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• Feds: Use genetically modified crops on refuges?

  April 30, 2013 8:20 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold five public meetings around the South in June to hear what people think about using genetically modified crops on refuges to provide food for ducks, geese and other migrating waterfowl. Under cooperative agreements with the agency, farmers harvest... more »

• Strip Club Sting: Feds Investigate Desperados Cabaret in Carencro Play Video

  December 5, 2012 10:31 PM

  Federal investigators conducted a sting at a Carencro strip club, Desperados Cabaret, Wednesday afternoon. Several suspects were taken into custody, and after an eventful day, the club was quiet and locked up Wednesday evening. It all went down around 1:30pm Wednesday, Lafayette Parish Sheriff's deputies blocked off the frontage... more »

• Feds: Businessman accused of fraud after BP spill

  November 2, 2012 3:54 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Louisiana businessman faces a federal wire fraud charge for allegedly seeking to get BP PLC to pay him $1.4 million for supplying a helicopter that the oil giant did not ask for during its response to the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of... more »

• Feds close Central Valley slaughterhouse

  August 21, 2012 9:35 AM

  FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Federal regulators have shut down a Central California slaughterhouse after receiving undercover video showing dairy cows, some unable to walk, being repeatedly shocked and shot before being killed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which buys beef for the school lunch program and inspects meat facilities, suspended... more »

• Feds investigate lead contaminate at paper mill

  August 1, 2012 4:56 AM

  PORT HUDSON, La. (AP) - Federal health officials say they have opened an investigation into a paper mill south of Baton Rouge. Elizabeth Todd, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Labor's branch in Dallas, said Tuesday the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating an incident at a Georgia-Pacific plant... more »

• Feds: Horse racing operation tied to drug cartel

  June 13, 2012 9:31 AM

  RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) - In the stables at a prominent quarter horse track in New Mexico, workers quietly nicknamed Jose Trevino Morales's stables as the "Zetas' stables" and say they often saw people show up with bags of cash to buy the horses. On Tuesday, authorities raided those stables and... more »

• Feds issue Morganza Control Structure contract

  June 6, 2012 10:53 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a contract to repair relief wells and monitoring equipment at the Morganza Control Structure has been awarded to Merrick Construction. The Advocate reports construction on the $1 million contract will begin in August and is expected to be... more »

• Shrimpers, feds meet to talk sea turtle devices

  June 5, 2012 6:30 AM

  BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP) - Federal regulators are in Louisiana to talk about a proposal to make shrimpers working in state waters put special devices on their trawl nets allowing sea turtles to swim out to safety. The National Marine Fisheries Service is holding a meeting Tuesday in Belle Chasse... more »

• Feds drop charges that ex-cop sold stolen goods

  June 4, 2012 7:07 AM

  MONROE, La. (AP) - Federal prosecutors have dropped all charges against a former Monroe police officer who had been accused of putting 14,000 stolen items for sale on eBay. The News-Star reports that U.S. District Judge Robert James granted a prosecution motion Friday to dismiss without prejudice all charges against... more »

• Feds say fraud after Hurricane Katrina hit the UP

  April 18, 2012 7:05 AM

  MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - Court records show an Upper Peninsula woman has agreed to plead guilty in a fraud case related to Hurricane Katrina. The U.S. government says 60-year-old Shirley LaMarch and husband Michael applied for federal assistance in 2005, claiming their residence in New Orleans was damaged. They received... more »

• Feds ban dog-deer hunting in Kisatchie Forest

  March 2, 2012 8:19 AM

  ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - Hunters who use dogs to hunt deer in Kisatchie National Forest again are on the defensive. The Town Talk reports U.S. Forest Service officials say dog-deer hunting will be prohibited in Kisatchie starting with the 2012-13 season. Thursday's announcement by the Forest Service and previous attempts... more »

• Rig manager charged with lying to feds about tests

  February 29, 2012 10:04 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a Mississippi man who worked as manager on a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico directed rig workers to falsify testing on a key safety device. A court filing Tuesday in New Orleans charges 49-year-old Donald Hudson, of Walnut Grove, Miss., with... more »

• Feds taking public comment on future lease sales

  January 11, 2012 10:29 AM

  JEFFERSON, La. (AP) - The federal agency handling offshore drilling has invited the public to comment on proposed etroleum lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over the next five years. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold Wednesday's hearing in Jefferson Parish. The government's first auction of offshore... more »

