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• Study: Oil spill caused some land erosion

  June 27, 2012 5:55 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A scientific study has found that heavily oiled areas in Barataria Bay showed twice the normal land erosion rates in the year and a half after the massive BP oil leak in 2010. The Advocate reports the study found oil killed marsh plants and that... more »

• Sentencing in oil spill fraud case postponed

  June 13, 2012 7:07 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge has agreed to postpone a sentencing hearing for a woman who pleaded guilty to submitting a fraudulent claim for money from BP's oil spill compensation fund. Rokeisha Barrios was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, but U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance agreed to delay... more »

• Man gets prison for oil-spill fraud

  May 18, 2012 8:57 AM

  GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A 28-year-old Gulfport man has been sentenced to prison for 37 months and ordered to make restitution of $27,000 for fraud involving an oil-spill recovery claim. The Sun Herald reports Moses W. Keys was sentenced Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. also ordered three years... more »

• Man accused of defrauding spill victims' fund

  May 15, 2012 6:16 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a 41-year-old businessman who moved to New Orleans from Georgia after the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010 has been charged with defrauding a compensation fund set up for victims. The Justice Department says Dwayne Smith was charged last week on one count... more »

• Fishing industries impacted by BP Oil Spill two-years later Play Video

  April 20, 2012 11:15 PM

  Two-years later, experts say the coastline and the wetlands are recovering, and at rates faster than expected. On the other hand, the fishing industry is struggling to get back to where it was in the days before the spill. Last year proved to be one of the worst years... more »

• Scientists: Fish are sick where BP's oil spill hit

  April 19, 2012 7:40 AM

  BARATARIA BAY, La. (AP) - Two years after the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, scientists say they're finding trouble with sick fish that dwell along offshore reefs and in the deep waters - especially in places where the oil spill hit the hardest. The scientists are unsure what's causing... more »

• Judge asked to sign off on BP oil spill settlement

  April 18, 2012 10:44 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP and a team of plaintiffs' attorneys have presented a federal judge with the details of a proposed class-action settlement designed to resolve billions of dollars in economic damage claims spawned by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The company and lawyers representing... more »

• Nicholls to hold oil spill conference

  April 16, 2012 6:52 AM

  THIBODAUX, La. (AP) - Nicholls State University will hold a conference Wednesday reviewing the effects of the BP oil spill two years ago. Keynote speaker is Donald Boesch, appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. Boesch is a... more »

• BP Begins to Put Spill Behind it with Settlement

  March 3, 2012 1:20 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) - BP's settlement deal with thousands of victims of the 2010 Gulf oil spill is a major step toward putting the worst oil spill in U.S. history behind it. BP says it will not have to increase the $37.2 billion it has set aside to pay for... more »

• People Close to Case: Gulf Oil Spill Trial Delayed

  February 26, 2012 3:28 PM

  A federal trial over the nation's worst offshore oil disaster has been delayed for a week to allow more time for settlement talks, according to two people close to the case. The two people told The Associated Press the decision was made Sunday during a conference call between parties in... more »

• Hood expects big take for Miss. from oil spill

  February 24, 2012 6:59 AM

  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Attorney General Jim Hood says Mississippi could reap hundreds of millions of dollars from litigation over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Last week's settlement by MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC, which owned 10 percent of the Macondo well, totaled $90 million. Of that, Mississippi got... more »

• Gulf Oil Spill Documentary to Screen in N.O.

  October 14, 2011 6:21 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A documentary about the Gulf oil spill is getting its North American premiere at a New Orleans movie theater. "The Big Fix," which was screened in May at the Cannes Film Festival in France, was scheduled Friday night at the Prytania Theater as part of the... more »

• St. Martin Parish Oil Spill

  August 7, 2011 11:24 PM

  KATC has learned about an oil spill being cleaned up in Saint Martin Parish. About 250 barrels of oil were spilled into the Penatec Canal in the Catahoula area last week. The company responsible, WLE incorporated says they've had about 70 to 80 people working on site every... more »

• US Officials Conducting Dead Bird Study in Gulf

  August 7, 2011 2:29 PM

  MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A new study being conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aims to determine how many birds may have died during the Gulf oil spill last year. The Press-Register in Mobile (http://bit.ly/qD83rW ) reports that in the "Carcass Drift Study" funded by BP PLC, researchers... more »

