WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• Former state fire marshal passes away

  March 12, 2013 4:26 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The state fire marshal's office announced Tuesday that the former fire marshal who oversaw response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita passed away last week. Henry Fry died Friday at his home in Covington, according to State Fire Marshal Butch Browning. Fry served as state fire... more »

• Ex-cop seeks new judge for retrial over shooting

  January 28, 2013 5:06 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former New Orleans police officer has asked a federal judge to disqualify himself from presiding over his retrial on charges he fatally shot a man without justification in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath before the man's body was burned in a car. A court filing Monday by lawyers... more »

• 2 businessmen charged with Katrina kickback scheme

  January 24, 2013 4:51 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Two businessmen have been charged with engaging in a kickback scheme involving a Hurricane Katrina debris removal contract administered by the Army Corps of Engineers. A one-count indictment Thursday charges 51-year-old Anthony Penn, of New Orleans, and 52-year-old Kenneth Johnson Sr., of Atlanta, with conspiring to defraud... more »

• Katrina burned body trials March 11, March 18

  January 22, 2013 5:10 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A new trial will begin March 11 for a former New Orleans police lieutenant accused of covering up a police killing after Hurricane Katrina. The ex-officer accused of killing the man will be tried a week later. U.S. District Judge Lance Africk set the dates Tuesday. David... more »

• Ex-New Orleans mayor charged with bribery, fraud

  January 18, 2013 12:30 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been indicted on 21 corruption charges including wire fraud, bribery and money laundering. The charges announced Friday come from a City Hall corruption investigation that already has resulted in guilty pleas by two former city officials and two businessmen. The... more »

• Jury clears NO supplier of faulty Chinese drywall

  December 5, 2012 10:40 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal jury has ruled in favor of a New Orleans drywall supplier that distributed the faulty Knauf-brand imported Chinese drywall in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Rick Duplantier, the lead trial lawyer for the firm, told The Times-Picayune that the trial which ended this week found... more »

• La. to pay up to $90M to end Superdome bond deal Play Video

  October 18, 2012 2:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana will pay as much as $90 million to get out of a troubled borrowing deal that helped upgrade the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. The State Bond Commission gave preliminary approval Thursday to a debt refinancing for the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District that will include the... more »

• Orleans schools get insurance money for Katrina damage

  October 12, 2012 7:08 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Lawyers for the Orleans Parish School Board have garnered another $17 million in insurance proceeds to help cover damage done by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. District officials say the money is slated to go toward $2 billion worth of citywide school construction and renovation already... more »

• Katrina floodwall case heads to trial

  September 11, 2012 3:08 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Army Corps of Engineers is back on trial, seven years after Hurricane Katrina's storm surge shredded New Orleans' flood protection system. Starting Wednesday, a federal judge will hear testimony in a lawsuit by several homeowners who claim negligence by the corps and a contractor caused... more »

• N.O. mayor: Hunker down for Isaac

  August 27, 2012 12:57 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the city is ready to face Tropical Storm Isaac. Noting that Isaac should arrive at the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Landrieu said Monday that officials feel very good about the ability to cope with Isaac. Landrieu, who declared a state... more »

• Citizens pays $104M award over slow storm claims

  July 23, 2012 5:41 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's property insurer of last resort has paid a $104 million judgment that will benefit more than 18,500 policyholders who sued over slow adjustment of claims after hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck in 2005. Plaintiffs' attorney Fred Herman said Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. transferred the money... more »

• La. taking applications for Katrina loan program

  July 19, 2012 7:28 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The state of Louisiana is accepting applications for a program offering low-interest loans of up to $5 million to businesses affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The state Office of Community Development said in a statement that the loans are designed to address "unmet... more »

• New Orleans councilman charged with Katrina fraud

  July 18, 2012 9:56 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans city councilman has been charged in federal court with plotting to steal federal funds intended to help a nonprofit group after Hurricane Katrina. A court filing Wednesday charges Jon Johnson with conspiracy to commit theft of government funds and to submit false documents. Johnson... more »

