the case. 

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BATON ROUGE - A teenager was found shot to death in the Southdowns neighborhood early Thursday morning, sources told the WBRZ Investigative Unit.

Sources said that a 15-year-old's body was found in the middle of Poplar Street near Lee Drive around 2 a.m. People in the area assumed the person had been hit by a car, but the teen had been shot and killed. 

Sources said family members of the victim woke up Thursday and could not find the teen, sparking a search for a missing child. 

Sources told WBRZ that Baton Rouge Police officers are investigating the situation as a homicide. 

No additional information was immediately available.

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BATON ROUGE - A Louisiana State Police trooper who allegedly covered up evidence and coerced a domestic violence victim to repeatedly lie to law enforcement investigating him was formally charged. 

Trooper James Jefferson III, 41, was indicted by a grand jury for 13 charges: two counts each of domestic abuse battery with child endangerment , obstruction of justice, and malfeasance in office, five counts of violations of a protective order, and one count each of domestic abuse battery by strangulation and domestic abuse battery with a dangerous weapon.

The attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting the case jointly with the East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney’s office, said Jefferson is not in custody and is currently considered at large. 

The WBRZ Investigative Unit previously reported on Jefferson’s domestic violence arrests. Abuse allegations spanned from Feb. 5, 2025, to Dec. 29, 2025. 

In February, Jefferson was arrested after getting into a fight with his wife outside a home along Lake Sherwood Avenue South. 

Officers found surveillance video of the February incident that included audio. Police said they could hear the victim yelling: "He's punching me," and "Don't throw me on the ground." Documents said the altercation happened while a 7-year-old child was in the back seat of the truck. 

In that case, Jefferson was booked for domestic abuse battery with child endangerment, but the district attorney declined to prosecute because the victim asked to drop the charges. Documents say the victim was pressured by Jefferson in that incident and others to lie to investigating officers. 

According to an arrest warrant, Jefferson texted the victim while she was meeting with the DA to "Hurry tell them u mentally off... U had episode."  

Documents say that it wasn't the only instance of Jefferson forcing the victim to lie to police. 

In November, Jefferson allegedly pushed the victim, grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her to the ground before getting in his truck and accelerating toward her. The report says the victim was struck and pinned between two cars before passing out. 

Investigators interviewed two children who were there at the time of the alleged incident. The children told law enforcement they believed the victim was dead. 

The warrant says that when officers arrived, both Jefferson and the victim said it was a traffic crash and not a domestic violence incident. Jefferson allegedly sent a text message about the incident, saying "But we ain't talking about truth. We're talking about the crash report."

The victim said she wanted to tell the truth about what happened, "but did not do so at the urging of James Jefferson III." The victim was given two traffic tickets. 

The WBRZ Investigative Unit was at the scene when Jefferson was arrested. 

After he bonded out of jail, Jefferson was ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor and stay away from the victim’s home and work. According to new court documents, Jefferson allegedly broke that agreement and was indicted on five additional counts of violating a protective order. 

State Police said Jefferson is currently suspended without pay. He worked in LSP's Gaming Control unit and has been employed at LSP since 2007. 

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NEW ROADS — Pointe Coupee Parish Water District No. 1 customers will be without water for several hours on Thursday as crews repair a water line. 

The water outage, which will affect Ventress Road from the railroad tracks to the levee and Dabadie and Riverbend subdivisions, will last until the early afternoon, officials said. 

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Rescue teams raced Thursday to the areas hardest hit by a pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela, killing at least 164 people, injuring nearly 1,000 and trapping many beneath collapsed buildings.

Wednesday evening’s 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. The country's main airport was damaged and closed, while buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Television broadcasts on Thursday showed rescue workers using power tools to work their way into piles of rubble where buildings once stood. Panicked residents of the capital were sent pouring into the streets, and after the quakes many people walked among the debris searching for the missing among collapsed buildings and toppled electric poles.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who gave the latest death toll early Thursday, said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast. Officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble, she said.

Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings.

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there ... and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodríguez said.

A video shared online appeared to show dozens of people, some lying on the ground and others on hospital beds, being treated outside a hospital in La Guaira.

While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.

Rodríguez appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations, adding that search and rescue teams certified by the United Nations were on their way to Venezuela.

Caracas residents reeling from two strong quakes
During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings in Caracas, many visibly shocked when they turned back to see destroyed walls that left furniture visible from the street. Columns of dust rose in two typically busy neighborhoods in the capital.

“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles). Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Moron.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage structures, and many people stayed on the streets for hours, some sitting on the ground hugging pets as dust gathered around them. In downtown Caracas, hundreds of people spent the night huddled around parks, parking lots and other open spaces. Authorities warned against returning to homes with structural damage.

“We were afraid the buildings would collapse on us,” said María Cristina Díaz, a 41-year-old janitor. “My mother, my daughter and I were cold. We didn’t sleep a wink; but I didn’t want to spend the night alone at home after that terrible earthquake.”

“It was awful. We cried, we screamed. Thankfully, we’re alive,” she added.

Díaz and her family rushed to Plaza Candelaria in downtown Caracas because it’s one of the few open areas near her home.

Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone coverage, and the earthquakes damaged and closed Simón Bolívar International Airport, the country’s main airport, Rodríguez said.

In Caracas, subway services were suspended and natural gas shut off, she said. Classes will also be canceled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.

On Thursday morning, scores of people in Venezuela and abroad struggled to contact family members. Families began posting missing-person fliers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for those still unaccounted for.

Also on Thursday, the U.N. human rights mission in Venezuela called on the government to lift local restrictions on social media.

“In the coming hours and days, timely access to reliable information and communication channels will be essential for the protection of the lives, safety, and well-being of the population,” the mission said in a statement.

In August 2024, then President Nicolás Maduro ordered X blocked in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the July presidential elections.

Several governments offered assistance
Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes damaged by the earthquakes, and had instructed the economy and finance ministers to oversee the effort.

Offers of help poured in from countries around the world.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.”

“We will have a whole government response,” Rubio said Thursday in Bahrain. “It will be big. It will be fast. It will be effective.”

He added that one of the runways at Caracas’ international airport was cracked in the earthquake, making landing aircraft there difficult.

Rodríguez — who became acting president after an American military operation captured her predecessor, Nicolás and brought him to the U.S. to stand trial — thanked U.S. President Donald Trump. She said in an X post later that she spoke with Rubio by phone without sharing details. She also expressed thanks to the leaders of various nations who have sent messages of support and offers of help.

Ecuador ordered the delivery of humanitarian aid, and Rodríguez said Qatar, Mexico and El Salvador had already sent rescue personnel.

“We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, once diametrically opposed to Venezuela’s government, wrote in a post on X.

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BATON ROUGE — The Baton Rouge Fire Department has arrested a man accused of setting an air conditioning unit on fire along Curtis Street in May. 

Tyler Armstead, 31, is accused of setting the fire near the corner of Curtis and Jones streets on May 26. 

Investigators say that Armstead set the fire outside a home where people were living and caused around $500 in damage. 

On Tuesday, Armstead was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count of aggravated arson.

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