• Crowley Oil Spill Update

  June 18, 2011 11:11 PM

  An update on that oil spill in Crowley we told you about last month. According to the Department of Environmental Quality, some eight thousand gallons of oil have been picked up since a leak at an oil storage tank. The D.E.Q also reports that there are no longer... more »

• Barbour To Speak At House Hearing On Oil Spill

  June 2, 2011 9:26 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, once considered a challenger to President Barack Obama, heads the witness list at a House investigative hearing Thursday. Republicans are expected to criticize the Obama administration's response to the Gulf oil spill last year and its handling of recovery operations. Barbour has since... more »

• Nesting turtles give clues on oil spill's impact

  June 1, 2011 10:09 AM

  PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Texas (AP) - Scientists are closely monitoring nesting sea turtles this year, hoping to assess the impact the Gulf oil spill had on these reptiles. The greatest concern is for the Kemps ridleys, the smallest and most endangered sea turtle. Hundreds of turtles, most of them... more »

• Cleanup Begins on Crowley Oil Spill

  May 30, 2011 8:26 PM

  In Acadia Parish, crews are cleaning up an oil spill in Crowley. The oil started spilling Saturday from a storage tank near the intersection of West Mill Street and South Western Avenue. Oil has already made its way through drainage canals and into Bayou Blanc. Contractors were hired... more »

• Oil Spill Seeping into Crowley Waterways 10PM

  May 30, 2011 12:02 AM

  In Acadia Parish, crews are working to clean up an oil spill in Crowley. The oil began spilling Saturday from an oil storage tank near the intersection of West Mill Street and South Western Avenue, and that oil has made it's way into nearby Bayou Blanc. "We are... more »

• Oil Spill Seeping into Crowley Waterways

  May 29, 2011 7:03 PM

  In Acadia Parish, crews are working to cleanup an oil spill in Crowley. The oil began spilling yesterday from an oil storage tank near the intersection of Standard Mill Road and Highway 13. That oil has made it's way through drainage canals and into nearby Bayou Blanc. Area... more »

• Scientists Fret Over BP Funds for Gulf Research

  April 24, 2011 1:51 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Scientists say it is taking far too long to dole out millions of dollars in BP funds for badly needed Gulf oil spill research, and it could be too late to assess the crude's impact on pelicans, shrimp and other species by the time studies begin.... more »

• Who's at fault? Court battle looms over oil spill

  April 21, 2011 5:49 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - While solemn commemorations marked the first anniversary of the calamitous BP oil spill, legal claims filed by the oil giant and other companies involved in the disaster show that lengthy court battles lay ahead. Around the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, residents said prayers on the beach... more »

• BP rebounding; suing amid public dismay

  April 20, 2011 11:18 PM

  When investors watched Deepwater Horizon burst into flames from their television last year, many made the decision to drop BP from their financial portfolio. The once mighty oil company plummeted from over $60/share to a mere $26. "It's rebounded." UL Finance Professor, Mary Luquette says, "it's now, around the... more »

• Obama praises Gulf workers 1 year after oil spill

  April 20, 2011 6:37 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is noting the one-year anniversary of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, paying tribute to the 11 men killed and thanking the thousands of responders who "worked tirelessly to mitigate the worst impacts" of the oil spill.... more »

• 1 Year After the Oil Spill: Commemorations planned in Grand Isle

  April 20, 2011 6:16 AM

  Across the gulf, commemorations are planned this week to remember the events of the past year. On today in Grand Isle, several events are planned. First up a fundraiser to raise money for those still in need, who've been impacted by the crude disaster. Then tonight an interfaith prayer service,... more »

• New bill to force BP's help with coastal restoration

  April 19, 2011 11:47 PM

  Senator David Vitter and Representative Jeff Landry are proposing legislation that would force BP to start paying-up for coastal restoration efforts. State officials say the Natural Resources Restoration Act would speed up the recovery process by almost a decade. Almost one year ago, the scene along the gulf shorelines... more »

• Committee looking at problems in BP fund

  April 18, 2011 7:17 PM

  Washington's Committee on Natural Resources was in southern Louisiana today hearing complaints on BP's disaster claims fund. Some of those affected by the spill calling BP and the Gulf Coast Compensation Fund "incompetent." "It's disheartening to know that GCCF can be so incompetent." Kimberly Chauvin is one furious... more »

