News for Friday 010413

By Dave Graichen

The owner of BP's ill-fated Deepwater Horizon oil rig, Transocean Inc.,  has made a $1.4-Billion settlement with the federal government for civil  a criminal fines related to the 2010 oil spill. The recently passed “Restore” Act  means hundreds of millions  of the billion-dollar Transocean settlement will come to Louisiana for  coastal projects.

Shreveport's now-closed GM assembly plant will soon reopen--making low  cost, high mileage 3-wheeled vehicles. Paul Elio (ee-lee-oh) is head of  Elio Motors. He says the front-wheel drive "car" can get over 70 miles  per gallon of gas.  Elio's vehicle is a two seater, but the passenger sits behind the driver, reducing wind resistance and increasing fuel efficiency. The price tag about $6,800. Elio will hire up to 1500 workers by 2015--paying average  salaries around $47-thousand. Production should begin by June of 2014.

The 113th Congress has been sworn in and the new term means bigger  responsibilities for a couple of Louisiana federal lawmakers. Quitman  Republican Congressman Rodney Alexander is now a chairman of an  appropriations subcommittee. Alexander says this position will give him  a larger say on how the federal budget should be constructed. Republican Senator David Vitter has become the top GOP member of the  Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Vitter says this panel  has jurisdiction over environmental regulations. The committee also has supervision over the Corps of Engineers and has a say in funding for  highway transportation projects.

It's crawfish time again and it looks like it's going to be a  plentiful season. Louisiana Crawfish Farmers Association Executive  Director Stephen Minvielle says at the start of the season you'll  typically see small mudbugs with hard shells, but this year they're nice and big. He says crawfish farmers are off to a great start.

Contained within the " fiscal cliff" legislation passed by Congress is  an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill. The short-term extension is good  through September and then the federal government will have to pass a  new Farm Bill. State Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says the  extension keeps in place many subsidies for farmers.  Strain says the Farm Bill extension also blocks milk and bread prices  from drastically increasing.

Detectives are investigating the deaths of two people found dead inside  a Shreveport home by a family member. Police Corporal Marcus Hines  says when officers arrived, the bodies of an adult female and adult  male were found inside the home. Hines says if it is a double homicide, it would be the first two murders  within Shreveport's city limits this year. He says they are in the early  stages of the investigation.

It’s just  one month until the Super Bowl is held in  the  Superdome  in  New  Orleans.  Already  crews are hard at work, getting  the  Dome  ready  -  inside and out - for  the  big  event. Hundreds of thousands are expected  to come to the Crescent City for the  47th Super Bowl; over 5000 media  people  will  be  there  too. Police  warn  locals to expect street closures near the dome and for parking to be...difficult.

Let’s not forget the everyday heroes, A state trooper and an off-duty firefighter rescued a woman from her burning car, after she ran it up under an 18-wheeler yesterday morning  in  Livingston  Parish.  The  woman is believed to have passed out behind the wheel due to a medical  condition. The fireman and trooper were nearby and pulled the woman from her car before she could be seriously injured.

Two Tioga  men are behind bars after locking themselves out of a home and trying to  break  back in using an axe. Rapides deputies say Joe McCartney and Travis Barlow  -  both  25  -  were  pretty drunk when officers found them fighting in the home's yard. They've  both  been released on $250 bond. Deputies kept the axe.