Author (#1469)April 2007 Archives

From the Associated Press:

"FEMA exposed taxpayers to significant waste - and possibly violated federal law - by awarding $3.6 billion worth of Hurricane Katrina contracts to companies with poor credit histories and bad paperwork, investigators say." Read more.

>> Continue reading: FEMA trailer contracts called into question

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Ken Bode, a former senior political analyst for CNN, and a professor of journalism at DePauw University, writes in Friday's "Indianapolis Star" that the city is in a downward spiral desperately in need of federal help. The big problem, Bode says, with getting the money is that the governor chose to pick a fight with the feds rather than work with them, apparently as the Mississippi governor did.

Bode goes on to suggest that one guy wh...

>> Continue reading: Analyst: New Orleans on its own

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The Brookings Institute identified Dr. Ed Blakely's $1.1 billion recovert plan as a sign that things are beginning to move in the right direction. Read more.

>> Continue reading: N.O. may have "turned the corner," says Washington group

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From the Baton Rouge Advocate:

State Senator Cleo Fields (D-Baton Rouge) said he has plans to file legislation calling for the abolishment of the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

"If you're on a bad boat, do you keep riding on a bad boat or do you jump off?" Fields asked. Read more.

>> Continue reading: State senator says LRA must go

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From the New York Times:

Dr. Blakely, New Orleans' belatedly appointed Hurricane Katrina recovery chief, refers to the city's racial factions as "a bit like the Shiites and Sunnis," calls the civic elite "insular," and says the newcomers he wants to draw here will be impatient with local "buffoons." But unlike other outsiders who come here dispersing critical thoughts, Dr. Blakely might see his bear fruit. For one thing, Dr. B...

>> Continue reading: Blakely likens city's racial divide to 'Shiites and Sunnis'

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The following is an editorial from Saturday's Washington Post: (registration required)

Louisiana is in a bind. Nineteen months after hurricanes Katrina and Rita decimated its economy, slashed its tax base and hobbled its workforce, the state is struggling to get back on its feet. Every dollar of redevelopment money is vital. That's why th...

>> Continue reading: Washington Post editorial supports waiving 10% match program

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R. David Paulison, the new head of FEMA, "highlighted reforms and improvements the organization has implemented to prepare for the 2007 hurricane season during his keynote address during the opening session of the 29th National Hurricane Conference." Read more.

>> Continue reading: FEMA preps for hurricane season

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Mike Brown blames dysfunction and lack of communication between the state and local governments for the troubled response following Katrina. Read more.

>> Continue reading: Former FEMA chief says local govt. to blame for recovery delays

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More than 600 people across the country have been arrested on charges of Katrina fraud. Read more.

>> Continue reading: Authorities clearing mountains of Katrina fraud

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