Coastal Restoration

A U.S. District judge on Thursday ruled that BP was “grossly negligent” in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 men and allowed millions of barrels of oil to flow out of the Macondo oil well into the Gulf of Mexico.

“The court concludes that the discharge of oil was the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct,” by BP, the ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier said. He found that BP was at fault for 67 percent of the spill. Two other companies involved—Transocean and Halliburton—were responsible for 30 and 3 percent, respectively. 

“The law is clear that proving gross negligence is a very high bar that was not met in this case,” BP said in a statement. “BP believes that an impartial view of the record does not support the erroneous conclusion reached by the District Court. The court has not yet ruled on the number of barrels spilled and no penalty has been determined. The District Court will hold additional proceedings, which are currently scheduled to begin in January 2015, to consider the application of statutory penalty factors in assessing a per-barrel Clean Water Act penalty.”

The Louisiana bayou, hardest working marsh in America, is in big trouble—with dire consequences for residents, the nearby city of New Orleans, and seafood lovers everywhere.

Ever wonder how the current metro-wide flood protection system would perform against a storm worse than Katrina and that was more of a direct hit?

Not only is it raining on their parade, but it's darn cold, too.Mardi Gras revelers in New Orleans — accustomed to balmy weather for their big annual celebra...

While In New Orleans, the luxury real-estate market is bouncing back, boosted by homeowners who want to stay in the city; historic homes, prime locations for Mardi Gras.

New Orleans City Councilwoman Stacy Head handily defeated Eugene Green on Saturday (Feb. 1) to claim the Division 1 at-large seat, the final leg in a race that boiled down to a voter referendum on the incumbent's track record.

The fourth government witness to take the stand Friday in the corruption trial of former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was Frank Fradella, former CEO of disaster management firm Home Solutions of America who was convicted of conspiring to bribe...

We take On Point to New Orleans to look at the state of America's battered coastlines.

City officials are attacking the problems that invite the rats — and they're winning.

Wendell Pierce on late-night po’boys, jazz joints, and why an actor would open a grocery store

BELLE CHASSE — As the Gulf of Mexico creeps closer and closer to New Orleans, the forested wetlands in between provides a crucial storm buffer between …

http://gallery.usgs.gov/videos/545 The 2011 Mississippi River flood was among the largest and most damaging to occur along this waterway in the past century....

He becomes the first mayor of New Orleans to be sent to federal prison.

ianEvery two weeks, a swath of Louisiana the size of this city's French Quarter vanishes into the Gulf of Mexico. Since the 1930s, the state has lost nearly 1,900 square miles, a quarter of its coastal land area.

Metro New Orleans approaches the busiest period of the 2013 hurricane season with the best flood control system of any coastal community in the United States: A $14.5-billion network of levees, floodwalls and pumps that nearly eliminates flooding for most...

Get the latest New Orleans, LA Local News, Sports News & US breaking News. View daily Louisiana weather updates, watch videos and photos, join the discussion in forums. Find more news articles and stories online at NOLA.com

Ray Nagin, the former two-term mayor of New Orleans indicted after he left office, was convicted Wednesday of 20 federal corruption charges, stemming from illegal dealings with city vendors dating back to 2004. A jury delivered the verdict just before...

Mitch Landrieu coasted Saturday to a second term as mayor of New Orleans, soundly defeating challengers Michael Bagneris and Danatus King, who had complained that his hard-charging style of governing alienated and ignored some of the city's most vulnerable communities.His...

A year after former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted on public corruption charges, his federal trial began Monday. Jury selection was set to begin at 10 a.m., barring a last-minute plea deal. Click refresh to see the latest.12:02...

The Audubon Nature Institute and San Diego Zoo Global are moving forward on a partnership that could help rebuild threatened species for generations to come, breaking ground Wednesday (Jan.

Offered up in response to an invitation from the editors, who wanted something to "bookend" the series, given that I had written a short primer when the drama premiered.  It's never fair to declaim...

The legal community remains skeptical that the federal agency's immunity can be punctured.

It all started in 2007, after a fateful call to Executive Director of The Woodlands Conservancy Katie Brasted from Brenda Puckett of Hands of Hope in Belle Chasse.