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• State Farm appeals Katrina fraud ruling

  May 9, 2013 2:45 PM

  GULFPORT, Miss.- State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. has asked a judge to void a jury's finding that the company defrauded the government involving a policyholder claim after Hurricane Katrina. Motions filed in U.S. District Court in Gulfport, Miss., also seek a new trial. The verdict came in April in... more »

• N.O. school system finances improved, but flawed

  April 25, 2013 11:22 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans-based government watchdog group says the school system in New Orleans has significantly improved its financial operations in the years since Hurricane Katrina shut down the city's public education system for months. But the Bureau of Governmental Research report issued Thursday also found flaws in... more »

• Judge rejects claims over failed Katrina floodwall

  April 16, 2013 10:45 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has rejected claims that excavation work by an Army Corps of Engineers contractor weakened a New Orleans floodwall and caused it to breach in two places during Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. said in his ruling last Friday that he can't... more »

• Federal appeals court to hear climate change suit

  April 8, 2013 10:22 AM

  JACKSON, Miss. - A federal three-judge panel has agreed to hear an appeal from a ruling that a group of Mississippi coastal landowners can sue energy and chemical companies on allegations that linked greenhouse gas emissions to Hurricane Katrina. The lawsuit alleges that greenhouse gas emissions from energy and chemical... more »

• Federal aid unaccounted for, La. could foot half-billion dollar tab

  April 3, 2013 10:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Trouble with federal hurricane relief money could mean Louisiana's budget woes are even worse. An audit found Road Home money, handed out after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, may have been misspent. According to reports, the money was required to be spent on things like... more »

• Audit says Katrina aid may have been misspent

  April 3, 2013 2:32 PM

  WASHINGTON- Federal investigators say as much as $700 million in federal aid intended to help some 24,000 Louisiana families elevate their homes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 may have been misspent. A report by the Housing and Urban Development Department's inspector general says some homeowners who got grants... more »

• Ex-La. lawmaker booked on theft charge

  March 27, 2013 12:59 PM

  GRETNA - A former Louisiana lawmaker has been booked on a theft charge that is reportedly tied to a probe of a rebuilding project following Hurricane Katrina. A spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office says former state Rep. Sherman Copelin Jr. surrendered to investigators Wednesday. He also was booked... more »

• Retrial postponed for ex-cop in Katrina case

  March 22, 2013 9:04 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has postponed the retrial of a retired New Orleans police sergeant charged with helping cover up deadly shootings on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Gerard Dugue's retrial was scheduled to start May 13. U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt didn't immediately set a new date.... more »

• 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 »

• Landrieu announces $6M in FEMA grants

  February 21, 2013 7:31 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu says $6 million in disaster recovery grants related to Hurricanes Isaac and Katrina are heading to Louisiana. Landrieu says the funds are provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance Program. Landrieu said Wednesday that $3.7 million will go to the... more »

• Ex-cop seeks new judge for retrial over shooting

  January 29, 2013 7:08 AM

  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 »

• 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 »

• $17.8M in Katrina grants include Jackson Barracks

  January 17, 2013 2:11 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- Louisiana is getting $10.5 million to continue Hurricane Katrina repairs at Jackson Barracks, a National Guard installation in New Orleans. The grant is among three totaling $17.8 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Cedric Richmond said Thursday the city of... more »

• Judge asked to delay ex-N.O. cop's trial

  January 17, 2013 3:56 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has been asked to postpone the retrial of a retired New Orleans police sergeant charged with helping cover up deadly shootings on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt didn't immediately rule on the joint request by lawyers for Gerard Dugue... more »

• Orleans groundbreaking heralds return of hospital

  January 11, 2013 6:57 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Archbishop Gregory Aymond are among the dignitaries set to take part in the groundbreaking for a facility aimed at bringing full hospital service back to the New Orleans East area. The $130 million project is to be constructed on the... more »

