WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• Senate panel approves 2-cents tax on cell phones

  May 23, 2013 5:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A new 2-cents monthly tax on cell phones to help provide services for people with hearing impairment has been approved by the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee. The House-backed bill would change the current law by reducing the amount of tax levied per month from 5... more »

• Acting IRS chief says it wasn't about politics

  May 17, 2013 8:03 AM

  WASHINGTON - The man who's just been forced out as acting chief of the IRS is apologizing for what he calls "the mistakes that we made and the poor service we provided." Steven Miller has been testifying today to the House Ways and Means Committee about the IRS targeting of... more »

• Former hospital chief not at privatization hearing

  May 15, 2013 12:25 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Senators told members of the LSU Board of Supervisors that they want an explanation for why the university system's former hospitals chief, Fred Cerise, was directed not to attend a legislative hearing to discuss plans to privatize the LSU hospitals. Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans, said he... more »

• Breakaway school district bill before committee

  May 14, 2013 10:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Supporters of a breakaway school district in southeast Baton Rouge gathered at the Capitol today for a committee hearing over the bills to create it. The House Education Committee scheduled a hearing for the two bills this morning. Both were approved in the Senate last week.... more »

• Hearing set on request to dismiss Pa. NCAA lawsuit

  April 17, 2013 10:29 AM

  HARRISBURG, Pa. - Lawyers for the NCAA and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett are being summoned to a federal courtroom in Harrisburg next month to argue about a motion seeking to dismiss Corbett's anti-trust lawsuit against college sports' governing body. U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane on Tuesday scheduled oral argument for... more »

• Public forum held to discuss police reform in NO

  April 15, 2013 12:27 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A public hearing in New Orleans is being held to determine the firm that will oversee the city's compliance with requirements in an agreement to reform the long-troubled police department. Monday's hearing comes even as the city tries to get out of the reform agreement it made... more »

• U.S. Army vet jailed for fighting with Syrian al-Quaida

  April 8, 2013 7:36 PM

  ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA- A U.S. Army veteran accused of joining al-Qaida to fight in Syria will remain in jail pending his trial. Eric Harroun's lawyers tried to argue that he was fighting with Syrian rebels who share the U.S. government's desire to oust the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. But prosecutors... more »

• Hearing continued in vehicular homicide case

  April 4, 2013 10:28 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Attorneys continued a hearing today for the man accused of killing a cyclist last year while driving drunk. Police said Joseph Branch had a blood alcohol content nearly four times the legal limit when he struck Nathan Crowson and Daniel Morris on Perkins Rd. back in... more »

• Lawmaker blasts DHH secretary for not being at hearing Play Video

  March 26, 2013 10:32 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A state representative said it was "very irresponsible" that the head of the Department of Health and Hospitals was not at a budget hearing today to answer questions about a controversial Medicaid contract cancelled last week. Rep. Jim Fannin, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee,... more »

• Legislators hold hearing on federal health care law

  March 13, 2013 7:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE - This morning, state lawmakers plan to weigh the pros and cons of expanding Louisiana's Medicaid program to cover more uninsured adults. During the hearing, The Senate and House insurance committees will get information about the federal health care law that allows for the expansion. Gov.... more »

• Hearing over Port Allen CFO job status today

  February 20, 2013 10:32 AM

  PORT ALLEN - Officials in Port Allen scheduled this morning to discuss the job status of the city's chief financial officer, whom the new mayor fired last week. Mayor "Deedy" Slaughter fired Audrey McCain a week after News 2 received financial documents requested about the mayor's travel to Washington,... more »

• Peterson case returns with hearing for new trial

  February 19, 2013 7:10 AM

  CHICAGO - A spat between Drew Peterson's former lead trial attorney and current lawyers will appear in court. A judge will hear arguments Tuesday that Peterson deserves a new trial on grounds that former lead trial attorney Joel Brodsky botched last year's trial. Brodsky left the defense team in November... more »

