THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN NEWS 5A MARDI GRAS New Orleans takes break from rebuilding to celebrate BY MARY FOSTER ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW ORLEANS — Thousands of hurricane weary residents joined with rowdy visitors for Fat Tuesday, taking a break from rebuilding New Orleans to put on wild costumes and celebrate the second Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina. "I work all day at my job then I work all night and all week on my house. I just want to eat, drink and have fun today," Ferguson said. Chuck Turo, a Shriner's clown from Mobile, Ala., works the crowd on Royal Street between parades Tuesday during Fat Tuesday celebrations in downtown Mobile, Ala. Mardi Gras celebrations continue in New Orleans where residents are still rebuilding 18 months after Hurricane Katrina. John Ferguson, who is still rebuilding his house almost 18 months after the storm, said of the celebration: "We never needed it more." Many spectators spent the day along the parade routes or in the French Quarter, where the first Mardi Gras parade of the day was staged by the 1,250-member Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a predominantly black group that wears grass skirts and blackface makeup in parody of stereotypes from the early 1900s, when it was founded. "I'm hyped up," said Ike Williams, a 42-year-old Atlanta contractor who is black. He wore black makeup, a frizy black wig and a grass skirt as he marched in his first parade as a member of Zulu's Walking Warriors. "I couldn't sleep last night. This is the center of the universe right now." Mike Kittrell/Associated Press Earlier in the day, Mayor Ray Nagin rode a horse down St. Charles Avenue. "We're going to make it happen." Nagin told the crowd at Gallier Hall. which served as city hall for over a century. "We're going to rebuild this city regardless." Nagin urged tourists to spend money. "We need the tax revenue bad," he said. The crowds appeared larger than last year, when an estimated 700,000 people were in the city for the final weekend and Mardi Gras. The city's 30,000 hotel rooms were 95 percent occupied, according to Fred Sawyers, president of the Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association. Along some parade routes, crowds listened to Pete Fountain's Dixieland jazz as his Hall Fast Marching Club kicked off the day. It was the 46th time the Grammy-winning clarinetist had made the march from Commander's Palace restaurant in the uptown section to the Mississippi River. "This is like old times," said Fountain, 76, who lost his house along with his gold records and collection of instruments in the hurricane. "New Orleans will always get ready for a party." Corinne Branigan, 40, wore a brown T-shirt with the slogan, "New Orleans. Established 1718, Re-established 8-29-05," referring to the date Katrina struck the city. "This is everything that's great about New Orleans rolled into three days," Branigan said. "Food, music — we've got the best marching bands in the country. It's like a big neighborhood. Everything else is forgotten for the time being." In the French Quarter, the cel. ebration was more raucous as revelers swapped flashes of flesh for beads tossed from balconies. Costumes ranged from the glamorous to the satirical. Judy Weaver, 49, and R.M. Elfer, 50, wore nuns' habits with camouflage capes as the Angry Little Sisters of the Apocalypse. They carried rulers bearing the slogan "weapons of mass instruction," and what they called novena bombs — originally, "We are cleaning up crime in the city." Weaver said. toilet floats — and rapid-fire roars. WALL STREET Dow hits another record high BY MADLEN READ ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Wall Street managed a moderate advance in an uneven session Tuesday after a drop in oil prices and encouraging comments from a Federal Reserve official allowed investors to shrug off disappointment over Home Depot Inc's declining sales. The Dow Jones industrials set another closing high. Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, said sales at stores open more than a year dropped in the fourth quarter, suggesting that consumers appetite for home improvement goods is still dwindling due to the sluggish housing market. The company's results sent the market down in early trading. But comments from outgoing Fed Governor Susan Bies, who said slumping demand for housing may have bottomed out, alleviated some concerns about the downturn dragging down the rest of the economy. Her remarks echoed those of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who last week predicted the economy will keep growing at a modest pace. "The overall trend of the market is basically positive," Brian Gendreau, investment strategist for ING Investment Management, said pointing to Bernanke's recent forecast of moderating growth and cooling inflation. "That's a great environment for equities. Unless you have some specifically nasty news, there's no reason why the trend shouldn't be upward." Falling oil prices, which tumbled $1.32 to $58.07 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on forecasts of warmer weather, also lent some support to stocks, as did a proposed merger between XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. The Dow rose 19.07, or 0.15 percent, to 12,786.64, after falling more than 60 points earlier. Tuesday's climb brought the index to its 31st record close since early October, and its biggest five-day rally since mid-November. The Dow also reached a new trading high of 12,795.93. Markets were closed Monday for Presidents Day. Broader stock indicators also turned higher. