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Irene C. Chetta,
the city's first policewoman -- who served on the New Orleans Police Department from 1950 to 1970 -- has received the International Association of Women Police's POWER award. The honor is given by the association's Louisiana chapter and recognizes Chetta, 83, for helping pave the way for women on the force. Today, female officers make up 18.4 percent of the NOPD. The national average is 12.7 percent.

Soraya Flores-Guirreri,
Executive Assistant to the Director of the New Orleans office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, was named an 'Environmental Hero' by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The federal agency cites the bilingual administrator's excellence in coordinating emergency-preparedness activities with federal, state, and local governments and the private sector.

Douglas Brinkley and E. John Bullard
have received special honors from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Brinkley, director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans, was designated the 2004 Humanist of the Year. Bullard, director of the New Orleans Museum of Art, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The honorees will receive their awards at the Governor's Mansion this week.

John Joiner,
former court bailiff at the LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office, admitted that since 1998 he stole more than $54,000 in traffic fines, bonds, restitution payments and misdemeanor probation fees turned in to the sheriff's office. He made the admission after a state audit turned up the missing money, according to the state legislative auditor, who recommended that Sheriff Carl Smith's office keep a closer eye on its money.

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