ABC26 News

Dog Death Investigation

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:33:59 -0600

An NOPD officer responding to a burglar alarm at a house in Lakeview shot and killed the homeowner’s Doberman on the back porch of the house Monday. Patrick Coleman, the owner of the dog, is distraught. He says he is considering suing the NOPD. And the Humane Society and LASPCA are looking into the incident. Police say the dog, along with another Doberman, came running out of a doggie door and the officer was fearful for his life. That’s why he shot at the dogs. Coleman, though, questions why the officer had to shoot. He says the 4-year-old Doberman, Jax, was partially crippled after a recent back surgery. And Coleman says police told him that his other dog, Scarlet, was the attacker. Scarlet was not hurt. The LASPCA investigated at the home after the shooting and said it seemed justified. They released this as part of a statement:

The LA/SPCA recognizes that misconceptions about large breed dogs such as Dobermans, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, for example, being aggressive may have played a role in the tragic chain of events. Most dogs will bark at someone entering their yard unable to differentiate between an intruder and a police officer. Sadly, when the officer was approached by the dog, the officer felt that he needed to protect himself from a potential attack.

Tell ABC26 News what you think in the comments to this post.

Corps Opening Bonnet Carre Spillway

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:23:35 -0600

For the first time in 11 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will open the Bonnet Carre Spillway today. Heavy rains in the Mississippi River Valley have raised the water level in the river high enough to prompt the Corps to open the spillway. Opening the spillway, located almost 33 miles upriver from New Orleans, will divert river water to Lake Pontchartrain, taking stress off of levees down river. The Corps expects the spillway to remain open for 2-4 weeks. Here's a map of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, pointing out the location of the flood control structure and the floodway:
View Larger Map Some facts about the control structure from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

The spillway control structure is 32.8 miles upriver from New Orleans.
It is 7,000 feet long.
There are 350 bays, each 20 feet long.
There are 20 timbers per bay – 7,000 in all.
The spillway has been opened eight times before today: 1937, 1945, 1950, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1983, and 1997.
250,000 cubic feet of water can flow through the spillway per second.

Facts about the floodway from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

The floodway covers 7,623 acres.
It is 5.7 miles long from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain.
The spillway width at the river is 7,700 feet.
At Lake Pontchartrain, the spillway is 12,400 feet wide.

Map of New Orleans Archdiocese Parishes Closing and Merging

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:55:26 -0600

The New Orleans Archdiocese released its plan to close and merge 27 parishes.
View Larger Map The red markers (click on markers for more info) are parishes that will merge with another parish and change their places of worship to the new parish. The blue markers are parishes that will close and combine, forming a new parish. The parishioners will name the new parish. The green markers are parishes that will become a mission of a neighboring parish. The parish’s church will remain open as a place of worship as part of the existing parish. The purple markers are parishes that will share a pastor with another parish. The parishes will continue to operate independently with independent lay leadership and maintain all parish activities, but will share a pastor. The yellow markers are parishes that currently operate on the campuses of local universities. They will no longer be considered parishes, but Campus Ministry Centers. Pastoral services and masses will go on as already scheduled. For a list of all the parish changes click here.

Remembering Al Copeland

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:52:36 -0600

Al Copeland loses his battle with cancer while undergoing treatment in Germany. From Popeyes Chicken to his personal problems and extravagant lifestyle, how will you remember the man who many call the Chicken King?

Getting Affordable Homeowners Insurance

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:54:19 -0600

About 44% -- almost half -- of the policy holders of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance are in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes. But most of that 44% are not in the hurricane-flooded areas of the east bank. They are on the west bank. After Katrina, many westbankers – and people all over Louisiana – got dropped by their insurance companies because they were customers for less than three years. Their only choice for insurance was the insurer of last resort: Citizens. ABC26 News anchor Liz Reyes told the story of one of those 44%, Deanna Theiss. She lives in Marrero. Her insurance company canceled her policy even though she made a claim of less than $2,000. She was a policy holder for less than three years. She signed on with Citizens when no other companies would take her. Her insurance doubled, and she had to take on a part-time job to make the payments. Why is Citizens Insurance so high? By law, it must charge 10% more than private companies so it can't compete for customers. But, since Katrina, there's not a lot of companies competing in our region. So, homeowners like Theiss have to pay 10% more than going with a private company. Go to ABC26.com and watch Liz’s story and tell us what you think about Citizens' rates. Are homeowners being punished because of a lack of competition? What about a temporary reduction of Citizens' rates until more companies start writing policies? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

Ethics reform on target or overboard?

