New Orleans: A Tradition in Progress

Postcard from Home

2012-01-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras 2012 is Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Postcard from Home

2012-01-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Postcard from Home - Garden District

2012-01-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Postcard from Home - Antoines

2012-01-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

2012 Mardi Gras Parades

2012-01-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

2012 New Orleans Area Mardi Gras Parade Schedule

Saturday	Feb 4	Krewe du Vieux	French Quarter	6:30 pm
Sunday	Feb 5	Lil Rascals	Metairie	12:00 pm
Friday	Feb 10	Cork	French Quarter	3:00 pm
		Oshun	Uptown	6:00 pm
		Cleopatra	West Bank	6:30 pm
		Excalibur	Metairie	7:00 pm
		Eve	Mandeville	7:00 pm
		Atlas	Metairie	7:30 pm
Saturday	Feb 11	Choctaw	West Bank	11:00 am
		Adonis	West Bank	11:45 am
		Pontchartrain	Uptown	2:00 pm
		Nemesis	Chalmette	2:00 pm
		Olympia	Covington	6:00 pm
		Sparta	Uptown	6:00 pm
		Caesar	Metairie	6:00 pm
		Pygmalion	Uptown	6:45 pm
Sunday	Feb 12	Carrollton	Uptown	12:00 pm
		Alla	West Bank	12:00 pm
		Dionysus	Slidell	1:00 pm
		Rhea	Metairie	2:00 pm
		Thor	Metairie	3:00 pm
		King Arthur	Uptown	1:15 pm
		Barkus	French Quarter	2:00 pm
Wednesday	Feb 15	Ancient Druids	Uptown	6:30 pm
Thursday	Feb 16	Babylon	Uptown	5:45 pm
		Muses	Uptown	6:15 pm
		Chaos	Uptown	6:30 pm
Friday	Feb 17	Hermes	Uptown	6:00 pm
		Krewe d’Etat	Uptown	6:00 pm
		Selene	Slidell	6:30 pm
		Orpheus	Mandeville	7:00 pm
		Morpheus	Uptown	7:00 pm
		Centurions	Metairie	7:00 pm
Saturday	Feb 18	NOMTOC	West Bank	9:45 am
		Tucks	Uptown	10:00 am
		Iris	Uptown	11:00 am
		Endymion	Mid-City	4:15 pm
		Isis	Metairie	6:30 pm
Sunday	Feb 19	Okeanos	Uptown	11:00 am
		Mid City	Uptown	11:45 am
		Thoth	Uptown	12:00 pm
		Bacchus	Uptown	5:15 pm
		Napoleon	Metairie	5:30 pm
Monday	Feb 20	Proteus	Uptown	5:15 pm
		Orpheus	Uptown	6:00 pm
		Zeus	Metairie	6:30 pm
FAT TUESDAY	Feb 21	Zulu	Uptown	8:00 am
		Rex	Uptown	10:00 am
		Elks Orleans	Uptown	11:30 am
		Crescent City	Uptown	follows Elks
		Argus	Metairie	10:00 am
		Jefferson Trucks	Metairie	follows Argus
		Elks Trucks	Metairie	follows Jefferson Trucks
		Grela	West Bank	11:00 am
		BES	West Bank	follows Grela

Listing courtesy CARNIVAL NEW ORLEANS NEWS

Postcard from Home - Happy New Year

2011-12-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Ten Thousand Small Businesses

2011-12-29T22:39:00.001-08:00

THE THIRD GOLDMAN SACHS 10,000 SMALL BUSINESSES CLASS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Interested small business owners must apply by January 23, 2012

The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development has announced that the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is currently accepting applications to enroll in the program’s third class. Applications from small business owners are due January 23, 2012.

The 11-session business management education program will meet from late March – June. Classes are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and some Saturdays at Delgado Community College. Participants also commit 6-8 hours per week for out-of-class activities geared toward their business. Business owners eligible to apply for the program are required to have been in business for two years or more; and to have at least four employees, a revenue stream of $150,000 to $4 million per year, and a business that is poised for growth.

In advance of the application deadline, those interested in applying or seeking more information about the program are invited to attend one of two information sessions held at Delgado Community College, City Park Campus (Building #3, Room 222). Dates for those sessions are: January 5, 2012, 5:30 p.m. and January 17, 2012, 5:30 p.m.

Interested business owners can RSVP for the information sessions at jyunke@dcc.edu or 504-671-6523. Walk-ins are welcomed.

Small business owners interested in applying to the business and management education program can contact Delgado Community College at 504.671.5000 or click here for more information. Small business owners interested in applying for capital can contact Hope Enterprise Corporation at 10KSB@hope-ec.org.

First announced in November 2010, 10,000 Small Businesses is designed to help local small business owners create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to business education, financial capital, and business support services. Small business owners accepted into the program will study accounting, human resources, negotiation, and marketing. Accepted applicants will also participate in one-on-one business advising sessions, accounting workshops, and pro bono legal clinics.

New Orleans Enjoys Startup Boom

2011-12-29T22:38:00.001-08:00

Dean Burridge sent in this NPR post.
Photo by Charlie London

New Orleans has long been known as one of America's hardest luck cities, struggling over the years with poverty, crime, corruption and tragic disaster. But the city's darkest days have sparked a surprising new entrepreneurial spirit.

Residents Billy Bosch and Matt Mouras, for example, are trying to launch a nutritional beverage company and are getting a leg up from Idea Village, a nonprofit that helps nurture the city's entrepreneurs.
"We have people that have had experience building businesses, people that have already gone through the process that are coaching us. And they're also extremely connected locally. They can put us in touch with the resources we need as a startup," Mouras says.

Idea Village co-founder and CEO Tim Williamson says the organization has helped some 1,100 businesses get off the ground.

"It's meant to be a place for you to trust your crazy ideas," Williamson says.

And some of those ideas are taking hold. Inc. magazine has called New Orleans "the coolest startup city in America."

Williamson says it's no coincidence the entrepreneurial boom came in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

"Katrina did many, many things, but one is the next day everyone became an entrepreneur. We were all starting over in some way," Williamson says. New Orleans was closed, he says, so there was nothing to lose by trying something new.

Allison Plyer, deputy director of the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, says that entrepreneurial spirit was never part of the climate here before.

"New Orleans historically has been very much a third-world economy; the exploitation of raw materials, in our case, oil [and] cheap labor. So there wasn't a lot of drive to innovate," Plyer says.

Plyer says that before 2005, when Katrina struck, New Orleans lagged the nation in startups. Now the city exceeds the national average by about 30 percent.

The new ventures include software companies, digital media firms and industries that have developed to handle some of the problems Katrina posed; water management and education reform, for example.

Young people have flocked to the city, most of them with college degrees, reversing a decades-old brain-drain problem. Jessica Shahien, 25, left for college and had no intention of coming back home.

"I saw New Orleans as kind of a corrupt, sort-of backwards place. I wasn't going to inherit a family business, I wasn't going to go into hospitality or oil and gas, so why would I stay?" Shahien says.

But she says Katrina rekindled her connection to the city. Now she's running 504Ward, a play on the New Orleans area code. It's a brain-gain initiative aimed at keeping young adults in the city.

"You can be a 20- or 30-something and really make a difference really quickly. They come thinking it will be an adventure, and then they have the opportunity to do something they would have to wait 10 years in another city to do," Shahien says.

Nolan Rollins, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, has been working to make sure the city leverages the post-Katrina investment and new business climate, and that minorities aren't left out.

"This is our 'Go West, young man.' This is really the opportunity to make a difference from a generational standpoint," Rollins says. "If we aren't making sure they're a part of the new economy, we're going to destabilize our economy, there's going to be no ability for the city to actually grow."

And that's been a challenge with the entrepreneurial boom, says Plyer.
"It is not including a lot of the longtime residents of New Orleans. So it's primarily white folks," Plyer says. "There are not a lot of African-Americans who are involved in the ecosystem as it's getting developed."

Painter Myesha Francis, 32, with her own gallery in the arts district, is an exception. Francis doubts she'd own her own business by now if she hadn't gotten a start two years ago at the Entergy Innovation Center in the 9th Ward, one of several entrepreneurial hubs in the city.

"I don't think it would have happened this fast, because the Innovation Center made it possible for me to have the space and be able to work because the rent was reasonable," Francis says.
Now she's in a prime location but does struggle to find enough business. "People still spend along color lines; along who they like, who they know, who they don't know," she says.

She says some of the city's old ways hang on. Francis has had to turn to nontraditional lenders, for example, to borrow money for her business. Venture capital has long been the missing piece in the economy here. But even that's changing, as new angel investors look to fund nontraditional companies.

Clayton White is co-founder of the year-old South Coast Angel Fund.
"You don't have to be connected to the right rich person to get investment. Now you just need to know we exist," White says.
The state has helped with angel tax credits and other incentives for startups. And it has invested nearly $50 million in the New Orleans BioInnovation Center; four stories of modern lab suites designed to commercialize technologies coming out of local universities.

"A lot of the research that was being done down here would just remain in the lab or sit in filing cabinets, or it was being licensed away," says Aaron Miscenish, president of the downtown center.

Now, young graduates can work on scientific breakthroughs right here in New Orleans; by testing old DNA samples that would otherwise be sitting, gathering dust.

For example, a company called InnoGenomics is trying to develop new DNA marker systems to work even in disaster conditions. The idea came to InnoGenomics CEO Sudhir Sinha after he was unable to identify victims of Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans' future depends on keeping and growing this kind of intellectual talent, says Michael Hecht of Greater New Orleans Inc., an economic development alliance.

"How do we ensure that this new culture, which is forward leaning, which is optimistic, becomes the permanent new New Orleanian culture and is not just a bit of rebuilding euphoria?" Hecht says.

He's hoping the city's low cost of living and famed lifestyle will help. For someone under 35, he says, the ability to make a meaningful impact and also have fun is a "pretty unbeatable cocktail." Pun intended, he says.

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/29/144074234/in-katrina-s-wake-new-orleans-enjoys-start-up-boom

Greetings for the Season

2011-12-29T00:41:00.000-08:00

Wishing you peace, love and laughter this Christmas and throughout the New Year.

Councilmember Susan G. Guidry and Staff

Day Tripping

2011-12-28T23:49:00.000-08:00

article and photos by Charlie London

Those over 50 likely remember the Beatles' song Day Tripper.
If you don't, click on the video below.

My day trip started with my wife giving me a ride to City Hall so I could participate in the public commentary on the location of the Skate Park that drink manufacturer Red Bull is donating to New Orleans.

Mr. Vincent Smith, Capital Projects Administrator for the City of New Orleans basically repeated the information you can find in my previous blog post in the link below:
http://fsjna.org/2011/12/skate-park-meeting-at-city-hall-wednesday/

There were large poster boards explaining the selection criteria which you can see in the link below:
http://fsjna.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Skate-Park-Site-Selection-Criteria.pdf

I asked if the Skate Park would have a fence built around it. Mr. Smith replied that it would not and added that the preference for the Skate Park is for an area that already is "secure". Meaning that parks that already have gates and regular opening and closing times would have preference.

That would almost certainly disqualify the Lafitte Corridor as it is open 24 hours each day. So, if you are interested in a Skate Park in Mid-City you should likely get busy asking for it.

I asked about better public input. I work at night so I have the luxury of attended a few daytime meetings. Most people don't. With meetings that begin at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. that leaves most folks out of the planning process for the Skate Park. Mr. Smith indicated that people should be able to comment by phone and on the internet soon.

There were about 10 people who attended the meeting. Michael Homan, his son Gil and myself were there on behalf of the Lafitte Corridor. Councilmember Jon Johnson and several others were there to promote the Skate Park going in at Joe Brown Park in New Orleans East and a couple of people were there to try to get the Skate Park in Martin Behrman Memorial Park in Algiers.

Regardless of whether you are for or against a Skate Park make your opinion known to Councilmember Guidry at sgguidry@nola.gov *** Follow Gil Homan's lead and make your voice heard.

My day trip continued with a walk from City Hall down Loyola where I encountered this new and innovative bus stop at Tulane and Loyola. It's been there about one week.

I continued my day trip to Canal Street where I waited for the streetcar to take me all the way to Esplanade Avenue by the museum. The newly restored Joy Theatre was across from the streetcar stop and the first performance will be by Irma Thomas tonight.

If you have the time, I highly recommend riding the streetcar downtown from or to the museum. And, don't forget you can get on the Esplanade Bus at Fortier Park which will take you right to the French Quarter. Both the busses and streetcars are very clean.

It's only $1.25 each way and sure beats paying much more to park your car, that is... if you have the time. The streetcar and bus schedules are getting better but aren't quite up to running exactly on time.

(courtesy youtube user kouran92)

Dats a Spicy Family!

2011-12-27T22:34:00.000-08:00

Faubourg St. John resident Al Kramer and his family were featured in the Christmas Day article, "What a Card!" by Sheila Stroup of the Times Picayune. Click on Al's card to read her article.

And, if you still have Sunday's paper, look for the card on page D-10 of the December 25, 2011 issue of the Times Picayune.

Magical Mystery Tour - New Year

2011-12-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

Look for the Magical Mystery Tour every Wednesday at FSJNA dot ORG.
Look for the POSTCARD from HOME every Sunday at FSJNA dot ORG.

Article and photos courtesy www.neworleansonline.com

New Year's in New Orleans

December 31, 2011 – January 1, 2012

When it comes to celebrating New Year's Eve in grand style, nobody does it better than New Orleans. Not even New York's Times Square. With live music in Jackson Square leading to a ball drop at midnight followed by a fireworks display, followed by all-night partying in the storied French Quarter and it's all FREE -- how could any other city top that?

