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Microbes are eating BP oil without using up oxygen

Government scientists studying the BP disaster are reporting the best possible outcome: Microbes are consuming the oil in the Gulf without depleting the oxygen in the water and creating "dead zones" where fish cannot survive. More>>

Key oil spill evidence raised to Gulf's surface

Investigators looking into what went wrong in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are a step closer to answers now that a key piece of evidence is secure aboard a ship. More>>

BP raises blowout preventer, key evidence in probe

BP crews worked Saturday to slowly raise the 300-ton blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, careful not to damage or drop a key piece of evidence in the spill investigation. More>>

What now for Gulf? Fire complicates drill debate

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What now for the Gulf? News of another oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico, so soon after the BP oil spill, has set off a wave of anxiety along the Gulf Coast and prompted calls for the government to extend its six-month ban on deepwater drilling. More>>

Oil rig platform catches fire in Gulf of Mexico Video included

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The Coast Guard responded to an oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday. The rig is located about 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay. There were 13 workers on the rig at the time. All were safely rescued. More>>

Crab trappers say catch is good, but prices aren't Video included

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Thursday, these blue crabs called the Gulf home. But by Saturday, someone in Atlanta will call it dinner. Crab trapper Robert Metz would love to sell his catch in South Mississippi, but since the oil spill, his local business hasn't rebounded as much as he'd like. And he's having a hard time understanding why. More>>

Temporary cap that stopped oil gusher removed

Engineers removed a temporary cap Thursday that stopped oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP's blown-out well in mid-July. No more oil was expected to leak into the sea, but crews were standing by with... More>>

Federal waters south of MS Sound reopen to fishing, shrimping

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Federal authorities have lifted a fishing ban in the northern Gulf of Mexico from the Florida Panhandle to the far eastern coast of Louisiana. The 5,130 square mile area opened Thursday to fishing and shrimp harvesting. More>>

Meeting of great minds looking for sub-surface oil Video included

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On Wednesday, Unified Command officials briefed local scientists and other academics about their findings so far in their search for sub-surface oil in the Gulf. They also presented them with a plan of action for future clean up and restoration of natural resources. More>>

BP spent $93M on advertising after Gulf spill

Oil giant BP says it has spent more than $5 million a week on advertising since the Gulf Coast oil spill - more than three times the amount it spent on ads during the same period last year. More>>

Private study disputes claims that Gulf seafood is safe Video included

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It's a question that keeps surfacing: Is seafood from the Gulf safe to eat? A new study posted Wednesday by a private Boston lab raises questions about whether toxic chemicals are still in the water and the food chain. The lab said it found dispersant in a water sample near Horn Island, and it claims samples show oil and toxins in crab. Trang Pham-Bui asked some consumers in Biloxi if they are concerned about the findings. More>>

Gulfport attorney offers advice for those hurt financially by oil spill Video included

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If you are thinking about filing a claim or lawsuit against BP, here's some free advice from trial attorney Joe Sam Owen of Gulfport. He wants everyone to know that this falls under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. That means there's a three year statute of limitations. More>>

Mississippi first lady helps release Kemp's Ridley turtles Video included

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Mississippi First Lady Marsha Barbour was all smiles Monday as she hand-released four Kemp's Ridley turtles into the waters of the Mississippi Sound. The turtles were rescued and rehabilitated at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport. IMMS has taken in some 40 turtles since the oil spill began. These are the first to be returned to Mississippi waters. More>>

Rigs' drilling parts lack third-party endorsements

The equipment failures blamed for the Gulf oil spill might have been detected if the owners of the Deepwater Horizon continued to have the rig's drilling equipment verified by independent experts - something federal... More>>

BP talks oil spill claims at Southern Governor's Conference

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HOOVER,AL (WBRC) - The incoming CEO of BP says blowout preventers removed from the deepwater horizon well will be removed Monday... More>>

Public meeting on seafood & subsurface oil Saturday morning

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State, federal and BP officials will hold a public meeting Saturday at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center in Ocean Springs to answer questions about seafood safety and subsurface oil. More>>

For panel, details on BP's structure out of reach Video included

Federal investigators became visibly annoyed Thursday as BP executives were unwilling or unable to provide a clear picture of the company's heirarchy or say who was in charge of the rig leased by the oil giant the day it... More>>

Gulf waste heads to landfills, some with problems

The cleanup of history's worst peacetime oil spill is generating thousands of tons of oil-soaked debris that is ending up in local landfills, some of which were already dealing with environmental concerns. More>>

AP ENTERPRISE: Oil cleanup both bonanza and bust

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press Writer The Gulf oil spill is a bonanza for some and a bust for others. More>>

Processors practice 'scratch and sniff' to detect oil in seafood Video included

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Putrid. Cheesy. Fishy.  These aren't exactly smells you want under your nose. However, a workshop sponsored by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant used these smells to teach seafood processors how to detect oil in their products. More>>

Gulf states join forces to boost economy

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Officials, organizations and businesses from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi are forming a new economic development coalition for the Gulf Coast. Dubbed "Ready 4 Takeoff," the coalition is calling for federal government purchases of seafood for the military, schools and other agencies to help the Gulf seafood industry recover from the BP oil spill. More>>

