WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• Coast Guard searches 2nd day for missing diver

  June 16, 2013 4:30 PM

  GRAND ISLE, La. - The Coast Guard is searching for a diver missing 55 miles off Grand Isle. Petty Officer Carlos Vega says the search began Saturday afternoon for 56-year-old Tim Raines, whose home town Vega does not know. He says the boat "Early Life Crisis" was moored to an... more »

• Man playing hide-and-seek with authorities on river

  May 14, 2013 8:57 PM

  BRUSLY- A man, possibly naked, is apparently playing a bizarre game of hide-and-seek with authorities on the Mississippi River. Sources tell WBRZ News 2, the U.S. Coast Guard was called after deputies in East Baton Rouge asked for help locating a missing boater earlier Tuesday. Deputies were trying to... more »

• Coast Guard: Spark from cleaning caused explosion

  April 25, 2013 11:43 AM

  MOBILE, Ala. - A crew that was cleaning fuel barges in Mobile Bay likely caused a spark the triggered an explosion and critically burned three workers. The explosion happened Wednesday night and it was extinguished Thursday morning. Coast Guard Lt. Mike Clausen says the investigation is continuing, but the spark... more »

• Coast Guard: No oil found after reports of inland spill

  March 11, 2013 11:47 AM

  PLAQUEMINE - The Coast Guard said they found no oil at the site of a reported spill near Plaquemine. Commander Quincy Davis said they were told Saturday an oil spill was spotted about 10 miles south of the Port Allen Locks. He also said the person who reported it... more »

• Coast Guard: damaged wellhead secured

  February 28, 2013 6:38 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard says a wellhead damaged earlier this week off Plaquemines Parish has been secured. Ensign Tanner Stiehl says Wild Well Control crews secured the well shortly after a specialized barge arrived Thursday in Lake Grande Ecaille Bay, nine miles southwest of Port Sulphur. The wellhead... more »

• USCG: Oil-water mix leaking after vessel hit wellhead

  February 27, 2013 10:26 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A crewboat struck an inactive wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico overnight, causing it to spew a mixture of oil and water according to the U. S. Coast Guard. They reported the vessel hit the wellhead, which is owned by Swift Energy, around 8 p.m. Tuesday.... more »

• Coast Guard: Cause of cruise ship fire was a leak

  February 18, 2013 2:07 PM

  MOBILE, Ala.- A leak in a fuel engine return line is to blame for a fire on the Carnival cruise ship Triumph, that's according to the Coast Guard. The fire paralyzed the ship, leaving it adrift in the Gulf of Mexico until tugboats towed it to Mobile. It... more »

• Oil sheen spotted after barge collision on Miss. River

  February 15, 2013 10:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The Coast Guard says a collision between two barges spilled less than 400 gallons of oil into the Mississippi River at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. No injuries were reported after one of the barges struck another that was offloading fuel at a transfer station Thursday night.... more »

• Coast Guard: Disabled cruise ship is moving again

  February 14, 2013 2:42 PM

  MOBILE, Ala.- A disabled cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico is moving again toward the Alabama shore, after a towline broke and delayed the ship's slow journey, that's according to Coast Guard officials. A new tugboat has been secured, allowing the Carnival Triumph to continue its way to... more »

• Oil cleanup resuming at leaking Miss. River barge

  January 31, 2013 2:49 AM

  JACKSON, Miss. - Vessels are moving cautiously through a section of the Mississippi River where a barge is leaking oil as the Coast Guard tries to ease the economic impact of shutting down one of the nation's vital commerce routes. Chief Petty Officer Paul Roszkowski says officials are allowing northbound... more »

• Barge hits Miss. River bridge: Oil cleanup ongoing

  January 28, 2013 8:49 AM

  JACKSON, Miss.- The Coast Guard says a normally bustling stretch of the Mississippi River remains closed to barge and ship traffic as cleanup crews with booms work to remove an oily sheen near Vicksburg after a barge with 80,000 gallons of oil hit a railroad bridge last weekend. Coast Guard... more »

• Bayou Sorrel oil spill bigger than original estimate Play Video

  January 23, 2013 6:19 PM

  BAYOU SORREL - On January 3, 2013, a pipeline burst spilling over 100 barrels of crude oil into the Frog Lake area of Bayou Sorrel. Firefighters and Hazmat crews initiated a controlled burn last Saturday, which was unsuccessful. After a helicopter flyover this morning, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed... more »

