Bayou La Batre, AL – The Gulf oil spill has replaced most of the shrimp, oysters and crabs flowing into Bayou La Batre (BYE-yoh luh BAT-ree), Ala., with cash - gobs of it. But if this is a boomtown, it's a bitter one.
The sleepy coastal hamlet has received $8.5 million in BP grant money, more than any other place on the Gulf Coast, but boat operators idled by the spill complain that some of the cash intended to keep them working has gone instead to recreational fishermen and the mayor's brother.
At the docks, hundreds have gathered for meetings and protests about how the grant money is being spent in the town of about 2,300. Mayor Stan Wright says he's done nothing wrong, but BP PLC has changed its practices and taken over check-writing duties.
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