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• NASA rover flexes arm for first time on Mars

  August 21, 2012 9:43 AM

  LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) - NASA's Mars rover has taken another small step for robot-kind. Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California say the rover Curiosity flexed its robotic arm Monday for the first time since before its November launch. They say they'll now spend weeks testing and... more »

• First time the charm for Mega Millions player

  April 11, 2012 9:38 AM

  DOWNSVILLE, La. (AP) - The first time was the charm for Donald Clark. Though the Downsville resident said he never played the Mega Millions lottery before, he decided to buy a few tickets at a West Monroe convenience store because of the buzz for the March 30 drawing. His winning... more »

• BP executive expected to be first trial witness

  January 25, 2012 9:13 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A BP executive is expected to be the first witness to testify at a trial next month designed to identify the causes of a deadly rig explosion that spawned a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. In a court filing Tuesday, plaintiffs'... more »

• Man, 72, is Plaquemines first murder since 2009

  January 20, 2012 9:49 AM

  JESUIT BEND, La. (AP) - A 72-year-old man found murdered in his Jesuit Bend home is the first homicide in Plaquemines Parish since 2009. Sheriff Michael Lafrance says deputies went to the man's home Thursday morning, where they found him in a pool of blood by the front door. Deputies... more »

• Minimum Wage SF Becomes first US City to Top $10 Minimum Wage

  December 12, 2011 11:45 AM

  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco will make history on Jan. 1 when it becomes the first city in the nation to top $10 for the minimum wage. It's only a 32-cent hike, from $9.92 to $10.24. But for many low-income workers it's a psychological boost that will help... more »

• Free Admission to LSU's First Game

  October 13, 2011 11:49 AM

  LSU's season opening basketball game against Nicholls State in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Nov. 12 will be open to the public free of charge. The game is part of the second-ever basketball-football doubleheader on the LSU campus as LSU will have its homecoming football game with Western Kentucky... more »

• Mississippi River's Floodwaters Claim First Life

  May 20, 2011 8:55 AM

  VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - The rising Mississippi River's floodwaters have claimed a life for the first time: a 69-year-old Vicksburg man who friends described as nice, but said he appeared troubled. Walter Cook was pulled from the water Wednesday by two firefighters on boat patrol in Vicksburg's downtown area. Cook... more »

• Who fired first Civil War shot? A dispute in Fla.

  April 13, 2011 5:42 AM

  GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE, Fla. (AP) - A raid 150 years ago by Confederate sympathizers on a Union fort at what is now Pensacola Naval Air Station was likely little more than an ill-planned and drunken misadventure, possibly ended by one soldier's warning shot. But some Pensacola residents say the... more »

• First Annual Patty in the Parc Huge Success

  March 17, 2011 8:21 PM

  The first annual Patty in the Parc kicked off at 5:00 p.m. Thursday night to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in downtown Lafayette. Organizers said they expect at least 2,000 people to come out to Parc International for the Irish holiday. There was a lot green, from shirts to hats... more »

• Oyster bed restoration among first since oil spill

  January 24, 2011 5:57 AM

  MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Volunteers from across the country are rebuilding oyster reefs along the Gulf of Mexico's delicate shoreline, hoping to revive oyster beds under assault for decades from overharvesting, coastal development, pollution, and most recently the BP oil spill. The waters harbor much of the world's last remaining... more »

• Holder honors first black La. high court justice

  November 11, 2010 10:04 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The nation's first black attorney general has visited New Orleans to pay tribute to the Louisiana Supreme Court's first black justice. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke Thursday at Dillard University's dedication of a mock trial center named after Justice Revius Ortique Jr., who died in 2008... more »

• Chile Official: 1st Miner to Surface Tuesday

  October 12, 2010 12:28 PM

  SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) - The first of 33 trapped miners is expected to be lifted to the surface late Tuesday after miraculously surviving more than two months below ground, Chile's Mining Minister Laurence Golborne. The minister announced the planned rescue at a news conference near the mine site,... more »

