Over the past two weeks, 24 budding journalists pounded the pavement across New Orleans, searching for ledes, sources and that juicy, undiscovered story. After long nights of producing copy, captions and performing painstaking editing with Photoshop and Avid, we’ve constructed a mosaic of information on New Orleans.

The New York Times Student Journalism Institute brought us to Louisiana to define, augment and test our abilities outside of our comfort zones. The Web pieces, slideshows, photos, graphics and video produced tell a story of a small big city that sharpened our professional skills and challenged our limits.

We’ve covered the news and features of the city with a hunger and focus that bears witness to our drive to succeed in the journalism world. Now, as Institute faculty and participants proof the last pages of the print edition and update a few remaining Web stories, my fellow students and I are able to take a step back and reflect upon our experiences in the Big Easy.

I have tackled Avid film editing software and lived to tell the tale, producing a gripping video. I’ve also learned to be flexible and find a different story angle at a moment’s notice. The lessons learned at the Institute vary, but all are an integral part of our journalistic journey of the past few weeks.

Here are our closing thoughts:

1. NEW ORLEANS: For some of us, being in New Orleans opened up a world of new experiences and opportunities to explore. The Gulf oil spill also gave us the chance to prove how innovative our news coverage could be.

Brandon R. Coley

When coming to Louisiana, I first thought I would be amazed by the friendly New Orleanians, food seasoned to perfection, and the overall “Big Easy” experience. But after spending time with the locals and interviewing longtime residents, I found that New Orleans is still in a very sensitive state.

I am learning there is (almost) always more truth than what is given. I am new to journalism, and seeing what I’ve seen and hearing the stories behind the stories of the locals has heightened my interest in getting information out to people. Not only did I meet some of the greatest people in my life at this Institute, I have a whole new respect for journalism … in its entirety. 


Lelan LeDoux

My best experience was going to the Lower Ninth Ward and meeting some of the people who were hit by Hurricane Katrina. These people now live in the homes being built by Brad Pitt’s foundation. They talked about a very touchy subject and how they lost family members. I was blessed to meet them. Gloria Guy, the first person to get a Brad Pitt house, cooked us food.

That experience really shows that people have open hearts and care for others. Guy even talked to me for about an hour and a half about staying positive and to keep moving forward in life. It was a great blessing to meet these people in the Lower Ninth Ward. I will never forget that.

Rodney W. Hawkins II

Reporting on the oil spill in Venice, La., has been one of the greatest experiences I have had at the Institute.

The first half of the day, fellow Institute students and I had no direction on what each of our stories would be. After contemplating whether or not to waste several hours waiting for a boat ride, we followed our instincts and decided to leave and search for our story, rather than wait for it.

Twenty minutes later we drove down a random street off the highway and found a neighborhood of shrimpers. Had it not been for this random stop, I would not have had the main interview I needed for my story. From this experience I learned that as a journalist is not only about writing but having initiative and being persistent.

2. NEW OPPORTUNITIES: For many of us, new experiences have allowed us to not only discover new talents, but to balance multiple skills and become better with technical elements.

April Buffington

Coming to the New York Times Journalism Institute has been a life-changing experience.

Being that I’ve interned at The Advocate, a Baton Rouge daily newspaper, and that I know their style, I thought I could bring that style to the Institute. Learning that you have adjust to the style of the publication you are working for has broadened my mind to shooting differently, not being stuck to shooting a certain way.

Here at the Institute I thought I could get away with just taking great photos but I also have to write. I feel privileged to have worked with a team of people from The New York Times and Boston Globe that helped me to not think of writing as writing but as talking and expressing my thoughts on paper.

I know coming to the Institute was the best thing for me, because in order to have a great photo I have to know what I am shooting and do my research. I will never depend on the reporter to get the info meet and greet; I’ll get it myself.

Myeisha Essex

To be chosen to participate for the Institute is like the New York Times saying I am worthy of being a journalist, and that is a compliment beyond compare.

I was able to report, write, and learn video. I also designed pages. Designers organize articles in such a way that the reader can easily absorb the material. The design team is the last to see the pages, so the process of getting pages to the printer on deadline can be hectic. I was able to perfect my craft, learn new mediums and receive career advice from professionals and for that I am truly grateful for this maximum-security journalism boot camp!

