The Associated Press

The Orleans Parish School Board's attorney says the board should appeal a ruling that thousands of New Orleans teachers and other school workers were wrongfully fired after Hurricane Katrina shut down the city and scattered its people in 2005.

William Aaron said Thursday he will recommend that the board take state Civil District Judge Ethel Simms Julien's decision to the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal.

BELLE CHASSE — The Louisiana National Guard says members of the group known as the "Bayou Militia" have bid farewell to families and friends during a deployment ceremony held at the Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse.

Thursday's ceremony was for about 250 members of the Louisiana Air National Guard's 159th Fighter Wing. The Guard gave few details about their mission, saying they are deploying in support of overseas operations in southwest Asia. 

Scientists from Louisiana and Michigan have very different predictions for the size of this year's "dead zone" of low-oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico. It will be the smallest in nearly a quarter century at just under 1,200 square miles — or five times that size. 

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A federal agency says Gulf and Southeast U.S. ports will need big help getting ready to trade with supersized cargo ships expected to arrive through an expanded Panama Canal. The Army Corps of Engineers says deepening harbors to accommodate the giant ships could require up to $5 billion. 

The NFL is denying accusations that it covered up retractions made by key witnesses in its bounty investigation, or that Commissioner Roger Goodell has placed gag orders on Saints employees and others who could help punished players clear their names.

Lawyer Peter Ginsberg, who represents suspended Saints player Jonathan Vilma, made the accusations when punished players appeared earlier this week for an appeal hearing, a full transcript of which has been obtained by The Associated Press.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A day after electing their first African-American president , Southern Baptists have passed a resolution opposing the idea that same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue. Thousands of delegates meeting in New Orleans were nearly unanimous on that stance Wednesday.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana will pay as much as $1 million to cover the costs of a tax credit expansion that has been rescinded by Gov. Bobby Jindal. The revenue department issued a little-noticed rule in April governing the state's alternative fuel tax credit, which expanded the list of qualifying vehicles.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An increasingly dire financial situation for public defense around Louisiana has prompted state lawmakers to funnel more cash toward indigent defense. The most proactive bill will increase criminal court fees by $10 in most district courts to help shoulder the costs of indigent defense.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden tells a gathering of black journalists that Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney's economic platform shows he is out of touch with the nation's middle class. Biden made the remarks last night at a National Association of Black Journalists convention in New Orleans.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A ranking U.S. senator is calling off a proposed hearing on bounties in professional sports. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin says he's satisfied with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's response to the issue, including the creation of an anonymous hotline for players to report bounty activity.