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An Honest, Available Contractor Is Hard To Find On Gulf Coast
(October 9, 2006)--Experts say finding an honest, readily available contractor is a challenge these days on the Gulf Coast as hurricane recovery continues. Last year's Hurricane Katrina demolished tens of thousands of homes and sent several hundred thousand evacuees to Texas. Authorities expect the construction fraud problem to grow worse as more federal grant money reaches homeowners in Mississippi and Louisiana. In March, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour signed into law a measure elevating home-repair fraud from a misdemeanor to a felony, punishable by up to ten years in prison. Since Katrina, the Mississippi attorney general's office has opened more than 350 home-repair fraud investigations. At least ten have led to arrests.
New Modular Homes Going Up In Pascagoula
It's been a busy work week for Hurricane Home employees as they strive to complete the first two modular homes built in Pascagoula. "This house on Market Street is the first. Today, they are placing one in the Chipley Area on Kings Avenue. That will be second home placed. It will be on piers," Marketing Manager Tim Lee says. The modular units are built inside a warehouse. Once completed, Lee says the homes are "move-in-ready" in less than a month. "When we get up to full speed, we can build a home in five to ten days." With the housing shortage, Lee says people should consider this alternative method of building. "What we are trying to do is build a home better, cheaper and faster than a conventional stick built home." Because of those reasons, the Treadway Family decided to invest their money into a modular unit for their mother Barbara.
FEATURE-In Iraq, contractor deaths near 650, legal fog thickens
WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The war in Iraq has killed at least 647 civilian contractors to date, according to official figures that provide a stark reminder of the huge role of civilians in supporting the U.S. military.
The contractor death toll is tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor on the basis of claims under an insurance policy, the Defense Base Act, that all U.S. government contractors and subcontractors working outside the United States must take out for their civilian employees.
In response to questions from Reuters, a Labor Department spokesman said there had been 647 claims for death benefits between March 1, 2003, and Sept. 30, 2006. The Defense Base Act covers both Americans and foreigners, and there is no breakdown of the nationalities of those killed.
District 116 campaign all about recovery
BILOXI - The three candidates running for state House District 116 promise to push legislative efforts to help speed South Mississippi's recovery from Katrina. Democrat Maryann Graczyk and Republicans George Emile Jr. and Steven Palazzo are seeking to fill the unexpired term of Republican Leonard Bentz, who resigned when Gov. Haley Barbour appointed him to the state Public Service Commission. The three candidates agree housing and insurance are top Katrina-related issues lawmakers need to deal with. Graczyk and Emile support a House plan - opposed by Gov. Haley Barbour and many Senate leaders - to create a state-funded loan or grant program for Katrina homeowners. But Palazzo says he agrees with Barbour, that lawmakers should wait until federal funds are exhausted.
Modular home zoning amendment taken off Tuesday Council agenda
An amendment to the city's zoning ordinance, which would allow the placement of modular homes in areas other than R-4 multi-family residential zoning districts was taken off Tuesday night's agenda for the Columbus City Council.City Attorney Jeff Turnage earlier said a committee from the Columbus Planning Commission suggested revision of the ordinance, but the matter was pulled from consideration by the council and will go back to the Planning Commission.The move to change the ordinance comes in response to a Sept. 11 meeting of the Planning Commission, during which Russell Sheffield of Sheffield Construction Inc. sought approval of a permitted-use request to place 16 Safeway Homes modular units on single pre-fabricated homes in the Northaven Woods subdivision.The Planning Commission denied the request based on current zoning stipulations, but several members suggested changing the ordinance, then allowing the homes.Similarly, the commission also denied a permitted-use request from J.R.
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