• Feds look into BMWs that can roll away unattended

  August 9, 2011 10:44 AM

  DETROIT (AP) - Federal safety regulators are looking into a problem with BMW automatic transmission shifters that can allow cars to roll away after drivers have left the vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday on its website that about 120,000 BMW 7-Series luxury sedans from the 2002... more »

• Feds set aside offshore money for bridge, road

  July 7, 2011 5:53 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Iberia and Cameron parishes have been given $532,000 in federal offshore drilling funds to replace a bridge for the Port of Iberia and repair an industrial road. The money is coming from the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, a fund set up by the Energy Policy Act... more »

• Feds develop policy for offshore fish farming

  February 9, 2011 9:15 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - President Barack Obama's administration said on Wednesday it supports the farming of fish in federal waters, but that the practice needs to be done in a safe and scientifically sound manner. In the Gulf of Mexico, businesses have proposed growing fish on unused oil and natural... more »

• Feds reopen shrimping grounds in Gulf of Mexico

  February 1, 2011 9:40 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A 4,200-square-mile area of the Gulf of Mexico near BP's blown out well will reopen to deep water shrimping after federal scientists found the fishing grounds free of oil. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it will reopen the area in federal waters off Louisiana,... more »

• Feds clear BR police of post-Katrina misconduct

  January 4, 2011 9:27 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department has cleared Baton Rouge police officers who were accused of harassing African-Americans, using unnecessary violence and conducting illegal searches after Hurricane Katrina. The move, reported by WAFB-TV on Tuesday, was confirmed by the current and former Baton Rouge police chiefs. "After... more »

• Feds to hear from more BP, Transocean officials

  December 7, 2010 9:19 AM

  HOUSTON (AP) - A federal panel investigating the cause of the rig explosion that set off the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill is set to question more BP and Transocean officials about the disaster. The panel also was expected to hear from two technicians known as mud loggers, who... more »

• Feds are to help NOPD Evaluate Murder Cases

  September 22, 2010 10:23 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans police will get help from a team of federal agents in evaluating how the department investigates homicide cases and why the city's murder rate is so high. Superintendent Ronal Serpas asked the Homicide Technical Expert Team to come to New Orleans to help determine why... more »

• Feds to help NO police evaluate murder cases

  September 22, 2010 9:27 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans police will get help from a team of federal agents in evaluating how the department investigates homicide cases and why the city's murder rate is so high. Superintendent Ronal Serpas asked the Homicide Technical Expert Team to come to New Orleans to help determine... more »

• Some states suing feds also claim health subsidies

  August 31, 2010 9:35 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - More than half a dozen states suing to overturn President Barack Obama's health care law are also claiming its subsidies for covering retired state government employees, accordinghans that the Westd Tuesday by the administration. About 2,000 employers have been approved for the extra help to cover early... more »

• Some States Suing Feds also Claim Health Subsidies

  August 31, 2010 10:12 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Some states suing to toss out President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law are also lining up to claim a share of its subsidies for the medical costs of retired employees. An administration official says seven states suing the federal government applied for and will receive subsidies... more »

• Feds probing post-Katrina 'shoot looters' claim

  August 27, 2010 9:55 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal authorities are investigating allegations that New Orleans police were told after Hurricane Katrina to "take the city back and shoot the looters." Police spokesman Bob Young said Friday that federal officials have asked police for information and for permission to interview officers about the alleged... more »

• Feds to remove temporary cap from Gulf well

  August 27, 2010 9:31 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The federal government said engineers will start work Monday to remove the temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing out of BP's blown-out Gulf well so that crews can raise a key piece of equipment from the seabed. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's... more »

• Feds Plan 'Dockside Chats' on Seafood

  August 26, 2010 8:50 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal officials are planning what they are calling "dockside chats" to promote information about the safety of Gulf seafood. Eight such events are being planned at sites in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, according to a Wednesday news release. Senior officials from the Obama... more »

• Feds to Spill Commission: Drilling Ban Stays

  August 24, 2010 7:05 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The top federal offshore oil drilling regulator is telling the presidential oil spill commission that the temporary halt to deepwater drilling will remain in place for a few more months. The Interior Department issued the moratorium after the deadly April 20 BP oil rig explosion. It was... more »

• Feds to Outline Anti-fraud Efforts After Spill

  August 24, 2010 7:02 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Justice Department officials are outlining their efforts to curb fraud in the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten and Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Justice Department's criminal division are scheduled to brief reporters on the topic Tuesday in Baton... more »

