Gulf Coast
November 1, 2007 -
Speaking of criminal justice in post-Katrina New Orleans, an Orleans Parish grand jury declined to indict Gretna Police Officer Lawrence Vaughn on a charge of illegal use of a weapon in connection with his firing a gun on the Crescent City Connection two days after Hurricane Katrina, the
October 19, 2007 -
Readers of Facing South know that the Hurricane Katrina crisis never really ended, and the Gulf Coast is still in dire need of a real recovery. But they can't do it alone -- if the 60,000 people still living in "temporary" FEMA trailers are to get the help they need, we need to make Katrina recovery a national issue.
October 16, 2007 -
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco traveled to Capitol Hill yesterday to ask federal lawmakers to provide the additional $3 billion to $4 billion needed to fully fund the states' Road Home program, which assists residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
October 15, 2007 -
A Louisiana State University program that provides mental health services for children traumatized by Hurricane Katrina faces cutbacks as a result of the Bush administration's rejection of a $400,000 grant application, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
October 8, 2007 -
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers insider alleges that the 40 pumps protecting New Orleans from catastrophic flooding still suffer from serious flaws that put the city's residents at risk -- and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has found her concerns so compelling that it's ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to respond to the charges.
October 5, 2007 -
A report released this week by the Government Accountability Office is critical of the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency administered an alternative housing program for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
October 3, 2007 -
Last week, I went to Washington, D.C. to speak to Congress about the need for bold federal action to jump-start the Gulf Coast recovery and make sure Katrina aid reaches those who need it.