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 4.14, or 0.28 percent, to 1,459.68, and the Nasdaq composite index climbed 16.73, or 0.67 percent, to 2,513.04. Bond prices rose slightly, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note at 4.68 percent, down from 4.69 percent late Friday. Bies comments helped support Treasury notes, which in turn added some fuel to the stock market's advance. The dollar rose against most other major currencies, while gold prices fell. The decline in crude prices gave some investors reason to buy back into the market, as lower fuel costs curb consumer prices — which could help boost discretionary spending, and reduce the chance of an interest rate hike. Kim Caughey, equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh, noted that a drop in energy prices often pushes up stocks, but that the link between the two markets has become tenuous. A decrease in energy prices typically pushes down oil company stocks. On Tuesday, ConocoPhillips fell 57 cents to $65.58; Chevron Corp. fell 69 cents to $70.12; and Exxon Mobil Corp. fell 42 cents to $74.87. Home Depot's weaker-than-anticipated sales also kept some pressure on stocks. Home Depot fell 10 cents to $41.34 after reporting same-store sales that disappointed analysts. "We're always fascinated with the consumer, so we're taking their temperature constantly", Caughey said. CRIME Sex offenders flocking to Wyoming BY KATHLEEN MILLER ASSOCIATED PRESS CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming, with its wide open spaces and crisp, clear vistas, is starting to worry it has made itself too attractive in one respect: Convicted sex offenders from out of state are moving in, apparently because the laws are less restrictive. "We don't want to become the playground for sex offenders," Attorney General Pat Crank said. "But there must be something that sex offenders are seeing. Otherwise they wouldn't be moving here in the kind of numbers that we seem to be seen." Wyoming is home to about 1,200 known sex offenders. That is not a large number for such a sparsely populated state. But law enforcement officials and legislators are worried because 56 percent of those offenders moved to Wyoming after being convicted somewhere else. Afraid that the word is out among ex-convicts that Wyoming has some of the nation's loosest restrictions on sex offenders, state legislators are rushing to tighten the laws, and they are meeting little resistance. no place for them to hide," vowed Rep. Ed Buchanan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "We're going to make it so there's While other states often prohibit sex offenders from living near schools, daycare centers or other places with children. Wyoming has no such laws. "They can live right next to a school if they want to. They can live in a home with children if they want to." Laramie County sheriff's Sgt. Linda Gesell said. Also, unlike many other states, Wyoming does not require people convicted of indecent exposure or sexual battery to register as sex offenders. In addition, ex-convicts who are deemed low- and medium-risk offenders are not listed on the state's publicly accessible Web site. Gary Smith, a 29-year-old cook in Cheyenne, left Wyoming for Oklahoma after serving about four years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. A few months later, a neighbor posted fliers in Smith's trailer park showing his criminal record, which had been taken from an Oklahoma Web site on registered sex offenders. Smith and his wife quickly headed back to Wyoming. Although he is a registered sex offender here, he is not listed on public databases because authorities do not consider him at high risk of committing another crime. Smith is glad the state does not call attention to his conviction. "If they ain't supposed to publish stuff about you, they don't do it," he said. Wyoming also lacks a standardized system for accepting convictions from other states. That means authorities must obtain court papers on each sex offender before determining the corresponding Wyoming crime and deciding whether that person must register. That can cause long delays, because only one person is in charge of such efforts. "It becomes daunting," that person, Bob Brackett, program manager for the Wyoming sex offender registry, said. Brackett recalled getting a call recently from a Florida sex offender who wanted to discuss the state's laws. The man eventually moved to Wyoming. "A short time later, he called our office to ask a question, indicated that it was much easier to live here, and that he was going to call a buddy of his," another Florida sex offender, to urge him to move to Wyoming, Brackett said. KU MEMORIAL UNIONS The Univer Contributing to Student Success Appetizers - Angus Beer Burgers - Gourmet Soups - Salads - Sandwiches Full Entrees - Steak, Chicken and Fish - Desserts FULL MENU AVAILABLE AT kudining.com KU Dining Services | kudining.com We accept Beak Em Bucks. Departmental invoicing is also available for faculty and staff. 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