Hosted by the City of New Orleans, in collaboration with the Crescent City Countdown Club, the Jackson Square entertainment begins at 9:00 p.m. on the Decatur Street City Stage with a performance by the Lagniappe Brass Band, followed by MyNameIsJohnMichael. Shamarr Allen and the Underdogs will take the festivities up to the midnight countdown. The Hornets Buzz Patrol, from the city's pro basketball team, will add high energy and get the crowds dancing in the streets!

As the countdown toward midnight winds down, all eyes will turn upward to the rooftop of the Jax Brewery Condominiums. There a newly renovated, LED illuminated, 8' by 5' two-dimensional fleur de lis will begin its descent down a 25-foot pole to launch the exquisite "Symphony in the Sky." At the stroke of midnight, as the fleur de lis completes its descent, the number 2012 will light up, announcing the official arrival of the New Year.

The lovable 6-foot tall "Baby New Year," wearing a purple and gold diaper (LSU's school colors), will again be perched on the corner of the Jax rooftop for all to see. Baby New Year will have on his Saints helmet, added the year the Saints played in (and won!) the Super Bowl. He will also be flanked by LSU and Hornets flags and have other special touchups that showcase the spirit of New Orleans.

Then the fireworks begin!

At the stroke of midnight, one of the nation's top-rated fireworks displays will be shot off from twin barges anchored in the nearby Mississippi River. For the next 15 minutes, as the pyrotechnic extravaganza illuminates the sky, it will be choreographed to soulful New Orleans music. Also included will be the fight songs of our visiting Allstate Sugar Bowl teams, Virginia Tech and the University of Michigan, as well as those of the competing Allstate BCS Championship teams, Alabama and LSU. As the fight songs play, the sky will light up in the teams' colors!

The NOLA New Year's Eve celebration will be simulcast live on Magic 101.9 FM and WWL AM and FM and WWL.com, allowing it to be enjoyed in more than 38 states across the U.S. and on the worldwide web.

The party continues in the French Quarter

And then, after the music, festivities and fireworks, the party STILL isn't over! That's the time to head over to the French Quarter or to nearby Frenchmen Street for a night of celebrating and whooping it up. New Orleans is a city that stays up all night when there is something big going on and there are few bigger occasions than New Year's Eve. The party can go on till the wee hours . . . or longer . . . if the weather is warm. Which it usually is this time of year.
Live music, exotic drink specialties, great food, happy people celebrating in the streets and much more. Now how can New York, or anywhere else, top all that?

Quieter Celebration Options

But, if outdoor celebrations and big crowds not for you, there are plenty of classy places around the city to relax and enjoy the festive occasion. You can make a reservation at one of the city's many fine restaurants and celebrate the evening over delectable meals and of course, lots of bubbly â€“ 'tis the season, after all. Many restaurants offer special deals or packages for the evening, so make sure you check ahead to ensure the perfect night for you, your loved ones and friends.

In the mood for live music? Check out which bands are playing that night. New Year's concerts feel more like parties. Many places offer hors d'oeuvres and open bars for a flat cover fee. Most bars and restaurants, regardless of size, have something special going on that night. When planning your trip, make sure you check out who is playing where and when, since some venues sell out before the big night. If you can purchase tickets or make credit card reservations ahead of time it is advisable to do so.

For the Kids and Their Families

And, not to leave the kiddies out, if you're looking for a celebration the whole family can enjoy, there are fun options for all of you. The Louisiana Children's Museum hosts an annual Countdown to Noon, a festive celebration featuring games, entertainment, and a New Year's countdown to 12:00 noon, complete with balloon and confetti drops and a soda-pop toast. Festive hats and noisemakers are also included to make the afternoon an extra-special affair. Go to their website at this link to find out more and make reservations http://lcm.org/calendar.

Similarly, the Audubon Zoo hosts a "Noon Years Eve" celebration, so your little party animal can ring in the New Year in one of the country's top-rated Zoos. This event features live music, games and prizes, and a countdown with sparkling apple cider and other soft drinks. Click here for details and to make reservations.

Whatever your preference is, New Orleans has all the bases covered for New Year's Eve: everything you could possibly imagine for everyone. It's a time you will never forget! Once you've experienced New Year's Eve in New Orleans, you won't want to celebrate it anywhere else. That's a promise!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you plan on spending New Year's Eve in New Orleans you need to make your reservations as soon as possible. The Allstate Sugar Bowl is being played on Tuesday, January 3 and hotel rooms will start filling up that weekend.

Skate Park Meeting at City Hall Wednesday

2011-12-27T04:19:00.000-08:00

The City and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) announced that three public meetings will be held to review proposed locations for a skate park. In October 2011, a skateboard ramp was donated to the City and NORDC.

The proposed locations for installation are Joe Brown Park, Behrman Memorial Park, or the Lafitte Greenway.

The three public meetings will be held in the New Orleans City Council chamber, 1300 Perdido Street, 1st floor, on the following dates:

~~Wednesday, December 21, 2011; 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.~~
~~Wednesday, December 28, 2011; 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon~~

Wednesday, January 4, 2012; 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Citizens are encouraged to attend and provide their input. Please write to Councilmember Guidry at sgguidry@nola.gov

Skate Park Site Selection Criteria

Map of NORD Parks Recreation Facilities December, 2011

Klaus Weiland to Play at Fair Grinds Friday

2011-12-26T06:42:00.000-08:00

FAIR GRINDS COFFEEHOUSE
3133 Ponce de Leon
New Orleans, LA 70119
(just off the 3100 block of Esplanade in beautiful Faubourg St. John)

Hope some of y'all who remember Klaus can make it to Fair Grinds on Friday. And, if you weren't around back in the day, come support live folk music and get an earful of some of the finest playing you'll ever hear! An Evening with Guitar Wizard Klaus Weiland.

Friday Night December 30, 2001
8:00 pm

Fair Grinds Coffee House
http://fairgrinds.com/
3133 Ponce de Leon St. New Orleans
$10.00

Klaus Weiland is the best guitarist you've never heard of, and he's returning to the New Orleans area to play for the first time in thirty years.

Habituees of the Quarter and New Orleans coffeehouses may remember the flamboyantly attired German musician with the English accent who killed us softly with his acoustic guitar in the late 70s and early 80s. Whether jamming with Charmaine or Little Queenie, with New Leviathan's Eric Glaser or just hanging out with a mandolin, Klaus always brought fluency and craft to his playing.

His cds include: Pebbles, Acoustic Passion, Listen to the Sky, and Cathedral Forests. An EP, Lotte, is available on iTunes.

His web site: www.klausweiland.com

Performance Videos from the UK's New Music Express:
http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/M3XLaH3zZUY/search/klaus-weiland

See Klaus Weiland Is Back in Louisiana on Facebook
(we’re just dying for you to “LIKE” him)

“Your music regulates my breathing.” Art Neville

“The best guitarist in Europe.” Finbar Furey, Dublin

late 80's Conceived, built (500 auto tires, 20,000 plastic soda bottles, 12miles of lobster trapline, all rescued from the environment) and sailed with my brother Chris "Bubbles" Weiland, together with a wonderful bunch of volunteer eco-adventurists in Key West.

Christmas on the Bayou

2011-12-25T01:14:00.000-08:00

all photos copyright Charlie London
[gallery link="file" columns="2"][caption id="attachment_11418" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Majestic oaks welcome all to New Orleans' City Park."][/caption][caption id="attachment_11417" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Ducks swim to the beat of nature's symphony."][/caption][caption id="attachment_11416" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="A pelican enjoys the peace of New Orleans' City Park"][/caption][caption id="attachment_11415" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="An egret celebrates Christmas on Bayou St. John"][/caption]

Postcard from Home - Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Look for a POSTCARD from HOME every Sunday at FSJNA dot ORG

Dirty Bird Gumbo is mmmmm good

2011-12-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Not only did the Saints beat the Falcons 45-16 but
Drew Brees brought his season total passing yards to 5,087 - an new NFL record!

The New Orleans Saints play the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome on Monday, Dec 26 at 7:30 pm

Have You Seen Me?

2011-12-22T01:56:00.000-08:00

Have You Seen Me?

I am a QR code. Developed in Japan as a code for auto parts, I am commonly used in America as a link to websites. How do I work? Well, you'll need to download a QR reader app for your phone. Then use that app to take a picture of me and I will bring you right to Faubourg St. John's website. Look for me around the neighborhood!

Holiday Greetings

2011-12-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a New Year blessed with peace and happiness

Mayor Mitch and Cheryl Landrieu and Family

Santa Says Clean Your Drain

2011-12-21T23:53:00.000-08:00

THIS JUST IN: Santa requests all New Orleans Residents to clean the catch basins near their homes. Santa needs all streets to be free of water and debris for the efficient delivery of presents.

Santa has been checking his list and the weather twice. He is requesting all residents to be sure to clean the catch basin near their home due to the possibility of heavy rain in the near future. Santa requests clean, flood-free streets to help speed his deliveries.

If you think the City of New Orleans is going to clean the catch basin in front of your home please rethink that plan. If you don't clean the catch basin in front of your home it is you who will suffer the consequences. Please consider cleaning the catch basins in and around your home NOW!

Click here for EPA recommendations for catch basin cleaning.

A catch basin, which is also known as a storm drain inlet or curb inlet, is an opening to the storm drain system that typically includes a grate or curb inlet at street level where storm water enters the catch basin and a sump captures sediment, debris and associated pollutants. Catch basins are able to prevent trash and other floatable materials from entering the drainage system by capturing such debris by way of a hooded outlet. The outlet pipes for catch basins on combined sewers (sanitary waste and storm water in a single pipe) are also outfitted with a flapper (trap) device to prevent the backflow of any unpleasant odors from pipes. Catch basins act as pretreatment for other treatment practices by allowing larger sediments to settle in the basin sump areas.

Click here to see catch basin guidelines from Connecticut.

It is important to maintain catch basins to prevent storm sewer blockages and minimize the amount of pollutants entering storm sewers which may eventually discharge into local streams and waterways such as Lake Ponchartrain. Clogged catch basins can also result in the ponding of water along streets and parking lots causing a nuisance to motorists, pedestrians and businesses.

How you can help: When you are clearing your sidewalk or driveway, dispose of waste in trash receptacles instead of sweeping it into the gutters or catch basins.

If leaves or other debris are blocking a catch basin near your house or business, remove and dispose of the debris properly.

Article from:
http://www.bwsc.org/PROJECTS/Maintenance/catchbasin.asp

Prepare to Renovate!

2011-12-21T11:40:00.000-08:00
Prepare to Renovate! Start off 2012 right with PRC's newest educational program, the Advanced Renovation Workshop

This series includes three workshops:

Wednesday, Jan. 11 · 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 18 · 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 25 · 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

At the PRC
923 Tchoupitoulas St.
(in the Warehouse District)

Attend the inaugural class of PRC's newest education seminar!

For beginners and experienced renovators alike, this series of workshops taught by local professionals will prepare you to tackle your own renovation.

Topics covered include:
Project Management
Building Systems
Sustainable Renovation Techniques
Working Successfully with Your Contractor
Navigating Permitting Agencies
How to Interpret Construction Documents
Maintaining the Historic Character of Your House and Local Resources

Presenters include:
Wardlaw Witherspoon
Peter Trapolin, AIA
Allison Saunders
Bill Robinson
Harvey Wier
Jennifer Farwell
Chris Draper

For more information, or to register: www.prcno.org

Suzanne N. Blaum
Director of Education and Outreach
Preservation Resource Center
923 Tchoupitoulas St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 636-3399
sblaum@prcno.org
www.prcno.org

REBRIDGE NOW!

2011-12-21T05:21:00.000-08:00
photo taken with iPhone by Charlie London
Happy Holidays Re-Bridgers:

My son was chanting Re-Bridge NOW in the back of the truck this morning so I thought I would send a holiday note and let you know how we are standing at the end of the year. My friend took this attached shot of the Magnolia Bridge all lit up (thanks to Cabrini!) for the holidays.

Mignon Faget AdornAments
SOLD OUT! - Mignon Faget sold all of the 300 AdornAments that were made on this first run – the Magnolia Bridge and Re-Bridge's efforts to save it proved to be a very popular item (but we knew that).

Bubbles for the Bridges
We beat our own estimates and raised over $20K at the first annual gala, Bubbles for the Bridges, but we also had a swell time! The Sanctuary was warm and inviting, the weather was ideal, the Creole String Beans were grooving, Commander's food was excellent, we had a great selection of hard to find elsewhere Silent Auction items, and well, the guests were all fantastic. Thanks all of you who supported this event. We are still sending out the thank you notes to all the wonderful donors who helped make the event a huge success.

Fundraising
Re-Bridge will hold two flagship events a year, a Crawfish Boil in the Spring that our past Chair, Mary-jo Webster, has volunteered to oversee, and the fall Gala. Otherwise, we will be seeking additional funds from private and public foundations to help us reach our matching goal. As you know we were awarded $844,400 from the Transportation Enhancement Act to rehabilitate the Magnolia Bridge. We need $220K to match those funds and have raised to date $40K. So we have a ways to go. In addition to seeking funds, our tee shirt and Mignon Faget's AdornAment sales and individual donations made to our website or mailed in are helping us towards that goal. We will begin looking into the Dumaine Street Bridge now that a new director of the Department of Public Works has been announced.

