Katrina News Online

NEW ORLEANS — A U.S. District Court judge says a woman is headed to jail for falsely claiming to have a New Orleans home damaged in Hurricane Katrina struck in august 2005.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. sentenced that Markisha Burks to a year and a day in federal prison for fraud for using her false claim of property damage to collect funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Tuesday.

Markisha Burks, 27, was convicted by a federal jury last December of 12 counts of fraud.

Authorities said by claiming Hurricane Katrina resulted in damages to her home and personal property, Markisha Burks was able to collect $11,000 in aid, including housing as well as rental assistance.

The claim came about in spite of the fact that Markisha Burks didn’t have a New Orleans home when the hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates says that “This defendant tried to take advantage of FEMA’s emergency help which needed to go to real victims, and now she will pay the price.”

The Journal-Constitution said Markisha Burks also was ordered to pay FEMA officials and the American Red Cross a total of $11,426 in restitution.

Katrina has reportedly enlisted the services of a Hindi-Urdu tutor to help her improve her language skills.
According to Mid Day, Katrina has to speak in Hindi for her role in Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti, has been working hard to learn the language as she doesn’t like being dubbed.

Reports have suggested that Katrina Kaif has also been working with Prakash Jha in her free time to ensure that she delivers her lines perfectly.

Katrina Kaif allegedly believes that being dubbed harms her chances of winning awards.

She may be playing a hot chick in many of her films but Katrina says in real life, she doesn’t feel that way at all. “I don’t think I am hot and sexy,” Katrina told recently.

But Katrina added that is the way the audience perceives her and she is fine with that.

“I think the audience has an opinion of you and one has to try and not disappoint them.” Katrina Kaif also comes up with a quick example. “Someone like Vidya Balan is well-known for her ethnic roles and people love her in that image. I think I am well-known for a certain type of fun films. We all have our places and we’re comfortable in that.”

Former Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco says the new memoir of former President George W. Bush’s political advisor isn’t accurate about the days following Katrina.

Karl Rove’s forthcoming book says a lack of specific requests from Blanco led the White House to push for the response to be “federalized” - placing the National Guard along with other state and local entities under federal command.

Kathleen Blanco said Thursday she made the state’s needs clear in numerous conversations with the White House officials and that the federal government failed to deliver needed buses or else Army troops that would have untied the state-controlled National Guard for life-saving work. According to Kathleen Blanco, experts on disaster response advised against federalization because it would tie her hands in dealing with the hurricane.

More than 4 years have passed since Hurricane Katrina hit the south, and lots of residents still endure today. One group of Mississippi victims aims to get compensated by the folks they believe are accountable for all that property damage–multinational corporations. News-wire service Agence-France Presse (AFP) lately spied documents indicating that southern Mississippi residents are attempting to litigate a group of greenhouse gas-emitting corporations through a class-action lawsuit. The group argues that main emitters like Shell and Chevron are to blame for fueling global warming and spurring Katrina.

The lawsuit, which was initially filed back in 2005, was initially squashed by a district court. But this fall, 3 federal appeals court judges agreed that the case might be heard. Previous month, the same court decided to re-examine the case, this time with 9 judges present. These judges will set a hearing date in the next 3 months and plan to make a decision about whether the case can progress by the end of the year.

Residents seek reimbursement from Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, Honeywell, American Electric Power and other major corporations. The plaintiffs claim these companies had a liability to keep away from endangering environmental and human health, in addition to personal and public property.

Greenhouse gas emitters like Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron surely need somebody to keep them in check. But, with no laws on the books limiting these corporations’ emissions, it seems unlikely that a judge would rule in support of the plaintiffs. Still, a landmark case like this draws attention to climate change’s role in creating fiercer, more unpredictable storms. Possibly sparking a dialogue will make a bigger push for much-needed climate legislation that will maintain multinationals’ emissions in check.

Federal prosecutors desire a judge to release charges against a man affiliated with his parent’s construction company, which was accused of ripping off Katrina victims.

