After delays that threatened to push the project into 2021, the City of New Orleans announced on Jan. 17 that the partially collapsed structure of the unfinished, 18-story Hard Rock Hotel will be brought down in a controlled demolition in late March, under a new plan to be submitted by demolition contractor D.H. Griffin Cos.
More than a week after being rocked by a Jan. 7 earthquake that knocked out its largest power plant, the island of Puerto Rico is still contending with ongoing temblors that are disrupting recovery efforts.
President Donald Trump gained some ground in his border wall fight and now seeks to divert more milcon billions in 2020, but other courts have rejected the approach.
Proponents see eased barriers for big construction projects, but others say environmental review cutbacks will create climate change risk and be tied up in lawsuits.