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• Federal prosecutors want doctor in prison

  August 21, 2012 9:13 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a former cardiologist who has been free for more than three years after his conviction on health care fraud charges should report to prison after losing his appeal. An attorney for Dr. Mehmood Patel told The Advocate Monday that he will seek to... more »

• Federal prosecutors allege illegal diet sales

  May 9, 2012 10:27 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Federal prosecutors allege the owner of a Lafayette herbal supplement business sold products containing a prescription diet drug that was taken off the market in 2010 on health concerns The Advocate reports Thuy Thikim Nguyen faces federal charges related to the marketing of unapproved drugs in... more »

• Morgan confirmed to federal bench in New Orleans

  March 29, 2012 9:34 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The U.S. Senate has confirmed a commercial litigation attorney from New Orleans to serve as a judge for the federal district court in New Orleans. Morgan has worked at the Phelps Dunbar law firm since 2005 and has been a partner since 2009. She also worked... more »

• Federal Agency Approves Medicaid Contract

  February 15, 2012 9:50 AM

  A proposed $185 million contract with a firm to handle Louisiana's Medicaid claims processing has been approved by the federal government's health agency. The Advocate reports ( http://bit.ly/zeQRsm ) state health agency officials have been waiting for months for the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to agree to... more »

• Louisiana Mississippi and others get federal grants for park marinas

  January 27, 2012 9:57 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Parks in Slidell, La., and Iuka, Miss., are getting federal grants to improve their marinas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says Slidell's Heritage Park is getting $1.5 million, with $802,500 going to J.P. Coleman State Park in Iuka. Marinas in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida,... more »

• Former Church Point Housing Authority Official Charged with Embezzlement Play Video

  January 4, 2012 7:18 PM

  The former Executive Director of the Church Point Housing Authority is facing embezzlement charges. Sarah Robert resigned from her position a year ago. According to court documents, Robert embezzled almost 200 thousand dollars. The theft allegedly starting back in January of 2009. Robert first stepped into her position as... more »

• Major Online Child Porn Ring Connected to Lafayette

  July 21, 2011 9:59 PM

  An online child pornography ring, with suspects located across the U.S., originated in Louisiana. Now nearly a dozen suspects are facing trial in Lafayette. The Internet bulletin board was called Dreamboard, and according to federal documents, there are 22 alleged members of the site. At least some of the suspects... more »

• Monks' Casket Fight Lands in Federal Court

  June 5, 2011 11:17 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An order of Benedictine monks takes on the funeral industry Monday in a federal court dispute over whether the monks can sell simple caskets - or the state can block them from doing so until they pass a myriad of licensing requirements. The monks of St.... more »

• Federal Judge: Disabled Can Bring Suit to Trial

  May 19, 2011 8:06 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging state budget cuts to home-based care for some elderly and disabled individuals. U.S. District Judge James J. Brady rejected the Department of Health and Hospital efforts to avoid a trial in the case, which alleges... more »

• Louisiana Parishes Receive Expanded Federal Assistance

  May 15, 2011 6:46 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - At the request of Governor Bobby Jindal, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has expanded federal assistance to the state and parishes responding to the Mississippi River flooding in Louisiana. Previously, Louisiana had been approved for only limited direct federal assistance for response efforts. At this... more »

• 'Historic' deal to avoid government shutdown

  April 8, 2011 11:59 PM

  Perilously close to a government shutdown, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders forged an agreement late Friday night on a deal to cut about $38 billion in federal spending and avert the first closure in 15 years. Obama hailed the deal, a bit more than an hour before a... more »

• What a Government Shutdown Would Mean for You

  April 7, 2011 11:43 PM

  The Friday deadline is fast approaching for a compromise on the federal budget, or shut the U.S. Government down. An agreement seems to be slipping further away in Washington, and a federal shutdown could have severe negative effects for millions of Americans. "I think it's a little extreme to... more »

• Federal Government Bills BP for $62 Million

  March 13, 2011 10:29 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Obama administration has billed BP PLC. for $62 million spent responding to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The federal government sent the bill Friday. It was the 10th bill sent to BP and other companies considered responsible parties. BP is required to pay for... more »

• Federal Agencies Probing Foreclosure Problems

  October 19, 2010 11:20 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says federal agencies are investigating allegations of widespread errors in foreclosure documents. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says in a statement that an interagency task force on financial fraud has launched an investigation into the foreclosure process. He also says the Federal Housing... more »