Nate Taylor

This Institute has given me so much knowledge and perspective on journalism. The insight the instructors have given to me have been so valuable.

During these two weeks, I’ve learned how to become a better self-copy editor, and I was able to get more experience in producing videos and slideshows. The best part of this Institute for me was how many opportunities I had to write.

I want to be a sports journalist who captures moments and make them come to life. I covered a number of baseball games, did a long-form profile and even did some hard-news reporting on the oil spill.

I’m going to recommend the program to any aspiring journalist, not just because this opportunity itself is a special one, but because of how much the facility will be an asset to the rest of my career. They have helped me grow now, and I know they will in the future.

3. REPORTING AND RESEARCH: Improving reporting and researching skills was essential to getting to the heart of each and every story.

Lauren Johnson

My lesson learned here at the Student Journalism Institute was that checking facts and order is essential to any news story.

While at the Institute, I covered what scientists and environmental experts are calling the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Before taking on the challenge of tackling this tremendous assignment, I didn’t realize the amount of research and time would go into covering all the events from the day of the explosion on. Along with the help of the seasoned, professional journalists that we had at our grasp for two weeks, I was able to pull it together accurately and concisely by the end of our last 100-hour work week.

I learned that I can handle any obstacle, whether it is a deadline, inaccessibility of a source, lack of confidence, or fatigue from long work hours. I leave with more confidence, humbleness, skills, and passion from a demanding, yet rewarding experience than I had ever had before arriving to the foreign, historic city of New Orleans.

Sean Blackmon

As future truth seekers, it is of the utmost importance that we develop the skills needed to communicate with a public parched for information. In my time at the Institute, I’ve come to learn that there can be no good writing without thorough reporting.

The issue at the heart of my project was very multilayered, with as many opinions as there were layers. The Institute showed me how to take a mountain of information and glean only the information most enriching to the reader. The more knowledgeable a writer is, the more limber they can be with their pen.

Lauren Foreman

I have learned so much at the Institute about reporting that it’s hard to narrow my experiences down to one specific lesson, but the most important aspects of reporting that I learned were about the importance of conducting initial research. That research can be used to direct my questions to the right people. Questions should be truly curious in nature and used to fill the holes of a story. In working with sources, the questions not only need to be directed to a source that knows the information but to the most appropriate source.

Brittany Dandy

At the Institute I learned to the value of concise research, and the need to know your resources and use them to your full advantage. I now know how detailed who, what, where, when and why can get and how necessary it is to do in-depth reporting.

From the second line to shrimping, I gained a better understanding of the people who live here and for whom a journalist works. I will never forget that I contributed to a piece of history.

4. STYLE: Students constantly worked to expand their word choice, grammar and verb usage. This helped each of us come up with a unique style of writing.

Kendra Derosiers

It took me 30 minutes to write this sentence. I labored over the word choice; the tone; the angle. Vivid language is constantly at odds with word counts and breaking news urgency at the New York Times Institute. And as a magazine bred-reporter, cutting copy feels like a prison shank — quick and dirty.

You learn early on that the newsroom is full of compromises. Cancel an interview to make deadline; truncate a lede for an additional quote; phone over on-site; Folgers over Starbucks; content over sanity over sleep over sustenance and the like. Decisions. Life choices.

OK I lied; it took me 35 minutes to write that sentence. A clincher, like the lede, is equally taxing. So I’ll just end this with —

5. CONFIDENCE AND PERSONAL GROWTH: Many students learned lessons about trusting in themselves and in the quality of their work. Others learned a few life lessons on the professional world.

Aaron Edwards

On the last day of the Institute, my roommate, Rodney W. Hawkins II, told me to “never second guess yourself.” Though my mind whirled from sleep deprivation, I heard him loud and clear — and realized his words mirrored a significant lesson I’ve learned here.

I came into this program intimidated. Almost all the other attendees were over 21, bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, one even with a Ph.D. And here I was: 18 years old, a journalist of 2 years. Yes, I had clips. Yes, I had experience. But I felt like, for lack of a better term, the baby of the group.

