Former CNN correspondent and Mississippi native Katherine Koch says Mississippi caught the brunt of the hurricane at first. “When it hit, I cut a track for CNN that said New Orleans dodged a bullet. Then later the levees collapsed.”

The devastation was so widespread, Koch didn’t think the state would be able to recover. But going back to her hometown, Bay St. Louis,, on the 10-year anniversary of the storm, she noticed the difference.

“If you didn’t know a hurricane hit here, you would drive down the beautiful Beach Boulevard and see the recovery and the new bridges and the public buildings and libraries and the city halls and you would say this is a gorgeous place, it looks great.”

“I grew up in Bay St. Louis. It’s now the fastest-growing city in Mississippi.��It’s been named one of the coolest small��towns in America.”

But Koch says the recovery has been uneven. Some neighborhoods are still struggling to recover.

In the Cedar Point neighborhood, not a home was left standing within five blocks of the beachfront.

“No houses have been rebuilt,” Koch says. “Or you go to the town next to us, Waveland, which was lower in elevation. They lost more homes and so many residents��haven’t come��back.”

But the storm was a wake up call, and it did bring something good to the state. Building codes have been strengthened. Flood maps, which were 20 years out of date when Katrina hit, have since been rewritten.

“These buildings, these homes, they’re stronger than ever. This is probably the most prepared and most resilient community in the country right now,” Koch says.

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Industry analysts say prices at the pump will continue to decline as fall begins. Some places in the nation are already paying less that two dollars a gallon. Phil Flynn, an analyst with The Price Group, says we could likely see that in the D.C. metro area.

“We’re in a new era of low gasoline prices. We’re seeing refiners in the U.S. produce record amounts of gasoline and the global demand has been falling. It’s really the perfect combination for gas prices to plummet.”

He believes prices will dip below two dollars a gallon by Thanksgiving, even in D.C.

Flynn says even with summer blends and refinery maintenance keeping prices up, cost per gallon will continue to go down.

“Once that turnaround is done and we move to wintertime blends in a few months, you’re going to see those downward trends continue.”

The expected general trend for all gasoline prices, including premium, is that they’ll go down. While it is having a positive effect on household budgets, Flynn warns, this isn’t a real cause for celebration.

“Part of the reason why prices are plummeting right now is because we are concerned about a global economic slowdown. It’s not an entirely feel-good story.”

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• Kindergarten/First-grade Students: Two chickenpox vaccines
• Grade 7/Grade 8:��One tetanus, diptheria and pertussis vaccine (Tdap Vaccine) and one meningitis vaccine (meningococcal��vaccine)

Students who are not fully immunized on the first day of school��must have a��written exemption letter or proof of an appointment in the first 20 calendar days of school (for��non-military families) and 30 days (for military families).

Students who are non-compliant after that time will not be allowed to attend school until they receive their immunizations.

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“We not only have eagles that reproduce here, we get a ton of eagles that come down and winter��along the northern neck area”,��says Amanda Nicholson, Director of outreach for the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

But she says eagles have new risks of becoming sick or injured because of human related activities.���� One big problem: ��lead toxicity.�� “If a hunter dresses his kill in the field and leaves behind a gut pile, there can be tiny, tiny pieces of lead fragments in that.�� The eagles are scavengers and they’ll eat the gut pile,” ��said Nicholson. Those fragments can ultimately kill the birds without proper treatment.

In addition, eagles are also showing up sick from eating trash and litter.�� “This poor bird came in with pieces of cardboard, paper, soda can tab, a push pin, some other little bits of plastic and two balloons,” she says.

So far this year, the center has treated 21 sick bald eagles, with 10 in their care right now.

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The proposed legislation, introduced by council member Mary Cheh, requires two doctors to confirm a patient’s terminal illness. The person must have a diagnosis of six months or less to live. From there, the patient can get a lethal dose of prescription drugs to end his or her life.

“The law should not force upon a person a punishing death, when death is imminent,” Cheh says. “It’s coersive for the government, to among all the choices you have on death’s door … to deny this peaceful exit to people who are competent to choose it.”

But opponents say it would put the disabled and elderly at risk of abuse. Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. Department of Health, says a physician’s oath is to do no harm.

“The main opponent of this bill, for me, is misunderstanding,” Cheh says. “The death with dignity legislation catapults the District into uncharted territories that we are not yet prepared to navigate.”

The bill requires the patient to self-medicate. D.C. resident Susan Farris, who has stage 4 breast cancer, told the council, “I am not suicidal.�� I do not want to die.”

“Cancer is not a good death,” Farris says. “The promise of aid in dying in Washington, D.C. offers me comfort in this horrible situation.”

