The chief of this small central Florida volunteer fire department was asked to resign after he e-mailed pictures that showed the exposed breast of a 26-year-old car crash victim, officials said Monday.
Umatilla Fire Chief Richard Shirk told city officials he e-mailed images of crash and the woman, who later died, for training purposes. Shirk told officials he did not notice the woman was partially nude in at least one of the photos.
City Manager Glenn Irby said Shirk initially sent the e-mail to representatives of three nearby fire departments and it was forwarded to other people.
Shirk was hired in October as the city's first paid fire official, earning $55,000 a year to oversee volunteer firefighters.
Irby said Monday that Shirk was being offered three-months pay in exchange for his resignation.
From the above link Led by Henry Glindmeyer, a professor of pulmonary, critical-care and environmental medicine in Tulane's medical school, researchers are keeping tabs on the respiratory health of 1,000 local workers.
The project, which is underwritten by a $1.86 million grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, consists of annual follow-ups. During these sessions, each volunteer will answer a questionnaire, undergo a noninvasive breathing test and wear a monitor for five or six hours to detect workplace exposure to dust, bacteria and mold
FEMA trailers are still being used in the wake of Katrina. I took a ride to the central part of town the other day, about a 5 mile trip, and counted about 50 trailers still being occupied while people rebuild their homes.
Not only is there a danger of becoming seriously ill from formaldehyde poisoning, these fires are pretty damn flammable. Here are a few cases:
December '07 - The East & Slidell. One unoccupied trailer burns in The East and in Slidell, a pile of flaming debris from the demolition of a FEMA trailer got out of hand, destroying the remains of the unoccupied trailer and damaging two occupied ones nearby, fire officials said.
One science building expert who examined the inside walls of two FEMA homes in Ouachita Parish, La. found one type of mold spore at up to 30,000 times the levels found outside, indicating a wall exposed to excessive moisture levels
The cause of a good number of these fires could very well be related to how these trailers were set up....usually by people totally unaware of the safety measures that should be taken when installing. From the Institute for Southern Studies' Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch website:
One LPGC inspector told Gambit that working with the government contractors was "like dealing with used car salesmen on the seedy side of town." Are these really the kind of operators to whom taxpayers should be handing millions of dollars in no-bid contracts?
From the Independent Weekly website cover story "Up in Flames" While many trailer fires and explosions can be attributed to discernible causes, others leave firefighters and investigators stumped. Many of the fires are blamed on trailer occupants themselves, but some are tied to shoddy installation and maintenance by FEMA contractors, according to fire investigators.
HOUMA, La. A 6-foot-3, 265-pound man says a restaurant overcharged him for his trips to the buffet line, then banned him and a relative because they're hearty eaters.
These two rednecks give Louisiana a bad name.
A spokesman for the restaurant denies the claim.
Ricky Labit, a disabled offshore worker, said he had been a regular for eight months at the Manchuria Restaurant in Houma, eating there as often as three times a week.
On his most recent visit, he said, a waitress gave him and his wife's cousin, 44-year-old Michael Borrelli, a bill for $46.40, roughly double the buffet price for two adults.
"She says, 'Y'all fat, and y'all eat too much,'" Labit said.
Labit and Borrelli said they felt discriminated against because of their size. "I was stunned, that somebody would say something like that. I ain't that fat, I only weigh 277," Borrelli said, adding that a waitress told him he looked like he a had a "baby in the belly."
Houma accountant Thomas Campo said the men were charged an extra $10 each on Dec. 21 because they made a habit of dining exclusively on the more expensive seafood dishes, including crab legs and frog legs.
"We have a lot of big people there," said Campo, who spoke for owner Li Shang, whose English is limited. "We don't discriminate."
Labit denied ever being told he would be asked to pay more than the standard adult price.
The argument grew heated, and police were called.
The police report states, "The incident was settled when the management advised that the bill was a mistake and, to appease Ricky, the meal was complimentary."
Labit said he insisted on paying but was told not to come back. He complained that when seafood on the buffet line runs out, the restaurant only grudgingly cooks more.
Campo said the proprietress tries to reduce waste of quality food, he said.
"Food is for eating, not toys for your child," reads a sign posted on a wall in typewritten text. A handwritten addition reads "Or 20% added."
The program on Monday announced it is nearing the halfway point in reaching its initial goal of raising sufficient funds for 150 affordable, environmentally friendly homes. The average construction cost is estimated at $150,000 per house.
Hot pink tents have been erected to represent the homes.
Most of the donors through Make It Right's Web site have been "average Americans who want to help." In one week alone, after the project's official launch Dec. 3, nearly $500,000 was raised just through the site.
That's what I call doing something good without holding a hand out to the government.
Tim (of the nameless blog) posts about the New Orleans pioneers this Christmas and their belief in the rebirth of the beautiful city.
Yes, we struggle on. We want for so many things in New Orleans, but not the frivolous fare hawked this time of year—not flat-screen TVs, diamond jewelry and xbox gadgetry. We are still trying to get back the basic things that make a community viable, livable and prosperous. We struggle for schools, for hospitals, for basic, decent housing for the poor and elderly.