• Coast Guard rescues stranded hunter

  January 23, 2013 3:49 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Members of the Cost Guard said a stranded hunter used all the right survival skills to get spotted and rescued today after his boat sank in St. Charles Parish. The Coast Guard spotted a brush fire the hunter used to signal them while they searched Bayou... more »

• Bayou Sorrel pipeline investigation continues

  January 23, 2013 10:43 AM

  BAYOU SORREL - The U.S. Coast Guard reported last week a pipeline burst into the Frog Lake area of Bayou Sorrel. Firefighters and Hazmat crews initiated a controlled burn last Saturday, which was unsuccessful. Today, in a flyover of the spill area, the USCG learned the spill may... more »

• Oil spill to be burned off Saturday

  January 18, 2013 9:53 PM

  BAYOU SORREL- The Coast Guard will perform a controlled burn after 5,000 gallons of oil leaked from a pipeline in Iberville Parish. The burn will happen Saturday. The leak was reported on January 9th at the Frog Lake Bayou Sorrel facility, owned by ORB Exploration. 1,750 gallons have... more »

• Tug boat sinks in Mississippi River Play Video

  January 18, 2013 11:54 AM

  LAPLACE - The Coast Guard says a tug boat carrying 4,000 gallons of diesel and 100 gallons of lube oil sank in the Mississippi River near LaPlace. Petty Officer Alex Washington tells The Times-Picayune no one was on the vessel at the time and no injuries were reported. Washington... more »

• Coast Guard airlifts sailor with heart trouble

  January 4, 2013 10:57 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- The Coast Guard says it airlifted a man with heart disease from a sailboat in the stormy Gulf of Mexico to shore in Louisiana. The Coast Guard said officials were called early Thursday about a husband and wife aboard a 64-foot sailboat bound for Houston from Cozumel, Mexico.... more »

• No oil spill seen at Shell drill ship in Alaska

  January 1, 2013 11:26 AM

  ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An overnight Coast Guard flight over an Alaska drilling rig that ran aground in shallow water on New Year's Eve found no signs of a fuel spill. But officials at a unified command center run by the Coast Guard, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, state responders and others... more »

• Shell drill ship runs aground on island off Alaska

  January 1, 2013 8:17 AM

  The Coast Guard intends to fly out early today to a small uninhabited island in the Gulf of Alaska to plan a salvage operation for a grounded drilling rig that broke loose from a tow in a North Pacific storm. Royal Dutch Shell PLC's Kulluk is carrying 150,000 gallons... more »

• Bollinger delivers cutter to USCG

  November 22, 2012 2:39 PM

  LOCKPORT- Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has delivered its fourth, fast response cutter to the U-S Coast Guard. Chris Bollinger, executive vice president of new construction, says the vessel is named after Coast Guard Engineman First Class Robert J. Yered, who exhibited gallantry in action while engaged in military operations with an... more »

• Four burn victims in BR for special treatment

  November 16, 2012 9:41 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Four victims of a oil platform explosion are at a burn unit, getting treatment. The victims were transferred to Baton Rouge General Mid City from a hospital in the New Orleans area Friday evening. The hospital cannot comment specifically on the patients' injuries or care. But,... more »

• Search continues for two missing after platform fire Play Video

  November 16, 2012 10:16 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard said they are continuing to search for two missing oil platform workers after a cutting torch caused an explosion and fire this morning. Capt. Ed Cubanski told reporters at the noon briefing there were no confirmed deaths. Emergency managers had erroneously reported two... more »

• Coast Guard searching Gulf for missing crewman

  October 17, 2012 3:03 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard is searching for a missing 26-year-old Turkish crewmember approximately 230 miles south of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials say the second mate was last seen walking the deck of the Aqua, a Maltese-flagged 816-foot tanker vessel, Tuesday night wearing a green... more »

• Crews plan visit to rig wreckage, find source of "new oil"

  October 12, 2012 10:09 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- Crews will use remotely operated vehicles to get a look at the Deepwater Horizon wreckage, and hopefully pinpoint the source of a new oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico. This week, the sheen was connected to the BP spill in 2010. The ROV is expected to... more »

• Sheen at Deepwater Horizon disaster site is BP oil

  October 11, 2012 8:56 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard says an oil sheen near the site of the massive BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico matches oil from the 2010 disaster. The Coast Guard says its tests established the oil came from the BP well. It could be left over from... more »

