News from Central Gulf Focus: La./Miss (Ala contributors)

[Audrey2Katrina]

Officials have mixed views on restoring coastal barrier islands

7/8/2006, 4:27 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has begun a coastal restoration study, which will include the state's five barrier islands, but some experts say nature and time are the only things that can restore the damage left by Hurricane Katrina.

Scientists at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs are conducting the study. They will be looking at the affects of the Aug. 29 storm and the time it could take for the barrier islands to recover.

"We know they recovered well after (Hurricane) Camille," said Greg Carter, chief scientist and research professor. "But Katrina was a much more severe storm. We know storms are important to the survival of the barrier islands."

Gov. Haley Barbour helped get $10 million for the study, Barbour spokesman Pete Smith said.

"The barrier islands are our first line of defense from storms," Smith said. "A strong argument could be made that they need to be restored."

Others say nature will restore the damage Katrina left.

The U.S. Park Service has jurisdiction over the islands, two of which are federally designated wilderness areas.

"What we do is let nature take its course," said Jerry Eubanks, superintendent of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. "(The islands) are dynamic. They are constantly moving. We try not to interfere with that." Large-scale restoration "is contrary to U.S. Park Service policy. All that's being done at this stage of the game is studies," Eubanks said.

Cynthia Sarthou, executive director of the Gulf Restoration Network, said restoration is important, but it must be done correctly for it to work effectively. "The more natural, the better," she said. "Some man-made solutions are not long-term solutions. Dumping sand on them is not going to naturally restore them. We need to be cautious in our solutions."

Meanwhile, Louis Skrmetta fears damage caused by Katrina could lead to the loss of one of the barrier islands. The storm's fierce winds and waves covered all the islands, killing animals and vegetation and washing away sand, but especially on East Ship Island.

Skrmetta, whose family has owned Ship Island Excursions for 80 years, said East Ship Island has diminished in size as a result of the hurricane. The gap between East and West Ship Islands has widened by about three miles, he said.

"So, were worried," said Skrmetta as he prepared to take a group of summer campers to the islands. "Im afraid East Ship Island is going to go away."

[Audrey2Katrina]

Corps misses 2nd floodgate deadline, hasn't set 3rd

7/8/2006, 3:21 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — After missing two deadlines for floodgates and pumps to protect New Orleans from floods like those after Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hasn't set a third.

The project at the 17th Street Canal is an important one. The Corps can't set a new deadline until it hears from contractors and others, said Jim St. Germain, a corps specialist helping design and oversee pumping projects there and at two other canals.

The floodwalls and pumps are ready at the other two canals, he said.

"This is a project being designed — and redesigned — as we go along, and the contractor is doing a fabulous job. I know the public gets frustrated, but this is something that has never been built before, and nothing about it is easy," St. Germain said.

The original deadline was the start of hurricane season, June 1. The revised deadline, Sunday, won't be met, St. Germain said.

"The July 9 date was an optimistic estimate based on the best information we had at the time," St. Germain said Friday. "Now we have current information ... and an updated plan to increase capacity. But we won't have the new schedule until our contractor and pump supplier tells us how long it will take them to do what we're asking them to do."

The latest plan calls for more pumps in the 17th Street Canal, which drains both Jefferson and Orleans parishes — and for modifying the contract with Boh Brothers construction to let it buy pumps directly from suppliers rather than go through the corps' bid process, St. Germain said.

Congress is paying for the project, aimed at keeping storm surges out of the canals and reducing pressure on their suspect floodwalls. Under current plans, the corps won't allow more than 5 feet of surge into the 17th Street Canal. If a tropical system threatens before the floodgates and pumps are working, sheetpile will be set up at the mouth of the canal.

The London and Orleans canals are in better shape. There, St. Germain said, the gates already can be closed and the temporary pumps operated if tropical weather threatens.

At the Orleans Canal, which carries by far the least water of the three, the corps already can match the pumping capacity normally provided by the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board: 2,200 cubic feet per second of water moving out of the canal around the closed gates and into Lake Pontchartrain.

At London Avenue, however, the temporary pumping capacity is only 2,800 cfs, compared to 8,000 when the S&WB pumps all are working. Corps officials have said they will try to supplement that figure with portable pumps.

And the S&WB can pump 10,000 cfs into the 17th Street Canal. But when the floodgates are closed, it can only move as much as the corps' pumps can handle. And right now, those pumps can manage only about 1,000 cfs.

Pumps being installed and planned would add another 2,800 cfs. The plan being reviewed by Boh Bros. and pump suppliers would add a total of 25 pumps, 23 of them portable, for an additional 1,450 cfs for a total of more than 5,000 cfs.

The 25 additional pumps would be put on the floodgate's deck, where the previous plans called for a big crane to lower the gates, and using two smaller cranes at ground level.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Mississippi officials review laws in Hurricane Katrina's wake

7/8/2006, 3:18 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

WAVELAND, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers have asked the director of the Stennis Institute, a government think tank, to evaluate state and federal laws that may have slowed the Gulf Coast's recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University, is on the Coast looking at everything from purchasing laws to communication issues. The results will be in a report to legislators by mid-December, in time to introduce changes to state law.

Wiseman said there are several examples of how laws can slow disaster recovery. For instance, state and federal laws dictate how a city is to replace public works equipment.

That means buying new equipment, like backhoes or front-end loaders, after the old equipment was damaged by a powerful storm can become a lengthy process, Wiseman said.

"When you write the law, you don't think of little cities with 15 pieces of equipment rendered useless," Wiseman said. "The Legislature has heard what happened down here. The last thing they want is more bureaucratic intervention to get in the way or hinder the process. They want to know, 'How can we help?'"

Wiseman said he first had to determine who were the first responders.

When he got his mandate, he was thinking about firefighters, ambulance medics and police. He wasn't thinking about public works or even animal control. But his first trip to the Coast was an eye-opener, Wiseman said.

He said he learned that it's the public works staffs that cut the trees and clear the roads so police and rescue workers can get into neighborhoods.

He sat down with Waveland Public Works Director Ron Calcagno who told Wiseman that he lost everything in Katrina, but managed to show up for work right after the Aug. 29 storm. He walked to the city's sewer treatment plant where he and other first responders camped out for days.

But Wiseman also learned that once help arrived for Calcagno there were still plenty of stumbling blocks — one being a law that would allow his department only the Blue Book value for replacing equipment, which often can be 10 to 15 years old.

Finding a 10- to 15-year-old replacement for the damaged equipment is difficult, Calcagno said.

Wiseman said that he has heard over and over the statement: "I don't know how many laws I broke getting things done."

It has applied to hiring men with chain saws to clear trees blocking access to national forests, hot wiring school buses in Hancock County, and commandeering a private backhoe in one Coast city. "Normally government can't do business that way," he said. "But the fact that they did and it worked, the laws need to reflect that," Wiseman said.

[beachbum_al]

1165th MP Company Honored in Fairhope
Last Update: 7/8/2006 6:52:45 PM

Watch this story

(FAIRHOPE, Ala.) July 8 - Often times when soldiers return home they feel overlooked and forgotten about, but that was not the case Saturday. It was a day for honor to be given, where honor was due.

In a packed gymnasium at Fairhope High School, members of the 1165th Military Police Company, most of them from Fairhope and Brewton, receive a special distinction by the President of the United States.

The unit, which was deployed to the Middle East in 2003, spent more than 14-months on active duty. That's more than any other unit from the entire state of Alabama.

Their main job: to provide military protection. Such work didn't go unnoticed.

President Bush bestowed the highest honor which can be awarded to a unit, the Presidential Unit Citation.

In addition, the group also received the Valorous Unit Award and each soldier who served in Iraq walked away with his or her combat action badges.

Sergeant Jimmy Harrison is one of them. Harrison served in both Vietnam and Iraq. His best friend, Carol Ross, was on hand to forever capture this moment with a photo camera.

Veterans say the support seen here shouldn't stop. Joe Birindelli, of the Citizens for Local Troop Support said, "All of us Vietnam veterans are very determined that the guys now in the current war get as much support as is humanly possible."

The 1165th Military Police Company becomes the first Alabama National Guard unit to receive the Presidential Unit Citation for its role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 1165th military police company had its stay in Iraq extended an additional 2 months. The group has been home almost 2 years.

http://www.wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=1F3C4656-CF9C-4192-8A20-05C25F83266C

[Audrey2Katrina]

New Orleans Real Estate Soaring:

BUYERS' & SELLERS' MARKET

Undamaged homes are fetching record prices, but even houses that did flood are selling better than some expected.