• First Degreed Midwife Training Program at Lafayette Community College

  October 4, 2010 11:51 AM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - The community college in Lafayette plans the first degreed midwife training program in Louisiana and four nearby states. South Louisiana Community College dean Annette Accomando tells The Advocate that the program could begin as early as January if it wins fall approval from the regional accrediting... more »

• Feeding Stranded Residents and First Responders During Katrina Leads to Chef's New Ready-To-Eat Meals

  September 29, 2010 3:24 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Chef John Besh's two restaurants were spared when Hurricane Katrina barreled through New Orleans five years ago, but the storm almost wiped him out anyway. Besh had just taken out a large loan to pay off his partners when the storm shut him down and sent... more »

• Peabody Magnet High Opens a Credit Union Branch

  September 20, 2010 9:58 AM

  ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - Peabody Magnet High School student Keverick Tanner, 17, looked pleased after he realized he successfully helped a customer open his first savings account. "It felt pretty good," Keverick said with a smile as he completed his first day as a teller at a Pelican State Credit... more »

• First Lady Michelle Obama Kicks off "Let's Move"

  September 8, 2010 11:28 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - First lady Michelle Obama kicks off the next phase of "Let's Move!" - her initiative to reduce childhood obesity - at a Slidell elementary school. Mrs. Obama told students at Brock Elementary on Wednesday that the new phase will focus on improving nutrition and physical fitness.... more »

• UL STUDENTS TO 'ROAR' AT FIRST HOME GAME PEP RALLY

  September 7, 2010 12:53 PM

  The University Program Council at UL Lafayette is putting on the biggest pep rally of the year Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m at the Student Union parking lot. Students can meet with athletes and cheer on Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns before their first home football game. Free food... more »

• First Lady to visit Louisiana for Anti-Obesity Campaign

  September 1, 2010 6:42 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - First Lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to join NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy in Louisiana next week to promote her "Let's Move!" campaign against childhood obesity. Obama's Sept. 8 visit to Brock Elementary School in Slidell will be held on... more »

• Offshore Drilling First-Ever Ethics Policy

  August 31, 2010 4:20 PM

  WASHINGTON -- Scandalized by U.S. regulators who had sex with oil company executives and negotiated with them for jobs, the agency that oversees offshore drilling is imposing a first-ever ethics policy that bars inspectors from dealing with a company that employs a family member or personal friend. Michael Bromwich,... more »

• First oiled turtles released in Gulf after rehab

  August 18, 2010 9:04 PM

  CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) - The first rehabilitated turtles oiled by BP's massive leak were released back into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, with scientists saying that animals taken in by rescuers - including birds - appear more resilient than first feared. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who... more »

• Louisiana Shrimpers Reporting Clean 1st Day Catch

  August 17, 2010 6:56 AM

  GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) - Commercial shrimpers out for the first season since BP's disastrous spill indicated their catch was plentiful and free of oil, despite a report by scientists that much of the crude remains below the surface of the Gulf. Fishermen spent much of the summer mopping up... more »

• First Day of Shrimp Season

  August 16, 2010 8:10 PM

  It's the start of the new shrimping season in Louisiana, the first since the BP Oil Well was capped. KATC connected with a shrimper, "Big Al" Granger, who reports the rough waves and the weather forecast are making the first day back on the water a rough one. Big's... more »

• First sentenced in Mobile steroid conspiracy case

  August 13, 2010 9:33 PM

  MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A pharmacist convicted of participating in a nationwide conspiracy to illegally sell anabolic steroids made in Mobile has been sentenced to four years in prison. J. Michael Bennett, who was the supervising pharmacist at Applied Pharmacy Services, was the first to be sentenced from a group... more »

• The First Brown Pelicans Released into LA Coastal Habitat

  August 5, 2010 6:33 PM

  State and federal biologists today released the first brown pelicans back into Louisiana coastal habitat since rescue and rehabilitation operations began following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The 15 pelicans were transported from the Bird Rehabilitation Center in Hammond and carefully off loaded on to Rabbit Island by... more »

• DNA Exonerates a Zion Man of First-Degree Murder

  August 4, 2010 11:12 AM

  WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) - Prosecutors in northern Illinois have dropped first-degree murder charges against a Zion man who's been jailed since 2005 in the stabbing deaths of two young girls. The move came during a hearing Wednesday after DNA evidence found on one of the girls was linked to someone... more »

