Here is a news article: Amazon has begun to pull some hoverboards from sale after fears about fires caused by the self-balancing scooters.

 A number of hoverboards that had been sold on Amazon have now disappeared, including all five models once reviewed by consumer affairs site BestReviews. That site now warns would-be buyers that “for the time being, we are not recommending any hoverboards until they are proven to be safe”.

 According to one hoverboard seller, Swagway, the online retailer has required manufacturers to provide documents proving that their vehicles “are compliant with applicable safety standards”, with particular focus on the battery and chargers for the units.

 Like last Christmas’ must-have electronic gift, selfie sticks, most hoverboards are manufactured in bulk in China before being purchased in bulk by resellers who apply cosmetic retouching and branding. Unlike selfie sticks, however, hoverboards contain large batteries, which can be a serious hazard if they misfire.

 Last week, a hoverboard exploded in a shopping mall in Washington state, sending shoppers into panic. Although no one was harmed, the explosion made headlines worldwide.

 In early December, Britain’s trading standards authority warned buyers to beware, and revealed that 88% of the hoverboards imported from outside the EU, that it had tested, had failed basic safety checks.

 At the time, Leon Livermore, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “Criminals and irresponsible manufacturers will often exploit high demand and attempt to flood the market with cheap and dangerous products. Some products that are made abroad, principally for the overseas market, are not fitted with the correct plug and fuse for use in the UK. As a minimum, consumers should check that the three-pin plug on the device states it is made to BS1363. If it doesn’t include this information, then don’t buy the product.”

 Buyers should also make sure they understand the legality of using a hoverboard, which cannot legally be ridden on the pavement or roadway in the UK.

 Despite the name, hoverboards actually roll across the ground on wheels. ||||| Because of the recent controversy regarding hoverboards catching on fire, our top priority was to get to the bottom of the safety issue.

 The few hoverboards that have caught on fire were knockoffs whose battery packs did not pass inspect UL certification (UL is a global independent testing laboratory that tests consumer products for safety). As a result, many carriers including Amazon, banned all models from their shelves until the manufacturers could prove that they went through the proper UL inspection procedures.

 It's important to note that UL does not certify entire products like hoverboards. They certify individual components - like chargers and battery packs - so even those hoverboards which have UL-listed parts are not fully certified as a unit by UL. But because the battery pack and charger are by far the likeliest culprits for a potential fire, it is safe to assume that those products with a UL stickers on them have been deemed safe. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video

 INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Dec. 11, 2015) – One of the hottest items on holiday toy lists are electric hoverboards. They’re so hot, some are bursting into flames.

 “[We are] investigating at least 10 reports of hoverboard fires in nine states,” said Patty Davis at the Consume Products Safety Commission. Those states are Ohio, Louisiana, Alabama, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Washington. No hoverboard fires have been reported in Indiana.

 The Commission opened an investigation and they say they’re taking it very seriously.

 “This is a high priority investigation by this agency,” said Davis. “We know how popular the product is and we know that consumers are giving the product as a gift during the holidays."

 Friday, a handful of major airlines announced that these hoverboards are on the no-fly list.

 Delta cited their own investigation into product specifications, stating, “This investigation revealed devices often contain battery varieties above the government mandated 160 watt hour limit permitted aboard aircraft.”

 The Commission says its investigation is even broader.

 “CPSC is looking into the safety of the entire product line of hoverboards,” said Davis. “We are working all across the country to move our investigation forward as quickly as possible.

 Another dangerous factor of concern: some hoverboards are being sold are fakes, many times with appealing lower prices.

 “Buy hoverboards from a reputable company where you get a warranty, you don’t want to buy it from a mall kiosk and make sure that it has a certification from a national testing laboratory,” said Davis.

 General safety is a concern for many families considering hoverboards. The Commission cites 29 fall-related injuries, including fractures, sprains, strains and abrasions. ||||| eBay continues to promote hoverboards as sites like Amazon and Overstock.com crack down on the products which are making headlines due to safety concerns. Amazon also has concerns about patent liability, spelling double trouble for merchants who stocked up on the popular products that could now be unsellable on certain marketplaces.

 Amazon sellers noted on December 1st that a fellow merchant was featured in a news report about a hoverboard that caught fire and destroyed a home. WGNO reported on the incident and wrote, "A shipping order provided by the family shows that the hoverboard came from a company called "Fit Turbo" and was ordered on Amazon.com."

 Overstock.com issued a press release on December 9th revealing it was discontinuing the sale of "Hover board self-balancing electric scooters" citing concern for customer safety - it also contacted customers who purchased the items, offering to accept them back for a full refund.

 Sellers say Amazon put restrictions on the accounts of merchants selling hoverboards on December 11th, requiring them to provide it with certain documentation while it holds their accounts in review. And BestReviews noted on December 12th that the five models of hoverboards it had reviewed were no longer available on Amazon's site.

 eBay has not issued a statement regarding hoverboards. eBay CEO Devin Wenig told Wall Street analysts in November that hoverboards were a hot-selling item, and as Fortune noted, eBay reported having sold nearly 7,500 hoverboards on Cyber Monday - one every 12 seconds.

 A search on eBay for "hoverboard" on Sunday evening returned 8,280 listings, while a search on Amazon brought back 49 results.

 EcommerceBytes obtained a copy of the email Amazon sent merchants:

 We are contacting you because you list "hoverboards" (battery powered, self-balancing scooters) on Amazon.com. Amazon approval is now required to sell these products.

 What do I need to do?

 Your hoverboard listings have been removed. If you would like to resume selling hoverboards on Amazon.com, please do the following:

 1) Provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger).

 2) Provide written confirmation that you will indemnify and defend Amazon against any claims of patent infringement, and the contact information of the lawyer that will defend you against any related claims. It has come to our attention that these products are the subject of potential patent litigation by Razor USA LLC in connection with U.S. Patent No. 8,738,278. The terms of your seller agreement require you to indemnify Amazon for any patent infringement claims involving your listings.

 All information should be sent to hoverboard-listing@amazon.com. Please include your seller name, your seller ID number, and a list of ASINs you would like to offer. The safety information you provide should clearly relate to the ASINs you would like to offer.

 You will not be permitted to sell hoverboards on Amazon.com unless you provide this information.

 Where can I get more information?

 For more information about Razor’s patent claim, please contact Razor’s counsel:

 Mr. John Cochrane

 Razor USA LLC

 General Counsel, Razor USA LLC

 It appears Amazon may be just as concerned about patent litigation as it is with consumer-safety lawsuits, citing Razor's litigation (read more about that in this USA Today article).

 Comment on the EcommerceBytes Blog. ||||| After a series of hoverboard-related fires grabbed headlines, it looks like Amazon is taking action. According to Swagway, a major seller of hoverboards, Amazon has started questioning makers about their safety standards — and appears to be removing some boards from its store.

 A spokesperson for Swagway provided this statement to The Verge:

 Amazon just sent out a notice to all "hoverboard" sellers to "provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger)." Swagway already meets all those certifications and is happy that Amazon has decided to take steps to weed out the low quality boards. As safety is always on the forefront for Swagway, we're glad that this is taking place, especially in light of recent concerns with the fires with the poor quality batteries. On that note, we're also in the process of working on measures, to help consumers identify between an authenic Swagway and the many imitation boards that are adding our branded logo to their unauthorized boards. Meanwhile, we ask that consumers only purchase from authorized retailers as an added precaution.

 As first noted by Best Reviews, links to some hoverboards have apparently disappeared, including listings for Swagway boards and those of other companies like the popular Phunkeeduck. Models from Razor and Jetson appear to still be available, as well as some cheaper models, but it's currently unclear why that's the case.

 There have been at least 10 reports of hoverboard fires in nine states in recent weeks, and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is actively investigating the situation. The issue has escalated so quickly that major airlines have announced they will ban the boards from flights. Prior to Amazon's move, Overstock.com announced this week that it would stop selling the boards amid safety concerns.

 Amazon has not yet responded to request for comment.

 The future of rideables ||||| Anyone looking to buy a two-wheeled personal transportation device known as a “hoverboard” for a Christmas gift is about to find it a lot harder—Amazon has suspended sales of most devices on its websites in the US and the UK.

 Following a rash of explosions and house fires connected to hoverboards, Amazon has asked all hoverboard manufacturers to provide documentation they are following all applicable safety standards, as first reported by gadget site BestReviews, and later confirmed by the Verge.

 Hoverboard’s sudden surge in popularity came in the midst of a patent war, opening the door to dozens of importers who are purchasing shoddy products from manufactures in China, as Quartz has recently reported.

 A look at Amazon’s US and UK websites confirms there’s been a swift cleanup.

 Last week, searching “hoverboard” on Amazon in the US yielded hundreds of listings for vehicles:

 Now, Amazon’s US website only lists hoverboards made by Razor or Jetson—all other listings are for accessories. Razor recently purchased the US patents for a self-balancing, handle-free scooter from engineer Shane Chen and investor Mark Cuban.

 Amazon’s UK site has undergone a similar cleanup—the only hoverboard now available is from a company called Smartrax. The safety concerns don’t seem to have extended to Amazon’s India site, though, where dozens of brands are still available:

 Amazon has told its US hoverboard sellers that they must prove their products have passed certain tests from UL, a private company that tests chargers and batteries (among other things) for safety in the US. Swagway, one of the better-known importers, provided the following statement to the Verge:

 Amazon just sent out a notice to all “hoverboard” sellers to “provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger).” Swagway already meets all those certifications and is happy that Amazon has decided to take steps to weed out the low quality boards. As safety is always on the forefront for Swagway, we’re glad that this is taking place, especially in light of recent concerns with the fires with the poor quality batteries. On that note, we’re also in the process of working on measures, to help consumers identify between an authentic Swagway and the many imitation boards that are adding our branded logo to their unauthorized boards. Meanwhile, we ask that consumers only purchase from authorized retailers as an added precaution.

 Swagway claims its boards have been UL certified, but a Swagway board caught fire in Westchester, New York. The company did not respond to Quartz’s earlier requests for comment after the incident.