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:28:35 -0600

Louisiana lawmakers are bogged down in the minutia of passing ethics reform legislation. Governor Bobby Jindal wants to do away with expensive dinners and other freebies, as well as require lawmakers, and their spouses, to disclose their sources of income. Lawmakers say they're for ethics reform. But many are fighting some of the reform ideas. Some argue there's no need to disclose the income of spouses. Others say that they receive free tickets all the time from constituents who genuinely want them to attend a certain event-- an event that they wouldn't attend otherwise. Many lobbyists are also watching the session. Some feel that the ethics reform ideas will just make their jobs tougher, but will not discourage people from breaking the rules. They add-- there's nothing in the session that will prevent big business in the state from influencing top elected officials. Are lawmakers going to pass needed reforms? Or will the new ethics rules just be window dressing?

"It's Just Ignorance."

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:27:31 -0600

That's what New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley said at a press conference he called this morning to discuss the recent violence near parades. Five shootings since Wednesday, nine people hurt, all either on or within blocks of the Uptown parade route. Riley said in each shooting, law enforcement was close by. "One of them happened where we have our sky tower, which makes absolutely no sense," he said. Police arrested suspects in three of the shootings -- all teens. Riley called them "young, brazen thugs." Responding to a reporter's question about how to prevent these types of shootings, Riley asked:

"How do you police a mentality that is so brazen and negligent? How do you change that mindset? What makes that individual do what they do in front of an area where you have that many law enforcement officers? And that's why in three of those incidents, they have been apprehended. It's just crazy."

Do you have an answer for the Chief?

Are drivers and/or red light cams breaking the law?

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:17:22 -0600

A federal class action lawsuit aims to reimburse drivers who have been ticketed by Jefferson Parish red light cameras. The lawyers who filed the suit say they want the cameras removed unless new guidelines are in place to police the electronic police officers. In Lafayette, a growing group of people is also trying to have red light cams removed from their community. Redflex is the Australian company that provides the cameras free of charge. It also gets a huge chunk of the ticket revenue, based on a sliding scale. Redflex workers at the company's U.S. headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ, are able to access the DMV records of drivers. Redflex insists all its employees must pass a background check before being hired. In Jefferson Parish, monthly statistics suggest drivers are changing their habits (if not their routes). The number of red light citations is dropping, and councilman John Young says accidents are less frequent. State law dictates what must happen for traffic citations under criminal law. Jefferson Parish is avoiding those requirements by categorizing red light citations as civil offenses.

Dog Shooting Case Dismissed In St. Bernard Parish

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:22:27 -0600

Louisiana's Attorney General Buddy Caldwell sent a letter to the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court asking that the criminal case against sheriff deputies Clifford Englade and Mike Minton be dismissed. They were accused of "animal cruelty" in the shooting of dogs in the parish immediately following Hurricane Katrina. The case was brought by former Attorney General Charles Foti.

According to the letter, the new AG determined the case lacked sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Defense Attorney Pat Fanning said, "There was a lot of heat from the animal rights people, so Attorney General Foti decided to indict a couple of deputies with almost no evidence. When it was reviewed in the calm of the day by another Attorney General, he decided to to the right thing."

What do you think? Did Attorney General Caldwell do the right thing?

Click here to see the report that aired on 1/24/08

If I won the lottery...

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:37:35 -0600

We've all thought about it. I'd by this. I'd buy that. But what if you actually won? Check your tickets -- it could be you. Somebody bought the last night's winning Powerball ticket at a Metairie gas station. $97 million. No one has claimed the prize yet. That doesn't mean the winner doesn't know he or she won. I mean, I wouldn't tell everyone right away. But, here are some things you should do right away if you did win. Sign the back of the ticket so someone else can't claim the prize. According to the Louisiana Lottery website, you should then call the Baton Rouge headquarters at 1-800-735-5825. You have 180 days to claim the prize. Financial planners recommend consulting a professional money manager before collecting the prize, like a certified financial consultant or CPA. Once you get the money, Amy Winchester, a CFA at Morgan Keegan, told us that you should be careful when sharing the wealth with family and friends. They have to follow the same tax laws you do. Winchester said it can be overwhelming winning so much money all at once. But, if you surround yourself with capable people you can trust, you'll be just fine. Once again, the winning Powerball numbers are:

9, 18, 19, 38, 47 and the Powerball was 11

If you won, sign that ticket. If not, keep dreaming like me.

Rescuing The Rescuers

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:22:12 -0600

Actor Denis Leary's Firefighters Foundation, volunteer labor from the Carpenters Council of New York City and corporate sponsors like Frigidaire teamed up to reopen 4 firehouses in New Orleans. The city lost 22 of 33 firehouses during Katrina. City leaders could not or would not make rebuilding first responder facilities a top priority. If not for donated materials and labor, firefighters would still be in trailers and their firehouses gutted and unusable, more than two years after the storm. The Leary Foundation vowed to fix up 11 of the hurricane damaged fire stations. Is it a national disgrace that city firefighters have to depend on the kindness of strangers to get back in a fixed wall facility? Who do you blame? Did city leaders do all they could to help rescue the resuers?