I was reaffirmed in my belief that great work speaks volumes, regardless. I picked up work whenever I could, pushed myself out of my comfort zone and felt, more than ever, like a real journalist. And I can’t stop now.

As I write this, a Barbra Streisand song shuffles on my iTunes. The “Glee” rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Couldn’t be more appropriate.

Rosa Warren

My experience here at the New York Times Student Journalism Institute was one for the books. I take away from this opportunity greater confidence as a copy editor and an understanding that journalism is a collaborative effort. The Institute has helped me hone in my copy editing and writing skills with the assistance of seasoned professionals. Even though I may have been the quietest one in the room, I felt like my work spoke volumes.

Imani Cheers

I picked up my first camera when I was 5 years old. My father was a photojournalist and I would spend hours watching him develop film in our basement darkroom.

I received a B.F.A. in photography from Washington University in St. Louis and genuinely believed I had not only talent, but also a competitive edge to be successful.

The past two weeks have been intense; the most valuable lesson I’ve learned during this Institute is to persevere, endure and never give up. There were times I got the “money shot” and many times that I didn’t. I feared daily critiques like the plague but learned that life isn’t easy and if I want to be successful I have to work harder today than I did yesterday.

Nikole Pegues

Going through this program has been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my career and there were plenty of times I wanted to quit. But I’m glad I stayed because this experience has not only made me a better journalist, but a better person.

I learned that 8:15 a.m. is considered late and 10 p.m. is considered early. That air-conditioning is not always a good thing and humidity is not the friend of anyone who recently had her hair done. I learned to never trust anyone who starts a conversation with “How strong is your stomach” and ends it with “You may want to take some Dramamine” and to always bring sunscreen and an umbrella when covering ANYTHING at an airport.

Taylar Barrington

It’s is never easy to hear your alarm clock ringing in your ear a few hours earlier than you would like, but at the New York Times Student Journalism Institute, it happens every day. I have to admit, it was hard to practice the golden rule, “if you are early you’re on time, and if you’re on time you’re late”, but every day I rolled out of the bed and tried to follow it.

I have to say the most prominent thing I learned, besides being on time, is that quality is better than quantity and that it is my job to understand what my audience wants. I absolutely loved all of the staff and their personal stories, and the late night laughs about the most minor things. I have made a lifelong memory of what will only enhance my career.

Tahirah Hairston

It’s been two weeks? The first week felt like one day, but the second week went by way too fast — all I know is reporting, reporting, coffee break, reporting, proofing a page, and the J-Move.

I think I can use the word “epic” for this experience — I mean what other 19-year-old is out reporting on the oil spill? I’ve learned so much here, I could put together a short novel. Meeting young New York Times staffers and being the second-youngest one here, I know that I can do it, at any capacity. I’m ready.

6. STUDENTS AND STAFF: The people in the program make each Institute unforgettable. Our peers provided support and laughs at every turn. Our fearless leader, Don Hecker, the staff from the New York Times and partner publications and the faculty of Dillard University have helped mold us into better journalists. These relationships have influenced our stories, as well as our lives.

Thaisi Da Silva

I thought I had it all figured out.

I’d graduate from Hampton University, attend the New York Times Student Journalism Institute in New Orleans and accept an apprenticeship at a television station in sunny Florida.

And then I met Sandra Stevenson.

Stevenson, a photo editor at The New York Times, leads the photo team at the Institute, and I was intimidated. My lack of proper photo training has always been an insecurity, but I learned quickly that this excuse would not fly.

I photographed. I laughed. I cried. And most importantly, I “dared to suck.”

And I did.

But then something incredible happened. With each day my photography became stronger, and my eye became more developed.

In less than two weeks I chased President Obama’s motorcade, witnessed first hand the effects of the oil, danced with members of the Zulu Crewe, was welcomed into the home of the King of Treme and met a hero of the Ninth Ward.

Most importantly I met incredible people and made beautiful images.

Lottie Joiner

The most significant experience I’ve had here was working with the staff members at the Institute. They were patient, understanding and constructive with a gentle touch. They offered guidance and wisdom. They were mentors.

