Latest Louisiana Headlines
All the headlines from our Louisiana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Man Gets 14.5-Year Sentence After Sixth DWI Conviction
Jul 24 2015 // A 45-year-old Baker, La., man has been sentenced to 14 1/2 years in state prison for his sixth DWI conviction since 2000. Prosecutors say Michael Scott Oneill’s blood-alcohol level was 0.152 percent when he was...
35 Louisiana Parishes Declared Natural Disaster Areas: USDA
Jul 24 2015 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared a natural disaster involving 35 Louisiana parishes and eight counties in three neighboring states because of rain, floods, high winds and hail from April 27 through June...
Speed a Factor in 27% of Louisiana Traffic Deaths in 2013: Report
Jul 23 2015 // A new report finds speeding was a factor in at least 27 percent of Louisiana traffic fatalities in 2013. The state had 703 traffic fatalities two years ago and 193 stemmed in part from speeding, a National Highway Traffic...
Bad Faith Liability and an Insurer’s Refusal to Settle
Jul 22 2015 // Did you know that that an insurer can be liable for bad faith failure to settle even if it never receives a firm settlement offer? The Louisiana Supreme Court recently ruled that it can and also that an insurer can be...
Louisiana Public Agencies Accept Nearly $250M in BP Settlements
Jul 21 2015 // Public agencies in the New Orleans area have accepted about a quarter-billion dollars from BP for economic losses resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports the Southeast...
Insurer’s Refusal to Settle Can Lead to Bad Faith Liability
Jul 20 2015 // Did you know that that an insurer can be liable for bad faith failure to settle even if it never receives a firm settlement offer? The Louisiana Supreme Court recently ruled that it can and also that an insurer can be...
Louisiana to Withdraw from Multi-State Surplus Lines Clearinghouse
Jul 16 2015 // Effective Oct. 1, Louisiana will withdraw from the Nonadmitted Insurance Multi-state Agreement (NIMA) and the NIMA-sponsored surplus lines clearinghouse, state insurance regulators announced. The state’s withdrawal...
New Fire Station to Help Lower Insurance Rates in Louisiana Town
Jul 15 2015 // Residents north of Thibodaux can expect better fire protection and lower insurance premiums with a new, 3,700-square-foot station being built along La. Highway 1. The Daily Comet reports the Chackbay Volunteer Fire...
Feral Hog Damage to Louisiana Crops: $30M and Counting
Jul 14 2015 // A study by the LSU AgCenter finds feral hogs have caused at least $30 million in damage to crops on Louisiana farms in 2013. AgCenter economist Shaun Tanger has been gathering data for more than a year from Louisiana...
Louisiana Local Governments Act to Share Millions in BP Settlement
Jul 10 2015 // Local governments in Louisiana have begun accepting settlements for their share of a proposed $18.7 billion settlement between BP, Louisiana, four other states and the federal government to mitigate claims stemming from...
Lawsuit Filed in Louisiana to Halt Injection Well Permit
Jul 9 2015 // Environmental groups and a Belle River, La. community group have filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Natural Resources alleging that the departments should never have granted a permit for an injection well. FAS...
Louisiana Commissioner Requests Flood Claim Deadline Extension
Jul 6 2015 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requires homeowners to file a Proof of Loss form to claim damages within 60 days of a flood. On June 17 in a letter to FEMA...
Report Says 6.6M-Plus Atlantic, Gulf Coast Homes at Risk of Storm Surge
Jul 6 2015 // More than 6.6 million homes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk of hurricane storm surge with a total reconstruction cost value estimated to be nearly $1.5 trillion, according to a recently released report. The...
Flooding Could Cost More Than Louisiana Property Owners Think
Jul 6 2015 // The flood plain manager for the Rapides Area Planning Commission in Louisiana said people whose homes flooded may find that repairs bring them under newer and stricter building standards. Melissa Becker told The Town Talk...
BP Settlement Doesn’t Cover Claims by Insurers, Banks, Casinos and Others
Jul 5 2015 // BP Plc’s record $18.7 billion settlement ended government claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, leaving numerous smaller private lawsuits to be mopped up. While investors, residents and businesses that...
6 Arrested in Louisiana for Oakdale Arsons
Jul 2 2015 // A monthlong investigation by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office into a string of fires in Oakdale has resulted in the arrest of six people, including three Allen Parish volunteer firefighters. Authorities said...
BP to Pay $18.7B Over 18 Years to Settle Spill Claims with 5 States, U.S.
Jul 2 2015 // BP Plc has agreed to a preliminary deal in which it will pay a record $18.7 billion to settle claims by five Gulf states and the U.S. government for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst oil spill in the...
Louisiana Farmers, Ranchers Brace for Worst Year Since 2008
Jun 26 2015 // Flooded fields and fickle temperatures put Louisiana farmers and ranchers in a pensive mood as they gathered here for the Farm Bureau Federation Convention, the state’s largest annual celebration of...
Fire Insurance Rates to Drop in Parts of Louisiana Parish
Jun 19 2015 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon says some East Feliciana Parish residents will see a drop in fire insurance rates. WAFB-TV reports homeowners living in Jackson, outside of Jackson corporate limits, and...
Louisiana, Oklahoma Face Deadlines for Flood Insurance Claims
Jun 18 2015 // Insurance regulators in Louisiana and Oklahoma are are encouraging folks with flood insurance policies to file claims from recent flooding in those states as soon as possible. FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program...