 A representative for UL told Quartz earlier this month that no hoverboard brand had ever passed its tests.

 Amazon isn’t the only major retailer to stop stocking the faddish product. Walmart stopped selling hoverboards in its brick-and-mortar outlets earlier this month, although it does sell Razor products online. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Consumers planning on scouring Amazon to find a hoverboard to place under the Christmas tree may have to look elsewhere. Joining fellow online retailer Overstock.com, Amazon has decided to halt sales of most of the two-wheeled products on its US and UK sites in the wake of recent reports of explosions and fires. Although hoverboards from Razor and Jetson remain on the site, as do hoverboard accessories, Amazon says it won't put any other manufacturers' hoverboards back on until makers can prove their units meet appropriate safety requirements set by the private company UL, notes Quartz. The BestReviews.com site, which recently reviewed five models (none of which are available any longer on Amazon), said in response to the Amazon move that "we are not recommending any hoverboards until they are proven to be safe." So far, at least 10 hoverboard fires have been reported in nine states, per Fox59, and the Guardian reports that 88% of the non-EU hoverboards tested by the UK's trading standards authority didn't pass basic safety requirements. The Verge notes that the problem has become so worrisome that some airlines are now banning hoverboards from their flights. "Criminals and irresponsible manufacturers will often exploit high demand and attempt to flood the market with cheap and dangerous products," the CEO of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute tells the Guardian. One company that may end up profiting from the other sites' reluctance to carry hoverboards: eBay, which EcommerceBytes.com notes still had plenty of listings for the product as of Sunday night. (This guy's hoverboard didn't catch fire as he allegedly shoplifted.)


Write a summary based on this article:

By Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

 With the first debate less than two weeks away, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are in a tight race for the presidency nationally. Clinton has just a 2-point edge in a two-way match-up among likely voters. The race is tied when third party candidates are included. Among the broader electorate of registered voters, Clinton leads Trump by five points.

 One disadvantage for Clinton is diminished voter enthusiasm. Democrats are less enthusiastic about voting now than they were in August.

 More than four in 10 voters think each presidential candidate should release more of their medical records. This poll was conducted before either candidate’s recent release of medical information.

 With Election Day just under eight weeks away, the race for President nationwide is tight. In a two-way match-up, Clinton has a slim edge over Trump, 46 - 44 percent among likely voters who support or lean toward a candidate.

 This is the first national poll in which CBS News and the New York Times have measured the presidential race among likely voters. The measure for likely voters takes into account voters’ reported intent to vote, enthusiasm about voting and other factors that historically affect an individual’s decision to vote.

 Among the broader electorate – registered voters nationwide – Clinton leads Trump by five points, 46 percent to 41 percent.

 When third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are factored in, the race is tied, with Trump and Clinton each getting the backing of 42 percent of likely voters. While Clinton and Trump retain most of their support when Johnson and Stein are included, slightly more of Clinton’s supporters move to Johnson or Stein, compared to Trump’s supporters.

 Among registered voters, Clinton has a slight edge over Trump in a four-way contest.

 Most Clinton and Trump voters say they’re sticking with their candidate. Ninety-two percent of Trump voters and 94 percent of Clinton voters say their choice is set. Few say they will change their minds before the election.

 Enthusiasm and Strength of Support

 Thirty-six percent of registered voters overall now say they are very enthusiastic about voting, the same as a month ago. But one disadvantage for Clinton is that enthusiasm among Republican voters has remained steady, while enthusiasm among Democrats has dropped. Among Democratic voters, the percentage that is at least somewhat enthusiastic has dropped from 77 percent in August to 64 percent today, while the percentage of Democrats who are very enthusiastic has dropped nine points – from 47 percent to 38 percent.

 More specifically, Trump supporters are more excited about voting than Clinton’s supporters are. Forty-five percent of Trump voters say they are very enthusiastic about voting, compared to 36 percent of Clinton backers who feel that way.

 Just over half of each candidate’s voters say they strongly support their candidate, but for many, support is not so strong - including a quarter who are voting for their candidate because they dislike the other choice.

 Who’s Supporting Whom?

 Trump now garners support from just under nine in ten Republican voters, as does Clinton among Democrats.

 A look at the candidates’ demographic support also illustrates why the race is close. A gender gap remains: Trump has a double-digit lead over Clinton among men, while Clinton is ahead by a similar margin among women. Trump continues to struggle with African American voters but has an advantage over Clinton among whites.

 Whites without a college degree are strong supporters of Trump (58 percent back him), while Clinton leads Trump among white voters with a college degree.

 Clinton is ahead of Trump among voters under 30 but she is not getting the level of support Barack Obama received in 2012. 48 percent of young voters are currently backing her, while Obama won 60 percent of the young vote in 2012. Only 29 percent of young voters are supporting Trump, but 21 percent say they’ll vote for someone else or won’t vote.

 The Candidates’ Medical Records

 After Clinton’s bout of illness at the 9/11 ceremony and the announcement of her pneumonia diagnosis, more than four in 10 voters think each presidential candidate should release more of their medical records. About as many think the candidates have released enough information about their health already. The poll was conducted before either candidate’s recent release of medical records.

 Over half of Republicans think Clinton should release more medical records concerning her health, but 52 percent think their nominee has released enough information already. Among Democrats, most (53 percent) say Clinton has released enough health information already, but want Trump to release more of his records.

 This poll was conducted by telephone September 9-13, 2016 among a random sample of 1,753 adults nationwide, including 1,433 registered voters. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News and The New York Times by SSRS of Media, PA. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones.

 The poll employed a random digit dial methodology. For the landline sample, a respondent was randomly selected from all adults in the household. For the cell sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone.

 Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish using live interviewers.

 The data have been weighted to reflect U.S. Census figures on demographic variables.

 The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample and the sample of registered voters could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher and is available by request. The margin of error includes the effects of standard weighting procedures which enlarge sampling error slightly.

 The sample of likely voters is modeled among registered voters (N=1,433), assigning each respondent a probability of voting based on their responses. The margin of error for the sample of likely voters is plus or minus three points.

 This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

  ||||| The IT History Society (ITHS) is a world-wide group of over 500 members working together to assist in and promote the documentation, preservation, cataloging, and researching of Information Technology (IT) history. We offer a place where individuals, academicians, corporate archivists, curators of public institutions, and hobbyists alike can gather and share information and resources. This catalog of resource sites concerning IT history is the only one of its kind and is a valuable resource for IT historians and archivists alike. ||||| The Republican nominee may not be winning yet, but a series of polls show that he has drawn very close nationally and in key swing states.

 Do you smell that in the air? No, it’s not the first breezes of fall. It’s the aroma of Democratic panic. The latest trigger is a poll that CNN released late Wednesday afternoon. The poll shows Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton 46-41 in Ohio, with Gary Johnson taking 8 percent, and Trump winning 47-44 in Florida, with Gary Johnson at 6 percent. Both figures are based on screening for likely voters, not just registered voters. A national CNN poll last week showed Trump winning by a point 49-48. “This shouldn’t be close, but it’s close,” President Obama said at a fundraiser Tuesday night. CNN’s poll of those two crucial battleground states is the latest in a series of polls that have shown good news for Trump. The gap between the two candidates has shrunk to one of its smallest points so far. Not since Trump’s post-Republican National Convention bump has the GOP nominee seemed to be in such a strong position. Certainly, mid-September has been decisive in presidential elections before. John McCain had built a lead over Barack Obama before the economy collapsed on September 15, 2008; McCain never recovered.

 Of course, Trump also had farther to go to close that gap: With the exception of that bump, Trump has trailed in the race all along, and what’s changing here is momentum. Polling averages still show Clinton leading, and the forecasts from both FiveThirtyEight (64 percent change of Clinton win) and The Upshot (78 percent chance of Clinton win) show her with the edge. But those numbers have shrunk, and if the current trend continued, she could easily lose. As a Citibank analyst noted, in a comment that seems like it ought to be unnecessary but is not, “35% probability events happen frequently in real life.” It’s that sort of idea that has some liberals flipping out. After all, this was supposed to be an easy contest! How can it be that a candidate who has lied repeatedly and blatantly, insulted minority groups, not bothered to learn anything about policy, and proposed banning Muslims from the country be even close to winning? Just a few months ago, even straight reporters were speculating that the race might be over, and that Trump had practically no way to win. Now, it looks like a nailbiter. Or maybe all of this is wishful thinking from Trump fans and a classic example of what Obama adviser David Plouffe described as bedwetting, the tendency among Democrats to freak out and panic at the slightest sign of trouble. But privately, many Republicans who are horrified by Trump but have taken solace in the expectation that he would lose by a wide margin are starting to freak out too. ||||| In the four-way ballot test, which followed the head-to-head matchup in the list of questions read to likely voters, Hillary Clinton received 41 percent to Donald Trump's 39 percent. | Getty National poll: Clinton leads Trump by 5

 Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by five points in a head-to-head matchup in the latest national poll of likely voters from Quinnipiac University out Wednesday, with the advantage narrowing to just two points in a four-way race.

 Matched against only Trump, 48 percent said they would vote for Clinton, with 43 percent choosing the Republican nominee, 3 percent picking someone else and 6 percent undecided. Clinton led by a larger margin in the previous Quinnipiac survey conducted in August, 51 percent to 41 percent.

 Story Continued Below

 Regardless of whom they are supporting, majorities voters likely to cast their ballot for Clinton or Trump said their main reason for supporting their candidate was more in opposition of the other option than liking their choice. More than half—54 percent of Clinton supporters said opposing Trump was their main reason for backing the Democratic nominee. Approximately two-thirds of likely Trump voters—66 percent—said their main reason for supporting him is because they opposed Clinton.

 The latest results come as other state and national polls show similarly tightening margins between both major candidates, who have traded words in recent days over concerns about transparency and health. The Quinnipiac poll began last Thursday, a day after the Commander in Chief Forum, and remained active in the field until Tuesday, after days of public attention on Clinton's health following her early departure from a 9/11 memorial on Sunday and subsequent revelation that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia last Friday.

 Asked whether they thought the election would be close or one of the candidates would win in a landslide, 69 percent chose the former and 22 percent the latter.