I learned about focus, time management and that I can’t hold copy for one quote. I learned to prioritize my workload and to get it right the first time. (Those corrections are so embarrassing.) But most of all, this experience has reinforced my desire to be a reporter.

Bolanle Omisore

I came to the Institute ready to learn. Through two semesters at NYU in an intensive multimedia program, I’d never actually picked up a DV camera and shot a video of my own, much less edited it into a coherent visual story.

So, I came and I learned. Jeremy Beiler, world-renowned actor and video journalist, sat beside me hour after hour and taught me much of what he knows about creating a story with images. Through the long hours and late nights, he helped me create a piece that I can be proud of.

I know that I will return to school prepared to hit the ground running.

Aleesa Mann

The most significant experience I had at the Institute was being able to work with a group of my peers and superiors that are really passionate about journalism. Journalism is a tough field — you get shut down, rejected or ignored on a daily basis. Journalists definitely share a camaraderie in a sort of “Yeah, I go through the same thing too” kind of attitude. Working with other people who share my interest in telling a good story made all the obstacles easier to handle.

And there’s nothing like a newsroom. In a matter of seconds it can become the most noisy, hectic, unwieldy entity, but at the end of the day things get done. Stories are written, articles are published — it almost seems like an accident that work gets done because it’s so much fun along the way.

Monique Johnson

My life has changed thanks to the New York Times Student Journalism Institute. I see the world so differently now since being in New Orleans and among the best and brightest in the business. The mentors have shaped and molded me. They pushed me beyond my limits. They stood right behind me to catch me as I fell. And they were right there to help me get back up.

Amanda VanAllen

It’s hard for me to think of one just one experience to pinpoint because I learned so many lessons.

From Merrill, I learned to pay attention to details and to ask obvious questions. As journalists we can never assume that something is true or correct. We have to inquire about every waking detail.

From Ginger, I learned everyday is a new day, and we cannot let anything get us down. I learned about the beauty of journalism; no two days are alike. Change always feels nice when everything is going wrong.

I learned from Greg that I should ALWAYS be working on something. From my colleagues, I learned to have fun with my work. I learned that this profession is a gift that I can share with everyone. I am so happy to have had this opportunity and look forward to seeing all the amazing things we accomplish in the future.

****

What we all share from this experience is an enthusiasm for this program and for the city of New Orleans. We’ve grown in ways big and small, but we’ve all found the opportunity to grow as journalists and individuals.

On behalf of all of us, it has been a pleasure to be a part of the 2010 New York Times Student Journalism Institute and to call the Big Easy home these past two weeks. Thank you to everyone involved with this extraordinary experience.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Bourbon Street, with its bars, restaurants and clubs, is known as one of the most popular places to hang out in the Big Easy. Found on this lively venue are many street vendors and musicians who provide entertainment, often for a few fleeting moments before the crowds move on and they’re forgotten.

“It wouldn’t be Bourbon Street without them,” said tourist Ashley Clower. Here is a sampling of the entertainers who have found a home on Bourbon Street:

I’ve got the blues

Troy Tallent has been strumming his acoustic guitar and blowing his harmonica on the same corner of Iberville and Bourbon for the past 23 years. He sits on a dark purple fold-out chair, earning about $50 a day playing the blues. Tallent has acquired a following of fans over the years. He says they love his music because it’s mostly original.

“Nothing to brag about, but I have been on this corner since ’87,” Tallent said. “I’ve played at all the clubs and done all the street things, but I play here ’cause I know so many people.”

Tallent said he moved to New Orleans because of its history. He wanted to become a musician and wasletting no one stand in his way.

“The girl I loved for 16 years turned into a lawyer, and I don’t like lawyers, and I don’t really need all that,” Tallent said. “So I told her that if she was going to be a lawyer, then I was going to be a musician. So I left California and headed to New Orleans.”

Beer cans and tap dance

Passers-by often hear Jamal Robertson and Robert Gooding before they see them. They sound like a herd of galloping horses with perfectly coordinated moves. People often stop and stay for their entire set and leave a few bucks or at least a round of applause.

