Declarations

“We went right up to trial and there was a settlement.”

— Robert Julian, a lawyer for families who were victims of the 2020 Labor Day fires in Oregon and sought more than $100 million in damages from the electricity provider PacificCorp, said they will allow some more time to fully settle the case.

“This national network of criminals hurt victims across the country. … They made hundreds of millions of dollars in the process — on the backs of thousands of innocent car owners.”

— FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement after 21 people in nine states were arrested and charged Nov. 2 with their roles in conspiracies to steal catalytic converters from vehicles across the country and sell them for profit. The DOJ said the valuable piece of a vehicle’s exhaust system contains precious metals like palladium, platinum and rhodium. It can be stolen in less than one minute. The U.S. seeks forfeiture of over $545 million from the cases.

“The climate crisis is moving far faster than we are. … Superstorm Sandy was a wake-up call … but from the trudging pace of too many resiliency projects, it seems like we’re still asleep. Without significant improvements to infrastructure design and delivery, New York City will fail to get ready in time for the next storm.”

— New York City Comptroller Brad Lander comments after a report showed that 10 years after Superstorm Sandy pounded the city’s coastal areas taking 43 lives and causing $19 billion in damages, many resiliency projects remain years from completion and billions of dollars in recovery funds remain unspent. The city has spent $11 billion of the nearly $15 billion of federal grants aimed at Sandy recovery, and only 13.3% of the $1.9 billion capital funds in the city’s budget for key projects. Some of the coastal resiliency projects may not be completed until 2030.

“This is a final order that resolves the last pending claim and closes the case.”

— Judge Thomas Cameron of the Michigan Court of Claims dismissed part of a lawsuit filed by eight women alleging sexual harassment and assault by a former University of Michigan lecturer. Cameron ruled that the plaintiffs failed to file timely notices of intent to sue the university, its board of regents and the former lecturer, Bruce Conforth. A portion of the lawsuit against Conforth remains, as does a state civil rights claim against the university and its board.

“We’re going to have to start from scratch.”

— Said Lori Davis, a resident of Powderly, Texas, who lost most of her home in a Nov. 4 tornado. Several tornadoes struck northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma, leaving at least 10 injured and destroying 50 homes. While severe weather season typically peaks in the spring, tornados occasionally develop in October, November, December and even January.

“I’ve been here for 30 years. This is a major occurrence. … This is not something we normally go to. We have about a third of our department on sites.”

— Patrick Armon, assistant fire chief for the Jackson (Mississippi) Fire Department, told WAPT-TV after a suspect was arrested in connection with seven fires set across the city. At least two of the buildings set ablaze in Jackson were churches; one was burned to the ground. Another fire broke out on fences surrounding the baseball practice field at Jackson State University, a historically Black public university. No injuries were reported.