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T u e s d ay, F e b r u a ry 17, 2026
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BRPD adds 16-foot drone to its fleet Tech improves communication, prioritizes safety
BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer
The Baton Rouge Police Department has introduced a new, 16-foot drone into its arsenal this year. The drone is one of 30 such tools the department now has and will help prioritize safety for officers and residents, according to BRPD Chief Thomas “TJ” Morse. The Stalker VXE30, made by Lockheed Martin, can help locate fugitives using thermal imaging, and police officers can communicate with suspects via the drone, enabling safer communication. The rest of the department’s drone fleet is smaller and allows officers to see things out of their line of sight. “It’s a de-escalation tactic, instead of a
ä See DRONE, page 4A
Investigators seek leads from backpack in Guthrie case
ABOVE: Paradegoers call for beads and candy being tossed from a float during the Krewe of Shenandoah parade on Monday. RIGHT: A rider looks for someone to toss a toy to as the Krewe of Shenandoah parade rolls along on Monday night.
Sheriff says family members aren’t suspects
STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
BY SCOTT BAUER and THERESA BRAINE
Associated Press and New york Daily News (TNS)
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Investigators working on the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother are consulting with Walmart management to develop leads because a backpack the suspect was wearing is sold exclusively at the stores, the Pima County, Arizona, sheriff said Monday. Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing
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ä See GUTHRIE, page 4A
Nottoway owners plan exact rebuild of home for us,” Dan Dyess said. “Part of southern side, where the basement muHistoric plantation house day us said we could just sell and leave, but seum was located, then spread quickly didn’t want to leave a legacy of just inside to all three floors. destroyed by fire in May we leaving Nottoway on the ground.” After the fire, Dyess said, he received
BY QUINN COFFMAN
The Nottoway plantation house will be rebuilt “exactly” as it stood before the May fire that totaled it, ending its reign as the largest antebellum home in the South, its owner says. “It was a sad day, May 15. It was a sad
When the fire started, Dyess was driving down from Natchitoches, where he owns the historic Steel Magnolia House. He had the progress of the fire described to him in increasingly hopeless phone calls. By the time he reached Nottoway, the electrical fire had been blazing for nearly four hours. It had started on the
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NOTE: Because markets were closed on Monday, there is no Business page today.
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calls from people all over the world, speaking “about how much they love Nottoway.” Even so, Dyess said he was surprised the fire became national news. The news cycle was dominated by questions of whether it is proper to host weddings
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
ä See NOTTOWAY, page 4A Nottoway Plantation was destroyed by a fire on May 15.
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