 Republicans and Trump supporters were more likely to say the election will be close, while more Democrats and Clinton supporters said their candidate would prevail with ease.

 Regardless of the candidate they are supporting, nearly six in 10 likely voters—58 percent—said Clinton would win in November, while 31 percent said Trump would be elected.

 The usual racial, educational and gender gaps persist in the latest poll, with Clinton holding the support of 54 percent of women in the head-to-head matchup compared to 36 percent for Trump, who received the support of 50 percent of men to Clinton’s 41 percent. Among white voters, Trump leads 51 percent to 41 percent, while among non-whites, Clinton has a 47-point edge of 66 percent to 19 percent.

 Among whites holding college degrees, Clinton leads 50 percent to 44 percent, while Trump leads among whites without degrees, 59 percent to 33 percent.

 In the four-way ballot test, which followed the head-to-head matchup in the list of questions read to likely voters, Clinton received 41 percent to Trump's 39 percent. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson received 13 percent, while the Green Party's Jill Stein took 4 percent, with 3 percent undecided among those choices.

 In order to reach the primetime presidential debates, the first of which is scheduled for Sept. 26, third-party candidates must receive an average of 15 percent support in five national polls; however, the Quinnipiac survey is not one of them.

 A separate question in the survey showed some support for Johnson’s inclusion in the debates, with 57 percent saying he should be included and 37 percent saying he should not. Support for Johnson’s inclusion was highest among independents (66 percent to 30 percent) and higher among Clinton supporters (60 percent to 33 percent) than Trump backers (50 percent to 46 percent).

 The poll was conducted Sept. 8-13, surveying 960 likely voters nationwide via landlines and cellphones. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. |||||

– The race for the White House does indeed appear to be tightening. A new CBS/New York Times national poll shows Hillary Clinton with just a 2-point lead over Donald Trump among likely voters, 46% to 44% in a two-candidate race, with a 3-point margin of error. With Gary Johnson and Jill Stein in the mix, Clinton and Trump are neck-and-neck at 42% each. Among all registered voters, Clinton fares better. She has a 5-point lead over Trump, 46% to 41%, in a two-candidate race, and a 2-point lead, 41% to 39%, with Johnson and Stein included. But her lead is still diminshed, and her recent bout with pneumonia may have played a role. Just 38% of Democrats said they were excited about voting in the poll of 1,753 from Friday to Tuesday, down from 47% in August. That's compared to 64% of Republicans, down from 77%, though nearly all Trump and Clinton supporters said their minds were made up. "Not since Trump's post-Republican National Convention bump has the GOP nominee seemed to be in such a strong position," though he's "still the underdog," writes David A. Graham at the Atlantic. A Quinnipiac University national poll of 960 likely voters shows Clinton with a 5-point lead over Trump in a head-to-head battle, and a 2-point lead in a four-candidate race with a 3-point margin of error, per Politico.


Summarize this article:

As the unexpectedly heated race for Anthony Weiner’s old seat draws to a close, POLITICO has obtained a 25-year old child custody ruling that paints Democratic candidate David Weprin in a searingly negative light.

 The November, 1986 document, provided by a source who asked not to be identified in any way, comes from a sealed case file in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. It is an interim ruling in a case that was, later, resolved in Weprin's favor, with the main judge handling the case later casting serious doubt on allegations made by the politician's ex-wife.

 But in the ruling on Weprin’s suit for expanded custody, Justice Bruce Wright described Weprin as “heedless” of the welfare of his son, who was not yet two, and behaving in a manner that “shocks the conscience.” The judge also describes him “extremely temperamental with a short fuse” – a description backed by his “almost impossible to control” in the court-room. And the ruling describes Weprin’s behavior both as careless – he allegedly left the child with a doorman – and “obsessive”: Weprin allegedly “rushed into the toilet with the child and refused to allow [his ex-wife Roselyn] in or to come out, and [the ex-wife] was compelled to call the police before [Weprin] would exit, although the bathroom was said to be cold.”

 Weprin’s ex-wife, according to the ruling, at one point recorded a conversation with Weprin’s sister-in-law.

 “The sad thing is that David is fighting you instead of thinking of the baby’s welfare,” she said, describing Weprin as “like a little child ho cannot deal with certain situations.”

 Whether voters will, or should, consider such judgments in the context of an incredibly acrimonious divorce – Justice Wright described relations as “warlike” – is an open question, and the outcome of the litigation casts doubts on Wright's ruling.

 "Accessing court records about a child, possibly illegally, is the ultimate in dirty politics and shows how desperate Republican Bob Turner and his Tea Party allies are to distract from his plan to protect corporate tax loopholes while slashing Medicare and Social Security. Republican Bob Turner must order his staff and allies to stop engaging in these dirty tricks immediately. Voters deserve better," Weprin spokeswoman Elizabeth Kerr said in an emailed statement.

 POLITICO was separately given access to a 1989 ruling by Judge Burton Sherman, the main jurist handling the case. In it, he ruled Weprin's ex-wife had a tendency to "feign and exaggerate" complaints, and that her own attempts to deny her ex-husband custody were "obsessive." A doctor had found, he wrote, that her complaints of paternal abuse had "no basis in reality." Sherman granted Weprin full custody of his son; a source close to the family said the matter later moved to a New Jersey jurisdiction, and the parents agreed to share custody.

 New York readers will also note that the nine-page decision, which begins by quoting from “The Unquiet Grave” and concludes with Dickens, is not exactly an ordinary matrimonial ruling. Justice Wright was a famous and infamous Manhattan Judge – he was a hero to the defense bar and his Harlem base, and loathed by police, prosecutors, and tabloid editorialists, who called him “Turn ‘Em Loose Bruce” for the low bail he set for largely poor, black defendants. His memoir was called, “Black Robes, White Justice.” His son, Keith, now sits with Weprin in the New York State Assembly.

 Wright was also known as an intellectual and a courtroom character, and those qualities come through clearly in the Weprin ruling.

 Weprin’s suit for expanded custody rights was, Wright wrote, a “rather useless proceeding more out of detestation for his ex-wife than love and genuin[e] concern for the best interests, emotional and physical welfare of his son.”

 And he chided both parents.

 “Both parties have exhibited the arrogance of sovereignty in asserting their claims to their child, as though the little boy is a thing at auction presided over by the court,” he wrote.

 Wright ruled against Weprin, and added a specific instruction that he not wake the child up or end his feeding prematurely to take his time with his son -- though the case would be resolved, three years later, in the opposite direction.

 UPDATE (9/14): Decisions like this are typically sealed. But this one may have been available in the courthouse: A curious source tell me she visited the courthouse to check, and was given the file upon request. ||||| Today, the nation gathers together in memorium of the countless Americans from all walks of life who lost and gave their lives on — and after — 9/11. In anticipation of this somber day, the New York GOP sent out “a kitchen-sink mailer in the hotly-contested Queens congressional special election depicting a mosque superimposed over the scarred Ground Zero site on one side, and Democrat David Weprin alongside President Barack Obama on the other.”

 The incendiary flierwas sent out on behalf of Republican businessman Bob Turner who is seeking to take former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D) seat. As seen below, the front of the flier features a gold-domed mosque rising out of the ruins of the World Trade Center site with a quote from Weprin stating “I support the right of the mosque to build.” The other side places Weprin next to Obama and reads “Weprin stands with Obama — and they stand together in support of the mosque at Ground Zero”:

 Registered voters in New York congressional district 9 received the mailer “in the past week, landing in the days leading up to the 10th anniversary” of the attacks. It was intended as a “chaser” piece to Turner’s TV ad that blasts Weprin for his support of Park51. Calling it “a purposeful and confrontational act of provocation,” the TV narrator says, “It’s been 10 short years. Everyone remembers. Some, though, want to commemorate the tragedy by building a mosque on Ground Zero.”

 It is important to note that several Republicans like Gen. Colin Powell, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Ted Olson — whose wife died in the attacks — support the construction of the Islamic Center. They join most religious leaders, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and families of the 9/11 victims in support. ||||| New York’s 9th Congressional District isn’t the likeliest place for a national political referendum.

 Vice President Al Gore won it with 67 percent of the vote in 2000, and Barack Obama carried it by 11 percentage points eight years later. It has been held by a string of high-profile Democrats — including Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) — for decades.

 And yet, the special election set for Tuesday in the Brooklyn and Queens areas between state Assemblyman David Weprin (D) and businessman Bob Turner (R) — a race occasioned by the scandal and subsequent resignation of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D) — is surprisingly close, the result, many observers suggest, of the toxic national political environment and Obama’s low poll ratings.

 “Obama wins no popularity contests here,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic consultant in New York.

 In a Siena College poll released late last week, Turner held a six-point edge over Weprin. Obama’s approval rating stood at 43 percent, with 54 percent disapproving.

 “Certainly Obama job approval in the 40s as opposed to 50s depresses the Democratic base,” said one Democratic consultant who is monitoring the race, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the election frankly. “And in a small-turnout electorate, this has consequences.”

 Republicans — and even some Democrats — are painting the race as an Obama referendum. Ed Koch, a Democratic former mayor of New York, endorsed Turner and likened the impact of his possible victory to that of Republican Scott Brown in 2010 in the special Senate election in Massachusetts. A vote for Turner, Koch said, would “register a protest against the positions of President Obama and the Republican leadership on a number of key issues.”

 Even Weprin has been loath to embrace Obama.

 “I will probably not refuse to endorse him, because I think I will be more effective by supporting him, but at the same time being very strongly against him on some of his policies,” he told the Jewish Press recently.

 Putting all of the blame on the president, however, tells only half (or less) of the story, because the Democrats’ situation wasn’t caused by any one factor.

 Although the district is Democratic territory, it is trending toward Republicans. It has a large Orthodox Jewish population that is not thrilled with Obama’s positioning on Israel, as well as large pockets of conservative Catholic voters. (It was the site of the single largest point swing between the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections; after Gore won 67 percent in 2000, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts took 56 percent in 2004.)