• Fired BRPD chief plans further appeals Play Video

  February 18, 2013 4:55 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Former Baton Rouge Police Chief Dewayne White said he plans to appeal today's firing at the local and state levels, after a contentious hearing between him and East Baton Rouge's mayor-president. Mayor Kip Holden did not reverse his decision today to fire White after a public... more »

• White finishes statement, Holden to render decision Play Video

  February 18, 2013 9:13 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Police Chief Dwayne White has finished his testimony at a special hearing into his future. Mayor-President Kip Holden said he would have a decision in the matter in about ten minutes. White testified for more than an hour telling Holden he and the police department had... more »

• Senators take up immigration in first hearing

  February 13, 2013 7:08 AM

  WASHINGTON - An illegal immigrant and the secretary of Homeland Security will be among the witnesses as the Senate opens its first hearing on overhauling the nation's immigration laws. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday comes amid a concerted push on immigration reform from the White House to the Capitol.... more »

• Sentencing delayed for key witness in Nagin case

  February 6, 2013 7:06 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - For the third time, a federal judge has postponed a sentencing hearing for a Louisiana businessman who pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan didn't give a reason for moving Frank Fradella's sentencing hearing from March 13... more »

• Sanity hearing requested in officer's death

  February 6, 2013 7:00 AM

  LAFAYETTE - An attorney for the 48-year-old Charenton man accused of killing a police officer and another man last month says he will seek to have his client examined by a two-doctor sanity commission. Public defender Craig Colwart says Wilbert Thibodeaux "exhibited bizarre behavior" before and after the Jan. 26... more »

• Detective delivers graphic testimony during feticide hearing Play Video

  February 4, 2013 6:11 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - A courtroom listened to disturbing testimony from one of the first Livingston Parish deputies to arrive at the home of Jeffrey Reynolds, the man accused of cutting his unborn child from his wife's body. Detective Jeff Beatty with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office described what he... more »

• Graphic testimony during feticide hearing

  February 4, 2013 2:40 PM

  LIVINGSTON - A Livingston Parish court heard disturbing testimony today before a judge revoked bond for a man accused of cutting his unborn child out from his wife's body. The judge agreed to revoke Jeffrey Reynolds' $500,000 bond for feticide and attempted murder after hearing investigators testify about his... more »

• Senate hearing pits NRA, gun-control supporters

  January 30, 2013 6:58 AM

  WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association and gun-control advocates, including the husband of wounded former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, are facing off at the year's first Senate hearing on curbing gun violence. Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing comes less than two months after the massacre of 20 first-graders and six... more »

• Assumption Parish may be site of sinkhole hearing

  January 28, 2013 7:17 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The chairman of the Louisiana Senate Natural Resources Committee says he favors holding a joint legislative hearing in mid-February in Assumption Parish concerning issues raised by the Napoleonville Dome sinkhole. State Sen. Gerald Long says parish officials had asked to have it in Assumption Parish and... more »

• Kerry to field questions from his own panel

  January 24, 2013 6:53 AM

  WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. John Kerry is expected to win overwhelming bipartisan support from his colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his confirmation hearing today. Kerry is President Barack Obama's pick to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who's stepping down. Kerry has served on... more »

• Clinton to face Congress on Libya assault

  January 23, 2013 6:15 AM

  WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton faces tough questions in her long-awaited congressional testimony concerning the assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Clinton is the sole witness Wednesday at back-to-back hearings before the Senate and... more »

• Victim's father's outburst ends Colorado court hearing

  January 11, 2013 3:13 PM

  CENTENNIAL, Colo.- The father of one of the victims of the Colorado movie theater shootings is promising there will be no more outbursts. Steve Hernandez apologized to the judge today, after shouting during a hearing today that accused gunman James Holmes should "rot in Hell." Hernandez was the father of... more »