What you could do for Re-Bridge:
LIKE us on Facebook
DONATE on our site – rebridge.org
BUY A TEE SHIRT – sold at Swirl – they are hip, ultra soft and hot looking.
BUY AN ADORNAMENT – Mignon Faget will have to make more after Christmas.
Thanks for all your support, and we look forward to another year of your help.

RE-BRIDGE NOW!

Rachel Dangermond
Re-Bridge Chair
1055 Moss Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
504.309.2116
415.336.9543 Cell
www.rebridge.org

Skate Park Meetings

2011-12-21T03:04:00.000-08:00
The City and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) announced that three public meetings will be held to review proposed locations for a skate park. In October 2011, a skateboard ramp was donated to the City and NORDC.

The proposed locations for installation are Joe Brown Park, Behrman Memorial Park, or the Lafitte Greenway.

The three public meetings will be held in the New Orleans City Council chamber, 1300 Perdido Street, 1st floor, on the following dates:

Wednesday, December 21, 2011; 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011; 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Wednesday, January 4, 2012; 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Citizens are encouraged to attend and provide their input. Please write to Councilmember Guidry at sgguidry@nola.gov

Skate Park Site Selection Criteria

Map of NORD Parks Recreation Facilities December, 2011

Build a Bike and Make a Difference

2011-12-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

RESTORE | RENEW | RECYCLE

The New Orleans Community Bike Project exists to promote the use of bicycles and other human-powered transportation; to assist all bicyclists in learning to maintain their vehicles; to provide a space for sharing community resources and fostering community education; and to promote the reuse of materials that might otherwise be thrown away.

Plan B is a community-run bike project that functions as an open workspace for bicycle building and repair. The workspace makes an array of professional bike tools available for use to the public for free while volunteers offer free help and instruction in bike repair. The bike project makes donated parts available at low cost. Additionally, complete used bikes are also available at reasonable, fair-market prices. All of the proceeds from sales are used to keep the project running and allow us to offer free stand time, tool library use, and bike education programs to the general public.

Shop: 1024 Elysian Fields | New Orleans, LA 70116
Phone: 504-272-PBNO (7266)
Email: nolabikeproject@gmail.com

Click on the bike to learn more.

***

2239 Piety St in the Upper 9th Ward | New Orleans
(at the corner of Piety and N Tonti)

RUBARB is an all volunteer run space, which means no bosses, no workers and no pay. We all participate in making the space, tools and parts organized and accessible, and any money that is received goes toward tools and parts and all other basic needs of the shop. Our primary goal is to provide adequate tools and competent help to meet the needs of those who desire to build and repair bikes. RUBARB is an educational space where we all can share and learn from each other's skills and experiences.

To meet these goals we currently offer:

Ways to build or get your own bike - start with a bike that needs a little repairing and a donation for all the needed parts and a person can finish the bike and make it their own. Work trades are also a welcomed way to get a bike and contribute to the shop. We also have a few bikes ready to ride, which we ask a $40 - $80 contribution for.

the EARN-A-BIKE program - after completing a series of 4 steps, which include learning basic maintenance and bike building skills, youth earn bikes that they take home with them.

step #1: fixing a flat. this is a basic skill that every bike owner should be able to do! kids learn to patch a punctured tube and should then be able to fix their own if experiencing a flat on their bikes.

step #2: overhauling a wheel. this step requires the earn-a-biker to take apart a wheel, regrease it, and put it back together. not only does overhauling a wheel make it ride smoother and last longer, but kids get a chance to see what's inside a hub, how it works, and how it goes together.

step #3: overhauling a bike. this is the time when kids pick out a bike to earn and begin working on it. some of our bikes are in various states of disrepair, so s/he may not only be overhauling the bottom bracket and wheels, but adjusting the headsets and brakes and piecing together parts such as handlebars and seats.

step #4: help beautify RUBARB. in this final step, the earn-a-bike participant does something to help brighten, organize, or simply make the shop a more enjoyable space. so far kids have made t-shirts, painted a mural, created a sculpture out of bike parts, organized our tubes, and painted ornaments for our tree made out of rims.

download the earn-a-bike flyer here

Magical Mystery Tour - Snow on the Bayou

2011-12-20T16:01:00.000-08:00
photo and poem from Faubourg St. John neighbor Eileen Duke

AFTER THE CHILDREN HAVE PLAYED
(image the tune of "Do you hear what I hear" while you read below)

Do you know what we know,
do you know what we know?

The messages of children,
Written in the snow.

The joy, the dreams, the happy memories are magical and lasting when shared.

May all of our loved ones experience the peace and joy of the season!

Eileen Duke

***

from "mysticcomus" on YouTube.com

December 11, 2008

Please visit the link below to read the Times Picayune's story about the 2008 snowfall.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/the_new_orleans_area_is.html

Lafitte Greenway News

2011-12-20T03:34:00.000-08:00

The next round of meetings about the Lafitte Corridor will take place near the end of February, 2012.

The Lafitte Greenway & Corridor Revitalization Plans will be available for public viewing by visiting http://www.lafittecorridorconnection.com/
or two physical locations:
SoJourner Truth Community Center, located at 2200 Lafitte Street and the New Orleans Public Library (main branch), 3rd floor in the Louisiana section.

December 20th is a Big Deal!

2011-12-19T16:01:00.000-08:00
[caption id="attachment_11322" align="alignleft" width="189" caption="The United States BEFORE the Louisiana Purchase. Click on map for image credit."][/caption]retyped by Charlie London
TIMES PICAYUNE
February 28, 1935
Page 8
Click here to see the original article
in the February 28, 1935 issue of the TimesPicayune.

Louisiana Purchase, Completed in Cabildo, Stands as Greatest Realty Deal in History

Every other real estate deal in history fades into insignificance when compared with the Louisiana Purchase.
For $15,000,000, France turned over to the United States all of what is now known as Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma; three-quarters of Louisiana, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming; half of Minnesota and North Dakota; a quarter of New Mexico and small parts of Mississippi, Idaho and Texas. And Napoleon Bonaparte made up his mind to make that sale while he was mad as a hornet in his bathtub!

The date was December 20, 1803. Louisiana had been French from the discoverers to 1769, then Spanish until November 30, 1803, French again for 20 days, and now was to become American.

Up there in the Sala Capitular of the Cabildo, the second-story room on the corner of St. Peter and Chartres streets today, the great valley empire of the Louisiana Purchase was to be transferred with pompous formality to the United States of America.

In the Sala Capitular the dignified gentlemen were exchanging credentials. Pierre Clement Laussat, colonial prefect of Louisiana, who for 20 days had ruled the huge province for Napoleon Bonaparte, first consul of France; William C.C. Claiborne, first American governor of Louisiana; General James Wilkinson of the United States army.

Laussat was preparing to turn over to Claiborne and Wilkinson the vast territory Napoleon Bonaparte had sold for $15,000,000 in the name of the republic of France to President Thomas Jefferson in the name of the United States of America.

The 10,000 population of New Orleans, streaming toward the Place d'Armes, packed inside of it, couldn't have dreamed of all that. Nor the 50,000 population of the great empire up the valley. All they knew was that the flags and the ground rules were changing again. Most of them hated the change. They had been successively subjects of Spain, citizens of the republic of France, citizens of the United States of America, all within 22 days.

The spectators watched the troops march into the square and take up their positions, in even ranks. There was the New Orleans militia under colonel Belle-chasse. There were United States army regulars in the tight knee-breeches and tailcots, their criss-cross white belts, their heavy smooth-bore muskets. Here in a group stood the "Kaintocks" - Kentucky flatboatmen, many in Indian buckskin and coonskin caps. Some carried the long Kentucky rifles on the arms, were belted with hunting knife and Indian tomahawk.

Inside the Cabildo the dignified gentlemen had accepted the others' credentials. Clerks had droned through the lenghty wording of international documents. The gentlemen rose and solemnly shook hands. Governor Claiborne produced his first proclamation of this vast new land he ruled. It was in three languages - English, French and Spanish. Claiborne, Wilkinson and Laussat advanced to the second-story windows of the Cabildo. The proclamation was to be read in all three languages. The United States of America notified the world thereby that Louisiana was now American. Some cheers rose.

Stars and Stripes Hoisted

Then an armed color guard marched to the flagpole in the middle of the Place d'Armes. Solemnly they hauled down the flag of France. Solemnly they hoisted to the top of the pole the Stars and Stripes. And the United States army regulars at the sharp command of an officer raised their muskets and fired a salute to the flag that, with added stars, floats over Louisiana yet. Then the Claiborne proclamation was read.

Americans began pouring into New Orleans from that day. The 1810 census, seven years later, shows 17.242 population for the city, 76,556 population for Louisiana. New Orleans was launched on her career as the greatest city of the South.

Incredible today sounds the welter of motives and circumstances that led to that transfer of Louisiana. They didn't even know many of the details, then , those folks who feasted and danced and drank deep at the banquets and the brilliant ball given in New Orleans that night of December 20, 1803. Documents then buried in private and secret archives have come to light since that day. Now the almost unbelievable picture is clear.

First of all, Napoleon Bonaparte literally made up his mind to sell Louisiana in a fit of rage while he was in his hot bath. It was a strangely shaped copper tub with its own charcoal stove attached. Napoleon's circulation was poor. He awoke cold. He would sit an hour in that simmering, soapy, perfumed water. Such a tub stands in the Cabildo today.

Two Americans in Paris

In Paris, then , were two Americans, Robert R. Livingston, brilliant New York lawyer (who never saw the Louisiana he helped buy for his nation). and James Monroe, later president of the United States. They came with President Thomas Jefferson's proposal to buy Louisiana. Napoleon delegated to deal with them Barbe Marbois, "peer of France." Actually, Robert R. Livingston and Barbe Marbois did about 90 per cent of the negotitating. Monroe arrived late; was sick in bed most of the time.

Napoleon Needed Money

Napoleon was planning to invade the British Isles and conquer his worst foes in their homeland. He needed money for army and fleet. But he hadn't made up his mind yet to sell Louisiana.

A letter to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, tells how he did make up his mind in his bath. Joseph and Jerome, two of his brothers, called on him that morning. Jerome was brilliant in a new uniform of light blue and silver. Napoleon's valet admitted them. Napoleon, neck-deep in hot water, his brothers standing near the tub, suggested it might be a good thing to sell Louisiana. The brothers fouth the idea hotly. Their language angered Napoleon. Suddenly, as the three screamed at each other, quarrelling, excited Corsicans all in the midst of a family battle, Napoleon leaped to his feet. A wave of soapy water deluged Jerome Bonaparte, ruined his costly new uniform. Their high, shrill voices alarmed the servant. He came running from the ante-room, thought he saw the brothers about to fight each other, and fainted with fear and excitement. Napoleon, naked, leaped from the tub. The three brothers bent over the unconscious servant, reviving him.

But Napoleon's last defiance of his brothers: "Who rules France? You or I? If I want to sell Louisiana, I will!" became his fixed determination.

[caption id="attachment_11325" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="United States AFTER Louisiana Purchase. Click on image for photo credit."][/caption]

Americans Delighted

Livingston and Monroe learned to their delight that Napoleon would sell. After long haggling, the price was fixed at $15,000,000, a tremendous sum in those days. The treaty was signed at last by Livingston, Monroe, and Barbe Marbois. A letter from Livingston and Monroe to Rufus King, then American minister to England (first of the long line of what became ambassadors to St. James), was the first notification to anyone that the treaty was signed. The treaty was signed and sealed in triplicate.

Thomas Jefferson admitted he "strained his power until it cracked" making that $15,000,000 purchase. He had to borrow the money. And the lender was the London banking house of the Barings - the great English financial firm of the day!

It sounds incredible that an English banking firm lent the money to the United States, England's recent victorious enemy, to pay Napoleon Bonaparte for Louisiana when England wanted Louisiana, anyway, and it was Europe's open secret that Napoleon planned to invade England and was seeking desperately to finance the proposed expedition. But they did.

Money for Army and Fleet

Napoleon spent the money on army and fleet, the fleet that never sailed from Boulogne to land that army on English soil. The adverse winds, the stormy channel crossing, saved England that invasion.

And, as the War of 1812 and the Packenham expedition that failed a the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 revealed, England had planned to take Louisiana by force, anyway. But that was all in the remote future, undreamed by those crowds in New Orleans that fateful day of December 20, 1803. Some of them cheered, some complained. A lot of them went to sleep to wake with headaches caused by anything from champagne and madeira, port and sherry, to Monongahela whiskey and West Indian rum. And with the ceremonies all over, Governor claiborne started out next day to solve problems practically unsolvable, to govern in American fashion, as American citizens made overnight, a population of some 60,000 that language of most of whom he didn't even understand!

Click here to see the original article
in the February 28, 1935 issue of the TimesPicayune.

Energy Smart

2011-12-17T17:39:00.000-08:00
Energy Smart is a City Council and Entergy New Orleans program that provides incentives to homeowners and renters for energy assessments and measures, such as incentives for insulation, reduced A/C tune-ups and free energy efficient light bulbs. Please visit: www.EnergySmartNOLA.info

Postcard from Home

2011-12-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

James Pitot and the Lafitte Corridor

2011-12-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

Research by Charlie London

Photo of James Pitot courtesy http://trueknowledge.com

James Pitot was the second Mayor of New Orleans but the first Mayor of incorporated New Orleans. He lived for a short time in the house now located at 1440 Moss Street. It is commonly known as the Pitot House. The house is presently occupied by the Louisiana Landmarks Society. You can learn more about the Louisiana Landmarks Society by visiting their website at http://louisianalandmarks.org or calling (504) 482-0312.