"I thought he was out putting nooses out or something."

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:02:00 -0600

As Kenner Mayor Ed Muniz was addressing a group of Kenner business professionals, he began introducing some of the government workers present. When he came to a the city attorney who he did not see in the room at the time, he remarked, "Where is he? There he is... I thought he was out putting nooses out or something." Nervous laughter came from the audience -- nervous because the topic of nooses has been a delicate one lately, especially with parish governments. The speech was videotaped by KTV 76. You can see Muniz's comments here in this report by ABC 26 reporter Sheldon Fox. Muniz said over the phone that he was praising his city attorney for working the noose hanging incident in Kenner and he meant no harm. Danatus King of the local chapter of the NAACP says Muniz may have intended for his comments to be a joke. But he also held up a picture of lynched black man, hanged to death, and said, "The reality of it is we don't have to deal with intent. The mayor of the city is making light of this hate symbol. This symbol of terror -- a noose, and that's wrong." What do you think? Are we becoming too sensitive when it comes to subject of race? Or, is the symbol of the noose so strong that it should never be treated as a lightly? Some background. The case of six black teens in Jena, Louisiana -- called the Jena 6 -- brought nooses back into the public view. In 2006, the six black teens were accused of beating a fellow white student at Jena High School. Five were charged with second degree murder. Mychal Bell, one of the teens, was tried as an adult - though he was a juvenile at the time of the beating incident. He was convicted of second degree murder. The beating of the white student, Justin Barker, happened as racial tensions built in the small town. Several incidents involving conflict between whites and blacks followed the hanging of a noose in a tree at Jena High School. School officials say the noose hanging was a prank and had nothing to do with Barker's beating. After Bell's conviction, tens of thousands of people marched in Jena, protesting what they said was unfair treatment of the teens. The conviction was later overturned, and Bell was ordered to be tried as a juvenile. He is in jail right now, but his lawyer recently worked out a deal to get him out in eight months. The other five teens await trial. In November of this year, Jefferson Parish worker Terrence Lee claimed his supervisors displayed racist images at work. One of those images appeared to be a noose. Parish officials investigated and determined the noose-like rope, dartboard and bullwhip displayed were offensive and employees should have taken them down. The parish suspended six workers and the FBI is investigating. Yesterday, New Orleans City Councilman Arnie Fielkow withdrew a proposed hate crime law that would have made displaying a noose punishable by law. Is the noose that strong a symbol to incite beatings, to incite laws banning its display?

Brad Pitt's Make It Right Campaign

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:31:50 -0600

This week, actor Brad Pitt launched an ambitious campaign to build 150 homes in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward. Properties close to the Industrial Canal are cloaked in pink as part of the "Make It Right" project. Unfortunatelty, Pitt's people chose a convicted felon to be the face of the program at the unveiling ceremony on Monday. 52-year old Robert Green gave an emotional speech about his two family members who died in Katrina's flood waters and how he was looking forward to getting a new home. Green pleaded guilty earlier this year to preparing false tax returns in connection with fraudulent FHA loan applications at Citywide Mortgage in New Orleans. He is set to be sentenced up to 5 years in February. Pitt's people say the actor had no idea about Green's criminal record. Do you think this will hurt fundraising efforts for the "Make It Right" campaign? Was Pitt the victim of poor planning?

At-Large Race Campaign Party Update

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:26:49 -0600

Just in case you can't make it to your favorite candidate's party... or weren't invited. Jacquelyn Clarkson:

LOCATION - ballroom at the Royal Sonesta MUSIC - four-piece band (banjo, trombone, clarinet, and cello); not playing yet FOOD - finger sandwiches; hot food not out yet (8:40 UPDATE - fried chicken, jambalaya, pasta, bread pudding) PEOPLE - not many people there yet

Cynthia Willard-Lewis:

LOCATION - reception area at the Embassy Suites downtown MUSIC - not playing yet FOOD - pasta, red beans, meatballs, salad, finger sandwiches, and a cake with "Congratulations, Cynthia" PEOPLE - a few dozen supporters MISC - silver balloons with stars

Homeless Explosion In New Orleans

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:30:33 -0600

I went to New Orleans City Hall this week to cover a story and was shocked at the number of homeless people now living across the street in Duncan Plaza. There are now about 25 tents set up and an additional 20 people living in the park's gazebo. The number of homeless people living under the interstate near Canal and Claiborne also appears to be growing by the day. The city is at a loss for what to do with these people. The NOPD admits it is not enforcing the city's public habitation law because there is simply nowhere to place the homeless. Do you think the homeless problem is getting out of hand? Should the city clear Duncan Plaza?