• Holmes prosecution to call last witness

  January 9, 2013 7:17 AM

  CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Prosecutors in Colorado are expected to call their final witness today in the preliminary hearing for James Holmes, the former grad student accused of killing 12 people and wounding dozens in a movie theater in July. Yesterday, authorities testified that Holmes spent more than two months... more »

• FBI: Holmes' booby trap included improvised napalm

  January 8, 2013 1:36 PM

  CENTENNIAL, Colo. - An elaborate booby trap system allegedly set up to pull police away from the Colorado theater shooting included improvised napalm and thermite, which burns so hot that water can't put out the blaze. FBI bomb technician Garrett Gumbinner described the system Tuesday at a hearing in which... more »

• Kerry prepping for secretary of state confirmation

  January 3, 2013 1:25 PM

  WASHINGTON - The State Department says Sen. John Kerry, who President Barack Obama has nominated to be the next secretary of state, has started meeting with diplomatic staff to prepare for his confirmation. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says Kerry was at the department's Foggy Bottom headquarters Wednesday. She says... more »

• Tagliabue, Saints continue bounty hearings

  December 3, 2012 10:34 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Hearings in the NFL bounty probe of the Saints have resumed with witness appearances by former Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress, Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt and linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has been appointed to oversee the hearings, which he has... more »

• Judge to hold fairness hearing on BP settlement

  November 8, 2012 7:47 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge in New Orleans is set to preside over a fairness hearing for a proposed class-action settlement of economic damage claims spawned by BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During Thursday's hearing, the London-based oil giant and a team of private... more »

• Hearing airs sex crimes case against US general

  November 5, 2012 10:53 AM

  FORT BRAGG, N.C. - U.S. Army prosecutors are charging a general with sex crimes against five women, including four military subordinates and a civilian. The first details of the charges filed in September emerged at a military justice hearing Monday for Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair at Fort Bragg in North... more »

• PSC looks into Entergy's response to Isaac

  October 24, 2012 6:53 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Entergy officials told Louisiana's utility regulators they are working to improve communication with the company's customers, after complaints about lengthy outages during Hurricane Isaac. Bill Mohl, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, says the power company needs to get more information out... more »

• Lawyer certain Sandusky will speak at sentencing

  October 8, 2012 3:14 PM

  BELLEFONTE, Pa. - Jerry Sandusky's lawyer says "it's as certain as certain can be" that the former Penn State assistant football coach will assert his innocence when he's sentenced on 45 counts of child sexual abuse. Defense attorney Joe Amendola said Monday that nobody else is expected to speak... more »

• Sanity hearing delayed for man accused of beheading son

  September 19, 2012 2:25 PM

  THIBODAUX - A man accused of beheading and dismembering his disabled 7-year-old son will have a sanity hearing in November rather than Friday. Defense attorney Kerry Cuccia says 31-year-old Jeremiah Wright's hearing is now scheduled Nov. 26 and 27. Mental health experts will testify about whether he has the mental... more »

• Attorneys ask for "black box" from Gerald's truck

  September 11, 2012 10:34 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The man accused of killing seven people in a drunk-driving crash appeared in court today. Brett Gerald's attorneys asked that information from a "black box" recorder in Gerald's truck be turned over to them. State Police investigators testified that no reliable data was able to be... more »

• Zimmerman will seek 'stand your ground' hearing

  August 9, 2012 8:33 AM

  SANFORD, Fla. - Attorneys for the neighborhood watch volunteer charged in the death of an unarmed teen say they'll seek a "stand your ground" hearing that could lead to criminal charges being dismissed. A statement posted Thursday on the website for George Zimmerman's legal team says evidence released by... more »

• "White Only" pool sign said to cause suffering

  August 3, 2012 7:38 PM

  The father of a black girl says his family suffered emotionally after his landlord in Ohio posted a "White Only" sign at their apartment complex pool. Michael Gunn was testifying before a state Civil Rights Commission judge in Cincinnati. He says he was outraged and had to move to safeguard... more »