The Lafitte Corridor, as it is known today, is on top of the filled-in Carondelet Canal. As you will learn in the 1957 article by Pie Dufor noted below, James Pitot was instrumental in making the Corondelet Canal (now Lafitte Corridor) a reality.

Want to learn more about James Pitot? Please click on the photo of a painting of James Pitot obtained from http://trueknowledge.com

You may enjoy reading some of the original articles about James Pitot and other interesting historical items in the links at the bottom of this post.

TIMES PICAYUNE | October 13, 1957 | article by Pie Dufour

(referring to never dug Canal Street canal)
It all began in 1805 when a group of wealthy Orleanians, headed by James Pitot and Julien Poydras, obtained a charter from the Orleans Territory Legislature for the Orleans Navigation Company.

The plan was to dig the canal in the city commons - the disputed land outside the city - from the river to a point where it would make a right angle turn and continue to connect with the turning basin of the Carondelet canal, which is now the present parking lot of Municipal Auditorium. The Carondelet canal, dug by Baron de Carondelet in 1794, had become a neglected ditch which needed widening and deepening for navigational use.

But the dispute over the commons had to be settled first. The City of New Orleans claimed the commons and so did the government. Finally, on March 3, 1807, Congress conferred the title to the commons on the city, "provided that the corporation shall reserve for the purpose and covey gratuitously for the public benefit, to the company authorized by the Legislature of the Territory... as much of the said commons as shall be necessary to continue the Canal of Carondelet from the present basin to the Mississippi, and shall not dispose of, for the purpose of building thereon, any lot within 60 feet of the space reserved for a canal, which shall forever remain open as a public highway..."

In May, 1808, the canal company president, James Pitot, wrote a long letter to President Thomas Jefferson. The letter, in part, reads:

"We, the Orleans Navigation Company, with the most profound sentiments of respect, beg leave to approach you, to tender our grateful thanks for the munificent grant made us by government, of the lands necessary to the continuing of the canal Carondelet to the River Mississippi through the city commons; and also for the assurances conveyed to us by the Honorable Daniel Clark, that, when the canal shall be so continued, government will defray the expenses of the lock necessary to unite it with the river... Our capital is limited... to the sum of $200,000 divided into 2000 shares of $100 each... We beg leave to state to you that we have not the smallest hope of filling up the subscription among the immediate inhabitants of this territory. We find the greatest difficulty in procuring payment of the installments called for: and in many instances have been compelled to resort to the force of laws. It is a melancholy truth that nothing but the unwearied exertions of the directors has prevented the whole undertaking from falling to the ground. "

That's exactly what it did and the (Canal St.) canal was never dug, but the maps of the day called the space "Route of the Projected Canal." And as the area built up on both sides of the route of the undug canal, what was more natural for the street with the double roadways to be named Promenade du Canal and then Canal Street?

***

TIMES PICAYUNE | March 8, 1925 | article by Stella Lazard
James Pitot was highlighted in the March 8, 1925 issue of the Times Picayune that featured the Mayors of New Orleans.

James Pitot built one of the first cotton presses in New Orleans. It stood at the corner of Toulouse and Burgundy streets. He is spoken of as a gentleman of "respectability and talent." On June 2, 1804, he was elected second Mayor of New Orleans.

His career is signalized by the incorporation of the city municipal council, and the taking of the first steps toward the substitution of an elective magistry for the appointive one.

Pitot took special interest in the police; he enforced an ordinance subsequently created, with Pierre Achille Rivery at its head, under the title of "commissioner general of police in the city and suburbs of New Orleans." The wretched pay received by its members attracted only the riff-raff, and this ordinanace provided for the employment of mulattoes to fill the ranks and stipulated the officers must be white men.

The utter inefficiency of this organization occasioned general complaint, and in 1804 was supplemented by a patrol of citizens, drawn from the militia and under the command of Colonel Belle Chasse. It received no pay.

In 1805, Pitot made a further reform by reconstituting the "gendarmes" as a mounted corps. The mayor was made chief of the corps in a resolution of May 6, 1803.

The new system worked fairly well and the militia patrol became popular chiefly because it made considerable demands upon the leisure of the citizens.

During Pitot's mayoralty Congress divided, March 25, 1804, the province of Louisiana in two parts, the upper being annexed to the Indiana territory, and the lower part, which corresponds in boundaries to what is now the state of Louisiana, was erected into the territory of Orleans. New Orleans was made the port of entry and delivery.

On October 1, 1804, the new government went into operation. Claiborne was retained as governor. He too the oath before Mayor Pitot and then delivered an oration in English, afterward
translated into flowery French. Governor Claiborne in his voluminous correspondence never lets his pen run over hte name of Pitot without a commendation of him.

In early March the territorial council furnished the city with a charter. With the adoption of its nineteen sections, determining the area of municipalities, the real history of New Orleans as distinguished from the remainder of the province is said to have begun. The language used in this comprehensive document is the style incorporated by many officials today in their address and is a type clear and comprehensive.

Pitot resigned his office in July, 1805. In his message of resignation he said:

My own affairs not allowing me to fulfill the functions of mayor, I send the governor my resignation. Appreciating all the marks of kindness and of confidence which I have received at your hands. I beg you to accept my acknowledgment. Give me your esteem and believe me deeply grateful.

Yours,
(Signed) JAMES PITOT

***
1804, July 261804july26-CommercialAdvertiser - James Pitot Appointed Mayor

1804, November 71804nov7-NationalIntelligencer- Mayor Pitot swears in Governor Claiborne

1805, April 261805apr26- New York Gazette - James Pitot Appointed Mayor

18051805july24-OrleansGazette- Orleans Navigation Company formed by act

1805, July 241805july24-OrleansGazette - Pitot Resigns As Mayor

1805, July 311805july31-OrleansGazette - James Pitot-City Council Notes Resignation

18061806july19-OrleansGazette - James Pitot Sells Wine

1807, April 201807apr20-OrleansGazette - Apply to James Pitot for passage on the ship SARAH

1807, October 291807oct29-OrleansGazette - James Pitot Sells Slave

1807, November 161807nov16-OrleansGazette-Orleans-Navigation-Company-announces-tolls-on-Bayou-St-John

1810, January 111810jan11-MrPoydras-OrleansNavigationCompany-asks-Congress-for-lighthouse

18101810mar01-JamesPitot-HouseRepsDocument

18131813dec11-OrleansNavigationCompany-asks-for-land-at-mouth-of-BayouStJohn-DAILYNATIONALINTELLIGENCER
Congress granted the land in 1814.

18141814june14-OrleansNavigationCompany-gets-BayouStJohn-land-REPUBLICAN_STAR

18141814apr22-JamesPitot-judge-parishcourt-OrleansGazette-bottomrightofpage

18171817july26-WashingtonCityWeeklyGazette-Carondelet Canal Finished

18381838apr27-JamesPitot-judge-HouseDoc351

18391839nov14-SpectatorPaper-Fire-at-OrleansNavigationCompany-property

18401840apr3-TIMES-PICAYUNE-tolls-on-timber-to-OrleansNavigationCompany

18411841aug24-PennsylvaniaNorthAmerican-OrleansNavigationCompany-SOLD

18471847apr17-TimesPicayune-LouisianaLegislature-NewOrleansNavigationCompany

18521852may15-TimesPicayune-OrleansNavigationCompany-up-for-auction

18581858may22-TimesPicayune-story-about-the-history-of-OrleansNavigationCompany

18661866oct28-NewOrleansTimes-On-Change

18691869oct20-TimesPicayune-City Draining Sewage Into Bayou St. John

18701870mar20-TimesPicayune-The Neutral Ground

18711871mar29-MrsPitotDies-TimesPicayune

18901890jan1-JamesPitot-clerk-land-office

18971897apr12-TimesPicayune-NewOrleans70yearsago

19021902jan1-inMay1808-JamesPitot-asks-Congress-help-Carondelet-Canal

1925***1925mar8-TIMES_PICAYUNE-JamesPitot-article retyped by Charlie London for easier reading
1925***1925mar8-TIMES_PICAYUNE-MayorsOfNewOrleans - original article as seen in the March 8, 1925 issue of the Times Picayune

19371937sep12-lost-heroes

19381938aug17-RockfordMorningStar-ManAboutManhattanarticleaboutNewOrleans

19471947mar19-TimesPicayune-1300MossSOLD-auction

19471947apr27-TimesPicayune-NewOrleans-100-years-ago

19521952apr27-TimesPicayune-NewOrleans-100-years-ago

1957***1957oct13-TimesPicayune-article-by-Pie_Dufor- article retyped by Charlie London for easier reading
1957***1957oct13-TIMES_PICAYUNE-CanalStbutNoCanal - original article as seen in the October 13, 1957 issue of the Times Picayune

19691969oct19-TimesPicayune-Pitot-Loses-1812-election

19831983mar11-TimesPicayune-Canal-Street

Festive Faubourg

2011-12-16T16:01:00.000-08:00
photos by Charlie London
Click on any photo for a larger view.

[gallery link="file" columns="3"]

Dec 18: It's a Wonderful Life at the Deutsches Haus

2011-12-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

The Deutsches Haus will eventually be located in Faubourg St. John facing the bayou on Moss Street.

For more information about Deutsches Haus events, please visit the link below:
http://deutscheshaus.org/events/

http://www.nolavoicetalent.org/IAWL2011.htm

Deutsches Haus
1023 Ridgewood Dr
Metairie, LA 70001-6135
P: (504) 522-8014

info@deutscheshaus.org
http://www.deutscheshaus.org

Operation Homefront

2011-12-15T16:02:00.000-08:00
Operation Homefront – Louisiana, the non-profit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to military families and wounded warriors will reward two separate donors with two tickets to the BCS Championship Game. For every $50 of a total donation, a person raises their chance to win, so donating a total of $150 dollars will triple a donor’s chance of winning.

The contest will run Dec. 7 – Jan. 3, and the BCS Championship Game will take place on January 9, where the LSU Tigers will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. There will be two winners, as two pairs of tickets will be awarded, each being worth a $275 face value each. The first prize seating is located at Section 639 Row 19 Seats 13 and 14; The second prize seating is located at Section 613 Row 38 Seats 15 and 16 (Tickets cannot be resold at above face value).

After making a donation online, participants will receive an email notifying them that their donation has been received and they have been entered in the contest. Donors who win the tickets will be notified on Jan. 4, and the tickets will be mailed overnight to the contest winners so they can make plans for attending the game.

For more information contact Tawney Tallo at (504) 343-2711, email louisiana@operationhomefront.net or visit www.operationhomefront.net/Louisiana

To make a donation and enter the contest, visit www.OperationHomefront.net/Louisiana.

PROUDLY SUPPORTING LOUISIANA’S HEROES!

Operation Homefront Louisiana is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that provides emergency assistance and morale to our Louisiana troops, to the families they leave behind and to wounded warriors when they return home.

BCS Bowl Changes Meeting

2011-12-15T15:02:00.000-08:00
Normally, the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association holds its monthly meeting on the second Monday of every month.

However, due to the great interest in the upcoming BCS Bowl where #1 ranked LSU will defeat #2 Alabama, the meeting has been moved to January 16th.

For more information about FSJNA meetings, please look for the "MEET" tab at FSJNA dot ORG or just click on the link below:
http://fsjna.org/fsjna-meetings-and-more/

Port to Receive Rail Yard Improvements

2011-12-15T09:51:00.000-08:00
research by Dean Burridge

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today (December 15, 2011) that 46 transportation projects in 33 states and Puerto Rico will receive a total of $511 million from the third round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s popular TIGER program, including $16,738,246 for the Port of New Orleans that "will rebuild a specialized rail yard at the Louisiana Avenue terminal along the Mississippi River. The overall project has two components: construction of a new 12-acre freight rail intermodal terminal; and resurfacing and fortifying a 4-acre storage yard that is used for ultra-heavy project cargoes.The project’s objective is to reduce congestion, facilitate the movement of marine and rail cargo, stimulate international commerce, and maintain an essential port asset in a state of good repair."

Also announced was $9,814,700. The project will deploy Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) improvements on and around four highway bridges that span the Mississippi River in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The bridges include the Helena Bridge (US-49, MS & AR); the Greenville Bridge (US-82, MS & AR); the Vicksburg Bridge (I-20, MS & LA); and the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge (US-84, MS & LA). The improvements include dynamic messaging signs, vehicle detection devices, closed-circuit television, highway advisory radio, and other fiber optic connections that will coordinate communication across the bridges. The project will also include real-time river monitoring systems that will provide information for barges traveling beneath the bridges.

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot16511a.html

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/FY2011TIGER.pdf

2011-12-15T03:23:00.000-08:00

by Charlie London

BlightStat 29 | December 15, 2011

Beginning in 2012, the BlightStat meetings will be held once each month instead of bi-weekly. This was the 29th BlightStat meeting to which the public was invited.

Click here to view a PDF of the City of New Orleans'
December 15, 2011 BlightStat Meeting

Thursday, January 12, 2012 will be the next meeting date. Then the second Thursday of each month thereafter.

Inspections
514 over the last two weeks. Ms. Basco indicated the backlog has increased slightly but the inspectors are working diligently in their assigned districts.

Inspection sweeps were done throughout the city with several being done during the recent “Fight the Blight” day held in each council district.