• New councilman withdraws Katrina tour fee proposal

  January 10, 2013 2:41 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A newly-elected New Orleans city councilman, whose district includes the Lower 9th Ward, has withdrawn a package of ordinances that would have required tour buses to pay special fees to access the neighborhood. Councilman James Gray, who took office last month, says he needs more time to... more »

• Post-Katrina hospital in sight for eastern NO

  December 20, 2012 2:06 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says construction is about to start on a $130 million hospital in eastern New Orleans, which has been without a hospital since Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city in August 2005. Landrieu said in October that the U.S. Department of Housing... more »

• New homes planned for Lower 9th Ward

  December 12, 2012 9:47 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Former professional football players are teaming with New Orleans area builders to construct at least three new homes in the Lower 9th Ward - and they're hoping to have it done in time for Super Bowl 2013. The effort was launched on Tuesday by Touchdown for... 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 »

• Ex-NO official gets prison in Katrina grant plot

  November 29, 2012 3:09 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former New Orleans city councilman has been sentenced to six months in prison for plotting to misuse federal money intended to help a nonprofit organization after Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Lance Africk also on Thursday sentenced Jon Johnson to six months of home detention and... more »

• Corps: Isaac's path, slow speed caused flooding

  November 9, 2012 6:21 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A post-Hurricane Isaac study by the Army Corps of Engineers says Isaac's storm surge flooding of areas that were not inundated during Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav was not caused by post-Katrina improvements to New Orleans area levee system. Instead, the study says, surge flooding during Isaac was... more »

• Katrina evacuee on Texas death row gets life term

  November 7, 2012 2:12 PM

  DALLAS- A Louisiana man's death sentence in Texas has been reduced to life in prison without parole in the killing of a woman who helped him when he relocated after Hurricane Katrina. Attorneys for 50-year-old Roosevelt Smith Jr. contended he's mentally impaired and ineligible for execution under Supreme Court guidelines.... more »

• Special fees proposed for Lower 9th Ward tours

  November 2, 2012 9:35 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Tour bus operators are a step closer to paying the city hundreds of dollars in fees to resume tours of the rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina under way in the Lower 9th Ward. A package of ordinances that restricts the buses to major thoroughfares and requires the... 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 »

• Lil Wayne opens skate park in hometown N.O.

  September 26, 2012 4:26 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Lil Wayne is returning to New Orleans, his hometown, for the opening of the Trukstop skate park in the Lower 9th Ward - one of the most devastated sections of the city after levees failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Grammy-winning rapper, who recently launched a... more »

• Appeals court tosses landmark Katrina ruling

  September 24, 2012 10:19 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court has reversed itself and thrown out a judge's landmark ruling that the Army Corps of Engineers is liable for billions of dollars in damage that property owners blame on its maintenance of a New Orleans shipping channel. The same three-judge panel from the... 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 »

• "Andrew-A Memory Jogger!"

  August 24, 2012 7:39 PM

  Prior to Katrina, Hurricane Andrew was the costliest hurricane in United States history. As we track Tropical Storm Isaac, Gustav is recognized as the worst storm to hit Baton Rouge. Andrew recorded five official landfalls including its final landing as a category 3 storm on our coast. Storms that cause... more »

• UNO to announce acceptance to Southland Conference

  August 21, 2012 2:42 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The University of New Orleans is being granted membership to the Southland Conference, marking another major step for an athletics program that has struggled to stay afloat since Hurricane Katrina. League and school officials have scheduled an official announcement Thursday. Former UNO basketball standout Gabe Corchiani, now... more »

• Report shows challenges for Miss. port

  August 7, 2012 10:56 AM

  GULFPORT, Miss. - A report says the Port of Gulfport faces numerous challenges as it tries to capitalize on $570 million in federal money it was given after Hurricane Katrina. A report dated July 30 says the 36-foot channel depth limits the vessels that can use the port. Other challenges... more »

• "3 Big Ones have Hit Us!"