• Gretna Federal Credit Union Employee Arrested for Theft

  October 8, 2010 2:53 PM

  GRETNA, La. (AP) - Leslie Leblanc, a former teller with the Jefferson Parish Employees Federal Credit Union was arrested for allegedly stealing $31,000. The Times-Picayune reports that the 24-year-old River Ridge woman was booked Wednesday with theft. Vicki O'Brien, president and chief financial officer to the credit union, says they... 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 »

• ACLU in Federal Court Appealing Same Sex Class in Vermilion Parish School

  October 5, 2010 4:15 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union went before a federal appeals court Tuesday in hopes of stopping what they say is an unconstitutional system of sex-segregated classes at a southern Louisiana school. The ACLU filed a federal suit in 2009 against the Vermilion Parish School... more »

• Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research

  September 27, 2010 12:17 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has told an appeals court that a judge's order halting federal funding of stem cell research would result in destruction of valuable biological materials and set back taxpayer-funded work. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals in Washington is considering whether to throw... more »

• UNO Faces Tough Budget Future without Federal Cash

  September 27, 2010 9:35 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - The University of New Orleans is receiving $26 million less in state general funding this year than two years ago, though $17 million in federal stimulus money offset some state cuts on a one-time basis. That's according to the LSU Board of Regents. But with stimulus... 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 »

• Federal tax cut debate impacts La. treasury

  September 20, 2010 10:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - If Congress allows any of the Bush administration tax cuts to expire, Louisiana's state coffers will take a hit. Louisiana's tax code is tied to the federal tax laws. Louisiana lets its taxpayers deduct the amount of federal taxes paid from their state liability. So,... more »

• Federal Food Regulators Ponder Over Genetically Modified Salmon

  September 20, 2010 2:01 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal food regulators pondered Monday whether to say, for the first time, that it's OK to market a genetically engineered animal as safe for people to eat. The Food and Drug Administration is holding two days of hearings on a request to market genetically modified salmon. Ron... more »

• Federal Judges Have Agreed to a Pilot Project That Could Televise Some Trials

  September 14, 2010 4:29 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's federal judges have agreed to a pilot project that could televise some civil trials - 16 years after the judges ended a similar experiment. Appeals court judge David Sentelle told reporters Tuesday that many of the details remain to be worked out, but that cameras... more »

• LA Will Get $147 Million in Federal Funds to Aid Teachers and Other Educators

  September 14, 2010 12:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says Louisiana will get $147 million in federal funds to aid teachers and other educators. Duncan said Monday that the funds stem from a $26 billion federal bill that backers called a state stimulus measure. The legislation includes a $10... more »

• Legalizing Federal Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

  September 13, 2010 3:58 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Arlen Specter is seeking to legalize federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and supersede conflicting court decisions that he says are slowing critical work to find cures for crippling diseases. The Pennsylvania Democrat says his legislation would codify an executive order issued by President Barack... more »

• Congress to Impeach LA Federal Judge

  September 13, 2010 11:01 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge from Louisiana is corrupt and unfit to serve on the bench, House members said Monday as they began a rare congressional impeachment trial by laying out their case against the jurist. Playing the role of prosecutors, Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.,... more »

• Louisiana Applies for $147M in Federal Stimulus Money

  September 10, 2010 7:06 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Jindal administration has formally applied for $147 million Louisiana is eligible to receive from a recently passed federal stimulus bill. The state Department of Education announced the decision Thursday, though the application was signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal's chief budget adviser, Commissioner of Administration... more »

• Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research to Proceed

  September 9, 2010 1:35 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal appeals court is permitting federal funding of stem cell research to proceed temporarily until the court rules on the merits of the Obama administration's position in the case. The government is asking the appeals court in Washington to strike down a preliminary order by U.S.... more »

• More Federal Waters in Gulf Open to Fishing

  September 3, 2010 3:56 PM

  MIAMI (AP) - More federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle are open to commercial and recreational fishing. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the 3,114-square mile area had a low risk for future exposure to oil. Tuna, swordfish, mahi mahi and other... more »

• Former NO airport director faces federal charges

  August 27, 2010 9:46 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The former airport director at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport faces criminal charges in an alleged case of Katrina fraud. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said Sean Hunter, 44, and his wife, Shauna Crowden Hunter, were charged in a bill of information Friday with conspiracy to... more »

• Federal Judge OKs Extension in Lafayette Sex Trial

  August 10, 2010 7:47 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A federal judge has granted a continuance in the scheduled trial of a former private-school counselor accused of a federal sex crime. The U.S. District Judge Richard Haik signed the order Friday, but it was not published until Monday. The order was in response to a... more »

