Barack Obama Speaks On Hurricane Katrina Anniversary

Barack Obama Speaks On Life In New Orleans Since Hurricane Katrina

Tonight, President Barack Obama will be delivering remarks on the progress that has been made in New Orleans’ education and healthcare systems as well as its job market and economy at large. Statistics show that test scores and state rankings for students have drastically improved in comparison to scores and rankings before Katrina. Furthermore, local job growth in New Orleans performed better (5 percent) than compared to the national rate (1 percent) in 2014.

However, despite the measurable gains that have been made, there’s clearly still a racial divide in the recovery residents have experienced in the 10 years since Katrina. The Kaiser Family Foundation and NPR conducted a poll showing that 70 percent of White residents believe that the city has mostly bounced back, compared to 44 percent of Blacks. Furthermore, with the exceptions of public transportation and healthcare, Blacks reported seeing less improvement in education, repairs and safety than whites. Read more at the New York Times and the Huffington Post.

Up Next: Joe Biden Says Running For President May Be Too Strenuous For His Family

Joe Biden Thinks He And His Family Aren’t Ready For Him To Run For President

During a conference held yesterday to discuss the Iran Nuclear deal, Vice president Joe Biden answered a question on whether he was ready to run for president. Biden responded saying he would “have to be able to commit to all of you that I would be able to give it my whole heart and my whole soul…right now, both are pretty well banged up.” Biden went on to say that he is answering people’s questions on the issue as directly as he can, that he has given the matter “a lot of thought” and is speaking with his family extensively on the matter. Read more at the New York Times.

Up Next: St. Paul’s Rape Case Nears The End, Student Denies Rape Accusations

Senior Student At The Elite St. Paul’s School Pleads Not Guilty In Rape Case

Nineteen-year-old Owen Labrie has brought shame and a nationwide spotlight on the rape culture at one of the country’s most prestigious preparatory schools, St. Paul’s. Labrie is being accused of raping one of his 15-year-old classmates in May 2014 inside a campus building as part of what is called the “Senior Salute,” a competitive school tradition in which male senior students bed as many freshman girls as possible before graduation. Labrie is facing 10 counts including felonious sexual assault. Read more on the case at the Boston Globe.

Up Next: James Holmes Faces 3,000+ Years In Prison For Theater Massacre

Judge Officially Gives James Holmes A Life Sentence For Mass Murder

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/james-holmes-trial-judge-formally-sentences-aurora-gunman-life-prison-n416396

Families of the Aurora shooting victims finally have closure today, as shooter James Holmes has been given a life sentence plus 3,200 years for attempted murder and use of explosives. The judge on the case, Judge Carlos A. Samour, Jr. acknowledges that some may be disappointed that Holmes didn’t receive the death penalty, but asserts that Holmes’ punishment was appropriate and that he will have a harsh and restrictive life behind bars. Read more at NBC News.

Up Next: Sandra Bland Gets A Street Named After Her In Prairie View City

Sandra Bland Gets Memorialized In Outside Of Her Alma Mater, Prairie A&M University

Students, alumni, friends and other locals recently marched down what is to now be called “Sandra Bland Parkway” in Prairie View City. The parkway is the street that enters Bland’s alma mater, Prairie A&M University and serves to commemorate her life after she tragically and mysteriously died in police custody following a routine traffic stop. Those in support of council members’ decision to rename the street hope that it will encourage police to be more respectful in their encounters with civilians. However, supporters have expressed their concern that Bland didn’t necessarily earn the right to have a street named after her, and that there are others in the community who are more deserving of the honor than she is. Read more on the story at Clutch Magazine.

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