N.O. real estate is selling for record prices and even sales of damaged homes are promising.

Sunday, July 09, 2006 - Times Picayune/NOLA.com
By Greg Thomas
Real estate writer

The average sales price of undamaged homes in Orleans Parish has soared higher than storm surge in the eight months since Katrina, while flooded homes are discounted to about half the average prices of a year ago.

Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes appear to be more stable markets, with post-storm prices having jumped about 11.5 percent over prestorm values. For St. Tammany, that's a slight quickening of the market above the 9.2 percent increase noted in 2004 prices, while in Jefferson, the rate of increase has been level for the past two years.

The run-up in Orleans Parish prices for undamaged homes is the most startling number in a metrowide report on real estate sales prepared by Wade Ragas, the founder of Real Properties Associates and a retired finance professor who has studied the local market for 25 years.

From January to August 2005, Orleans sales were appreciating at a record pace of 29.6 percent. Since Katrina, the average sales price has climbed 26.2 percent for undamaged homes. In other words, in the past 18 months, New Orleans' undamaged homes have increased in value by 55.8 percent.

In the past eight months, there have been 9,925 sales in the metro area, and of those, 1,783 were flooded or heavily damaged properties that have lost an average of 45 percent of their prestorm value creating an average sales price of $122,000, according to the report.

"There's two markets going on, but the amazing news is that unit sales volume (for a 10-month period) has exceeded pre-Katrina sales," Ragas said. "The good news is that this is a strong market." The level of unit sales indicates a strong desire by many to return home or to invest in local real estate.

Ragas created the report based on observation of neighborhoods, databases containing flood-level information, and sales data from the New Orleans Real Estate Metropolitan Association of Realtors.

Metrowide, the average sales price of nonflooded houses was $129 per square foot as of June 15, or $247,418, based on 8,142 post-storm sales.

Sales of the flooded homes are a sign that both speculators and returning New Orleanians are looking for bargains, specialists say. It's both a good sign and a bad sign, said Chris Inman, president of Coldwell Banker TEC Realtors.

While acknowledging that there's no easy way to separate the speculators from buyers planning to live in the purchased housing, Inman said he assumes that speculators are now driving the Lakeview market in damaged properties.

Lakeview development

A quick drive through Lakeview on Friday found two developers who back up claims that speculators are working the Lakeview market, snatching up properties that they will renovate and then rent out. Craig Ritz of River Ridge and Bruce Gaubert, who lived in Lakeview and owned some rental property before the storm, said they are both investing in properties for rental, not for rehab and resale.

Rents, Gaubert said, will be stiff, comparable to those of the Warehouse District before Katrina. A two-bedroom apartment he was repairing Friday rented for $800 before the storm. It will rent for $1,100 now, Gaubert said.

Ritz will be asking $2,500 to $3,000 a month for a townhouse he built on Soniat Street and he had almost sold for $289,000. When Katrina hit, the buyer balked.

Both men said that the skittishness in the market is helping drive rents up because people are wary of buying during uncertain times. They both agreed that a season of no storms and fulfillment of state and federal promises will go a long way toward recharging consumer confidence.

Lakeview, the largest chunk of ZIP code 70122, consists of about 7,000 homes and was inundated by Katrina's water from the 17th Street Canal breach.

The 89 flooded properties that sold in Lakeview in the past eight months brought an average of $53 per square foot, or $115,732, according to the Ragas report.

Before Katrina, that kind of money would have bought nothing more than the lot, leading brokers and agents to conclude that the flooded houses are selling as tear-downs for new home construction.

Ragas' figures do not include properties sold directly by owners without use of a broker, a type of transaction that many say accounts for the bulk of the Lakeview market. But Ragas said his study has captured at least 75 percent of all single-family transactions.

Coldwell Banker's Inman said he thinks that after a spurt of activity in Lakeview and the rest of the 70122 ZIP code, the market there is slowing.


Wet and dry


"Two single-family home markets have emerged in the New Orleans areas in the wake of the storm," Ragas said.

In some dry areas, the change of values is staggering. For example, in Central City, mostly ZIP code 70113, two dry homes sold for an average increase of 86 percent above prestorm values. The sales prices of two flooded properties fell 40 percent below the pre-Katrina average.

But in ZIP code 70130, comprising the Lower Garden District and the Garden District, both of which were spared flooding, prices in the past eight months rose in value to $472,553, a modest 8.6 percent improvement on the prestorm eight-month average price of $457,543.

The relative lack of appreciation is because of the high price of the housing, said Arthur Sterbcow of Latter & Blum Realtors. Sterbcow said there is a 12-month supply of houses in the area priced above $500,000.

Ragas' report shows that price appreciation was averaging 38 percent annually before the storm in the unflooded area that has come to be known as the "sliver by the river." But Ragas said that pace of appreciation was faltering in the months before Katrina. "These are definitely not sustainable prices now," he added.

Uptown, mostly ZIP code 70115, saw prices climb 17.5 percent based on 222 sales of undamaged homes for an average sales price of $444,835, a leap over the pre-Katrina average cost of $390,981.

Of the 22 sales of flooded properties within that same ZIP code, the average sales price fell 58 percent to $145,227.


Low appreciation


One of the surprises in Ragas' study is the lack of strong appreciation on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish -- just 5 percent during the eight-month post-storm period. Before Katrina, the area was appreciating at an annual rate of 8.5 percent.

Similarly, in the 70114 ZIP code that includes Algiers Point, an area that was seeing average annual appreciation of 18 percent before the storm, based on 115 sales, prices have risen only 4.8 percent to $167,497, based on 103 post-storm sales.

In lower coast Algiers, which includes English Turn, post-storm values have climbed 4.8 percent to $235,428, based on 354 sales.

In areas totally inundated by floodwaters, prices have plunged predictably, a drop of 44 percent in eastern New Orleans, for example.

In St. Bernard Parish, with 373 sales recorded, prices plunged 61 percent from a pre-Katrina per-square-foot cost of about $75.

Ragas pointed out that the most active ZIP code for flood-damaged sales was 70124, east of City Park, where 242 sales of damaged homes closed at $78 per square foot, for an average discount of 51 percent.

During the months before Katrina in 2005, the Orleans average sales price was $228,362 and on pace to realize an appreciation of nearly 29 percent, Ragas said.


Surburban sales


In St. Tammany, the market may be even stronger than Ragas' numbers show, local real estate agents said.

Barbara Blades, president of residential sales for Prudential Gardner Realtors said she believes nondamaged homes are selling at 30 percent above prestorm levels while Coldwell Bankers Inman concurs.

"Talking to my north shore managers, they say sales are still holding very, very strong. Thirty percent appreciation (for undamaged homes) is a very safe number," she said.

Ragas conceded that reporting problems may make for more conservative numbers in western St. Tammany and that 25 percent appreciation is probably close to the norm.

Ragas said it was more difficult to determine which of the sales in western St. Tammany were of damaged properties; much of the destruction was caused by wind rather than flooding. Damaged-home data was more readily available for eastern St. Tammany, the heavily-flooded Slidell area, where post-storm undamaged homes climbed in price 11.8 percent and damaged homes fell 51.7 percent.

Jefferson Parish wasn't spared Katrina's wrath, but flooded and wind-whipped houses often sustained less damage than in Orleans. Parishwide, 1,938 Jefferson homes have sold since Katrina. The prices of the 490 listed as flooded dropped on average by 26.8 percent while the 1,448 undamaged homes rose on average 11.4 percent to $275,304.

The average sales price for undamaged homes in Jefferson was $214,800, while the sales price for damaged homes was $146,777. East Jefferson has seen most of the sales activity.

In St. Charles Parish, overall unit sales have risen by 25 percent since the storm. The LaPlace area in St. John the Baptist Parish saw prices rise 19 percent to $97 per square foot, while sales volume soared 25 percent to 421 units in the eight months that ended in June. The average sales price rose to $220,358, compared to a prestorm average of $177,423 and 2004's average sales price of $123,795.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Affordable homes scarce in St. Tammany

It's hard for business to attract workers

Sunday, July 09, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
By Bruce Hamilton
St. Tammany bureau

Judy Gracia has had people turn down job offers before, but one reason -- the lack of inexpensive housing -- has been a common theme in recent months.

The vice president of human resources at St. Tammany Parish Hospital said four or five recent applicants refused jobs because they said they couldn't find homes that they could afford.

"It's hard when you've got the best-quality candidate and there's nowhere for them to live," she said. "Housing over here is more expensive."

