NEW ORLEANS — A federal jury has ignored a New Orleans man’s claims that government contractors provided him with a trailer after Hurricane Katrina that exposed him to hazardous fumes.
Eight jurors without contradiction decided that a trailer made by Forest River Inc. of Goshen, Ind., and occupied by 39-year-old Lyndon Wright was not unreasonably hazardous in its construction or design.
The jury as well found that Shaw Environmental Inc. of Baton Rouge was not negligent in installing Wright’s trailer.
The case is the second of numerous trials designed to test the merits of and possibly resolve other claims over formaldehyde exposure in the trailers. A jury in September also found in support of the companies.
5 years have passed as Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans, but much of the city remains in shambles.
In the years since the storm, numerous college students from across the country have dedicated their spring break to helping reconstruct the area. Brian Small, of the Syracuse University Hillel, a Jewish student group, just returned from his 3rd annual trip to New Orleans.
Brian Small tells guest host Allison Keyes about students’ experiences volunteering with the organization Rebuilding Together New Orleans. He is joined in the discussion by Alyssa Provencio, that group’s volunteer coordinator.
New Orleans - A police sergeant who helped investigate a deadly shooting after Hurricane Katrina that led to a police cover-up is retiring from the force.
The city’s civil service commission says Tuesday was Sgt. Gerard Dugue’s final day on the payroll.
Sgt. Gerard Dugue was suspended earlier this month after he was involved in a traffic accident in his department-issued vehicle also failed to report it to a supervisor or immediately submit to drug and alcohol tests.
Sgt. Gerard Dugue helped investigate shootings on the Danziger Bridge that killed 2 civilians and wounded 4 others after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. He has not been charged with wrongdoing, though 2 other former police investigators have pleaded guilty to helping cover up the fact that police shot unprotected citizens.
NEW ORLEANS — The United Methodist Church as well as the Salvation Army are winding down their Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans, officials added.
Most major groups have decided to go on relief efforts, the (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported, but the move by the 2 religious organizations is a sign some will be throttling back.
According to the report the Methodists likely will end their efforts this year, while the Salvation Army plans to finish its efforts at the end of next year.
One estimate suggests the Methodist and Salvation Army contributed toward the rebuilding of in excess of 1,200 homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Times-Picayune said.
Previous to winding down its efforts, the Salvation Army still plans to launch a $12 million housing program designed to build 125 new, energy-efficient homes in Broadmoor, Algiers and 2 yet-to-be-announced New Orleans neighborhoods.
The agencies as well as other non-profits say they’ve almost exhausted private donations collected after Hurricane Katrina and they’ve chosen not to apply for federal grants, the report added.
Even as non-profits scale back, recovery managers say the number of volunteers eager to rebuild housing is still high, the report added. Rebuilding agencies say they are once again booked solid for spring break 4 and 1/2 years after the storm.
NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans’ mayor-elect says it is past time for City Hall to get tough on homeowners who haven’t repaired damage from Hurricane Katrina.
Mitch Landrieu said it is no longer sufficient to board up a house and keep the yard mowed. Around 60,000 buildings in the city are considered to be in shocking condition.
Mitch Landrieu noted that some surrounding communities already set cut-off dates to fix property and harsh penalties. Mitch Landrieu plans to meet with recovery authority officials to discuss better ways to utilize federal money directed towards those homes.
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.
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.
