STORM AFTERMATH Other developments

The latest developments in New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:
A police union official and a lawyer for officers accused in the beating of a retired teacher sharply disputed Wednesday the man's contention he was brutalized during his arrest, which was captured on video. Attorney Frank DeSalvo said the video shows a truncated version of the Saturday night arrest and he disputed details the video appears to have captured, including whether the 64-year-old suspect was punched in the face. "I see an incident of a man trying to be brought under control who doesn't want to be brought under control," DeSalvo said. The man who was beaten, Robert Davis, pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges of public intoxication, resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and public intimidation. Davis has described himself as a recovering substance abuser who has not had a drink in 25 years. His lawyer asked prosecutors to dismiss charges, but his trial was set for Jan. 18.
Mardi Gras organizers promised Wednesday to roll out the city's signature celebration in February despite the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. Tourism officials, float builders and parade hosts appeared before the City Council to insist the annual pre-Lent celebration -- part family party, part Bacchanalian blowout -- returns this winter. "We have to do this," said Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson. "We can't afford to miss a beat."
Three days before the federal government's self-imposed deadline for emptying shelters of Hurricane Katrina victims, more than 22,000 are still waiting to get out, the head of the Katrina relief effort said Wednesday. The number of people in shelters in Louisiana and around the nation peaked at more than 270,000 on Sept. 8, Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen said. President Bush set a mid-October goal last month for getting evacuees out, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had been shooting for Friday.
The figures released Wednesday represent a reduction in the shelter population of about 92 percent. Allen did not address whether the goal would be met. And FEMA spokesman James McIntyre sidestepped the question, saying, "It was always a goal. We're still working toward that goal." Long-term temporary housing still must be found for at least 400,000 other Katrina victims now staying in hotels or lodging with friends or family.
More than 9,000 mobile homes and campers meant for the victims of Hurricane Katrina are sitting unused at government staging areas while displaced families continue to live out of tents and shelters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says the backlog was inevitable: The temporary housing is easier to acquire than distribute because of the limited number of accessible roads, cleared lots and trucks to haul housing to the storm-ravaged region. But it's been six weeks, and the people left homeless by the hurricane say they are tired of waiting for the federal government to fulfill its promise.
An 8-year-old girl with a big heart and loose tooth found a creative way to help people displaced by the hurricanes. Briton Nordmeyer of Brandon, S.D., sent her tooth to the Red Cross chapter in Sioux Falls, hoping the tooth fairy would leave money there instead of under her pillow. The tooth poked a hole through the envelope and fell out, but her letter made it. And after word spread of her generosity, a $500 check came in from an anonymous donor, said Jeff Stingley, director of the Sioux Empire Red Cross chapter. Stingley said Wednesday the $500 anonymous check was the only one that mentioned the tooth, but he believes Briton's story prompted other donations to the chapter.
Source: Associated Press