Katrina aftermath

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Fall Complete: Ex-NOLA Mayor Gets 10 Years

Democrat Ray Nagin convicted on corruption charges in February

(Newser) - Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his conviction on bribery, money laundering, and other corruption charges. Prosecutors said the actions for which he was convicted spanned his two terms as mayor—including the chaotic years after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005....

Cop Off Hook in Post-Katrina Shooting

'I do not have regrets,' he says

(Newser) - The second trial was the charm for David Warren, the New Orleans police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The jury acquitted Warren on all charges yesterday, just an hour after telling the judge they were deadlocked and that "tension is...

DOJ: We're Reviewing Katrina Conviction Reversal

Prosecutors' online comments lead to new trial

(Newser) - In a month, the five former New Orleans police officers found guilty in the killing and subsequent cover-up of two people after Hurricane Katrina will learn when they go back on trial—unless the Justice Department gets involved. A judge yesterday threw out the men's 2011 convictions in the...

29% of La. Republicans Blame Katrina Mess on... Obama

Despite the fact that he was still in Congress at the time

(Newser) - Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans more than three years before President Obama took office—but even so, 29% of Louisiana Republicans say in a new poll that they think Obama was more to blame than then-President George W. Bush for the poor federal response to the disaster. Another 44% say...

$700M in Katrina, Rita Aid May Have Been Squandered

24K families given up to $30K each

(Newser) - Officials lack "conclusive evidence" that up to $700 million in federal aid following hurricanes Katrina and Rita was used appropriately, a federal investigation finds. Some of the 24,000 families who received up to $30,000 apiece to elevate their homes used the money for another purpose, while others...

New Orleans Cops Get Decades in Jail for Shootings

Five sentences in Katrina violence range from six years to 65

(Newser) - Five former New Orleans police officers were sentenced today to prison terms ranging from six to 65 years for their roles in deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Anthony Villavaso, and Robert Faulcon were convicted of firearms charges. Retired Sgt. Arthur...

Two Cops Get Long Sentences in Katrina Killing

David Warren gets 25 years, Gregory McRae 17 in death of Henry Glover

(Newser) - Calling the crimes inexcusable and barbaric, a judge sentenced two former New Orleans police officers to prison today for their roles in the shooting death of an unarmed man whose body was later set on fire in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The judge gave David Warren 25 years...

FEMA Dragging Heels on Recouping $643M

Awaiting its own final approval of debt collection overhaul

(Newser) - Here's something else FEMA isn't good at: Getting its money back. A new government report says that the emergency agency hasn't even tried to get back some $643 million in improper payments it made more than three years ago. What's the holdup? FEMA still hasn't given the final OK to...

3 Cops Found Guilty in Post-Katrina Killing

'Hurricane Katrina didn’t turn petty theft into a capital offense'

(Newser) - Three New Orleans police officers have been found guilty in the death of a man who was shot and had his body burned in the days after Hurricane Katrina. David Warren was found guilty on manslaughter in the death of Henry Glover and two other officers were found guilty on...

Ex-Cop Gets Max Sentence in Katrina Shooting Coverup

Michael Hunter gets maximum allowed sentence

(Newser) - Michael Hunter stood quietly as a judge sentenced the former New Orleans police officer today to eight years in federal prison for his role in the cover-up and deadly shooting of unarmed civilians who were searching for food after Hurricane Katrina. The sentence by US District Judge Sarah Vance was...

New Orleans Cop Denies Cover-Up in Katrina Killing

Says he burned corpse to prevent 'rot'

(Newser) - A New Orleans police officer charged with burning the body of a man shot to death by a fellow officer after Katrina testified that he didn't do so to cover up the killing, ProPublica reports. Officer Greg McRae said he was exhausted and stressed, and that he burned the body...

No Katrina Recovery for Lower Class
No Katrina Recovery for Lower Class

No Katrina Recovery for Lower Class

Government efforts have helped the affluent

(Newser) - The government has poured $143 billion into Hurricane Katrina recovery, but most of that money has gone to the city’s predominantly white middle and upper classes, the Washington Post reports. A federal judge this month declared that Louisiana’s system for distributing funds to property owners to rebuild discriminated...

Brad Pitt Rebuilding 9th Ward Home at a Time

Quirky houses boast top material, solar panels

(Newser) - Officials bungled rebuilding New Orleans' Ninth Ward after Katrina, but the devastated district is sprouting colorful, quirky, elevated homes boasting top-notch materials and solar panels thanks to a massive effort spearheaded by Brad Pitt. The actor is highlighted in Spike Lee's new two-part HBO documentary If God is Willing and ...

New Orleans' $15B Levees Nearly Done

But plenty of residents, experts say they're just not enough

(Newser) - Five years and $15 billion later, the US Army Corps of Engineers is just about done with a massive ring of protection designed to protect New Orleans from another Katrina. It's a 350-mile network of levees and flood walls that is by all accounts a massive improvement over the previous...

Landrieu Scion Wins New Orleans Mayoral Election

Mary Landrieu's brother, Mitch, succeeds term-limited Ray Nagin

(Newser) - Frustrated by term-limited Mayor Ray Nagin's leadership of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, voters elected Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu to succeed him last night, turning to a political scion to speed up the city's recovery. Landrieu, 49, became the majority-black city's first white mayor since 1978, the year his...

Your Guide to the Big Game
 Your Guide to the Big Game 
SUPER BOWL XLIV

Your Guide to the Big Game

From why everyone feels disrespected to who wins

(Newser) - If you’re just getting up to speed on Sunday’s Super Bowl between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, Jason Gay has the insider’s guide to America’s “overcooked spectacle” of an homage to ancient Rome:
  • The overarching theme is disrespect. The Saints feel it because
...

Brownie's Pick? Um, Not New Orleans
 Brownie's Pick? 
 Um, Not 
 New Orleans 


SUPER BOWL XLIV

Brownie's Pick? Um, Not New Orleans

Michael 'heckuva job, Brownie' Brown says he just follows Colts

(Newser) - The Indianapolis Colts have perhaps taken over as public enemy No. 1 in New Orleans ahead of tomorrow’s Super Bowl matchup with the Saints, but that’s not stopping Michael Brown from trying to get the crown back. Brown, whose handling of Hurricane Katrina as head of the FEMA...

Brownie's Got a Heckuva New Job—on the Radio

Former FEMA director now full-time host at Denver talk station

(Newser) - The man made infamous in the wake of Katrina by President Bush's "heckuva job" compliment has landed himself a full-time gig on the radio dishing about DC politics. Former FEMA director Michael Brown will host a weeknight show on Denver's most popular talk station, KOA, reports Denver Westword . He...

Obama Vows Not to Repeat Katrina Mistakes

He makes his first visit as president to New Orleans

(Newser) - President Obama promised not to repeat the mistakes the Bush administration made responding to Hurricane Katrina. Speaking to residents of New Orleans' lower 9th ward, Obama said the Katrina disaster was caused not just by “nature, but by a failure of government." By improving communication among state, local,...

FEMA Orders Katrina Victims Out of Its Trailers

Residents still rebuilding their homes fret as eviction day looms

(Newser) - FEMA is booting thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims from its trailers at the end of this month whether they have somewhere else to go or not, the New York Times reports. Much of the permanent housing intended to replace the trailers remains unfinished, and as eviction day looms, many of...

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