HUD Criticized Over Hurricane Katrina Response

A United Nations treaty committee ruled Friday that the United States' response to Hurricane Katrina has had a greater negative impact on displaced black residents and called on the federal government to do more to guarantee that they can return to affordable housing in their hometowns.

The U.N. committee also ruled Friday that the U.S. government must make sure displaced residents have a greater say in plans that affect their return.

Housing advocates in New Orleans proclaimed the decision as a victory in their protracted battle with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, saying the U.N. finding proved that HUD failed to consider alternatives to its plans to demolish four large public housing complexes and replace them with a mixed-income model with fewer total units.

Mandeville Mayor Reimburses Toy Fund

Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price has given $2,300 back to the police charity that bought him Wal-Mart gift cards and other presents with money donated by local residents to help needy people.

Price wrote the check to the Mandeville Police Citizen Service Fund on Wednesday after a Times-Picayune article disclosing the gifts prompted angry reactions from people who have given to the fund, which runs a well-publicized Christmas toy drive. |Read on|

Port of New Orleans to Undergo Expansion

The Port of New Orleans, battered by Hurricane Katrina 2½ years ago, will undergo a $1 billion expansion that port officials say will be key to the city's economic rebound.

The port's plans come as much of the rest of the city struggles to return to pre-Katrina conditions. The centerpiece of the plan is a $478 million expansion to the port's container cargo terminal that would increase its capacity, according to a copy of the plan released Tuesday.

The expansion to its container operations would help New Orleans capture some of the projected boom in international shipping in the coming decade and infuse the city with much-needed jobs and revenue, said Gary LaGrange, the port's president and CEO.

Grading Louisiana

Interesting report card on Louisiana:

Despite the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana retained its B grade in a public interest group's national report card of how well states manage public resources.The report's analysts, however, offered a stinging rebuke of the way Louisiana state
government decides how to spend money on public construction projects.

Louisiana scored just above the national average of B- in "Grading the States 2008," a 50-state assessment released Monday by the Pew Center on the States' Government Performance Project and "Governing" magazine. Pew's previous report was conducted in 2005. The reports examine each state based on a range of performances and conditions, from budget and finance to roads and bridges.

Louisiana was one of 18 states scoring above average. The highest grade was an A- scored by Utah, Virginia and Washington. Among Louisiana's neighbors, Texas had a B+, Arkansas got a C, and Mississippi and Alabama scored a C+.

Extremely Lengthy Federal Probe Nets Misdemeanor Charge

Lawyer Roy Rodney was charged with failing to file his 2002 income taxes. The feds have been investigating Mr. Rodney for several years.


That's it...their long, long, probe resulted in a misdemeanor charge.

Crime & Safety In N.O.

Some New Orleans residents have been ripped off by shady contractors during their rebuilding efforts.

What should those residents do when a former New Orleanian returns with the hope of continuing to rip them off?

Private Bill - "For the Relief of Michael Anthony Hurley"

Michael Hurley, a British citizen with a four-decade-old drug arrest on his record, couldn't persuade the U.S. immigration service to let him stay in the country, so he asked Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., to write a bill for him.

In 2006 and again in 2007, Landrieu introduced bills titled "For the Relief of Michael Anthony Hurley" designed to grant him legal status so he could remain with his new bride in Louisiana.

Thousands of people are barred from the United States every year because of drug convictions, but only a handful get personalized legislation. Unlike many immigrants, Hurley had political connections. His brother-in-law, Lafayette attorney James "Kirk" Piccione, is a Landrieu supporter, having given $4,250 to her campaigns over the years including a $1,000 contribution six weeks after the first bill was filed, according to a review of the data by the Center for Responsible Politics.