• Federal Judge Overturned California's Same-Sex Marriage Ban

  August 4, 2010 5:22 PM

  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal judge overturned California's same-sex marriage ban Wednesday in a landmark case that could eventually land before the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if gays have a constitutional right to marry in America, according to a person close to the case. Chief U.S. District Judge... more »

• Special Edition Federal Duck Stamp Envelope

  July 27, 2010 3:32 PM

  Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today unveiled a special edition Federal Duck Stamp envelope, or cachet, that hunters, stamp collectors and other conservationists can purchase for $25 -- or $10 more than the cost of a regular Duck Stamp -- to help conservation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.... 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 »

• Qualifying for Federal Elections Begins

  July 6, 2010 12:09 PM

  The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office is holding qualifying for the Fall election cycle on July 7-8, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and July 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Qualifying will take place at the Secretary of State’s executive offices, located at 8585 Archives Ave.... more »

• Federal Judge Tries to Streamline Oil Spill Suits

  July 3, 2010 4:54 PM

  HOUSTON (AP) - A federal judge in New Orleans is trying to streamline the legal process for more than 30 lawsuits arising from the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. An order filed this week from U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier temporarily consolidates the lawsuits for pretrial purposes.... more »

• US Marshals Search for International Kidnapper from Lafayette

  July 2, 2010 7:21 PM

  "I can't do this alone--someone out there knows something," Diana Huynh said. That's a plea from a desperate mother in search of her only son. Huynh last saw her son--Eitan--in February 2008. "I'm pretty angry as you can imagine--it's been depressing--you know it's hard trying to... more »

• White House intends to immediately appeal a federal judge's ruling

  June 22, 2010 4:06 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the White House intends to immediately appeal a federal judge's ruling against a 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... more »

• Transocean President Sharply Criticized Federal Government

  June 22, 2010 11:35 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The owner of the offshore rig involved in the massive Gulf oil spill sharply criticized the U.S. government's six-month ban on deepwater drilling Tuesday. Transocean Ltd. president Steven Newman told reporters at an oil industry conference in London that there were things President Barack Obama's administration... more »

• Federal tax incentives for home buyers extended three months

  June 16, 2010 3:45 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate on Wednesday approved a plan to give home buyers an extra three months to finish qualifying for federal tax incentives that boosted home sales this spring. The move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would give buyers until Sept. 30 to complete their purchases and... more »

• Inspectors Trained To Sniff Out Seafood Tainted By Oil

  June 7, 2010 5:50 PM

  PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - William Mahan bends over a bowl of raw shrimp and inhales deeply, using his left hand to wave the scent up toward his nose. Deep breath. Exhale. Repeat. He clears his palate with a bowl of freshly cut watermelon before moving on to raw oysters. Deep... more »

• Federal Government Is Sending BP A $69 Million Bill

  June 3, 2010 3:18 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says the federal government is sending BP a $69 million bill Thursday for costs so far in its response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs says the bill is the first to be sent to the oil company, which... more »

• 1/3 of federal waters in Gulf closing to fishing

  June 1, 2010 3:23 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Almost one-third of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico is closing to commercial and recreational fishing because of the oil spill. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration expanded the area by 5 percent Tuesday. NOAA says as of 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday that nearly 76,000... more »

• Federal on-scene coordinator for oil spill being replaced

  June 1, 2010 12:09 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Coast Guard is replacing the admiral who has been the federal on-scene coordinator since an oil rig exploded and millions of gallons of crude leaked into the Gulf. The spill's unified command center said in a news release Tuesday that Rear Adm. Mary Landry will... more »

• Federal Officials Expand Fishing Area After Being Closed Due to Oil Spill

  May 18, 2010 12:12 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal officials say they're expanding the area of the Gulf of Mexico where fishing is shut down because of a massive oil spill. They had already shut down fishing from the Mississippi River to the Florida Panhandle soon after an offshore oil rig exploded and sank... more »

• LA Attempts to Nullify Healthcare Bill

  May 4, 2010 1:00 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana House is set to debate an attempt to nullify the federal health care overhaul in Louisiana. The proposal by Rep. Kirk Talbot declares no one can be mandated to pay a penalty if they don't have insurance or be required to... more »

• Federal Prison Still On Lock Down

  March 29, 2010 4:57 PM

  POLLOCK, La. (AP) - The federal prison in Pollock remained on lockdown Monday. A news release from the Warden's office says the lockdown status was instituted in the maximum security penitentiary Sunday evening after one inmate assaulted another. During a lockdown the inmates are kept in their living quarters and... more »