• Politicians blast BP, Coast Guard over spill

  October 2, 2012 1:26 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - BP PLC and the Coast Guard were excoriated Tuesday by Louisiana's Republican U.S. senator who charged the oil giant was trying to "run away from its full cleanup responsibilities" two years after the nation's worst offshore oil spill and that federal regulators are "too cozy" with BP.... more »

• Vote to honor veterans Play Video

  September 19, 2012 5:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE- This year your going to the ballot box can mean more than just a vote thanks to the new "Honor Vets" program instated by the Secretary of State. The program aims to encourage voters to go to the polls in honor of the men and women who... more »

• Coast Guard suspends search for missing kayaker

  September 14, 2012 5:04 PM

  GRAND ISLE - The Coast Guard suspended the search today for a kayaker who didn't return from a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle. Lt. Matt Kor said Eric Richards, 32, of Prairieville left on the trip Monday morning. They were notified Tuesday night he... more »

• Coast Guard searches for missing kayaker in Gulf

  September 12, 2012 12:41 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard is searching for a missing kayaker in a more than 600-square-mile area of the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle. Eric Richards, 32, of Prarieville went fishing Monday and was reported missing about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Coast Guard says that after Richards didn't... more »

• 11-mile stretch of Mississippi River closed

  August 20, 2012 3:55 PM

  MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The U.S. Coast Guard says 97 boats and barges are waiting for passage along an 11-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that has been closed because of low water levels. Coast Guard spokesman Ryan Tippets told The Associated Press on Monday that the stretch of river near... more »

• One injured in Gulf platform fire

  May 29, 2012 5:32 PM

  VENICE- Coast Guard crews from South Louisiana are working a platform fire about 20 miles off Louisiana's shoreline. One tank caught fire this morning on a platform owned by Energy XXI. Seven people were on the platform when the fire started; all were evacuated but one person was injured.... more »

• Coast Guard responds to downed helicopter in Gulf

  May 28, 2012 5:07 PM

  GRAND ISLE - A Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed to News 2 a helicopter crashed into the Gulf of Mexico earlier this afternoon. Petty Officer Steve Lehman said at 4:13 p.m. they received a report of a downed PHI helicopter with only one person on board. Lehman said the... more »

• Bodies of 2 missing crew found after chopper crash

  March 2, 2012 6:34 AM

  MOBILE, Ala. - U.S. Coast Guard officials say they've recovered the bodies of two crewmen who had been missing since a helicopter crashed in Mobile Bay in Alabama. Authorities say searchers recovered the remains of Lt. Cmdr. Dale Taylor of Snow Hill, N.C.; and Lt. j.g. Thomas Cameron of Portland,... more »

• 1 dead after Coast Guard helicopter crash in Ala.

  February 29, 2012 3:40 AM

  MOBILE, Ala. - The U.S. Coast Guard says one crewmember is dead and three others remain missing following a helicopter crash in Alabama during a training mission. Spokeswoman Petty Officer 2nd Class Elizabeth Bordelon says an MH-65C helicopter crashed Tuesday evening in Mobile Bay, near Point Clear, Ala. The Coast... more »

• Coast Guard: Tank barge emptied, moved after wreck

  February 21, 2012 7:51 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard says a tank barge involved in a collision on the Mississippi River has been emptied and moved to a repair facility in Westwego. The Coast Guard estimates that less than 10,000 gallons of oil spilled into the river after the barge pushed by the... more »

• Jeanerette company gets $192M Coast Guard contract

  November 7, 2011 4:54 PM

  JEANERETTE - Metal Shark Aluminum Boats of Jeanerette has a $192 million contract to replace the Coast Guard's fleet of small port security boats. The company will build up to 500 of the boats, which are about 28 feet long, for the Coast Guard, president and co-owner Chris Allard said... more »

• Mississippi river levels dropping

  October 17, 2011 5:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE-- The Mississippi River is nearly 20 feet below flood stage, in stark contrast with the swollen behemoth it was in May-- nearly ten feet above flood stage. That's because a drought in the mid west means land north of Baton Rouge has soaked up much of the... more »

• Coast Guard: Spill in Bayou Dupont under control

  September 15, 2011 4:25 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The U.S. Coast Guard says an oil leak from an abandoned wellhead in Bayou Dupont in Jefferson Parish is under control. On Thursday, officials said about 1,470 gallons of oil had been recovered. The Coast Guard says boom has been placed in the water to contain the... more »

• Marsh fire, oil cleanup efforts suspended for storm

  September 2, 2011 12:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Firefighting efforts at a large marsh fire and oil cleanup operations were suspended in south Louisiana and the Gulf today because of the approaching tropical depression. Governor Bobby Jindal said today that the National Guard and Coast Guard had stopped their work because of the threat... more »

• Coast Guard: Fighter jet crew rescued off Calif.