Robertson and Gooding learned to tap dance from watching a YouTube video. On weekends, the friends head to Bourbon Street on the No. 88 bus and tap dance, but they don’t have proper shoes. Instead, they crush beer cans and attach them to the soles of their sneakers. They have to find containers that are already empty because neither of them is of drinking age.

Robertson is 15 and Gooding, 16.

“We find them lying down on the ground and we break them and tear them,” Robertson said. “Then we fold them and step on them.”

The two friends say they each make about $80 a night. They add that they make good grades in school and their parents are proud of what they do.

“We’re talented,” Gooding said.

Roses are red

Virginia Schrang sells single red roses on weekends for $4 each. She wears a white, form-fitting lace dress, with purple and green Mardi Gras beads around her neck. She sits with her legs crossed on her bar stool and offers a rose to anyone passing by.

“It’s a romantic business and I love it,” Schrang said.

Schrang says she was a commercial model in Miami for 14 years, but wanted to focus on raising her four daughters and two sons, so she quit her job to stay at home with her kids. She also has nine grandsons, five granddaughters and a pool of great grandchildren.

About 15 years ago, the 71-year-old attempted to make a living solely by selling roses, but said it wasn’t enough money to support a family.

“But once I got 62 and got my Social Security, then with the rose business and Social Security I was doing good,” she said.

However, the economy still hit her hard.

“We used to work five days a week, but as the [economy] goes up and down, now we only work Friday and Saturday,” Schrang said. “’Cause those are the only guaranteed nights we are going to make money.”

Golden talent

A gold-faced man lugging a stereo and a large bucket in a wheeled cart entertains on Bourbon Street every weekend. Daniel Poole, who goes by the name “Solid Gold” when he dances, wears jeans, jacket and shoes spray-painted sun gold to match his name.

He performs a mixture of hip-hop and break dance moves. When his shoulders pop and his hips swing from side to side, people get excited and drop money, mostly dollar bills, into his bucket. Although he has enjoyed boogieing on Bourbon for the past two years, he aspires to be a dancer spreading his Christian faith through his art.

“I feel like entertainers are those people to fill the voids in people’s lives,” Poole said. “When you entertain, don’t just rap, dance and play football and leave. Give me a message when you’re done. Anybody can just dance or just rap, but I have a message.”

Poole says he paints his clothing gold to be noticed. That way, he can network and spread inspiring messages to his audience.

“If you want to get noticed in entertainment when everybody is running one way, run the opposite way,” he said. “You got to do the unthinkable to make it, because so many people are doing the same thing. I thought I would promote myself by being gold on the streets of a heavily tourist city. I can meet more people like that.”

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

In the wake of the murder of a New Orleans cabbie earlier this month, police are seeking to create a private-camera database for faster access to such footage.

Two days elapsed between the cabbie’s killing and police gaining access to private surveillance footage that identified the suspect.

The latest move is reviving the camera debate pitting public safety against privacy issues.

United Cab company driver Arvil Hicks III, 52, of Avondale, was shot several times and found dead in his cab the evening of May 23 in the Irish Channel — an event that nearby city surveillance cameras failed to capture.

Two days later, after accessing footage from another city camera and a private surveillance camera nearby, New Orleans police identified a suspect, Cornelious Ferrando, 23. In the interim, he apparently had fled to Mississippi and was shot dead during an attempted residential burglary where he shot the homeowners, officials said.

Surveillance cameras have long been an issue in New Orleans.

According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, as crime rates rapidly rose in post-Katrina New Orleans, all levels of government infused money into an extensive surveillance camera system to monitor crime hotspots.

In 2005, the federal government gave New Orleans federal funds to place surveillance cameras in areas potentially vulnerable to terrorist attacks, including Mississippi River levees and bridges, the port and the Superdome. The city’s Office of Homeland Security contributed $1 million as well.

The first cameras went into operation in October 2005. The plan is to have more than 1,000 in operation, eventually.

New Orleans police officers are largely in favor of both the presence of cameras and allowing government access to private camera footage.