Call it affordable, reasonable or "work-force level" housing, but the lack of it in St. Tammany is a growing problem for more than prospective residents. Employers in various north shore industries complain the shortage stymies staffing, which creates a ripple effect in the economy.

The problem predates Hurricane Katrina, but it has been exacerbated by an influx of population since the storm that coincides with rapidly rising housing costs. The parish's population has increased since the storm, and much of the parish's housing stock was badly damaged.


Many factors involved

In the last four months of 2005, the average price for a house sold in St. Tammany was $220,625, according to the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation. That compares with an average price of $188,628 in the fourth quarter of 2004 -- a 17 percent leap.

The high cost of local land is generally blamed for higher housing prices, but other factors heavily influence the market. Builders cite regulatory strictures and fees at the parish level. Real estate agents said builders don't bother to build inexpensive homes because the profit margin's too slim.

"We have no housing for first-time home buyers," said Lynn Ferina, president of the Northshore Area Board of Realtors. "You can't find a house for less than $100,000. I think it's a huge problem. I felt like it's been an issue for years and years. All the builders are building expensive homes. . . . It's the builders."

No it isn't, said Ben Kirk, spokesman for the St. Tammany Home Builders Association.

"There are a lot of builders out there who would love to build work-force houses," Kirk said. "The problem is affordable lot availability."

Land gets pricier in areas closest to the Causeway, he said, and the cheapest lots are too remote.

Kirk cites the parish's mandate that no lots can be smaller than 90 feet by 140 feet, which contributes to a higher infrastructure cost in developments. "The only way we can actually handle the problem of work-force housing -- the parish is going to have to look at some reduced lot sizes, even in restricted areas. It's the only answer."


Greed also blamed

St. Tammany Parish Council Chairman Steve Stefancik acknowledged the parish needs more housing, but he disagreed that lot-size requirements need to be changed.

He referred to alternatives such as townhouses, or the European practice of building apartments that residents buy. Such developments, which are taller and less spread out, allow surrounding areas to be used for recreation or green space.

"I'm willing to look at anything and try to find the best approach we can to resolve some of these issues," the councilman said. "I feel very strongly about people being able to live where they work."

Ronda Behrens, owner of a small real estate firm, blames greed for driving up prices.

"It seems the hungry guy at the banquet table is trying to jam it all in his mouth as fast as he can," she said. "I think there's a lot of people out there who are inflating the price of these houses just because there's a demand for them."

Behrens cites a few recent examples of escalating prices, including one deal in which the appraisal came in $20,000 lower than the asking price.

"The purchasers bought it anyway because they had no home," she said. "Do I agree with it? No, I don't."

In another deal, three separate appraisals were sought because the sellers wanted $50,000 more than they had paid for a house a few months earlier.


Regulatory issues

Appraiser Wesley Moore, who prepared a study of the parish's housing needs for a local developer, found regulatory hurdles as one of the main issues.

"That is one of the key deterrents to new construction," he said. "The other is that costs are materially higher."

Because of the rising costs, Moore said, it's difficult for a builder to profit from products priced at less than $200,000. Otherwise, they have to create projects with a greater density, such as apartment complexes. Moore said there is a national shift toward condominiums.

"There has been a great amount of condo construction in Baton Rouge," he said. "Katrina kicked it up a notch."

According to census figures, St. Tammany had 75,398 housing units in 2000. Of those, 91.8 percent were occupied. Rental units made up about 19.5 percent of the stock, with the remaining 80.5 percent being owner-occupied.

Moore's study said St. Tammany's market could instantly absorb 9,950 units, or about one-eighth of the existing housing stock. According to the parish, St. Tammany's peak construction year added 4,500 units. In other words, even a strong building boom won't fill existing local needs for several years.


Desire for 'mansions'

Lance Belcher, the developer who commissioned Moore's study, is planning to expand his Emerald Forest Condominiums in Covington by 146 units. It's a $15 million project, according to Belcher, and the units will cost between $175,000 and $225,000. "It's a crying need that I'm trying to fill, but it takes such a long process to get to that point, you almost get worn out," he said.

Belcher said it's too expensive to build multifamily homes. He cites the rising cost of materials as well as the stricter building codes recently adopted in the parish. "It costs us 18 percent more to build under the new code," he said. For example, everything has to be rated for 130 mph winds.

Belcher said he paid about $30,000 for permits alone, as well as impact fees of $1,485 per dwelling.

Another obstacle to more affordable housing is the mind-set of residents in some communities. "They all want to live next to a mansion, not an affordable house," Moore said.

"Affordable housing is a touchy subject," Mandeville Fire Chief Richard Tassin said. "If you've got a $300,000 house, you don't want a $100,000 house next to you. I think they think it connotes something negative."


Price shock cited

After Katrina, "anything that was 'affordable' was gobbled up," said Stirling Properties President Marty Mayer, chairman of the West St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce. The average price of homes sold in St. Tammany in the first quarter of 2006 was $275,000, he said.

"There's virtually nothing in the $150,000 to $175,000 range," Mayer said. "The people who moved here from St. Bernard (Parish), their average price was about $130,000. This is just a price shock for them."

Mayer said the chamber and the parish are focused on the problem. "I think it's a fundamental problem in our area," he said. "It's been a problem, but until now I don't think there's been a willingness to address it here."

One of the potential remedies is coming through the Louisiana Recovery Authority's "Road Home" plan, which includes aid for homeowners whose houses were affected by Katrina as well as rental development incentives.

John Smith, a Slidell resident and regional president of Whitney Bank who was recently appointed to the LRA, said some of the $7.5 billion allocated to Community Development Block Grants will be used for affordable housing, including multifamily homes.


Road Home help

According to the LRA, Road Home offers some grant money to landlords to encourage them to rebuild small rental properties with affordable rent. It also gives grant money to developers as an added incentive to federal tax credits to encourage more affordable rents.

Road Home grants are also available to assist residents with storm-damaged homes. Smith said applicants can register by calling a toll-free number, (888) 762-3252.

Smith cited Katrina's impact on the region's housing stock: By Red Cross estimates, 284,000 units were destroyed by the hurricane, including 18,800 in St. Tammany. Recovery money will help spur a building boom, he said, by restoring much of that damaged stock.

"I think there's going to be significant growth, and we obviously have to have places for people to live," he said.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Jamaica vs. work? Judges head for beach

Meanwhile, cases continue to pile up

Sunday, July 09, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
By James Varney
and Jeffrey Meitrodt%%par%%Staff writers

With the New Orleans criminal justice system in shambles and authorities struggling to ease a backlog of about 6,000 cases, at least two Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges have jetted off to Jamaica for a week of continuing legal education at a deluxe resort, according to courthouse administrators.

Judges Charles Elloie and Calvin Johnson were off the bench last weekand in Negril, attending a course run by a New Orleans for-profit company called Jamaican Sunset CLE, according to staffers in the judicial administrator's office and various clerks scattered about the largely dormant court building at the corner of Tulane Avenue and Broad Street that still bears signs of hurricane damage.

The duo's Caribbean getaway, which records show could cost more than $4,500 per judge, is unfolding against a chaotic backdrop, with officials throughout the criminal justice system acknowledging it is in crisis but divided about a possible solution. Criminal District Court Chief Judge Raymond Bigelow and District Attorney Eddie Jordan are publicly debating whether more criminal judges should be hired to cope with the court's logjam, while New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley has expressed frustration with the crippled system and the U.S. attorney's office has said it is making an effort to step into the breach and take over some prosecutions. Criminal District Court was closed for months after stewing in Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters. Parts of it remain shuttered and in dire need of repairs, and enormous, sprawling air-conditioning ducts surround the building.

Jordan, speaking at a June 28 press conference, shortly before the judges headed for Jamaica, painted a bleak picture. "Obviously we cannot try all the cases that are to be tried this year with the judges that we currently have and the schedule they have today: six judges holding court every other week and only holding court from basically 9 to 5."


From Florida to Jamaica


It is unclear how many judges from other city courtrooms, most of which are in better shape than Criminal District Court, were also in Jamaica. The trip is slated each summer just a month after many judges spend a week in Sandestin, Fla., on another continuing legal education trip. Among the confirmed attendees were State Supreme Court Chief Justice Pascal Calogero, the only Supreme Court or appeals-level judge to attend Jamaican Sunset CLE, according to the office of those courts.

Traditionally, a handful of Orleans Parish Civil District Court judges head to Jamaica, and in some years judges at traffic or municipal court also have attended. The Civil District Court confirmed that Judges Herbert Cade and Kern Reese were in Jamaica, although their offices said the jurists were not scheduled to attend the entire conference and were expected back early this week.

