Debbie Elliott

Spoken Dish Asks Southerners: What Is Your Food Identity?

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:57:00 +0000

Does cast-iron skillet cornbread, hot and crispy from the oven, transport you back to your grandma's kitchen? Do you cook with certain ingredients as a link to your roots in the South? If so, "A Spoken Dish" wants to hear your story.

The Southern Foodways Alliance is teaming up with Whole Foods Market and Georgia Organics in this video storytelling project as a way to celebrate and document food memories and rituals of the American South.

The goal is "to document the palate of a changing South," says A Spoken Dish producer Kate Medley.

Fifty Years After Medgar Evers' Killing, The Scars Remain

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:11:00 +0000

For Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain NAACP leader Medgar Evers, the memories of 1963 are still raw.

Her family lived in terror behind the locked doors of their Jackson, Miss., home — a modest, three-bedroom, ranch-style house in one of the first new subdivisions built for African-Americans in Mississippi's segregated capital city.

Gulf Coast States Get Creative With BP Oil Spill Money

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 28 May 2013 22:38:00 +0000

Gulf Coast states are lining up to spend $1 billion from BP on coastal restoration. The money is part of BP's legal responsibility to restore the Gulf of Mexico's natural resources in the aftermath of the worst oil disaster in U.S. history.

But the nature of some of the state projects, including boat ramps and a beachfront hotel, is raising questions about just what counts as coastal restoration.

Earlier this month, Alabama's Gov. Robert Bentley stood on a sugar white state park beach to announce plans for an $85 million lodge and conference center.

Shell Digs Deep To Tap Into Lucrative Oil, Gas Reserves

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:56:00 +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.

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.

Massive Sinkhole In Louisiana Baffles Officials

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:37:00 +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.

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.

Myrlie Evers-Williams To Deliver Inaugural Invocation

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 08:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And the widow of a murdered Mississippi civil rights leader will help open the inaugural ceremony today. President Obama selected activist Myrlie Evers-Williams to deliver the invocation.

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

Federal-State Tug Of War: Drawing The Lines In Immigration Overhaul

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Inside a modest storefront in Loxley, Ala., 18-year-old Maria Lola Melisio points out the Mexican spices and other products for sale in her mother's market.

"There are the leaves where you make your tamales — you roll them up in that," she says.

Melisio has long dark curls and is wearing a houndstooth scarf in support of the Alabama Crimson Tide. When she was 7 years old, she entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico with her mother, and still has a scar on her back from crawling under the border fence.

Contract Ban, Civil Litigation Add To BP's Woes

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:43:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

The multinational oil firm BP is being taken to account for the massive 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday, the Obama administration banned BP from any new contacts with the federal government, citing, quote, "a lack of business integrity" related to the spill - that after BP admitted criminal wrongdoing in its recent settlement with the U.S. Justice Department.

But that's not the end of it for BP.

BP Settlement Of Little Comfort To Some, A 'Down Payment' To Others

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:22:00 +0000

There's mixed reaction this afternoon to the news that BP has agreed to a deal with federal authorities to pay $4.5 billion in criminal and civil penalties related to the 2010 Gulf Oil spill.

Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, calls the fines and penalties appropriate.

Democratic Candidates Do Well In Sunshine State

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:40:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Five hundred thirty-eight electoral votes were up for grabs on Election Day. President Obama has won, so far, 303 of them, a comfortable majority. Mitt Romney has 206. Twenty-nine are still unaccounted for - the electoral votes of Florida. Too close to call there. Less than a percentage point divides the candidates. But down the ballot, Democrats did well. The party retained a Senate seat and picked up a few key congressional races as well.

Independent Voters Could Be Key In Florida

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:08:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And now on to the biggest state that is really a contested battleground. I mean, we assume New York and California are barely contested by Republicans and Texas is assumed to go to Republican.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Texas, yeah.

SIEGEL: But with 29 electoral votes, Florida is always a state we look at. And our own Debbie Elliott is in Tampa at the Republican Party event there.

Ohio And Florida: Checking In With Two Key States

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning. People have been joking for weeks that the candidates are actually running for president of Ohio. That's how vital the state is, but here's a reminder about the electoral map. It is at least theoretically possible for either candidate to lose Ohio and still reach 270 electoral votes by winning some combination of other states.

