INTERNATIONAL
Snoop Dogg pens bachelor party song for Prince William’s marriage
LONDON (AP) — Snoop Dogg is not your usual royal wedding singer. However the American rapper says he’s dedicating his new single, “Wet,” to Prince William’s bachelor party.
The rapper is touting the track on his website and Twitter feed.
Torrential rains leave 25 dead and dozens homeless in Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Dozens of Venezuelans left homeless by torrential rains can remain at the presidential palace until the government finds them new homes, President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday as the death toll from flooding and mudslides reached 25.
Venezuela’s leader also visited a hillside slum in western Caracas, where he called on people to leave their homes to avoid the potential risks posed by more heavy rains.
NATIONAL
Denver police investigate case of unknowingly towed 9-month-old
DENVER (AP) — A Denver tow truck driver hauled away a car blocking a garage downtown, but unknowingly took along a passenger: a 9-month-old girl.
The towing company says the car was taken two miles to a tow yard Tuesday night.
According to the company, the baby girl was in a car seat covered in blankets and no one knew she was in there until the mother called a half-hour later looking for her child.
Seattle police to tweet stolen car descriptions after recent thefts
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle police department said Wednesday it will start tweeting information on stolen vehicles in an effort to curb rising auto theft rates.
It will publish the color, year, make, model, body style and license plate numbers on a Twitter account dubbed “Get your car back.”
Seattle police say the average number of cars stolen per day in the city has risen from 8.46 last year to 9.9 this year, and more than 3,000 were stolen through October.
Employees at the 911 Seattle call center will tweet a car’s information after it is reported stolen.The department is encouraging Twitter followers who spot stolen cars to call police but not to contact any occupants.
Adoption allowed for 12 children who survived Haiti earthquake
EMSWORTH, Pa. (AP) — After months of uncertainty, the way has been cleared for U.S. families to adopt 12 Haitian children who’ve been living at a Roman Catholic institution near Pittsburgh since a chaotic airlift that followed the devastating earthquake in January.
The Haitian government had sent a letter formally approving the adoptions, State Department spokeswoman Rosemary Macray said Wednesday, and the children will be matched with U.S. families over the coming weeks.
STATE/LOCAL
NO City Council approves most of proposed property tax increase
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans’ City Council has adopted a $480 million general fund budget for 2011, after approving most, but not all, of a property tax increase proposed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Landrieu, after trimming an estimated $80 million deficit he inherited when he took office in May, wanted to increase property tax rates by an estimated 7 percent to raise about $23 million.
The proposal simultaneously raised monthly residential sanitation fees to $20, from the current $12, to bring in still more revenue.
Council members on Wednesday voted for a smaller property tax rate increase that will bring in an estimated $5 million less than Landrieu sought.
The smaller increase also lessens the burden that would have been borne on owners of higher-valued property.
USDA declares drought disaster in 36 La. parishes for crop losses
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated most of Louisiana as a natural disaster area for crop losses from continuing drought that began March 23, officials said Wednesday.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said drought has severely damaged corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, sweet potatoes, forage and pasture.
 
Former BR student arrested for reported Facebook threat
(AP) — A 20-year-old former Woodlawn High School student has been arrested for making a threat on Facebook.
East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested William David Moulder on Wednesday, acting on reports that Moulder made threats on Facebook on Nov. 23.
 
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