William C. Jordan and his parents, Gary F. Jordan and Joyce E. Jordan, were indicted in the year 2008 for the work performed by Jordan Construction in Pearl River County.

The indictment says Jordan Construction didn’t do the work and it was hired to do or didn’t do it correctly.

Prosecutors filed a motion Tuesday seeking dismissal of charges against William C. Jordan. The document didn’t say why, however Gary F. Jordan recently pleaded guilty.

The judge didn’t straight away rule.

William C. Jordan’s attorney, Michael Crosby, had no comment as the motion was pending.

A federal appeals court has agreed to review a 3-judge panel’s ruling that a group of Mississippi coastal landowners can sue energy and chemical companies claiming their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contributed to global warming, caused sea levels to raise and added to the intensity of Katrina.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on February 26 granted a petition from the energy and chemical companies for appraise by the full court of the panel’s decision.

The court said that the case would be scheduled for oral argument the week of May 24 and it gave attorneys for both sides pending April 30 to file briefs in the case.

Our B-town’s diva Katrina has got a prestigious brand in her career purse.

Katrina Kaif signed on as the new brand ambassador of Lux. With this, Katrina has joined the bandwagon of those few beauties that are associated with the beauty product and over which Katrina said to be feeling on cloud nine.

As said by the beauty, not every actress in Bollywood has been associated with Lux. A select few actresses, who they felt well-matched the brand right (have been associated with it) and they all have been actresses of great stature with magnificent careers and a few wonderful work, Katrina Kaif further said.

The new ad, which highlights Lux Purple Lotus & Cream soap, is directed by Marco and the shoot was done in Bangkok and fashion designer Rocky S had styled Katrina Kaif. Like the previous Ash-Abhishek commercial and the music for this one is also composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Katrina is no doubt one of the most popular heroines in Bollywood today. But can she match up to the steps of the ‘Dhak Dhak Girl’ Madhuri Dixit? Don’t consider Katrina Kaif can dance as well as Madhuri Dixit but she has the guts to do the steps of Madhuri Dixit.

Yes, Katrina Kaif will be performing a hot item number for Farah Khan’s film Tees Maar Khan. Katrina will be seen in a naughty ghaghra choli designed by Aki Narula. It is not a cake walk for the actress, as she is going to shake like Madhuri, who was well-known for dancing. She’ll practice for 15 to 20 days for the particular dance number.

Director Farah Khan confirmed that Katrina Kaif has to do a village belle number a la Madhuri in Tees Maar Khan. She also added that she has even given her Madhuri Dixit DVDs to watch, so that she gets the right expressions as well as the thumkas. The song will be shot at Malsej Ghat (Maharashtra) and choreograph by Geeta Kapoor and the director herself.

An ex- New Orleans police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to knowingly falsifying facts and covering up a fatal shooting involving police in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Retired Lt. Michael Lohman, 42, pleaded culpable in U.S. District Court. His plea is part of a federal investigation into numerous police shootings in 2005 in the hectic and desperate days following Katrina, according to reports. Michael Lohman could spend up to 5 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for May 26.

In total, 7 officers were charged with murder or attempted murder in the shootings, which occurred September 4, 2005, almost 1 week after the deadly storm, ravaged the city and other parts of the South.

The charges were later on dropped, reports stated.

As per the reports, the shooting occurred as local police and other law enforcement officers accosted 6 people crossing the Danziger Bridge. Officers opened fire on the group and in the process killed 40-year-old Ronald Madison, a mentally challenged individual, also 19-year-old James Brissette. But, reported witness accounts said the officers fired at unarmed persons.

Federal documents stated that Michael Lohman arrived on the scene after the shooting and encouraged officers to falsify reports to point out the individuals opened fire on officers first. He reportedly also gave them consent to plant a firearm at the scene of the crime.

As said by the federal authorities, more pleas and convictions could follow with further investigations.