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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 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. 

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.