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SULPHUR, La. — "American Idol" contestant Josh Ledet gave a free outdoor concert in Sulphur. At the Saturday show, Ledet sang gospel music and songs made famous by Whitney Houston and Beyonce, as well as "Idol" fan favorites "When A Man Loves a Woman" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." 

BILOXI, Miss. — Mississippi's Department of Environmental Quality has posted more warnings of high bacteria levels along Mississippi beaches so far this year than in all of 2011. But the head of the Harrison County Sand Beach Authority says there have been fewer sewer-related problems in the past few years than there used to be. 

The New Orleans Police Department's Traffic Division will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in the Tremé, beginning at about 9 p.m. tonight and continuing until about 5 a.m. Saturday morning.

The department says motorists will experience minimal delays, and should be prepared to show proper documentation to officers if stopped, including a driver's license and proof of insurance.

"I would like to remind all drivers to always drink responsibly and to use a designated driver," said Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas.

BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana House will take up a proposal to use $205 million from the state's "rainy day" fund to offset a deficit in this year's budget. The House Appropriations Committee voted yesterday to tap into the Budget Stabilization Fund. The move is overwhelmingly backed by the Senate. A bloc of conservative House Republicans voted against using the money. 

The University of New Orleans has been awarded grants totaling $5 million over a five-year period by the Upward Bound program through the U. S. Department of Education.

The grants will fund three projects: UNO's Project Pass, UNO's Jefferson Upward Bound and UNO's Classic Upward Bound.

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana's Department of Education says the state's annual dropout rate has fallen for three years in a row. A department news release says the percentage of dropouts in seventh- through 12th grades decreased from 3.5 in 2009-2010 to 3.1 in 2010-2011. That means 1,100 more students chose to stay in school. 

The St. Tammany Parish Department of Animal Services is offering free microchipping of dogs and cats tomorrow. Animal Services will chip up to four animals per resident. Proof of residency is required. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been granted a 21-day delay for responding to a defamation lawsuit filed against him by Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma.

The delay is considered routine, and Goodell's lawyers now must respond by July 5 in U.S. District Court in New Orleans.

After more than a decade of coordinating coastal concerns of five Gulf states, the America’s Wetland Foundation is looking north. The group will be heading as far north as Minnesota to study how best to use the Mississippi River that feeds the Delta.

A better picture of redevelopment plans for New Orleans' last barracks-style public housing complex will be presented to the public today. The Housing Authority of New Orleans is holding a meeting to discuss redevelopment plans for the Iberville public housing project, which sits next to the French Quarter.