With the two year anniversary of the Big Oozy quickly passing by, a lot of the lingering questions about BP's comeuppance were quickly dispersed. But before the oil got too far from public view, the feds took the time to answer whether anyone from BP would ever be arrested. This morning, they dragged in a mid-level employee over some text messages. Former engineer Kurt Mix was bagged on charges that he deleted more than 300 text messages with a BP boss, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Remember that settlement BP said they reached with the people of the Gulf? Well, it still hasn't technically taken effect yet. But, just in time for Friday's two-year anniversary of the Big Oozy, the two sides filed papers in court to get the whole thing approved, BP said. The filing simultaneously is the first time the public has been able to get a look at what's in the settlement with its own two eyes.

The Gulf Coast officially waves goodbye to Ken Feinberg today, as the claims operation he ran in the wake of the Big Oozy is being shut down due to the settlement agreement BP reached Friday with residents and businesses who were trying to sue them. Since 2010, the Obama-appointed Claims Czar  took more than a few verbal lashings from fishermen and other Gulf Coast residents and handed out $5.9 billion in quick payments and claims. Now, he'll sail off into the sunset, and let the court handle the rest of the damage claims, as well as the as-yet unpaid property and health-related payments claims.

BP once again postponed their day in court Friday night. With a trial once again looming, the giant British oil company announced a settlement Friday night with the many individual plaintiffs that were seeking damages from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster off the coast of Louisiana. While the settlement appears designed to pay claims to individuals, a court date with the federal government and state and local governments appears to remain on the horizon. The start of that trial is now unkonwn, as Judge Carl Barbier postponed the start of the session on Poydras without a date attached. 

Reliable hearsay had it that BP, the feds and other private persons and corporations involved in the Big Oozy were hunkered down trying to get a settlement done before the start of their massive trial. But, until now, there wasn't any official confirmation that blame for the Deepwater Horizon disaster would be divvied up out of court. This afternoon, the parties to the trial announced they were pushing back the start date from tomorrow to Mon., March 5.  In a statement, the parties said they were trying to hammer out a settlement.

Unless there's an eleventh hour settlement, it's time once again on Monday for the BP and the Big Oozy to invade our news cycle. A huge liability trial that could last into early part of 2013 is set to kick off at the federal courthouse down on Poydras. The jury-less trial essentially seeks to dole out proportions of blame for the April 20 catastrophe in the Gulf. As is typical around the streets of New Orleans, expect to hear a lot of "It Ain't My Fault." Preview coverage here, here and here.

The State of the Union may last more than an hour, but in terms of politics, every line is precious. As the nation gears up for tonight's speech, Louisiana is watching to see if President Barack Obama will utter even a single phrase about that little oil puddle we had right down over here last year. So what do our reps think? Well let's take a look see and find out, shall we?

After the Superdome went luxury, it only seemed a matter of time that workers would start batting around naming rights at the Hive. But the current idea for sponsorship will please shrimp boat captains more than captains of industry. The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board is in talks to partner with the Hornets and rename New Orleans Arena the Louisiana Seafood Arena. The money for the deal, would come from the large BP influx the Board received to promote the La. seafood that passed the smell test after the Big Oozy. That only leaves one question: How long will it take for BP to try to get their name on this one, too? Details here and here.

A New Orleans woman who claimed to be a line cook at Danny's Seafood pled guilty to claims fraud for two checks she received from the BP's post-Big Oozy fund that is designed to reimburse locals for lost income in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Natasha Wells, 25, submitted false payment information to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, and received a total of $7,600 for her so-called losses, according to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office. Wells never worked at Danny's, which has locations on Magazine St. and in the 7th Ward, and admitted to falsifying tax documents, Letten's office said.

by Brad Rhines

This free, curbside taco was brought to you by BP. As New Orleans rang in the New Year with packed hotel rooms and football fever, the excitement spread far beyond the Superdome. Blimps and billboards shined overhead, as corporate entities like Allstate, AT&T, and even the much-maligned British Petroleum were taking advantage of the crowds, and making their presence known around town. The oil company that was responsible for the Big Oozy sponsored the “Gulf Coast Seafood and Tourism 2012 Bash,” a two-week push to support local seafood and help clean up their own image.