KATC.com

Tagged News

• State Gets a New $77 Million Budget Problem

  May 19, 2011 6:17 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Any lawmakers' hopes that Louisiana's income picture would brighten have been dashed. The state income forecasting panel, called the Revenue Estimating Conference, instead dropped the state's forecast by $77 million this year. While the panel agreed Wednesday to leave next year's estimates alone, the drop... more »

• Blowout Could Spill 58 Million Gallons in Arctic

  April 28, 2011 8:22 AM

  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The federal agency overseeing offshore drilling in Alaska says the worst-case scenario for a blowout in the Chukchi Sea lease could result in a spill of more than 58 million gallons of oil into Arctic waters. That's about a quarter of the Deepwater Horizon spill, which... more »

• Curious about the Bright Blue Camper in Downtown Lafayette?

  April 26, 2011 9:57 PM

  If you've been in downtown Lafayette in recent days, chances are you've seen a bright blue Airstream RV being towed through the streets by a pickup truck. Call it the road trip of a lifetime for Walter and Patrick Hessert, two brothers from New Jersey, who are criss-crossing the country... more »

• March Mineral Sale Pulls in $11.5 Million

  March 13, 2011 10:57 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana's March sale of petroleum rights to government-owned land and waterbottoms brought in $11.5 million as interest in oil and natural gas exploration continued a sharp shift to the southern parishes. Last week, the board awarded 32 leases covering more than 15 acres. Of those, 30... 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 »

• FEMA Funds $28 Million to Construct Cameron Parish School

  October 14, 2010 6:01 PM

  Hurricane Rita destroyed South Cameron High School in 2005 and today was the school's grand opening ceremony. FEMA has provided more than $28.0 million to the Cameron Parish School Board toward projects relating to this school. KATC's Shawn Kline was there and will share their story at 10.... more »

• CVS Pays $75 Million in Fines for Repeated Sales of Meth Ingredients

  October 14, 2010 2:02 PM

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - CVS Pharmacy Inc. has agreed to pay $75 million in fines for allowing repeated purchases of a key methamphetamine ingredient that led to a spike in Southern California drug trafficking, federal prosecutors said Thursday. It was the largest civil penalty under the Controlled Substances Act.... more »

• $2 Million to Food Scientists to use Marketing Tricks to Encourage Kids to Pick Healthy Over Junk

  October 12, 2010 12:35 PM

  Federal officials are turning to psychology in a new approach to get kids to choose healthier foods in the school lunch line. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving $2 million to food behavior scientists to use marketing tricks to encourage kids to pick fruits and veggies over cookies... more »

• Oilfield Worker Receives $4 million from Transocean

  October 11, 2010 12:13 PM

  LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A federal jury has ordered Transocean to pay more than $4 million in damages to an oilfield worker injured in an offshore rig accident. The judgment entered Tuesday capped a trial for the lawsuit that 32-year-old Dan Averette filed over the July 14, 2007, accident aboard... more »

• State Will Close Books With A $108 Million Deficit

  October 5, 2010 7:03 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The state will close the books on the last budget year with a $108 million deficit, and agencies will be cut this fiscal year to close that gap. That's according to Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater, the governor's top budget adviser. Rainwater said he called... more »

• Benson Pledges $8 Million to Loyola

  September 24, 2010 8:07 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson has pledged $8 million to Loyola University in New Orleans. The money - being donated through the Gayle & Tom Benson Charitable Foundation - will create a new home for the university's Jesuit Center. The university says Loyola's former library... more »

• Facebook Founder Pouring $100 Million into Newark's School System

  September 23, 2010 4:47 PM

  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is about to make a lot of new friends: The 26-year-old tycoon is pouring $100 million of his staggering fortune into Newark's blighted school system after hitting it off with the mayor of the poverty-stricken city. The donation - which is being... more »

• State Court Order Requiring Tobacco Companies To Pay $270 Million Blocked

  September 14, 2010 3:39 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has temporarily blocked a state court order requiring tobacco companies to pay $270 million for a smoking cessation program in Louisiana. Scalia granted a request from the companies on Tuesday, but said he would reconsider his order later this month after hearing... 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 »

• Cuba Says It Will Fire Half A Million State Workers

  September 13, 2010 1:00 PM

  HAVANA (AP) - Cuba says it will fire at least half a million state workers by mid-2011 and will free up private enterprise to help them find new work - radically remaking employment on the communist island. The layoffs will start immediately and run through the first half of next... 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 »

