Louisiana State Police Troop D will have additional troopers on patrol this Labor Day holiday.  

U.S. Senator David Vitter today called on Charlie Melancon to apologize to the large number of tea party members and voters in Louisiana for comparing them to the fringe, far-left activist group MoveOn.org.

An oil platform exploded and burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday, the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months.

The U.S. Department of Education awards a 170-million-dollar grant to a consortium of 26 states, including Louisiana, to develop new common assessments for public school students.

An early morning fire Thursday in the 2200 block of Curtis Street kept Baton Rouge firefighters busy for a while. 

Baton Rouge police report that officers responded to a shooting about 3:30 Thursday morning in the 1500 block of North Marque Ann Drive where they found a black male lying in a parking lot who had been shot. 

The latest daily tracking poll gives a five-point edge to Barack Obama over John McCain with only six days until the presidential election.  The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby survey of likely voters put the split at 49-percent Obama to 44-percent McCain.  The Democratic candidate's lead is the same held by Republican George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore with six days left to the 2000 election. 

Congress hears testimony on the broken economy and how to fix it today.  The first of two hearings will feature testimony by governors from New York and South Carolina in a session on economic recovery and jobs creation.  Another session will look at how spending money on infrastructure such as bridges and highways can create jobs. 

The death toll has risen to more than 160 from a powerful earthquake that rocked southwest Pakistan yesterday.  The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude six-point-four.  The death toll is expected to climb as bodies are discovered beneath the rubble of hundreds of collapsed homes. 

A key FBI witness returns to the stand today in the Fort Dix terrorism trial.  FBI informant Mahmoud Omar testified Tuesday about wearing a recording device as he talked with five men accused of plotting an attack on the New Jersey military installation.  Jurors heard excerpts of some 200 conversations taped over the course of a year.

Judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are again weighing a ban on so-called partial-birth abortions in Virginia.  They've ruled twice before that the 2003 law isn't constitutional.  In their last ruling, judges said women would be overly burdened by the law as they try to decide whether to have the procedure.

Cloris Leachman is out at "Dancing With The Stars."  The 82-year-old Emmy and Oscar winner humorously vowed to return next week despite being eliminated from the ABC competition.  Leachman sat down in mock defiance on the dance floor and announced she wasn't leaving. 

A new plan to help Americans avoid losing their homes may emerge today.  The "Wall Street Journal" says Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Sheila Bair will testify before a Senate Banking Committee hearing.  She's expected to suggest the government give banks a financial incentive to turn troubled loans into more affordable mortgages.

It'll be a time out from the White House campaign trail for Barack Obama after an afternoon rally in Indianapolis.  Obama will fly to Hawaii to visit his ailing grandmother.  Obama's departure from the campaign trail comes as he remains ahead of Republican rival John McCain in most major polls.

A third round of job cuts this year will again thin the ranks of employees at Goldman Sachs.  A source says the bank plans to slash over 32-hundred jobs.  The bank has suffered the least amount of damage among its peers in the global financial crisis, but industry analysts expect it to shrink its prime brokerage and securitization businesses. 

Vandals hit the homes of six Minnesota members of Congress overnight Tuesday.  Reports surfaced yesterday morning after someone spray-painted the message "U R A Criminal, Resign or Else!" on the garage of Senator Norm Coleman's St. Paul home.  Police are investigating, but so far have no suspects.

A federal magistrate has ordered controversial Christian evangelist Tony Alamo [[ uh-LAHM-o ]] to remain in custody until his trial on child sex charges.  His arrest in late September followed a raid on his compound in Fouke, Arkansas where six young girls were taken into protective custody by the state.

A 32-room Park Avenue apartment is quietly being put up for sale, but it probably won't be the right price range for most househunters.  The "New York Observer" reports the broker won't give an exact price except to insist it'll break the current record of 60 million dollars.  

Campaign stops by Barack Obama in Madison, Wisconsin and Des Moines, Iowa have been called off this week due to his ailing grandmother.  Obama will leave the campaign trail Thursday and Friday to travel to Hawaii to visit Madelyn Dunham who is said to be seriously ill.  Dunham raised Obama in Hawaii until he left for college.

Wall Street investors hope the markets can produce another positive day.  Yesterday, the market began the week with a rally, pushed by rising prices for energy stocks.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was higher by 413 points to close at 92-65, the S&P 500 was up 45 to 985 and the Nasdaq rose 59 points to 17-70.

Key changes are coming to Nebraska's safe haven law following an agreement reached between state senators and Governor Dave Heineman.  Since the law took effect in July, several older children, including teens, have been abandoned by their parents at designated locations meant for newborns.

Suicide rates among middle-aged women are driving the number of overall suicides up.  A disturbing pattern emerged from 1999 to 2005, especially in poisoning suicides among women.  The findings are considered substantial because suicide is currently the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.  The report appears in the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine."

A new survey shows many Americans are sending and receiving text messages in less than safe situations.  The survey indicates 77-percent have used text messaging mobile e-mail devices while driving a vehicle.  In addition, 41-percent say they've used such a device while skiing, on horseback or riding a bicycle.

Virginia's new Fast Play Super 7's lottery game produced a lot of big winners in its debut on Sunday, but not by design.  The "Washington Post" reports that terminals in stores across the state erroneously printed more than 600 tickets, producing more "sevens" than intended.