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A federal magistrate has scheduled a hearing on a former BP engineer's request for permission to travel freely throughout the U.S. while he awaits a trial on charges he deleted text messages about the oil company's response to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Magistrate Daniel Knowles III is set to hear arguments May 29 on Kurt Mix's request.

Earlier this month, Knowles ordered Mix to limit his travel to Louisiana, Texas, Massachusetts and New York after a prosecutor claimed he had intended to leave the country for a job in Australia and wouldn't return.

The New Orleans Saints say they have the experience and leadership to have productive offseason practices even without their star quarterback. New Orleans is holding its first three offseason practices, called organized team activities, Tuesday through Thursday. Drew Brees is still holding out for a new contract.

Officials are letting a fire burn inside a chemical plant about 10 miles west of Baton Rouge. Crews are monitoring several containers of a chemical used for welding.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Planning groups in Baton Rouge and New Orleans have set aside money to study building passenger rail service linking the two major metropolitan areas.

The Advocate reports that the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Planning Organization last week approved spending $105,000 in federal money for a feasibility study of a commuter rail service to New Orleans.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal's legislative package takes strong measures against convicted sex offenders. A handful of bills targeting sex offenders are making steady progress through the Legislature, including the state's attempt to keep sex criminals from social networking websites. 

Rita Benson LeBlanc will become vice chairman of the board of the New Orleans Saints and Dennis Lauscha will take over as president of the team.

Owner Tom Benson has announced Sunday that LeBlanc, his granddaughter, will expand her duties to include more management responsibilities in various Benson interests outside of the team. 

NEW ORLEANS — The head of an advocacy group in New Orleans is expressing frustration with delays in the effort to get recognition for sites where levee breaches led to catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction over one of the sites and has the right to say whether it believes the sites belong on the National Register of Historic Places. But the corps has held back on giving its view, saying the matter involves facts that are still at issue in lawsuits.

BATON ROUGE, La. — A bloc of conservative Republicans in the House couldn't stall a budget bill that taps into one-time dollars to help piece together spending plans year after year.

The House voted 63-38 Thursday to send the bill to the Senate, raising questions about whether the coalition was fracturing and would be unable to hold together in negotiating a final version of next year's $25 billion operating budget with the Senate.

The Orleans Parish School Board has appointed an interim superintendent.

Stan Smith served as the chief financial officer for the board since 2006. The board said Thursday that Smith will step in for Superintendent Darryl Kilbert, who officially retires June 30. 

GRETNA, La. (AP) — School administrators in Jefferson Parish say more than 2,500 students will be directly affected by the decision this week to close seven public school campuses.

Those students will shift among 27 campuses, The Times-Picayune reports.

The decision means next week, with the conclusion of the 2011-12 school year, the seven Jefferson schools will adjourn for the last time.