Voices of New Orleans website discusses the reasons behind the FEMA's flaccid response in Katrina's aftermath versus the lightning fast reaction following the California wildfires recently. It turns out that the difference between the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Louisiana after Katrina and in California after the fires boils down to this: In California, they listened to Nancy Ward and in Louisiana, they didn't
From an AP report last week A week after Hurricane Katrina, a senior official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in charge of streamlining the flow of disaster aid issued a directive that would have helped a staggering 1,029 rebuilding projects and $5.3 billion in funds cut through the agency's infamous red tape.
But in a decision critics say led to losing precious time in the post-storm recovery, her three-day deadline to clear projects through a final bureaucratic hurdle was rejected. The rebuilding of schools, roads, hospitals, firehouses and other desperately needed infrastructure was stalled for months of interagency reviews that ended at the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Gil Jamieson, FEMA's head of Gulf Coast recovery and one of the officials who dismissed the directive of colleague Nancy Ward, said her order would have given federal agencies too little time to check for funding duplication.
Thanks, Mr. Jamieson. Lord knows that your rejection of Ms. Ward's deadline made sure that you had enough time to eliminate the possiblility of funding duplication.
From a a GAO report "FEMA made nearly $20 million in duplicate payments to thousands of individuals who claimed damages to the same property from both hurricanes Katrina and Rita. FEMA also made millions in potentially improper and/or fraudulent payments to nonqualified aliens who were not eligible for [FEMA's Individuals and Households Program]. For example, FEMA paid at least $3 million to more than 500 ineligible foreign students at four universities in the affected areas. This amount likely understates the total payments to ineligible foreign students because it does not cover all colleges and universities in the area. FEMA also provided potentially improper and/or fraudulent IHP assistance to other ineligible non-U.S. residents, despite having documentation indicating their ineligibility.
One of the many musical gifts from my hubby this Christmas was Tab Benoit's CD, Fever on the Bayou .
One of the best cuts on the CD is "The Blues is Here to Stay", written by Cyril Neville. This song is a powerful reminder of where the music comes from and the universality that makes it a permanent fixture in the cultural landscape.
Whether you're a fan of Benoit or new to his music, take a listen to some of the cuts on this CD. It's worth it!
After more than 2 years at a temporary location at Handsboro Presbyterian Church, the displaced congregation of St. Peter's by the Sea Episcopal Church have returned back home.
Church members with what they call the best view in town will celebrated Christmas 2007 here.
Hurricane Katrina's surge of 10 to 12 feet hit the gulf front church, but the upper infrastructure survived the storm.
Following hurricane Katrina many decided not to build back near the water, but not St. Peter's. Members said they felt a financial as well as moral obligation to come back to their chapel by the sea.
The 100 year old congregation is no stranger to the perils of mother nature.
On August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille, the most severe storm on record, hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Although badly damaged, St. Peter's quickly reopened its doors to feed and shelter as many survivors as possible. Sister churches along the Coast had suffered complete destruction. The Parish Hall became a headquarters for distribution of information and relief. Funerals were a regular occurrence.
In the mid 1990's, Mississippi Gulf Coast voters approved casino gaming and a large casino was soon built directly across the street from St. Peter's. The nature of the neighborhood changed dramatically, and "the sea" could no longer be seen from the church. In 1997, the Grand Casino bought St. Peter's property and the Building Committee looked ten blocks east and found a site for a new, gothicstyle church. On June 26, 2000, St. Peter's newest location, constructed by George P. Hopkins, Jr., and George P. Hopkins, III, was consecrated by Bishop A. C. Marble. The Dorhauer bell was once again hung in a tall bell tower atop the church.
From NOLA.com Kayla Tisdale, who Covington police say is 2 or 3 years old, was found after she knocked on a neighbor's door on East 35th Avenue at about 9:20 a.m., West said. The child, who suffered from ear and upper respiratory infections, was wearing an overfull diaper and thin cotton pajamas, he said.
Officers found a vehicle with a child seat in front of the Tisdales' home and smelled natural gas when they knocked on the door, West said. When Lauren Tisdale answered, she told officers that her daughter was sleeping in bed, he said.
As they searched the home, police found that the living room floor had collapsed, the bedrooms had separated from the rest of the building, electrical wires were exposed and -- despite recent freezing temperatures -- the home was unheated, West said. In addition, the stove was piled with rotting food and piles of trash and dirty clothes, he said.
After a code enforcement inspection, natural gas and electricity were shut off at the home, West said.
much gas had accumulated that West said he felt dizzy as he searched the home. Lauren Tisdale, who told police she is pregnant, and her husband were treated for natural gas inhalation and released from St. Tammany Parish Hospital.
Doctors told police that had the parents been exposed to gas for another half-hour, they would have become comatose, West said.
Both parents were arrested on charges of child desertion and leaving a child in need of care, West said. Both also were booked with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, the second time Adam Tisdale has been charged with the offense.
Both were on probation stemming from "numerous charges" that include burglaries and theft, West said.
"In every case I've worked like this, where a child is in deplorable conditions like this, the child is wonderful," West said. "It breaks my heart."
Kayla Tisdale was turned over to her grandfather after the investigation, West said.
West said that to protect the privacy of the neighbors who found Kayla, he would not release their name or address. But he lauded their generosity, which included feeding and cleaning the girl and dressing her in warm clothing and a clean diaper.
"I'm sure the only thing the little girl is going to remember about this Christmas is the kindness those people did for her today," West said.