• Regulators Blasting Jindal's $360 Million Sand Berm Project

  September 9, 2010 4:54 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal environmental regulators are blasting Gov. Bobby Jindal's $360 million project to build sand berms to stop BP PLC's oil from contaminating the state's shores and wetlands and argue the berms in place have stopped little oil, pose a threat to wildlife and interrupt currents. The... more »

• LA Doctors Will Have to Repay $17 Million in Overpayments

  September 9, 2010 11:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Thousands of Louisiana doctors must repay $17 million in overpayments they received from the state last year because the Department of Health and Hospitals failed to make Medicaid budget cuts on time. The physicians who provide health care for the poor through the government health... more »

• $30 Million Commitment to Health Clinics in Parishes Affected by Katrina

  August 26, 2010 3:55 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Governor Bobby and Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced today that the state has committed $30 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to ensure that a network of primary care and behavioral health clinics remain open in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, upon approval from the... more »

• Jindal Wants a $173 Million From BP to Monitor Seafood

  August 19, 2010 5:39 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal wants a $173 million program - paid for by BP PLC - to monitor the safety and quality of Louisiana seafood for the next five years. The program also would provide marketing funds to promote the state's seafood to consumers. During a news... more »

• $275 Million Renovation on Familiar Symbol of Hurricane Katrina

  August 18, 2010 4:16 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Renovation work has begun on the Hyatt Regency New Orleans - the hotel that became a familiar symbol of Hurricane Katrina's destruction when shattered glass poured onto streets and furniture was sucked out of broken windows. The $275 million project is aimed at a fall 2011... more »

• Jindal Joins BP to Announce $15 Million for Mental Health Services

  August 16, 2010 3:57 PM

  GRAND ISLE - As part of Governor Bobby Jindal's Agenda to Revitalize Louisiana, he visited a coastal restoration project at Bay Joe Wise to highlight his long-term recovery plan for restoring Louisiana's coast. The Bay Joe Wise project is part of the larger Barataria Basin Barrier Shoreline Restoration Project (BBBS... more »

• Vitter and Melancon Report Fundraising Totals

  August 16, 2010 3:28 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - U.S. Sen. David Vitter reports having nearly $5.4 million in his campaign coffers in advance of this month's primary election, twice as much as his main challenger Charlie Melancon. Melancon reported having $2.2 million on hand in the latest round of finance reports Monday that... more »

• BP Provides $52 Million To Fund Behavioral Health Support

  August 16, 2010 12:42 PM

  HOUSTON - BP today announced that it is providing $52 million to federal and state health organizations to fund behavioral health support and outreach programs across the US Gulf Coast region. The funding will help residents link up with support that is available through providers in their communities, through a... more »

• FEMA to Forgive $18 million Community Disaster Loan to St. Bernard Parish

  August 13, 2010 5:23 PM

  CHALMETTE, La. (AP) - St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro has signed the paperwork needed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the agency to forgive an $18 million Community Disaster Loan granted after Hurricane Katrina. According to a Friday news release, Craig Fenton, a loan analyst working with FEMA,... more »

• 4.9 Million Barrels-Government's Latest Estimate on How Much Oil Spewed

  August 11, 2010 4:07 PM

  A Massachusetts congressman is asking BP to accept the government's latest estimate of how much oil spewed from the company's blown-out Gulf well as a basis to determine how much it may face in civil fines. Rep. Ed Markey sent a letter Wednesday to the head of BP's U.S. operations... more »

• Ticket Purchased in Baton Rouge Won $85.7 Million Powerball

  August 2, 2010 11:01 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Lottery Corp. says one ticket purchased in Baton Rouge won the $85.7 million multistate Powerball drawing Saturday night. The winning ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball. The prize for the next Powerball drawing will be an estimated $20 million on Wednesday.... more »

• $100 million Fund For Workers Struggling Because Of Moratorium

  July 30, 2010 12:57 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says it has picked a charitable foundation in Louisiana to administer a $100 million fund for oil workers struggling because of a federal moratorium on deepwater drilling. The Rig Worker Assistance Fund will be administered through the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Foundation, an affiliate... more »

• Giant Oil Skimmer Has Collected 6.3 Million Gallons Of Oily Water

  July 13, 2010 5:07 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A giant Taiwanese oil skimmer has collected 6.3 million gallons of oily water from the Gulf of Mexico as tests continue to prove its worth in the cleanup effort. Bob Grantham, a spokesman for TMT Offshore Group, which owns the "A Whale" vessel, said Tuesday the... more »

