A New Orleans judge ruling says BP’s reckless conduct is what caused the huge Gulf oil spill in 2010. Eric Smith is the Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute, and he says that’s big bucks that BP is on the hook for, which means its fairly certain they will appeal…

CUT 8 (13) Q: “18 billion dollars”

He says the fine is based on the number of barrels spilled.

A total of 21 sex offenders in Calcasieu Parish have been have been arrested for using social media sites, which is a violation of state law. Louisiana State Police Sgt. James Anderson says those arrests in “Operation Off Limits” are only the beginning…

CUT 11 (04) Q: “are possible”

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A man who set up a scholarship fund to honor a Slidell college student that was killed in a car crash, has been arrested for allegedly stealing money from the account to honor 19 year-old Hayley Howard from Slidell. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office Captain George Bonnett says 29 year-old Jonathan Holcomb stole quite a bit…

CUT 4 (11) Q: “personal bank account”

Holcomb has been charged with felony theft.
According to new a study compiled by Forbes Magazine, the Houma-Thibodaux area ranks No. 8 among America’s fastest-growing small cities.

CUT 12 (13) “energy related towns”

That’s Forbes Story contributor Joel Kotkin.

A judge in New Orleans says BP’s reckless conduct is what caused millions of gallons of oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 2 (35) “reporting”

Former LSU track star and Olympian Lolo Jones will compete on season 19 of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars”. And Jones is not the only Louisianian taking part. “Duck Dynasty” star Sadie Robertson will compete this season as well.

Louisiana State Police announce the arrest of 21 sex offenders in Calcasieu Parish busted for using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Sgt. James Anderson says “Operation Off Limits” included cooperation with several other law enforcement agencies…

cut 9 (05) “networking sites”

State law prohibits registered sex offenders convicted of certain crimes involving minors from accessing social networking sites.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says a man, who set up a scholarship fund to honor 19-year-old UNO student Hayley Howard who died in the car crash in March, is accused of stealing money from the account. Captain George Bonnett says 29-year-old Jonathan Holcomb approached Haley’s family and offered to help raise funds in her name. He says there were other people involved with the fundraiser who noticed a significant amount of money missing from the account so they called the cops…

cut 5 (12) “for personal use”

Holcomb is charged with felony theft.

A federal judge in New Orleans says BP’s reckless conduct is what caused millions of gallons of oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. There was a trial regarding the spill dealing with fault last year, and US District Judge Carl Barbier delayed the ruling until today. The ruling states BP is 67 percent to blame for the spill, while rig owner Transocean take 30 percent, and contractor Halliburton takes 3 percent. Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute, Eric Smith, says the fine is based on the number of barrels of oil spilled…

cut 7 (09) “by a factor of four”

He says the oil giant will appeal this ruling.

Forbes Magazine has ranked the Houma-Thibodaux area number eight in their list of fastest-growing small cities. The rankings are based on population growth, job growth, and several other factors. The Houma-Thibodaux area had the lowest jobless rate in the country in February at 2.8 percent. The Villages, FL came in at number one on the list.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says a man, who set up a scholarship fund to honor a Slidell woman who died in a car crash, is accused of stealing money from the account. Michelle Southern has that…

cut 1 (35) “reporting”

A federal judge in New Orleans says BP’s reckless conduct is what caused millions of gallons of oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute, Eric Smith, says this ruling means the bill BP would have to pay quadruples under the Clean Water Act…

cut 6 (05) “that is authorized”

The judge says BP is 67-percent to blame for the spill, while rig owner Transocean takes 30-percent and cement contractor Halliburton takes 3 percent. Smith says BP will most certainly appeal the ruling.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says a man, who set up a scholarship fund to honor a Slidell woman who died in a car crash, is accused of stealing money from the account. 19-year-old UNO student Hayley Howard was missing for four days in March before her car was found in the water near Lake Ponchartrain. Captain George Bonnett…

cut 3 (09) “was missing”

Bonnett says an investigation revealed 29-year-old Jonathan Holcomb was writing checks to himself out of the account. He is charged with felony theft.

The Department of Health and Hospitals says Louisiana Medicaid and Blue Cross will no longer pay for early elective medically unnecessary deliveries of newborns before 39 weeks of gestation. DHH Secretary Kathy Kleibert says these early elctive deliveries are called “convenience births”…

cut 7 (07) “this day and time”

Any births deemed medically necessary before 39 weeks will still be covered.

Republican Dr. Ralph Abraham has taken the lead in the 5th District Congressional race, according to a new poll by the Glascock Group. Abraham comes in with 22-percent of the vote, followed by incumbent Vance McAllister at 20-percent and Democratic Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo with 15-percent. Pollster Darrell Glascock says Abraham’s support seems to be district wide…

cut 10 (06) “candidates are”

He says this will be an advantage for Abraham as he is not relying solely on votes from the Monroe area.

A US federal judge has ruled that reckless conduct by British Petroleum led to the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill. The ruling by Judge Carl Barbier could nearly quadruple the amount of civil penalties BP faces for polluting the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll have more on this story as more information becomes available.