• Louisiana Among 13 States Suing Federal Government

  March 23, 2010 2:10 PM

  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Attorneys general from 13 states sued the federal government Tuesday, claiming the landmark health care overhaul is unconstitutional just seven minutes after President Barack Obama signed it into law. The lawsuit was filed in Pensacola after the Democratic president signed... more »

• Crawfish suit now in federal court

  March 14, 2010 6:57 PM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A lawsuit claiming that pipeline dredging has hurt Atchafalaya Basin crawfish trappers is now in federal court. The suit alleges that ridges left along dredged areas, called spoil banks, have created stagnant, dead areas of water in the area known as Buffalo Cove. The... more »

• 2 Louisiana broadband systems get federal money

  February 18, 2010 7:07 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The federal government has awarded grants and loans totaling $33.5 million to two Louisiana broadband companies to expand high-speed Internet into rural areas. The money comes from the federal economic stimulus program. Allen's TV Cable, Inc., which serves Morgan City and several other areas, received a... more »

• February 21 is College Goal Sunday in Louisiana

  February 17, 2010 12:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana's third annual College Goal Sunday will be held on February 21, 2010, from 2-4 p.m. at seventeen locations around the state. The purpose of College Goal Sunday is to provide students and their families with free professional assistance in completing the primary student financial aid... more »

• Federal grant to help LTC

  February 16, 2010 8:00 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A $4.8 million federal Recovery Act grant is expected to help area Louisiana Technical College campuses increase the local work force. The grant award totals nearly $4.9 million and will affect more than 700 students across the LTC Greater Acadiana region's campuses in the seven-parish area.... more »

• Senator Vitter Blocks Nominee For Baton Rouge Court

  January 7, 2010 1:55 PM

  WASHINGTON - A federal judgeship in Baton Rouge remains unfilled because U.S. Sen. David Vitter hasn't given his support to the nominee. The nomination of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Jackson to become U.S. district judge in the Baton Rouge division of the U.S. Middle District of Louisiana is... more »

• Jeanerette Gets Federal Load To Fund Water Improvements

  December 29, 2009 3:16 PM

  JEANERETTE, La. (AP) - The city of Jeanerette is getting a federal loan for nearly $2.5 million to improve its water system. It's among nearly $117 million in stimulus grants and loans for water and environmental projects announced Tuesday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. They are part of the... more »

• UL: Hazard Mitigation Plan ready for public viewing

  December 16, 2009 1:08 PM

  LAFAYETTE - The final draft of UL Lafayette's Hazard Mitigation Plan is ready for public viewing. The draft has been developed through the Disaster Resistant University (DRU) grant program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). UL Lafayette officials have been working to develop a comprehensive hazard mitigation... more »

• Fight or Flight: new movie filmed in Lafayette

  November 25, 2009 11:58 AM

  Acadiana Film Industry Continues Expanding with Marquis Productions' "Fight or Flight" The feature film "Fight or Flight," a co-production of Los Angeles based Remember Dreaming, LLC, Freefall Films, Inc and MKM, LLC is set to begin filming in Lafayette, LA on Dec 2, 2009. Producers for the picture... more »

• US Secretary of Labor on Wage and Hour Division's

  November 19, 2009 1:35 PM

  Statement by US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Wage and Hour Division's increased enforcement and outreach efforts: WASHINGTON - ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the increased enforcement and outreach efforts of the department's Wage and Hour Division: "There... more »

• MMS Disburses $10.68 Billion in FY 2009

  November 18, 2009 10:47 AM

  Funding recipients include states, American Indians, and eligible counties DENVER, CO - The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) today announced that it disbursed more than $10.68 billion in Fiscal Year 2009 from revenues collected from energy and mineral production on Federal and American Indian lands,... more »

• St. Landry Parish wants training facility

  October 26, 2009 8:02 AM

  OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) - St. Landry Parish is in line to receive $12.7 million in federal hurricane mitigation funds, and the single largest project it hopes to fund will be a multi-agency training center. Opelousas Fire Chief Lee Cahanin said $1.5 million set aside by the parish will get it... more »

• Man given 50-year term in deputy shooting

  October 16, 2009 7:47 AM

  ABBEVILLE, La. (AP) - A 25-year-old Lafayette man has been sentenced to 50 years in the 2007 shooting of a Vermilion Parish patrol officer. Kenneth Clark was sentenced Wednesday on one count of attempted first-degree murder. A trial jury found Clark guilty Aug. 19. The Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Department said... more »

• WIC Introduces Program Changes in October

  September 28, 2009 12:53 PM

  Wilmington, Del. - The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program will see some positive changes October first. For the first time, participants will be able to get fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables. The federal government has made revisions to the food voucher program for needy... more »