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• Insurance company blamed for sinkhole buyout holdup

  May 20, 2013 1:35 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The company which owns land a massive sinkhole appeared on blamed their insurance carrier today for the holdup in buyouts for nearby property. Texas Brine, LLC released a statement which said their carrier hasn't approved any money for buyouts just yet, and they're working with the... more »

• Oil company offers compensation for tank fire Play Video

  May 3, 2013 3:31 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - The company responsible for an oil well which caught fire overnight in Livingston Parish offered to compensate people evacuated from the area, according to the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness. Denbury's corporate office released several numbers for people to call and arrange payment for expenses they... more »

• CNSI official defends Medicaid contract award

  April 12, 2013 10:15 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A top official with a Maryland company whose nearly $200 million Medicaid contract with the state has been cancelled says the company has never been contacted as part of the ongoing federal probe into the contract award. Larry Iversen, the CNSI executive who oversaw the company's Louisiana... more »

• Houston company sued over oil discharged in Gulf

  February 11, 2013 5:14 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Justice Department filed suit against a Houston-based company it accused of illegally dumping oil from a Gulf of Mexico platform. The federal suit filed Monday in New Orleans against ATP Oil & Gas Corp. says an Interior Department inspection last year uncovered violations of the Clean... more »

• Govt appeals judge's contraceptive mandate ruling

  January 15, 2013 4:30 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is appealing a judge's order that is temporarily preventing the government from forcing a Christian publishing company to provide its employees with certain contraceptives under the new health care law. In November, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton granted a preliminary injunction sought by Tyndale House... more »

• Startup auto company moving into former GM plant

  January 3, 2013 12:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A startup car company called Elio Motors is moving into the former General Motors plant in Shreveport, where it would build three-wheeled, low-price vehicles. Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Thursday that Elio is buying part of the plant to assemble its unusual-looking car. The company says the two-seat... more »

• Oscar maker plans layoffs in Chicago

  December 7, 2012 11:59 AM

  CHICAGO - The Chicago company that makes the familiar gold-plated Oscar statues is laying off almost 100 employees. R.S. Owens & Co. Inc. said this week in a notice to the Illinois Department of Commerce that it will lay off 95 workers on Dec. 17. The notice says the layoffs... more »

• Beach Boys to headline free pre-bowl concert

  November 30, 2012 10:44 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Beach Boys and English rock band Bad Company are headlining a free concert the night before next month's New Orleans Bowl game. It'll be The Beach Boys' second show in New Orleans this year. The "Good Vibrations" Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band performed at... more »

• Former Dillard administrator facing theft charge

  November 28, 2012 3:47 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former Dillard University administrator faces a Jan. 7 trial on a charge that he overbilled the school for repairs performed by a company he owned. The Times-Picayune reports that a one-count federal theft indictment alleges that Matthew Gardner, Dillard's former facilities director, concealed his role in... more »

• Mass. gas firm president: We'll make things right

  November 26, 2012 5:25 PM

  SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A Massachusetts company whose worker breached a gas line that led to a massive explosion in one of New England's biggest cities says it'll do whatever it takes to return things to normal. Friday's explosion in downtown Springfield damaged 42 buildings housing businesses and residences. The gas... more »

• Port may end sand company's lease

  November 13, 2012 2:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is considering whether to terminate the lease of a start-up company that was going to dry and sort sand at the port's Inland Rivers Marine Terminal in Port Allen. The $10 million facility, which was going to prepare sand to barge out... more »

• Virginia company chosen for debt collection work

  November 8, 2012 5:06 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has chosen a private company to help devise a strategy for improving collection of millions of dollars in unpaid debts owed to state agencies. Jindal's top budget adviser, Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols, announced Thursday that CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc. will do... more »

• Emerson announces plans for new Gonzales headquarters

  October 12, 2012 3:00 PM

  GONZALES - Emerson Electric Co. says it will build a $10 million regional headquarters in Gonzales, creating 50 new jobs. The company announced its Ascension Parish plans Friday with Gov. Bobby Jindal. The new jobs will have salaries averaging $49,000, plus benefits. Residents living in the area the company... more »

• Senate rejects Democrats' business tax cut bill

  July 12, 2012 2:22 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Senate has rejected a Democratic bill providing tax breaks to companies that enlarge their payrolls or make major purchases or plant improvements. The vote was 53-44, seven short of the 60 votes required to overcome GOP procedural hurdles. The roll call came after senators voted 73-24 against... more »

• Company pleads guilty in seafood mislabel case

  June 6, 2012 7:08 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - An Illinois-based seafood distributor has pleaded guilty in Louisiana to conspiring to mislabel commercially-sold shrimp. Federal prosecutors say Worldwide Shrimp Company, of Highland Park, entered the plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey in New Orleans. Court documents say the company distributed shrimp to supermarkets, retail... more »

