The Coast Guard and Texas officials are reporting that three are dead after a tragic offshore accident. The men were en route to an offshore oil rig when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed over the Gulf of Mexico. A rescue helicopter crew found the deceased and debris from the crash about two miles off the Sabine Pass, Texas coast. 2 men are missing.

A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington said investigators will work with the Federal Aviation Administration to determine what caused the crash.

According to the Seattle Times, U.S. Department of Agriculture will be conducting random spot tests on children’s foods looking for the industrial chemical melamine. The tests are expected to take place over a 12-week period and will cover processed food containing milk-based ingredients. Items to be checked include hot dogs, pizza snacks and chicken nuggets.

Tuesday’s wet weather left road conditions slick throughout most of Louisiana. I-10 through Grosse Tete was no exception. Crashes on both sides of the highway involving four 18-wheelers and several cars had traffic snarled in both directions.

The first wreck occurred around noon in the eastbound lanes when three tractor-trailers crashed; flipping one of the rigs, blocking the east bound lanes and spilling diesel fuel across the roadway. One of the truckers was injured and transported to a local hospital.

While crews were on the scene to clear the wreckage, traffic began backing up in the westbound lanes leading to another set of crashes and another overturned tractor-trailer, even a state police vehicle was struck in the chaos.

Police believe that driver error and people traveling too fast for the slick conditions lead to the crashes. Traffic in the area was backed up for hours, and several suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Melamine found in Walgreens chocolate bars prompts a voluntary recall. An FDA analysis found that samples of the chocolate included with the teddy bear products were contaminated with the toxic industrial chemical melamine. In China, melamine tainted infant formula has killed 6 babies and sickened almost 300,000.

According to a press release posted on the FDA website, Walgreens is recalling 173 teddy bears with chocolate bars sold in stores since late September 2008. The recalled teddy bears are described as containing a nine-inch high “Dressy Teddy Bear” holding a four-ounce chocolate bar. The teddy bear’s UPC product number is 047475864485 and the product tag also includes item number 291332. Walgreens advised consumers who purchased the teddy bear to immediately return them to the Walgreens store of purchase for a full refund. All Walgreens stores have been advised to stop selling the teddy bears and chocolate. No reports of illness or injury related to this product have been reported.

For more information: Call the Walgreens Product Quality department at 847-315-2755, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST for more information.

According to the FDA website, melamine is a small, nitrogen-containing molecule that has a number of industrial uses, including as a binding agent, flame retardant, and as part of a polymer in the manufacture of cooking utensils and plates, plastic resins, and components of paper, paperboard, and industrial coatings. Melamine is not approved for direct addition to human or animal foods marketed in the United States.

Melamine also has been used as a fertilizer in some parts of the world. It is not registered for use as a fertilizer in the United States. 
Melamine-related compounds are in the same family of chemicals as melamine, and include cyanuric acid, ammeline, and ammelide. (Melamine-related compounds are also known as melamine analogues.) Melamine and its related compounds have no approved use as direct ingredients in human or animal food in the United States.

Researchers at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital are giving new hope to mesothelioma patients. Researchers have injected mice, with advanced Mesothelioma tumors, with a cancer cream called Aldara. 50% of the mice were completely cured of Mesothelioma. The injections caused the mice’s immune systems to produce cells which eliminated cancer. The drug is already on the market and clinical trials hope to have the drug available for use in humans in three to five years.

“There is hope for Mesothelioma suffers and it can not come fast enough,” said Attorney Paul Tellarico who handles Mesothelioma cases for the firm of Neblett, Beard & Arsenault. Because of the long latency period, as much as thirty to fifty years, it is often too late for many victims by the time they learn they have the disease.

An early morning accident left a Robeline man dead. The man was traveling northbound on I-49 in Natchitoches Parish when his Toyota Camry was struck from behind by a tractor trailer. Both vehicles left the road and hit the same tree, the Camry was crushed by the tractor trailer. The driver of the Toyota was announced dead at the scene; the driver of the 18-wheeler was not injured and was cited for reckless operation. Toxicology results are pending.

So far, Louisiana State Troopers have investigated 60 fatal crashes this year resulting in 70 fatalities. Over the years there has been an increase in the hours of service a truck driver can operate his/her big rig on the interstate.