“There are city and business cameras on every block,” said a NOPD officer who didn’t want to be named because of department policy. “The cameras serve their purpose.”

But privacy advocates argue that the effectiveness of the cameras is questionable, and the chilling effect on First and Fourth Amendment rights outweighs any minor potential benefits the cameras bring.

Trace Mayer, a privacy activist, said on his website, “The court probably did not foresee how this kind of data could be used, when gathered in large quantities, to profile and identify individuals on a massive scale.”

Digital camera images would be sent for monitoring to a main server archive, where the data is mined. It can be accessed from any location, including police vehicles.

Such surveillance has been beneficial in the past. For example, a network of public and private surveillance footage caught suspected Times Square bomber Faisal Shazad fleeing the scene earlier this month, and police used it to identify him later. British police used footage to identify four suicide bombers who killed 55 people in a subway blast in July 2005.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

A clammy atmosphere surrounded the sizzling sounds of char-boiled oysters, the smells of fried catfish and shrimp po’ boys and the mucky fingers and mouths devouring the crawfish.

More than 300 people gathered for the kick-off of the sixth annual Plaquemines Parish Seafood Festival in Belle Chasse, La., where locals hoped to remember tradition and take their minds off of the oil spill that has changed their future.

The festival, which continues through Sunday, features various activities, including carnival rides, a pageant and helicopter trips over the Mississippi River. Local restaurants will offer seafood and other specialty dishes; there will be appearances by local bands, as well as the New Orleans Honey Bees dance team. The event was created in 2004 to bring recognition to the seafood and fishing industry that has dominated so much of the culture in Plaquemines Parish, where, in Venice, the most southern part of the parish, some of the best seafood in the country can be found.

Despite the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that has challenged the seafood industry in Louisiana, coordinator Keith Hinkley never considered holding off on the tradition.

“If I would have said ‘Let’s not have this,’ I would have been turning my back on the heritage of this parish,” Hinkley said.

Many local restaurant owners came out to show the public that the seafood industry is still kicking.

In a black apron cooking charbroiled oysters over a scorching hot grill, Niko Tesvicha, a member of the local Croatian American Society, said he wanted people to come out and have a good time.

“Yeah, there’s an oil spill out there, but everybody we got oysters. We want people to come out and eat,” said Tesvicha, who is also a local salesman.

While his mind is off the oil spill for now, he knows the potential consequences that lie ahead.

“There are Croatian people who have been employed by fishing for over 40 years,” he said. “I’m lucky I went out and found another trade, but my dad is still out there on the boat.”

While the festival usually donates part of the $5 entry fee to the Children’s Hospital or American Cancer Society, this year it has partnered with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans to assist fisherman in Plaquemines Parish.

Hinkley said the funds will be used for business, as well as personal needs.

“If they have to pay an electric bill, a heat or a car note, we are the ones that will have to help them build their lives,” he said.

Those not personally affected by the oil spill were still impacted in some way. like New Orleans resident Beckie Sarbeck, 31, who brought her fiancé, Jason Buff, 31, and his family out to the festival.

Sarback, a first-timer of the festival, grew up in Plaquemines Parish, where seafood played a big role in her everyday meals. She even plans to have an oyster bar at her wedding reception.

“It’s a big part of our wedding,” she said. “The only thing we are really concerned about is the food.”

While Sarback remains hopeful, she thinks that people have not yet grasped the long-term effects of the oil spill.

“This really could be a bigger deal than Katrina because it’s affecting a way of life,” she said.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Donald Constantine of the Army Corps of Engineers is the canal captain at this pumping station in New Orleans. Since Hurricane Katrina three stations have been completely remodeled with custom steel gates that can withstand a Category 5 hurricane. (Imani M. Cheers/NYT Institute)

While the nation focuses on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, weather experts warn there’s a greater threat headed for the Gulf — a hurricane season that’s expected to be more active than normal.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting the most active season on record, with eight to 14 hurricanes, according to lead forecaster Gerry Bell. Three to seven of them are expected to be Category 3 or higher.

Some 14 to 23 tropical storms are projected.

Bell said area residents must not overlook the start of hurricane season Tuesday amid the angst of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He urged residents to get prepared now.