BP awards $3 million to coast tourism Video included

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The Mississippi Coast tourism industry is still trying to get back to where it once was. Wednesday's announcement that BP will give $3 million to help fund coastal activities will go a long way toward that goal. More>>

Key device in Gulf spill didn't get recertified

A critical device at the center of an investigation into the Gulf oil rig explosion didn't undergo a rigorous recertification process in 2005 as required by federal regulators, a worker responsible for maintaining the... More>>

FDA: Mississippi oysters safe to eat

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Experts testing Gulf seafood for oil contamination announced Wednesday that Mississippi oysters are safe for human consumption. The only problem is those oysters aren't available for harvest right now. Mississippi's Oyster Season usually doesn't open until September or October. More>>

Steve's Blog: Doctor, activist warn journalists of Gulf oil's long term impact

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I've been immersed in the oil spill crisis this week. Actually, I've been spending hours with a panel of journalists, learning better ways to cover the myriad of stories related to the oil spill and its ongoing human impacts. Tuesday, the group heard from a very vocal and concerned activist from Alaska who is well informed about the crisis and its likely aftermath. More>>

Biloxi company cleaning oily boom with new process Video included

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Ever wonder what happens to all those miles and miles of dirty boom? Yates Construction company has figured out a way to process used boom at their East Biloxi facility. They created and built a semi-automated system to clean marine boom to be stored, recycled or used again. More>>

New microbe discovered eating oil spill in Gulf

A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico. More>>

Oil spill panel hears about Halliburton warning

Federal investigators probing the blowout that led to the Gulf oil spill grilled a Halliburton official Tuesday about concerns the petroleum services firm raised over the potential for a severe gas flow problem if a BP plan... More>>

Award-winning actors visit Gulfport to support Gulf oil research Video included

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Two Hollywood celebrities are using their star power to shed some light on how much oil is still lurking deep in the Gulf. Actors Morgan Freeman and Ted Danson came to Gulfport Tuesday to throw their support behind a new research project, looking at the long-term effects of the oil disaster. Both men talked about Oceana's efforts to map oil plumes. As Trang Pham-Bui reports, they also had some harsh words about offshore drilling. More>>

AP Enterprise: Spill bound BP, feds together

For months, the U.S. government talked with a boot-on-the-neck toughness about BP, with the president wondering aloud about whose butt to kick. More>>

Morgan Freeman joins Oceana group in Gulfport Tuesday Video included

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Academy Award winning actor and native Mississippian, Morgan Freeman will help unveil new research from the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday in Gulfport. Freeman is an advocate of Oceana, an international organization focused on ocean conservation. More>>

BP tries to limit release of oil spill research

Faced with hundreds of lawsuits and a deep need for experts, BP has been offering some Gulf Coast scientists lucrative consulting contracts that bar them from releasing their findings on the company's massive oil spill... More>>

Rig alarm system partly disabled at time of blast

An alarm system was partially shut down the day the ill-fated oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and setting off the massive spill, an electronics technician who was aboard told an... More>>

Key ships ordered to leave spill site before storm

Key ships stationed over BP's crippled well in the Gulf of Mexico were ordered to evacuate Thursday ahead of Tropical Storm Bonnie, and engineers have grown so confident in the leaky cap fixed to the well head that they... More>>

Senate Democrats turn focus to Gulf spill response

Senate Democrats hope to pass a narrow energy bill next week that responds to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and takes steps to improve energy efficiency, after abandoning plans for a sweeping measure that caps... More>>

BP's altered photo distorts spill center activity

BP acknowledges it posted on its website an altered photo that exaggerates the activity at its Gulf oil spill command center in Houston. More>>

Messy cleanup of BP oil spill damages the Gulf

The 5,600 vessels taking part in the oil spill operation on the Gulf of Mexico make up the largest fleet assembled since the Allied invasion of Normandy, according to the Coast Guard. More>>

Feds: Oil, gas leaking from cap on ruptured well

BP's broken well was leaking oil and gas again Monday for the first time since the company capped it last week, but the Obama administration's spill chief said it was no cause for alarm. The stopper was left in place... More>>

BP affixes new cap on Gulf oil well; tests ahead Video included

BP robots attached a new, tighter-fitting cap on top of the gushing Gulf of Mexico oil leak Monday, raising hopes that the crude could be kept from polluting the water for the first time in nearly three months. More>>

Since the Gulf Oil Spill began 100 days ago, many people are leery about buying or eating seafood. But the Department of Marine Resources continues to closely monitor the catch in the Gulf and have said that it is safe. USM professor Dr. John Lambert has put together a study to find out whether or not people are buying local shrimp. Click here to take the survey. More>>

Watch BP's live video feed of the oil leak as thousands of barrels of crude oil continue to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. More>>

Each day, NOAA scientists produce 24, 48 and 72 hour trajectory forecast maps and offshore surface oil forecasts for the Gulf of Mexico. More>>

A Google map containing layers of data from various agencies about the spill. More>>

An on-going joint effort from the Ocean Circulation Group and the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at College of Marine Science, University of South Florida. More>>

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