• Investors watching Facebook's debut on Wall Street

  May 18, 2012 11:14 AM

  NEW YORK - Facebook is updating its status to "public company" as its stock jumps in its debut on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock opened at $42.05 on Friday morning. It later settled at $39. CEO Mark Zuckerberg smiled as rang the opening bell from Facebook's headquarters in... more »

• Texas company recalling some sausage products

  March 23, 2012 6:47 AM

  ELGIN, Texas - A Central Texas company has recalled more than a ton of ready-to-eat sausage products due to possible listeria contamination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says no reports have been received of anyone getting sick from eating items recalled by Southside Market & Barbeque of Elgin, about 20... more »

• Steel company relocating to Livingston Parish

  March 15, 2012 11:21 AM

  DENHAM SPRINGS- A steel manufacturer is relocating to Livingston Parish. Superior Steel Inc. purchased nearly 20 acres on the site of the former Vulcan Foundry/East Jordan Ironworks on Hatchell Lane in Denham Springs. The company plans to have the plant operational by September. The company currently employs 85 workers,... more »

• Netflix strikes movie deal

  February 21, 2012 10:55 AM

  LOS ANGELES - Netflix will stream certain movies from the Weinstein Company including "The Artist" under an exclusive licensing agreement. The agreement covers foreign-language movies, documentaries, and other films in the Weinstein vault which will become available for instant viewing on Netflix. Netflix said it would get some... more »

• Ascension Water Co. asks rate hike

  February 15, 2012 7:20 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Public Service Commission will consider rate increases for Ascension Water Co. that would boost a variety of customers' monthly bills by about 19 percent. Commission staff and water company officials reached a joint agreement last month on rate increases on residential and commercial customers as... more »

• LSP releases photos of gas line break Play Video

  February 13, 2012 4:55 PM

  PRIDE - State Police released pictures of the site of a gas line break this morning in East Baton Rouge Parish that led to a mile-wide evacuation of the area. Capt. Doug Cain said troopers with the HazMat unit are still investigating the site of the rupture, which happened... more »

• Company sued over 2004 oil spill in Gulf of Mexico

  February 2, 2012 2:14 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - An environmental watchdog group is suing the company it blames for an oil spill 11 miles off the coast of Louisiana that allegedly has been flowing into the Gulf of Mexico for more than seven years. In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in New Orleans, the Waterkeeper... more »

• Murdoch company to pay hacking damages in 36 cases

  January 19, 2012 6:38 AM

  LONDON (AP) - Rupert Murdoch's media company has agreed to pay damages to 36 high-profile victims of tabloid phone-hacking, including actor Jude Law, soccer player Ashley Cole and former British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. They are among dozens of people who were suing News Group Newspapers after their mobile... more »

• Phone trouble leaves North BR neighborhood on edge

  December 26, 2011 9:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A North Baton Rouge neighborhood has been sitting in silence for more than a week. That's because many in East Fairlane subdivision have been without phone service, despite paying for service from different companies. Neighbors say without the connection, fire and police alarms don't function, and... more »

• Judge approves multimillion-dollar fine for La. refinery

  December 16, 2011 8:47 AM

  LAFAYETTE - The U.S. Justice Department has slapped Louisiana with the largest criminal fine the state has ever received for violating the Clean Air Act. A federal judge approved Thursday a $10 million fine and an additional $2 million in community service payments to be paid by the Pelican... more »

• Shipping company pleads guilty in pollution probe

  December 13, 2011 2:37 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Greek shipping company has pleaded guilty in New Orleans to federal charges that crew members aboard one of its cargo ships covered up illegal discharges of oil waste. The terms of Tuesday's plea deal call for Ilios Shipping Company to pay a $2 million criminal... more »

• Tin Roof Brewing Company set to release Bandit Blonde

  November 3, 2011 3:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE, LA, - Tin Roof Brewing Co. has announced the launch of the highly anticipated Bandit Blonde Ale on draft in the Baton Rouge area market. Bandit Blonde Ale will be available at many local bars and restaurants starting Wednesday, November 9th, just in time for homecoming. ... more »

• An electric car for an electric company

  October 2, 2011 9:32 AM

  PINEVILLE, La.- An electric company in central Louisiana is testing its first all-electric vehicle. Cleco Corp. unveiled its first all-electric vehicle, a $60,000 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric, on Thursday. George Bausewine, Cleco Power president, said the Connect is part of Cleco's "Green Smart Program." Cleco currently... more »