  August 3, 2012 7:32 PM

  Tropical Storm Ernesto spins through the Caribbean with expectations that it could near the Yucatan Peninsula by Monday. Louisiana's August storms include Hurricane Camille that scraped the southeast coast on August 17, 1969. Prior to Gustav, Hurricane Andrew was the worst storm to hit the Baton Rouge area on August... more »

• Revamp of New Orleans PD comprehensive, expensive

  July 25, 2012 8:12 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A court-backed plan to excise corruption, discrimination and a frequent use of deadly force from the long-troubled New Orleans Police Department will last at least four years and likely cost the financially strapped city $11 million annually. Attorney General Eric Holder says the agreement is the... 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 »

• Orleans official pleads guilty in Katrina fraud

  July 18, 2012 11:51 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans city councilman pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal criminal charge of misusing federal money intended to help a nonprofit organization after Hurricane Katrina and diverting some of it to one of his political campaigns. Jon Johnson, who is 63, faces up to 5 years... 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 »

• 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 »

• Prosecutors: No need for new trial in Katrina case

  June 5, 2012 4:25 PM

  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 »

• New Orleans population continues post-Katrina rebound

  June 1, 2012 11:06 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- A survey says the metropolitan New Orleans area's population has reached 87.5 percent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina tally after adding 8,000 new residents over the past year. A report Friday by the University of New Orleans' Division of Business and Economic Research says the total population of New... more »

• "Eyeballing the Eyewall...."

  May 30, 2012 5:58 PM

  In a hurricane, eyewall replacement cycles occur when a second eyewall forms around the original and gradually overtakes it. An eyewall is an organized band of clouds surrounding the center or eye of a hurricane. This is where the most intense winds and rainfall occur and the replacement cycle is... more »

• Expanded deal over FEMA trailer fumes worth $37.5M

  May 30, 2012 3:42 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - An expanded class-action settlement agreement calls for around two dozen companies that manufactured trailers distributed by the government after hurricanes Katrina and Rita to pay a total of $37.5 million to resolve claims that Gulf Coast residents were exposed to dangerous fumes while living in them. The... 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 »

• $14 million, FEMA trailer settlement

  April 17, 2012 4:27 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Nearly two dozen companies that manufactured government-issued trailers for storm victims after Hurricane Katrina have agreed to pay more than $14 million in a class-action settlement of claims the temporary shelters exposed occupants to hazardous fumes. Plaintiffs' attorney Gerald Meunier said Tuesday that the proposed settlement could... more »

• N.O. cop's sentencing postponed in Katrina case

  April 2, 2012 3:19 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has postponed a sentencing hearing for a New Orleans police officer convicted of lying about the aftermath of a deadly shooting outside the city's convention center following Hurricane Katrina. Acting at the request of the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S District Judge Sarah Vance moved... more »

• Health care facility coming to east New Orleans

  March 13, 2012 8:50 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Orleans Parish Hospital Service District A has reached a cooperative endeavor agreement with Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans to build a primary-care facility in eastern New Orleans. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's office made announced the agreement Monday. The Times-Picayune reports the Hospital Service District will... more »

• Court tosses jury award in Katrina jail lawsuit

  March 12, 2012 2:17 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court has thrown out a jury's award of more than $650,000 to two Ohio tourists who were arrested in New Orleans on public drunkenness charges two days before Hurricane Katrina's landfall and jailed for more than a month after the storm. A three-judge panel... more »

• Katrina recovery grants announced by FEMA

  February 23, 2012 2:20 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans area parishes will receive more than $46 million in disaster recovery grants for Hurricane Katrina damage. Sen. Mary Landrieu's office announced the grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They include $22.8 million for the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office to cover emergency measures before,... more »

• 2 plead guilty in probe of Katrina grant program

  February 23, 2012 11:35 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- Two women who worked as analysts on Louisiana's home elevation grant program have pleaded guilty to plotting to sell the names of residents eligible for Hurricane Katrina grants. Wanda Acker Williams and Brianna LaFrance face maximum sentences of five years in prison and $250,000 fines following their guilty... more »

• FEMA to waive Katrina victim debts

  February 8, 2012 9:38 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is implementing a plan to waive debts for thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters. An aide to Sen. Mary Landrieu who has been briefed by FEMA said the agency will mail out roughly 90,000 letters next week to inform... more »