• Court to review cops' convictions in Katrina case

  June 20, 2012 6:54 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court has scheduled a hearing for the case against three former New Orleans police officers convicted of charges stemming from a man's fatal shooting and burning of his body in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals... more »

• Judge seeks records related to leaks probe

  June 12, 2012 11:15 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to turn over any documents that show they tried to determine whether somebody leaked confidential information about its probe of deadly police shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Attorneys for five former police officers convicted of charges... more »

• Prosecutors: No need for new trial in Katrina case

  June 6, 2012 6:24 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Prosecutors are urging a judge to reject defense attorneys' claims that a "secret public relations campaign" by federal authorities deprived five former police officers of a fair trial on charges stemming from deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge following Hurricane Katrina. In a court filing Tuesday,... more »

• $9.2M in FEMA grants for Katrina recovery

  May 25, 2012 7:36 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing another $9.2 million to help southeast Louisiana recover from Hurricane Katrina. St. Bernard Parish is getting back $1.4 million spent to demolish and remove thousands of houses that couldn't be repaired after the 2005 storm. The largest grants are $3.3... more »

• LA Supreme Court strikes down insurance agency appeal

  April 9, 2012 2:52 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Supreme Court has struck down another attempt by the state's property insurer of last resort to avoid paying more than $100 million for late adjustment of hurricane damage claims in 2005. Monday's action reversed a state appeals court decision that had blocked the banker for... more »

• Katrina reforesting project comes to Mississippi

  March 11, 2012 1:05 PM

  HATTIESBURG,MS - The federal government and a nonprofit organization are working to get private landowners to help restore stands of oaks, cypress and other hardwoods ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The United States Department of Agriculture says Hurricane Katrina killed or severely damaged an estimated 320 million trees in less than... more »

• New Orleans to get $68M for street work

  March 10, 2012 10:36 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans officials say they are getting $68 million in new funding for street repairs to fix damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The new funding comes on the heels of other large sums for street repairs in the Lower 9th Ward and other hard-hit neighborhoods. The... more »

• FEMA rejects Jefferson plea on Katrina loans

  February 17, 2012 11:23 AM

  GRETNA- Federal officials have rejected Jefferson Parish's appeal of the refusal to cancel $55 million in disaster loans the parish received after Hurricane Katrina. The Times-Picayune reports Parish President John Young says Jefferson will consider its options for further action. But the letter from Elizabeth Zimmerman, deputy associate director of... more »

• Judge stops attorneys from seizing Citizens' money

  January 30, 2012 12:35 PM

  GRETNA - A judge has stopped attorneys trying to seize more than $100 million won for homeowners who claimed Louisiana's property insurer of last resort dragged its heels in adjusting hurricane claims in 2005. The Louisiana Supreme Court said Citizens failed to begin adjusting claims for Katrina and Rita in... more »

• Library destroyed in Katrina reopens Tuesday

  December 27, 2011 5:40 AM

  METAIRIE, La. (AP) - The Lakeshore branch library reopens Tuesday to the public, with a grand opening celebration set for Jan. 7. The rebuilt 7,700-square-foot library in Metairie will house more than 28,000 new items, including books, digital video discs, magazines and reference materials. The new facility replaces the library... more »

• FEMA gives New Orleans $52M to repave streets

  December 8, 2011 3:55 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - More roads damaged by flooding during Hurricane Katrina are going to get new paving. On Thursday, city officials announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving the city $52 million to fix roads in five neighborhoods that flooded after levees broke in August 2005. The announcement... more »

• Tony Bennett visits New Orleans, plugs rebuilding

  November 11, 2011 3:42 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Grammy-winning jazz crooner Tony Bennett is championing a rebuilding effort to help New Orleans residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. At the site of the 101st and final house built by Project Home Again, the 85-year-old singer said Friday that bringing people home is important to protecting... more »

