By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says floating barriers are on hand in case oil makes its way north to the salt-water lake. It's actually an oval estuary connected to the Gulf 70 miles to the south. Landrieu says the region needs the nation's help in making sure off-shore drilling is safe.

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Landry says attacks on the millions of barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf are successfully keeping it offshore.

"The vast majority of the Gulf Coast has seen no landfall from this spill. BP teams continue to respond to very sporadic reports of tar balls, ribbons of emulsified oil."

But Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says those globs of oil could be a sign of much more on the way.

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Some scientists reviewing underwater footage of oil flowing from the BP well says it's coming out at a much higher rate than BP and federal officials are saying. After the rig exploded three weeks ago, Rear Admiral Mary Landry said the well appeared to be capped. She said later that about 1,000 barrels a day were leaking, then 5,000. Experts looking at BP's underwater images say it's more like 70,000 barrels a day

New Orleans, LA – Oil spill report from Zoe Sullivan regarding the use of hair in booms, Opera at Madewood Plantation, Story Corps New Orleans - Peter Mayer

Peter Mayer emigrated with his family from Germany as World War Two approached. He was six years old at the time and spoke no English. He and his family settled in Uptown and he has remained in New Orleans to the present day. He's 80 years old now, and is being interviewed by his son, Josh, who's 49. This conversation was recorded March 21, 2010.

Peter recalls New Orleans during his early years, and is asked about the days after the war, the historic time when Israel became a state, his college days, military service and his return to New Orleans.

By Diane Mack

New Orleans, La. – Lisa Picone, a rising star in New Orleans theater pays homage to legendary singer Peggy Lee in, Lisa Sings Lee, at Le Chat Noir.

By Zoe Sullivan

New Orleans, LA – This Week, federal authorities expanded the area off-limits to fishing to 11,000 square miles of coastline stretching from Louisiana to Florida. Oil has been spilling from the Deepwater Horizon well for close to 3 weeks, and attempts to stop the flow have so far failed. As the mass of oil nears the Louisiana marshes, residents respond to try and save the wetlands that protect cities from hurricanes and provide breeding grounds for fish and wildlife. Zoe Sullivan reports

By Ian McNulty

New Orleans, La. – My friend Mike Kerrigan read my thoughts clearly during my first trip to Venice, La., last summer. We were on our way to an offshore fishing charter and he drove while I gazed through his truck's windshield at the stark, industrial picture Venice presents to visitors arriving by land.

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – June first marks the first day of hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico. So far, weather has mostly been calm, but stormy conditions have kept skimmers off choppy waters for days at a time since the drilling rig exploded three weeks ago. But Coast Guard Rear Mary Landry says coastal communities are well-trained in handling hurricane conditions.