 And Weprin is something (well) short of a star candidate, a sort of last-man-standing pick after many preferred candidates took a pass. New York’s congressional delegation is shrinking by two seats because of slower population growth than the national average over the past decade, and many Empire State political observers expect this district to be eliminated in short order.

 Weprin, then, was perhaps the only man who wanted the job. But his lack of campaign skills — he guessed that the national debt was $4 trillion (it’s $14 trillion) and oddly dropped out of a debate at the last minute, citing Hurricane Irene — has created a gaffe-prone image that has further complicated Democrats’ efforts in the district. That he can be linked to the unpopular state capital of Albany — and that he voted in favor of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s legislation that legalized same-sex marriage in the state — only compounds the problem.

 “It was a perfect storm of horrible,” said one Democratic operative who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly sum up the situation.

 National Democrats, sensing the momentum hit the party could take if Weprin loses, have rode to the rescue in recent days — spending nearly $500,000 on television ads designed to turn the tide.

 But there is genuine skepticism that the race can be saved, and an acknowledgment that a loss would create an even more complicated political environment through which Obama — and his newly announced jobs plan — would have to navigate.

 Losing a seat such as this one — despite all of the reasons for such a defeat, outlined above — probably would have a chilling effect on the willingness of Democrats running in vulnerable districts and states to support any aspects of the president’s agenda between now and 2012. And that’s the last thing an embattled White House seeking political allies needs right now. |||||

– Not only did Anthony Weiner lose his own seat, he might have lost it for his party—in a very Democratic district, no less. Republican Bob Turner leads Democrat David Weprin by 47% to 41%, with 7% still undecided, Public Policy Polling finds. Turner’s got a 32-point lead among independents, and he’s even got 29% of Democrats behind him, leaving Weprin with less than 60% support in his own party. The poll ties Turner’s success to anti-Obama sentiment in the area, but the race is also taking a turn for the nasty: ThinkProgress reports that the GOP blanketed the district with a flier portraying a mosque rising from the ashes of Ground Zero, alongside images of Weprin and Obama, with Weprin quoted as saying, "I support the right of the mosque to build." Meanwhile, Politico leaked details of a nasty 1986 custody battle between Weprin and his ex-wife, in which Weprin is described as "heedless" of his toddler's son's welfare. And while Weprin is "something (well) short of a star candidate," writes Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post, the whole race could soon be a moot point: Many expect the district to disappear in redistricting.


Article:
Financial infidelity may be the new normal. In a recent survey, one in three Americans (31%) who have combined their finances admitted lying to their spouses about money, and another one-third of these adults said they’d been deceived.

 The online poll, commissioned by ForbesWoman and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) and conducted by Harris Interactive, surveyed 2,019 U.S. adults from December 17 to 21. Among both offenders and victims, the leading money crimes were hiding cash, minor purchases and bills. Meanwhile, a significant number of people admitted hiding major purchases, keeping secret bank accounts and lying about their debt or earnings.

 “A third of the population admits to not being honest with their spouse,” says NEFE chief executive Ted Beck. “That is a big number. These indiscretions cause significant damage to the relationship.”

 Among couples impacted by financial infidelity, 67% said the deception led to an argument and 42% said it caused less trust in the relationship. Perhaps most alarming, 16% of these respondents said the money lie led to a divorce and 11% said it led to a separation.

 “Betrayal regarding money can be just as painful and damaging as other kinds of cheating,” says Tina Tessina, psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage. When a partner is caught concealing huge amounts of debt or involved in money-related addictions, the result can be a “total loss of trust, feelings of betrayal and destruction of the relationship.”

 Seattle-based Theo Pauline Nestor, 49, learned this the hard way and eventually published an account of her experience, How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed. She and her husband were happily married for 13 years until one day in 2003 when she noticed a curious dip in their joint checking account. When she confronted her husband, a real estate agent with unpredictable hours, she discovered he’d been secretly gambling for years. Not only had he opened several credit cards without her knowledge, he’d racked up thousands of dollars in debt.

 10 Red Flags Your Partner Is Lying About Money

 “It was terrifying,” she recalls. “My biggest fear was that we would lose our house.”

 The couple had two children, ages five and nine, and Nestor made a modest salary as a part-time writing instructor at the University of Washington. Ultimately, fearing for her children’s future and bewildered by the long-term lies, she filed for divorce.

 “It felt like finding out about an affair,” says Nestor. “But when your spouse cheats sexually, you can walk away and it’s gone. When they cheat financially, you have to live with the effects for however long it takes to dig out of the hole.”

 According to the survey, over half of all financial cheaters admitted hiding cash (58%) or minor purchases (54%). NEFE’s Beck says this is particularly concerning, as small lies often compound over time to become increasingly larger and more harmful deceptions. Of the offenders, 30% have hidden a bill, 16% have hidden a major purchase, 15% had a secret bank account, 11% lied about their debts and another 11% lied about the amount of money they earned. None of this surprised Nancy Chemtob, founding partner of matrimonial and family law firm Chemtob Moss Forman & Talbert LLP in New York, who says she’s seen it all. According to the survey, money deception occurs equally across income levels—no matter if you’re earning $30,000 or $300,000. Chemtob only accepts clients with a net worth of $5 million or more and has observed that having more money only means more elaborate schemes.

 Example A: she once worked with the owner of a hedge fund who secretly spent millions on a mistress. In five of their 10 years of marriage, his wife had no clue that he was spending over $20,000 a month on the other woman, ultimately buying her a house, car and extravagant jewelry.

 Another of her clients is in her 30s, remarried and has a son from a previous marriage, Chemtob says. Three years ago, she lied to her new husband that she wasn’t receiving child support. She was. Now he pays for the child’s expenses and private schooling while the woman stashes about $7,000 a month in a hidden bank account.

 In one of the most extreme deceptions Chemtob’s come across, a 20-something woman fabricated her entire financial history. The original lie happened on the first date. Because he was very well-educated, successful and high-earning, she didn’t think he’d like her when she told him she didn’t have a degree or a job. She lied, saying she had her masters and a salaried position.

 The woman continued the fib while they dated and into their eventual marriage. When he left home for work, she left too. When he returned home in the evening, so did she. Because he was so successful, he paid for everything and never noticed that she didn’t have an income. Eventually he did discover the truth and promptly filed for divorce.

 Boston-based family therapist Carleton Kendrick has been counseling couples for over 30 years and says money deception has become a huge issue in the last decade. He suspects the ease of using credit cards and purchasing online may make the act easier but doesn’t explain the lies.

 Kendrick says the chief reasons people lie about money to their partners are pragmatism, control, guilt and fear. The pragmatic lie may result from planning an eventual split and not wanting the other to know how much money is available. Financial infidelity for control may include revenge spending, as one partner overspends to prove their independence or to get back at the other for something lacking in the relationship. Knowingly irresponsible behavior may cause guilt and embarrassment, so the person attempts to cover it up. Deceit may also occur because they fear their partner’s reaction to the truth.

 10 Red Flags Your Partner Is Lying About Money

 Kendrick notes that how we are raised influences our money philosophies in relationships and can create some gendered behaviors or assumptions. “Girls still see their mothers at check-out, saying, ‘We won’t tell Daddy about this; it will be our little secret,’” he says.

 The survey revealed that men and women are equally guilty of financial infidelity, though women were slightly more likely to say they’d caught their partner. Differences emerged in men and women’s perceptions of their partner’s guilt, however. Men were more likely to say their partners hid a minor purchase from them compared to women (59% vs. 44%, respectively). Women were three times more likely to say their partners lied about their earnings (23% vs. 8%, respectively) and also more likely to say their partners lied about the amount of debt they owed (38% vs. 26%, respectively).

 NEFE’s Beck advises that couples have the money talk early–well before marriage–to avoid money lies in their relationships. If you are already married or in a committed relationship, he suggests using tax season as a nonthreatening way to ask your partner questions and gain a better grasp of shared finances. Those who suspect or discover that they are currently victims of financial infidelity should first figure out how deep the lies go and gather all the details.

 One-third of those in relationships impacted by money deception say they have resolved to do something this year, with most planning to communicate more openly and create a shared budget for 2011.

 10 Red Flags Your Partner Is Lying About Money ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. |||||Summary:

– Infidelity isn't always the stuff of illicit affairs. A new survey shows that 31% of Americans who combine their finances with a spouse have lied about money to said spouse. "Financial infidelity may be the new normal," writes Jenna Goudreau at her Forbes blog. The most common misdeeds were hiding cash (58%), hiding minor purchases (54%), and hiding a bill (30%). But a decent number admitted to hiding major purchases (16%), keeping a secret bank account (15%), and lying about debt or earnings (11%). “Betrayal regarding money can be just as painful and damaging as other kinds of cheating," says a psychotherapist. It, too, can lead to "total loss of trust, feelings of betrayal and destruction of the relationship." For those feeling a little suspicious, Forbes has a list of 10 red flags (defensiveness, insistence on handling bills alone, etc.) to look for.


Summarize this article:

New Orleans mayor imposes dusk-to-dawn curfew

 More than 817,000 without power across 5 states

 Isaac's maximum sustained winds slip to 60 mph

 Emergency crews rescue people stranded by floods

 Refresh this page for the latest updates or read the full CNN story here.

 [Updated 10:28 p.m. ET]

 [Updated 10:20 p.m. ET] Water that overtopped levees was trapped in Plaquemines Parish with nowhere to drain. Officials were considering intentionally breaching a levee downstream to allow some of the floodwater to flow back out of the inundated area, Gov. Bobby Jindal said.

 Parish President Billy Nungesser said parish officials will go out at low tide to check the back levee - a second line of defense - at the town of Braithwaite and determine where to punch holes in it. It will be Saturday, at the earliest, before crews can cut the levee open, letting water flow out into the marsh.

 [Updated 10 p.m. ET]

 [Updated 9:52 a.m. ET] New Orleans officials said there had been 12 incidents of looting. Police said arrests were made in each case, but didn't specify how many people were involved.

 [Updated 9:48 p.m. ET] Lake Pontchartrain's water levels are "beginning to stabilize," St. Tammany Parish officials said, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Water had spilled out from the lake and flooded low-lying areas of the parish.

