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California authorities report they have arrested New Orleans fugitive, Darnell Ellis, who is wanted on charges for drugs and gang activity.more>> California authorities report they have arrested New Orleans fugitive, Darnell Ellis, who is wanted on charges for drugs and gang activity.more>> Lawmakers move one step closer to stripping financial control of the Coroner's Office from Dr. Peter Galvan and the St. Tammany Parish coroner and many of his higher-paid staff could be close to getting their paychecks cut.more>> Lawmakers move one step closer to stripping financial control of the Coroner's Office from Dr. Peter Galvan, and the St. Tammany Parish coroner and many of his higher-paid staff could be close to getting their paychecks cut.more>> Governor Bobby Jindal joined area leaders at Nicholls State University Tuesday for a big announcement. A company based in Lafourche Parish since the 1940's is planning a major expansion around the state.
more>> Governor Bobby Jindal joined area leaders at Nicholls State University Tuesday for a big announcement. A company based in Lafourche Parish since the 1940's is planning a major expansion around the state.
more>> A businessman gets results, after making a public plea to help him find the man who he says ripped him off.more>> A businessman gets results, after making a public plea to help him find the man who he says ripped him off.more>> A former federal prosecutor tells a local community activist he's had enough of her comments.more>> A former federal prosecutor tells a local community activist he's had enough of her comments.more>> Senators postponed a vote Tuesday on a controversial bill that would prohibit enforcement in Louisiana of any federal bans on assault weapons, after opponents called the measure unconstitutional.more>> Senators postponed a vote Tuesday on a controversial bill that would prohibit enforcement in Louisiana of any federal bans on assault weapons, after opponents called the measure unconstitutional.more>> Lawmakers are looking for ways to create roadblocks for Planned Parenthood's construction of a new facility in New Orleans that would provide abortions in addition to other health care services for women.more>> Lawmakers are looking for ways to create roadblocks for Planned Parenthood's construction of a new facility in New Orleans that would provide abortions in addition to other health care services for women.more>> A 41-year-old man is living and breathing with a heart made of plastic. Alfred Williams received the first Total Artificial Heart transplant in the Gulf South three months ago at Ochsner.
more>> A 41-year-old man is living and breathing with a heart made of plastic. Alfred Williams received the first Total Artificial Heart transplant in the Gulf South three months ago at Ochsner.
more>> Three years after the Gulf oil disaster, areas of the South Louisiana marsh fall silent.
more>> Three years after the Gulf oil disaster, areas of the South Louisiana marsh fall silent. Researchers expected the wildlife population to be impacted by oil in the first year and then bounce back. In some areas, that has yet to happen.more>> TripAdvisor users are giving New Orleans enough positive feedback to make the city one of the website's top U.S. tourism destinations for 2013.more>> TripAdvisor users are giving New Orleans enough positive feedback to make the city one of the website's top U.S. tourism destinations for 2013.more>>
WASHINGTON (AP) - The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on an increase in the nation's debt limit, a move designed to prevent a first-ever government default.
The vote marks a change in strategy for House Republicans who run the chamber and who remain adamant about reducing government spending but decided not to use the debt limit to trigger a confrontation with President Barack Obama.
Instead, they have said the debt increase measure will require the House and Senate to approve budgets that call for spending cuts, with pay withheld for lawmakers in either house that failed to do so.
The current debt limit is $16.4 trillion. The legislation does not set a specific limit; rather it would automatically increase the limit by the amount required to fund U.S. government obligations through May 18. But that date is not likely a hard deadline because the Treasury would retain a limited ability to exercise so-called extraordinary measures and juggle certain accounts to buy limited additional time before a default on U.S. obligations.
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