• Leadership changing for Louisiana National Guard

  November 3, 2011 12:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - The head of the Louisiana National Guard is retiring after more than 40 years in the military and nearly 14 years as adjutant general. Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Maj. Gen. Bennett Landreneau's retirement Thursday, saying he will be replaced with Brig. Gen. Glenn Curtis, who... more »

• Lawmakers approve New Orleans hospital proposal

  September 16, 2011 12:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - State lawmakers are backing spending plans for a new $1.1 billion research and teaching hospital in New Orleans, to replace Charity Hospital. The approval was the last significant hurdle stalling the hospital's construction. With the support Friday of the Joint Legislative Committee on the... more »

• Ex-cop begins prison term for Katrina cover-up

  September 12, 2011 12:59 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former police detective who pleaded guilty to helping cover up deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina has started serving a three-year prison sentence. A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons says Jeffrey Lehrmann reported Monday to a low-security prison in... more »

• Worst not yet over for some storm-ravaged areas

  August 30, 2011 11:47 AM

  NEWFANE, Vt. - The impact of Hurricane Irene is going to be felt for some time along the East Coast, where more than 2.5 million people are still without power. The storm has been blamed for at least 40 deaths in 12 states. Some rivers in Vermont still... more »

• Six years later, Katrina evacuees staying put

  August 29, 2011 5:40 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - Six years after Hurricane Katrina forced him to evacuate, Ovide McKendall says he misses family members who decided to move back to New Orleans but doesn't plan to join them. McKendall and dozens of other former Big Easy residents now call Livingston Parish home, and have... more »

• Tulane's Toledo talks turnaround, cites experience

  August 12, 2011 12:40 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - More than any time in his five-year tenure, Tulane coach Bob Toledo contends that talk of a turnaround is realistic. The Green Wave last appeared in a bowl game in 2002, and its 4-8 record in 2010 matched its best under Toledo, who inherited a massive... more »

• Sentencing delayed for ex-cop in Katrina shootings

  August 10, 2011 9:52 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has postponed a sentencing hearing for a former New Orleans police lieutenant who pleaded guilty to helping cover up the deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle agreed this week to delay Michael Lohman's... more »

• 2 days of talks yields no verdict in Katrina case

  August 4, 2011 5:03 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal jury has deliberated for a second day without reaching a verdict in the trial of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Deliberations are scheduled to resume Friday. During Thursday's deliberations, U.S.... more »

• Jury to deliberate in Katrina shootings trial

  August 3, 2011 3:59 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- A federal jury is set to begin deliberating in the trial of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Jurors will begin their deliberations Wednesday after U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt reads them instructions on the law... more »

• Katrina shooting trial jurors to get case Wednesday

  July 29, 2011 11:29 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Jurors are scheduled to hear closing arguments Tuesday in the trial of five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt announced Friday that he expects the jury to begin... more »

• Defense rests case in New Orleans shootings trial

  July 28, 2011 4:25 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The defense has rested in the trial of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Jurors heard nearly five weeks of testimony by prosecution and defense witnesses before the defendants' attorneys rested their case Thursday.... more »

• Jurors visit bridge where cops shot 6, killing 2

  July 26, 2011 10:37 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Jurors for the trial of five current or former police officers charged in shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina are making an unannounced visit to the scene of the deadly incident. State and federal law enforcement closed the Danziger Bridge on Tuesday so... more »

• Federal audit says DHH mismanaged $50M grant

  July 19, 2011 12:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - A federal audit is charging Louisiana's health department with mismanaging a $50 million post-Hurricane Katrina grant intended to restore health care access to the New Orleans region. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that the... more »

• Juror excused from Katrina shootings trial

  July 18, 2011 10:44 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - One of the jurors hearing the case against five current or former police officers charged in the deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina was excused Monday, more than three weeks into the trial, because she is related to the wife of one of... more »