 Rescues continue in areas around the vast Louisiana lake, including Lewisburg, Guste Island, Lacombe and Slidell, the newspaper's website reported.

 [Updated 9:29 p.m. ET] Joey Amann gathered family and friends into his home in Hancock County, Mississippi, to ride out the storm, he told CNN affiliate WALA.

 "You know, we just figured we'd be safer in numbers. Since our house is eight feet off the ground, we figured we'd be safer there but the water just kept coming," Amann said.

 "It was scary. I mean, I've never seen the water raise this fast on this road and I've been here all my life. It just came out of nowhere."

 The group ended up being rescued by emergency personnel in boats.

 Amann told the station he lost his home to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

 "Thirty-six years I've lived here, and it's just devastating," he said. "Seven years ago, we were going through the same thing. No one thought it would be this bad, but it's worse than we anticipated."

 [Updated 9:18 p.m. ET] Power has been restored earlier than expected to most of Dauphin Island, Alabama, CNN affiliate WALA reported. The western end of the island in Mobile Bay remains in the dark because roads there are impassable, Alabama Power said.

 [Updated 9:07 p.m. ET] Jefferson Parish Council member Chris Roberts said "tar patties," presumably from the 2010 BP oil spill, had washed up on Grand Isle, Louisiana, during the storm.

 [Updated 8:59 p.m. ET] A volunteer in the St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff's office said more than 200 residents in LaPlace, about 25 miles northwest of New Orleans, had been rescued from rising water coming from Lake Pontchartrain.

 [Updated 8:05 p.m. ET] Tropical Storm Isaac's top sustained winds slipped to 60 mph in the National Hurricane Center's latest update. The storm was centered 30 miles south of Baton Rouge and 60 miles west of New Orleans, and had slowed its northwestern crawl even further to 5 mph.

 [Updated 7:37 p.m. ET] The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with U.S. Northern Command, deployed four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters from Norfolk Naval Air Station, Virginia, to assist in search and rescue efforts.

 National Guard troops moved 112 residents from a nursing home in Plaquemines Parish to another facility.

 [Updated 7:16 p.m. ET] New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu assured residents the drinking water has remained safe to drink throughout the storm, and the sanitary sewer system is operating perfectly, so no one needs to restrict toilet flushing.

 [Updated 7:01 p.m. ET] "It appears that the worst of this storm is moving past us now," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told CNN affiliate WWL, but he reiterated that a curfew remains in place until 6 a.m. Thursday. He also warned those who do travel the streets that many traffic signals are down, so drivers should treat every intersection as a four-way stop.

 "What we got today was terrible, but I think we did a pretty good job," he added. "... A Category 1 can be as bad as a Category 5 if it hangs around."

 Landrieu advised people to be very careful during the cleanup phase, when more than half of hurricane-related deaths occur.

 The mayor also reminded residents that police are employing a no-tolerance policy for looting. "They're on it like gravy on rice," he told WWL.

 [Updated 6:45 p.m. ET] The first line of defense in any disaster is neighbors helping neighbors.

 [Updated 6:35 p.m. ET]

 [Updated 6:28 p.m. ET] A 21-foot seawall built in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina is "holding up very well," Mayor Les Fillingame told CNN affiliate WWL.

 "Every storm has its own personality, its own footprint. ... This, for a Category 1 storm that made landfall really not that close to us, has had such persistence," he said. "This may be the new norm."

 He said perhaps 100 homes will end up being flooded by the time the storm blows over, rather than the 1,000 that might have been flooded before the seawall was built and building elevation standards improved.

 [Updated 6:18 p.m. ET] A new tornado warning was issued for Harrison County, Mississippi, as a persistent rain band continues to race north from the Gulf of Mexico, CNN affiliate WWL reported.

 [Updated 6:01 p.m. ET] Floodwater has overtopped a third levee in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, Parish President Billy Nungesser told CNN.

 [Updated 5:54 p.m. ET] Biloxi, Mississippi, police are stopping vehicles on city streets and enforcing a curfew until further notice, Officer Jackie Rhodes told CNN affiliate WLOX. People who were arrested for looting during Hurricane Katrina seven years ago are still in prison, he said.

 [Updated 5:46 p.m. ET] The National Hurricane Center said 17 inches of rain has fallen during Tropical Storm Isaac at Audubon Park in New Orleans.

 [Updated 5:41 p.m. ET] More than 817,000 customers are without power, utilities along the Gulf Coast report.

 [Updated 5:06 p.m. ET] Coffins float out of flooded graves in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, CNN affiliate WWL reports.

 [Updated 4:52 p.m. ET] The National Hurricane Center says the storm is now centered 60 miles west of New Orleans and 35 south of Baton Rouge, still packing 70 mph winds and moving northwest at 6 mph.

 [Updated 4:49 p.m. ET] Harrison County, Mississippi, is under a tornado warning until 4:15 p.m.

 [Updated 4:44 p.m. ET] As many as 800 homes may have suffered significant water damage in Plaquemines Parish alone, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says.

 Meanwhile, water is said to be 12 feet deep and rising in Madisonville, Louisiana, CNN affiliate WWL reports.

 [Updated 4:36 p.m. ET] Flash flood warnings are in place for all or portions of the following counties:

 In Louisiana: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans, St. Charles, St. John The Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington

 In Mississippi: Forrest, George, Greene, Harrison, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Stone, Walthall

 In Alabama: Mobile

 [Updated 4:30 p.m. ET] The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration provides tools to keep abreast of weather developments.

 [tweethttps://twitter.com/NOAA/status/240890920696958976]

 [Updated 4 p.m. ET] New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the city until further notice.

 "I'll make it really simple: if you loot, you get an orange suit," says @MayorLandrieu #NOLAready —

 NOLA Ready (@nolaready) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 3:42 p.m. ET] CNN affiliate WWL reports major flooding in LaPlace, Louisiana, and boat rescues are taking place.

 [Updated 3:21 p.m. ET] Public and private schools throughout southern Louisiana will not reopen until Tuesday, CNN affiliate WGNO reports.

 [Updated 3:04 p.m.] Isaac has weakened to tropical storm status, as its sustained winds have dropped to 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm's location at 3 p.m. ET was about 50 miles west-southwest of New Orleans and 55 miles south-southeast of Baton Rouge. It was crawling northwest at 6 mph.

 [Updated 2:49 p.m.] Granted, this storm is no Katrina, but it's still disastrous to many people - and animals - in its path.

 [Updated 2:40 p.m.] Hurricane Isaac has knocked out power to more than 725,000 customers in five states, the affected utilities report.

 [Updated 2:32 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama received a briefing from federal officials on the impact of Hurricane Isaac and held a conference call Wednesday with the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and the mayor of New Orleans, the White House said.

 "The president heard from the governors and mayor about the current conditions on the ground and the steps their teams are taking to respond. The president asked the governors to continue to identify any additional needs if they arise as the effects of Isaac and the response efforts continue," the White House said.

 [Updated 2:25 p.m. ET Wednesday] Power could be out in some areas of Louisiana for as much as a week, Bill Mole, CEO of Entergy Louisiana, tells CNN affiliate WWL.

 [Updated 2:19 p.m. ET Wednesday] Hurricane Isaac's slow, rainy march through Louisiana is expected to cause as much as $1.5 billion in insured losses, according to one disaster modeling firm, CNNMoney reports.

 [Updated 2:18 p.m. ET Wednesday] Heavy squalls spawned by Hurricane Isaac continue to slap New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the National Weather Service said. The storm's center is 45 miles southwest of New Orleans and 55 miles south-southeast of Baton Rouge, it says.

 [Updated 2:13 p.m. ET Wednesday] The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Harrison County, Mississippi, including the cities of Biloxi and Gulfport.

 PIC: Tombs, caskets floating in flood water from above ground cemetery near Braithwaite, LA. #Isaac #wfaaisaac ow.ly/i/Td77 —

 Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 2:09 p.m ET Wednesday] At least 673,039 customers are without power in Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas because of Hurricane Isaac, according to the latest numbers from power providers.

 [Updated 2:07 p.m. ET Wednesday] On the lighter side, we have an iReport that may spark some smiles during this tough time for the Gulf Coast.

 Greg Taylor of Mandeville, Louisiana, sent his wife and two children to Alabama to escape the storm. Taylor stayed behind and when he went into his daughter Ashley's room to feed her fish, a beta named Tom Brady, Taylor found that the 8-year-old had left behind a list of instructions for her stuffed animals.

 Among them: "Noises: Scoot close to your buddy" and "When I'm gone: Stay Calm. No Partys."

 [Updated 1:46 p.m. ET Wednesday] Dozens of road closures have been reported by the Louisiana State Patrol over the past 24 hours. Click here for the latest information.

 [Updated 1:40 p.m. ET Wednesday] Gov. Bobby Jindal says there's an unconfirmed report of a fatality in a fire at a commercial building in Gretna, near New Orleans. News reports say heavy winds from Isaac kept firefighters from battling the blaze.

 [Updates 1:34 p.m. ET Wednesday] More than 8,200 National Guard personnel are available for relief operations in Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal says. As of this morning, 4,130 people are in shelters across Louisiana, the governor added.

 [Updated 1:32 p.m. ET Wednesday] Entergy Corporation, which provides power in New Orleans and parts of Mississippi and Texas, has 10,000 workers and contractors from 24 states responding to power outages, said spokesperson Chanel Lagarde. The company says it has more than 550,000 customers without power.

 [Updated 1:26 p.m. ET Wednesday] Authorities are using high-water vehicles to evacuate nursing home residents in flooded areas of Plaquemines Parish, Gov. Bobby Jindal says.

 [Updated 1:25 p.m. ET Wednesday] Gov. Bobby Jindal says authorities are considering intentionally breaching part of an east bank levee in Plaquemines Parish to relieve pressure on the levee.

 [Updated 1:23 p.m. ET Wednesday] The Mississippi Highway Patrol reports the following road closures:

 - U.S. 90 between Bay St. Louis and the Biloxi Bay Bridge.

