Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 — Louisiana and offshore oil producers were breathing easier Tuesday as Hurricane Ike shifted its projected path toward the west and Mexico. A Category 1 hurricane, on a scale of 1 to 5, Ike was now heading toward the Texas coastline rather than north toward New Orleans. Although a danger to South Texas, much of Louisiana appeared as if it might be spared Ike’s wind and heavy rains after days of preparations.