• Expert: Bullet from body matched to officer's gun

  July 13, 2011 11:49 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A firearms expert says he matched a bullet removed from the body of a teenager gunned down on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina to an assault rifle used by a police officer charged in the deadly shootings. Patrick Lane, a government witness in the... more »

• Shooting victim's brother thought teen had gun

  July 8, 2011 4:52 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A man whose mentally disabled brother was gunned down by police at the foot of a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina testified Friday that he believed teenagers were shooting at them before a truckload of officers arrived and opened fire - a recollection he now disavows.... more »

• Trooper ducked for cover during Katrina shootings

  July 5, 2011 5:25 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Louisiana State Police trooper who witnessed part of a deadly encounter between police and residents on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina recalls ducking for cover because he thought he and other officers were under fire. But the trooper, Michael Baron, testified Tuesday at... more »

• New type of commander may avoid Katrina-like chaos

  July 3, 2011 10:49 AM

  PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.- The U.S. military hopes a new type of commander can avoid some of the failures that plagued the response to Hurricane Katrina. The military is training high-ranking officers to command both active-duty and National Guard troops in a domestic emergency. Normally they report... more »

• Jury selected in bridge shooting trial

  June 23, 2011 4:12 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Twelve jurors, plus four alternates, have been picked to hear the case of five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge in Hurricane Katrina's chaotic aftermath. The jury - seven men and five women - was... more »

• Trial opens for NOPD officers charged in bridge shooting

  June 22, 2011 12:18 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Jury selection has begun in the trial of five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge in Hurricane Katrina's chaotic aftermath. Roughly 70 potential jurors were questioned Wednesday about their Katrina experiences and their knowledge of... more »

• FEMA wants money back from 2005 hurricane season

  June 1, 2011 10:45 PM

  BATON ROUGE- FEMA is asking for 10-percent of the money back that it doled out during the 2005 hurricane season. FEMA wrote checks to thousands in Louisiana after the storms in 2005. The government organization passed out $7 billion to residents in Louisiana after the storms in 2005, and... more »

• FEMA eyes debt take-back as hurricane season looms

  June 1, 2011 4:42 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- Nearly six years after Hurricane Katrina drowned New Orleans in misery, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding storm victims why they cursed the agency for its sluggish response to the disaster. As a new hurricane season begins Wednesday, FEMA is working on a long-delayed push to determine... more »

• Flood evacuees move into enclave built for Katrina

  May 17, 2011 2:36 AM

  SIMMESPORT- A Louisiana farming community built for evacuees of Hurricane Katrina has become a haven for families driven from their homes by river flooding. Twenty-six families have moved into the enclave informally known as Canadaville because their towns were threatened by flooding from the Mississippi River and smaller rivers that... more »

• Cop arrested in alleged hit and run

  May 6, 2011 8:48 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- A key government witness in the trial of a deadly police shooting after Hurricane Katrina was arrested in suspicion of drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident. Police say Officer Keyalah Bell was suspended without pay after her arrest. She was booked into jail and... more »

• Blighted property auction latest step in recovery

  April 1, 2011 1:05 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Close to 100 properties, many of them bought by the state after they were damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, are going on the auction block in New Orleans. Saturday's auction will make available 94 properties in 27 New Orleans neighborhoods. The New Orleans Redevelopment... more »

• Ex-cops sentenced in killing of man after Katrina

  March 31, 2011 3:25 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former New Orleans police officer was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison Thursday for shooting a man to death without justification after Hurricane Katrina, and his ex-colleague was given just over 17 years for burning the body. The judge said he didn't believe... more »

• Judge refuses to delay ex-officer's sentencing

  March 22, 2011 1:27 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has refused to postpone a sentencing hearing for a retired New Orleans police officer who was convicted of burning the body of a man who was shot by police in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Gregory McRae is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31... more »

