The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a 41-year-old businessman who moved to New Orleans from Georgia after the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010 has been charged with defrauding a compensation fund set up for victims.

The Justice Department says Dwayne Smith was charged last week on one count of mail fraud.

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten alleges Smith moved to New Orleans four months after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and set up a business called D&D Designs.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposal to boost the amount rank-and-file state workers pay for their retirement has been approved by the Louisiana Senate. The measure was approved yesterday, but only after several provisions were added that make it unlikely the full 2 percentage point increase would take effect. 

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal's top budget adviser says the $25 billion budget proposal passed by the House could force steep cuts in public colleges and health care, damaging services.

Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater outlined his concerns Monday to the Senate Finance Committee.

GOP lawmakers in the House forced reductions of $268 million more than the Republican Jindal administration and Democrats want, saying they didn't want to use one-time dollars to pay for ongoing expenses.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana Legislature is asking the NFL to reconsider the penalties imposed on the New Orleans Saints because of its bounty program.

The formal request received final legislative passage with a 28-1 Senate vote Monday.

In the resolution, lawmakers say there is "widespread public opinion throughout the state of Louisiana and beyond that the penalties imposed upon the Saints are too harsh and should be reconsidered."

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Hornets will continue receiving a tax break that saves the NBA team $37 million over 10 years.

The Senate sent the tax break bill to the governor's desk Monday with a 28-7 vote. The measure is part of the state's deal to the keep the Hornets in Louisiana.

The tax break ran into sharp criticism in the House, where lawmakers bristled at the idea of giving a multimillion dollar tax break while also weighing budget cuts to colleges and health services.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's public colleges say they will be forced to make steep cuts next year if state senators agree to the version of the $25 billion budget passed by the House.

The governor's budget office says higher education would take cuts topping $200 million in the new fiscal year that begins July 1, under the House-approved budget.

Senators get their first look Monday at the House budget.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler and the state's registrars of voters are encouraging all Louisiana residents who are at least 17 years old to register to vote, if they're not already registered.

Louisiana's annual Voter Registration Week begins Monday. Registrars throughout the state will host registration events through Friday 

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is going to hold a free workshop about asbestos and lead regulations on May 23. It will summarize changes in asbestos regulations and any changes in rules for lead-based paint. The workshop is open to the public. 

The 12th annual Satchmo SummerFest will be held Aug. 3-5 at the Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint.

The festival is dedicated to the life, legacy and music of New Orleans' native son, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. 

Nicholls State University in Thibodaux is taking a new perspective on tracking coastal erosion and the health of Louisiana's barrier islands more closely.

The islands are an important habitant for migratory birds and a front-line protection against hurricanes, but the islands have undergone heavy erosion as the state's coast has faded into the Gulf of Mexico.