  August 11, 2011 2:38 AM

  SAN DIEGO- The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued the crew of a Marine Corps fighter jet that crashed into the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. A Coast Guard spokesman says the two Marines were plucked from the water by a rescue swimmer lowered by helicopter at about 2:30 a.m. Thursday,... more »

• 15 from missing boat found on Micronesian island

  July 22, 2011 1:24 PM

  APRA HARBOR, Guam - Six children and nine adults are safe after their overdue boat was spotted on an uninhabited island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The Coast Guard and Navy began searching for the boat Wednesday after transportation officials in the Micronesian state of Chuuk told the... more »

• Coast Guard gets a new commander in New Orleans

  June 28, 2011 4:55 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- A Coast Guard captain who worked on the BP oil spill disaster is taking over the command of the Coast Guard sector in New Orleans. Capt. W. Gautier took over the job Monday from Capt. Edwin M. Stanton at a change-of-command ceremony. The Coast Guard says Stanton is... more »

• Transocean: Coast Guard report on oil spill flawed

  June 9, 2011 5:59 AM

  The owner of the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last year says a Coast Guard report that faults the company for a poor safety culture and other shortcomings that preceded the disaster is full of errors. Transocean said in a 112-page response submitted Wednesday to the... more »

• Coast Guard continues patrols on Mississippi River

  May 25, 2011 3:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The U.S. Coast Guard continues to keep a close eye on a section of the Mississippi River where three barges sank last week. Workers are patrolling the river with boats, and requiring barges coming around a curve near "Southern University" to have assistance from special tow boats.... more »

• Coast Guard reviewing salvage plans for sunken barges

  May 23, 2011 2:27 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Coast Guard said today that they reopened a portion of the Mississippi River near Baton Rogue to northbound traffic, after determining three barges that sank last week don't pose a threat to those vessels. A nine-mile stretch of the river was closed Friday when several... more »

• Coast Guard may reopen river to barge traffic

  May 23, 2011 9:18 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The Coast Guard may partially reopen a nine-mile segment of the Mississippi River to barge traffic as it reviews a plan to remove three barges that sank in the waterway in Baton Rouge last week. Petty Officer Stephen Lehmann said the Coast Guard expects to allow northbound traffic... more »

• Stretch of river remains closed after barges sink

  May 23, 2011 3:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE- A nine-mile stretch of the Mississippi River remains closed while the Coast Guard settles on a plan to remove three barges that sank in the waterway that is bulging with floodwaters from upriver. Roman Blahoski, a spokesman for the Archer Daniels Midland Co., says the company has... more »

• Stretch of river still closed after barges sink

  May 22, 2011 2:39 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A five-mile stretch of the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge remained closed Saturday, a day after an accident on the high, fast-moving waterway resulted in the sinking of three barges. The river was closed while officials assessed whether the barges posed a navigation hazard. The Coast... more »

• Coast Guard official tours parts of flooded river

  May 20, 2011 12:37 PM

  NATCHEZ, Miss. - Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp is touring parts of the flooded Mississippi River and is being briefed on efforts to control ship traffic on the river. Papp met Friday morning with the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Greenbrier, along the flooded river near the Natchez... more »

• River traffic one way only

  May 12, 2011 7:26 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Traffic on the Mississippi River is one way only, as current strengths have more than doubled. Southbound traffic has to be escorted by boats that help them align so the current does not push them into a bridge. Only when boats headed toward New Orleans have passed... more »

• 4 rescued after fishing boat sinks

  April 30, 2011 11:19 AM

  DULAC - Four men have been rescued by the Coast Guard following the sinking of their fishing boat in Terrebonne Bay near Dulac. The Coast Guard says the 77-foot Captain Andre sank around 4:20 a.m. Saturday. A Coast Guard helicopter rescued the men and brought them to Belle Chasse. All... more »