• Along Gulf, Spill Still Defines State of Mind

  April 16, 2011 3:23 PM

  ALONG THE GULF COAST (AP) - In the small brick church across the road from the chocolate waters of Bayou Lafourche, the Rev. Joseph Anthony Pereira unbuttons his collar as the last parishioners pull out of the lot. Tonight, nearly a year after the BP oil spill began, he's asked... more »

• Hearings resume in New Orleans

  April 6, 2011 10:41 AM

  METAIRIE, La. (AP) - Maintenance on a safety device that failed to stop last year's BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the focus as a federal panel resumed hearings on the disaster in New Orleans. A panel of the U.S. Coast Guard and the federal agency that... 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 »

• America's faith tested by LA seafood during lent

  March 11, 2011 12:18 AM

  Some Christians will give up their burgers for fish on Fridays. But can lent restore faith in Louisiana's seafood? "Les vent de careme means the winds of lent." Laura LaHaye says, "the old people used to tell us when the wind would blow like that, we knew lent was right... more »

• BP's CEO Talks About Commitment to Communities

  March 9, 2011 2:26 PM

  In an address to CERA, BP's Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley reiterated the company's commitment to the Gulf coast region. This commitment includes more than $5 billion already spent to meet claims by individuals, business and governments, and voluntarily funding independent research to help restore the unique environment of the... more »

• Casino workers may get oil spill funds

  March 4, 2011 8:08 PM

  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The group charged with administrating BP's $20 billion Gulf oil spill fund says it will start processing claims from casino workers next week. Kenneth Feinberg, the Washington lawyer who oversees the fund, said Friday through a spokeswoman that the Gulf Coast Claims Facility will begin processing... more »

• State of Gulf Seafood After Spill: Road to Recovery

  March 1, 2011 11:39 PM

  To conclude the KATC special series on the state of gulf seafood after the BP oil spill, Maddie Garrett takes a look at the survival of an industry that so many in south Louisiana depend on. The message from those on the boats and in the restaurants is that... more »

• Scientist Questions Safety of Gulf Seafood

  February 28, 2011 1:04 AM

  Fishermen and restaurants are still struggling to rebound from last year's gulf oil spill. But is the seafood they harvest and sell really safe too eat? KATC's Maddie Garrett set out to find the answers from two of the leading experts in Louisiana's seafood industry and environmental sciences. "What... more »

• New Crude Disaster Relief Program

  February 7, 2011 8:21 PM

  Daniel Edgar is the owner of St.Mary Seafood. He says since the oil spill, business has been slow. "It was chaos, so many of our customers were looking for a new market because they didn't think Louisiana seafood would be any good," said Edgar. Stan McGee with Acadiana Regional Development... 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 »

• 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 »

• Man pleads guilty to fraud related to oil spill

  January 24, 2011 5:54 AM

  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Federal authorities say a Jackson man has pleaded guilty to mail fraud related to a scheme to collect $90,000 in claims related to the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The U.S. attorney's office in Jackson said 39-year-old Dennis L. Moore pleaded guilty in federal court... more »

• Oil spill commission co-chair speaking in NC

  January 24, 2011 5:51 AM

  DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - The co-chair of a presidential panel investigating the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is speaking about the disaster at Duke University. William Reilly is scheduled to talk Monday evening about the findings of a roughly six-month investigation into the blowout and explosion in April... more »

• A Push for Tougher Offshore Drilling Regulations

  January 12, 2011 7:00 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats in Congress are pledging to push for tougher regulation of offshore drilling and to make oil companies more financially responsible for spills. A recent report from a presidential panel provides an opening for Democrats to rekindle legislative efforts that failed after last year's oil spill. more »

• Feds Push Back in Flap Over Blowout Preventer Test

  January 9, 2011 12:33 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal investigators are pushing back against criticism they aren't doing enough to keep companies involved in the Gulf oil spill away from any hands-on role in the forensic analysis of a key piece of equipment that failed to keep crude from entering the sea. Rep. Edward... more »

• Breton Refuge Reopened After Gulf Oil Spill

  January 8, 2011 11:08 AM

  BRETON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, La. (AP) - After months of being closed to the public due to the BP oil spill, the Breton National Wildlife Refuge is open again. The refuge encompasses areas at the mouth of the Mississippi River and a chain of barrier islands in Chandeleur Sound. The... more »