• Robert Dudley Will Become BP's First American CEO

  July 27, 2010 11:41 AM

  LONDON (AP) - American Robert Dudley will become BP PLC's first ever non-British chief executive, the company said Tuesday as it reported a record quarterly loss and set aside $32.2 billion to cover costs of the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Ending weeks of speculation, BP confirmed that gaffe-prone... more »

• First Lady Michelle Obama Returning to the Gulf Region

  July 16, 2010 3:56 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - First lady Michelle Obama is returning to the Gulf region next week to meet with Coast Guard personnel in Mississippi who have been responding to the massive oil spill. Mrs. Obama will also christen a Coast Guard cutter named in honor of Dorothy C. Stratton, the Coast... more »

• This Year's First Case of West Nile Virus in a Human

  July 15, 2010 6:22 PM

  The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has reported the state's first case of West Nile virus in a human in 2010. The case was confirmed July 14 in East Baton Rouge Parish. Health officials characterize West Nile infections three ways: neuroinvasive, West Nile fever and asymptomatic. A neuroinvasive illness... more »

• First Lady: Fla. Panhandle Wonderful Despite Spill

  July 12, 2010 7:49 PM

  PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - First lady Michelle Obama visited the Florida Panhandle on Monday to shine a spotlight on a tourism industry battered by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. She met business and tourism leaders, walked barefoot on a beach and stopped at an ice cream shop, proclaiming... more »

• First Candidates To Sign Up

  July 7, 2010 11:03 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Three incumbent congressmen were among the first candidates to sign up for their races on the opening day of qualifying. Republican U.S. Reps. Joseph Cao of New Orleans, Rodney Alexander of Quitman and Charles Boustany of Lafayette registered for their re-election bids Wednesday morning. One... more »

• Community Leaders Recall Their First Jobs

  July 4, 2010 3:19 PM

  HOUMA, La. (AP) - Shoe-shining brought self-confidence. Painting boats in the summer heat awakened a passion. Wrapping meat and sweeping floors taught discipline. First jobs, often in the muggy days of summer, are seldom glamorous. But Houma-area business leaders say the jobs they held when they were teenagers or even... more »

• EPA First Round Of Testing On Dispersant

  June 30, 2010 3:35 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - EPA officials say their first round of testing on chemicals used to break apart the oil in the Gulf of Mexico shows all the available dispersants are generally equally toxic. Paul Anastas, EPA's assistant administrator for research and development, said Wednesday that the testing also showed the... more »

• Alex, First Named Atlantic Storm, Moves into Gulf

  June 27, 2010 6:54 PM

  BELIZE CITY (AP) - Tropical Storm Alex moved into the Gulf of Mexico Sunday after weakening to a depression as it swirled across Belize and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, dumping rains that left at least four people dead across the region. Alex is expected to regain strength in the coming days... more »

• LUS Fiber announced its first major upgrade

  June 17, 2010 6:02 PM

  LAFAYETTE, La. - LUS Fiber announced its first major upgrade to its Fiber-To-The-Home and Business system at a press conference today. The new upgrade will feature a platform developed by world-renowned Microsoft, an industry leader in technology and entertainment. Microsoft Mediaroom is an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) platform that is... more »

• CEO of BP Will Make His First Appearance On Capitol Hill

  June 8, 2010 1:33 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Tony Hayward, the embattled CEO of BP, will make his first appearance on Capitol Hill since the catastrophic Gulf oil spill when he testifies before a congressional committee next week. Hayward is scheduled to appear at a House Energy and Commerce oversight and investigations subcommittee hearing June... more »

• Oil Is Hitting Mississippi For The First Time

  June 1, 2010 5:49 PM

  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says oil is hitting the state for the first time. Barbour said Tuesday that a two-mile long, three-feet wide strand of caramel-colored oil has been found on Petit Bois (Peh-tee Bwah) Island, a barrier island near the Mississippi-Alabama border. The discovery... more »