• Report: Transocean contributed to Gulf disaster

  April 22, 2011 3:37 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Coast Guard probe of the Deepwater Horizon explosion has concluded that rig owner Transocean had serious flaws in its safety management system and a poor safety culture that contributed to the disaster. Friday's report also found that lax oversight by the rig's flag state, the... more »

• Landry: "Coast Guard won't let up" on cleanup job

  April 1, 2011 11:46 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- The commander of the New Orleans-based Coast Guard District says the BP oil spill sparked an "evolution of crisis response." Rear Adm. Mary Landry told an advocacy group the Coast Guard won't let up on cleanup efforts along the coast. Landry served as Federal On Scene... more »

• Houston company aids La. oil spill cleanup

  March 23, 2011 6:36 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Houston company is helping the Coast Guard clean up oil that has reached the shores of Louisiana even though the company doesn't believe it was responsible for the spill. A statement issued Wednesday by Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners says the company was surprised to learn that... more »

• No new beach cleaning needed on Gulf, feds say

  February 11, 2011 5:08 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard says the cleanup of oiled beaches along the Gulf of Mexico has reached a point where crews, heavy equipment and thorough scrubbing can cause more damage to the ecosystem than leaving what oil is left alone. A Coast Guard report released Friday says... more »

• Panel: Gulf oil spill could happen again

  January 6, 2011 10:15 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A presidential panel concludes that disasters like the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig could happen again without significant reform. The panel's conclusions have companies involved in the nation's largest offshore oil spill pointing fingers at each other again. A 48-page excerpt of the panel's report obtained... more »

• Master of fishing boat missing in Gulf of Mexico

  December 13, 2010 6:49 PM

  WHITE LAKE - The Coast Guard is searching for a 49-year-old fishing boat master about 3 miles offshore from the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. The fisherman was the master of the 85-foot Miss Carol. The Coast Guard says the master was last seen at about 12 a.m.... more »

• Extra search scheduled for missing LSU alumnus

  December 3, 2010 10:54 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Coast Guard has scheduled an extra two-hour search this afternoon for James de Brueys after it was called off yesterday, according to his sister Simone de Brueys. Simone told News 2 the Coast Guard scheduled the search after e-mails from friends of James flooded Senator... more »

• Three hurt in explosion on rig during welding

  December 1, 2010 11:30 AM

  JEAN LAFITTE, LA. (AP) - Three men were burned in an explosion and fire on a workover rig south of New Orleans. All three apparently are going to Baton Rouge General Medical Center's burn unit. They went first to West Jefferson Medical Center. Spokeswoman Taslin Alfonzo says one was going... more »

• Military head wants policy on gays to end soon

  November 21, 2010 9:57 AM

  WASHINGTON D.C.- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says he supports Congress using its lame-duck session to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Adm. Mike Mullen says he backs action before the new Congress in January - if that's what it takes to... more »

• Nungesser: Fight continues with BP, Coast Guard

  October 11, 2010 5:33 PM

  Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said local officials continue to regularly fight with U.S. Coast Guard officials and BP representatives about the response to the Gulf oil spill. Nungesser said oil continues to appear in the marshland and on the shores of his parish. However, Nungesser said Monday he's concerned... more »

• Blowout preventer testing not started

  October 6, 2010 5:27 PM

  A Coast Guard official tells The Associated Press that the 300-ton device that failed to stop the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill has not been analyzed a month after it was raised from the seafloor. NASA says the blowout preventer is on shore and at its facility in New... more »

• Oil spill response head tours Plaquemines Parish

  September 21, 2010 10:34 AM

  The man in charge of the Gulf oil spill response is in Plaquemines Parish today Coast Guard Adm. Paul Zukunft will tour Gulf coast marshes to look for signs of oil. He will also visit with participates in the vessels of opportunity program which puts commercial fishermen to... more »

• 1 missing in flooding as rain pounds Texas coast

  September 20, 2010 1:14 PM

  The Coast Guard says at least one person is missing in high floodwaters as remnants from Hurricane Karl continues to cause widespread problems up and down the Texas coast. Coast Guard Lt. Mary Arvidson says search teams were combing the swollen Oso Creek in Corpus Christi early Monday for... more »

