Rains flood parts of recovering city

Heavy rains lashed this flood-prone city Monday, inundating areas that had only recently recovered from Hurricane Katrina and leading the Army Corps of Engineers to close a gate on a suburban canal where the waters threatened to top the walls.

After more than 8 inches of rain fell on parts of New Orleans by late afternoon, Mayor Ray Nagin shut City Hall early, and schools closed. People were asked to stay indoors until the flood potential subsided. More rain was expected overnight.

Waist-high water in parts of eastern New Orleans soaked businesses, some of which had recently reopened after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

The city’s pumps were working properly, officials said. Still, they urged motorists to stay off the streets to avoid creating wakes that could send water into homes and businesses.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Woman guilty in pregnancy death

A woman whose attorneys had argued that she was suffering from delusions when she killed an expectant mother, cut the baby from her womb and took the infant home was convicted Monday.

Jurors convicted Lisa Montgomery, 39, of kidnapping resulting in death in the 2004 attack on 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore. Jurors deliberated for about four hours before rejecting the insanity defense.

Prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty.

Defense attorneys claimed Montgomery was suffering from pseudocyesis, which causes a woman to falsely believe she is pregnant and exhibit outward signs of pregnancy.

ATLANTA

Dalai Lama joins Emory faculty

The Dalai Lama was formally installed as a professor at Emory University on Monday as Tibetan monks wearing moon-shaped yellow hats chanted and played cymbals, gongs and horns.

The exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, whose face is recognized around the world, now is the bearer of a faculty ID card.

“I suspect you will not need to carry this with you for identification, but in any case, we wanted you to know you are welcome,” student Emily Allen said as she handed him the card, a present from the students.

As Presidential Distinguished Professor, the Dalai Lama will provide private teaching sessions with students and faculty during Emory’s study-abroad program in Dharamsala, India, and will periodically visit Emory.