“Fatigue is a problem, especial on a long stretch of interstate.” said David Walker who handles trucking cases for the firm. “If the trucker has his cruise control activated, by the time the rig is on the rear of a passenger vehicle it is too late to avoid the collision,” he added.

Neblett, Beard & Arsenault teamed up with the U.S. Marines and hosted a Breakfast with Santa in support of Toys for Tots this morning at Ryan’s Buffet in Alexandria.

Each child under 12 that brought a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Tots for Toys got to eat breakfast & visit with Santa. The event was a huge success, over 150 people came out to support the cause and we filled Gy Sgt Phillip Nelams’ truck with toys!

This is the first year that the Firm was involved in this event, and we were floored with the overwhelming support from the community. We just want to thank Cenla for coming out & helping us support Toys for Tots. You will make a lot of children happy this Christmas morning!

See Wes Gralapp’s interview on KALB’s Jambalaya.

Here is what Gunnery Sargent Phillip Nealms of the U.S. Marine Corp had to say about the event!

Our special thanks to the KALB TV-5, the Town Talk, Cenla Broadcasting and Opus Broadcasting for getting the word out!

A Lafourche Parish sheriff’s deputy was hit while directing traffic along a detour at the La. 1 intersection with the Cut Off Bridge. In congested traffic, a driver traveling west on Cut Off Bridge turned onto La. 1 and struck the deputy. The officer discharged his weapon at the vehicle, without injury to the driver. The car came to stop about 100 feet south of the intersection. The deputy, who suffered minor injuries, was transported to St. Anne General Hospital. The driver was arrested. Alcohol was detected in his system, but within the legal limit. Further tests and charges are pending. The LA State Police reported that the deputy’s marked police car was parked on the shoulder with its emergency lights on, and the deputy was wearing a reflective vest at the time of the accident.

A three vehicle wreck involving an Iberia Parish school bus occurred on La. 14 near Delcambre around 4:40pm yesterday. No students were aboard the bus at the time of the crash.

Louisiana State police are still investigating the wreck that claimed one person’s life.

Here is an interesting release we came across:

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Tuesday announced its final hours of service rule, and they remain unchanged from the “interim” rule the trucking industry has been working under.

Truck drivers are limited to driving for only 11 hours and working for no more than 14 hours each day. The final rule is based on an exhaustive scientific review and designed to ensure truck drivers get the necessary rest to perform safe operations and the quality of life they deserve, the agency’s Administrator, John Hill, noted.

The agency said it consulted with scientific and medical researchers, reviewed existing fatigue research and worked with organizations like the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies and the National Institute for Occupational Safety in setting the final rules.

The rule will become effective Jan. 19, 2009, the day before the current administration leaves office. Hill said he was confident the final rule would stand up to a court challenge because the agency had appropriately addressed all concerns raised by the courts.

Public Citizen has been fighting the rule in court since it was first announced in 2005.

In July 2007, the court remanded the Hours of Service rules to FMCSA, ruling that the agency must provide better explanations of its justifications for adopting the 11-hour drive time and 34-hour restart provisions of the rule. In December, FMCSA announced that it was keeping the 11-hour and the 34-hour provisions in an Interim Final Rule. In January, a federal appeals court denied Public Citizen’s request to invalidate the Interim Final Rule.

He added that the new federal rule requires all truck drivers to spend at least 10 hours resting between shifts before being allowed back on the road. Drivers also cannot operate a truck if they have worked more than 60 hours in a given week. Drivers that rest for at least 34 hours can also reset their weekly work schedule.

“These rules are crafted to match what we know about drivers’ circadian rhythms and the real world work environment truckers face every day,” said Hill.

Observers say it’s quite possible that Public Citizen will take FMCSA back to court. The question will be whether or not FMCSA has the data to justify the rule as written.

Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook issued a statement denouncing the rule, saying, “FMCSA’s rule, which ignores mountains of safety research, authorizes the exact same 11-hours of driving and 34-hour restart provisions of rules past – rules that the court deemed were inadequate. Under the rule, drivers may continue to log a physically and mentally demanding 77 hours behind the wheel in a seven-day period, take a mere 34 hours off, then hit the road to do it all over. In addition, drivers can be required to work 14 hours a day, which includes loading and unloading cargo. The rule also fails to require electronic on-board recorders that are essential to assure effective enforcement of the rule.”