• Ex-cop's sentencing postponed in Katrina shooting

  March 16, 2011 4:24 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has postponed a sentencing hearing for a former New Orleans police officer who was convicted of fatally shooting a man in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. The former officer, David Warren, was scheduled to be sentenced March 24. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lance Africk... more »

• Inspector General releases report on Miracle Place Church

  March 16, 2011 12:04 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The state Inspector General's Office released a report today that claims a Baker church and drug treatment facility scammed the federal government out of more than $750,000. According to the report Ricky Sinclair and the Miracle Place Church of Baker, as well its All The Way... more »

• N.O. cop asks judge to quash indictment

  March 15, 2011 12:29 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans police officer charged in deadly shootings on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina is asking a judge to dismiss his indictment, claiming prosecutors tainted the case. A defense attorney's court filing Monday says the state and federal cases against Sgt. Kenneth Bowen improperly used... more »

• Pilot program to remove Chinese drywall beginning soon

  February 21, 2011 1:42 PM

  A pilot program to remove tainted Chinese drywall from Louisiana homes is expected to begin soon. State Attorney General Buddy Caldwell says the program will include Ascension, East Baton Rouge Orleans and St. Tammany parishes. The program only includes homes with drywall from Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT). ... more »

• Post-Katrina shooting convict claims new evidence

  February 8, 2011 11:31 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans police officer convicted of writing a false report on a deadly police shooting after Hurricane Katrina claims new evidence could clear him. Police Lt. Travis McCabe was convicted in December of charges he falsified a report to make it appear that Officer David Warren... more »

• Ex-mayor sheds shorts 5 years after Katrina vow

  February 2, 2011 1:07 PM

  GULFPORT, Miss. - There was a time when not even the president of the United States could get Eddie Favre to wear pants. Favre lost everything but the clothes he was wearing - which included Bermuda shorts - when Hurricane Katrina flattened Mississippi's Gulf Coast in 2005. He... more »

• $2.6M deal to settle FEMA mobile home claims

  January 21, 2011 5:40 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Companies that manufactured mobile homes for FEMA after Hurricane Katrina have agreed to pay $2.6 million to resolve thousands of claims the temporary shelters exposed Gulf Coast storm victims to potentially dangerous fumes. Attorneys for plaintiffs and roughly two dozen mobile home makers and their subsidiaries on... more »

• Suit seeks to halt New Orleans levee work

  January 11, 2011 3:50 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A lawsuit is threatening to slow down or even halt work to strengthen a canal that broke catastrophically during Hurricane Katrina. Homeowners with backyards along the 17th Street Canal filed a civil suit in state court on Jan. 5 to stop the work because they claim that... more »

• Former NO aviation director pleads guilty to obstruction

  January 5, 2011 1:09 PM

  NEW ORLEANS – The former aviation director of New Orleans has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, after prosecutors said he used his position to hide from his insurance company that his wife’s luxury BMW wasn’t destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. As part of a plea deal Hunter admitted that he... more »

• Federal probe of BRPD actions after Katrina is over

  January 4, 2011 12:38 PM

  Baton Rouge police officers have been cleared by the Justice Department of any wrongdoing in the days after Hurricane Katrina. State police officers from New Mexico and Michigan alleged some Baton Rouge officers harassed African-Americans and conducted illegal searches. Tens of thousands of evacuees from the New Orleans... more »

• FEMA gives St. Bernard money for new school

  December 18, 2010 9:54 AM

  CHALMETTE, La.- St. Bernard Parish is getting $26 million in federal hurricane aid to build a new elementary school. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving the parish school board the money to build Gauthier Elementary School on the site of the old P.G.T. Beauregard Middle School, which was... more »

• Jury convicts three officers in post-Katrina death

  December 9, 2010 7:08 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal jury has convicted three current or former New Orleans police officers but acquitted two others in the death of a man soon after Hurricane Katrina. The jury of seven women and five men on Thursday convicted a former officer, David Warren, of manslaughter in... more »