Mr. Wise reviewed the map of inspections with Ms. Basco.

Mr. Kopplin asked about the progress of the “occupied property” strategy. Ms. Basco said she is working on it. Occupied houses are not currently cited for blight.

Hearings
The backlog has been reduced significantly. Mr. Square indicated the majority of 311 calls are for code enforcement. Mr. Kopplin indicated that a target needs to be set for getting rid of the backlog. Mr. Kopplin suggested the February, 2012 meeting would be a good date to shoot for but would like closure on the backlog.

The greatest number of hearings were held this bi-weekly period with 413 hearings completed.

Demolitions
Mr. Carrere indicated 7 strategic demolitions with 3 being done during the recent “Fight the Blight” day, one of which was a 24 unit apartment building.

Cold weather drives vagrants into unoccupied buildings which often results in fires.

FEMA demolished 15 structures and 20 units.

44 properties removed from FEMA demolitions due to compliance.

Mr. Wise indicated that the strategic demolitions program has finite resources so the city needs to maximize the benefit for the resources available.

Interim Nuisance Abatement Program
Mr. Ferrouillet indicated 15 properties were cut during the “Fight the Blight” day. Contract for lot cutting is being re-bid and should be done by March, 2012.

9th Ward Lot Clearing
Mr. Lessinger indicated that 775 lots have been cut so far. Mr. Wise indicated that issues that affect people is the main focus of fighting blight. Blight affects public safety and quality of life.

Five FEMA trailers still remain.

Illegal Dumping
Ms. Lear indicated the Sanitation Department is still focusing in the 9th Ward and New Orleans East. Almonaster and Michoud are hot spots for tire dumping.

Sheriff Sales
Mr. Gray indicated that the highest amount ever was collected from the recent Sheriff Sale bringing the total to 1.2 million for the year.
Ms. Breaux indicated her team met with the owners of 609 Jackson Avenue about what action they are going to take to rid the city of this blighted property. (former medical facility) Ms. Breaux’s team is still working with the owner to get the owner to demolish the property or sell it.

Mr. Gray indicated 125 properties will be sold at a Sherrif Sale on January 10th. He also indicated sales are done every Thursday.

Mr. Wise indicated about 35% of the properties that go to Sheriff Sale are actually sold.

Mr. Kopplin indicated that economic development and blight strategy go hand in hand.

Mr. Lessinger discussed strategies for improving the number of properties sold at Sheriff Sales.

Auction updates for code lien foreclosures are posted on http://data.nola.gov/

Ms. Wilkerson said that 85 NORA closings were done over the past two weeks. Ms. Wilkerson will be leaving early in 2012 when the NORA program gets discontinued.

Mr. Kopplin indicated his goal is to have as many hearings as possible to get properties in compliance and to reduce the number of properties that end up in the backlog due to title research, contacting heirs, etc.

Mr. Kopplin indicated that the City Council authorized two additional Sanitation Rangers to help fight the dumping problem.

***
NEW ORLEANS | Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:39pm EST
Next up for New Orleans' recovery: fighting blight
By Mark Guarino
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A city policy involving demolitions, inspections, community meetings and Saturday morning elbow grease is reviving New Orleans neighborhoods at a faster rate than most expected after Hurricane Katrina put 80 percent of the city underwater six years ago.

"This is a total groundbreaker for the city," said Allison Plyer, chief demographer of the nonprofit Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.

"There's never been this intensive an effort previously to combat blight."

Even before the levees broke, New Orleans struggled with many of the classic elements that produce vacant homes and empty lots: systematic population loss, a troubled economy and crime.

Then Katrina accelerated blight. Some 110,000 New Orleans residents did not return to their homes in the five years since the storm, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In October 2010, Mayor Mitch Landrieu, then just six months in office, launched a blight initiative he said was designed to turn around 10,000 properties by 2014.

By the end of this year, city officials say, nearly 4,000 properties will fit that bill, lowering the city's total number of blighted properties to less than 42,000, according to data from the United States Postal Service, which tracks such figures as vacant homes where mail is not collected.

"What happened is we got better at what we're supposed to be doing and that, by getting more aggressive, property owners know we're coming and know we mean consequences so they start to self-correct," Landrieu told Reuters.

FEDERAL BILLIONS

In the early post-Katrina years, billions of federal recovery dollars helped the city buy abandoned properties and either demolish them or sell them to neighbors, as well as encourage residents to return and rehabilitate their homes.

Then came Jeff Hebert, the city's inaugural director of blight policy and neighborhood revitalization.

He has sped up property inspections, held regular community meetings and implemented little changes like redirecting workers in a jobs program to mowing overgrown lots in devastated neighborhoods like the Lower Ninth Ward, which hadn't seen a lawnmower blade in years.

Herbert also helped the city steer away from tax sales of foreclosed properties, which can drag on for three years, to sheriff's sales, which award new property owners a clear title immediately upon purchase.

"That may be our single biggest policy shift," Hebert told Reuters. "Our goal is not necessarily to demolish houses but the end goal is to get houses back into commerce."

Landrieu said the new measures are designed to address his administration's three priorities: crime, jobs and schools.

"Blight is the thread that depends on whether or not we have success in those areas," he said. "It's a major threat to public safety and quality of life."

Despite the city's efforts, about 25 percent of New Orleans housing remained vacant in 2010, according to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.

Title issues, contractor fraud and rebuilding costs are saddling recovery, and some residents say the city isn't acting fast enough to prevent neighborhoods from falling behind.

EIGHT FEET OF WATER

Take Rose Johnson. Her neat, two-story home in the city's Broadmoor neighborhood took nearly 8 feet of water and she spent $130,000 to return it back to its original splendor.

Her neighbor did not. In the years that passed since the storm, the vacant Italianate home next to Johnson's receded, as if reclaimed by the earth.

Pink exterior plaster is crumbled at the ground and this month, the stairs caved in. Johnson, 65, took it upon herself to mow the grass and hired an exterminator to set baits around her house so the rats next door wouldn't infest her own.

She said she called the city several times but has seen no progress. "It's a mess. I want them to tear it down," she said of city officials. "It's not fit to live in."

Demolition creates its own challenges. Some community organizers complain the city leaves the foundation behind on houses it demolishes, preventing lots from reverting to green space and creating another version of blight. The city has demolished over 2,100 blighted properties so far this year.

"Demolitions are a mixed bag," Plyer said. "If you do a lot of demolition then you have a dumping problem. People come and dump tires and debris and trash."

Population recovery is one reason New Orleans appears to be advancing on blight. Even though the New Orleans population is 21 percent less than before the storm, the population more than doubled between 2006 and 2010, to 343,800.

Katrina helped mobilize the city's public-private web of civic and neighborhood organizations and city departments, says Margery Austin Turner, vice president for research of the Urban Institute, a nonprofit policy analysis group based in Washington, D.C.

"I don't think you would have seen that kind of capacity in New Orleans prior to Katrina," she told Reuters.

Evidence of that is a section of Broadmoor where a development corporation set up by the neighborhood association in 2006 is rehabbing homes it purchased with $5 million from the Clinton Global Initiative. On one Friday in late November, 200 volunteers built a new playground for the nearby school.

"Our residents have skin in this game," said David Winkler-Schmit, communications director for the association. "We know what we need."

***
You can review reports on all of the previous BlightStat Meetings in the links below:
Blight Sweep in 9th Ward: http://fsjna.org/2010/11/blighted-beginnings/
BLIGHTSTAT ONE: http://fsjna.org/2010/11/bi-weekly-blight-business/
BLIGHTSTAT TWO:http://fsjna.org/2010/11/keeping-our-eyes-on-the-prize/
BLIGHTSTAT THREE: http://fsjna.org/2010/12/what-gets-measured-gets-managed/
BLIGHTSTAT FOUR: http://fsjna.org/2010/12/blight-busting/
2010 Year End Update: http://fsjna.org/2010/12/year-end-update-from-the-landrieu-administration/
BLIGHTSTAT FIVE: http://fsjna.org/2011/01/the-5th-dimension-of-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT SIX: http://fsjna.org/2011/01/a-sixth-sense-for-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT SEVEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/02/the-7-heavens-of-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT EIGHT: http://fsjna.org/2011/02/8-by-ya-mommas/
BLIGHTSTAT NINE: http://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-9/
BLIGHTSTAT TEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-10/
BLIGHTSTAT ELEVEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/04/blightstat-11/
BLIGHTSTAT TWELVE: http://fsjna.org/2011/04/blightstat-12/
Mayor's State of the City Address: http://fsjna.org/2011/04/one-city-that-shares-one-fate/
BLIGHTSTAT THIRTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/05/blightstat-13/
BLIGHTSTAT FOURTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/05/blightstat-14/
BLIGHTSTAT FIFTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-15/
CITY GETS REPORT CARD: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/city-gets-report-card/
BLIGHTSTAT SIXTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-16/
BLIGHTSTAT SEVENTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-17/
BLIGHTSTAT EIGHTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/07/blightstat-18
BLIGHTSTAT NINETEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/07/blightstat-19/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY: http://fsjna.org/2011/08/blightstat-20/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-ONE: http://fsjna.org/2011/08/blightstat-turns-21/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-TWO: http://fsjna.org/2011/09/blightstat-22/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-THREE: http://fsjna.org/2011/09/blightstat-23/
FIGHT BLIGHT RIGHT: http://fsjna.org/2011/09/fight-blight-right/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-FOUR: http://fsjna.org/2011/10/blightstat-24/
CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: http://fsjna.org/2011/10/citizens-participate-in-new-orleans/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-FIVE: http://fsjna.org/2011/10/blightstat-25/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-SIX: http://fsjna.org/2011/11/blightstat-turns-one
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-SEVEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/11/27-meetings-about-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-EIGHT: http://fsjna.org/2011/12/blightstat-28/

2012 Board Elected

2011-12-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

The 2012 Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Executive Board was elected at tonight's General Membership meeting at the Fair Grounds:

***
Dean Burridge | Jimmy Fahrenholtz | Ali James | Linda Landesberg | Seth Levine | Brenda London | Charlie London | Steve Mardon | Gloria Martin | Pushpa Ramaiah | Rocky Seydel | Nancy Shepard | Kerry Tully
***

The following people were appointed to the FSJNA Advisory Board at the December 12th FSJNA Board meeting:

Conrad Abadie | Sara Landrieu | Vincent Booth | Richard Cahn | Mike Pearce | David Porretto | Suzanne Accorsi | Greg Jeanfreau | Keith Twitchell | Cynthia Scott | Rachel Dangermond | Bobby Wozniak

Lafitte Corridor One of Seven to Receive National Attention

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-08:00
Photos by Charlie London
[gallery link="file"]

Katie Moore / Eyewitness News

NEW ORLEANS -- U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar made a special stop in New Orleans during his visit on Wednesday.

He announced that the Lafitte Corridor has been chosen as a priority project for scarce federal funds.

Trains once carried cargo from the river to the lake on it, but it could soon carry people.

“Right now, this is an abandoned rail corridor. It's basically just wasted space,” said Bart Everson, president of the group Friends of the Lafitte Corridor.

The Lafitte Corridor runs 3.1 miles through the city and is now slated for the development of a hiking and biking trail.

“We fully expect to break ground on phase one in 2013. So, in short order we can actually expect to see a trail being built. Now, it'll be a very basic trail to begin with,” Everson said.

The project already has $7.5 million in Community Development Block Grant funds from Katrina.

“Because this project has been selected as one of the seven priority projects in the United States of America, and that's a pretty big place, you will have priority in the funding even during these tough times,” Salazar said.

It puts the Lafitte Corridor on the short list for federal dollars as part of the "America's Great Outdoors" initiative.

“We don't know what the dollars will be at this point, but it will add to the assistance and the funding that we're getting,” said Councilwoman Susan Guidry.

Even the hope of additional funding is welcome for those who have fought for years now to make New Orleans a great place to live, bike and even hike.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/lafittecorridornationaldesignation-135617473.html

article below by Alex Woodward of GAMBIT WEEKLY

Ken Salazar, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, met with Friends of the Lafitte Corridor today on the banks of Bayou St. John, flanked by a post office and Parkway Bakery & Tavern. Salazar announced the Obama Administration's prioritized commitment to the to the Lafitte Corridor project via the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, led by the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, and coordinated by the White House Domestic Policy Council. It also partners with local communities, specifically for outdoor and parks projects like the Lafitte Corridor. (To clarify a previous post: Salazar's mention of $7 million is from an already-in-place Community Development Block Grant from the Louisiana Recovery Association, allocated to the Lafitte Corridor.)

"This is part of the revitalization of New Orleans," Salazar told Gambit. The project will break ground in 2013.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar walks along the future Lafitte Corridor with Bart Everson, president of the Friends of the Lafitte Corridor.

Bart Everson, president of the Friends of the Lafitte Corridor (FOLC) group advocating for the project, said despite the project being "down in the weeds," the "greenway" will "reclaim the space left behind," rejuvenating a corridor formerly used as a shipping canal, a railway, and now for drainage, and open the space to its communities and visitors. It has the potential, Everson said, "to reconnect the city to its natural landscape." Community meetings on the project's design plans wrapped up this year.

More than 400 million people visit the United States' 397 parks each year, Salazar said. "We are the envy of the world." The administration's three goals through the initiative are "preserving the crown jewels of America," like the Everglades; protecting and preserving the country's rivers systems; and, where the Lafitte applies, preserving the "great urban parks," one of President Barack Obama's highest priorities, Salazar said.