Judge Michael Bagneris, who was in Sandestin last month and whose expense reports show him to be a faithful participant in the Jamaica week, also was there, according to his staff. Indeed, Bagneris, who has been a Jamaican Sunset faculty adviser since at least 2004, according to company literature, appears particularly fond of tropical conferences, having attended them in Hawaii, Cancun, the Bahamas and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has been adding Jamaica to his annual itinerary since 2002, records show.


'Absolutely not the time'


State law requires judges to obtain a minimum of 12.5 hours of continuing legal education each year, and the total offered at Jamaican Sunset in 2004 and 2005 was 12 hours, according to brochures. Lawyers and judges older than 65 are exempt from the requirements, which means both Calogero and Elloie do not need any hours.

Rafael Goyeneche, the executive director of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, has been a harsh critic of practices at Tulane and Broad, but he defends continuing legal education for judges as a solid idea with tangible benefits for the public. Further, with only six courts in working order in the criminal court building, the departure of some judges may be less of a blow than it would in other times, he said.

Yet the message a trip to Jamaica sends is atrocious, Goyeneche said.

"This is absolutely not the time," he said. "At a time when the criminal justice system is struggling and resources are limited, there are better ways for judges to get their CLE than at some beach resort."

The fact that Elloie, whose alacrity at reducing bail has made him a case study in some crime commission reports, and Calogero do not need to go to Jamaica at all is particularly galling, Goyeneche said.

"Well, they do have to go if they want a vacation and they don't want to pay for it," he quipped.

Some judges who have gone to Jamaica in the past skipped the event this year, including Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judges Carolyn Gill-Jefferson and Ethel Simms-Julien, both of whom were in Sandestin last month. Simms-Julien's staff answered inquiries emphatically Friday.

"She heard some 30 cases on the bench this morning, and she will not be taking any trip to Jamaica," said Myrna Shelton, Simms-Julien's minute clerk and office manager.


Donors to judges


New Orleans lawyers Keith Doley and Ammon Miller are the directors of Jamaican Sunset CLE, which was incorporated in 1996, according to the Louisiana secretary of state's office. In the past two weeks, Doley begged off an interview twice and then did not return repeated phone calls. Miller could not be reached for comment. He left his office at 1010 Common St. without leaving a forwarding address earlier this year, the lobby staff said last week.

Campaign finance reports show that over the years, the two lawyers have contributed thousands of dollars in small increments to the civil and criminal court judges who comprise the bulk of their Jamaican Sunset clients. Contributions from lawyers to judges are commonplace in the legal community.

The judges' expense reports do not make clear how much profit Doley and Miller realize through Jamaican Sunset. The trip is paid for with tax money or out of the various court judicial expense funds, public collections amassed through fines and court costs set by the bench. Registration for the trip's continuing legal education in 2005 was $500, a 25 percent jump from the year before, records show.

On top of that, participants are charged for a lodging package that has increased 20 percent since 2003 and now tops out at $2,770 for the full week, records show. In past years, the judges and their guests have chosen among accommodations at the Treehouse Hotel, the Grand Lido Resort and the Seasplash Resort, all in Negril.

As a general rule, Louisiana judicial guidelines prohibit international travel by judges to any conference not associated with state or national bar associations. The Supreme Court occasionally expands the definition of noninternational travel, however, and Jamaica, Mexico and Canada are now considered the equivalent of domestic locations.


Bill totals thousands

The 2005 Jamaican Sunset CLE was canceled because of Hurricane Dennis. Consequently, the most recent full year for which records are available is 2004. Those show that only judges in Orleans Parish attended the Caribbean CLE, and that the total cost for the 16 judges, half of whom had attended the Sandestin CLE the month before, ran to $44,507.92, or an average of $2,781.74. Not every judge stayed for the full week, so there was a wide difference in cost, with Orleans Parish Traffic Court Judge Robert Jones' bill of $4,905.50 being the most expensive and Civil District Court pro-tem Judge Paula Brown the cheapest at just $500, records show.

Of the posh Negril destinations offered by Jamaican Sunset, records show the most popular with the judges is the Grand Lido, an all-inclusive resort that includes meals in the $2,770 package, hotel staff and travel agents said. In fact, the Jamaican Sunset literature for the Grand Lido in 2004 boasted that the package includes "all meals and snacks," plus "wine with lunch & dinner" and "unlimited premium-brand cocktails."


Per diem perk

Nevertheless, records show most traveling judges also pocket a per diem of as much as $115 while studying in the tropics, and some of them sandwich their travel days on either end of the trip and thus collect a total of $920 in per diems during the Jamaica junket.

The Louisiana Supreme Court sets the state's $115 per diem for judges on the road, a figure considerably higher than federal employee per diems and one the judges collect without having to show receipts proving that the money actually was spent. The difference between Louisiana's generous per diem and the more austere per diem available to federal judges -- which in Negril now stands at $26 a day for meals and incidental expenses, according to the U.S. State Department -- is considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service.

In 2004, Gill-Jefferson, Simms-Julien and Reese were all guests at the Grand Lido yet took home per diem totals of $920, $688 and $920, respectively, records show. When asked about this in writing last year, Civil District Court spokesman Walt Pierce noted that not every judge stayed in an all-inclusive spot, but that in any event they were entitled to the per diem.

"The judicial expense fund does not have an internal policy regulating per diem request for lodging at all-inclusive hotels," Pierce wrote. "While the Grand Lido is an all-inclusive hotel, the judges attending the conference were not required to eat meals on the property and had the option of eating at other venues."

Exact costs and attendance for this year's trip could not be determined last week. Jamaican Sunset CLE did not issue refunds for the canceled 2005 conference, and scheduled participants were reportedly able to roll over their reservations to this year.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Curfew paints picture of teen life

Many are back in city without their parents

Sunday, July 09, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
By Leslie Williams
Staff writer

In a post-Katrina New Orleans flinching from a resurgence of violent crime and a recent rash of gunplay in Central City, a revived juvenile curfew netted 55 violators in 11 days and revealed that some youths from hurricane-displaced families have come home without their parents.


"We have some kids coming back without parents or guardians -- simply roaming," said John King, executive director of the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for Greater New Orleans.

Police suspended enforcement of the curfew for residents 16 and younger after the hurricane battered the city last August. Enforcement resumed June 23.

Of 55 violators picked up through Monday, 31 were 16 years old, according to data compiled by Criminal Sheriff Marlin Gusman's office. Fourteen were 15 years old, four were 14 years old, four were 13 and two were 11.

The police found the largest number of violators unsupervised on city streets -- 16 of them -- between midnight and 12:59 a.m., according to records. Twelve violators were scooped up between 10 p.m. and 10:59 p.m. and 12 more between 11 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.

One 14-year-old violator was picked up by police June 29, a Thursday, in the 200 block of Bourbon Street at 1:50 a.m.

"What kind of activities is a kid going to be involved in after midnight?" King said. "The city needs the curfew even more now that some adolescents are here without their parents."

At least a third of curfew violators returned to New Orleans from Texas and elsewhere without their parents, authorities said.

It is a predicament the Police Department was dealing with before resuming enforcement of the curfew.

"The 16-year-old -- Joshua Jack -- who was gunned down at Loyola Avenue and Philip Street in April comes to mind as one example of kids coming home without their parents," Deputy Superintendent John Bryson said.

Another recent homicide victim -- Warren Simeon, 17, one of the five teens shot dead June 17 about 4 a.m. in Central City -- evacuated New Orleans and ended up in Texas with his mother, Angela Simeon, and his grandmother, his mother said. In January, the teenager returned to the city to get a job and enroll in school, said his mother, who returned to the city five months later.

The teenager got a job, but couldn't find a school he could attend, his mother said.

Responding to a soaring murder rate in 1994, then-Mayor Marc Morial established a curfew for residents 16 or younger. After Katrina battered the city, the curfew was not enforced because "there was no place to bring the juveniles," Bryson said.

Since the renewal of curfew enforcement, violators have been taken to the third floor of an administrative building at 2614 Tulane Ave., which is staffed by police officers and sheriff's deputies.

The curfew begins at 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The curfew ends each day at 6 a.m.

If offenders are caught near their homes, police usually will take them home, Bryson said. If a parent is present to sign a release promising to appear with the minor in Juvenile Court, the minor will be released to the parent, he said.

Among curfew violators picked up in the past two weeks, several had brushes with the law before, said Garry Flot, a police spokesman.