• Judge holds probable cause hearing in dancers death

  July 25, 2012 7:37 AM

  AMITE - A state district court judge has found probable cause to keep a woman - one of two suspects in the death and dismemberment of a New Orleans dancer - in custody on a count of harboring a sex offender. Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's Detective Mike Moore testified Tuesday... more »

• Voucher lawsuit set for Oct. 15 hearing date

  July 17, 2012 5:04 PM

  BATON ROUGE - An Oct. 15 date has been set for arguments in a lawsuit by teacher unions and local school boards challenging the constitutionality of Gov. Bobby Jindal's statewide voucher program. Judge Tim Kelley chose the hearing date Tuesday in a meeting with lawyers for both sides in the... more »

• Senator sees Goodell, calls off bounty hearing

  June 20, 2012 6:22 PM

  WASHINGTON - A high-ranking senator is calling off a proposed hearing on bounties in professional sports because he is satisfied with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's response to the issue, including setting up an anonymous hotline. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, met with Goodell on Wednesday.... more »

• Saints bounties: Vilma hearing breaks up

  June 18, 2012 12:57 PM

  NEW YORK - Suspended Saints player Jonathan Vilma left an appeals hearing with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after about an hour Monday, denying he had a role in New Orleans' bounty program and saying the process is unfair. The linebacker's attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said the NFL requested an adjournment to... more »

• Hearing scheduled for former Rep. Jefferson

  April 20, 2012 7:50 AM

  ALEXANDRIA - A hearing in federal court may determine whether a former Louisiana congressman will have to begin serving a 13-year prison sentence for taking bribes and other crimes. Democrat William Jefferson was convicted back in 2009 but has been free on bond while appealing his case. The case drew... more »

• Maiden sanity hearing set for June

  April 20, 2012 7:01 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A mother arrested last week in connection to the death of her 2-month-old baby will undergo a sanity hearing later this summer. A team of doctors will determine whether Sabrina Maiden is competent to stand trial. Maiden faces first-degree murder charges in the death of... more »

• Jindal retirement revamp gets Senate hearing Play Video

  April 16, 2012 3:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE - It was a battle of legal opinions as the Senate Retirement Committee combed through Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposals to push back the retirement age for about 50,000 rank-and-file state workers and public college employees. The debate centers on a provision in the Louisiana Constitution that protects pension... more »

• Charles Manson parole hearing

  April 11, 2012 10:37 AM

  CORCORAN - Aging mass murderer Charles Manson did not show up for his 12th and likely his last parole hearing today. The 77-year-old had said he did not plan to attend the hearing Wednesday, even though it could be his last opportunity to ask for freedom. Under current California law,... more »

• Senator calls hearing to examine bounties in NFL

  March 22, 2012 2:30 PM

  WASHINGTON- Sen. Dick Durbin is setting up a Judiciary Committee hearing about bounties in the NFL and other major sports in the wake of news that New Orleans Saints players received extra cash for hits that hurt particular opponents. The assistant Senate majority leader, an Illinois Democrat, says he wants... more »

• Hearing delayed in Superdome bomb threat case

  March 13, 2012 6:48 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The federal case against a Michigan man charged with phoning in a bomb threat to the Superdome during the New Orleans Saints' playoff win over the Detroit Lions in January is likely to be transferred from New Orleans to his home state. Thirty-four-year-old Shawn Payton, of Jackson,... more »

• Grace shackled, cries before judge denies bail Play Video

  March 6, 2012 6:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE - George Grace had just 15 minutes to say goodbye to his family before U.S. Marshals hauled him back to prison. Judge Maurice Hicks called Grace's words "slippery at best" and said George Grace has "zero credibility" after committing perjury during his trial. It was one reason Hicks... more »

• Grace pleads for freedom in federal court

  March 6, 2012 9:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE-- Convicted felon and former St. Gabriel Mayor will plead for his freedom in federal court Tuesday morning. U.S. Marshals cuffed George Grace and took him away minutes after he was convicted on 7 of 13 corruption counts late Saturday afternoon. Federal Prosecutors believe Grace is a flight risk... more »

