http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/gulfcoast/ en-us Mon, 1 Sep 2008 01:29:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072111/posts OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- 08/31/08 -- The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced that Canada is providing assistance with the evacuation of those in the path of Hurricane Gustav. At the request of the United States government, a Canadian Forces CC-177 aircraft left Canada earlier today for the southern U.S. Gulf Coast. The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, indicated that he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to offer further assistance. "Canada and the United States... The Earth Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072111/posts#comment Mon, 1 Sep 2008 01:29:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065219/posts Today President Bush traveled to Orlando, Florida to speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention. Unlike the whiney messiah who spoke to the VFW yesterday, President Bush didn’t hesitate to thank those have served and defended America in time of war. (Transcript) I know you share with me a deep love for America and an awesome pride in those who defend her. When I meet with our troops, they always inspire me with their sense of duty and honor.They are America's finest citizens. (Applause.) The President also spoke about the situation in Georgia, reinforcing the United States’ solidarity... WhiteHouse.gov & other sources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065219/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:51:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031727/posts Drivers who get safely off Interstate 35E after arriving in Dallas from Austin or San Antonio have a certain look of relief – like they just outran a buffalo stampede. Only on I-35, the stampede is trucks. The white-knuckle experience helps make the case for some kind of reliever road, even a tolled one. Making that same case has been a harder sell for U.S. highways along the Gulf Coast and East Texas. Drivers there can judge their own level of congestion, and they have insisted that their mostly rural corridor doesn't warrant the major undertaking of a parallel turnpike.... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031727/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:54:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986713/posts There's been a lot of talk about the new Trans-Texas Corridor — the next-generation "super-highway" — and opinions are varying. Now the debate is coming to Lufkin's doorstep. On Monday, the American Land Foundation, Stewards of the Range and TURF will hold a workshop at Lufkin's Pitser Garrison Civic Center on how to stop the Trans-Texas Corridor 69. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A portion of Texas citizens have voiced their opposition to the TTC-69 in public meetings held by the Texas Department of Transportation, but believing they are not being heard, four cities and their... The Lufkin Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986713/posts#comment Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:04:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971032/posts Tom Kauffman thought that once a storm blew over people could go home, clean up a few things and return back to normal, everyday life. But two mission trips to Biloxi, Miss., changed his thinking. People are still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. "A storm doesn't just blow over and people don't go back to their homes the next day," said Kauffman, 69, of Manchester Township. "There's a lot of pain and suffering and a lot of waiting. I opened my eyes up." Kauffman plans to return to Biloxi a third... The York Dispatch (Pennsylvania) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971032/posts#comment Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:55:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1957268/posts State Sen. Glen Hegar says he opposes a route that would bring the mammoth Trans Texas Corridor through his district. The Texas Department of Transportation has kicked off a series of public meetings to discuss the project. Meetings are scheduled for Tuesday in Hempstead (6:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 22892 Mack Washington St.) and Jan. 29 in Bellville (at the Austin County fairgrounds, also beginning at 6:30 p.m.). No meetings are scheduled in Washington County, which likely wouldn’t be impacted much by the highway project. Much of the discussion in public meetings already held centers on Interstate... Brenham Banner-Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1957268/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:13:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1888575/posts Today, on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, President and Mrs. Bush visited Louisiana and Mississippi and met with officials and citizens as they continue to recover from the devastation caused by the storm. This was the president’s fifteenth visit to the Gulf Coast in two years. President Bush: “This is the second anniversary of an event that changed a lot of people's lives ... And Laura and I are honored to be with some of those who endured the storm and have dedicated their lives to rebuilding this part of the world. The first couple arrived in Louisiana... WhiteHouse.gov & other sources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1888575/posts#comment Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:38:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830533/posts HOUSTON (Reuters) - There is an above-average chance that a major hurricane will hit the U.S. Gulf Coast this year, marking a possible return to the destructive seasons of 2004 and 2005, leading storm forecasters predicted on Tuesday. Hurricanes in 2005 devastated New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast, and knocked out a swath of the country's offshore oil platforms and coastal refineries, pushing oil prices to then-record highs. In 2004, four strong hurricanes struck Florida, the country's biggest citrus producer. AccuWeather and Colorado State University said Tuesday at a storm conference in Houston the chance that a... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830533/posts#comment Wed, 9 May 2007 04:09:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830506/posts NASA announced plans on Monday to build a new engine test stand at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. The announcement represents an estimated $175 million investment in Stennis and serves to support the Constellation Project. That's NASA's plan to return the United States to the Moon and eventually to Mars. The new stand at Stennis will test NASA's J-2X engines, which will be used in the second stage of the Ares I launch vehicle. NASA officials say the new 300-foot-tall open-frame design will allow engineers to simulate conditions at different altitudes. The new stand will be completed in time... WLOX Tv - Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830506/posts#comment Wed, 9 May 2007 03:07:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793665/posts Today the President travelled to the Gulf Coast to see how Hurricane Katrina recovery work is progressing he also visited a charter school in New Orleans. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended a Senate briefing on Iraq and met with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa at the State Department. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island www.yahoo.com/news www.whitehouse.gov/news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793665/posts#comment Fri, 2 Mar 2007 01:46:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1773812/posts Michael Brown, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is shooting off his mouth again. Last week in New York City, he claimed that Mississippi and Louisiana were treated differently after Hurricane Katrina because of their politics. Unfortunately, Louisiana's Democratic governor, Kathleen Blanco, jumped on the suggestion, claiming that Brown had "broken the code of silence about the political conspiracy to hurt the people of Louisiana." Fortunately, Mississippi's Republican governor, Haley Barbour, took the time to consider the source of this conspiracy theory and said Brown's "credibility has been worn pretty thin over the last couple of years... The Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1773812/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:26:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1754782/posts You'll be happy to hear that Biloxi's gaming business not only has made big strides since Hurricane Katrina devastated the coastline, but also that the restored casinos have expanded what they offer, and new properties are on the way. Before the storm that destroyed tens of thousands of gulf-area homes, Biloxi had nine casinos. Today, seven are back in business, including the glitzy Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, which reopened at the end of August, a year after Katrina hit. After the hurricane, the city changed its laws to allow casinos -- previously confined to floating structures at the water's... Newark Star Ledger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1754782/posts#comment Sun, 17 Dec 2006 15:17:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1747629/posts LAUREL, Miss. — Jones County authorities are crediting two inmates with thwarting the escape attempt of a third. Sheriff Larry Dykes said a trusty at the jail, Danny Lamar Odom, 47, bolted Thursday from a work crew toward a field behind the jail. Dykes said Odom had been working in the kitchen and was helping unload food boxes from a delivery truck when the attempted escape occurred. Dykes said two younger trusties, Reginald Ducksworth and Jacob Lambert, also were helping unload the truck. They chased down Odom and brought him back to the jail. "I've never heard of anything like... Topeka Capital-Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1747629/posts#comment Sun, 3 Dec 2006 00:32:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747173/posts The following is the latest information on casinos reopening on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Open Beau Rivage Resort & Casino opened Aug. 29, 2006, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The resort also plans to open a new golf course in autumn 2006. Beau Rivage has new restaurants, a redesigned and more luxurious casino, and the stores along the promenade will look more like a street with each having their own look inside and out. In addition, all of the guest rooms have been redesigned and have a new look. NEW - Silver Slipper, the Coast's newest casino opened November... Gulf Coast News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747173/posts#comment Fri, 1 Dec 2006 22:27:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1572222/posts BILOXI, Miss. With drywall, two-by-fours and a patient faith in a sometimes-exasperating God, Burke resident Bart Tucker is trying to raise a small neighborhood from the dead. But in this Gulf Coast City of 50,000, a slender thumb of land smashed by the winds and waters of Hurricane Katrina, nothing comes easy -- least of all miracles. Since arriving in Biloxi with a convoy of supplies and volunteers from his fairfax County church, Lord of Life Lutheran, shortly after Labor Day, Tucker hs spent a total of eight weeks here. He goes home only to raise more money and recruit... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1572222/posts#comment Sun, 5 Feb 2006 16:29:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1577711/posts BILOXI, Miss. The Czech ambassador to the United States will travel to the Mississippi and Alabama coasts this week to deliver money for Hurricane Katrina recovery. Petr Kolar, the country's former deputy minister of foreign affairs, will present a check Wednesday for over 111-thousand dollars to the Tapia Public Library in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, which plans to buy books. On Thursday, Kolar plans to present a 100-thousand-dollar check for the revitalization of the Saint Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy in Biloxi. The money will help the charitable facility purchase medical supplies. Media officials with the Czech embassy said the... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1577711/posts#comment Mon, 13 Feb 2006 19:41:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1744452/posts WASHINGTON - President Bush on Saturday renewed the nation's commitment to help victims of last year's Gulf Coast hurricanes and thanked U.S. troops fighting abroad. In his Saturday radio address, Bush said Americans are grateful to those who rallied after hurricanes Katrina and Rita to bring food, water and hope to people who lost everything. "We renew our commitment to help those who are still suffering and to rebuild our nation's Gulf Coast," Bush said. This week, the president will attend a NATO summit in Europe and will meet in Jordan with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. On Saturday, he... The Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1744452/posts#comment Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:12:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1741992/posts This historic waterfront city was on the verge of becoming the great gambling destination of the South. Then came Hurricane Katrina. Now the Gulf Coast is fighting to get back in the game. BILOXI, Miss. -- Olivia Boglin stood in her yard, staring down at a pile of Sheetrock. Just staring in the Mississippi heat, dabbing the sweat off her forehead with a wadded-up tissue. A block away, a guy was riding a bicycle slow, so the front wheel swerved with each crank of the pedals. The heat, the humidity and the noon hour had everything almost at a standstill.... Ft. Worth Star Telegram http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1741992/posts#comment Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:48:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1619310/posts Voters in New Orleans go to the polls Saturday to choose the mayor who will shepherd the city through its slow and uncertain recovery. To give their city its best chance for renewal, old-line New Orleans Democrats should do the unthinkable. They should do what New Yorkers had to do to save their own city in 1993: suppress their natural instincts and vote for the Republican. New Orleans hasn't had a Republican mayor since Reconstruction. But the credible Republican in the seven-person race of top-tier candidates, Rob Couhig, is the only candidate who, during this week's debates, correctly identified New... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1619310/posts#comment Sat, 22 Apr 2006 02:39:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1718620/posts For some New Orleanians, the city's unchecked culture of violence is so regular and consistent that dead bodies and homicides must compete with arguably lesser stories for 'top news' status. However, the city's latest crime headlines are attention grabbing even by New Orleans' bloody standards. . . . Man murdered in Central City early ThursdaySecurity guard beaten by McDonough studentCrime puts Marigny residents on edge20-year-old dies in hail of bullets in Mid-City WednesdayWith fewer people murder rate is higher Is killing in self-defense justified? Witnesses say Guardsman acted in self-defenseShooting in Irish Channel leaves man dead19-year-old killed in Algiers TuesdayAlleged... NOLA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1718620/posts#comment Fri, 13 Oct 2006 10:07:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1741980/posts Comic Relief held its 20th event Saturday night from the Harrah's property in Las Vegas to help raise money and awareness for victims of Hurricane Katrina. That's a noteworthy cause, to be sure, and we in South Mississippi were gratified to hear that more than a year after the storm, people still recognized we need help here. Of course, that was before the pre-event press releases came out, advertising appeared and the show itself was aired simultaneously on HBO and WTBS. The media advances talked about how bad New Orleans was affected. The billboards and at least one full-page ad... The Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1741980/posts#comment Tue, 21 Nov 2006 09:56:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1691573/posts Seemingly before the wind stopped, certainly before power was restored, they began arriving. The initial wave brought the food, the drink, the clothing, the gasoline to get through those first desperate, chaotic days. The second wave brought hammers, saws, shovels, drills, all the tools necessary to begin removing Hurricane Katrina’s afterbirth. As summer turned to fall and fall to winter, they came, wave after wave after wave. From near and far, points domestic and international, some 350,000 volunteers set aside their lives to help us rebuild ours. And still they come. To paraphrase volunteer Elizabeth Ryan, they climb, pound, beat,... The Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1691573/posts#comment Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:17:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1691198/posts Scotty Hancock spent a week in southern Mississippi, seeing Hurricane Katrina’s destruction firsthand. Monday night at the old Kroger building on Hicks Drive, Hancock, the Floyd County Emergency Management Agency director, shared his photos, videos and personal accounts of the devastation with RomeKares volunteers. His message to them: You’re doing more good than you could possibly know. “I wanted to let these folks see what their time and donations are going toward,” he said. “There is a lot of good going on down there.” While no pictures may truly capture the scene, volunteers got what some called their best portrayal... The Rome News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1691198/posts#comment Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:45:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1690819/posts BILOXI - While New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin continues to get criticized for his actions and inactions before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway has been a media darling. It seems that Holloway, 63, has made all of the right moves before, during and after the big storm. Despite that fact that many Biloxi neighborhoods were hit just as hard as Waveland and Bay St. Louis, Holloway's keen preparation and a little luck helped him and his city get back into the fight more quickly than most. “I put our success to the people of Biloxi,” Holloway... Delta Democrat Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1690819/posts#comment Sun, 27 Aug 2006 14:53:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1689229/posts BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. — Archaeologists believe they have uncovered evidence of an ancient village, possibly dating back to the time of Christ, that once thrived along the shores of this Gulf Coast community. The artifacts were unearthed during recent efforts to rebuild a thoroughfare and major bridge heavily damaged last year by Hurricane Katrina. Marco Giardino, an archaeologist acting as the city's liaison on a dig to preserve the ancient remains, said as many as 400 people may have lived in the village. "That area was very strategic and would have allowed them to travel, fish and hunt," he... McClatchy Newspapers http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1689229/posts#comment Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:24:36 GMT