Posted 7:37 AM 5/17/2013 by AP/CS
MANDEVILLE, La. (AP) - The state highway department is starting work on an $11.3 million project to widen a 1.2-mile stretch U.S. Highway 190 in Mandeville from two lanes to four. Allison Schilling, a district administrator for the state Department of Transportation and Development (More)
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Posted 7:34 AM 5/17/2013 by Kevin McGill
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Days after sudden gunfire brought a chaotic and bloody end to a Mother's Day neighborhood parade in New Orleans, news of six arrests gave an organizer of the traditional event reason to celebrate again. "I'm just ecstatic," Edward Buckner, president of the Original (More)
Posted 4:14 AM 5/17/2013 by AP
Three workers at a Haughton child care center face charges ranging from simple battery to cruelty to a juvenile. The Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office arrested 31-year-old Fanisty J. Kennon, 25-year-old Antionikia L. Moncrief and 23-year-old Tronica N. Peterson on Wednesday. Peterson and (More)
Posted 4:13 AM 5/17/2013 by AP
The Dalai Lama kicks off his visit to New Orleans with a series of speeches Friday at the city's convention center. The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader arrived Thursday. On Saturday, he is scheduled to speak at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena and deliver Tulane University's (More)
Posted 4:10 AM 5/17/2013 by AP
A power outage briefly stopped Thursday's performance of the Louisiana Philharmonic and New Orleans Children's Chorus at First Baptist Church of New Orleans. The symphony was in the middle of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 when the electricity went out. After it was off for several minutes (More)
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Posted 4:09 AM 5/17/2013 by AP
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has settled his lawsuit against a former Saints player who sold him nonexistent state movie tax credits from a defunct film studio. Payton's attorney, Daniel Becnel Jr., described the settlement approved Thursday as "substantial." He refused to give (More)
Posted 3:39 AM 5/16/2013 by AP
The Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club says its "second-line" is returning to the neighborhood where gunfire abruptly ended its Mother's Day celebration leaving 19 people injured. Club President Edward Buckner says it will hold a "Re-Do Mother's Day Parade" on June 1 at 1 p.m. (More)
Posted 3:37 AM 5/16/2013 by AP
Talks continue about who should be chosen by a federal judge to oversee police reforms in New Orleans. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan this week extended the deadline for choosing a monitor until May 28. The monitor will oversee the city's compliance with a court-approved agreement (More)
Posted 3:34 AM 5/16/2013 by AP
A $30 million crude oil terminal and blending operation is coming to St. James Parish. Gov. Bobby Jindal and Wolverine Terminals LLC General Manager Terry Wilson said Wednesday the company will set up on a 15-acre site along the Mississippi River. The project will create 20 new direct (More)
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Posted 8:29 PM 5/15/2013 by AP
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - As the Mississippi River rises, Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency Wednesday in preparation of crests in the state that are predicted to be well above flood stage. The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings along the length of the river (More)
Posted 9:25 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
After a plea from Slidell Police Chief Randy Smith to compromise, the city council agreed to scale back on a proposed budget reduction to the Slidell Police Department for the coming fiscal year. At the same time, the council gave final approval to a budget of about $41.5 million for the (More)
Posted 9:23 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
The Sulphur City Council has proposed raising water, sewer and garbage collection fees for residents, effective at the end of next month. According to the ordinance introduced at Tuesday's council meeting, water fees would increase by 52 cents per month, sewer fees by 75 cents per month and (More)
Posted 9:20 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
St. Helena Parish's new director of emergency preparedness will attend her first hurricane preparedness conference in June. Interim Director Rita Allen, who was appointed to the position April 23, received Police Jury approval Tuesday to attend the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness (More)
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Posted 9:17 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
A state district judge has resentenced a Greensburg man who pleaded guilty to killing seven people in a head-on collision last year. Judge William G. Carmichael said the new sentence - 35 years instead of 70 - will result in approximately the same prison release dates for Brett G. Gerald as (More)
Posted 9:15 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
Expansion of a key pump station that drains a large swath of East Ascension is getting the final touches and will be ready when hurricane season starts June 1. Parish officials tell The Advocate the $13.3 million expansion is adding a sixth pump and the (More)
Posted 9:12 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
Texas Brine Co. contractors have plugged the final two breaches in a containment berm around the Assumption Parish sinkhole after heavy rain and high water punched through the incomplete earthen barrier late last week. With the holes plugged, Sonny Cranch, spokesman for Texas Brine, tells (More)
Posted 9:10 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
Several Lafayette downtown bar owners hope to strike down a special security fee without a court fight, arguing on a technical issue that Lafayette city-parish government has failed to respond to their federal lawsuit by the legally required deadline. The federal Clerk of Court's Office on (More)
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Posted 9:08 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
After months of mulling how it would handle residential trash collection services, the Pointe Coupee Parish Police Jury decided to enter into a new five-year contract with Progressive Waste Solutions, the company that already handles garbage collection for the parish. The waste management (More)
Posted 9:06 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
The state's income forecasting panel is considering whether to boost revenue projections, a move that would help provide more dollars for state spending. Actions of the Revenue Estimating Conference on Wednesday also will decide whether the House version of next year's budget is (More)
Posted 8:16 AM 5/15/2013 by AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The New Orleans Industrial Development Board has approved a property tax break for Starlight Studios, allowing construction to move forward on the proposed movie production complex. The $28 million project, to be built on a 32-acre vacant plot of land across from (More)