• SUNO reaches 94 percent of pre-Katrina enrollment

  February 7, 2012 1:10 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Updated spring enrollment figures show Southern University at New Orleans has reached about 94 percent of its pre-Katrina enrollment. SUNO officials say the official enrollment total as of this week was 3,429, compared to enrollment of 3,647 before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The latest figures... more »

• New Orleans plants 10,000th tree since Katrina

  February 3, 2012 3:10 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Crescent City is getting greener - and leafier. The devastation to the canopy of trees in the city by Hurricane Katrina is being repaired by the non-profit Parkway Partners, which has worked to replant trees to replace those lost or damaged by the 2005 storm.... more »

• School damaged by Katrtina gets new science lab

  January 29, 2012 10:14 AM

  LULING, La.- Nearly seven years after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the land lab at Luling Elementary School soon will be replaced. Reports the science lab was damaged by wind when Katrina struck in August 2005. John Rome, executive director of physical plant services for the school system, said... more »

• Cover-up role denied in Katrina shooting probe

  January 27, 2012 2:19 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A retired police sergeant who was assigned to investigate deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina denies engaging in a cover-up. Gerard Dugue (DOO' gay) testified Friday during his federal trial on civil rights charges that he now believes some of his former... more »

• Katrina: Jackson Barracks gets another $11.6M

  January 1, 2012 12:30 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying $11.6 million for historic preservation of five of the oldest buildings at Jackson Barracks. The garrison buildings, now single-family housing, sat for weeks in Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters. Col. Tim Chastain, the installation commander, says the money covers the cost of... 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 »

• 1 cop guilty of lying about post-Katrina shooting

  December 9, 2011 2:48 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- The New Orleans Police Department has suspended an officer convicted of lying about the aftermath of a deadly shooting outside the city's convention center following Hurricane Katrina. Officer Ronald Mitchell had been reassigned to desk duty following his indictment last year on federal charges of obstruction of justice... 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 »

• Ex-cop gets 5 years, max for shootings cover-up

  December 1, 2011 3:00 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former police officer has been sentenced to the maximum five years in prison for his role in covering up deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon on Thursday sentenced Robert Barrios, one of five... 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 »

• Judge acquits cop of stomping victim in Katrina bridge shootings

  October 20, 2011 2:28 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has overturned portions of a jury's verdict against five current or former police officers convicted of civil rights violations in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. In his ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt said jurors didn't hear... more »

• Witness in post-Katrina shootings enters prison

  September 30, 2011 2:14 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former police officer who pleaded guilty to helping cover up deadly police shootings of unarmed New Orleans residents following Hurricane Katrina has begun serving an eight-year prison sentence - although prosecutors hope to get that sentence reduced. The Federal Bureau of Prisons said 34-year-old Michael... more »

• Judge: Katrina shooting suspect unfit for trial

  September 21, 2011 2:08 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal magistrate has ruled a white Mississippi man is mentally unfit to stand trial on charges he fired a shotgun at three black men who were trying to leave New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. On Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Louis Moore Jr. ordered Roland Bourgeois Jr.... more »

• Man sentenced for lying about Katrina shootings

  September 14, 2011 2:45 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- A man who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about what he saw near a New Orleans bridge where police shot unarmed residents after Hurricane Katrina has been sentenced to 8 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan on Wednesday also sentenced Marion David Ryder... 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 »

• Tropical Storm Katia forms in the Atlantic

  August 30, 2011 3:55 AM

  MIAMI- Tropical Storm Katia has formed and is moving quickly across the Atlantic. The storm has maximum sustained winds early Tuesday near 40 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says strengthening is forecast and Katia is expected to be near hurricane strength by late Wednesday or early Thursday.... 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 »

• Obama: On Katrina anniversary, need for vigilance

  August 29, 2011 2:16 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina illustrates the need for the federal government to respond as best it possibly can to natural disasters. He says his administration's improved emergency readiness was evident over the weekend in reaction to Hurricane Irene. Katrina struck... more »

