NEW ORLEANS METRO REAL-TIME NEWS

Breaking Local News from New Orleans, Louisiana

An animal rights group on Friday asked a U.S. Department of Agriculture agency to look into an owner's treatment of a circus elephant that escaped and was hit by a sport utility vehicle on a northwestern Oklahoma highway. The 29-year-old female elephant, meanwhile, was treated by veterinarians at Oklahoma State University and released to its owner, said university spokesman... Full story »

A man so broke that he said he didn't have the money to visit his son 30 minutes away opened fire Friday at the engineering firm that fired him two years ago, killing one person and wounding five, authorities said. As officers led a handcuffed Jason Rodriguez into a police station, a reporter asked the divorced 40-year-old why he... Full story »

Orleans Parish criminal courts must comply with the law that ensures that people are not held longer than 48 hours after arrest without a judge determining there was probable cause for the collar, the Louisiana Supreme Court said Friday. The ruling came two weeks after several justices expressed dismay with the way that the local Magistrate Court handles the... Full story »

A Hammond man flipped his Chevrolet Camaro over while apparently drag racing on an eastern New Orleans lakefront road early Friday and died, according to authorities. Carlon Brown was 43, coroner's chief investigator John Gagliano said. Brown zoomed his late model car west down the 14000 block of Hayne Boulevard about 1 a.m., NOPD spokeswoman officer Shereese Harper said. He suddenly lost... Full story »

The House on Friday approved a chemical security bill that supporters say will better protect communities near chemical plants against terrorist attacks. It would require the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of chemical plants that contain sufficient quantities of "substances of concern" to pose a serious security risk. The department would be given the authority to... Full story »

The state legislative auditor's office will look into dueling claims by St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis and Sheriff Jack Strain accusing each other of misusing sales-tax money. The accusations flew on Thursday, as Davis asked for an investigation into the sheriff's use of money from a sales tax dedicated to the St. Tammany Parish jail. In response, Strain... Full story »

Federal officials cast indictments as a blow against New Orleans' culture of corruption Full story »

Low pressure is expected to steer it eastward Full story »

Former U.S. representative would face the longest prison term ever imposed for congressional corruption Full story »

Judge Joan Benge of the 24th Judicial District should be removed from office for throwing a civil case eight years ago in violation of judicial ethics and the state Constitution, a unanimous state Supreme Court said Friday. Benge, 53, a former Jefferson Parish prosecutor who was elected in 2001, was found to have granted an award in a personal... Full story »

Amid intense lobbying by the Obama administration, House Democratic leaders struggled Friday for the final votes needed to pass sweeping health care legislation, offering fresh concessions to abortion opponents and working to ease concerns among Hispanic holdouts. "We're very close" to having enough votes to prevail, said Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, although he added a scheduled Saturday... Full story »

A roadside bomb killed Pfc. Brian Bates and seven other soldiers Full story »

All-terrain vehicle trails have water on them, but boat launches and picnic areas are on higher ground Full story »

A teenager was charged Friday with killing a nun after allegedly breaking into her trailer home on the Navajo Indian reservation in search of cash or valuable items. Federal authorities accused Reehahlio Carroll, 18, of Navajo of "unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought" in the death of 64-year-old Sister Marguerite Bartz, who served at St. Berard... Full story »