| BY CHAD CALDER | Staff writer |
Thanks for starting your day with Morning Headlines. Here's are some of today's top stories. Clogged catch basins drew a lot of scrutiny following street flooding a few years back, but they have faded into the background in light of power failures at Sewerage & Water Board pump stations. After Saturday's extensive flooding, however, they're back under the microscope, and this time, there's a Mardi Gras wrinkle to how some may have been compromised. Ben Myers and Jeff Adelson have the story. Gov. Jeff Landry is looking at combining the state agency that oversees coastal restoration and hurricane protection with the Department of Energy and Natural Resources. The governor says it would make permitting more efficient, but coastal advocates say it could mean the fight against land loss takes a back seat to oil and gas industry concerns. Mark Schleifstein has this report. State lawmakers grilled Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana executives for nearly eight hours Monday over the nonprofit's proposed $2.5 billion sale to an Indiana-based company. Stephanie Riegel was there. Check out all the latest news, sports and entertainment coverage from The Times-Picayune. Chad | 