• New shrimp company announced for Baton Rouge

  September 26, 2011 10:49 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Mayor-President Kip Holden and members of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber announced the opening of a new company today that would process and market gulf-caught shrimp in the U. S. and abroad. Baton Rouge Shrimp would create 38 direct and 54 indirect jobs, and hopes to... more »

• Startup company to create 43 jobs

  August 3, 2011 4:33 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - CAP Technologies, a metal coating company, said Wednesday that it will spend $8.1 million on a facility in Denham Springs, creating 43 jobs. The company developed its concept at the Louisiana Business and Technology Center in Baton Rouge. CAP has renovated and constructed a 50,000-square-foot headquarters... more »

• Auditors investigating state pension fund investments

  July 29, 2011 10:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE- An auditor is combing through records at an investment firm to find out what happened to $100 million in state pension fund money. Three pension plans, the state's retirement system for firefighters and another for city workers, as well as the New Orleans Firefighters' Fund, invested in... more »

• LSU football coaches meet with NCAA investigator

  July 14, 2011 6:43 PM

  BATON ROUGE - LSU athletics officials met with NCAA investigators recently as part of an inquiry into questionable activities by a scouting company the school employed. Herb Vincent, the Senior Associate Athletic Director, said in a press release today that members of the coaching staff answered questions and supplied... more »

• Streaming video game company moving to Baton Rouge

  May 25, 2011 3:02 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A company that streams video games over the Internet announced today they will be relocating to Baton Rouge. Gov. Bobby Jindal and leaders from around East Baton Rouge Parish welcomed BitRaider CEO Royal O'Brien to the Louisiana Technology Park this afternoon. O'Brien announced that his... 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 »

• Baton Rouge contractor to remain independent

  February 18, 2011 7:16 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Managers with the Turner Industries Group announced today that they would continue to remain an independent, family-owned company. "Insuring the long-term legacy of the Turner name, as well as maintaining the company's commitment to its employees, clients and the community, led to the decision," said CEO... more »

• Founder intended to eventually sell Zapp's

  February 4, 2011 11:55 AM

  GRAMERCY - The head of the manufacturer of Zapp's potato chips says its recent sale to a Pennsylvania snack food company follows the intentions of its late founder. Zappe Endeavors general manager Ron Olson says founder Ron Zappe wanted to ensure that the brand would enjoy future production - and... more »

• Lethal injection drug out-of-stock in Louisiana

  January 28, 2011 9:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Death to the death drug is on the way. The first needle used on inmates in the death chamber in Louisiana contains sodium thiopental to put the person to sleep. That's the drug company Hospira says it won't make anymore because of what it's used for. It's... more »

• Lawsuit over drilling bans returns to court in La.

  January 12, 2011 3:35 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - An offshore drilling services company is asking a federal judge to rule that government regulators have unreasonably delayed action on deepwater drilling permit applications in the aftermath of the massive Gulf oil spill. Ensco Offshore Company is seeking a preliminary injunction that would require the Interior Department... more »

• Zapp's potato chips merging with Pa. company

  January 6, 2011 11:31 AM

  GRAMERCY – The president of Zapp’s potato chips says they will stay in Gramercy after the company agreed to join with another snack food company out of Pennsylvania. Rod Olson told News 2 that they signed a letter of intent to combine Zappe Endeavors, LLC with Utz Quality Food, Inc.... more »

• Men spotted on camera stealing from company

  December 20, 2010 5:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE – Authorities are asking for the public’s help identifying two men caught on camera stealing from a construction company in the area. According to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, on Nov. 20 two men cut through a chain link fence at PALA Interstate on Old Hammond... more »

• Investigators need help indentifying copper thieves

  December 17, 2010 11:39 AM

  NAPOLEONVILLE – Authorities in Assumption Parish are investigating copper wire thefts at an Entergy substation in Napoleonville. Sheriff Mike Waguespack said several thefts have happened in the last few weeks, always at night. Surveillance cameras in the area showed the thieves entering through a hole in a fence and taking... more »

• Hawker Beechcraft decision expected by end of March

  December 16, 2010 10:59 AM

  WICHITA, Kan. - The CEO of aircraft maker Hawker Beechcraft has said a decision will be made about the company's future location by the end of March 2011, according to an article by the Wichita Eagle. The company had received offers of incentives reportedly worth millions of dollars to... more »

• Shaw Group to engineer plant in India

  December 8, 2010 11:04 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Shaw Group Inc. says it has been selected by an India-based company to provide technology and engineering for an ethylene plant. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed Wednesday by Baton Rouge-based Shaw. The plant will be part of GAIL Ltd.'s petrochemical complex in Pata, India.... more »