 - Highway 43/603 between U.S. 90 and I-10

 - Highway 604 north of U.S. 90 at Pearlington

 - Highway 43/603 at Jourdan River

 - U.S. 90 at Whites Bayou near Pearlington

 Closures are expected to last until 5 pm Friday.

 [Updated 1:02 p.m. ET Wednesday] Gulf Power Company announced that it has restored power to more than 20,000 customers in Northwest Florida, CNN affiliate WKRG reports.

 Scattered outages remain, and spokesman Jeff Rogers warned that more outages are possible throughout the day.

 Feeling sad. #Isaac took the home @JamesHPerry and I just bought. All safe. House was vacant except for my dreams. http://t.co/h62AkGPB —

 Melissa Harris-Perry (@MHarrisPerry) August 29, 2012

 9.26" of rain has fallen in New Orleans so far, 5.21" in Mobile, and 3.42" in Gulfport, all as of 10am CDT. —

 Weather Underground (@wunderground) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 12:39 p.m. ET Wednesday] The University of Louisiana-Monroe is canceling classes as of 4 p.m. today through Labor Day, school President Nick J. Bruno announced on the university's website.

 [Updated 12:35 p.m. ET Wednesday] Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is scheduled to hold a news conference at 12:55 p.m. ET in Baton Rouge, while New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will hold one at 1:30 p.m. ET.

 State Officials Ask Residents to Report Oil, Oily Material or Oiled Debris #Isaac emergency.louisiana.gov/docs/2012-08-2… —

 Louisiana GOHSEP (@GOHSEP) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 12:27 p.m. ET Wednesday] Seventy-five people have been rescued from flooded homes and rooftops in the Louisiana town of Braithwaite in Plaquemines Parish, CNN affiliate WWL reported, citing parish President Billy Nungesser. At least 25 others were "awaiting rescue on the parish's east bank on rooftops and in attics," the station reported.

 [Updated 12:24 p.m. ET Wednesday] Residents have been ordered to evacuate from new areas of Plaquemines Parish, CNN affiliate WVUE reports. Water will start rising from the Oakville flood gate to Venice. School buses will be sent through the area to pick up people, the reports says.

 [Updated 12:14 p.m. ET Wednesday] Not even Isaac can stop one of Louisiana's favorite pastimes: LSU still plans to play its football game against North Texas on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, coach Les Miles tells CNN affiliate WBRZ.

 [Updated 12:08 p.m. ET Wednesday] The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Hancock, Harrison and Pearl River counties in Mississippi.

 [Updated 12:06 p.m. ET Wednesday] Interstate 10 between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is closed because of high water, state Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson tells CNN affiliate WDSU.

 [Updated 11:59 a.m. ET Wednesday] Petty officer Ryan Tippets says all Coast Guard assets are in standby mode and “as soon as the storm passes, the Coast Guard will be out there.”

 [Updated 11:43 a.m. ET Wednesday] Gas prices that are rising because of Hurricane Isaac could begin to drop as early as Monday, said the Oil Price Information Service, which reports petroleum pricing news.

 [Updated 11:32 a.m. ET Wednesday] Nearly 654,000 customers are without power in Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas as a result of Hurricane Isaac, power companies reported Wednesday.

 [Updated 11:28 a.m. ET Wednesday] iReporter Alekz Londos is a freelance photojournalist who traveled from Santa Cruz, California, to cover Isaac. He’s submitted video of waves crashing into the Orleans Marina on Lake Ponchartrain.

 [Updated 11:22 a.m. ET Wednesday] There may be a silver lining to Isaac’s arrival in the Gulf states. Though it’s too late to benefit summer crops such as corn and soybeans, the rain from the storm could bring some much-needed hydration to parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Tennessee and Missouri, AccuWeather reports.

 If the rain moves far enough westward it could also benefit the wheat crops in the central and southern Plains. Wheat is generally planted in September, AccuWeather says.

 [Updated 11:19 a.m. ET Wednesday] Residents of Plaquemines Parish made more than 150 calls to be rescued from rising flood waters since 2:30 a.m. this morning, parish Cmdr. Terry Rutherford tells CNN.

 Sheriff's boats, National Guard boats and civilians are participating in the rescue operations, Rutherford said.

 Rutherford says there is 5 feet to 14 feet of flood water in the east bank area of the parish.

 Hurricane safety tips: What to do when the lights go out

 [Updated 11:15 a.m. ET Wednesday] Louisiana State University will remain closed through Thursday because of Hurricane Isaac, according to a release posted to the schools website.

 [Updated 11:10 a.m. ET Wednesday] Despite annual improvements for the last several years to the Plaquemine Parish levees, they just couldn’t stand up to Isaac’s storm surge, said parish President Billy Nungusser.

 “This storm was not a Category 1. This storm delivered a punch, and we saw water come over those levees more than (during) Gustav and Ivan. And it continues to flow,” he told CNN.

 In Woodlawn, an area along the Mississippi River that saw no flooding during Katrina, there is 5 feet of water. In other areas along the river’s east bank, there are reports of 12 to 14 feet of water that has stranded people in attics and on roofs.

 “This storm continues to just pump water into that area like we’ve never seen before.,” Nungusser said, adding that residents along the west bank are worried that Isaac could deliver destruction across the river before it passes through the area.

 [Updated 11:06 a.m. ET Wednesday] At 11 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center says Isaac remains a hurricane with winds of 75 mph, gusting to 100 mph. The center is directly over Houma, Louisiana, about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans. Tropical storm warnings for coastlines east of the Alabama-Florida border have been discontinued. Hurricane warnings remain in effect for coastlines east of Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama border, including the city of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.

 [Updated 11:03 a.m. ET Wednesday] The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, a 24-mile-long bridge over the lake connecting the New Orleans suburb of Metairie with Mandeville on the north side of the lake, is closed because of high winds and will likely remain so through Wednesday, the Times-Picayune reports.

 [Updated 10:48 a.m. ET Wednesday] At least 5,200 people spent the night in Red Cross shelters in the storm area, Jonathan Aiken, a spokesperson for the Red Cross tells CNN. The Red Cross operates 80 shelters in six states.

 [Updated 10:46 a.m. ET Wednesday] iReporter Eileen Romero of New Orleans found two homes that had collapsed in the Mid-City neighborhood. You can see her photos here and here.

 [Updated 10:40 a.m. ET Wednesday] Hurricane Isaac has left at least 559,332 customers without power in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama, power companies said Wednesday. The bulk of the outages are in Louisiana.

 [Updated 10:38 a.m. ET Wednesday] Mobile Regional Airport authorities say the facility's runways will be open Wednesday and passengers will be kept informed of today's flight operations. Mobile is a southwestern Alabama city on the Gulf Coast, which has been slammed by Hurricane Isaac.

 [Updated 10:31 a.m. ET Wednesday] All of Dauphin Island is without power – and this time it’s not totally Isaac’s fault.

 According to CNN affiliate WPMI, a boater had to be rescued from his sail boat because of the nasty conditions on the water. The abandoned ship still had its sails raised, and it floated down toward the Dauphin Island Bridge, where it hit a power line that pumps electricity to the island’s 1,200 residents.

 The ship then turned back into the Gulf and crews are trying to get the boat under control. Meanwhile, the causeway is closed and a curfew will go into effect later today.

 [Updated 10:24 a.m. ET Wednesday] Hurricane Isaac is weakening "slightly" as it moves inland over southeastern Louisiana, the National Weather Service said. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, and its center is about 50 miles south-southwest of New Orleans. A storm becomes a hurricane when those winds reach 74 mph.

 [Updated 10:24 a.m. ET Wednesday] Tornado warnings have been issued for Washington Parish in Louisiana and Hancock and Pearl River counties in Mississippi, the National Weather Service says.

 [Updated 10:22 a.m. ET Wednesday] Deputies and residents in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish were working to reach people trapped in attics and on roofs by high water spawned by Hurricane Isaac, CNN affiliate WWL reported.

 [Updated 10:15 a.m. ET Wednesday] Public schools in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, will not reopen until Tuesday, the district says in a posting on its website.

 [Updated 10:13 a.m. ET Wednesday] A tornado warning is in effect for parts of Hancock and Harrison counties in Mississippi, the National Weather Service says.

 [Updated 10:07 a.m. ET Wednesday] Water was encroaching on an evacuation shelter in Raceland, in Lafourche Parish, reports Gina Swanson from CNN affiliate WDSU.

 The majority of the city of Baker is without power. #isaac #isaacon9 —

 (@WAFB) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 9:58 a.m. ET Wednesday] Tulane University in New Orleans has canceled all classes until Tuesday, the school has announced on its website.

 "Students on campus are safe and still sheltering in place in residence halls," the school said.

 [Updated 9:49 a.m. ET Wednesday] Hurricane Isaac is posing a significant threat for inland flooding. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration such flooding "the hidden danger of tropical cyclones." Inland flooding accounts for more than 50% of hurricane-related deaths, NOAA says. Check out their web page on the dangers.

 #Isaac Let friends/family know you're OK by sending a text or updating your social networks. Limit voice calls to emergencies only. —

 FEMA (@fema) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 9:40 a.m. ET Wednesday] After Katrina, carpenter Bill Boesch rebuilt his and his wife’s house with an extra level “just in case.” As Isaac approached, he was prepared with coolers and a generator, but the storm conjured some unpleasant memories from seven years ago.

 “It just brings all of that back up – you know, that whole experience and the loss,” he said.

 Wind sustained at 43 mph with a wind gust to 58 mph at Baton Rouge Metro Airport! #Isaac is showing up now! —

 WBRZ News (@WBRZ) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 9:22 a.m. ET Wednesday] In Mississippi, there are about 2,132 evacuees housed in 31 shelters across the state, CNN affiliate WCBI reports. The station said about 4,000 homes were without power as of 5:30 a.m. CT.

 If you're in Mississippi and need to evacuate, the Red Cross has a list of available shelters on its website.

 The Louisiana Red Cross has a list as well.