• Rig owner refuses to honor oil spill subpoenas

  December 29, 2010 8:11 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The owner of the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico is refusing to honor subpoenas from a federal board that has challenged the company's involvement in monitoring the testing of a key piece of equipment that failed to stop the oil spill disaster. Transocean... more »

• Lawyers to Staff Oil Spill Claims Offices

  December 28, 2010 10:43 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The group administering BP's compensation fund for victims of the Gulf oil spill has hired several law firms and a claims administration company to help people applying for shares of the $20 billion fund. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility announced Tuesday that the lawyers will be... more »

• 7 Accused of Oil Spill Damage Fraud

  December 11, 2010 10:55 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal authorities say seven people have now been indicted for allegedly filing fraudulent damage claims for money following the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The charges involve two in Texas and North Carolina, four charged in Alabama, Michigan and Mississippi, and one in... more »

• BP Claims Fund to Offer Additional Payment

  December 11, 2010 10:49 PM

  OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - The administrator of the $20 billion BP PLC fund doling out money to Gulf oil spill victims says the program will be offering claimants an additional payment. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which took over the process from BP this summer, would not provide further... more »

• BP's Hayward says company unprepared for oil spill

  November 9, 2010 10:21 AM

  LONDON (AP) - Former BP PLC chief Tony Hayward says the company was unprepared for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the media scrutiny, forcing it to improvise solutions. In an interview with the BBC to be broadcast Tuesday, Hayward says the contingency plans were inadequate and "we were... more »

• Spill panel: No evidence of saving $ over safety

  November 8, 2010 10:22 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The BP oil rig explosion and spill wasn't about anyone purposely trading money for safety, investigators on a special presidential commission said Monday. Instead it was more about seemingly acceptable risks adding up to disaster. Investigators at the commission's hearing outlined more than a dozen decisions that... more »

• BP Funding Millions for Oil Spill Recovery

  November 1, 2010 12:23 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal is announcing millions of dollars worth of commitments from BP to help the state recover from the Gulf oil spill and protect the eroding coast. The governor, at a news conference Monday, said BP has agreed to pay $48 million for Louisiana seafood... more »

• EPA names director for Oil Spill Restoration Panel

  October 26, 2010 10:24 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Florida native and consultant on environmental and land issues has been given the job of executive director for a panel set up to handle ecosystem restoration from the BP oil spill. John Hankinson Jr. will handle the daily affairs of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration... more »

• Feds: First request in for drilling after BP spill

  October 22, 2010 6:01 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - An unspecified company has filed the first request to drill for oil and gas in the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico since exploration there was temporarily halted after the massive BP oil spill. The application, announced Friday by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, was... more »

• Gulf Corals in Oil Spill Zone Appear Healthy

  October 22, 2010 12:12 PM

  ON THE FLOOR OF THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - Just 20 miles north of where BP's blown-out well spewed millions of gallons of oil into the sea, life appears bountiful despite initial fears that crude could have wiped out many of these delicate deepwater habitats. Plankton, tiny suspended particles... more »

• Oil Companies Welcome Deep Water Drilling Again

  October 13, 2010 6:42 PM

  Oil companies in Acadiana say the lifting of the moratorium is the first good news the industry has had in months. Operation Manager of Huntington Oil Field Services, Lamont Growe, said " It would have been nice to happen a little bit earlier, but I was pleasantly surprised." ... more »

• Birds Along LA's Shores Doing Surprisingly Well After Oil Spill

  October 13, 2010 5:31 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The National Audubon Society says it has surveyed bird populations along Louisiana's oil-tainted shores and found them doing surprisingly well nearly six months after the BP oil spill. But the bird society also cautioned that oil continues to ooze out of the ground in many... more »

• Studying Whether Oil Spill Affected Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

  October 11, 2010 2:21 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The National Marine Fisheries Service will study whether the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has depleted the population of Atlantic bluefin tuna to the point that the food fish should be placed on the endangered species list. The fisheries service will make a recommendation by... more »

• Oil spill response at issue in La.'s Senate race

  October 7, 2010 9:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The latest point of attack from Democratic candidate Charlie Melancon in Louisiana's Senate race charges Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter with trying to protect companies like BP from financial liability in a massive oil spill. Melancon's campaign launched a statewide TV ad this week saying... more »

