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• DA drops charges against former sheriff candidate

  May 23, 2012 9:01 AM

  GREENSBURG, La. (AP) - Charges against former St. Helena Parish sheriff candidate Frederick D. Bell of Kentwood for alleged insurance fraud and theft have been rejected by the district attorney's office. Assistant District Attorney Angel Monistere tells The Advocate the charges were dropped based on insufficient evidence. The 36-year-old Bell... more »

• Man arrested in threats against district attorney

  May 8, 2012 7:16 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Police have arrested a 21-year-old Baker man for threatening on Twitter to shoot East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore outside the trial of rapper Torence "Lil Boosie" Hatch. The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/JZ6GEB ) Dedrick Deandre Green was booked Monday on counts of public... more »

• Charge increased against man in son's death

  April 5, 2012 11:29 AM

  SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A state judge in Caddo Parish has increased the charge against a Shreveport father arrested in the death of his 1-year-old son. The Times reports that 23-year-old Rodricus Crawford, who had been charged with second-degree murder, now faces a first-degree murder charge. He was arrested in... more »

• Judge: Confession can be used against Louding

  August 9, 2011 9:55 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A judge says that prosecutors can use an 18-year-old man's confession to Baton Rouge police during his trial in the 2009 killing of a rap artist. Michael "Marlo Mike" Louding is charged first-degree murder in the killing of Chris "Nussie" Jackson. During a hearing Monday,... more »

• State GOP Running Radio Ad Against Cigarette Tax

  May 13, 2011 9:55 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The state Republican Party says it's launching an anti-tobacco tax ad Friday on radio stations around Louisiana. According to a script released by the GOP, former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston narrates the 30-second ad, which urges people to call their lawmakers and tell them to... more »

• Vermilion Police Jury against cutting hotel tax

  April 19, 2011 9:51 AM

  ABBEVILLE, La. (AP) - The Vermilion Parish Police Jury has voted unanimously to oppose a measure by the Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission to do away with a 2 percent hotel tax to support youth athletics. The Advocate reports Director of Tourism Alison Miller urged jurors on Monday to support lowering... more »

• LSU AgCenter Vaccine Fights Against Cattle Disease

  February 1, 2011 8:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's agriculture department says a vaccine developed by scientists at the LSU AgCenter is showing results in preventing a disease that costs U.S. cattle and dairy producers an estimated $300 million a year. The disease is "anaplasmosis," which is spread by ticks and destroys red... more »

• Taking a stance against bullying

  November 12, 2010 9:19 AM

  One local middle school is taking a stance against bullying. Ascension Episcopal Middle school is hosting an anti bullying pep rally for students this morning. The rally is apart of a national initiative to take a stance against student harassment. more »

• Louisiana Port Considers Legal Action Against Casino

  October 26, 2010 11:25 AM

  LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - The Port of Lake Charles is prepared to take legal action to force Pinnacle Entertainment to give up its hold on what was to be the site of the Sugarcane Bay casino-resort. The port board voted 5-0 Monday to have the agency's staff use legal... more »

• March against sexual violence set in New Orleans

  October 26, 2010 10:30 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans residents will join faculty, staff and students for an annual march designed to draw attention to the problem of sexual violence. According to a Loyola news release, Wednesday evening's event will begins on the Loyola main campus and conclude at a chapel on Tulane's... more »

• Campaign Against Teen Drinking is Making a Difference

  October 25, 2010 12:12 PM

  LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - Almost a year into an initiative to combat underage drinking and drunken driving in Calcasieu Parish, officials feel the mix of outreach and enforcement has made a big difference. In law enforcement, "we hit them three ways," said Cmdr. James McGee with the Calcasieu Sheriff's... more »

• Anti-Gay Harassment Prompting Schools to Rethink Efforts Against Bullying

  October 8, 2010 3:47 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) - A spate of teen suicides linked to anti-gay harassment is prompting school officials nationwide to rethink their efforts against bullying - and in the process, risk entanglement in a bitter ideological debate. The conflict: Gay-rights supporters insist that any effective anti-bullying program must include specific... more »

• Lawyers Battling to Take the Lead in Lawsuits Against BP

  October 7, 2010 3:47 PM

  MIAMI (AP) - More than 100 lawyers are battling for the biggest chunks of what is likely to be a multibillion-dollar settlement for Gulf of Mexico oil spill victims, jockeying for spots on the elite team that will control the plaintiffs' cases. A judge will pick 12 to 15 lawyers... more »

• Newt Gingrich Branding GOP as "Party For Paychecks"

  October 6, 2010 6:12 PM

  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is advising Republican candidates to frame the choice for voters between Democrats as "the party of food stamps" while selling the GOP as "the party for paychecks." With a month before the election, Gingrich brought his branding effort to Minnesota on... more »

• Lawsuit Filed Against BP Staying in Federal Court

  October 6, 2010 3:24 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A lawsuit that several Louisiana district attorneys filed against BP PLC over the Gulf oil spill is staying in federal court. The district attorneys for Terrebonne, St. Tammany and St. Mary parishes wanted their lawsuit transferred to state court, but U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier... more »

