Hurricane Katrina

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Volunteer Efforts Revive New Orleans Firehouses

Donations help fix 'critical safety issue'

(Newser) - With public money tied up, generous donations of time and funds have restored four New Orleans firehouses, the Times-Picayune reports. "This is a critical safety issue,” said the district chief. With 22 of 33 city firehouses hit hard in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, many firefighters still work out...

White House Meddled With Climate Change Science: Report

House committee finds attempts to 'mislead'

(Newser) - A House committee says the Bush administration has attempted to mislead the public about global warming by editing written testimony, controlling media access to scientists, and trying to minimize the links between climate change and hurricanes, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The study, authored mainly by Democrats, accuses the White...

US Race Record Is 'Abysmal'
US Race Record Is 'Abysmal'
Dec 10, 2007 9:42 PM CST

US Race Record Is 'Abysmal'

Katrina, profiling, education—minorities still lag, study says

(Newser) - From racial profiling to voting discrimination and Hurricane Katrina, US race relations are "abysmal," according to a new report. The Human Rights Network, an umbrella organization of some 250 nonprofits, found that minorities aren't given the same educational resources and are disproportionately represented in prisons. The findings counter...

Storied Miss. Lawyer Indicted, Still Partying

Town rallies around high-profile Grisham pal accused of bribery

(Newser) - As he greeted party guests, Richard “Dickie” Scruggs—the trial lawyer famous for taking down Big Tobacco and taking on Katrina insurance companies—didn’t look like someone who had just been indicted. And though prosecutors say he conspired to bribe the judge in his latest case, Oxford, Miss....

Rumors Roil Around Lott Resignation
Rumors Roil Around Lott Resignation
Nov 29, 2007 6:02 PM CST

Rumors Roil Around Lott Resignation

Could the senator's hasty exit be tied to Dickie Scruggs?

(Newser) - There’s been much conjecture about why Trent Lott resigned five years before his term’s end—boredom, bitterness, eagerness to cash in on K Street—but now bloggers on both sides of the aisle are wondering whether a scandal involving his brother-in-law, Dickie Scruggs, might be behind the surprise...

Katrina Lawyer Indicted in Bribe
Katrina Lawyer Indicted in Bribe
Nov 29, 2007 4:24 AM CST

Katrina Lawyer Indicted in Bribe

Dickie Scruggs, others accused of trying to steer legal fees

(Newser) - Trent Lott's brother-in-law Richard "Dickie" Scruggs has been indicted on bribery charges for allegedly offering cash to a judge to steer legal fees in a Katrina insurance case, reports the New York Times. Four other attorneys, including Scruggs' son, also face charges. Scruggs is best known for winning a...

Red Cross Prez Forced Out for 'Relationship'

Link to female worker 'punch in stomach,' says group official

(Newser) - The president and CEO of the Red Cross was forced to resign yesterday for having an inappropriate "personal relationship with a subordinate employee" just six months after he was hired. "This is a huge punch in the stomach," said an organization official. Mark Everson was the Red...

Katrina Death Toll: 320M Trees
Katrina
Death Toll: 320M Trees
Nov 16, 2007 12:53 PM CST

Katrina Death Toll: 320M Trees

Hurricane's impact on forests leads to massive CO2 release

(Newser) - Hurricane Katrina killed 320 million trees in Mississippi and Louisiana, and the die-off is affecting the atmosphere as well as the landscape. Decaying trees will release about 367 million tons of carbon dioxide, equal to the amount released in a whole season of US forest fires, the LA Times reports....

FEMA Housing Filled With Toxic Gas, Tests Show

Mobile homes yield readings up to 70 times higher than CDC guidelines

(Newser) - The mobile homes and trailers FEMA provided for displaced New Orleans residents are brimming with toxic formaldehyde gas, according to test results obtained by MSNBC. In 95% of cases, formaldehyde levels were at least twice the CDC’s maximum recommendations. The federal government has not followed through on promises to...

Dems, GOP Pounce on Bush Over Water Veto

Congress may unite to hand him first override of his presidency

(Newser) - President Bush is gearing up for another battle with Congress, but his latest fray could result in the first overriding of one of his vetoes, the Washington Post reports. His rejection yesterday of the water resources bill, popular with Democrats and Republicans, is a gamble because it may endear him...