 Disaster Distress Helpline offers crisis counseling & avail 24/7 for states in path of #Isaac: 1800-985-5990 / text TalkWithUs to 66746 —

 Distress Helpline (@distressline) August 28, 2012

 Tornado Warning issued in Perry, George, Stone counties in MS #Isaac —

 (@WKRG) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 9:20 a.m. ET Wednesday] A couple, their 6-month-old baby and family dog were rescued from a houseboat on the Pearl River this morning, according to The Sun Herald, a newspaper that covers the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The incident occurred in Pearlington, just 100 feet from the Louisiana state line. Emergency and wildlife officials brought the family to safety after rising water trapped the family on the boat, the paper reported.

 [Updated 9:17 a.m. ET Wednesday] 522,228 customers are without power in Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to power providers Entergy, Alabama Power, and Cleco.

 [Updated 9:15 a.m. ET Wednesday] The center of Hurricane Isaac is 40 miles southwest of New Orleans, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory Wednesday. Strong squalls from the storm are battering southeastern Louisiana and heavy rains and a "dangerous storm surge" are likely to continue into the evening, the advisory said.

 [Updated 9:14 a.m. ET Wednesday] An elderly Florida may have been disoriented from heavy rain associated with then-Tropical Storm Isaac when she drove into a retention pond and drowned Monday, CNN affiliate WFTV in Orlando reports.

 The body of 89-year-old Margaret Langewisch was found in her Mazda in the 18-foot-deep pond in Winter Springs on Tuesday.

 "We had a torrential downpour for 10 or 15 minutes and I think that's what the problem was because she must have missed the first right and thought she was going to the clubhouse," resident Tony Palmiotti is quoted as saying.

 [Updated 9:07 a.m. ET Wednesday] Alabama Power reports that about 5,600 customers are without power, mostly on Dauphin Island, in Bayou la Batre and other areas in south Mobile County. Another 1,100 are without power in the Theodore area. Alabama Power says all customers should have power restored by day's end.

 [Updated 9:05 a.m. ET Wednesday] With Isaac now moving at the torpid pace of 6 mph, National Hurricane Center Director Richard Knabb tells CNN that the storm's eye has yet to pass through the region and residents in the area can expect pounding rain "all day today, into tonight, into tomorrow."

 "For many people, it's not even half over," Knabb said.

 [Updated 9:01 a.m. ET Wednesday] As Isaac's winds and rain continue to hamper government services in Louisiana and Mississippi, the city of Pensacola, Florida, has announced it is back to business, according to CNN affiliate WALA. City Hall, libraries, garbage service and the Pensacola International Airport were all operational as of this morning, the station reported.

 [Updated 8:53 a.m. ET Wednesday] Three adults and one infant in Mississippi were rescued overnight from a houseboat as Hurricane Isaac hit the region, the state's emergency operations center said Wednesday.

 [Updated 8:42 a.m. ET Wednesday] Today is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on the Gulf Coast seven years ago. CNN has put together a few pieces in remembrance of the natural disaster that killed hundreds and left the region reeling. There's a photo gallery as well as a video package revisiting the destruction left in Katrina's wake.

 [Updated 8:36 a.m. ET Wednesday] The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for several Louisiana cities, including Timberlane, Metairie, Marrero, Kenner, Harvey, Avondale, New Orleans, New Orleans East, Chalmette and Hahnville. The warnings, which affect St. Bernard, St. Charles, Orleans and Jefferson parishes, are in effect until 9:45 a.m. CT.

 [Updated 8:31 a.m. ET Wednesday] Please remember, if you're on or near the Gulf and have stories, photos or videos to share, please send them to iReport. Thanks!

 WEATHER UPDATE: Flash flood warning extended through 9:45 a.m. fb.me/1Q3S7pIQU —

 St. Charles Parish (@stcharlesgov) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 8:28 a.m. ET Wednesday] Mississippi and Louisiana residents who didn't evacuate and aren't in danger should stay put until the winds and rain pass, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said.

 "We have resources ready to go, but until the winds come down, we're really asking people, if you're not somewhere that's dangerous, stay where you're at unless you're told to evacuate," he told CNN.

 [Updated 8:06 a.m. ET Wednesday] In Destin, Florida, more than 200 miles east of New Orleans, there are reports of heavy damage, including a broken-down boardwalk near a condominium development. CNN affiliate WEAR reported that waters from the Gulf essentially swallowed the beach before flooding the streets in the resort town that styles itself as "The World's Luckiest Fishing Village." More than 11,000 people live in the city, which is located on an isthmus separated from the Florida mainland by the Choctawhatchee Bay.

 Resident Kris Thurman told WEAR, "It seems like we've been in this pattern where every season if a tropical storm or a hurricane gets anywhere near the Gulf, even if it's not a direct hit, the sea rises and it washes out the beach."

 According to the Public Service Commission, at least 486,298 people in Louisiana are without power. #Isaac —

 Louisiana GOHSEP (@GOHSEP) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 7:48 a.m. ET] Several environmental groups have expressed concerns that Isaac could stir up some of the remnant crude from the BP oil spill more than two years ago. BP rejected the notion in a statement to Huffington Post.

 SkyTruth, an environmental group specializing in remote sensing and digital mapping is encouraging residents in the area to post photos of any oil pollution they see to the SkyTruth website.

 "That's the most obvious way that the oil might come back into the public eye. Erosion could expose and churn up tar balls and tar mats," SkyTruth President John Amos told HuffPo.

 [Updated 7:44 a.m. ET] A tornado watch remains in effect for southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi until 4 p.m. CT Wednesday, the National Weather Service says.

 [Updated 7:41 a.m. ET] Gas prices shot up by nearly 5 cents a gallon nationwide Wednesday after Hurricane Isaac cut output from refineries along the Gulf Coast, CNNMoney reports.

 But experts say the price spike is likely to be short lived, especially since the winds associated with the Category 1 storm are not believed to have caused lasting damage to the refineries in the region.

 Wholesale gas prices were already falling Tuesday ahead of the storm making land, and were sharply lower Wednesday.

 Click here for state-by-state gas prices.

 [Updated 7:37 a.m. ET] Because Isaac is moving so slowly, it is not expected to complete the 70-mile trek from New Orleans to the capital, Baton Rouge, until late morning or early afternoon, several Louisiana news outlets are reporting.

 According to CNN affiliate WFAB, forecasters are saying Isaac could take 12 hours to travel from south of the Crescent City to the capital and that the center of the storm is expected to pass through Wednesday afternoon. Tropical storm-force winds are expected for a "prolonged period," the station reported.

 [Updated 7:34 a.m. ET] The National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Gulfport, Biloxi and Long Beach in Mississippi.

 [Updated 7:27 a.m. ET] The Louisiana attorney general has issued a statement reminding the state's sex offenders the evacuating because of the storm foes not relinquish them of the responsibility to notify law enforcement of their whereabouts, CNN affiliate WAFB reports.

 They can either phone law enforcement or register their location on the internet at www.offenderwatchexpress.com.

 "Under Louisiana law, you are required to notify law enforcement of any changes in residence, including any temporary situation that may cause an absence from your usual place of residence for more than seven days," according to the release.

 [Updated 7:24 a.m. ET] "The water came up so quick it looks like we lost everything," a Plaquemines Parish resident tells CNN affiliate WWLTV. Listen as he talks to the station from his attic.

 [Updated 7:10 a.m. ET] Its large size and slow motion are worsening the effects of Hurricane Isaac, making it seem a stronger storm than the Category 1 storm it is, Richard Knabb, director of National Hurricane Center, tells CNN’s Soledad O’Brien.

 [Updated 7:03 a.m. ET] Three people have been rescued from flooding in Plaquemines Parish, including one woman rescued from a roof, parish President Billy Nungesser, tells CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

 [Updated 6:54 a.m. ET] 438,150 customers are without power in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, according to power provider Entergy's storm information site.

 @nolaready I'm digging that the official emergency preparedness handle of #nola just coined this hash tag #TurnAroundDontDrown —

 LAUREN ALEXiS (@1aurenalexis) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 6:47 a.m. ET] Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater announced that all state government offices will be closed today, CNN affiliate WAFB in Baton Rouge reports.

 Winds so strong near New Orleans, the Lakefront ASOS detecting the rain drops as snow. Lakefront Airport 08:53 Light Snow Fog and Windy. —

 Alan Crone (@alancrone) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 6:42 a.m. ET] Animal shelters in New Orleans and Gulfport, Mississippi, were forced to ship several pets awaiting adoption to North Texas, according to CNN affiliate WDSU. The two shelters sent a collective 175 cats and 105 dogs to two Texas shelters.

 To make room for the animals, which arrived yesterday, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is offering discounts on adoption fees, the station reported.

 The NWS is receiving reports of up to 5 feet of water in the areas of the overtopped levee near Braithwaite, LA. Residents saying up to 10ft —

 CNN Weather Center (@CNNweather) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 6:36 a.m. ET] The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Jackson County in southern Mississippi.

 [Updated 6:32 a.m. ET] CNN's Brian Todd in New Orleans reports rising waters in the streets.

 [Updated 6:25 a.m. ET] The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for portions of Hancock and Harrison counties in Mississippi.

 A state-by-state look at the effects of Hurricane Isaac

 415,000 without power, according to Entergy map, nearly 300,000 in Jefferson and Orleans bit.ly/f8kHaI —

 WWL-TV (@WWLTV) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 5:49 a.m. ET] Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser is a personal victim of Hurricane Isaac, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

 Winds have ripped parts of the roof off his home and water has been pouring in, the paper reported.

 [Updated 5:44 a.m. ET] There have been reports of 10 to 12 feet of water in homes in Plaquemines Parish, parish President Billy Nungesser told CNN's “Early Start” anchor Zoriada Sambolin.

 Nungesser said Isaac has pushed more water into some areas than Katrina did seven years ago. He said the Woodlawn area had no water in it from Katrina and has five feet of water in it now.

 [Updated 5:34 a.m. ET] In its 5 a.m. ET advisory, the National Hurricane Center says Isaac is still a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

 [Updated 5:26 a.m. ET] Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish president, told CNN what happens when a levee is overtopped:

 "As that water flows over the top, it eventually will eat out portions of that levee, which then it washes away.

