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• Kansas company sues over fireworks fees

  June 17, 2013 9:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A Kansas company that sells fireworks in Louisiana is asking a state judge to strike down a law that imposes higher permit fees and penalties on out-of-state fireworks retailers than on local sellers. A hearing is scheduled June 20 before state District Judge Wilson Fields.... more »

• Citizens settlement OK'd over Katrina, Rita claims

  January 31, 2013 3:36 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. on Wednesday finalized a $20 million settlement related to claims handled after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, wrapping up one of two remaining storm-related settlements that have weighed on the company. Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Kern Reese approved the settlement, closing... more »

• Thousands march in protest over Hong Kong's leader

  January 1, 2013 9:48 AM

  HONG KONG (AP) - Thousands of people marched in Hong Kong on the first day of 2013 to call for the city's Beijing-backed leader to step down over allegations he was untruthful about illegal renovations at his mansion. Police say 17,000 people gathered at the start of the march Tuesday.... more »

• Greece raises over $5 billion ahead of repayment

  November 13, 2012 7:44 AM

  ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece raised €4.06 billion ($5.15 billion) from the sale of short-term treasury bills Tuesday, money that will help it make a crucial debt repayment at the end of the week. With the disbursement of a massive €31.5 billion ($40.1 billion) installment from Greece's international bailout long... more »

• Iran Earthquake Kills at Least 87, Over 400 Hurt

  August 11, 2012 2:07 PM

  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed at least 87 people and injured over 400 others in northwestern Iran on Saturday, state TV said. Iran's main news channel said the quake hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province at 4:53 p.m. local time (GMT... more »

• Relatives Sue School Over Girl's Hanging Death

  May 5, 2012 1:44 PM

  Two women are suing a Louisiana school because they say officials didn't stop persistent bullying that led the girl to hang herself from the football bleachers in March. The Advocate reports that ( http://bit.ly/KyFNGu ) the lawsuit was filed Thursday by relatives of 17-year-old Tesa Middlebrook, a Pointe Coupee Central... more »

• Law center sues N.O. jail over conditions

  April 2, 2012 10:44 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a class-action lawsuit that accuses New Orleans jail officials of routinely subjecting prisoners to brutal and inhumane conditions. The federal suit filed Monday against Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman and other jail officials claims Orleans Parish Prison is oversized... more »

• Suit: NASA specialist axed over intelligent design

  March 12, 2012 5:54 AM

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has landed robotic explorers on the surface of Mars, sent probes to outer planets and operates a worldwide network of antennas that communicates with interplanetary spacecraft. Its latest mission is defending itself in a workplace lawsuit filed by a former computer specialist... more »

• Ex-NFL Players Sue League in Louisiana Over Concussions

  February 18, 2012 1:28 PM

  Nearly a dozen former NFL players living in Louisiana have sued the NFL, the latest players to accuse the league of failing to protect players from the risks associated with concussions. Several former New Orleans Saints players, including John Fourcade, are among the 11 ex-players named as plaintiffs in the... more »

• Jindal Administration, LSU Spar Over Cuts

  February 11, 2012 1:37 PM

  LSU calls the $34 million slashed from its public hospitals for the uninsured a consequence of Gov. Bobby Jindal's midyear budget cuts. Jindal administration leaders call the deep reductions the result of shoddy management and overspending by LSU. The chemical detox unit and psychiatric beds in New Orleans, pediatric care... more »

• 2 students arrested over gun at school

  February 10, 2012 10:14 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputies say two Broadmoor Middle School students were arrested after an unloaded gun was found at school. Casey Rayborn Hicks, a sheriff's office spokeswoman, an unnamed student reported seeing two other students with a gun at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Hicks... more »

• 2nd trial opens over deadly Katrina shootings

  January 23, 2012 9:52 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal trial opens this week for a retired New Orleans police sergeant charged with helping cover up deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday for Gerard Dugue, who allegedly submitted a false... more »

• Troopers seize over 30 pounds of marijuana

  January 12, 2012 10:46 AM

  BROUSSARD, La. (AP) - Louisiana State Police have arrested three people and seized 34 pounds of marijuana and 387 grams of a synthetic form of the drug. Troopers stopped a pickup truck for a traffic violation in Broussard on Tuesday. A search of the vehicle turned up the drugs. Troopers... more »

• Japan to halt 3 nuke reactors over quake concerns

  May 6, 2011 7:40 AM

  TOKYO (AP) - Japan's prime minister has told a utility to halt three reactors in central Japan because of safety concerns in the event of a major earthquake. Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a news conference Friday his government asked operator Chubu Electric Power Co. to suspend two running reactors... more »

• Interior Dept. found in contempt over drilling ban

  February 2, 2011 8:03 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge who struck down the Obama administration's initial moratorium on deepwater drilling in the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill is holding the Interior Department in civil contempt for what he called its "determined disregard" of his order. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman ruled... more »