• Hearing to determine Tucson suspect's competency

  February 6, 2012 7:08 AM

  SAN DIEGO - A federal judge has called a hearing to determine whether the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage that left then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords wounded should remain at a federal prison facility where officials are forcibly medicating him. U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns scheduled the hearing for... more »

• Dems want Hearings on Human Growth Hormone

  October 25, 2011 7:44 PM

  Three Democrat members of Congress want a house committee to hold hearings on why the NFL and the players union can't come to an agreement on testing for human growth hormone. The three sent a letter making the request to the Republican chairman, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan. The NFL... more »

• Fines, suspensions given for HS football brawl

  October 25, 2011 3:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The state athletics association suspended 17 players and issued $1,000 fines to Parkview Baptist and Baker high schools for their actions in a fight that ended last Friday's football game early. The Louisiana High School Athletics Association issued the fines and suspensions after a morning-long sportsmanship... more »

• Settlement hearing set in Deuce McCallister lawsuit

  September 1, 2011 2:53 PM

  JACKSON, Miss. - A settlement conference is being scheduled in a lawsuit related to a Nissan dealership that was owned by former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister. McAllister has invested heavily in his native Mississippi, but his Nissan dealership in Jackson closed after filing for bankruptcy in... more »

• Hearing today for troubled Prairieville lounge

  June 14, 2011 10:50 AM

  PRAIRIEVILLE- A hearing is being held this morning to determine the future of a troubled strip club in Ascension Parish. The Suthern Kumfort's lounge on Airline Highway in Prairieville has been shut down since a murder there May 5. Today the registered owner, Steve Duke, was scheduled to... more »

• Beauregard Town murder suspect in court

  April 13, 2011 2:00 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The man accused of killing a mother and shooting her daughter in her Beauregard Town home last year appeared in court for a motions hearing today. Prosecutors turned over 50 reports to defense attorneys along with 30 DVDs as part of the discovery hearing. Recorded conversations between Aramis... more »

• White Castle officials back in court for motions hearing

  December 7, 2010 2:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE - White Castle police chief Mario Brown and his brother, former White Castle mayor Maurice Brown, were back in federal court in Baton Rouge as more motions were heard ahead of their racketeering trial. Several pre-trial motions made by defense attorneys were denied or deferred by the... more »

• Attorneys compromise over Gosserand blood sample

  November 29, 2010 12:12 PM

  NEW ROADS - Attorneys in the Victoria Gosserand vehicular homicide case have reached a compromise over the accused's blood sample. Prosecutors say that sample shows Gosserand's blood was nearly four times the legal limit the night she crashed her vehicle into another car, killing 23-year-old Terri Parker and badly... more »

• House ethics panel: Rangel violated rules

  November 16, 2010 11:31 AM

  WASHINGTON - Rep. Charles Rangel, once one of the most influential House members, was convicted Tuesday on 11 counts of breaking ethics rules and now faces punishment. An ethics panel of eight House peers deliberated over two days before delivering a jarring blow to the 20-term New York Democrat's career.... more »

• Gosserand attorney wants blood sample split

  November 10, 2010 2:00 PM

  POINTE COUPEE PARISH - An emotional Victoria Gosserand was in court for a motions hearing today, along with more than a dozen family members of the woman she's accused of killing in a drunken crash last December. Gosserand's attorney filed a motion asking that a blood sample taken from... more »

• Panel to hear results of its probe into Gulf spill

  November 8, 2010 6:21 AM

  WASHINGTON D.C. - Hearings get underway today where independent investigators will release their initial findings into the causes of the massive Gulf oil spill. Representatives of the three companies involved in the spill will be there as well. The seven-member commission has a Jan. 11 deadline to report their findings... more »