• BP is in the middle of its first major pipe cut

  June 1, 2010 1:36 PM

  PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP) - Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen is saying that BP is in the middle of its first major pipe cut in the company's latest bid to contain the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Allen, the national incident commander, said Tuesday that it could be... more »

• First-Aid Tent on Grand Isle for Oil Spill Workers

  June 1, 2010 9:34 AM

  GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) - West Jefferson Medical Center has set up a first-aid tent on Grand Isle to treat oil spill workers, and the federal government has sent a mobile medical unit to Venice. West Jeff spokeswoman Taslin (TAHZ-lin) Alfonzo says the hospital's tent will be open from 6... more »

• Laura Ling Does First TV Interview Since Being Released

  May 18, 2010 2:49 PM

  CHICAGO (AP) - An American journalist who was imprisoned in North Korea for months says she told interrogators she was trying to overthrow the government in a ploy for mercy. Laura Ling appeared on Tuesday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in her first televised interview since her August release.... more »

• Fallout From Oil Spill Claims First Casualty at the Interior Department

  May 17, 2010 4:30 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The fallout from the Gulf oil spill has claimed its first casualty at the Interior Department. Chris Oynes, who oversees offshore drilling programs at the Minerals Management Service, will retire at the end of the month, according to an e-mail sent by an agency official to staff... more »

• Louisiana-$5 million First Month's Figures For Oil Spill

  May 14, 2010 4:01 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal says the state has spent more than $3 million to fight the huge oil slick threatening the state's Gulf Coast and he expects that figure to total more than $5 million once the first month's figures are tallied. The governor added that he... more »

• First Bird Found Coated with Oil

  April 30, 2010 3:50 PM

  FORT JACKSON, La. (AP) - Rescue crews are cleaning the first bird found coated with oil that's been spewing from a sunken rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Quantcast Workers with Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, which is based in Delaware, are using Dawn blue dishwashing soap to scrub... more »

• Nation's First Offshore Wind Farm

  April 28, 2010 2:13 PM

  BOSTON (AP) - The Obama administration has approved what would be the nation's first offshore wind farm, off Cape Cod, inching the U.S. closer to harvesting an untapped domestic energy source - the steady breezes blowing along its vast coasts. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his decision Wednesday in... more »

• First Afican- American Church

  March 22, 2010 7:07 PM

  The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Church on Pont Des Mouton Road was the first African-American church in the diocese. Some of "The Apostle" movie scenes were filmed there. It will now become part of the Woodlawn Road historic arts district. more »

• Former church employee sentenced for theft

  January 22, 2010 12:01 PM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A former employee of a church in western Louisiana has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for embezzling nearly $400,000. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty on Thursday sentenced 39-year-old Julia Leppo, of Lemont, Ill., to 51 months in prison and ordered her... more »

• St. Martin Authorities Investigate First Murder In 2010

  January 18, 2010 1:21 PM

  St. Martin parish officials are investigating their first murder of the the year. The shooting happened over the weekend in the Breaux Bridge High School parking lot. Authorities believe the shooting was a result of an altercation over drugs. 21-year-old Hilton Noel was shot several times and was pronounced... more »

• Saints First Round Playoff Game Sold Out

  December 22, 2009 11:58 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The New Orleans Saints aren't locked into the NFC's top playoff seed yet, but the team already knows the Louisiana Superdome will be filled when they host a postseason game. The Saints announced Monday that all playoff tickets have been purchased by season-ticket holders. New Orleans... more »

• Boliver Lee Hait Funeral Services

  November 18, 2009 2:05 PM

  BOLIVER LEE HAIT Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in the Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers for Bolivar Lee Hait, 98, who passed away peacefully at 9:57 pm at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. Reverend Perry Sanders, retired Pastor of... more »

• Local Company Provides Free Home Care to Veterans

  November 9, 2009 2:30 PM

  A First Name Basis Home Care, founded in Lafayette with offices in New Orleans, Mandeville and Baton Rouge, provides non-medical home care to its clients. The company assists seniors with their daily needs in their homes, often avoiding placement in assisted livings or nursing homes. A company sponsored program... more »