• Senator blocks Obama nominee over drilling halt

  December 9, 2010 10:10 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration won't be able to fill a key science position until it testifies about a decision to block areas of the eastern Gulf and Atlantic seaboard from new oil and gas drilling, a Republican senator said Thursday. Sen. David Vitter, R- La., said in a... 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 »

• GOP candidate apologizes to Morgan Freeman over ad

  November 1, 2010 9:54 PM

  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina congressional candidate apologized Monday night to Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman after falsely claiming that the actor had done a voiceover for a campaign ad. Republican B.J. Lawson's campaign blamed a political consulting firm for duping it into believing Morgan had done the ad.... more »

• Update Over turned Boat in water at Cypremort Point

  October 28, 2010 9:16 AM

  Update: Reports of an overturned boat at Cypremort Port near the Quintana boat launch. Two men were on their boat when the winds flipped the boat over. Rowdy Schouest of the Volunteer Fire Dept.,said that the men were pulled from the water there were no injuries. --------------------------------------------------------- Reports of... more »

• Gulf moratorium is over but drilling has to wait

  October 13, 2010 10:13 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A day after the end of the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling, the Gulf oil industry was a mix of furious activity and tortured waiting around. Companies that are helping the industry meet new regulations are scrambling to keep up with increased business while oil-rig workers... 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 »

• More Controversy Over Woman Set to be Stoned

  October 11, 2010 11:59 AM

  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian authorities have arrested two foreigners as they were interviewing the son of a woman who could face death by stoning on an adultery conviction, the state news agency reported Monday. Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi said the two had entered the country on tourist... more »

• The Era of Building Space Shuttle Fuel Tanks is Over

  September 30, 2010 12:35 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - After 37 years of having a major role in the manned space program, Lockheed Martin Corp. has made it official. The company says the era of building space shuttle fuel tanks at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility is over, along with scores of jobs. Left behind... more »

• Fresh Debate Over Whether Women in Their 40s Should Get Mammograms

  September 29, 2010 4:18 PM

  A new study from Sweden is stirring fresh debate over whether women in their 40s should get mammograms. It suggests that the breast cancer screening test can lower the risk of dying of the disease by as much as 26 percent. The benefit is much greater than has been seen... more »

• Lawyer: Unions causing flap over Filipino teachers

  September 21, 2010 9:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - An attorney for a California company accused unions of igniting the controversy over Filipino teachers recruited to work in East Baton Rouge Parish and other public-school systems. Universal Placement International is appealing a Louisiana Workforce Commission hearing officer's order that it refund $1.8 million in... more »

• Abortion clinics sue over new La. law

  September 20, 2010 9:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A group of abortion clinics sued the state health department Monday over a new law that gives Louisiana's health secretary more discretion to shut down an abortion clinic for safety or health concerns. The Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the lawsuit for the clinics,... more »

• Federal Food Regulators Ponder Over Genetically Modified Salmon

  September 20, 2010 2:01 PM

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

• Man Dies in Motorcycle Crash

  September 20, 2010 9:43 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Authorities say a New Orleans man was killed after the motorcycle he was driving crashed into the guardrail of the Judge Seeber Bridge over the Industrial Canal. John Gagliano, chief investigator at the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office, says that 28-year-old Early Brooks died about 5 a.m. Saturday... more »

• 5 London Street Cleaners Arrested Over an Alleged Threat to Pope Benedict XVI

  September 17, 2010 12:18 PM

  LONDON (AP) - British police arrested five London street cleaners over an alleged threat to Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, the second day of a papal trip to Britain that has brought both a warm welcome from Catholics and renewed anger over the clerical sex abuse scandal. The Vatican said... more »

• Advisers Split Over Whether to Withdraw Diet Pill Meridia

  September 15, 2010 4:34 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal health advisers are split over whether to withdraw the diet pill Meridia due to evidence that it increases heart attack and stroke risks, worrisome signs that led European regulators to ban the drug earlier this year. A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers voted 8-8... more »

• Controller Distracted by Phone Call Was Cause of Midair Collision Over Hudson River Last Year

  September 14, 2010 3:57 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Errors by an air traffic controller distracted by a personal phone call set the stage for a midair collision last year over the Hudson River between a tour helicopter and a small plane that claimed nine lives, a federal safety panel said Tuesday. While the National Transportation... more »

• Tony Blair cancels London appearance over protests

  September 6, 2010 9:44 PM

  LONDON (AP) - Tony Blair on Monday canceled a planned public appearance in London to promote his new memoir over concerns about potential disruption from protesters. The former British prime minister said he didn't "want the public to beenjoy the food here." 30. Wide hassle caused by protesters," during his... more »

• Obama: US combat in Iraq over, 'time to turn page'