• White House Says it Didn't Withhold Oil Spill Info

  October 7, 2010 11:53 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is pushing back against accusations that the administration blocked government scientists from telling the public just how bad the BP oil spill could become. Press secretary Robert Gibbs says the White House never tried to withhold "the most accurate and timely information" on the... more »

• Geographic Proximity no Longer Plays a Role in Oil Spill Claims

  October 4, 2010 12:09 PM

  OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - The administrator of the fund doling out money to Gulf of Mexico oil spill victims says geographic proximity to oil-impacted areas will no longer play a role in whether people and businesses are compensated. Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility,... more »

• Researchers High in Demand Due to BP Oil Spill

  September 29, 2010 3:33 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Once a backwater in the world of oceanographic research, the Gulf of Mexico has suddenly become the site of a scientific gold rush, all because of the BP oil spill. The environmental disaster represents a once-in-a-generation research opportunity that has oceanographers salivating. There's big money -... more »

• Acadiana Seeks BP Tourism Funds

  September 27, 2010 6:08 PM

  BP gave Louisiana $15 million to help bring in tourists after the oil spill-- but with only one million dollars of the funds left, Acadiana still has not seen a dime. Now seven parishes have formed the Acadiana Tourism Coalition to request much-needed funds. "If we could get... more »

• Birds released on Island Cleaned of Oil

  September 23, 2010 10:01 AM

  RACCOON ISLAND, La. - Two months after hundreds of oiled pelicans were discovered on Raccoon Island, brown pelicans cleaned of oil have been released on the island - also cleaned of oil. The release of four brown pelicans and another 11 birds onto Raccoon Island on Tuesday was the first... more »

• Experts Craft Study of BP Oil Spill Health Effects

  September 22, 2010 11:45 AM

  TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Doctors, scientists and public health experts began sketching the outlines Wednesday of a large-scale study of the health effects of the BP oil spill on cleanup workers and the public, hoping to include thousands of people in a review funded by BP. The federal Department of... more »

• Recreational Red Snapper Season OK'd for Gulf

  September 22, 2010 10:00 AM

  MOBILE, Ala. - Federal fisheries managers have approved a weekend recreational red snapper season for the Gulf of Mexico in October and November. The National Marine Fisheries Service set the season on Tuesday. It will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 1 until Nov. 22. Officials say the daily... more »

• Support Jobs Suffer From Moratorium

  September 21, 2010 2:58 PM

  The drilling moratorium is getting national attention as people are wondering why rig hands are still working and if the Gulf region is really still suffering. Local companies like Pro-Log in New Iberia say, yes, they are suffering. Pro Log is an oilfield service company in that makes portable... more »

• Lieutenant Governor Testifies at Forum on Offshore Drilling

  September 13, 2010 7:16 PM

  The Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Micheal Bromwich, spent the day talking to oil spill experts in Lafayette. The forum was one of eight held in cities throughout the Gulf Coast to evaluate the current state of offshore drilling and to come up... more »

• Key Oil Spill Evidence Raised to Gulf's Surface

  September 6, 2010 8:13 AM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - Investigators looking into what went wrong in the Gulf of Mexico step closer to answers now that a key piece of evidence is secure aboard a ship. Engineers took 29½ hours to lift the 50-foot, 300-ton blowout preventer from a mile beneath the... more »

• BP invests in Shrimp and Petroleum Fest

  September 4, 2010 8:59 PM

  It's the 75th year for Morgan City's Shrimp and Petroleum Festival but it's been a tough year for both industries. The crisis in the Gulf spurred a rough shrimping season and a drilling moratorium but the cash is flowing at the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival and BP is one of... more »

• Governor's Press Conference LIVE on KATC at 12:30

  September 2, 2010 1:01 PM

  We'll be taking Governor Bobby Jindal live from Baton Rouge at 12:30 pm. Stay tuned to KATC, Channel 3. more »

• Waves hamper raising key equipment in oil spill

  August 31, 2010 9:20 PM

  MYRTLE GROVE, La. (AP) - Work to remove the 300-ton piece of equipment that failed to stop the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could be delayed into the weekend or longer because of rough seas, the federal government's point man on the spill response said Tuesday. Engineers... more »

• Local BP Centers Opened

  August 27, 2010 6:45 PM

  Plaquemines Parish 414 Coast Guard Rd. Venice, LA 70091-4340 985-647-0151 Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to noon. St. Mary Parish 1219 Southeast Blvd Morgan City, LA 70380 985-412-6700 Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday... more »