“The impacts of hurricanes are far worse than the effect of oil on people,” said Bell. “When a hurricane comes on shore, a lot of things can happen.”

Bell said it’s unclear if hurricanes would push the free-flowing oil from the Gulf further inland. Nor could he estimate the kind of impact it might have.

The wind, temperature and warmth of the Atlantic waters are conducive to creating conditions where hurricanes can begin, gain momentum and pick up strength, said Bell. These factors combined raise the chance of frequent hurricanes and storms, he said.
Of preparation efforts, Bell said, “Now is the time. Find out if you are in an evacuation zone, and, if so, you should evacuate if called to do so.”

Bell advised making a plan and stocking up on survival supplies to last one to two weeks.

Hurricane season runs six months, through Nov. 30.

The 2009 season was the mildest since 1997, with nine named storms, including three hurricanes — two of them major — according to NOAA.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Government hearings investigating the cause of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico resumed Saturday as BP officials revealed that the “top kill” was failing to stop the flow of oil, according to news reports.

BP engineers said the “top kill,” which began Wednesday, was being suspended again while the company reviews its next move.

BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles said the method may be halted altogether.

“What I don’t know is whether it ultimately will or not,” he said Saturday, according to reports.

Adm. Thad Allen, in charge of the response efforts, and members of the Minerals Management Service, the federal agency responsible for monitoring oil drilling, heard additional testimony on the cause of the explosions from the Deepwater Horizon rig’s crewmembers on Saturday in Kenner.

Paul Meinhart III, the motorman for the rig, testified that emergency generators that might have helped stop the fire aboard the rig did not work after the first explosions, news reports said. He also said that his efforts to restart the generators failed.

Engineers spent Friday working on the “top kill” effort after the operation was stopped Wednesday and then again early Friday morning. Engineers discovered on Wednesday that much of the mud being pumped into the leak in the wellhead was flowing back out and on Thursday that “junk shots” being pumped into the hole also were not working.

Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer, said BP would continue to flood the leak with mud and debris for the next 24 to 48 hours and monitor the effect on the oil’s flow. He added that they would not put a time limit on the operation.

The AP reported that BP brought in about 2.5 million gallons of mud for the top kill procedure. Suttles said on Thursday evening that “junk,” including pieces of metal and rubber balls, was infused into the mix.

On Friday, BP and U.S. government officials made separate public appearances to talk about the crisis.

Tony Hayward, chief executive officer of BP, appeared on both “Good Morning America” and “The Early Show.” He told “Good Morning America” that “things are going pretty well.”

Responding to an increase in concern over the crisis, President Barack Obama arrived in New Orleans Friday morning for his second visit to the Gulf Coast since the explosion five weeks ago.

“I’m here to tell you that you are not alone, you will not be abandoned, you will not be left behind,” Obama said during his visit.

Accompanied by the governors of Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, and by Allen, the president began his tour of the area by visiting beaches in Port Fourchon, where it was reported that he picked up tar balls and reflected on the oil’s threat to the beaches and the region’s economic livelihood. He later traveled to Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish for a briefing with Allen.

The government estimates anywhere from 18 million to 40 million gallons of oil has leaked thus far from the well, making it the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

News of the latest efforts to contain the spill come on the heels of the resignation of Elizabeth Birnbaum, an official in the Department of the Interior who oversaw offshore drilling regulation, and Obama’s announcement of major temporary restrictions on offshore drilling. According to the White House, the new regulations suspend exploratory drilling off the East and West Coasts. Planned explorations for oil have been indefinitely postponed. Along the Gulf Coast, 33 exploratory rigs were ordered to halt production as well.

The spill has also shined light on major environmental concerns about the impact of the spill on aquatic life.

Thursday, University of South Florida scientists said they have found another large cloud of oil below the surface in the Gulf. The plume, which is the second significant undersea plume discovered since the oil spill, stretches 22 miles from the explosion site and is 6 miles wide and approximately 3,300 feet below the surface. It is also near an underwater canyon the helps feed sea life off the Florida coast.