  August 31, 2010 9:57 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Claiming no victory, President Barack Obama formally ended the U.S. combat role in Iraq after seven long years of bloodshed, declaring firmly Tuesday night: "It's time to turn the page." Now, he said, the nation's most urgent priority is fixing its own sickly economy. From the Oval... more »

• Tonight on KATC-Gulf Coast Claims Facility Takes Over From BP

  August 18, 2010 12:31 PM

  WASHINGTON - United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and Ken Feinberg, Administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, will host public meetings in Houma and Kenner, Louisiana, on Wednesday, August 18. Mr. Feinberg will detail the claims process that will be in place when the Gulf Coast Claims Facility... more »

• Mexico Slaps Tariffs on US Goods Over Trucking Ban

  August 16, 2010 8:33 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico says it will increase tariffs on a total of 99 U.S. products to pressure Washington to lift a ban on Mexican trucks entering the United States. Last year, Mexico added tariffs to 89 products after the U.S. canceled a pilot program that allowed some Mexican... more »

• Alleged Stabbing Over Groceries

  August 13, 2010 4:40 PM

  On August 13, 2010 at approximately 07:24 a.m. two individuals involved in an altercation resulted in one being allegedly stabbed in the chest and transported to a local hospital and the other charged with attempted second degree murder. Deputies with the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office were dispatched to 800 Hopkins... more »

• Months of Contention Over the Deployment of Equipment to Cleanup Oil

  August 13, 2010 3:50 PM

  HOUMA, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal and coastal Louisiana officials say they're moving toward an agreement that could end months of contention with federal authorities over the deployment of equipment to cleanup oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Friday's announcement came after Jindal and other parish leaders met in... more »

• Swine Flu Pandemic Officially Over

  August 10, 2010 12:54 PM

  GENEVA (AP) - The World Health Organization declared the swine flu pandemic officially over Tuesday, months after many national authorities started canceling vaccine orders and shutting down telephone hot lines as the disease ebbed from the headlines. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the organization's emergency committee of top flu experts... more »

• Judge Who Turned Over Payroll Records Quits

  August 7, 2010 4:58 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A New Orleans city judge who turned over her office's payroll records to federal investigators has resigned. First elected in 1998, Sonja Spears has been living part time in Massachusetts, where her children attend school. The Times-Picayune reported that Spears and her husband own a $1.3... more »

• BP Gas Station Owners Divided Over Whether to Change Name

  July 30, 2010 1:05 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP gas station owners across the country are divided over whether the oil giant stained by its handling of the Gulf spill should rebrand U.S. outlets as Amoco or another name as part of its effort to repair the company's badly damaged reputation. Some who have... more »

• LA Has Lostl Over $200,000 By Purchasing Nonrefundable Airline Tickets

  July 21, 2010 2:55 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A state inspector general's report says the state has lost well over $200,000 over the past four years by purchasing nonrefundable airline tickets that never were used. Louisiana State University had the most unused tickets among state agencies with more than $33,000 worth. Wednesday's report... more »

• Jindal Is Stressing That The BP Oil Spill Is Far From Over

  July 20, 2010 5:12 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal is stressing that the BP oil spill is far from over for Louisiana, even if the well is capped. Jindal held a news conference in New Orleans on Tuesday, just after another of his aerial tours of Gulf waters. He said tens of... more »

• Battle Over 840 Pound Emerald

  July 19, 2010 11:29 AM

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - A battle over a giant emerald is heading to court in Los Angeles. A hearing is scheduled Monday in a Superior Court trial in a dispute over ownership of an 840-pound gem valued at $400 million. The so-called Bahia Emerald - one of the largest ever... more »

• Suit Filed Over Some LA Traffic Cameras

  July 2, 2010 6:40 AM

  GRENTA, La. (AP) - An Arizona company that installed a red-light camera traffic system in Jefferson Parish has filed a $5 million suit. Redflex Traffic Systems says the parish breached its contract by turning off the system in January. The system takes photos of motorists who run red lights, to... 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 »

• Woman Collects Adoption Expenses, Then Refused To Turn Over Baby

  June 24, 2010 3:15 PM

  HAMMOND, La. (AP) - Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's deputies say they are looking for a 30-year-old Hammond woman accused of collecting expenses in an adoption arrangement, then refusing to turn over the baby. According to an arrest warrant, 30-year-old Jennifer Harrod allegedly signed a contract Jan. 15 with an adoption agency... more »

• Day Of Prayer In TX Over Lives Lost And The Environmental Disaster In The Gulf

  June 24, 2010 12:47 PM

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry has declared Sunday a day of prayer in Texas over lives lost and the environmental disaster of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Perry, who Wednesday returned to Austin after more than a week in China on an economic development trip, issued a... more »