• Vatican Posts $5.2 Million Loss but Donations Up

  July 10, 2010 4:21 PM

  VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican has posted its third straight financial loss, registering a euro4.1 million ($5.2 million) deficit for 2009. The financial report released Saturday by the Holy See's press office listed revenues of euro250.18 million against expenses of euro254.28 million. Most of the expenses went to support... more »

• St. Landry OKs $10 Million School Bonds

  July 2, 2010 8:03 AM

  OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) - St. Landry Parish School Board members have authorized the superintendent to apply for $10 million in low-interest construction bonds to replace portable classroom buildings with permanent structures. Officials say the district is applying for federal Qualified School Construction Bonds, part of a program that allows school... more »

• $20 Million Settlement For Jaycee Dugard Family

  July 1, 2010 1:57 PM

  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California lawmakers approved a $20 million settlement Thursday with the family of Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped as a girl and held captive in a secret backyard for 18 years by a paroled sex offender. Dugard, 30, resurfaced last August with two daughters she bore with... more »

• Government Program Wasted More Than $100 Million Of Taxpayer Dollars

  July 1, 2010 12:53 PM

  MIAMI - A government program that's supposed to help impoverished families heat and cool their homes wasted more than $100 million of taxpayer dollars paying the electric bills of thousands of applicants who were dead, in prison or living in million-dollar mansions. The Department of Health and Human Services spent... more »

• LA Health Secretary Asking BP Pay $10 Million For Mental Health Services To State

  June 28, 2010 5:10 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's health secretary is again asking BP PLC for $10 million for mental health services to state residents affected by the oil spill. Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine says counseling teams have talked to nearly 2,000 people in affected areas, and report increases in... more »

• Prison inmates wrongly received $9 million in tax credits

  June 23, 2010 11:52 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly 1,300 prison inmates wrongly received more than $9 million in tax credits for homebuyers despite being locked up when they claimed they bought a home, a government investigator reported Wednesday. The investigator said 241 of the inmates were serving life sentences. In all, more than 14,100... more »

• More Than $48 Million in Claims Paid

  June 6, 2010 2:40 PM

  PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - An official for BP PLC says the oil giant has paid 18,000 claims along the Gulf Coast totaling more than $48 million. Darryl Willis is the BP vice president overseeing the claims process. He said Sunday in Florida's Escambia County that the company has received 37,000... 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 »

• $15 Million Received From BP Going To Louisiana's Tourism

  June 2, 2010 12:18 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle has decided how the state will divvy up $15 million it has received from BP for promotion efforts to combat damage caused to Louisiana's tourism industry by the oil spill. The dollars will be split evenly between campaigns for coastal Louisiana,... more »

• Attorney General is getting $5 million from BP grant

  June 1, 2010 11:29 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is getting $5 million from the block grant aid given to Louisiana by oil giant BP for response to the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP PLC gave Louisiana a $25 million grant for cleanup and response efforts. Gov.... more »

• More Than $10 Million in Earmarks Added to Budget Bill

  May 30, 2010 3:25 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - As they cut colleges and charity hospitals, budget-crafters in the House slipped in dollars for local festivals, cattle fences, playgrounds, museums, town fire stations and pages of pet projects in their districts back home. More than $10 million in legislative earmarks were quietly added to... more »

• Oil Spill Has Already Cost The Government $87 Million

  May 27, 2010 4:45 PM

  By The Associated Press Federal officials say cleaning up the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has already cost the government $87 million, making it the third-most expensive cleanup effort in the nation's history. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry has distributed that money to state and federal... more »

• WBR Board Approves $1.8 Million in Cuts

  May 20, 2010 10:38 AM

  PORT ALLEN, La. (AP) - The West Baton Rouge Parish School Board has approved $1.8 million in cuts aimed at helping offset an expected budget shortfall during the 2011 fiscal year. Superintendent David Corona tells The Advocate that 17 teacher positions and five paraprofessional jobs will be eliminated through attrition.... more »

• Toyota Pays $16.4 Million Fine

  May 18, 2010 1:26 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Toyota has paid a record $16.4 million fine for a slow response to its accelerator pedal recall. A Transportation Department official says the Japanese automaker paid the fine on Tuesday. The company agreed to the fine on April 19 and had 30 days to pay it. The... more »

• $350 Million Barrier Island Repair Plan

  May 17, 2010 4:15 PM

  KENNER, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal and leaders from several coastal parishes are pushing a $350 million barrier island repair plan as a way to protect Louisiana's coast from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and reduce the ultimate cleanup and its costs. Sand dredged from the gulf's floor... more »