Friday’s hearing is just an initial step before the Council leaves for vacation. They will debate the bill in the fall.

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Some homeowners are receiving a ��in the mail that appears to be from a state or local government agency.����It leads homeowners to believe they may be��paying more in property taxes than others in comparable homes.�� It promises to review their property tax assessment for $99. But don’t be fooled.

County leaders say it’s free to petition for a.���� Anyone who fell for the scam should file a complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection.���� The deceptive letter has been reported to the U.S. Postal Service.

For more information, call 240-777-3636 or visit��.

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Images of Martese Johnson’s bloodied face went viral as he was��was slammed to the ground after pulling away from one of the officers who grabbed his elbow. The 20-year-old African-American honor student who was��arrested near a popular campus hangout was charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice.

In a crowded courtroom��filled with supporters,��Johnson made his first court appearance on Thursday.��The case was continued until May 28, 2015. ��But��Johnson’s attorney says Johnson��wasn’t drunk��and that the officers�� for the arrest.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe ordered the investigation along with changes in training for ABC agents who have��had.

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While we’re thinking about the women in our lives, the campaign aims to show the best gift we can give may just be a chance to focus on themselves.�� “There are lots of research that shows that��women don’t make their own health a priority.�� That they worry about the things going on with their loved ones”, says Nancy C. Lee M.D., Director of the Office on Women’s Health (OWH) in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

She says women often put off annual well woman check–ups and other important preventative measures.

“Women are the primary caregivers for their families, their spouses, their children, their in-laws, and often, their own mothers.�� The idea of National Women’s Health Week is to get women to take simple steps to avoid not putting their own needs on the back burner. ��A good way to start,��says Lee, ��“Pick one thing you can do to help your health��and do it that day.�� The next day do another one.”��She adds, “Don’t do it all yourself.�� Get the people in your life to help in managing that.”

On a website devoted to the campaign, , there are fact sheets that women can use to help navigate what they need to do at different stages in their lives.�� “Different things are important at different decades,” says Lee. �� And she says it’s not just about physical health, “We also want women to pay attention to their mental health, managing the stress in their lives and getting enough sleep.”

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Led by volunteers and park rangers dressed in period costumes, visitors on this unique tour will hear tales of what life was like for families who lived and worked the canal.

“We give a history��of the park, talk about life on the canal and give people a better understanding of how the whole operation works”, says Park Ranger Rebecca Jamison.�� And they spare no detail.

“Part of the trip here at Great Falls is going through a lift lock which raises the boat about eight feet and they operate it just using water power and the force of gravity to fill the lock, raise the canal boat and continue onto the next level of the canal,” says Jamison, adding it’s still pulled by mules.

“There’s no motor on board.�� So you’re getting the experience exactly as it would’ve been during the time the canal was in operation,” she says.

It took 22 years to construct the C & O Canal which hauled coal, lumber and other goods from 1850 until 1924.����Today, the entire 184.5 mile long towpath is open to visitors.����“We’re kind of like a hidden treasure, a lot of people don’t know about the canal or the fact��that the boat runs.�� Sometimes they think it’s just a large prop we have on site”, says Jamison.

The one-hour��tours operate several times a day on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. For weekday school group reservations, call 301-714-2213 or e-mail cocanaleducation@nps.gov.

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Animals lovers in��Prince William County��have been learning the art of CPR and other lifesaving measures for pets. Through March, the county offered classes at some of its community centers.

“You have to prepare,” Melissa Korzuch, president of the Prince William County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in . “There’s no ambulance that will come by and pick up your pet. So, you are the first responder.”

The class uses life-like stuffed cats and dogs to��practice giving compressions. Also, participants learn to hold their hands over the animal’s snout while breathing into the pet’s lungs.

Learning the measures could very well be just enough to keep a pet alive long enough to get him to the vet, Korzuch said.

“What we tell people is that the number one problem when there’s an emergency with pets at home is that you panic. You don’t know what to do. This class will help you be prepared for when those things happen,” Korzuch said the release.

The county plans to offer the classes — based on American Red Cross CPR instruction — again in July��for a fee of $50, reports .

Watch a video about the classes:

h/t:

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The cherry blossoms are expected to be in peak bloom Saturday through Tuesday — just in time for the final weekend of the 2015 Cherry Blossom Festival.

But if you think you’re the only one with the idea to enjoy the blooms’ magnificence, you should know better. Despite the inevitable crowds, there are ways to enjoy the scenery sans the stress.

Below are some tips from the ,�� and .