The Lafitte project is one of only seven parks projects nationally the administration is taking on. "Literally thousands could've been taken on," Salazar said, adding the administration will work closely with Mayor Mitch Landrieu's office and New Orleans City Council. (District A councilmember Susan Guidry said she wants the greenway to connect communities to the rebirth of Lake Pontchartrain.) The National Parks Service also will promote the greenway nationally.

"We don't quit," Salazar said to the crowd. "The best days of New Orleans are still ahead of us. ... Ten years from now (the greenway) will be one of the iconic places (in New Orleans) and will look very different from what it does today."

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2011/12/14/sec-of-interior-gives-greenlight-to-lafitte-corridor-greenway

Magical Mystery Tour - Vignaud

2011-12-13T16:01:00.000-08:00
research by Charlie London
Vignaud Street is a one block street that runs
between Grand Route Saint John and Ponce de Leon.

Henry Vignaud (1830-1922)
Henry Vignaud was a journalist, diplomat, and historian. He was born and educated in New Orleans. His career as a journalist commenced with articles for the newspapers of New Orleans. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he became a captain in the 6th Louisiana Regiment but was imprisoned in 1862, when New Orleans was captured by the Union Army. He escaped, went to Paris, and never returned to the United States.

In Paris, Vignaud entered the service of the Confederate mission under John Slidell. In 1869, he was appointed to a secretaryship in the Roumanian legation at Paris. On December 14, 1875, he was appointed second secretary of the United States legation in Paris, and on April 11, 1885, was promoted to be first secretary. For thirty-four years, he was an indensable member of the Paris mission, frequently acting as chargé d'affaires, and serving always with distinction.

Vignaud's distinction was achieved after the age of seventy. His special interest in Columbus grew out of his close association with Henry Harrisse and with the Peruvian scholar Manuel Gonzalez de la Rosa, and the publications of the Columbian anniversary in 1892. He published several works on Columbus and European exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries, including: La Lettre et la Carte de Toscanelli (1901), Toscanelli and Columbus (1902), Études critiques sur la vie de Colomb avant ses découvertes (1905), Histoire critique de la grande entreprise de Christophe Colomb (2 vols., 1911), Améric Vespuce, 1451-1512 (1917), and Christophe Colomb et la Légende (1921).

Vignaud also displayed a broad interest in the whole range of studies of aboriginal America and of the earliest European contacts with the new world. His work was recognized by the award of numerous honors and prizes, and by election as a foreign corresponding member of the Institut de France.

Vignaud's library of many thousand books, pamphlets, and maps now resides at the University of Michigan.

Vignaud's work also includes an unfinished history of cartography in approximately 650,000 words.

Biographical note has been excerpted from Dictionary of American Biography (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936), s.v. "Vignaud, Henry"

Link to article above:
http://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.vignaud

1863 vignaud1863jan29 Written in french. I am not fluent in french but I believe the article says Mr. Vignaud occcupies a place of distinction in Louisiana literary circles. Anyone care to translate?

1876 vignaud1876feb20 Vignaud mentioned at the end of "Glimpses of Life in Paris" article.

1895 vignaud1895sep07 No Disagreement between U.S. and French Governments

1895 vignaud1895dec20 U.S would gain Canada in war with Britain

1895 vignaud1895dec20a

1895 vignaud1895dec21 "Our difficulties with France have always been easily settled."

1899 vignaud1899july13

1900 Click here to view "A French Tribute to the Distiguished Orleanian" article in the February 25, 1900 issue of the Times Picayune.

1901 vignaud1901jul28 "American Tourists Have Their Troubles in Paris"

1901 vignaud1901sep30 "Columbus Knew, says Henry Vignaud"

1903 Click here to view "Henry Vignaud Argues Against Authenticity of Work" article in the January 12, 1903 issue of the Baltimore American.

1903 vignaud1903apr20 "Henry Vignaud Has Ended Controversy"

1903 vignaud1903apr20a "Vignaud Closes Controversy"

1903 vignaud1903sep07 "Henry Vignaud Replies to Dr. Ruge"

1904 vignaud1904mar24 "Was Columbus a Boastful Liar?"

1905 vignaud1905feb28 "True Family of Columbus"

1905 vignaud1905apr09 "Columbus Was a Humbug"

1906 vignaud1906feb22-napoleon Napoleon's Tomb

1906 vignaud1906oct24 "Try to Suppress White Slave Trade"

1906 vignaud1906oct24-whiteslaves Vignaud Represents U.S. Against White Slavery

1907 vignaud1907june23 "Bones of Columbus Found at Last"

1907 vignaud1907aug04 U.S. Gives Statue of Lafayette to France

1908 Click here to view "Henry Vignaud to Receive Highest Literary Honor France Can Bestow" article in the January 12,1908 issue of the South Carolina State.

1909 Click here to view Henry Vignaud Resigns at 79 article in the February 16, 1909 issue of the Grand Forks Herald.

1909 vignaud1909feb16a Resigns

1909 vignaud1909feb16b Resigns

1909 vignaud1909feb18 Will Spend Last Days in France

1909 vignaud1909feb26 20 Prominent Americans Fund Retirement

1909 vignaud1909mar06 "University to Honor Vignaud"

1909 vignaud1909mar16 "Honorary Degree Conferred by Tulane"

1909 vignaud1909may14 "Vignaud is Honored"

1909 vignaud1909may23 "Henry Vignaud, American"

1909 vignaud1909july18 "The Secret of Columbus, Has Vignaud Learned It?"

1909 vignaud1909nov06 "VIGNAUD CASE IS STRONG PLEA FOR FEDERAL PENSIONS"

1909 Click here to view "Henry Vignaud's Opposition to Canonization of Columbus Wins Him Title" article in the November 21, 1909 issue of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

1911 vignaud1911mar03

1911 Click here to view "Henry Vignaud, After Fifty Years of Research, Issues Historical Work in Which Famous Explorer is Branded as Imposter and Humbug" article in the March 21, 1911 issue of the Ohio Plain Dealer.

1911 vignaud1911mar21a

1911 vignaud1911mar21b

1911 vignaud1911apr02 "SAYS COLUMBUS WAS A FAKER LIKE DR. COOK"

1911 vignaud1911apr11 "CALLS COLUMBUS A FOURFLUSHER"

1912 vignaud1912feb07 "Madrazo Painting Vignaud"

1912 Click here to view "Prince of Americanists" article in the October 27, 1912 issue of the Times Picayune.

1921 vignaud1921apr19 "Raps Columbus"

1922 vignaud1922feb09 "Henry Vignaud Praised" will write about Alcee Fortier

1922 vignaud1922sep19 Vignaud passes away

1922 vignaud1922sep19a "Henry Vignaud Dies"

1922 vignaud1922sep27 Letter to the editor about Henry Vignaud

1928 vignaud1928sep09 Henry Vignaud mentioned in "French City Dedicates Monument..." article

1948 vignaud1948oct10 "Experts See Double Over Columbus Ghost"

1948 vignaud1948oct10a "Experts Now Agree on Columbus Birthdate

1976 vignaud1976oct12 "Rare Columbus book visiting here"

Dec 14: Important Fed Visits Lafitte Corridor

2011-12-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, will visit the Lafitte Corridor on Wednesday, December 14th at NOON.

Friends,
It appears the Department of the Interior is taking an interest in the Lafitte Corridor greenway project. The Secretary of the Interior (Ken Salazar) will be here Wednesday (Dec. 14) and would like to meet the Friends of Lafitte Corridor. Please come join us at noon at the very end of Bayou St. John, where the corridor intersects Jeff Davis Parkway. There will be time for some Q&A as well as a brief stroll on the site of the future greenway. The whole thing will be over by 1 PM. I'm sure you have many more questions. So do I! Unfortunately at this time I don't know more than what I've spelled out here. It's all come together rather quickly, and I hope to learn more Wednesday. Please join us.

Bart Everson
President
Friends of Lafitte Corridor

Postcard from Home

2011-12-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

1905: First Spike for New Orleans Public Belt

2011-12-09T17:39:00.000-08:00
research by Charlie London
On July 18th, 1903, the Times Picayune scolded the New Orleans Public Belt Commission for inaction. Almost exactly two years later on July 1st, 1905 the first spike was driven to build the twenty miles of the New Orleans Public Belt. It would be two more years before the New Orleans Public Belt would begin operation on October 1st, 1907.

Click on the bond for a larger view and photo credit.

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Wilkes Barre Times
July 10, 1905

An innovation in the matter of providing transportation facilities for a great city under public ownership and control was inaugurated at New Orleans on July 1, what the "first spike" was driven in the ties of the Public Belt Railroad. This railroad, which is to be twenty miles long, will encircle New Orleans, connecting all lines of railway and all docks and wharves, rendering the handling of that city's growing commerce a simpler and more economical problem than ever before, and apparently placing New Orleans on par as regards freight handling with the best situated cities in this or any other country. The speakers at the ceremonies attending the formal beginning of this work all spoke hopefully and confidently of the great benefits to accure to New Orleans trade and industry from the working of this railroad, which is looked upon as likely to cheapen the cost of handling of freight, open large areas of waste land to settlement, attract great numbers of manufacturing enterprises to the city, and give to New Orleans the absolute command and management of a large part of the vast incoming and outgoing commerce of the Mississippi valley.

Click here to read the original Wilkes Barre Times article from July 10, 1905.

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Photo courtesy the NOPB website. Click on the photo to go to the NOPB's website.

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TIMES PICAYUNE
July 18, 1903
THE ALLEGED PUBLIC BELT RAILROAD

The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Commissioners, or Board of Managers, had a meeting yesterday. This body had not been heard from for so long a time that few citizens knew of its existence, but, nevertheless, there is such a body.
It does not appear that anything was accomplished by the meeting save the asking of some questions. The city has $50,000 to be devoted to the building of the road, but matters are in such a condition that it is doubtful if th Board can do anything or that it possesses any functions.
The road, as far as it is built, is virtually under the control of the New Orleans and San Francisco Railroad alias the New Orleans Terminal Company, or something of that sort, but doubtless that concern would not object to the city spending $50,000 in construction or other benefits for that Company.
The actual construction of the road should not cost more than a couple or three thousand dollars a mile, but below the head of Elysian Fields Street there is private property that would have to be bought to secure a right of way. The cost of this would probably be far beyond the immediate ability of the city to pay. But the Belt Road has become so seriously entangled through the city ordinance and the decisions of the courts that in order to discover and determine what, if any, rights and functions may survive to the Belt Railroad Board, further litigation may be required. It seems, however, that there is nothing for the city to do but to wait the pleasure of the double-headed corporation that has been given control of the matter.

Click here to view the original Times Picayune article from July 18, 1903
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New Orleans Item
August 8, 1907
OFFICIAL NOTICE - Office of Public Belt R.R. Commission, Rooms 21-22, City Hall, New Orleans, LA, Aug. 1, 1907.
To the Public:
Notice is hereby given that the Public Belt Railway owned by the City of New Orleans will begin operation on the river front of the City of New Orleans in the section extending from Jefferson Parish line to Montegut street on the first day of October, 1907.
MARTIN BEHRMAN
Mayor of New Orleans and President
Public Belt R.R. Commission
Click here to see the original New Orleans Item newspaper page from August 8, 1907 where this article was found.
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Montgomery Advertiser
August 5, 1908
AT A STANDSTILL
NEW PUBLIC BELT RAILROAD of NEW ORLEANS IDLE

New Orleans, Aug 1 - Although it was supposed to have begun operations yesterday morning the new Public Belt Railroad remains at a standstill, owing to the big trunk systems entering this port having refused to turn cars over to the city's road unless it is recognized by the Interstate Commerce Commission.
The Public Belt road failed to conform with the rules of the commission in filing its tariffs and the trunk lines decline to co-operate for fear of getting into trouble. It was decided tonight that City Attorney Gilmore of New Orleans should go to Washington and confer with the members of the Interstate Commerce Commission with a view to adjusting matters.

Click here to view the original Montgomery Advertiser article from August 5, 1908.
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Times Picayune
June 14, 1910
THAT THE RAILROAD COMMISSION MAY SIT
IN NEW ORLEANS.

The Louisiana State Railroad Commission was intended to be an extremely important factor in the public administration and economy of the state. It was modeled generally upon the plan of the United States Interstate Commerce Commission, being charged with much the same duties as the national commission, with the difference that the functions of one are wholly confined to the settlement of controversies between railroads and complainants strictly within the state, while the other's jurisdiction extends to interstate, and national relations of the railroads with parties concerned with them.
Article 263 of the State Constitution, which creates the Railroad Commission, provides that the said body shall have its office and domicile at Baton Rouge, but "may meet and hold regular or special hearings at such other places as they may find necessary," and it would seem to be entirely within the right and duty of the State commission to emulate the example of the national body, which holds such hearings in various cities of th Union.
To this end there had been submitted to the Legislature now in session a concurrent resolution, setting forth that whereas regular hearings or sessions of the Railroad Commission in said City of New Orleans would be of great benefit to the city and port of New Orleans and the state at large, it is the sense of the Legislature of the State of Louisiana that the Railroad Commission of Louisiana be requested to hold regular hearings or sessions in the City of New Orleans four times each year, said sessions to begin on the first Monday in January, April, July, and October, and to continue until all matters brought before said commission are disposed of.
As the City of New Orleans does not wish, even if it were possible, to monopolize the services of the commission, it is entirely willing that the resolution proposed should embrace Shreveport and such other cities of the state as might really need the presence of his important body to have hearings there, but it must be remembered that the commission is a constitutional body and is subject to no statutory control in this matter, but is allowed to exercise its discretion in holding such local hearings.
But the Picayune believes that the members of the commission are wholly devoted to promoting the public welfare in the discharge of their duties and that they would find it to their own advantage as well as that of the state in holding such sessions and hearings. For instance, in such a hearing, it often is the case that witnesses must testify and records be examined, and it is far from convenient to have them all on hand at Baton Rouge when some of them may be required here in the performance of their regular functions.
There is no question that the national commission finds its work greatly facilitated in holding sessions at the localities where controversies have arisen, and doubtless so would our state commission.
It is therefore, of great importance that the Legislature should give an expression on the subject without undertaking the serious action of providing for an amendment of the Constitution, and confidence is warranted in believing that the commission would recognize the general desire so expressed.