Some had a previous arrest for narcotics violations, illegally carrying weapons, armed robbery or for simple and aggravated battery, Flot said.

And at least one of the 55 juveniles, police said, was breaking another law while violating the curfew.

After leaving a concert in Westwego featuring hip-hop star Lil Wayne, four teens were pulled over July 1 at about 2 a.m. in Central City after police noticed the Nissan Maxima they were in had an expired brake tag, Flot said. Also, the occupants were not wearing seat belts, he said.

Police said the breath of one of the two 16-year-old boys reeked of marijuana and he had bits of it between his teeth as well as a small amount in a cigar, said Flot, who added that the teen was arrested for possession of the drug.

Police also arrested the driver, Darrell Williams, 18, and Eric Evans, 18. The two men were booked with contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.

Williams said he and Evans went to the concert together. As they were leaving, he said, the two boys asked for a ride to their homes in Central City.

If a person is not the legal guardian or parent, he or she can be arrested on the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Flot said.

As long as boys and girls are with their parent or guardian, there is no limit regarding how late they can stay out, said Bryson, who views the curfew as one way to increase the odds that fewer children will be perpetrators or victims of crimes.

Not everyone, however, shares, that sentiment.

Joe Cook, executive director of the Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, calls the catch-and-release-to-parents program a "constitutional infringement on the rights of parents."

Only parents should determine what's a reasonable hour for their children to be out, Cook said.

Bryson, though, rejects the notion that police should not be involved.

"How are parents supposed to do that when some of them aren't even here?" he asked.

Historically, there's been a big problem with adults recruiting juveniles to sell drugs because convicted juveniles often do not "do any real jail time," while an adult may serve years in prison for such an offense, Bryson said. And don't forget that some single parents can't be at home to supervise their children because they work at night, he said.

In a way, the curfew increases parent-and-child awareness about what's going on, he said. Violators don't go to jail; instead, parents are called in to come take care of their children, he said.

"We want to do everything in our power to help these kids become the best adults they can be," Bryson said. "The goal of all of this is to keep children safe."

Another thing society can do is to invest in the early years of children, said social worker Barbara LeBlanc, director of The Parenting Center at Children's Hospital, through "parent training, early childhood education and social services for families."

For individual parents, the key is to build a relationship and develop good communications a long time before the child is 16, LeBlanc said.

If not, it's like closing the barn door after the horse is out, King said.

King said parents need to take a genuine interest in the lives of their children. One of the best ways to strengthen the relationship with adolescent children is to share the evening meal with them each night, he said.

LeBlanc recommends family counseling.

"We can help," said Edward Carlson, executive director of Odyssey House Louisiana, a New Orleans-based nonprofit agency established in 1973.

Parents seeking assistance with children violating the curfew can call the nonprofit group's outpatient services program coordinator, Amy Briggs-Bosworth, at (504) 821-9211.

"We can work with parents and children -- individually and in groups," Carlson said.

"We have outpatient substance abuse services for adolescents," he said. "And we can work to get them qualified for funding to pay for other services, such as family counseling."

[Audrey2Katrina]

Council to discuss base flood elevations

Community invited to ask questions

Sunday, July 09, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
From staff reports

The New Orleans City Council will hold a public meeting Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall, 1300 Perdido St., to discuss FEMA's proposed advisory base flood elevations and what they mean to property owners citywide.

"The meeting is an opportunity for members of the community to ask questions about the implications of the City Council's potential adoption" of the advisory base flood elevations, "and specifically how they will impact homes and businesses in the city's 49 flooded neighborhoods," said Paul Lambert, a council planning consultant.

"The City Council must make a decision within the next few weeks that will impact literally thousands of property owners. The council, through this meeting, wants to ensure that residents have access to the most accurate information and can properly weigh in on this important issue," Lambert said.


The council heard a presentation last week on the proposed elevations and what they mean to people thinking about rebuilding their flood-damaged houses. To view that presentation, go to http://www.neworleanscitycouncil.com and click on "advisory base flood elevation." The same information will be distributed to those attending Thursday's meeting.

The council's consultants also have other information available at http://www.nolanrp.com.

Citizens unable to attend Thursday's meeting will be able to watch it live on Cox Cable Channel 6 in Orleans Parish. The meeting also will be rebroadcast during the following week.

For more information, call (504) 588-9068.

[Audrey2Katrina]

BATTLE OF BATON ROUGE Civil War still rages in the halls of Louisiana State University after a resolution passes to honor Union general

Sunday, July 09, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
By Ed Anderson
Capital bureau
BATON ROUGE


A state senator from Oak Ridge fired the first volley in a battle over naming a building on the Louisiana State University campus after Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, and now an emotional war is raging with no end in sight.

In the waning days of the recent legislative session, Sen. Robert Barham, R-Oak Ridge, an active LSU alumnus, got colleagues to pass a nonbinding Senate resolution requesting the LSU Board of Supervisors to "give consideration for the naming of an appropriate building in honor" of Sherman, the first president of the institution that would become LSU. The measure passed without objection or debate.

Sherman, anathema to generations of Southerners for his "total warfare" and "scorched earth" policies in pillaging Atlanta during the Civil War on his notorious "March to the Sea," served as a captain in the Mexican war. He later resigned his commission to become superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, the institution that evolved into LSU, when it opened its doors near Pineville on Jan. 2, 1860.

Because of the Civil War, the school closed in 1861 and Sherman joined the Union army as a colonel.

Barham argued that he is not trying to re-fight the Civil War, just give credit to a man who helped run LSU's precursor. Naming a building after him would be a fitting tribute, Barham said, while conceding wryly: "I do not think that naming a building after him at the (LSU) fire training academy would be appropriate."


Established code of conduct


Ex-LSU Chancellor James Wharton, who ran the main LSU campus from 1981 to 1988 and has been on the chemistry faculty for more than 40 years, is waging a campaign to kill the idea before it gains momentum. He is backed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Wharton argues that buildings should be named after individuals who have made great contributions to LSU or the state, not someone who engaged in warfare against civilians during the Civil War and oversaw massacres of native Americans as a post-Civil War general.

"If (Confederate Gen. George) Pickett gets ready to make his charge again at Gettysburg, I think we have the folks to do it," Barham drawled, referring to the growing number of critics arrayed against his plan.

"He (Sherman) established a curriculum and a code of conduct" for the LSU forerunner school, Barham said. "I don't think that is an insignificant contribution."

Barham, miffed at the controversy, said he stands by his resolution and is now crafting a letter to the LSU board urging that 16 of the soldiers who graduated from LSU and fought and died for the Confederate States of America should also be honored.

"This is not a chess match," Barham said. "The Confederate cadets (from LSU) who died should be recognized. By tradition, former presidents of the university have had buildings named for them."


Not a priority for board


Rod West of New Orleans, chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors -- the agency that approves policy for all LSU campuses, including the naming of buildings -- said the issue is not formally before the board. It has to undergo a study and approvals from a campus committee, the campus chancellor and the president of the university system before it reaches the board, he said.

West said he and other board members have gotten letters and calls from proponents and opponents of Barham's resolution, "but we are dealing with more pressing issues right now," he said. "With all due respect to the people who hold strong views on this, we are trying to reform the health care delivery system (at LSU hospitals in the aftermath of last year's hurricanes), deal with financial problems at UNO and bring Charity Hospital back" as a network of teaching hospitals for medical students, he said.

A spokeswoman for LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe said O'Keefe is "considering all points of view" but did not elaborate.

Wharton, who was a guest on a Baton Rouge radio talk show this week, said he grew up in the small southwest Oklahoma town of Mangum and was told by his grandmother of Sherman's atrocities against American Indians in that state.

"There was a Cheyenne camp massacre . . . in which he wiped out the whole camp and burned homes and crops and animals," Wharton said. "If he had done these things in modern times, he would be tried as a war criminal . . . Even if you take into consideration that he was the first superintendent, it doesn't even come close to what other people have done" for the state and LSU.

The issue of naming a building after Sherman cropped up twice before in the 1970s and was killed both times, Wharton said. "Based on the number of phone calls I have received, I can't imagine the university would fly in the face of this opposition" which has surfaced on talk radio, letters to the editors of newspapers around the state as well as letters and e-mails to LSU officials.


Not likely to happen


Charles McMichael, a Shreveport high school history teacher and commander of the Louisiana Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, has gotten his members and the United Daughters of the Confederacy to write LSU board members opposing Barham's resolution and calling it "insulting and horrifying." He said that Sherman abandoned LSU after a year, and as a Union officer "spent the next five years trying to kill as many of his former students as possible, as well as devastating their families."