Update From Fla.: Poised For Challenges

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:51:00 +0000

It's at least theoretically possible for either candidate to lose the vital state of Ohio and still reach 270 electoral votes by winning some combination of other states. Many of those combinations include Florida — infamous for voting irregularities in 2000.

Ala. Racist Language Measure Draws Unexpected Foes

Debbie Elliott — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:04:00 +0000

State-mandated segregation is a thing of the past in Alabama, but the state's antiquated 1901 constitution paints a different picture.

The 'Ten Commandments Judge' Wants His Seat Back

Debbie Elliott — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:18:00 +0000

Republican Roy Moore, Alabama's controversial "Ten Commandments Judge," is back on the ballot this year, running for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court — despite being removed from that office nearly a decade ago.

In a state as red as they come, he is facing last-minute Democratic challenger Bob Vance, who is reaching out to moderate Republicans turned off by Moore's politics.

Moore has been on the front lines of the culture wars since the 1990s, when, as an Alabama circuit judge, he displayed a small wooden plaque of the Ten Commandments in his Gadsden courtroom.

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.

Obama, Romney Campaign In Battleground Ohio

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:06:00 +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.

Deep South Democrats Seek Path Back To Relevance

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:32:00 +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.

CarolinaFest Greets DNC Delegates To Charlotte

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:52:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

You may have heard some street noise behind some of Mara's interviews there. That was the sound of CarolinaFest. Charlotte gave Democrats a taste of the South there yesterday.

People outside gave NPR's Debbie Elliott a taste of what they're thinking.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: What better way to kick off a political convention than a Labor Day street festival?

(SOUNDBITE OF A MARCHING BAND)

ELLIOTT: The marching band from Charlotte's Johnson C. Smith University got the party started.

A Resting Place For Hunting Hounds In Alabama

Debbie Elliott — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 07:58:00 +0000

Seventy-five years ago, Key Underwood and his raccoon-hunting dog Troop had a connection. Years of training and a deep relationship make human and canine a seamless hunting unit. The two can share a special bond.

So when old Troop died, Underwood buried him on the crest of a hill hidden away in the lush countryside near Cherokee, Ala. It was Underwood's favorite hunting spot.

Isaac Rains On Gulf Coast On Hurricane Katrina Anniversary

Debbie Elliott — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

People naturally focus on New Orleans, a great American city that is below sea level in many places, but you cannot understand the full effect of the storm without moving along the Gulf Coast. Mississippi, for example, has faced high water, tropical storm-force winds and pounding rain.

Gulf Coast Hunkers Down For Isaac

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:53:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

Residents of New Orleans and other cities are performing the balancing act that is an essential part of life along the Gulf Coast. Hurricanes are such a regular feature that you can't let them disrupt your life too much.

INSKEEP: But the memory of Hurricane Katrina serves as a reminder that you also can't be too careful. As Isaac heads for Louisiana, schools in several parishes are planning to close.

Saltwater Invades Mississippi River

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:06:00 +0000

All the dry weather means there's less water flowing through the once mighty river into the Gulf of Mexico, and low outflow means saltwater from the Gulf is creeping in.

Some Louisiana cities have already begun purchasing drinking water. Now New Orleans is at risk.

Saltwater typically encroaches on the Mississippi every eight to 10 years, but that could be changing, says Mark Davis, director of the Tulane Institute on Water Resources, Law and Policy.

La. Court In Racially Charged Power Struggle, Again

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 07:33:00 +0000

A power struggle on the Louisiana Supreme Court is headed to federal court this week. Lawyers are seeking to reopen an old voting rights case that gave the Deep South state its first black Supreme Court justice. What's at stake in the racially charged fight is whether Louisiana will now have its first African-American chief justice.

Justice Bernette Johnson joined the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1994, elected to a special seat created to remedy racial disparities in Louisiana's justice system.

New Orleans Struggles With Murder Rate, And Trust

Debbie Elliott — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:09:00 +0000

New Orleans now has the highest per capita murder rate in the country. Most of the killings are concentrated in the city's poorest neighborhoods — places like Central City, just a few blocks north of the stately mansions that line St. Charles Avenue.

The city's mayor is launching a new program aimed at cracking what he describes as a deeply rooted culture of violence.