Results tagged “recovery”

It's easy to overlook today's fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall along the Gulf Coast. Of course, it's been four years since the storm came ashore and the stories have faded into the background as the city of New Orleans and the smaller communities along the Gulf Coast continue the slow road to recovery, but there are still a few stories of local interest in connection with the anniversary.

In spite of all the previous secrecy around Mayor Daley's "wishlist" for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the mayor finally announced plans to spend nearly $20 million in federal funds Wednesday. $2.3 million of the federal funds will be used to prevent the closing of four mental health clinics in the city. The rest of the funding will go to help the unemployed, homeless, poor workers and military veterans access social services that track people into job training and placement, as well as substance abuse programs. Nearly $2 million will go to support small businesses with hiring.

A plane from World War II was pulled from Lake Michigan near Waukegan on Friday. The plane was an SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber, used for training. Joseph Lokites was the pilot of the plane, who apparently made a mistake when switching fuel tanks. He switched to an empty tank, the engine stopped, and the plane ditched in the lake. The airplane sank, and Lokites was rescued.

The family of Sun-Times columnist Rev. Andrew Greeley have something to be thankful for: he's vastly improving following a fall several weeks ago that left him critically injured. He's been moved to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for recovery. His spokeswoman, June Rosner, said, "It's a big step forward. He no longer belongs in a critical care unit." Greeley was injured in a fall while exiting a cab on November 7.