Blue Cross and Louisiana Medicaid will no longer pay for early elective medically unnecessary deliveries of newborns before 39 weeks of gestation. Jeff Palermo reports…

cut 2 (27) “reports”

In a new poll, Republican Dr. Ralph Abraham has taken the lead in the 5th District Congressional race. Abraham comes in at 22-percent followed by incumbent Republican Vance McAllister with 20-percent and Democratic Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo with 15-percent. Duck Dynasty favorite Republican Zach Dasher polls at 7-percent of the vote and Pollster Darrell Glascock says he’s not surprised…

cut 12 (12) “the game, there”

The poll was conducted by the Glascock Group.

The National Weather Service says this summer will go down as the wettest on record for Lake Charles. Meteorologist Donald Jones says nearly 37 inches of rain fell June through August. He says an interesting note about this record is that surrounding areas did not approach a record summer rainfall…

Cut 15 (10) “of rain”

The old record was 33 inches in 1989.

The Louisiana State Police Retirement System Board of Trustees is holding a public meeting this afternoon to discuss concerns of political maneuvering which passed a law giving Col. Mike Edmonson a huge pension hike. State Treasurer John Kennedy believes the right thing to do is to file suit immediately…

cut 6 (11) “the same”

Edmonson says he will refuse the extra retirement money but Kennedy says that’s not enough, the law needs to be removed from the books.

The Department of Health and Hospitals says Louisiana Medicaid will no longer pay for early elective medically unnecessary deliveries of newborns before 39 weeks of gestation. DHH Secretary Kathy Kleibert says Blue Cross is joining the state in the same effort. Kleibert says the payment change will, for most deliveries, push delivery dates to at least 39 weeks…

cut 9 (07) “ready to be born”

Any births before 39 weeks that are deemed medically necessary will continue to be covered.

In a new poll by the Glascock Group, Republican Dr. Ralph Abraham has taken the lead in the 5th District Congressional race. Abraham comes in at 22-percent followed by incumbent Republican Vance McAllister with 20-percent. Pollster Darrell Glascock says McAllister has a hard core base of 20-percent. He says in a field this large, that means you shouldn’t write off the incumbent…

cut 11 (14) “were last week”

Glascock believes McAllister’s drop in the poll can be attributed to the addition of Clyde Holloway to the candidate field.

The National Weather Service says this summer will go down as the wettest on record for Lake Charles. N-W-S Meteorologist Donald Jones says it’s unusual to break a record for summer rainfall without the help of a tropical storm…

Cut 14 (10) “specific area”

He says nearly 37 inches of rain fell June through August.

In a new poll by the Glascock Group, Republican Dr. Ralph Abraham has taken the lead in the 5th District Congressional race. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 3 (30) “reporting”

The New Orleans Police Department says three people are arrested in connection with a hit-and-run accident involving a stolen ATV which struck and killed a woman. They say 29-year-old Darrin Smith was booked with manslaughter in the July 27th death of 37-year-old Daphne COla. Two others who allegedly left the scene are booked with accessory to manslaughter.

The Department of Health and Hospitals says Louisiana Medicaid will no longer pay for early elective medically unnecessary deliveries of newborns before 39 weeks of the pregnancy. DHH Secretary Kathy Kleibert says women need to realize convenience births are not good and the benefits to having your baby full term are important…:
CUT 8 (07) “and the babies”
But she says any births before 39 weeks that are deemed medically necessary will continue to be covered.

Louisiana State Police Retirement System Board of Trustees is holding a public meeting this afternoon to discuss concerns of possible political maneuvering which created a law giving Col. Mike Edmonson a big retirement boost. State Treasurer John Kennedy says the findings clearly state that the proposal is against the constitution and he doesn’t expect much debate today…:
CUT 5 (09) “bad policy”

The State Police Retirement System Board of Trustees is holding a meeting this afternoon to discuss a controversial law dealing with boosts in two troopers retirement…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

Ray Nagin is apparently broke so US District Judge Ginger Berrigan signed off on approval for the former New Orleans Mayor to hire a public defender to handle his appeal. The judge says Nagin’s finances let him qualify for public legal representation. He reportedly has $23.65 in his bank account. A jury convicted Nagin on 20 counts in February and he’s scheduled to begin serving a ten year sentence on Monday.

In a new poll by the Glascock Group, Republican Dr. Ralph Abraham has taken the lead in the 5th District Congressional race. Abraham comes in at 22-percent followed by incumbent Republican Vance McAllister with 20-percent and Democratic Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo with 15-percent. Pollster Darrell Glascock says Abraham’s support appears to be district wide…:
CUT 10 (06) “candidates are”
Duck Dynasty favorite Republican Zach Dasher polls at 7-percent of the vote.

The National Weather Service says this summer will go down as the wettest on record for Lake Charles. The N-W-S Meteorologist Donald Jones says nearly 37 inches of rain fell during the months of June, July and August, breaking the old record of 33 inches in 1989…:
CUT 13 (12) “across the area”
He says another interesting note about this record is that surrounding areas did not approach a record summer rainfall.