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Equipment stolen in New Orleans

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS

Thieves have hauled off $100,000 worth of heavy equipment that was being used to help build a Lower Ninth Ward memorial to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

A Bobcat excavator and a Bobcat T300 Skid Steer Loader, were removed from the site sometime Saturday, construction company officials said.

The equipment didn?t last three days at the site.

?This takes a lot of guts,? said Bill Petty, senior vice president of Walton Construction Co., a Kansas City-based firm.

National Guard soldiers have been keeping an eye on the construction site because the neighborhood is nearly pitch black at night.

The equipment belonged to a subcontractor. Despite the theft, concrete for the memorial was poured Saturday.

?The unveiling will be on Aug. 27,? Petty said. ?We are going to finish on time, despite the loss. Weather depending, of course.?