• Payton Waiting Until Sunday to Decide Whether Pierre Thomas Will Play Against Carolina

  September 30, 2010 4:07 PM

  METAIRIE, La. (AP) - Saints coach Sean Payton says he'll wait until Sunday to decide whether hobbled running back Pierre Thomas plays against Carolina. Thomas missed his second-straight practice on Thursday with a left ankle injury that occurred during the Saints' 27-24 overtime loss to Atlanta last Sunday. While Payton... more »

• Suit Filed Against DHH For Budget Cuts That Could Send Thousands To Nursing Homes

  September 24, 2010 11:12 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A federal lawsuit has been filed against the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, saying that more than 11,000 state residents could be placed in institutions because of cutbacks in home care services. The New Orleans-based Advocacy Center filed the suit Wednesday in Baton Rouge.... more »

• Update: Gay Ban in the Military

  September 21, 2010 12:00 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins says she'll vote against a bill that would allow gays to serve openly in the military unless Democrats agree to extend debate so that her colleagues can weigh in on other issues. Collins' position is likely the last nail in the coffin... more »

• Lawsuit Filed Against Rig Owner Transocean

  September 15, 2010 3:16 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana's attorney general is asking a federal judge to rule that the owner of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig is liable for some of the oil that gushed out of a blown-out well on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. A lawsuit that Attorney General... more »

• Judge Tosses Brutality Suit Against Officers

  August 30, 2010 5:48 AM

  OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) - A state judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing three Opelousas police officers of brutality. Judge James Doherty ruled there was insufficient evidence to bring the case to trial. Adrien Henry filed suit in 2008 against S05 p.m. Baltigt. Brody Ortego and Freddie Henderson, a reserve officer.... more »

• Judge dismisses promoters' lawsuit against Jackson

  August 19, 2010 9:58 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit by a concert promoter against the late Michael Jackson over a failed reunion concert. U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. granted a motion by lawyers for Jackson's estate to dismiss the case, citing a lack of evidence... more »

• Alabama grand jury gets drug case against Russell

  August 11, 2010 8:52 PM

  MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A judge sent the drug possession case against former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell to a grand jury Wednesday despite testimony that the codeine drink found at Russell's home belonged to a longtime friend. District Judge Charles McKnight questioned the credibility of the testimony given by... more »

• Lawsuit filed against Filipino teachers' recruiter

  August 5, 2010 9:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A class action lawsuit accuses a California-based business of human trafficking, racketeering and fraud as it brought hundreds of Filipino teachers to Louisiana to work in public schools. The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court on Thursday by the American Federation of Teachers... more »

• 3 New Cases-DHH Urges Take Precautions Against Mosquitos

  August 4, 2010 4:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's health department confirms three new cases of West Nile virus - two serious infections that can damage the brain or spinal cord, and one without any symptoms. The Department of Health and Hospitals says that brings the year's total so far to three serious... more »

• ACLU Filed A Federal Lawsuit Against LA Jail Claiming Prisoner Cruelty

  July 8, 2010 3:24 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Louisiana jail routinely humiliates suicidal prisoners by forcing them to wear skimpy shorts that say "Hot Stuff" on the rear and confines them in tiny "squirrel cages" for weeks at a time, a civil liberties group said Thursday. In an open letter to St. Tammany... more »

• White House to Appeal Ruling Against Drilling Ban

  June 22, 2010 8:29 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House said Tuesday it will immediately appeal a federal judge's ruling against the Obama administration's moratorium on new deepwater drilling. A New Orleans judge on Tuesday blocked the six-month ban imposed in the wake of the Gulf oil spill, saying the Interior Department had failed... more »

• Date Set For Suit Against Drilling Moratorium

  June 11, 2010 3:06 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge has set a hearing for June 21 on a lawsuit aimed at nullifying the six-month ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The suit, which names the federal government as defendant, was filed earlier this week by Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc.,... more »

• Videos Showing Violence Against Animals: Free Speech

  April 20, 2010 2:34 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has struck down a federal law aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech. The justices, voting 8-1, threw out the criminal conviction of Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was sentenced to three... more »

• Diocese of Baton Rouge Investigating Allegations Against Priest

  April 16, 2010 5:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Diocese of Baton Rouge is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against one of its priests. Bishop Robert W. Muench on Friday announced the allegations filed against the Rev. Tom Duhe, pastor of St. Thomas More in Baton Rouge. The complaint was brought to the... more »

• Judge Rules Against CITGO in 2006 Lake Charles Oil Spill Case

  March 9, 2010 12:05 PM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A federal judge has shot down efforts by CITGO Petroleum to limit the fines and special conditions it could face in a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit over a June 2006 oil spill at the company's Lake Charles refinery. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard... more »

• District Judge Dismisses Civil Suit Against Work Release Center

  December 15, 2009 12:39 PM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A district judge on Monday dismissed the state's civil suit against a private work release center seeking reimbursement of money earned by inmates that allegedly went missing. The state Department of Public Safety and Corrections filed suit earlier this year against the Lafayette Community Correctional Center... more »