McMichael, a 1993 graduate of LSU's Shreveport campus, said that naming a building after "Burnin' Billy Sherman" would heap "insults, shame and ridicule upon LSU and the state of Louisiana. . . . This is heinous, this is so heinous."

He said Sherman is already honored along with other presidents with a portrait on the campus -- hanging by a bathroom in a little-used hallway -- and his desk is on display at the library. That should be enough, McMichael contends.

Barham said, given the tenor of opposition, the board probably will not be disposed to name a building after the Union general and founding president of the LSU precursor. "It will probably happen some day," he said, "but I don't think from these events it will happen now."

[Audrey2Katrina]

Tulane and UNO have difficulty recruiting after Katrina

7/9/2006, 2:51 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Rick Jones has built a successful program in his 14 years as Tulane's baseball coach.

A big part of that has been his ability to recruit players. But these days he's found someone he can't recruit against.

"I cannot beat CNN," Jones said. "Every time you have a sensationalized story about New Orleans like the National Guard patrolling the streets, it's hard to explain that our university is intact and the Uptown area looks great. It's a real challenge."

Across town the baseball coach at New Orleans knows exactly what Jones is talking about.

"There is major apprehension out there," Tom Walter said. "We used to feel that the city of New Orleans was a draw, particularly with high school kids. But now the landscape has changed dramatically. And it doesn't help that every time New Orleans is on the news something bad seems to be happening."

Following Hurricane Katrina stories of crime and murder were followed by news of the National Guard returning to the city to patrol.

"People didn't hear that the National Guard was here for the right reasons," said Tulane men's basketball coach Dave Dickerson. "It just managed to reflect our city in a negative light. That makes our jobs tougher."

Recruiting star players has always been tough. But Katrina has made it much harder to convince prospects that the city is both safe and ready for them.

"Everybody knows what New Orleans has gone through," said newly hired UNO men's basketball coach Buzz Williams. "And when you're recruiting, it has to be addressed because you're not going to trick anybody into thinking it didn't happen. The reality is that things are getting better here every day. But that's not going to stop others from trying to use things against us. We just have to deal with it."

UNO and Tulane each have suspended sports and made other budget cuts. The suspended sports must be restored by 2010 if each school is to retain Division I status. Of more immediate concern, however, is the unease that another hurricane season has brought.

"I've had to answer more questions about levee construction that I am not prepared to answer," said Jones. "I generally tell them that this is not just your future, but it's mine, too, and I would not still be here if I thought there were any danger."

Both of the city's Division I schools have shrunk their recruiting range, finding it easier to explain the situation to those from neighboring areas and to local prospects.

"People from across the nation are waiting to make a determination about Tulane and New Orleans based on what they see on the news, and I can't recruit against that perception," said Dickerson. "But kids from this state and this region know more about the truth about our situation, which is that we're alive, we're still a great university, and we've definitely not been washed away."

[Audrey2Katrina]

Safe houses shaping up as Jefferson Parish races against time

7/9/2006, 10:44 a.m. CT TP/NOLA.com
The Associated Press

GRETNA, La. (AP) — About a month past its goal of providing hurricane shelters for pump operators, Jefferson Parish expects to complete the first of eight safe houses this week on a delayed timeline that stretches into the height of hurricane season.

Parish President Aaron Broussard heralded the safe rooms as the centerpiece of his revamped hurricane preparations after residents criticized him for evacuating pump station workers during Hurricane Katrina. The move forced the workers to shut down the pumps, allowing neighborhoods to flood.

Crews put finishing touches on the safe room at the Bayou Segnette pumping station in Westwego on Friday. Also on the west bank on the Mississippi River, a 250-ton crane hoisted the Whitney/Barataria safe room onto its elevated platform Friday, and crews bolted it into place before its estimated July 22 completion.

Three other shelters are expected to be ready in July, followed by two in August. The final Category 5 hurricane protection shelter, the only one being retrofitted from an existing Category 3 safe room, is expected to be ready by Sept. 4 — nearly three months past the administration's initial goal of June 15.

The installation delays are the latest in a string of setbacks to the project, which the parish fast-tracked by borrowing $20 million earlier this year.

Project bids soared above parish estimates and forced the administration to scale back from 17 safe rooms to seven new shelters and a retrofitted eighth one.

In another delay, the Parish Council had to fire the sole bidder for the East Jefferson safe rooms when it disclosed a conflict of interest. It then opened a second round of bidding, in which Gibbs Construction of Elmwood made the sole offer.

Gibbs crews on Friday supervised the unloading of the second safe room to be delivered from New Madrid, Mo., by Kontek Industries, which designed and built the modular rooms that rest atop the 21- to 27-foot concrete platforms built by Gibbs.

A massive crane hoisted the 46-ton sleeping quarters and the separate 22 1/2-ton generator room onto the Whitney/Barataria pumping station near Belle Chasse. Both buildings have 8-inch walls designed to withstand 250 mph winds to account for possible tornadoes.

The safe room includes eight metal cots, a rack of lockers that are tucked in a corner, and a door hides a tiny bathroom next to an equally small kitchenette. Each safe room also has a hatch in its roof, where workers can escape if the other two doors are blocked by debris.

Kontek Industries president Don Utz said the safe rooms were designed with some of the same principals that his firm uses in developing combat shelters for the Department of Defense. After building them, Kontek tested their strength by hurling pieces of 2-by-4 wood at the structures at speeds topping 100 mph to simulate flying debris.

"If we're going to put people in harm's way, let's look at the worst-case that they'd have to experience," Utz said. "If we're going to sustain these people and they're going to be effective, they're going to need electricity and everything to continue to operate that safe house."

Drainage Director Kazem Alikhani said the parish plans to house 10 workers in the rooms, which have enough water and fuel to operate for at least five days.

[Audrey2Katrina]

USS Green Bay prepares for christening

7/9/2006, 3:58 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The U.S. Navy will christen its new 684-foot warship the Green Bay on Saturday at a shipyard near New Orleans.

"People are stoked about it," said Navy Lt. Brian Peters, electronic materials officer for the USS Green Bay. "What's unusual is, we're building it in New Orleans, and we're also building a ship called the New Orleans. But from what I've seen there's more enthusiasm about the Green Bay being built."

The ship, being built in Avondale, La. at a Northrop Grumman shipyard, is the second Navy vessel to be called the Green Bay. The first was a small gunboat from the Vietnam era.

This ship, designed to carry troops for rapid deployment, launch and recovery, will be a major part of the U.S. amphibious fleet and carry 360 Navy sailors along with up to 800 Marines.

When the Navy commissions the ship in 2008, the USS Green Bay will be too large to ever visit its namesake because it will not be able to fit through the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Currently, the ship is more than 70 percent complete and stands between the USS New York and the USS New Orleans.

Navy veterans living in Green Bay are excited about the ship.

"To have a ship named after the town you live in, that's quite an honor," said veteran Russ Alsteen, a Green Bay barber. "This is a new style of combat vessel. It will have the latest technology."

Former U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Danzig says the city's "commitment to team efforts" is why the name was chosen, and former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr will appear in a video that will be played at the christening ceremony.

"The tradition and history of the team is unmatched anywhere," Starr says. "When you combine the historical strength with the unique fan support that is there, it's an honor to be identified with that great community."

Lombardi Middle School Principal Nancy Croy will attend the christening as part of the school's relationship with the Navy. Also, Stephanie Favre, cousin of Packers quarterback Brett Favre, works in production control at the shipyard.

"To end up on working on this project, it's really weird," Favre said. "This is my way of contributing to the defense of our country."

[Audrey2Katrina]

Fairhope-based National Guard unit receives the Army's highest honor

Sunday, July 09, 2006 Mobile Press Register/AL.com
By DAVID FERRARA
Staff Reporter

FAIRHOPE -- A crowd of family members, friends and Alabama dignitaries rose to its feet Saturday morning as the Fairhope-based 1165th Military Police Company received the highest award bestowed upon an Army unit.

Army officials hooked blue and yellow streamers representing the Presidential Unit Citation atop the company's green flag.

Roughly 130 soldiers, standing at attention and most in camouflage fatigues, remained stoic. Women dabbed tears from their eyes. Military leaders held their hands at their brows. And a standing ovation broke out for the men and women who, according to military officials, became the first Alabama National Guard unit to receive the award for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"I believe this unit has probably done their job as well as any active unit over there," Brig. Gen. Wendell McClain said just before the citation was awarded inside Fairhope High School's gymnasium. "You don't deploy and just do business as usual and receive this kind of award. These awards are the highest you can receive. You need to be honored, and you need to be recognized."

