Louisiana

HOUMA, La. — Police arrested a man who they said threatened Wal-Mart employees and customers with a BB pistol before fleeing on a bicycle.

Officers said the man argued with employees before pulling up the front of his shirt, exposing a pistol tucked into his pants, and announcing, “I’m about to shoot someone.”

Houma police said the incident happened over the weekend at the Wal-Mart in Houma. According to a media release, officers patrolling the area after the call saw a bicyclist matching the assailant’s description.

Officers said Dayshawn K. (Read the full post about ‘Police: Bicyclist Terrorized Wal-Mart With BB Gun’…)

BATON ROUGE, La. — Recall petitions continue to trickle into the Secretary of State’s Office in Baton Rouge - continued fallout from the pay raise that state lawmakers granted themselves before the last legislative session ended.

The latest subject of a recall petition is state Rep. Hunter Greene, a Baton Rouge Republican.

Greene is the fifth lawmaker to be targeted by a recall petition. Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has spoken out against the raise but so far refused to veto it, is also the subject of a recall effort.

NEW ORLEANS — A new federal report shows U.S. cotton acreage has hit its lowest level since 1983.

Shiela Corley, a cotton statistician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, attributes the decline to farmers using land traditionally used for cotton to crops demanding higher prices, such as corn and soybeans.

The department estimates cotton acreage at 9.25 million acres this year, down from 10.8 million acres a year ago. Farmers planted 7.9 million acres in 1983.

The biggest declines, according to the report, were in Mississippi and California.

Only two states, Oklahoma and Virginia, planted more cotton than in 2007.

NEW ORLEANS — The new U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development visited New Orleans Monday.

HUD Secretary Steven Preston came to town to visit the C.J. Peete, Desire and River Garden Housing Developments.

Preston and members of The Urban League were set to join Preston in a ground breaking ceremony for a new Child and Family Development Center to be located on land donated by the Housing Authority of New Orleans in the Desire community.

More than 4,500 housing developments in New Orleans have been demolished.

Demolition in the C.J. Peete and St. (Read the full post about ‘New HUD Secretary Visits Projects’…)

NEW ORLEANS — NewsChannel 6’s noon news has been preempted this week so that WDSU can broadcast grand slam tennis at Wimbledon.

Thank you for watching NewsChannel 6 and using WDSU.com.

MIAMI — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Louisiana banker who reportedly fell overboard on Wednesday.

The search was suspended at about 8 p.m. Friday, two days after 39-year-old Paul Callais of Gonzales, La., was reported missing 37 miles south of Great Inagua, Bahamas.

The crew of the 97-foot vessel Miss Glo reported him missing to the Coast Guard at about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

According to the ship’s crew, Callais might have fallen overboard after the vessel endured a heavy wave. The Miss Glo had been traveling from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos to the Cayman Islands.

Coast Guard crews searched nearly 2,820 square miles of the Caribbean Sea for Callais.

“The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is always a difficult one,” said Lt. (Read the full post about ‘Search Suspended For La. Banker Near Bahamas’…)

WASHINGTON — When Congress reopened the government’s discrimination settlement with black farmers, lawmakers budgeted just $100 million for damages. They probably should have handed over a blank check.

With more than 70,000 potential claimants, the liability could exceed $3 billion - triple the amount paid under the original 1999 agreement.

The settlement was reopened by legislation added to the farm bill passed last month. It illustrates how lawmakers often manipulate pay-as-you-go budget rules to give the appearance they are balancing the federal checkbook.

Supporters acknowledge that the $100 million was an arbitrary amount that won’t come close to covering the actual cost. (Read the full post about ‘Reopening Black Farmers’ Suits Could Cost Billions’…)

MORGAN CITY, La. — The Coast Guard investigated the cause of two oil sheens in the vicinity of Grand Isle, La., on Thursday.

The first sheen was reported on Thursday about 6 miles off the coast of Grand Isle. It wasn’t expected to impact the beach.

The second report was of an oil sheen that minimally impacted about 3 miles of the beach in Grand Isle on Friday.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Units in Houma and Morgan City, La., along with the Environment, Safety and Health Company worked together to clean up the oil on the affected area.

The 3-mile span of the beach will remain closed while the cleanup operations are conducted. (Read the full post about ‘Coast Guard Responds To 2 Oil Sheens Near Grand Isle’…)

NEW ORLEANS — Few ministries and local faith-based organizations have matched the commitment of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church when it comes to helping Hurricane Katrina victims.

This megachurch about 15 miles north of Dayton has sent 41 teams of volunteers to help rebuild the New Orleans area over two-and-a-half years.

Five teams have come so far in 2008. Six more are booked for later this year.

The Ohio volunteers come out of a faith community so ferociously committed to aiding the poor that its pastor, the Rev. (Read the full post about ‘Ohio Congregation Helps Katrina Victims’…)

NEW ORLEANS — Part of the mission of The New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation is to help with recruiting efforts.

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The police department lost hundreds of officers after Hurricane Katrina, but a new police recruiting campaign is drawing interest from all over the country.

From recruits in the classroom to receiving their certificates and becoming rookies on the streets, the New Orleans Police Department is working to increase the number of officers on the force.

“Our goal, by the end of the year, is to have above 1,500,” Police Superintendent Warren Riley said. (Read the full post about ‘NOPD Recruits Officers Nationwide’…)