• BP Gives $70 Million for Gulf Coast Tourism Promotion

  May 17, 2010 3:42 PM

  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - BP PLC Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward says the company will give $70 million to four Gulf Coast states for tourism promotion. Hayward made the announcement Monday after meeting with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. The funds would help the states counteract unfounded fears that BP's Gulf... 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 »

• BP Says Oil Spill Costs Now $450 million

  May 13, 2010 9:33 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The cost of fighting a massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill is mounting rapidly for the global oil company that owns the well. London-based BP PLC says it has spent $450 million since the spill started after an April 20 oil rig explosion. That's up by... more »

• $3.7 Million Movie and TV Studio Renovation

  April 27, 2010 12:03 PM

  SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A foundation created to bring biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to Shreveport is spending $3.7 million to renovate its first floor for the movies and TV. The Times reports that Biomedical Research Foundation plans to rent to digital animation, recording and television studios. Planned tenants for BioSpace... more »

• Jindal Proposes Cutting $60 Million From State Agencies & Public Colleges

  April 16, 2010 12:35 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal proposes cutting about $60 million from state agencies and public colleges and tapping into an array of one-time funds to close a $319 million budget deficit. The $29 billion budget must be rebalanced before the fiscal year ends June 30. Jindal unveiled... more »

• LA Receiving $81.4 Million To Fix Hwy Damage From Hurricanes

  April 14, 2010 1:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana is receiving $81.4 million in emergency federal funding to fix highway damage from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. The state Department of Transportation and Development says $74.5 million will go to fix damage from Katrina and Rita. The other $7 million is being... more »

• $319 Million Deficit : Cuts Are Expected

  April 14, 2010 11:21 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana has a $319 million budget deficit this year. That's the estimate adopted Wednesday by the state's income forecasting panel, the Revenue Estimating Conference. Lawmakers and Gov. Bobby Jindal have about 10 weeks to close the budget gap before the fiscal year ends June 30.... more »

• NOLA Judge Awards Families $2.6 Million

  April 8, 2010 11:53 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A New Orleans federal judge has awarded seven Virginia families $2.6 million in damages to pay for the removal of sulfur-emitting drywall made in China that has been linked to corrosion and possible health effects. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon ruled Thursday that all the Chinese-made... more »

• Lafayette Airport Broke Ground On $9.28 Million Project

  March 31, 2010 6:29 PM

  Officials at Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) broke ground on a $9.28 million cargo apron expansion project designed to allow the airport to handle the increasing amount of cargo arriving at and departing from Lafayette. "The tremendous growth in cargo operations at the airport has necessitated that we move forward with... more »

• Jindal Proposed $300 Million Cut To Medicaid

  March 30, 2010 12:26 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Family members and health providers for the most vulnerable Louisiana residents, the developmentally disabled, are pleading with lawmakers to reverse budget cuts and health care changes proposed in Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget. Some are asking for a reversal of the Department of Health and Hospitals'... 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 »

• Budget Woes in Vermilion Parish

  November 23, 2009 6:48 PM

  The Vermilion Parish Police Jury will have to take big swings with an axe to fix their 2010 budget. As of right now they are over a little more than one million dollars, which is a huge improvement from the 2.8 million overage they started with. The good news... more »

• Ponchatoula Man Arrested for Alleged Ponzi Scheme

  November 19, 2009 11:51 AM

  (Baton Rouge, LA)-Investigators with the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, with the assistance of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, arrested William J. Chaucer, Jr., of Ponchatoula, Louisiana today for creating a Ponzi scheme that has cost at least 200 investors over $11 million dollars. This arrest is the result of a... more »

• Gov. Jindal Announces a $30 Million Commitment for LSU's New Business Education Complex

  November 5, 2009 2:38 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Governor Bobby Jindal held a press conference today to make two announcements: a commitment of $30 million in capital outlay funds for LSU's new business education complex and $303.7 million in collections for the 2009 Louisiana Tax Amnesty Program, surpassing initial estimates for collections. $30 Million... more »

• Louisiana AG: ACORN embezzlement totaled $5M, not $1M

  October 6, 2009 10:17 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - An internal review by ACORN's board of directors found that $5 million was embezzled from the community organization, far more than a previously reported sum of $1 million, according to documents from the Louisiana attorney general's office. The new amount was reported in a subpoena... more »