The 1165th left Fairhope on March 18, 2003, for Fort Benning, Ga., and shipped out to Iraq two months later. They served 13 months before returning home in July 2004.

The award is given to units for "extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy," according to Lt. Vivian Jackson, who gave the opening address. A unit must also show, she added, "gallantry, determination and esprit de corps" during a mission of "extremely difficult and hazardous conditions."

More than three years after first being deployed, they accepted two other decorations: the Army's Valorous Unit Award, that military branch's third-highest award, and the Combat Action Badge.

"It is true we will not be the same, but who could after seeing what we've seen and doing what we've done," Capt. Christopher Butler told his comrades and audience members. "(The presidential citation) was hard to earn, but well deserved."

During its mission, the 1165th guarded the streets of Baghdad and trained Iraqi police officers. Spc. Christopher Taylor, 25, of Daphne, was killed Feb. 16, 2004, when his convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device, while about a dozen others in the unit were injured during their stay.

Another member of the unit, Anthony Maurice Andrews, 33, a corporal with the Saraland Police Department, died earlier this year after he collapsed during an exercise program.

Relatives of Andrews and Taylor were recognized during the ceremony, as family members received plaques in their honor.

Elected officials in attendance included U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile; state Reps. Joe Faust, R-Fairhope, Randy Davis, R-Daphne, and Steve McMillan, R-Gulf Shores; Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Faron Hollinger; Baldwin County Commissioner Albert Lipscomb and Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant.

Bonner recalled visiting the unit in December 2003. He said he had a Christmas dinner with the group and prayed with them around a "scrubby little Christmas tree" inside a former torture chamber used by Saddam Hussein's regime that had been converted into a dining hall.

"It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen," Bonner said.

He later added, "A lot of times troops come home from a war zone, we tend to forget (the war). This is a reminder that we should never forget."

Butler said he envisions telling "old war stories" in the future with fellow soldiers who served in Iraq.

"We can now end those stories with, 'Oh, by the way, our unit earned the ... highest awards a unit can receive in the process. That should make us all pump out our chests a little farther."

Butler pointed out that the ceremony fell less than a week after Independence Day.

"We can look back on our time in Iraq and say it was units like us that led the way to independence for others," he said. "It is up to us to remember the ones who have done their job."

After Bonner bestowed awards on each soldier outside the high school, Spc. Brandon Threadgill, of Valley Grand, Ala., peered down proudly at the citation in his hands.

"It means more to me than anything else I've ever had in my life," he said.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Author presents works to SCV

Sunday, July 09, 2006 - Baldwin County Register/AL.com
Submitted by James Baggett

Fort Blakeley Camp 1864 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans held its latest meeting at Street's Restaurant in Bay Minette.

The camp's next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, also at Street's.

At the June meeting, a welcome was extended by Thomas B. Rhodes III, chapter commander, who also conducted the group's business session. Primary discussion focused on the Alabama Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans annual convention. Adjutant James Baggett was appointed as voting delegate to represent the camp in all business sessions.

The guest speaker was Kelly Barrow, historian-in-chief for International Headquarters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Barrow has invested years of research in the role of black Americans in the War Between the States of 1861-65. He has published two books on the topic, "Black Confederates" and "Black Southerners in Confederate Armies."

Barrow's presentation shed new light on misconceptions that surround the role of black Americans in the war, camp leaders said.

At the meeting's closure, Barrow presented copies of his books for the camp library.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Gulf Coast Network UPDATE:

Gulfcoastnews.com 7/9/07

Hancock County contractor ordered to halt debris pickup. Says government is "short of money"...MDOT says it will expedite a program to synchronize U.S. 90 traffic lights... Thefts of metals, especially copper are widespread on the Coast...Biloxi is lukewarm on an MDOT proposal for a ferry across Back Bay...East Ship Island was so badly damaged by Katrina that it might disappear...The Navy has decided to add a 600-man battalion to the Seabee base in Gulfport...The State Gaming Commission has approved a proposal for a casino in D'Iberville. The first checks of the state's Homeowner Grant Program will be sent out next week. The grant program will pay homeowners outside the flood zones up to $150,000 to help them rebuild their homes destroyed by Katrina's storm surge. The governor hopes to expand the program to include homeowners within the flood zones...Some badly needed rain has arrived but burn bans are still in effect along the Coast as the Coast is in a extreme drought...FEMA reports that more than 101,900 people are housed temporarily in 37,745 FEMA-provided trailers nearly ten months after Katrina. The Coast is still in relief mode not recovery nearly ten months after Hurricane Katrina. 7/9/06 11:49 AM

[Audrey2Katrina]

MDOT hits the gas on U.S. 90

Portions of 'The Big Project' sped up

By DON HAMMACK and ROBIN FITZGERALD
SUN HERALD - 7/9/06

The frustration of U.S. 90's unsynchronized and sensorless lights has spilled over into raised voices, angry fist-lifting and disgruntled Sound Off calls.

MDOT has seen and heard enough about it to alter its plans to rehabilitate the beach boulevard so badly pounded by Hurricane Katrina.

It had originally planned to include traffic signal repairs in what District Engineer Ricky Lee calls "The Big Project," which would have a contract awarded next spring. Instead, the state transportation agency intends to award an earlier contract and wants to have work started in November or December.

The system would include a fiber optic or radio network to help traffic flow across the stretch's 26 miles. It would be able to be overridden from a central location for evacuation and emergency situations.

At night, cars driving along U.S. 90 can be stopped at most intersections at a time where no traffic is turning onto the highway from the north.

"The lights we now have in place are timed only, but that will improve once MDOT is able to replace them with permanent ones with the potential to help traffic flow more smoothly," Biloxi Police Sgt. Jackie Rhodes said.

Lee said he'd anticipate the signal project to cost between $5 million and $10 million. He said he's heard estimates of $30 million for the entire project, but thinks it could reach $50 million.

Existing drainage could need repair, but the package will also include new capacity. He ticked off a place in east Long Beach which was being worked on before the storm, but said there are other places along the entire length U.S. 90.

"I don't think it's a bad thing for the big project to be next spring because no matter what you do on those full-depth pavement repairs, where you have to go through and repair the underground drainage, no matter what you do it will settle under traffic," said Lee.

The bulk of work to the roadbed will be smoothing and leveling the pavement, including crossovers, turn lanes and parking bays. The curbs, which in many places are less than 4 inches high, will be restored to the standard 6 inches.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Wishes do come true

Young cancer patient enjoys a birthday to remember

By EMILY RANAGER - 7/9/06
SUN HERALD

LONG BEACH - Briana Cuevas' 12th birthday promises to be better than her last one.

Early last summer, the usually lively blonde-haired, green-eyed girl went to a pediatrician feeling tired and weak. She was diagnosed with mononucleosis, but after five weeks and no improvement, Briana went to the doctor a second time. A pneumonia test revealed something much more serious.

Four days before her 11th birthday, Briana was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer that affects the lymph nodes and can spread to the lungs, liver, and bone marrow.

"We knew something was really wrong when they pulled us aside. There were so many doctors," said Briana's mom, Alissa Cuevas. "I can't remember a word they said... You go through every emotion possible in a split second.

"As a mother, you're raised to take all the hurt away from your child, and this was hurt I couldn't take away."

Briana had just started her chemotherapy regimen at Children Medical Center in New Orleans when Katrina hit. The family evacuated to Atlanta during the storm, and Alissa soon realized going back to the Coast wasn't a viable option to continue her daughter's treatments. She called St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Briana started chemo in Memphis the next day.

The treatment has been difficult, but she's stayed resilient throughout. "She's had her ups and downs, but she's been stronger than I ever was," said Alissa, adding that Briana stayed busy at St. Jude with appearances on the "Today" show and "Oprah."

"She loved that. She loves being on camera," she said.

Now the Cuevases are back at their Long Beach home, and Briana just finished sixth grade with straight A's at Long Beach Middle School. After a difficult year, the outgoing 11-year-old was hoping summer vacation would bring a welcome break.

With the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, it did. About 50 friends and family members gathered for a surprise party in the spirit of Briana's favorite show, "Fear Factor," at the Harrison County Civic Center on Saturday.

She and her friends competed in worm-eating and other gross challenges, but the real surprise came when Briana was surprised with a Disney cruise for her whole family. While on Disney's private island, Briana hopes to swim with the dolphins.

