baton
rouge,
THURSDAY, August 12, 2010
louisiana
Five Years Since Hurricane Katrina: Press Pain Index Still at Crisis Level for Many The
BOX
New Charter School Opens in Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE — The newest school in East Baton Rouge Parish, Inspire Charter Academy, started the school year Tuesday morning. Inspire is overseen by National Heritage Academies, a group with 60 U.S. schools. The group says it is providing an alternative to struggling public schools. At first glance, the kids at Inspire Charter Academy look like any other: in uniform, pencils in hand and busy with school work. For fourth grade teacher Tamra Horner, the differences are what you can’t see. “Sometimes we were putting out fires in public school and here we’re preventing the fires,” said Horner. Horner says she worked with over-age fourth graders at Capitol Elementary. She received a flier in the mail about Inspire Academy earlier this year. After looking into the organization, she says she liked what she saw. For example, she says even the kindergartner are getting a taste of algebra. She says teaching at the charter allows her to asses her students, retest them as needed and re-teach concepts. As well she says, the pace allows her to treat the students as individuals. Principal Phil Price says 1500 parents sent in applications for the schools 400 seats. He says that shows there was a demand for this type of school in Baton Rouge. “A private school feel, but we actually are a public charter,” said Price. He says the schools namesake is a reminder of its goals: To inspire the students, motivate and train them for life and college. He says the school is very disciplined. Right down to teaching the kids how to walk in and out of the building. And that is something Horner says has her excited for a new year of education. Inspire serves kids in Kindergarten through fifth grade. There is a wing for 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes so the current students can move up. The school does not offer transportation so parents have to provide it. Administrators say that’s another sign parents are serious about this kind of education.
While New Orleans has successfully begun its rebuilding project, five years later, African-Americans are still struggling ttwice as hard as Whites. PHOTO: Harold Baquet
By Bill Quigley, Davida Finger and Lance Hill NNPA Special Correspondents NEW ORLEANS (NNPA) - It will be five years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29. The impact remains quite painful for many. This article looks at what has happened since Katrina - not from the perspective of the higher ups looking down from their offices, but from the street level view of the people – a view which looks at the impact on the elderly, the renter, people of color, the disabled, the working and non-working poor. So, while one commentator may happily say that the median income in New Orleans
has risen since Katrina, a street level perspective recognizes that is because large numbers of the poorest people have not been able to return. Five years after Katrina, tens of thousands of homes in New Orleans remain vacant or blighted. Tens of thousands of African-American children who were in the public schools have not made it back, nor have their parents. New Orleans has lost at least 100,000 people. Thousands of elderly and disabled people have not made it back. Affordable housing is not readily available so tens of thousands pay rents that are out of proportion to their wages. Race and gender remain excellent indicators of who is underpaid, who is a
renter, who is in public school and who is low income. In short, the challenges facing New Orleans after Katrina are the same ones facing millions of people of color, women, the elderly and disabled and their children across the U.S. Katrina just made these challenges clearer in New Orleans than in many other places. Here is where we are five years later: Overall population Five years after Katrina, the most liberal estimates are that 141,000 fewer people live in the metro New Orleans area. The actual population changes will See katrina, on page 2
34th Annual Training Conference and Exhibition Annual Awards Banquet and Installation of NOBLE
Photo provided by NOBLE
Major Reginald R. Brown, Sr Constable for Baton Rouge.
BALTIMORE, MD - The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement held their 34th Annual Training Conference and Exhibition Annual Awards Banquet and Instal-
NATIONAL/state & Community watch
Vol. 35 • No. 15
a people’s publication
lation on July 14, 2010 to install new officers and to award officials of law enforcement with acknowledgment of their service to the community.
Local & State News
Business NEWS
A New Era in the Jaguar Nation “Countdown to Kick-Off” BATON ROUGE, LA This is a new era in Jaguar Nation Football and we need our fans to be a part of it from the very start. I am personally inviting you to the “Countdown to KickOff” event to be held Saturday, August 28, 2010 on the Southern University Baton Rouge campus. The “Countdown to Kick-Off “event will be a day full of festivities including a rib cook-off for RV and tailgating members of Jaguar Nation, scheduled for 9 a.m.- 1 p.m., performances by the Human Jukebox, an exciting bike show by the Nubian Kruzers at 1 p.m., and a host of other entertainment and activities. The first 500 fans to purchase tickets to this event will have the opportunity to experience the
L. ‘Stump ‘ Mitchell
“Suite Life”, and watch the scrimmage, scheduled for 3:30 p.m., in the comfort of the air-conditioned, luxury box suites located on the West Side and in the North See kickoff, on page 3
La. to Assist in Tennessee Disaster BATON ROUGE, LA– The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) has deployed two Public Assistance Specialists and two Hazard Mitigation Specialists to Tennessee to assist with recovery efforts from the tornadoes and flooding that occurred in May 2010. Tennessee made the request through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) which is a formal agreement that allows states in need to draw assistance from other states. “As always, we are happy to assist our neighboring states in times of disaster,” said GOHSEP Director Mark Coo-
per. “Tennessee has selflessly supported Louisiana through our own disasters including the sheltering of thousands of Louisiana residents during Hurricane Gustav. As Governor Bobby Jindal has made clear, we will do all that we can to support other states in their times of need given our own experiences in responding to and recovering from disasters.” The employees will assist with public assistance applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and they will review mitigation project proposals. The specialists will be deployed See disaster, on page 3
LSU Partners with BRCC for Engineering Progression Program BATON ROUGE – LSU and the Baton Rouge Community College, or BRCC, have joined forces to offer a unique engineering program with the goal of making an education in engineering realistic for all Louisiana students. The “AS to BS in Engineering Progression Program” will allow students to enter into a proposed engineering program at BRCC to gain an Associate of Science in Engineering degree. Upon successful completion of the Associate of Science degree requirements, students would then transfer seamlessly to LSU to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in a College of Engineering discipline. This progression program makes engineering more affordable and more practical to many students
Religion News
across the state who might have difficulty entering LSU, whether due to financial issues or entry requirements. “The BRCC-LSU partnership will provide additional pathways to transform Louisiana students into engineers,” said LSU Chancellor Michael Martin. “Typically, the traditional student enters LSU as a freshman, right out of high school. With a growing need for engineering professionals in the workforce and LSU’s responsibility as a land grant institution, the formation of this program to open new paths is critical.” The partnership will also allow participating BRCC students to become involved at LSU and experience additional opportunities specific to their major. A See program, on page 3
commentary
I like to write good things, and I do. It seems as if everyone is just riding the tide at Southern University. All of a sudden the tide has turned.. ...See Page 4
INDEX
United Way New Web Site Camp director Shelley Johnson outlined the dietary minefield that is the vending machine, doing her part to make sure the 30 black and Latino boys before her wouldn’t end up on the wrong side of the statistics....Page 7
What is United Way? A simple question, yet the answer comes in many forms. Capital Area United Way is excited to announce the launch of a new website featuring a special photo documentary on the homepage... See Page 2
Seafood Declared Safe
Seafood from some parts of the oil-fouled Gulf of Mexico has been declared safe to eat by the government, some Gulf fishermen aren’t convinced. .See Page 5
Jasper Williams Jr. Debuts New CD
The legendary Atlanta pastor celebrates 60 years of sermonizing this month the success of his first musical album in two decades, “Landmark” (Church Door Records)...See Page 6
Local & State............................3 Business....................................5 Classified..................................5 Religion....................................6 Health.......................................7
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