Scientists in the College of Marine Science said the plume might be a result of the use of chemicals to break up oil at the site of the leak, news reports said.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

It took me 30 minutes to write this sentence. I labored over the word choice.  The tone. The angle.

Vivid language is constantly at odds with word counts and breaking news urgency at the New York Times Student Journalism Institute. And as a magazine-bred reporter, cutting copy feels like a prison shank — quick and dirty.

You learn early on that the newsroom is full of compromises. Cancel an interview to make deadline. Truncate a lede for an additional quote. Phone interviews instead of on-site. Folgers over Starbucks. Content over sanity, sleep or sustenance. Decisions. Life choices.

OK, I lied. It took me 35 minutes to write that sentence. And since the clincher, like the lede, is equally taxing, I’ll just end this with —

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

For most people, the only visible effects of the oil spill are on the ground. Photographer April Buffington took to the skies to document them from a different angle.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Whether it’s day or night, the area surrounding the French Quarter is alive with scenes waiting to be captured. Photographer Thaisi H. Da Silva walked the area in hopes of portraying these moments in different times of day.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

The Dew Drop Inn, a former African-American entertainment complex that included a restaurant, hotel, bar room and barber shop, is on La Salle Street in Central City. Entertainers like Ray Charles and Etta James have performed at this historic location. (Thaisi H. Da Silva/NYT Institute)

“My grandfather allowed whites to enter the building during segregation,” said Frank Jackson, owner of the Dew Drop Inn, in Central City. “He would often get arrested and had to fight the city because of the fact that he let whites in the building. It’s very significant just in the amount of talent that passed through those doors.”

Today, the Dew Drop Inn is listed among New Orleans’ most endangered sites by the Louisiana Landmark Society. Eight other sites are featured on the endangered list. The society created the list five years ago to draw attention to architecturally and historically significant places in the city that have deteriorated because of neglect, abandonment or vandalism. Some are in danger of being taken over by commercial development and demolition.

The Dew Drop Inn, a former African American Entertainment complex that once included a restaurant, bar room and barber shop, is on La Salle Street in Central City. After Hurricane Katrina, the inn closed. It was designated a landmark in January 2010, but remains in need of repair. (Thaisi H. Da Silva/NYT Institute)

The committee that selected the sites for the 2010 list included not only preservationists, but also those with knowledge about planning, development and the rich history and culture of New Orleans.

“One thing we’re trying to get across to people is that preservation issues are not just old buildings with beautiful architecture,” said Betsy J. Stout, chair of the 2010 New Orleans’ Nine Committee. “There are also cultural issues that we’re trying to preserve.”

Stout noted how Louis Armstrong’s house was torn down years ago to build the civic center. She doesn’t want to see that happen to other historic sites in the city.

That’s why the house of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Henry Roeland Byrd, aka “Professor Longhair,” is on the list as well as a former police station in the Treme neighborhood. The endangered list also includes a number of churches and places of worship, a cemetery and a hospital. An entire neighborhood, the Mid-City Historic District, was featured because hundreds of unique architectural homes and businesses are scheduled to be demolished to make way for a 27-block medical corridor.

“People who drive all over town don’t realize that we’re about to lose some very significant buildings,” said Patricia Gay, president of the Preservation Resource Center, an organization that promotes the preservation and revitalization of historic neighborhoods, according to their literature.

Stout said some properties are expensive to renovate, especially to private owners who may not have the funds to fix them up.

“We’re hoping that because we’re drawing attention to these properties that now we can help these people,” said Stout.

The Dew Drop Inn, which was operating as a 25-bed hotel before Hurricane Katrina, hasn’t reopened since the storm because the business didn’t qualify for certain federal funds or grants. In addition, he had lost the hotel’s insurance a year before Katrina and was in the process of getting new insurance.

“It’s been a struggle,” said Jackson.

His goal is to restore the Dew Drop Inn to its original functionality as a hotel, barbershop, nightclub and restaurant, all in the same building. He said he hopes that being on the endangered list will bring attention to his plight.

“Everybody wants to help but we haven’t been able to secure any funding up until this point,” said Jackson. “Our main goal is to get the funding to do all the repairs and to put it back online.”

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.