Debbie Elliott

Shell Digs Deep To Tap Into Lucrative Oil, Gas Reserves

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:45:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

One reason the world is not yet running out of oil and gas is that energy companies keep finding ways to extract those resources from more and more difficult places, including far under the ocean. Royal Dutch Shell announced plans, yesterday, for the world's deepest offshore floating oil and gas facility.

NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Shell calls its ultra-deepwater project a milestone.

Birmingham Students Reenact Historic March, 50 Years Later

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:14:00 +0000

In Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, children took to downtown streets in a reenactment of historic events there 50 years ago. It's part of a series of events this year marking Birmingham's crucial role in the civil rights movement.

A Grieving Brother Finds Solace In His Sister's 'Small Town'

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:28:00 +0000

When he was a teenager, journalist Rod Dreher couldn't wait to escape Louisiana. Now he has found his way home again in grief — after his sister's death from lung cancer. It was "in light" of that tragedy, Dreher says, that he discovered the value of community. It's the subject of his new book, The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life.

Dreher's new home is on a historic block in St. Francisville, La., population 1,700. The houses have welcoming, wide front porches.

Surviving Doolittle Raiders To Hold Their Last Meeting

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:56:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

On this day in 1942, the United States struck back against Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The 80 men who flew that first bombing raid over Tokyo are known as the Doolittle Raiders, named after their commander Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle. For decades, the Raiders have met each year to remember their historic World War II mission. But with few surviving members, a meeting in Florida this week will be their last.

NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Only four Doolittle Raiders remain, all in their 90's.

Massive Sinkhole In Louisiana Baffles Officials

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Louisiana officials are grappling with a giant sinkhole that's threatening a neighborhood. A salt mine collapsed last year, creating a series of problems regulators say they've never seen before, including tremors and oil and gas leaks and a sinkhole that now covers 9 acres.

Residents have been evacuated for more than seven months now and are losing patience.

Ernie Boudreaux lives in a trailer on Jambalaya Street in Bayou Corne, La. Strange things have been happening to his home, he says.

"It cracks. You can hear it.

In Gulf Oil Spill Trial, Testimony Cites Series Of Missteps

Debbie Elliott — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 13:11:00 +0000

This was the first week of testimony in a civil case to assign blame and financial liability for the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.

Alabama Divided As Court Prepares To Hear Voting Rights Challenge

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:01:00 +0000

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court takes up a challenge to the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Mardi Gras Merriment Beyond Bourbon Street Festivities

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:53:00 +0000

It's Fat Tuesday, the final day of indulgence before the fasting and penance of Lent begins.

Drought Causes Ripple Effect Along Mighty Mississippi River

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:43:00 +0000

The persistent drought is raising questions about how the Mississippi River is managed — both upstream and down.

While cargo traffic upriver has gotten lots of attention, the drought is creating a different set of problems downriver at the mouth of the Mississippi, where saltwater has encroached.

An old-fashioned staff river gauge behind the New Orleans district office of the U.S.

Immigration Reform Plan Gets Mixed Reviews Across Country

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:16:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The debate in Washington over immigration reform is underway. Today, a bipartisan group of senators released a framework for sweeping changes to the nation's immigration laws. President Obama is scheduled to unveil his own plan in Nevada tomorrow. The Senate outline includes, among other things, a path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million immigrants now living in the U.S. illegally.

Cigarette Makers Frustrated As Product Approvals Stall

Debbie Elliott — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:34:00 +0000

It's been only a few years since Congress granted the federal government the power to approve how tobacco products are made and sold in the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration's new Center for Tobacco Products, established under a 2009 law that gives the agency jurisdiction over tobacco, must review all new cigarettes or smokeless tobacco, as well as any changes to existing brands.

But the agency has yet to clear any products under the new system, and some cigarette makers are frustrated by the backlog of applications.

The FDA typically evaluates new drugs and other products with a "sa

Fla. Slammed With Political Ads But Do Locals Listen?

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:36:00 +0000

We take a look at political ads with Florida voters to see how they respond to the messaging and whether they know or care who's paying for the ads.

Ole Miss Students Look Back At Integration

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Fifty years ago, James Meredith, the first black student at the University of Mississippi, had to be escorted by federal marshals to his mostly empty classes. His enrollment came after a standoff between state segregationists and the federal government that led to a deadly riot on the Oxford campus.

Today, black and white juniors and seniors at Ole Miss sit together around a table in an Honors College class on the school's turbulent history.

Integrating Ole Miss: A Transformative, Deadly Riot

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:30:00 +0000

Fifty years ago — Oct. 1, 1962 — the first black student was admitted to the University of Mississippi, a bastion of the Old South.

The town of Oxford erupted. It took some 30,000 U.S. troops, federal marshals and national guardsmen to get James Meredith to class after a violent campus uprising. Two people were killed and more than 300 injured. Some historians say the integration of Ole Miss was the last battle of the Civil War.

It was a high-stakes showdown between President Kennedy and Mississippi Gov.

Romney Also Campaigns In Buckeye State

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:50:00 +0000

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's swing through Ohio took him from the suburbs of Columbus through parched cornfields and pumpkin patches to industrial corridors near Cleveland and Toledo. Romney says his policies will make things better for struggling Americans.

Obama, Romney Campaign In Must-Win Ohio

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:15:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has delivered a constant stream of criticism of President Obama, but he still confronts Republican voters who haven't heard enough.

GREENE: On a hidden videotape revealed this month, Romney was asked why he didn't hammer President Obama harder.

Is GOP Excitement For VP Moniee Paul Ryan Waning?

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:49:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

If you live in Ohio, you probably feel like this national presidential campaign is focused exclusively on one state - yours. Certainly may feel that way this week. President Obama has released a new TV ad in Ohio and he'll be campaigning in the key battleground state later in the week.

Today, Republican Mitt Romney joins up with his running mate, Paul Ryan, on a bus tour aimed at Ohio's working class voters. This bus trip comes as Republican insiders are asking some questions about Ryan's role in the campaign.

Deep South Democrats Seek Path Back To Relevance

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:49:00 +0000

It can be lonely being a Democrat in the Deep South. Just ask Steve Wilson.

The young lawyer was a first-time delegate at the Democratic National Convention, but it's not something he brags about back home in Meridian, Miss.

"I don't talk about it," he says. "It's the elephant in the room, so to speak.