 "Either that or the inside of the levee will fill up.

 "One or the other will happen. Either way that area’s going to be totally inundated with water."

 [Updated 5:19 a.m. ET] Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish president, spoke to CNN about the overtopping of a levee in the parish:

 “We knew we were going to have trouble with the projected storm surge, but we were hoping this storm wasn’t going to sit out there as long as it has done, backtracked, and keep pumping this water up against the levees. And there’s only just so much that it can take."

 [Updated 5:12 a.m. ET] Officials are reporting "overtopping of a levee on the east bank" from Braithwaite to White Ditch in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, which will "result in significant deep flooding in the area," the National Weather Service said.

 [Updated 5:05 a.m. ET] The National Weather Service warned early Wednesday that heavy rainfall across metropolitan New Orleans and nearby coastal communities will likely result in flash floods.

 [Updated 4:05 a.m. ET] The storm has resumed moving, slowly, toward the west-northwest at 8 mph, the National Hurricane Center says, after being stalled for part of the morning.

 [Updated 3:15 a.m. ET] Hurricane Isaac is stationary near the coast of southeast Louisiana, the National Weather Service says. It's expected to resume a slow northwestern movement later today.

 @donnabrazile: Please RT: Everyone practice good #FireSafety when using candles during #Isaac in order to avoid fires. #NOLAReady —

 NOLA Ready (@nolaready) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 2:03 a.m. ET] "The center (of the storm) has wobbled westward and has moved back over water," the National Hurricane Center wrote in a late-night "forecast discussion." "A northwestward motion has recently resumed and a second landfall should occur later tonight near Grand Isle (Louisiana). ... Little change in strength is expected during the next 12 hours or so as the center moves across the bayous of southeastern Louisiana. Steady weakening should commence later Wednesday as the center moves farther inland."

 [Updated 1:55 a.m. ET]

 12:30am update w/all reported road closures, downed trees, flooding & other infrastructure issues at ready.nola.gov #Isaac #NOLAReady —

 NOLA Ready (@nolaready) August 29, 2012

 [Updated 1:52 a.m. ET] More than 256,000 Entergy Louisiana customers were without power at last count.

 [Updated 1:44 a.m. ET] Cameron County, Texas, officials closed the Padre Island and Boca Chica beaches Tuesday evening because of dangerous tides and currents, CNN affiliate WBRZ reported. Three shelters - one in Dallas, two near the Louisiana line - were opened in Texas for storm-driven evacuees, the station reported.

 [Updated 1:25 a.m. ET] As of 1 a.m. ET, Hurricane Isaac was 60 miles southeast of Houma, Louisiana, and 70 miles south of New Orleans, still maintaining 80 mph winds and dumping large amounts of rain on Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the National Hurricane Center said. Dangerous storm surge conditions were observed all along the northern Gulf Coast.

 "The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters," the NHC advisory said. Surge levels could reach 6 to 12 feet in Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana; 3 to 6 feet in Alabama and south-central Louisiana; 2 to 4 feet along the Florida Panhandle and Apalachee Bay; and 1 to 3 feet along the rest of Florida's west coast, the center predicted.

 A surge of 11 feet already had been recorded at Shell Beach, Louisiana, it said.

 Isaac is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 7 to 14 inches, with up to 20 inches possible in spots, leading to "possibly significant lowland flooding," the NHC said.

 Isolated tornadoes are possible along the central Gulf Coast region and parts of the lower Mississippi Valley through Wednesday, it said.

 People also should beware of rough surf and dangerous rip tides all along the coast for the next couple of days, the NHC warned.

 [Updated 1:17 a.m. ET] The season-opening college football game Thursday between Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M has been postponed because of the hurricane, CNN affiliate KTVE reported. The game will be played in Ruston, Louisiana, on October 13, which was an open date for both teams, Louisiana Tech officials said.

 [Updated 12:49 a.m. ET] According to CNN affiliate WGNO, the following locations are under flood warnings because of storm surge and/or heavy rain: St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington in Louisiana; Pearl River and Hancock in Mississippi.

 [Updated 12:34 a.m. ET] Rain fell with a vengeance along the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Isaac slowly skidded along the Louisiana coast like a Roomba bumping into a wall.

 TUESDAY LIVE BLOG ||||| Some local residents with boats have begun rescue efforts for Plaquemines Parish residents stranded by Hurricane Isaac along its east bank, outside the federal levee system. So far at least half a dozen people have been picked up, according to parish officials. Dozens of people on Plaquemines' east bank, south of St. Bernard Parish, reportedly are stranded, some in attics to escape flood waters that may have reached 5 to 9 feet in certain areas.

 There are also as many as 65 people on the Belle Chasse/Scarsdale ferry landing in Plaquemines Parish, officials said. A search and rescue operation is underway there. Officials have received reports that the water is a foot from the top of the levee.

 There is a nursing home in the Jesuit Bend area on the west bank that was not evacuated, and the Governor's office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness wants to try to evacuate it.

 The parish levees on the east bank are about 8.5 feet, though some are as high as 12 feet. Some estimates have storm surge at 13 feet; corps officials this morning put the figure at 12.5 feet. Corps officials are saying that there are no confirmed reports of breaches, which suggest failures in levees.

 Story by Benjamin Alexander-Bloch and Rebecca Mowbray Staff writers

 The National Guard was to launch a larger rescue effort this morning, coming into the east bank through St. Bernard Parish. After the wind subsides, other water and air rescue efforts will follow.

 While federal levees in the area appear to be holding, problems in Plaquemines Parish are occurring in areas not protected by the federal system, which was revamped after Katrina.

 Along with the problems at Braithwaite, the levee overtoppings on the east bank are also affecting the Bel Air near White Ditch at River Mile 65. Parish officials have also received calls from a woman at Willspoint on the east bank who is claiming she received 9 feet of water and is in her attic. There are reports that the Woodlawn fire station, between Braithwaite and White Ditch, which received no water during Katrina, has been inundated with 5 feet of water.

 Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said he wants to cut a hole in the Mississippi River levee to drain the Braithwaite area. But the Army Corps is opposed to the plan and hopes to get pumps brought to the area.

 "My reaction is big and as many as you've got," Col. Edward Fleming, district commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, said of the pumps.

 When the storm is over, the distinction between a federal and non-federal levee will become salient, but for now, the Corps is able to help. Corps engineers are working on getting Plaquemines officials a hydrograph of the back of the levees by Jesuit Bend, so they can get a better handle on what they might be dealing with there.

 Col. Fleming said Plaquemines officials need to think about getting better pumping capactity down there for future storms.

 Guy Laigast, director of Plaquemines Parish's emergency preparedness, said some points may have seen winds of up to 110 mph.

 "The devastation of my house is worse than Katrina and the flooding in Woodlawn is worse than Katrina, so those things tell me that the damage on the east bank is worse than Katrina," Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said this morning.

 When the daylight hit, parish officials and others were planning to get out and start examining the parish, "like fleas," said James Madere, a parish GIS analyst who will help assess damage.

 Mark Riley, the deputy director of Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness who is stationed in Plaquemines this morning, told a Times-Picayune reporter that rescue operations would occur as soon as it was safe.

 "The standard is we don't want to put first responders' lives in jeopardy and until there stops being an immediate threat to their lives we cannot put their lives at risk," Riley said.

 It appears from current reports that as Isaac moves upward, it might start pushing water out of the east and into the west. Parish officials are now heavily monitoring Barataria Bay, which reportedly raised 2 feet in the last 90 minutes, from about 4:30 a.m. to 6 a.m.

 The fear is that water would get pushed into Plaquemines' west bank levees and affect residents in Myrtle Grove and the Jesuit Bend area. While many of the homes along the levee in Myrtle Grove are raised about 14 feet, many of the Jesuit Bend are not as high. ||||| Utility companies say more than 500,000 have lost power as Hurricane Isaac moves through southeast Louisiana, bringing wind, rain and flooding.

 Most of the outages Wednesday are in areas around New Orleans as Isaac lashes the area with 80 mph winds.

 The Category 1 hurricane has pushed water over a rural levee to flood some homes, knocked out power and immersed beach-front roads in Louisiana and Mississippi as it makes a drenching slog inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

 Wind gusts of more than 60 mph and sheets of rain pelted New Orleans, where people braced themselves for the storm behind levees that were strengthened after the much stronger Hurricane Katrina hit seven years ago to the day. ||||| A tornado warning has been issued in southern Mississippi as Hurricane Isaac hits Louisiana and Mississippi with high winds and drenching rains.

 The National Weather Service says the tornado warning area Wednesday includes the cities of Long Beach and Gulfport, which are west of Biloxi on Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

 The warning comes as Category 1 Isaac moves inland in Louisiana, bringing flooding and power outages after making landfall Tuesday evening.

 The U.S. National Hurricane Center warns Isaac's dangerous storm surges and flooding threats from heavy rain are expected to last all day and into the night as it crawls over Louisiana. |||||

– Today is the 7th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and for residents of Plaquemines Parish, it's deja vu all over again, according to the parish president. Billy Nungesser tells NPR that the parish, located some 95 miles from New Orleans, has already seen damage that rivals, and could even surpass, that heaped upon it by Katrina. With the levee overrun, Nungesser says parts of the parish that had escaped unscathed in previous hurricanes now sit under five feet of water. "I don't know who's calling this a Category 1, but this is no Category 1," Nungesser said. "My house has more damage than it did during Katrina." More on the situation in Plaquemines, and beyond: The parish's levees range from 8.5 feet to 12 feet in height. The Army Corps of Engineers estimates the storm surge hit 12.5 feet, but have yet to confirm a breach. This implies the levees, which are not part of the federal levee system, failed, reports the Times-Picayune. While the director of Plaquemines Parish's emergency preparedness says winds may have hit 110mph, CNN reports that Isaac has weakened a bit since, with maximum sustained winds of 75mph (the hurricane threshold is 74mph). As of about 10:30am ET, Isaac's center was located about 50 miles south-southwest of New Orleans. The AP reports that 500,000 are without power in the areas around New Orleans. In Southern Mississippi, a tornado warning has been issued.