• Man sentenced for falsifying company records

  November 9, 2010 6:02 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Metairie man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for illegally inflating an orthodontic company's revenues and assets while he was the chief financial officer. Bartholomew Frank Palmisano Jr. was sentenced for falsifying corporate records and lying to auditors and accountants. He was... more »

• Louisiana AG files suit against drug companies

  November 1, 2010 2:38 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit in Baton Rouge claiming drug companies milked millions of dollars from the state’s Medicaid program by lying about drug prices. 18 companies are named in the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Buddy Caldwell in district court Thursday. Caldwell alleges in... more »

• Husband sues La. firm in wife's death

  October 27, 2010 7:22 AM

  The husband of a Baton Rouge construction company worker shot to death at the business Dec. 23 claims the firm ignored a threat that the alleged shooter made when he was fired. James Coutee, whose wife Dianna Tullier was a clerical worker at Grady Crawford Construction Co., is seeking damages... more »

• La. woman sentenced for theft of $1.6M

  October 22, 2010 4:33 AM

  Federal prosecutors say a 71-year-old woman has been sentenced in federal court to two years in prison for stealing about $1.6 million from the construction company she worked for. Faye Laurent of Prairieville was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge James J. Brady. Laurent was ordered to pay $1 million... more »

• Greek company to pay $700,000 in pollution case

  September 30, 2010 5:15 AM

  A Greek shipping company has been ordered to pay $700,000 in criminal penalties for violating federal pollution laws. Stanships Inc. of Athens, Greece, pleaded guilty in June to charges that one of its ships knowingly discharged oil in the Gulf of Mexico and falsified ship records to conceal the pollution.... more »

• Allen: Third party needed in oil spill response

  September 27, 2010 9:43 AM

  The federal official running the BP oil spill response is proposing a third party to represent polluters to correct the perception that the company is in charge of cleaning up its own mess. Incident Commander Thad Allen told the national oil spill commission that BP in no way tried to... more »

• Ex-Iberia Parish sheriff, company facing fine

  August 31, 2010 6:36 AM

  Former Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert is facing a misdemeanor federal charge in connection with a waste processing company he managed at the Port of Iberia. Hebert and the company, Environmental Compliance Solutions, each face charges under the federal Clean Water Act. A bill of information accuses Hebert of not... more »

• Judge vacates permit for saltwater disposal plant

  August 24, 2010 6:53 AM

  A state judge has vacated a Lafayette oil company's permit to create a saltwater disposal facility just south of Gueydan. The judge ruled the state Department of Natural Resource's Office of Conservation failed to adequately review Toce Energy's application to redrill a saltwater disposal facility in what had been an... more »

• Greek company to pay $1.3M in pollution case

  June 24, 2010 5:59 AM

  A Greek shipping company will pay more than $1 million in penalties and fines after one of its ships illegally discharged oil and failed to report it to authorities. Stanships Inc. of Athens, Greece, agreed to pay a $700,000 criminal penalty, a $525,000 fine and a $125,000 community service payment... more »

• New Orleans' first park proposed in 20 years

  June 9, 2010 5:25 AM

  Property once owned by a film production company that went bankrupt will become the first new public park in New Orleans in 20 years. The Trust, a national conservation group, told New Orleans CityBusiness that the $3.8 million project will be built on an 18-acre parcel along the Lafitte Corridor... more »

• Insurer could drop Rapides schools or hike rate

  June 3, 2010 5:19 AM

  The insurance company for the Rapides Parish School District is rethinking its premiums as a result of a drowning of a 14-year-old boy at Alexandria Senior High School. The current policy expires July 1, and the insurer also is considering whether to notify the school district to seek quotes from... more »

• $20 Million settlement announced with pharmaceutical company

  April 7, 2010 10:31 AM

  Attorney General Buddy Caldwell announced today that Louisiana has settled its lawsuit against pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly concerning its off-label marketing of the drug Zyprexa. Louisiana will receive $20,000,000.00. The suit, filed under the state's Louisiana Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act, alleged that Eli Lilly engaged in unfair... more »

• Arrested Texas bond co. owner cited in Monroe case

  April 1, 2010 8:34 AM

  A 41-year-old Fort Worth man arrested last month owns the bonding company that cost the New Orleans-based low bidder a contract to build a new $35 million terminal at Monroe Regional Airport. George Douglas Black Sr. was arrested March 26 on a federal mail fraud charge. Investigators say he allegedly... more »

• Oilfield company expands, hires 30 new workers

  March 10, 2010 9:09 AM

  A young oilfield-services company completes Part One of a $3 million dockside facility at Port Fourchon and hires 30 additional workers. During its two years in business, Allport Services has worked as a logistics broker, matching companies' leftover equipment and materials with potential buyers. It now has larger offices with... more »