• Demond Cook makes court appearance after escape

  October 21, 2010 9:53 AM

  The man who escaped from the district courthouse in Baton Rouge and was re-captured Tuesday was back in court this morning. There was extra security as Demond Cook was taken to the courtroom, and a judge rescheduled his sentencing hearing for a kidnapping and armed robbery conviction to November... more »

• Inmate caught after running out of Livingston courtroom

  October 19, 2010 10:19 AM

  UPDATE 11:43 p.m. - The man that ran out of a drug court hearing after he was sentenced to serve time is now back in custody, according to authorities. Dennis Caruso ran out of the parish courthouse this morning after he was sentenced to jail time in drug court.... more »

• Judge Stays Put

  October 14, 2010 8:05 PM

  A state judge in Texas refused to step aside in a hearing that could determine if a man was wrongfully executed even though prosecutors asked him to recuse himself. Judge Charlie Baird says he'll preside over the case that could clear Cameron Willingham of setting a fire that killed... more »

• Panel to weigh in early on drilling moratorium

  September 27, 2010 2:29 PM

  The government agency in charge of offshore drilling will weigh in ahead of schedule on whether a ban on new deepwater wells should be lifted. The chief of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Michael Bromwich, told an investigative panel Monday that he is a month ahead of schedule in... more »

• Judge asked to delay sentencing in bridge shooting

  August 31, 2010 5:34 AM

  Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to reconsider his refusal to postpone a sentencing hearing for Jeffrey Lehrmann. Lehrmann is a former New Orleans police detective who pleaded guilty to helping cover up a deadly police shooting after Hurricane Katrina. Justice Department lawyers want the judge to postpone Lehrmann's sentencing... more »

• Protester interrupts BP hearing

  June 17, 2010 10:41 AM

  A protester interrupted a hearing on Capitol Hill just as BP CEO Tony Hayward began his testimony. Witnesses say Diane Wilson shouted "you should be charged with a crime" from the back of the room. Capitol police escorted her out of the room. After she left, Hayward said the... more »

• BP CEO tells Congress he's 'devastated' by spill

  June 17, 2010 9:24 AM

  In an atmosphere of high tension, a House panel has opened Congress' first hearing with BP CEO Tony Hayward answering questions about the catastrophic Gulf Coast oil spill. Hayward, sitting by himself at the witness table, is expected to be interrogated sharply by lawmakers about BP's preparedness for such a... more »

• State senators hold oil spill hearings

  June 17, 2010 5:07 AM

  Two Louisiana Senate committees are looking into the Gulf oil spill with a join hearing today. Panel members of the Senate's Natural Resources and Environmental Quality expect to get information from representatives of the governor's office; the Coast Guard; BP; rig-owner Transocean and subcontractor Halliburton. more »

• Lawmakers subpoena Transocean officials

  June 16, 2010 4:59 AM

  State senators subpoenaed Transocean officials to get them to appear at a Thursday hearing aimed at getting more details about the oil spill gushing in the Gulf of Mexico. The Senate Natural Resources Committee sent the subpoena after Transocean told them its officials won't be attending because they'll be in... more »

• Petraeus returns to hearing room

  June 15, 2010 9:36 AM

  Gen. David Petraeus is back in the Senate hearing room after being rushed out earlier this morning. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Petraeus had finished answering a question by Sen. John McCain. McCain was responding when the senator stopped talking suddenly and aides began crowding around Petraeus. Petraeus,... more »

• LSU Professor keeps job for another week

  May 20, 2010 10:45 PM

  Ivor Van Heerden will keep his position for at least the next week. The judge wrapped court late tonight but said the hearing could not continue until next Thursday. Lawyers for LSU argue that Van Heerden's termination was strictly business and cited budget cuts for deciding not to renew... more »

• Oil spill hearing

  May 18, 2010 11:04 AM

  A senate panel is looking closer at what caused the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon nearly a month ago in the Gulf of Mexico and led to the millions of gallons of crude oil spilling into the Gulf. The Senate Energy and natural Resources Committee Chairman says he hopes... more »

