+ Mental health problems are brewing along the Gulf Coast, according to The Washington Post, where surveys show some 40 percent of people seeking help attribute their troubles to the spill. Catholic Charities’ New Orleans branch recently tweeted that its counselors alone have conducted more than 10,000 visits to spill victims.
+ The legal team charged with leading oil spill litigation has been selected by a Louisiana judge. It includes Brian Barr of Pensacola’s Levin Papantonio, a law firm that’s also helping members of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association navigate the claims process.
+ Local officials say the spill had a devastating effect on tourism tax revenues in the Western Panhandle, but local business owners say the worst is probably over.
+ Funeral arrangements have been made for Roger Grooters of Gulf Breeze, who was killed while bicycling across the country to raise awareness about the spill.
More after the jump.
+ A federal study will examine whether the oil spill stressed the gulf’s bluefin tuna populations enough to warrant placement on the Endangered Species list. Environmental groups had been calling for such a study long before the spill.
+ Sales of a BP spill-inspired Halloween costume have already hit more than 10,000, according to the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph (via).
+ Amid lawsuits and permitting delays, BP rival Shell is pledging to spend “tens and tends of millions of dollars” to build a containment device it says will ease local worries of oil spills in Alaska.
+ BP will be disbanding its safety ombudsman in yet another overhaul of its internal controls.
+ The oil spill is shaping up to be a minor factor in the November elections, according to the Houston Chronicle.