K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For September 1st, 2017 – Evening

WASHINGTON (AP) - FEDERAL AND STATE OFFICIALS ARE WARNING RESIDENTS, VOLUNTEERS AND OFFICIALS IN FLOOD ZONES THAT THEY COULD BE TARGETED BY STORM-RELATED SCAMS. AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA IN 2005, CRIMINALS FRAUDULENTLY TRIED TO OBTAIN EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUNDS INTENDED TO HELP STORM AND FLOOD VICTIMS. A DISASTER-RELATED TASK FORCE HEADED BY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS AND OTHER AUTHORITIES ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED MORE THAN 1,460 PEOPLE IN CONNECTION WITH CRIMES ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA.

HOUSTON (AP) - THE CORPUS CHRISTI SHIP CHANNEL HAS REOPENED AFTER A NEARLY WEEKLONG CLOSURE DUE TO HARVEY. A PORT OF CORPUS CHRISTI STATEMENT SAYS THURSDAY'S REOPENING IS A STEP TOWARD RESUMING OPERATIONS AT SEVEN REFINERIES AND TRANSPORTING THAT FUEL TO MARKET. THE CORPUS CHRISTI SHIP CHANNEL WAS CLOSED TO SHIP TRAFFIC, INCLUDING FUEL-HAULING TANKERS, AS HARVEY SLAMMED THE CORPUS CHRISTI AREA AUG. 25.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - AS THE MURKY FLOOD WATERS OF HURRICANE KATRINA WERE SLOWLY PUMPED OUT OF NEW ORLEANS IN 2005, THE CHALLENGES THE CITY FACED WERE ONLY BEGINNING TO COME INTO FOCUS. HOUSING, HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY, WHAT AND WHERE TO REBUILD _ ALL WERE QUESTIONS FACED BY LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL AUTHORITIES WHO, IT SOON BECAME OBVIOUS, HAD NOT BEEN PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH OF LEVEE FAILURES THAT LED TO CATASTROPHIC FLOODING.

ATLANTA (AP) - GASOLINE PRICES ROSE SEVERAL CENTS OVERNIGHT AMID CONTINUING CONCERNS ABOUT SHORTAGES IN PARTS OF TEXAS AND SEVERAL OTHER STATES IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE HARVEY STRIKE ON THE GULF COAST. THE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION SAID EARLY FRIDAY THAT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR A GALLON OF REGULAR GAS ROSE IN ONE DAY FROM $2.45 THURSDAY TO $2.52 FRIDAY. AT LEAST TWO MAJOR PIPELINES HAVE BEEN SLOWED OR STOPPED BECAUSE OF FLOODING AND DAMAGE.

MOSCOW (AP) - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV SAYS MOSCOW WILL PREPARE A "TOUGH RESPONSE" TO THE UNITED STATES' DECISION TO SHUT ITS CONSULATE IN SAN FRANCISCO. THE U.S. HAS ORDERED RUSSIA TO SHUT ITS SAN FRANCISCO CONSULATE AND CLOSE OFFICES IN WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK WITHIN 48 HOURS IN RESPONSE TO RUSSIA'S DECISION LAST MONTH TO CUT U.S. DIPLOMATIC STAFF IN RUSSIA. LAVROV SAID MOSCOW "WILL HAVE A TOUGH RESPONSE TO THE THINGS THAT COME TOTALLY OUT OF THE BLUE TO HURT US."
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SCHOOL PERFORMANCE RATINGS RELEASED BY THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THURSDAY SHOW MOST WYOMING SCHOOLS ARE MEETING OR EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS. JOY GREENWALD REPORTS.
STATE SUPERINTENDENT JILLIAN BALOW SAY SEVEN SCHOOLS JUMPED UP TWO LEVELS IN OVERALL PERFORMANCE AND 13 HAVE EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS FOR THREE OR MORE YEARS.

"WHILE IT'S PRETTY DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT WHY EXACTLY WE SEE THIS POSITIVE AND UPWARD TREND, I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT OUR WORK AT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS THROUGH OUR STATE SYSTEM OF SUPPORT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS OVERALL TREND. SINCE IT WAS IMPLEMENTED A LITTLE LESS THAN THREE YEARS AGO, WE HAVE CERTAINLY FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREAS OF UNDERSTANDING AND USING STUDENT DATA, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENING THE LEADERSHIP IN SCHOOLS AND IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS."

AS PART OF WYOMING’S TRANSITION TO THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT, NO FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY DETERMINATIONS WERE MADE FOR THE 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR. STARTING NEXT YEAR, SCHOOL PERFORMANCE WILL BE PUBLISHED ON A REPORT CARD THAT INCLUDES INFORMATION REQUIRED BY BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL LAW.

REPORTING FROM CHEYENNE ... I'M JOY GREENWALD.
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BIOLOGISTS HAVE RELEASED 13 MORE BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS ON A WYOMING RANCH WHERE THE SLINKY PREDATORS AVOIDED EXTINCTION BY BEING REDISCOVERED MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO.
BIOLOGISTS WITH THE WYOMING GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT, WORKING WITH THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, LET THEM LOOSE MONDAY ON THE PITCHFORK RANCH OUTSIDE MEETEETSE IN NORTHWESTERN WYOMING.

LAST YEAR, GAME OFFICIALS RELEASED 35 FERRETS IN THE AREA.

THE AREA IS SPECIAL FOR BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS, WHICH ARE NOCTURNAL WEASELS THAT PREY ON PRAIRIE DOGS AND LIVE IN THE RODENTS' COLONIES.

. BIOLOGISTS WERE WORRIED THE ANIMALS HAD GONE EXTINCT UNTIL A DOG ON THE PITCHFORK RANCH BROUGHT ONE HOME IN 1981.

SEVERAL OF THE AREA'S REMAINING FERRETS WERE ROUNDED UP AND USED IN A CAPTIVE-BREEDING PROGRAM THAT HAS RESTORED BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS IN COLORADO, MONTANA AND ELSEWHERE IN THE WESTERN U.S.