• Administration officials face Capitol Hill questions today

  May 17, 2010 6:19 AM

  Today administration officials get a chance to explain their role in responding to the Gulf oil spill. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and a top Coast Guard official are due to appear before a Senate panel. It comes as lawmakers push various ideas in response to the financial calamity that's... more »

• Worker: Firefighting efforts at oil rig were poorly coordinated

  May 11, 2010 10:52 AM

  A civilian Coast Guard employee says he was not aware of anyone coordinating efforts to battle the flames that broke out at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf last month, killing eleven people. Kevin Robb, who helped coordinate the search and rescue efforts after the blast,... more »

• Oil blame game continues in Senate hearings

  May 11, 2010 10:18 AM

  The chairperson of a Senate panel says the failures that led to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico must be scrutinized so that new safety measures can be put in place. Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, opened the hearing today in Washington. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, said the accident should... more »

• Senate committee will hold hearing on oil spill

  May 5, 2010 8:56 AM

  The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee plans to hold a hearing on the Gulf oil spill next Tuesday, adding to a crowded calendar of oil hearings. Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., says the hearing will examine the spill's impact on the economy and environment. Officials from BP, Halliburton and... more »

• Bond hearing set for couple in man's slaying

  April 23, 2010 9:02 AM

  A state judge will hear a motion to reduce bond for Monroe couple charged with second-degree murder on May 10. Herbert Wayne Ruebin and Annette Florez Ruebin were arrested in December in the death of 71-year-old Howard Livingston. Each defendant faces a $500,000 bond and both remain in jail. Ouachita... more »

• Delay sought for hearing in Landrieu office case

  April 13, 2010 2:52 PM

  Lawyers for the four activists accused of trying to tamper with the phones in Sen. Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office, are seeking to postpone their arraignments on reduced charges. James O'Keefe, Stan Dai, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan are set to be arraigned April 21 on misdemeanor charges of... more »

• Public voices concern on gas storage

  March 10, 2010 7:29 AM

  Dozens of residents and salt miners spoke out against plans to build a natural gas storage facility in the Cote Blanche salt dome at a public hearing. Henry Gas Storage hopes to build four natural gas caverns in the dome and construct about 12 miles of new natural gas pipelines... more »

• Salt dome hearing Tuesday

  March 8, 2010 6:47 AM

  St. Mary Parish residents will get the chance to hear more about a proposal to store natural gas in the Cote Blanche salt dome during a public hearing on Tuesday. The hearing will be hosted by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and is part of the permitting process that... more »

• Bond refused for former alderman and teacher

  March 4, 2010 7:32 AM

  Update: Larry Caillier Jr. has been denied bond on child pornography charges. According to investigators, the charges stem from an interaction Caillier had with a student in which the two allegedly exchanged explicit texts and photos by cell phones. Former Opelousas alderman and Opelousas High School teacher Larry Caillier... more »

• Bond hearing set for former Opelousas councilman

  March 2, 2010 8:08 AM

  Former Opelousas alderman and Opelousas High School teacher Larry Caillier Jr. was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on three separate charges involving child pornography. Caillier will appear before a federal judge Wednesday for a bond hearing. Caillier's attorney says he intends to plead not guilty. more »

• Public meeting for proposed Houma-Thibodaux to La 3127 Connection

  March 1, 2010 9:35 AM

  There will be a public meeting hosted by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to give information on the Houma-Thibodaux to La. 3127 Connection Environmental Impact Statement. It will be held Tuesday, March 9, 2010, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Gouaux Auditorium, located at Nicholls State... more »

• MJ's dad wants money from son's estate

  January 28, 2010 9:39 PM

  Michael Jackson's father has a court date in May before a Los Angeles Judge to determine if he should receive a monthly allowance of more than $15,000 from the pop star's estate. Joe Jackson sought a stipend in November, saying he has very little monthly income. He was omitted from... more »