Click here to read the June 14, 1910 article in the Times Picayune about the Railroad Commission.
**************************************************************
Photo courtesy Karen Reuther Smuck
**************************************************************
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today (December 15, 2011) that 46 transportation projects in 33 states and Puerto Rico will receive a total of $511 million from the third round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s popular TIGER program, including $16,738,246 for the Port of New Orleans that "will rebuild a specialized rail yard at the Louisiana Avenue terminal along the Mississippi River. The overall project has two components: construction of a new 12-acre freight rail intermodal terminal; and resurfacing and fortifying a 4-acre storage yard that is used for ultra-heavy project cargoes.The project’s objective is to reduce congestion, facilitate the movement of marine and rail cargo, stimulate international commerce, and maintain an essential port asset in a state of good repair."

Also announced was $9,814,700. The project will deploy Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) improvements on and around four highway bridges that span the Mississippi River in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The bridges include the Helena Bridge (US-49, MS & AR); the Greenville Bridge (US-82, MS & AR); the Vicksburg Bridge (I-20, MS & LA); and the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge (US-84, MS & LA). The improvements include dynamic messaging signs, vehicle detection devices, closed-circuit television, highway advisory radio, and other fiber optic connections that will coordinate communication across the bridges. The project will also include real-time river monitoring systems that will provide information for barges traveling beneath the bridges.

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot16511a.html

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/FY2011TIGER.pdf

New Bookstore in Faubourg St. John

2011-12-08T21:03:00.000-08:00
by Charlie London
Back in May of this year, Robert Thompson sent out an email to the FSJNA Yahoo group that the Maple Street Bookstores had signed the papers on two condos on Ponce de Leon next to Canseco's Grocery. A call to the Maple Street Bookstore confirmed that they have indeed purchased the property and will be opening a new and used bookstore at that location on Saturday, December 10th, 2011.

To learn more about the Maple Street Bookstore group, please visit the link below:
http://www.maplestreetbookshop.com/pages/view/277/302/History
***
Historic Uptown literary establishment, Maple Street Book Shop, is expanding into Faubourg St. John on December 10th. The Faubourg St. John location is at 3141 Ponce de Leon #1. The Faubourg St. John location will have new and used books.

Why are we doing this? For a variety of reasons, none the least of which is that the rate of illiteracy in New Orleans is unacceptable. It’s nearly twice the national average. How can this be in our wonderful city? Literacy is vital to the growth and well-being of any community, whether that community is a well established one located near universities or one having to rebuild itself from the ground up after a massive disaster. Maple Street Book Shop has always been a neighborhood book shop and as New Orleans continues to rebuild its neighborhoods, we want to be there to offer the residents a source for quality literature, a source for affordable reading materials, a source for reading materials in all formats, and a place for literary events.

We’ll be fighting the stupids as we go.

~Donna Allen, Owner

Fair Grinds Welcomes Community

2011-12-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

Wade Rathke 628-8050 wade@fairgrinds.com
Dine’ Butler 287-9841 dine@fairgrinds.com

Fair Grinds Coffeehouse announces a “Community Welcoming” on Saturday, December 10th from 10AM to 2PM at 3133 Ponce de Leon Street near Esplanade (www.fairgrinds.com) to introduce the community to the many new changes over recent months with new management and new ownership of the oldest exclusively fair trade coffeehouse voted by the readers of Gambit as the #1 coffeehouse in New Orleans for 2011. The welcoming will include an art auction, display and demonstration of biodiesel conversion by the New Orleans BioDiesel Project, coffee roasting demonstration on the new, local fair trade coffee brewed by Fair Grinds, new menu featuring local bakers and chefs as well as fresh juices and sandwiches for the first time, music by local musicians, rides on becaks (Indonesian rickshaws), and more!

Over recent months the 10-year old New Orleans coffeehouse which was the first to offer exclusively fair trade products has changed ownership and management from Robert Thompson and Elizabeth Herod to Wade Rathke. Their legacy will be memorialized at the “welcoming” with a special dedication at noon of the Social Justice Table. This celebration is in line with Fair Grinds new logo, two cups linked together joining the worlds of producers and consumers in common cause and new motto: Great Coffee for a Change. Rathke has previously announced that Fair Grinds is a special “low profit limited liability corporation” or L3C under Louisiana law and as a “social venture” business is dedicating part of its weekly gross and its net product to support community development and community organizing in the slums that are homes to its coffee exporters in Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and elsewhere.

In one of the most significant changes all of the fair trade coffee being brewed at Fair Grinds is now being sourced from the Port of New Orleans to benefit New Orleans commerce and the unionized longshore workers of New Orleans and their livelihoods. Additionally the coffee is now also locally roasted in special blends for Fair Grinds by Coast Roasters of New Orleans and Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The Fair Grinds New Orleans blend is a first, combining Honduran fair trade coffee with chicory grown in Nebraska. Fair Grinds has announced that after this current harvest much of its fair trade coffee will come directly from COMUCAP to New Orleans through a partnership with this all women’s coffee and aloe vera growing cooperative in Marcala, Honduras. Fair Grinds has weighed in on its concerns about the disputes over fair trade certification between Fair Trade USA and Fairtrade International and argued for a more direct engagement that assures benefits to both producers and consumers, rather than the current system which seems to favor corporate coffee and the certifying groups themselves (www.acorninternational.org and/or www.chieforganizer.org).

The Fair Grinds Community Welcoming is an opportunity for Fair Grinds to say thanks to the Mid-City and New Orleans community and introduce all of the small, but significant changes being made to make New Orleans best coffeehouse even better, as well as showcasing the work, workers, and changes to come.

Gifts that Keep on Giving

2011-12-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Swirl Wines
504.304.0635
www.swirlinthecity.com

Whatever Floats Your Boat

2011-12-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

Neighbor Makes IMPACT

2011-12-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

Faubourg St. John neighbor Erin McQuade was recently featured in the Greater New Orleans Foundation's newsletter called IMPACT. Click on the folder in the photo to read the entire newsletter.

Erin McQuade is regularly spotted around Faubourg St. John walking her dog "Grover".

GNOF-IMPACT

Magical Mystery Tour - Orange

2011-12-06T16:01:00.000-08:00
research by Charlie London
Times Picayune
December 10, 1873

There has been placed on on our desk one of the finest oranges we have ever seen. It comes from the orchard of Albert P. Raux, Esq., situation at the intersection of Grand Route and Bayou St. John. It is a beauty in appearance: had a soft, smooth, thin skin, and measures fifteen inches in circumference.

Mr. Raux has sent several of the oranges of the tree from which the one on our desk was plucked to agricultural and other journals in the North.

Click here to view the original Times Picayune article from December 10, 1873.

Fang Wishes You the Best

2011-12-06T04:26:00.000-08:00
photo by Mona McMahon

Mona Mcmahon caught this feline photo of "Fang" who wishes you the best holiday ever and the happiest New Year!

2011-12-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

Park Island

2011-12-05T19:08:00.000-08:00
GAMBIT
December 6, 2011

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/hey-blake-what-can-you-tell-me-about-park-island/Content?oid=1920125

The connection of Bayou St. John with Lake Pontchartrain was a major factor when the French chose to settle here because the bayou, with a fairly short and easy trip overland, connected the lake to the Mississippi River.

But when New Orleans founder Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville and company made their way up Bayou St. John, Park Island didn't even exist. Navigation was difficult, and a sharp curve in the bayou kept filling up with sand and branches. The point acquired the nicknames "the Devil's Elbow" and "the Devil's Slough" from the frustrated men who tried to navigate the waterway.

In the mid-1800s, action was taken to make the bayou easier to navigate. On the east side of Park Island is a narrow channel, the original bed of the bayou. Plans were to excavate land on the west side of the bayou, thereby making a deeper channel that would be easier to navigate. Digging began in 1861 but stopped when attention turned to the Civil War. After the war, work started up again, and the bayou was straightened. The island was formed from the soil dug up for the new channel.

In 1859, the island was given to New Orleans surveyor Claude Jules Allou d'Hemecourt for his excellent work, and the island was called Isle d'Hemecourt. Born in France in 1819, d'Hemecourt came to New Orleans with his family in 1831 and acquired a reputation as an outstanding surveyor. In 1866, d'Hemecourt sold the island to James Joseph Demoruelle, whose family maintained ownership until 1905. Called Demoruelle Island during this time, it was used for hunting and later a city dump.

During the first half of the 20th century, Bayou St. John underwent many changes. It was used less as an industrial waterway and became a haven for recreational boathouses, small shipyards and squatters.

In 1952 Demoruelle Island was briefly owned by a law firm of five partners who considered dividing the island into five huge plots on which they would each build a house. Instead they sold it to a corporate buyer.

We first heard about the new project to create an exclusive residential area in 1953 when it was revealed that the island in Bayou St. John would be developed into residential sites selling for $18,000 each. The unique settlement overlooking City Park would have 24 lots facing the water, four interior lots and a bridge to access the properties.

The corporation that subdivided the island was called Park Island Inc., and its officers were Joseph Schiro, Livingston S. Hiern and Jacques Fortier. The lots were 80-by-140 feet, except for one, a triangular lot 290 feet long with a private driveway.

Although the road to the island now begins at St. Bernard Avenue, the original plan was to build a bridge from Wisner Boulevard, which runs between the bayou and New Orleans City Park, but park authorities objected.

The first houses were built in 1957, and the last in 1973. Several of the houses were designed by renowned New Orleans architect Albert Ledner. One in particular is called the "ashtray house" because of an architectural feature that incorporates 1,200 amber ashtrays. This house belongs to former Mayor Ray Nagin, who has put it on the market for $729,000 — and that includes an air-conditioned garage.

Article is from the December 6, 2011 issue of Gambit Weekly.
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/hey-blake-what-can-you-tell-me-about-park-island/Content?oid=1920125

Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods

2011-12-05T17:00:00.000-08:00
Get neighborhood-level data
Find examples of successful community projects
Get guides that can help you advocate for your neighborhood

HealthyNOLA.org Training
Wednesday, December 7
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Entergy Innovation Center
3232 N. Galvez Street
How many children live in your neighborhood?
How safe is your neighborhood?
How can you organize to make it safer?
Where is affordable healthcare located?
Want a community garden, but don't know how to get started?

Learn how to use the features of HealthyNOLA.org -- a site that has this information and more -- so your neighborhood organization can reach its goals!

Space is limited, so let us know if you're coming! RSVP here

Contact Tia Vice at tia@npnnola.com , 504-940-2207 for more information. The next training is tentatively scheduled for Wed., February 1, 2012; Location and time TBD;
Tell your neighbors and friends!

Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods Initiative - Partners
Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)
Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN)
Concordia, LLC

www.lphi.org | www.npnnola.com | www.concordia.com

Dec 6: SHERIFF SALE

2011-12-04T09:32:00.000-08:00
from the Neighborhood Engagement Office of the City of New Orleans
http://data.nola.gov/Administrative-Data/Sheriff-s-Sales-Writs-Filed-Code-Lien-Foreclosure-/4zwn-3fms

NEARLY 50 PROPERTIES TO BE AUCTIONED IN DECEMBER

Part of Strategy to Reduce 10,000 Blighted Properties in 3 Years

NEW ORLEANS, LA—In keeping with Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s commitment to eradicate 10,000 blighted or vacant properties by 2014, 46 blighted properties will be sold at a Sheriff sale auction on Tuesday, December 6, 2011. The auction will take place at 12 noon in the first floor lobby of the Civil District Court.

The Landrieu administration has prioritized code lien foreclosure Sheriff sale auctions in its blight eradication strategy as it is the most cost-effective way to seize and then return blighted properties back into commerce. Unlike tax sales and sales of adjudicated properties, Sheriff sales have no redemptive period..

The starting bid for each property is generally two-thirds of its appraised value. Upon successfully bidding on the property, the successful bidder must immediately provide the Sheriff’s office ten percent (10%) of the purchase price paid in cash, money order, cashiers or certified check (no personal checks are accepted), plus their name, address, phone number, marital status and social security number.

“We continue to make great progress in our fight against blight by auctioning off these blighted properties,” said Mayor Landrieu. “Sheriff’s sales are really important tool for us in both bringing properties back into commerce and for collecting blight liens.”

It has been just over one year since Mayor Landrieu announced a new, aggressive blight strategy aimed at reducing blighted properties by 10,000 by 2014. Since then, the City has conducted 28,024 inspections, demolished 2,280 blighted units, moved over 1000 properties to code lien foreclosure, and collected over $1.5 million in blight liens and fines. The City has also held 28 BlightStat performance management meetings.