• Irene tests military's revamped disaster response

  August 29, 2011 11:40 AM

  DENVER - Helping the East Coast recover from Hurricane Irene will test the military's new plan to avoid the chaos that plagued the response to Hurricane Katrina. The Defense Department says National Guard officers have been appointed as "dual-status commanders" to direct both active-duty and Guard troops helping civilian... more »

• Many Katrina evacuees remain in Baton Rouge

  August 29, 2011 10:12 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Many people living in the Baton Rouge area today fled from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the images of Hurricane Irene on the East Coast are bringing back many painful memories. Six years later, News 2 is asking those survivors who relocated... more »

• Ex-cop to be sentenced Nov. 17 in Katrina case

  August 16, 2011 4:34 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has agreed to postpone a sentencing hearing for a former police officer who pleaded guilty to helping cover up deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Robert Barrios was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. On Tuesday, however,... 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 »

• Jury deliberations resume in Katrina trial

  August 5, 2011 10:00 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal jury has entered its third day of deliberations in the trial of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Jurors failed to reach a verdict Thursday after two days of deliberations. They resumed... 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 »

• Closing arguments to begin in bridge shooting case

  August 2, 2011 4:32 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- A jury will begin hearing closing arguments in the trial of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Jurors are scheduled to hear roughly eight hours of closing arguments today before they start deliberating tomorrow. Testimony for... more »

• Closing arguments set for Tuesday in Katrina trial

  August 1, 2011 10:01 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Jurors in the trial of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina are getting a day off before they hear closing arguments. The federal judge presiding over the case was scheduled to meet behind closed... 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 »

• Prosecution rests in Katrina bridge shootings trial

  July 21, 2011 2:37 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The prosecution has rested its case in the trial of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina. A jury heard more than three weeks of testimony before federal prosecutors called their final witness Thursday. ... 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 »

• 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 »

• HUD settles suit over Katrina housing program

  July 6, 2011 2:39 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says it will hand out $62 million to 1,400 Louisiana homeowners to settle a lawsuit alleging a Hurricane Katrina rebuilding program was unfair to blacks. On Wednesday, HUD said it would settle the suit filed by five homeowners and... 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 »

• Trial opens for cops charged in Katrina shootings

  June 27, 2011 12:11 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal prosecutor says New Orleans police officers decided to "shoot first and ask questions later" when they shot to death two unarmed people and wounded four others on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina. But lawyers for five current or former officers charged in the shootings... 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 »

• Group takes UNO, Loyola off censure list

  June 13, 2011 12:46 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The University of New Orleans and Loyola University of New Orleans have been removed from a national academic group's censure list. The two institutions were among four New Orleans universities censured in 2007 by the American Association of University Professors, which was critical of the way... more »

• Defense attorneys ask for postponement in Katrina bridge shooting trial

  June 7, 2011 2:07 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Attorneys for five current and former New Orleans police officers charged in the fatal shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina have asked for more time to prepare for trial. The defense team, in a court motion, says it is overwhelmed by material... more »

• Trial for fired school workers begins in New Orleans

  May 23, 2011 4:28 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A long-awaited trial in a class action lawsuit that could affect thousands of former New Orleans school employees who lost their jobs after Hurricane Katrina. A former Orleans Parish School System official was the first witness called to testify Monday afternoon in civil court in New... more »

• Dinged by Katrina, Endeavour fuel tank has scars

  April 27, 2011 2:17 PM

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The fuel tank that will help propel the space shuttle Endeavour into orbit is already battle-scarred from some rough shaking thanks to Hurricane Katrina. The 10-year-old tank has 103 patches. The tank was in a building in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.... more »

• Abita Springs balks at paying back FEMA

  April 17, 2011 9:12 AM

  ABITA SPRINGS - This St. Tammany Parish town says it should not have to pay back more than $3.5 million to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for work auditors said was improperly contracted after Hurricane Katrina. The town sent a letter to FEMA last month arguing that it should not... 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 »