• Feds to Spill Commission: Drilling Ban Stays

  August 23, 2010 6:00 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The top federal offshore oil drilling regulator is telling the presidential oil spill commission that the temporary halt to deepwater drilling will remain in place for a few more months. The Interior Department issued the moratorium after the deadly April 20 BP oil rig explosion. It was... more »

• State wants more disaster loans forgiven by feds

  August 19, 2010 9:43 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - One in five of the sheriffs, school boards, parish councils and other storm-ravaged local government agencies who borrowed federal funds after hurricanes Katrina and Rita won't have to repay a dime of the loans. Those 11 agencies - in New Orleans and surrounding St. Bernard... more »

• Feds to Spend $30M on Port Fourchon Beach Project

  August 17, 2010 6:51 AM

  CHENIERE CAMINADA, La. (AP) - The federal government plans to spend $30 million to help restore a barrier headland that helps protect Port Fourchon, a major oil and natural gas port. The money will be spent on the Cheniere Caminada headland as part of ongoing coastal restoration work under the... more »

• Feds open new NOPD probe

  August 13, 2010 9:24 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Justice Department has opened a new civil rights investigation into the alleged beating of two men by New Orleans Police in the days after Hurricane Katrina. Justice Department spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa (So-chi E-no-ho-sa) on Friday told the Associated Press that federal authorities are investigating the... more »

• Feds rule in favor of Vitter, Barbour, Pickering

  August 9, 2010 9:20 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal authorities say there's no reason to believe Louisiana Sen. David Vitter's campaign violated the law by accepting a contribution from a political action committee of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Louisiana Democrats claimed the contribution from "Haley's PAC" was really from former Mississippi U.S. Rep. Chip... more »

• Feds Could Pay Farmers for Wildlife Habitat

  July 20, 2010 9:29 AM

  GUEYDAN, La. (AP) - U.S. agriculture officials say a new program could compensate farmers for agricultural practices that provide habitat to wildlife. Scott Edwards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service says the program could pay farmers for creating mud flats in their fields, pumping water onto... more »

• Feds Let BP Keep Gulf Oil Cap Closed Despite Seep

  July 19, 2010 9:41 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The federal government Monday allowed BP to keep the cap shut tight on its busted Gulf of Mexico oil well for another day despite a seep in the sea floor after the company promised to watch closely for signs of new leaks underground, settling for the... more »

• Feds: Largest Medicare Fraud Bust Carried Out

  July 16, 2010 9:22 AM

  Federal authorities are conducting the largest Medicare fraud bust ever, with raids in five states leading to the arrests of dozens of suspects. Several doctors and nurses were among those authorities hoped to arrest Friday in Miami, New York City, Detroit, Houston and Baton Rouge, La. Authorities said 36 people... more »

• Feds Lean on BP Over Trash Disposal

  July 2, 2010 6:03 AM

  The Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency shored up their oversight of BP's work to clean up the oil-soaked Gulf Coast on Thursday, setting new standards for how the company and its contractors should test and track the garbage generated by the ongoing spill. BP PLC has hired private... more »

• Feds: State Not Living Up to Dredging Agreement

  June 23, 2010 8:02 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A dredging project favored by Gov. Bobby Jindal to block oil from the Louisiana coast was halted by federal authorities because it endangers long-term efforts to rebuild eroding barrier islands that provide crucial hurricane protection, an Interior Department official said Wednesday. "You don't want to destroy... more »

• Feds Indict Man, Woman in Health Care Fraud Case

  June 6, 2010 11:35 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A 44-year-old Franklin man and a woman who worked for him have been indicted on charges of health care fraud. U.S. Attorney Stan Lemelle says a grand jury handed up a 10-count indictment on Thursday against Ray A. Kirt and 57-year-old Peggy Mingo faces six... more »

• Feds Approve New Gulf Oil Well Off LA

  June 2, 2010 11:42 PM

  Federal regulators approved Wednesday the first new Gulf of Mexico oil well since President Barack Obama lifted a brief ban on drilling in shallow water, even while deepwater projects remain frozen after the massive BP spill. The Minerals Management Service granted a new drilling permit sought by Bandon Oil and... more »

• BP Tells Feds Gulf Spill Due to Multiple Failures

  May 25, 2010 9:22 AM

  COVINGTON, La. (AP) - Oil giant BP is briefing the federal government on its internal investigation into the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill that focuses on two key areas: cementing at the well head and the blowout preventer. BP said in a release late Monday that its probe has... more »