• New Pictures of Deepwater Horizon Spill Site

  August 26, 2010 1:00 PM

  KATC's Shawn Kline and Photojournalist Donald Babineaux are flying along today with the Coast Guard board a Coast Guard HC-144A Ocean Sentry over the site of the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Look for the full report tonight on KATC. more »

• Gulf Oil Spill-Waste Disposal

  August 25, 2010 9:11 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The cleanup of history's worst peacetime oil spill is generating thousands of tons of oil-soaked debris that is ending up in local landfills, some of which have existing environmental concerns. The soft, absorbent boom that has played the biggest role in containing the spill alone would... more »

• Oil Spill Panel Hears About Halliburton Warning

  August 24, 2010 8:58 PM

  HOUSTON (AP) - Federal investigators probing the blowout that led to the Gulf oil spill grilled a Halliburton official Tuesday about concerns the petroleum services firm raised over the potential for a severe gas flow problem if a BP plan was used. Halliburton and BP were at odds over a... more »

• New Microbe Discovered Eating Oil Spill in Gulf

  August 24, 2010 8:17 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. And the microbe... more »

• Gulf residents struggle in aftermath of oil spill

  August 23, 2010 5:53 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The oil has stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, and that should be a relief. But with fewer cleanup jobs to be had, many of the people hit hardest by the huge spill are struggling as badly as ever. Boat captains ifd deckhands who managed... more »

• Oil spill investigators focus on communication

  August 23, 2010 5:35 PM

  HOUSTON (AP) - Federal investigators seeking the cause fr the rig explosion that led to BP's massive Gulf oil spill focused Monday on communication and chain of command, wondering at times whether the key players knew enough to handle an emergency. They also questioned whether a piece of failed equipment... more »

• Oil Spill Adds to Housing Woes for Katrina Victims

  August 21, 2010 4:08 PM

  LAKESHORE, Miss. (AP) - Pete Yarborough, a trucker who hauled seafood until the BP oil spill hit, and about 800 other households are under pressure to buy or get out of the state-owned cottages they've been living in since Hurricane Katrina left them homeless. Yarborough's 400-square-foot cottage sits on cinder... more »

• Geographical Location Will Play a Key Role in Oil Spill Claims

  August 20, 2010 11:44 AM

  MIAMI (AP) - Details released Friday about how claims will be paid from BP PLC's $20 billion fund show that how close geographically a person or business is to the Gulf oil spill will play a key role. The claims process is shifting from BP to the Gulf Coast Claims... more »

• Whitney Bank to Provide Disbursement Services for Oil Spill Trust

  August 18, 2010 3:24 PM

  Whitney National Bank announced it has been selected to provide check cashing services for claimants who receive compensation from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility administered by Kenneth Feinberg and funded by the $20 billion Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust. Citigroup will act as corporate trustee and paying agent. The trust... more »

• LSUHSC Assessing Oil Spill Mental Health Needs

  August 16, 2010 5:35 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans is assessing Louisiana residents' current and long-term mental health needs caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The medical school's department of psychiatry has a state grant to interview about 1,500 adults, some by phone and some in... more »

• Shrimpers Eligible for Help

  August 13, 2010 4:33 PM

  Qualified Louisiana shrimp fishermen may receive up to $12,000 in cash benefits and obtain technical training under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Farmers Program. This program is designed to help shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic adjust to increased competition through training... more »

• BP's Gulf Oil Spill Costs Rise to $6.1 Billion

  August 9, 2010 9:06 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says its costs to respond to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has risen to about $6.1 billion. That includes expenses for relief well drilling, the static kill and cementing procedure done on the blown out oil well, grants to Gulf coast... more »

• Children Deal with Gulf Oil Spill Stress Too

  August 6, 2010 8:56 AM

  GALLIANO, La. (AP) - Nine-year-old Zack Wilkerson spent a good chunk of his summer on the computer watching video of undersea robots try to fix the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It wasn't his first choice, but the oil that spewed into the Gulf about 100 miles from... more »