Million Flee Fires; Feds Mobilize
Million Flee Fires; Feds Mobilize
Oct 24, 2007 4:59 AM CDT

Million Flee Fires; Feds Mobilize

Bush steps up to avoid Katrina repeat

(Newser) - Firefighters look for the wind to change late this afternoon, as more than 15 rampaging wildfires continue to turn swaths of Southern California into writhing walls of flames. In a bid to avoid a repeat of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, President Bush yesterday declared a federal emergency for seven counties...

Downpours Flood New Orleans Again
Downpours Flood New Orleans Again
Oct 23, 2007 10:45 AM CDT

Downpours Flood New Orleans Again

Pumps repaired after Katrina can't keep up with heavy rainfall

(Newser) - Parts of New Orleans flooded yesterday after pumps repaired in the wake of Katrina couldn't keep up with torrential downpours that brought more than 2 inches of rain per hour. Eight inches fell on some parts of the city, and homes and businesses in the worst-hit areas floundered in as...

Jindal Wins La. Governor Race
Jindal Wins La. Governor Race
Oct 21, 2007 2:13 PM CDT

Jindal Wins La. Governor Race

First Indian-American at head of US state

(Newser) - Bobby Jindal won the Louisiana gubernatorial race late yesterday, making the 36-year-old Republican congressman the first Indian-American to head a US state—and the nation's youngest governor. In a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one, Jindal won 54% of the vote, eliminating the need for a runoff...

Nursing Home Owners Acquitted in Katrina Deaths

Jury finds couple innocent of negligent homicide after 35 patients drowned

(Newser) - The owners of a Louisiana nursing home were acquitted of negligent homicide and cruelty yesterday in the deaths of 35 patients who drowned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The charges were based on the couple's failure to evacuate the home as the storm approached; the defense argued that the...

Republican Poised to Take Louisiana
Republican Poised to Take
Louisiana
Aug 29, 2007 8:09 PM CDT

Republican Poised to Take Louisiana

Review catches up with Jindal, likely first post-Katrina governor

(Newser) - A rare flash of hope for Republicans might be the man preparing to take over the nation’s biggest disaster area, the National Review writes. Bobby Jindal is running 35% ahead of any comer to be Louisiana’s first governor elected after Katrina. Jindal might seem a peculiar pick, but,...

Bush: 'Better Days Are Ahead' for New Orleans

Two years after Katrina, president's visit met with skepticism, anger

(Newser) - President Bush spoke at a New Orleans charter school today, commemorating the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and promising a "strong commitment" from the federal government to rebuilding the city. But many residents viewed the president's visit with skepticism, the NY Times reports, angered by what they see as...

Crime Rocks New Orleans
Crime Rocks New Orleans
Aug 29, 2007 5:59 AM CDT

Crime Rocks New Orleans

Two years after Katrina, criminals flood city

(Newser) - Only two-thirds of the population of New Orleans has returned since Hurricane Katrina destroyed large parts of the city two years ago—but crime has returned full force. The murder rate in the Big Easy is rocketing, crime is a constant fear among citizens and many are arming themselves for...

Edwards Vows to Ax Hacks
Edwards Vows to Ax Hacks
Aug 28, 2007 6:49 PM CDT

Edwards Vows to Ax Hacks

Dem posits ‘Brownie’s Law’ as cure for cronyism

(Newser) - John Edwards added a little stand-up to his routine yesterday, drawing laughter from a New Orleans university crowd as he proposed a law against political hacks running amok in Washington. He called it “Brownie’s Law,” referring to FEMA’s Michael Brown—and Bush’s back-slapping remark: "...

Consumer Confidence Plunges
Consumer Confidence Plunges
Aug 28, 2007 2:35 PM CDT

Consumer Confidence Plunges

Vital index hits level not seen since post-Katrina unrest

(Newser) - Consumer confidence dived in August to its lowest level since right after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Though not as steep as expected, the drop reflects the squeeze stock market uncertainty and lower home values are putting on Americans' wallets and peace of mind, Bloomberg reports. "The things that are...

Musicians March Silently Through New Orleans

Post-Katrina hard times in the Big Easy threaten legendary jazz scene

(Newser) - The battered post-Katrina economy drove jazz musicians into the streets of New Orleans yesterday, holding instruments silent at their sides in what they termed a “solidarity march.” Ninety percent of city musicians were living at or below the poverty line even before the hurricane, the Times-Picayune reports, and...

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