The Cuevases are scheduled to visit St. Jude again in August to check out some spots on Briana's chest. "The prognosis is very good," said Alissa. "Right now we're keeping our fingers crossed that it's just scar tissue from radiation."

Now that would be something more to celebrate.

[Audrey2Katrina]

AROUND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI

Evacuation transport registration ongoing

Emergency-operations officials in the three coastal counties are asking people with transportation problems that would prevent them from evacuating in the event of a hurricane to preregister to aid in planning efforts.

A prior survey by MEMA did not retain information from its respondents. To register, call: Harrison County: Coast Transit Authority, 896-8080; Hancock County: Emergency Operations Center, 466-8200 or 463-1035; Jackson County: Erin Lee, 762-2455.

Grant-writing workshop for nonprofits coming up

The Mississippi Center for Nonprofits will hold its third free "Grant-writing Blitz" for South Mississippi nonprofit organizations July 11-12, offering the expertise of six professional grant-writers. The project is sponsored by Mississippi Home Again (http://www.mississippihomeagain.org) and Mercy Corps (http://www.mercycorps.org).

The sessions will be held at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's Jackson County campus in Gautier, in the math and science building (M 105).

Interested nonprofits should download an application from http://www.msnonprofits.org (click on "Documents" under the main menu, then "Hurricane Katrina Recovery") or call (601) 968-0061 to have one e-mailed, faxed or mailed.

Return completed applications and any attachments as soon as possible by e-mail, fax or mail to: Mississippi Center for Nonprofits, 700 North St., Suite 201, Jackson, MS 39202, fax to (601) 352-8820, or e-mail to lisa@msnonprofits.org.Details: (601) 968-0061. Walk-ins are allowed, but registering is preferred.

- SUN HERALD

Newcomers' club meeting set for Vrazel's

The Gulf Coast Newcomers will celebrate the beginning of its 37th year at 11 a.m. Tuesday with a return to Vrazel's Restaurant in Gulfport for its monthly meetings.

Club membership requires that members have lived in any of the coastal counties for three years or less. The purpose of the organization is to welcome newcomers to the area, to acquaint them with other residents and to provide them with social activities. Monthly activities include poker, arts and crafts, bridge, bunco, book exchange, garden club and plays or concerts.

Details: Joan, 832-9230; Laura, 831-8854.

- SUN HERALD

GAUTIER

Firefighters' overtime policy revised

The City Council last week approved revision of the mandatory overtime policy in the firefighters' union contract. Capt. Robert Jones said the change allows fire personnel to determine a procedure for overtime that fits the Gautier department.

Among several points, the overtime policy states all fire personnel will be assigned certain dates for mandatory overtime, and assignments will be made in order of seniority.

The person assigned the mandatory overtime date shall have the first option to work the overtime or choose to go through the volunteer process to cover the time. If there are no volunteers, the firefighter must work the assigned time.

- VIVIAN AUSTIN


Conditional-use permit public hearing set

The City Council has scheduled a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. July 18 to hear an appeal by Lawrence E. and Tresa G. Goyer for a conditional-use permit to build a home at Martin Bluff and Farragut Lake roads.

Lawrence Goyer said the land has been in his family about 20 years, and a home was on the corner lot until it burned in 1992. The property, he claims, was not purchased for business purposes, though annexation left the front half zoned as C-2 commercial and the back portion R-1 single-family residential.

The Planning Commission failed to make a decision for lack of enough votes on a motion to deny. The request did not meet conditional qualifications, some said, but others had argued the council had overturned previous denials of a similar request.

- VIVIAN AUSTIN



City approves application for grant to improve roads

The City Council has approved an application for an Emergency Watershed Protection Grant from the U.S. Department of Natural Resources for roadway-drainage repairs.

The grant would be used to fund upgrades and repairs at drainage crossings on Greycliffe and Dahlia drives, and Old Spanish Trail at the CSX railroad-crossing area. The work would protect the driving surface of roadways and curtail erosion, sediment and siltation of the area drainage systems and bayous.

The city would be eligible for up to $70,000 and must provide a 25 percent match, but not more than $17,500.

The officials again extended the city's emergency declaration for Hurricane Katrina until Aug. 7.

- VIVIAN AUSTIN


GULFPORT

DAV needs living-room, office furniture donations

The Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 5, at 2600 23rd Ave., is seeking donations of office and living-room furniture to restore their offices flooded by Hurricane Katrina. The organization is also in need of a riding lawn mower.

Donors may call 863-4935 to arrange for a pick-up.

- SUN HERALD

JACKSON COUNTY

SBA's Pascagoula Center to close for one week

The SBA-Pascagoula Center will be closed this Monday through Friday, but the Pascagoula staff will be available at the SBA Center in Ocean Springs, located next to America's Thrift Store on U.S. 90 (the old Kmart Shopping Center).

On July 15, the SBA-Pascagoula Center will resume its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

- SUN HERALD

LONG BEACH

Historical Society meeting moved to July 17

The Long Beach Historical Society will hold its regular quarterly meeting July 17 instead of July 10.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Christian Life Center of the First United Methodist Church, 208 Pine St., Long Beach.

Details: Frances Bertucci, 863-5332.

- SUN HERALD

[Audrey2Katrina]

Survey: Crime is residents' No. 1 priority

They urge prevention as part of rebuilding

Monday, July 10, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
By Coleman Warner
Staff writer

Preventing crime, providing street lighting, creating good schools and making neighborhoods more pedestrian-friendly are among the priorities of New Orleans residents asked to help craft Hurricane Katrina recovery plans, a Tulane University survey shows.


The survey of 1,073 returned and still-displaced residents -- using phone, Internet and in-person interviews -- offers compelling evidence that New Orleanians want crime-fighting measures incorporated into neighborhood designs, said Tom Farley, director of the Prevention Research Center at Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

While crime is always a concern of neighborhood activists, Farley said the notion of "crime prevention through environmental design," though well established among public health experts, seems to have been ignored in recent planning workshops.

"Of course, crime can't be entirely removed by planning, but crime rates can be reduced by building in certain features such as well-lit streets. Criminals act when and where they can't be seen," said Farley, an administrator at the School of Public Health.

"Other features that may reduce crime rates are designs that bring responsible adults onto the street, such as sidewalks, or that bring them into eye contact with the street, such as placing transit stops in front of busy retail stores."

Researchers asked the residents interviewed to rate 24 neighborhood traits as to their importance. The traits earning an average score of 4 or higher on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 considered "extremely important," were: a low crime rate, 4.72; good street lighting, 4.68; no litter, 4.64; good schools, 4.40; not much noise, 4.37; sidewalks and crosswalks, 4.25; trees and other greenery, 4.21; a park or playground, 4.15; a grocery store, 4.11; and affordable housing, 4.

At the bottom of the most-desired list were corner stores, 3.16; houses with big lawns, 3.26; and the presence of people with differing lifestyles, 3.31.

Responses from white and black residents were similar on most counts, with both groups giving top rankings to a low crime rate, good street lighting and an absence of litter.

But there were a few differences. Only black respondents placed affordable housing and health clinics among the 10 traits they most desire, while only white respondents put houses with porches on their top 10 list.

The survey responses lend support to the idea of trying to prevent the reopening of corner liquor stores that have been magnets for criminal activity, and for adding sidewalks, traffic controls, parks and other features that increase the "walkability" of a neighborhood, a report by the Tulane center says.

It also suggests that New Orleans' public school reform movement, by emphasizing charter and magnet schools, may weaken ties between the schools and their neighbors.

"The school system in New Orleans is being radically restructured after Katrina, and this restructuring may lead to better schools," the report says. "However, with this restructuring, schools are more likely to draw from a citywide pool of students and will thus tend to be less connected to their immediate neighborhoods."

The survey, called a "convenience sample" because a variety of methods were used to reach New Orleanians in a chaotic post-Katrina setting, may not precisely capture the views of residents, the Tulane scholars said. But they said it does offer evidence of what neighborhood traits are more or less important to those now living in the city or hoping to return. Views of former residents who don't plan to return weren't tallied.

A heavier statistical weight was given to the responses from African-Americans because their participation in the survey, 29 percent of the total, was significantly lower than their percentage of the city's population before and after Katrina, Farley said.

Among homeowners responding to the survey, 38 percent said their homes suffered major damage in Katrina, while 32 percent reported moderate damage and 26 percent reported minor damage. Less than 4 percent said they had no home damage.

A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant of $80,000 financed the survey project. The interviews were done between late April and late June, using a random telephone survey in New Orleans, Internet forums, and face-to-face interviews at trailer parks in the Baton Rouge area and St. Tammany Parish.