Oil and water: Lingering effects of Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana today included thousands still without power, hundreds still in shelters, and several miles of coastline tarred with weathered oil washing ashore. FEMA says it has approved more than $10 million in assistance for damage or losses to dwellings and property for more than 4,800 families as of this morning. More than 117,000 have applied for such aid, the governor’s office says. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that Louisiana officials are investigating whether tar balls deposited on Gulf beaches by Isaac are relics of the 2010 BP oil disaster. Read that story here.
Grudge match: A federal judge says she doubts there are any prospects for a settlement in the case of four NFL players—New Orleans Saints linebacker Jon Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith, Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita and free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove—challenging their bounty suspensions. U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan, who had urged all sides to settle, asks in an order today for more filings pertaining to the players’ request for a temporary restraining order that would allow them to return to their teams while their case against the NFL proceeds. With most teams opening the season Sunday, the judge has set deadlines of Thursday and Friday for various filings and responses in the matter, but did not say when she would rule.
Charge it to the game: Cox Communications says the LSU Tigers’ Sept. 15 game against Idaho in Tiger Stadium will be available on TigerVision pay-per-view. The cost? $34.50 for residential customers and $400 for business customers, including bars and restaurants. The game and its pregame show will air on Cox Channel 150 beginning at 6:45 p.m. Customers can order the game by calling 855-494-7061 or visiting a local Cox service center. TigerVision is an agreement between Cox Communications and LSU Athletics to broadcast select games on a pay-per-view basis. The games are available only to customers who subscribe to Cox Advanced TV service.
On air: Pelican Broadcasting today announced a Sept. 10 official launch of Baton Rouge’s newest all sports radio station, WUBR-AM 910, which actually began broadcasting local and national sports programming in August. The station is a Fox Sports Radio affiliate. WUBR also streams on the Internet and broadcasts to smartphones. Get all the details on programming and listen online here.