• Prodigal cat returned home five years after Katrina

  December 8, 2010 12:39 PM

  BILOXI, Miss. - Five years after wandering away in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, a gray and white cat named Scrub has been reunited with his Mississippi family. The Humane Society of South Mississippi says Scrub was identified by an implanted microchip. The 7-year-old cat was brought to the shelter... more »

• Jury deliberating Katrina burned body case

  December 7, 2010 10:13 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A jury is deliberating in the trial for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in the death of a man who was fatally shot before his body was burned in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. The jury of five men and seven women heard 12 days... more »

• GO Zone bond program expires Dec. 31

  December 6, 2010 3:17 PM

  BATON ROUGE - When Congress set up a tax-free recovery bond program after hurricanes Katrina and Rita to help spur private business development, applications poured in and it appeared demand would far exceed Louisiana's $7.8 billion bond capacity. Now, as the Gulf Opportunity Zone bond program is weeks from expiration,... more »

• Manslaughter in mix for ex-cop in Katrina shootings

  December 6, 2010 11:11 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A jury will be allowed to consider whether a former New Orleans police officer committed murder or manslaughter when he fatally shot a man during Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. U.S. District Judge Lance Africk said Monday that he will instruct jurors they can consider the less serious charge... more »

• Trial winds down in Katrina police shooting case

  December 6, 2010 7:31 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A jury is set to hear closing arguments in the trial for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in the fatal shooting and burning of a man's body after Hurricane Katrina. Up to eight hours of closing arguments are expected Monday before jurors begin... more »

• Louisiana man pleads guilty in storm aid fraud

  December 3, 2010 11:59 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Ponchatoula man has pleaded guilty to defrauding the American Red Cross of more than $13,000 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Federal prosecutors say 44-year-old Juan Owens pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans after being charged with one count of... more »

• Ex-N.O. cop denies lying to grand jury

  December 3, 2010 11:41 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former New Orleans police sergeant has denied a friend's allegation she lied to a grand jury because she held a grudge against one of the five current or former officers charged in a deadly police shooting after Hurricane Katrina. Sgt. Erin Reilly testified Friday that she... more »

• Defense rests in Henry Glover trial

  December 2, 2010 4:12 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- Defense attorneys have finished calling witnesses in the trial for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in a man's fatal shooting after Hurricane Katrina. Lt. Travis McCabe, charged with obstructing the federal probe of Henry Glover's death, was the final defense witness to testify... more »

• Former police officer sentenced for coverup

  December 1, 2010 3:47 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former New Orleans Police officer, who pleaded guilty to helping to cover up the deadly shootings of unarmed civilians on the Danziger Bridge after Hurricane Katrina, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison. The sentence imposed Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance... more »

• Expert: Post-Katrina police shooting was justified

  November 29, 2010 12:52 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An expert in police procedures has testified that a former New Orleans police officer was justified in shooting a man whose burned body later turned up in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Alan Baxter, a defense witness in the federal trial for five current or former officers,... more »

• Trial set to resume for New Orleans officers

  November 28, 2010 9:53 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - After a three-day Thanksgiving break, a trial is set to resume for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in a man's fatal shooting after Hurricane Katrina. Monday will be the eighth day of testimony in the case spawned by the death of 31-year-old Henry... more »

• Trial for police shooting to resume

  November 17, 2010 6:09 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A trial for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in a man's death after Hurricane Katrina is scheduled to resume today. The trial was suspended Monday and Tuesday so U.S. District Judge Lance Africk could tend to a family medical emergency. A jury has... more »

• Katrina police shooting trial on hold

  November 15, 2010 9:15 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A trial for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in a man's death after Hurricane Katrina is on hold for two days while the judge tends to a family medical emergency. The trial will resume Wednesday morning. A jury has heard two days of... more »

• FEMA forgives NO airport's $10.8M disaster loan

  November 11, 2010 5:17 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is forgiving $10.8 million in community disaster loans to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. New Orleans CityBusiness reports that the airport used the money for repairs after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Aviation director Iftikhar Ahmad says reducing the airport's debts... more »