• Don’t drive. Parking will be a nightmare.��Your best bet is taking the Metro.��The closest stop to the Tidal Basin is Smithsonian (Orange and Blue lines).�� If you are on the Yellow or Green lines, L’Enfant Plaza will get you close.
• Take a ride on a water taxi.��The water taxis are available from Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria.��You’ll need to make a reservation and tickets are selling out fast.��Visit the and for more information.
• Walk the entire route for the full impact of the blossoms in all their glory.��Stroll by the FDR and Jefferson Memorial along the way.��Plan to spend a few hours there.
• Pack a lunch.��There’s no better place for a picnic.
• If you hate the crowds, don’t limit yourself to the Tidal Basin.��The cherry blossoms are all over the D.C. area, including the��Washington Monument, West and East Potomac parks, the Kenwood neighborhood in Maryland, Stanton Park at Maryland Avenue in Northeast and Massachusetts Avenue Northeast.
• If you’re dead set on the Tidal Basin, try early morning sunrise or later at dusk —��a sight that’s sure to be breathtaking.��Or try waiting for a weekday.��But don’t wait too long as they’re expected to end their peak period by Tuesday, April 14.
• Whatever you do, do not touch the trees — not even a flower. It’s against the law.
• for iPhone or Android.

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Who hasn’t heard stories of couples who’ve been married for years, dying within minutes or days of one another?��It’s often speculated the grief-stricken remaining spouse died soon after of a broken heart, and there may be something to that.

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“Your emotional heart can have an important impact on your physical heart, both good and bad.��Relationships are extremely��important for our general health, but it has been shown that relationships are especially important for our heart health,” says Dr. Warren Levy, chief medical officer of Virginia Heart, the largest cardiology practice in the region.��

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He says married people have a significantly lower risk of heart attack and death than unmarried individuals.��

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But the quality of the relationship also matters.��People who are in happy relationships that are without conflict also can have up to a��25 or 30 percent reduced��risk of death or heart attacks compared to those who are in difficult relationships.����

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“Divorced individuals unfortunately have been shown to have a 50 or 60 percent��increased risk of developing heart disease and there’s a 25 increased risk of��death for men and 18 percent for women if they’re divorced, compared to their married friends,” says Levy.��

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He believes it all boils down to stress.��

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“We know stress has a significant impact��upon our health and stress has a significant impact on the development of heart disease, in part from inflammatory disease and increased blood pressure,” he explains. ��

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On the flip side, Levy��says healthy relationships have been shown to reduce stress.��

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“Intimacy, sexuality, a feeling of fulfillment and security all go into improving our health through reduced blood pressure, better sleep patterns, improved hormone secretion…as well as an improved immune response and a decreased inflammatory response which has a role in the development of heart disease,” Levy says.

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With ad lines like “baby you’re the best, let me feel your breast” and “make them grin, check their skin,”��the “Check Your Mate”��campaign from the Alexandria-based Prevent Cancer Foundation uses provocative photos and slogans��to get people in the mood to check their partners for any abnormalities.

“Let’s face it, the partner probably feels your body more than you feel your body and knows how it feels.�� Especially if��you’ve been together a long time.�� And so they will pick up if something is abnormal, probably before you will,” says Jan Bresch, COO and executive vice president.

Bresch says the campaign focuses on breast, skin and testicular cancers and is aimed at��millenials who can often feel invincible.

To learn more and see the ad campaign .

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Based on the book series, which has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, ticket pre-sales are surging in advances of the movie release, set for Valentine’s Day weekend.

The center’s executive director Dawn Hawkins says the movie’s plot is portrayed as a love story, but the film is really romanticizing domestic abuse.

“The whole premise for the book is this powerful, rich, handsome man can do anything he wants. He uses manipulation, coercion. He degrades this young, virginal college student,” Hawkins says. “While millions of women are fantasizing about the controlling and abusive Christian Grey, there are many other women dealing with the horrors of actually living with men like him.”

Hawkins says in the story, Gray portrays a handsome, wealthy, powerful man with a perfect exterior. But it is not a romantic, fairytale.

“The lie is that ’50 Shades of Gray’ is about a love affair. The truth is that it’s really about coercing a young woman for sadistic sex, glamorizing sexual violence.”

She likens Grey’s character to a sociopath.

“This is why sexual violence is on the rise in colleges, in the military, in families and on the streets. This is what happens when we teach women to be turned on by pain. And now with ’50 Shades of Gray,’ we’re teaching women to accept that and to give in to that,” Hawkins says.

The group is asking moviegoers who are thinking of spending their money to see the film to instead donate to a women’s shelter.

“Those are the places women like Anna end up in real life”, says Hawkins.

The National Center for Sexual Exploitation has created the website, , that details 50 problems the center has with the film’s message.

The site also features the #50DollarsNot50Shades campaign and urges patrons to support survivors of abuse and help educate the public on the realities of fifty shades-type relationships.

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