RELIGIOUS RIGHT FALTERS AS ELECTIONS NEAR: With the November mid-terms fast approaching, Republican strategists are worried about growing disenchantment among evangelicals, as well as chronic organizational problems and recent scandals that have clouded the religious right. (Facing South, 9/27/06)

PREDATORY LENDING WEAKENS TROOPS: A Pentagon study finds that nearly one in five military personnel use high-interest payday loans, and that "predatory lending undermines military readiness [and] harms the morale of troops and their families." (Center for Responsible Lending, Aug. 2006)

FORECLOSURES SKYROCKET IN NC: Boosting home ownership has been a cornerstone of the conservative economic agenda. Yet in North Carolina, foreclosures have tripled in Guilford County and increased over 290% near Charlotte. (YES! Weekly, 9/20/06)

SOUTH AT BOTTOM FOR LIFE EXPECTANCY: A new Harvard study finds the South ranks low for life expectancy, with race a major factor. African-Americans in the rural South and urban areas nationally fare worst; low-income whites in Appalachia and the Mississippi Valley fall in the middle. (Facing South, 9/14/06)

EPA NEGLECTING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE REVIEWS: An internal report finds that 60% of Environmental Protection Agency offices have not conducted required reviews to ensure that low-income and people of color neighborhoods get the same protection other communities do. (Associated Press, 9/19/06)

THE WORST PLACES TO VOTE: From Georgia's restrictive ID law, to felon disenfranchisement in Mississippi and gerrymandering in Texas, Southern states factor in seven of 11 places where a study says voting is most difficult. (Mother Jones, Sept-Oct 2006)

WAR ON THE BORDER: Operation Jump Start has boosted National Guard deployment to 18,000 on the Texas/Mexico border; they're trained for battle and armed with the military's "most advanced technology." (Texas Observer, 9/25/06)

WHITE HEAT IN TENNESSEE: Middle American towns and cities like Nashville have become ground zero for the immigration debate -- and home of a New Nativism. (The Nation, 8/28/06)

For daily updates and progressive perspectives from the South, visit the Facing South blog.

GRASSROOTS GUMBO

By CHRIS KROMM
The Nation
September 18, 2006

Activists in New Orleans have had to spend most of their energy on defense -- protecting exiles' right to return and fighting off plans to remake the city. But they have also won surprising victories, and inspired a new generation of activists.

Chris Kromm, executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies, looks into the Katrina movement in the Big Easy.

For more coverage of Katrina and the Gulf Coast, visit the Institute's special project Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch.

Last month, the Institute released " One Year after Katrina" -- an in-depth, 96-page report on the state of the Gulf Coast.

Our aim was to investigate issues ignored elsewhere and to help put Katrina -- and the people left behind -- back on the national agenda. The report has made quite a splash:

* Reporters for ABC and CNN used "One Year after Katrina" to question federal officials about contracting scandals and rebuilding progress in the Gulf

* 16 radio stations across the country have interviewed Institute staff about the report, including Air America and XM Radio/The Power 169 -- listen to our interview on Mother Jones Radio here.

* The study has been featured on over 80 websites including Time.com, Center for American Progress, and DailyKos, and lead newspaper editorials in the Anniston Star and Tampa Tribune

* The Institute shipped 2,000 copies directly to community leaders in New Orleans and Mississippi, where they were widely used in events commemorating the Katrina anniversary

THANK YOU to the dozens of friends who generously supported the Institute and our Investigative Fund. Your contributions have given us much-needed resources to provide unique, hard-hitting coverage of Katrina and the South that can't be found anywhere else -- and it's had a huge impact. Thanks!

Copies of "One Year after Katrina" are still available -- visit us here to order online, or contact Elena Everett at elena@southernstudies.org or (919) 419-8311 x25. Ask about bulk discounts for your conference, community group or classroom!