• UPDATE-Holdup attempt ends in suicide on I-10

  August 4, 2010 3:22 PM

  UPDATE-BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - Bay St. Louis police say the man who killed himself on Interstate 10 after an attempted holdup in Louisiana was a Louisiana National Guard soldier assigned to help with the oil spill. Deputy Chief Mike DeNardo identifies him Wednesday as 24-year-old John Paul Loupe... more »

• Impact of Oil Spill on Wildlife Likely to Linger for Decades

  August 4, 2010 3:12 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A top government scientist says the impact of the Gulf oil spill on wildlife is likely to linger for decades. Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, made the comment Wednesday even as the Obama administration was citing a federal report that only about... more »

• The Job is Not Finished on Gulf Oil Spill

  August 4, 2010 9:18 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The government's point man on the oil spill response says engineers will still try to firm up the now-plugged Gulf leak through a relief well. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen told WWL-TV in New Orleans on Wednesday that pumping mud down the throat of the... more »

• Gulf diversity threatened even before oil spill

  August 2, 2010 8:57 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The oceans around Australia boast the greatest diversity of sea life on the planet, but the now oil-threatened Gulf of Mexico also ranks in the top five regions for variety of species. And even before the spill, the Gulf was already listed as threatened, according to the... more »

• Pamela Anderson Helps With Abandoned Animals Due to Oil Spill

  August 2, 2010 12:26 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - About 50 dogs, some of them abandoned by owners after the BP oil spill are on their way to new homes in Virginia, courtesy of an animal welfare group and actress Pamela Anderson. Anderson, the honorary chairman of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was... more »

• BP CEO Says It's Time To Scale Back Effort To Clean Up The Oil Spill

  July 30, 2010 1:13 PM

  BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - BP's incoming CEO says it's time to scale back the massive effort to clean up the oil spill, but adds that the commitment to make things right is the same as ever. Bob Dudley was in Biloxi, Miss., on Friday to announce that former Federal Emergency... more »

• Coast Guard is Investigating an Oil Spill in Locust Bayou

  July 29, 2010 6:43 PM

  MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) - The Coast Guard is investigating an oil spill in Locust Bayou. It says about 2,400 gallons of light crude oil spilled from an above-ground storage facility owned by Energy 21, and about 500 gallons got into the water. The spill was reported Thursday near Point... more »

• Gulf Spill - 100 Days

  July 28, 2010 2:15 PM

  GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) - A hundred days ago, shop owner Cherie Pete was getting ready for a busy summer serving ice cream and po-boys to hungry fishermen. Local official Billy Nungesser was planning his wedding. Environmental activist Enid Sisskin was preparing a speech about the dangers of offshore drilling.... more »

• BP Distribution Center Moves to Gonzales

  July 27, 2010 6:36 PM

  The Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales has hosted everything from rodeos to monster truck shows, but now it's playing a key role in BP's oil spill clean up. Kyle Rogers, the Events and Operation Manager at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center, said "we are just very pleased and... more »

• Food Given to Oil Spill Victims

  July 27, 2010 6:54 AM

  VENICE, La. (AP) - Feed the Children is teaming up with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton to help 2,800 families affected by the BP oil spill. Payton and some of his fellow Saints coaches, as well as country music artist Sammy Kershaw, were scheduled to be in Venice on... more »

• Blimp Coming to Louisiana

  July 26, 2010 6:31 PM

  BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP) - A giant blimp that hovers above the Gulf of Mexico in search of oil and broken boom is coming to Louisiana. Government spokesman Duane DeBruyne said the blimp will be transfered Tuesday from Gulf Shores, Ala. to the Naval Air... more »

• Tropical Storm Bonnie Moving Toward Oil Spill

  July 23, 2010 7:05 AM

  NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) - Tropical Storm Bonnie steamed through the central Bahamas and was approaching the Florida Keys on Friday along a course that is expected to cross over the site of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Rain and lightning raked the low-lying Turks and Caicos Islands and the... more »

• Oil Spill Work on Hold as Bonnie Approaches

  July 23, 2010 6:56 AM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - Work to permanently choke off the oil well that had been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico was at a standstill Friday after ships around the site were ordered to evacuate ahead of the approaching Tropical Storm Bonnie. There had been worries that... more »

• Weather Hurting Efforts to Plug Leak

  July 21, 2010 1:18 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Tropical rainstorms moving toward the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday threatened to shut down undersea efforts to seal BP's ruptured well, interrupting work just as engineers get close to plugging the leak with mud and cement. Retired U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad... more »