• Jury selection starts in Katrina burned body case

  November 8, 2010 9:01 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Jury selection is underway in the trial for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in the death of a man whose burned body turned up in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Former officer David Warren is charged with shooting 31-year-old Henry Glover outside a strip mall... more »

• Judge: $10K for post-Katrina debt harassment

  November 4, 2010 5:19 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A state district judge says CitiMortgage Inc. cannot collect from a couple who defaulted after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their house, because it had no copy of their mortgage. The judge also ordered CitiMortgage to pay David and Rebekah Cefalu $10,000 for years of what Buckley called harassment.... more »

• La. Guard heads back to Jackson Barracks

  November 1, 2010 5:22 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana National Guard is moving back the Jackson Barracks, five years after Hurricane Katrina flooded most of the military post. Friday there will be a ceremony with military and local officials expected to be on hand when the post becomes the Louisiana National Guard's headquarters. Half... more »

• FEMA awards $21.8M to continue hurricane recovery

  October 26, 2010 11:23 AM

  FEMA announced today they were giving more than $21.8 million to projects that were continuing the recovery process from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 12 projects are eligible to receive portions of the funding, including construction work in New Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and Cameron parishes. The list includes: ... more »

• Bid to delay ex-NOPD officer sentencing denied

  October 19, 2010 12:44 PM

  A federal judge has refused to postpone a sentencing hearing for a former New Orleans police officer who pleaded guilty to helping cover up deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. The former officer, Michael Hunter, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17. ... more »

• Corps to shore up trouble spot in NO flood defense

  October 16, 2010 11:14 AM

  The Army Corps of Engineers is doing more work to strengthen the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal, a spot in New Orleans where floodwalls broke during Hurricane Katrina. The corps says it will reinforce levees and floodwalls along the IHNC to meet beefed-up standards the corps is using in the wake... more »

• Study: No allergy spike from Katrina mold

  October 8, 2010 8:19 AM

  A new study finds the mold that pervaded New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina didn't lead to a general increase in mold allergies. Tulane University researchers examined 529 patients who got a skin test for mold sensitivity at Ochsner Health System between December 2005 and December 2008. Lead author Felicia Rabito... more »

• 2 N.O. officers charged with lying about shooting

  September 30, 2010 12:52 PM

  Two New Orleans police officers have been charged with lying under oath about the fatal shooting of a man outside the city's convention center after Hurricane Katrina. Thursday's six-count indictment charges the officers, Ronald Mitchell and Ray Jones, with obstruction of justice and perjury for allegedly giving false deposition... more »

• New Orleans man pleads guilty in Road Home case

  September 29, 2010 5:57 AM

  A New Orleans man has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds he received after Hurricane Katrina. Hubert Sentino Jr. applied to the Louisiana Road Home Program on Oct. 8, 2006, claiming that a property he owned that was damaged by the storm was his primary residence. On Tuesday, he... more »

• LA judge to weigh ownership of jumbo emerald

  September 24, 2010 1:31 PM

  A small army of lawyers has converged in a Los Angeles courtroom to argue ownership of the world's second largest emerald. The Superior Court judge is reviewing attorney documents on Friday before hearing testimony from the first of several people who claim to own the 840-pound Bahia Emerald. ... more »

• Lacombe woman sentenced in Katrina fraud case

  September 24, 2010 6:40 AM

  A Lacombe woman has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for two felony counts of theft of government funds she obtained after Hurricane Katrina. According to court documents, in 2005 Denise Stobaugh and her husband applied for a loan from the SBA based on damage purportedly... more »

• Did Katrina-Rita trailers hurt kids' health?

  September 23, 2010 5:23 AM

  RTI International of North Carolina will investigate whether children who spent at least two months in FEMA trailers after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have more skin or breathing problems than those who didn't. RTI will also study children whose mothers were pregnant with them while living in a trailer provided... more »