• Denham Springs Boy Run Over by Mom

  June 24, 2010 9:00 AM

  DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (AP) - Livingston Parish Sheriff's deputies say a 5-year-old Denham Springs boy died when his mother accidentally ran over him in their driveway. Deputies say Justice Bowlin was playing in his driveway Wednesday afternoon when he was struck by an automobile driven by his mother, Jerri Lockett.... more »

• Coast Guard Adm. Allen in Hot Seat Over Oil Spill

  June 11, 2010 2:20 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The oil spoiling the teeming marshes and white-sand beaches of the Gulf Coast is also threatening the pristine image of the burly, take-charge leader who has become the federal government's go-to guy in a disaster. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, one of the few federal officials whose... more »

• House Leaders Trying To Gain Ground In Dispute With Senate Over "Rainy Day" Fund

  June 10, 2010 12:02 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - House leaders are trying to gain ground in their dispute with the Senate over the state's "rainy day" fund by undoing the statute at the center of the complaint. Rep. Jim Fannin quietly slipped language into a Senate bill Wednesday that would repeal the part... more »

• House Members Expect A Full Day Of Haggling Over The $25 Billion Budget

  June 4, 2010 1:07 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - House members expect a full day of haggling over the $25 billion budget bill to pay for state operations next year. House debate on the budget began Friday morning. The House and Senate remain in a near-stalemate over financing plans. To make the numbers work... more »

• BP Cuts Pipe, Plans to Lower Cap Over Gulf Spill

  June 3, 2010 10:58 AM

  METAIRIE, La. (AP) - BP used giant shears to slice off a pipe Thursday in the company's latest bid to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil, but the cut was irregular and placing a cap over the gusher will now be more challenging, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said. BP... more »

• World's Major Economies Disagree Over Taxing Banks For Future Bailouts

  June 2, 2010 8:14 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the world's major economies disagree over taxing banks to pay for future bailouts. But he said the differences are narrowing in other areas of financial reform. Geithner said Wednesday he did not think the Group of 20 major industrial and developing countries... more »

• Vehicle Goes Over Interstate Railing Leaving 2 Dead

  June 1, 2010 7:27 AM

  LAPLACE, La. (AP) - Louisiana State Police say a Florida couple died when their motor coach went over a guardrail where Interstate 55 and Interstate 10 meet near Laplace. Trooper Bryan Zeringue says the accident happened around 9:45 a.m. Monday. Zeringue identified the victims as 72-year-old Joseph P. Ridgedell and... more »

• Oil Fly Over

  May 30, 2010 11:49 PM

  The coast guard makes daily trips into the gulf to see how the oil is moving. It's hard to see the oil resting on Louisiana's shore 5,000 feet in the air, but fly 50 miles into the Gulf and the oil stretches into the horizon. Brown and red rivers... more »

• LA Attorney General Asking to Boost His Budget For Lawsuits Over Oil Spill

  May 28, 2010 5:39 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is asking state lawmakers to boost his budget by $27 million over two years and to broaden his authority to hire outside attorneys so he can prepare for a lawsuit over the Gulf oil spill. Caldwell has yet to say who... more »

• Gulf Aid Raised Just Over $300,000

  May 21, 2010 3:15 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A concert organized to benefit Louisiana's wetlands and fishermen affected by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has raised just over $300,000. David Freedman, general manager of WWOZ and a member of the Gulf Relief Foundation's board, said Friday that the first distribution... more »

• American Indians Upset Over Oil Spill

  May 18, 2010 1:33 PM

  POINTE-AU-CHIEN, La. (AP) - For American Indians on Louisiana's bayou, the massive oil spill is another bitter blow for tribes who say drilling has already destroyed their swamps over several decades. The month-old spill has spread 5 million gallons of crude across the Gulf and has closed bays and lakes... more »

• Giant Box Close to Being Over Oil-Spewing Well

  May 7, 2010 9:55 AM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO- A mission to the bottom of the sea to try to avert a wider environmental disaster progressed early Friday as crews said a 100-ton concrete-and-steel box was close to being placed over a blown-out well on the Gulf floor in an unprecedented attempt to capture... more »

• THE RANT: Should Someone Over 70 Be Able To Run For Office?

  March 16, 2010 1:57 PM

  What do you think about the proposed constitutional amendment by Rep. Rickey Hardy banning those over 70 from qualifying to run for public office? Do you think this law is necessary? Should there be an age requirement for those running for office? CLICK HERE TO RANT or Email hoyt.harris@katctv.com... more »

• Authorities Recover Over $70,000 During Routine Traffic Stop

  January 28, 2010 4:41 PM

  We have fought the illegal drug activity of this city for the past 7 plus years and we will continue to fight it under this administration," stated Chief of Police K.P. Gibson. These comments come after members of the narcotics unit recovered just over $71,000 in suspected drug money during... more »