• Coast Guard: no signs of oil leaking from platform fire

  September 3, 2010 10:39 AM

  Daybreak brought no reports of oil leaking from an offshore oil platform that erupted in flames Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard said. Petty Officer Steve Lehmann in New Orleans said an 87-foot Coast Guard cutter patrolling the area has not reported any signs of leaks. A... more »

• Oil platform explodes in Gulf, on fire

  September 2, 2010 10:40 AM

  Another explosion has occurred at an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, this one about 80 miles south of Vermillion Bay along the central Louisiana coast. The rig is Vermillion oil rig 380 and is owned by Mariner Energy. It had 13 workers aboard at the time, all... more »

• Gulf spill: testimony shows lack of communication

  August 23, 2010 12:23 PM

  Testimony at a hearing on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is revealing what may be a lack of communication. The official in charge of dealing with the risks of BP's offshore Gulf marine operations says he rarely had contact with a key manager with Transocean, the owner of... more »

• Oil spill's top man considering late Sept. exit

  August 11, 2010 2:29 PM

  The federal government's point man on the oil spill in the Gulf is starting to finalize his plans for leaving the post. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Wednesday he wants to get several things done before he leaves and hopes to turn the job over to someone... more »

• Spill investigators want to find undersea evidence

  August 6, 2010 5:55 PM

  Now that BP appears to have vanquished its ruptured well, authorities are turning their attention to gathering evidence from what could amount to a crime scene at the bottom of the sea. The wreckage - including the failed blowout preventer and the blackened, twisted remnants of the drilling platform that... more »

• Oil leak from well in Jefferson Parish capped

  August 2, 2010 6:17 AM

  The Coast Guard says a leak from an abandoned oil well on Bayou St. Denis in southern Jefferson Parish has been capped. Capt. John Arenstam says the leak was capped shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday. A barge struck the long abandoned well on July 27. Oil skimming and recovery operations... more »

• BP, Coast Guard meet with parish presidents

  July 29, 2010 6:53 PM

  Senior executives with BP and the Coast Guard met face-to-face with some parish presidents. Some say the meeting was heated but positive. News 2’s Mike Steele got answers on what was resolved. more »

• Gulf cleanup will change once oil stops for good

  July 29, 2010 5:26 AM

  Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says he's planning to meet with coastal parish officials to talk about what's next now that the oil has stopped flowing. Allen says crews are having trouble finding patches of the crude that had been washing up on beaches and coating delicate coastal wetlands.... more »

• Local governments: We want more say in oil cleanup

  July 29, 2010 5:13 AM

  Seven parish presidents and other local officials say the Coast Guard and BP are ignoring local and state authorities - and they want that to change. A statement by the leaders says state and local governments should be part of all decisions, planning and other work as cleanup and restoration... more »

• Panel says new oil spill fight just beginning

  July 28, 2010 5:34 PM

  Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser used a meeting at the Capitol to fire his latest rounds against BP and the Coast Guard. Nungesser says the oil giant attempted to use the threat of last week's tropical weather in an attempt to leave the coast early. Nungesser and other members... more »

• Capping the "other well"

  July 28, 2010 11:13 AM

  Efforts are under way to cap a spewing wellhead in Barataria Bay. It's been leaking since yesterday. The Coast Guard says a towboat was pushing a barge on Mud Lake--just north of Barataria Bay-- when it hit the abandoned wellhead, around 1 a.m. The towboat captain says the... more »

• Efforts under way to cap La. oil leak

  July 28, 2010 7:39 AM

  A wild well company is working to cap a spewing wellhead that was hit a barge in a coastal inlet. About 6,000 feet of containment boom is in place around the site in a lake just north of Barataria Bay, which has already been fouled by oil from the... more »

• Tow boat hits well near Gulf, sends oil spewing

  July 27, 2010 2:42 PM

  A tow boat slammed into an abandoned well north of a bay already hit by crude from the Gulf oil spill, sending a plume of oil and gas spewing into the air Tuesday. The boat hit the wellhead near Mud Lake early in the day. No one was hurt.... more »

• Barge collision closes Miss. River north of Memphis, 3 hospitalized

  July 27, 2010 1:26 PM

  Twenty-five vessels were backed up on the Mississippi River at midday, 13 hours after a chemical spill closed a stretch north of Memphis. A barge collision at about 9 p.m. Monday spilled the chemical acrylonitrile. Three tugboat workers were hospitalized as a precaution and the river was closed at... more »