The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

Wednesday, September 14, 2011  New evidence cites more BP oil spill mistakes as panel prepares to release its report

Tuesday, November 02, 2010  Police in northern Virginia say shots were fired overnight at a Coast Guard recruiting station, the latest case of someone shooting at military-related buildings

Sunday, October 24, 2010  The Coast Guard sent two flights over the West Bay area near Venice on Saturday. Two boats also went out to check the waters.

Friday, September 03, 2010  Unlike the blast that led to the massive BP spill, the latest oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico killed no one and sent no crude gushing into the water.

Sunday, August 01, 2010  The investigators said the U.S. Coast Guard routinely approved BP requests to use thousands of gallons of the chemical per day to break up the oil in the Gulf, despite a federal directive to use the dispersant rarely.

Friday, July 16, 2010  Pressure readings have been less than ideal from the new cap shutting oil into BP's busted well, but the crude will remain locked in while engineers look for evidence of whether there is an undiscovered leak.

Monday, May 24, 2010  Responding to the massive BP oil spill, Congress is getting ready to quadruple — to 32 cents a barrel — a tax on oil used to help finance cleanups. The increase would raise nearly $11 billion over the next decade.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010  The best short-term solution for bottling up the oil spill threatening sealife and livelihoods along the Gulf Coast should be arriving today.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010  Anxiety is high among residents and business owners along the Gulf Coast as oil from an exploded BP oil rig inches toward shore. Meanwhile, engineers are using a range of tactics to stop the leak. Read on for more about the Gulf Coast oil spill.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010  People along the Gulf Coast have spent weeks living with uncertainty, wondering where and when a huge slick of oil might come ashore, ruining their beaches — and their livelihoods.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010  Engineers are racing to stem the disastrous oil leak a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico, relying on a series of highly technical — and in some cases unprecedented — maneuvers.

Thursday, April 29, 2010  Story updated with complete transcript of White House briefing

Wednesday, April 28, 2010  Crews geared up to set fire to oil leaking from the site of an exploded drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, a last-ditch effort to get rid of it before it reaches environmentally sensitive marshlands on the coast.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010  Crews may set fires to burn off oil being spewed into the Gulf of Mexico by a blown-out well, the Coast Guard said Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010  A section of the Mississippi River in northeast Missouri is shut down after the release of sulfur trioxide at an industrial plant.