For more questions about the Sheriff Sale process and photos of the properties (when available), please visit www.civilsheriff.com.

Please visit the link below for more information:
http://data.nola.gov/Administrative-Data/Sheriff-s-Sales-Writs-Filed-Code-Lien-Foreclosure-/4zwn-3fms

The following properties will be auctioned on December 6:
3820 Alfred | 2700 Robert | 3613 S. Saratoga | 2435-37 Iberville |
2528 Upperline | 2209 Feliciana | 2710 St. Anthony | 14109 Explores |
218 S. Gayoso | 2459-61 Gladiolus | 1220 Delery | 2333 S. Roman | 2655 Prentiss | 6927 Foch | 1900 Franklin | 1563 N. Rocheblave |
1625 Congress | 2817 Cherry | 4809 Werner | 2482 Behrman |
3614-16 N. Derbigny | 6000 Franklin | 7034 Canal | 1331 Socrates |
601-03 Homer | 3420 Piedmont | 1305 Socrates | 2013 Clouet |
7332 Beaconfield | 5314 Baccich | 4000 Mithra | 1341-43 Flood |
4674 Werner | 1736-38 Independence | 1929 Governor Nicholls |
5173 Lakeview | 2501 St. Claude | 5105-07 St. Claude |
5165 Lakeview | 5467 Dauphine | 1921 Governor Nicholls | 4942 Bright |
432-34 Hay | 8835 Colapissa | 1322 Gallier | 2438-40 St. Roch

Postcard from Home

2011-12-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

1873: Faubourg St. John Streetcar

2011-12-01T20:51:00.000-08:00
research by Charlie London

Reported in the Times Picayune newspaper:
April 28, 1873
ORLEANS RAILROAD.
- Owing to the energy shown by the officers and directors of this company, the double track on Broad Street and Grand Route Saint John is completed. In consequence of this wise improvement, the line of this company is now the shortest from Canal street to the Fair Grounds. The cars run without change as far as the turning-table, opposite the central gate of the Fair Grounds, fronting on Savage Street, between the third and fourth building, a few steps from the stand. The Orleans Railroad cars start without interruption, from the Clay Statue, corner of St. Charles and Canal Streets.
Click here to view the original article from April 28, 1873.

July 3, 1868
Inauguration of the Orleans City Railroad

The first trip over the Orleans City Railroad was made the occasion of a pleasant excursion yesterday.

About 6 o'clock p.m. the officers of the road - President, George Clark; Secretary, Jules Benit; Directors, G.W. Hynson, D.B. Macarthy, B. Saloy, Joseph Hernandez, L.E. Lemarie and Frances Mouney - together with a large number of stockholders and invited guests, proceeded from opposite the office of the company, on Dauphine street, in two of the bright, new and elegant cars provided for the occasion, to travel over the length of the road and make as thorough an inspection of the same as circumstances would admit.
The route of the road is down Dauphine to Dumaine, out Dumaine to Broad, down Broad and beneath the overhanging branches of the trees that line this street, to Laharpe, and down Laharpe to the terminus of the road, where the spacious though as yet incomplete stables, etc., of the company are situate.(now Stallings Playground)
The depot is located on two squares of ground situate at the head of Bayou Savage, and near the Gentilly Road.
Though, the buildings have not been completed, the stables will be ready to afford shelter to the animals by tomorrow, when twelve cars will be placed upon the line.
Returning to the city the route passes down Grand Route Saint John, up Dumaine street to Broad, and thence by St. Peter and Basin streets to Canal.
After the excursion there was a very delightful collation spread at the office of the company, at which the greatest good feeling prevailed, and many toasts were drank to the success of the road, etc.
Click here to view the original article from July 3, 1868.

Click on the map for larger view and to see the dotted lines where the streetcars ran.

City Council Adopts 2012 Budget

2011-12-01T13:15:00.000-08:00
New Orleans, LA - December 1, 2011 - Today, the New Orleans City Council adopted the 2012 Capital and Operating Budgets for the City of New Orleans. In other business, the Council by resolution requested that the federal government continue investment in streetcar service in New Orleans. The Council also heard a presentation from the Director of the New Orleans Museum of Art about NOMA's upcoming centennial celebration. And, the Council commended the heroic life-saving efforts of a New Orleans firefighter and recognized the Urban Search and Rescue Squad for its response in the aftermath of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama tornadoes.

Adopted the City's 2012 Operating and Capital Budgets

The New Orleans City Council adopted the 2012 Capital and Operating Budgets for the City of New Orleans. The Council adopted Ordinance Calendar No. 28,717, providing a Capital Budget for 2012; Ordinance Calendar No. 28,718, providing an Operating Budget of Revenues for 2012; and, Ordinance Calendar No. 28,719, providing an Operating Budget of Expenditures for 2012. The Council received the Mayor's proposed budget October 17th and conducted a series of month-long budget hearings receiving presentations from City Departments, the Mayor's Office, and the Courts, the District Attorney, the Sheriff, outside agencies, boards and commissions.

The Council revised the original proposed budget with passage of a series of budget amendments that restored and shifted allocations for the District Attorney, the Juvenile Courts, the Criminal Sheriff, the Office of the Public Defender, the City Planning Commission (CPC) and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), among others.

Council President Clarkson said, "As is the Council's legislative responsibility, the City budget is balanced. It's been a privilege and a pleasure to chair a budget process that resulted in a structurally sound budget with a consensus among our council members and the administration to meet the priorities of our constituents. The Council is committed to advancing its vision for the City in 2012 and supporting the programs, initiatives and projects funded in this document that will have lasting benefits for the future of New Orleans."

Supported RTA Federal Grant to Continue Investment in the City's Streetcar Lines

The Council passed Resolution R-11-568 by Councilmembers Gisleson Palmer and Head to support the City of New Orleans and Regional Transit Authority's submission of an application for Phase III of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER III) funding for the Ninth Ward Streetcar Extension and Howard Avenue Connection Project. The resolution asks the federal government to continue investment in streetcar service in New Orleans. Streetcar service provides green and sustainable transportation alternatives and dramatically impacts the economies of the neighborhoods that are served.

District "C" Councilmember Gisleson Palmer said, "The revitalization of the St. Claude commercial corridor with a new streetcar line from Elysian Fields to Poland Avenue funded with federal transportation investment generating funding embodies the purpose of this federal grant. The extension of streetcar service down St. Claude Avenue is a vital linchpin to the comeback of important and historic New Orleans neighborhoods."

District "E" Councilmember Johnson said, "Extension of the streetcar line into the Ninth Ward through this grant opportunity will result in increased ridership and an improved quality of life for citizens. The community will be well-served and a public service that had been utilized and enjoyed by this community for many decades would be restored."

Commemorated Centennial Year of the New Orleans Museum of Art

Councilmember Guidry with NOMA Director Susan Taylor
At the request of Councilmember Guidry, the Council received a presentation from Susan Taylor, Director of the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) regarding the museum's centennial year. Since 1911, NOMA's mission has been to inspire the love of art, collect and preserve visual art and to educate and engage the public. Taylor discussed NOMA 100, a celebratory exhibition that consists of 110 objects acquired over the past five years. The exhibition tells the story of the museum's transformation over the past 100 years. To celebrate NOMA's centennial, the museum will be open for 31 consecutive hours from Friday, December 16th at 10 a.m. to Saturday, December 17th at 5 p.m. The festivities will include art making, a variety of musical performances, yoga and a jazz brunch. Visit www.noma.org for a full list of activities and times.

District "A" Councilmember Guidry said, "The New Orleans Museum of Art is the City's cornerstone of art and culture. For a century, NOMA has been a driving force in promoting, educating and encouraging an appreciation for the arts in New Orleans. We are grateful for all that NOMA has contributed to the artistic life of our community and look forward to a future that continues the traditions and accomplishments of a truly grand museum."

Recognized Heroic Life-Saving Efforts of a New Orleans Firefighter and Praised the Urban Search and Rescue Squad Disaster Response

Council President Clarkson and Chief Darryl Klumpp
At the request of Council President Clarkson, the Council heard a presentation from New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Charles Parent and Deputy Superintendent Tim McConnell, acknowledging the heroic efforts of 8th District Fire Chief Darryl Klumpp. On Thursday July 28th, Chief Klumpp noticed smoke coming from the home of his neighbor and alerted the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD). District Chief Klumpp bravely entered the burning home and rescued an elderly wheel-chair bound resident. Fernando Echeagaray was found in a bedroom and carried from the burning house. Firefighters arrived on the scene and Chief Klumpp directed firefighters on the ground. The fire was contained, ensuring that nearby homes were not destroyed.

NOFD Superintendent Parent and Deputy Superintendent McConnell also presented along with Louisiana State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, Director of New Orleans Louisiana State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, Council President Clarkson and Superintendent Charles Parent with a gift from the
City of Tuscaloosa thanking USAR personnel for their aid in the immediate aftermath of the spring tornadoes Emergency Medical Services and Fire Department Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Elder, and St. Bernard Parish Fire Department Chief Thomas Stone, concerning the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force response to the spring tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On May 2, 2011, in the immediate aftermath of the destructive tornadoes, USAR personnel were deployed to Tuscaloosa. Their main task was to conduct searches in a densely populated area of Tuscaloosa. Technical expertise was needed to ensure that people were not trapped beneath rubble and to provide medical care. Information was provided to family members anxiously awaiting news regarding their missing loved ones. USAR personnel were able to search and clear an area which allowed for heavy moving equipment to move in and continue clearing debris.

Council President Clarkson said, "I am continually amazed by the bravery of our New Orleans firefighters and of the willingness of firefighters and disaster rescue teams in our City and the surrounding area to risk their lives for the benefit of others. These are the true heroes. Again and again, they go above and beyond what is required and exhibit selfless acts to protect the lives of citizens. We are so grateful to you for all that you do."

Whatever Floats Your Boat

2011-12-01T07:35:00.000-08:00
Over in Central Florida they are having a boat parade. Click on the photo for photo credit and more information.

Who thinks we could have a Holiday Boat Parade on the bayou?
Who is willing to make that happen?

Would a circular parade of boats between the Magnolia and Dumaine bridges be a good route?

Would you be interested in this?

http://orlandoneighborhoodsandrealestate.blogspot.com/2011/11/winter-park-boat-parade-and-festival-of.html

Maybe in Big Lake by the Museum or in Bayou St. John between the bridges?

Maybe a bridge fundraiser? People pay to have their decorated canoe or rowboat in the parade? Best decorated canoe or rowboat wins a prize? Beads would be slingshot from the boats to the shore in wrapped packages that would float (maybe a wine cork in the bag) if they missed the mark?

OR, Krewe of Bayou Festival? Maybe on twelfth night to kick off Mardi Gras with a variety of king cake tables along the shore?

"Floats" on platforms that would be sea worthy? (catamaran-like with large barrels on either side)

01Dec 14: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

2011-12-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Bring Your Non-Perishable Donations for Second Harvest |
Great Door Prizes | Egg Nog | Cookies |

Neighbors:
Wednesday evening is the last membership meeting of the year. I hope that many of you decide to join us for several reasons.

First, we have some great speakers. I was informed last night that Councilmember Guidry will be attending and speaking to us. We also have an update on the status of the Bayou improvement/restoration project by Bobby Wozniak and Caitlin Reilly of the LSU Ag Center will speak about Raccoons: The Good, The Bad and the Cute. Light refreshments and door prizes will be provided.

Lastly, and of great importance to the neighborhood association - we will be electing the 2012 executive board and officers. We hope that at least 55 or more of our neighbors and members attend the meeting. If you can not stay for the entire meeting it is understandable, but please come to cast your ballot.

The agenda for tomorrow's meeting is below.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Seth Levine
President
Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association

December 14, 2011
FSJNA General Membership Meeting Agenda

I. Call to Order
II. Role Call
III. Guests
• Councilmember Guidry
• Bayou Update - Bobby Wozniak
•Raccoons – The Good, The Bad And The Cute – Caitlin Reilly – LSU Ag Center

IV. Welcome remarks/Overview of Year/
•Thank you to existing board and advisory board members
• Thank you to members
• Thank you to City Council
•2011 Matters – Redistricting, Re-bridge, Increase in Funds

V. Treasurer’s Report
VI. Committee Reports/Updates (if any)
• Events/Outreach
• Public Safety
• Outreach
• Zoning

VII. Voting on Executive Board
•Nominations from floor may be made and written in on ballot

VIII. New Business/Unfinished Business

IX. Adjournment

MEMBERS: YOU CAN NOMINATE OTHER MEMBERS TO THE SLATE BELOW

On November 14, 2011, Seth Levine sent the yahoogroup the Officer Slate for 2012. I wanted to resend the list to prepare everyone for the election on December 14 at The Fair Grounds Black Gold Room at 6:30 pm. There will be a guest speaker, refreshments, and door prizes after the election.

Board, Officer and Advisory Board Slate for 2012 Recommended and Approved by FSJNA Board:
Board:
1. Michael Cohn (President)
2. Jim Danner (VP)
3. Anna Dugar (Secretary)
4. Mona McMahon (Treasurer)
5. Linda Landesberg
6. Pushpa Ramaiah
7. Nancy Shepard
8. Dean Burridge
9. Brenda London
10. Ali James
11. Rocky Seydel
12. Kerry Tully
13. Seth Levine
14. Jimmy Farenholtz
15. Steve Mardon
16. Charlie London
17. Gloria Martin

Advisory Board:
1. Conrad Abadie
2. Sara Landrieu
3. Vincent Booth
4. Richard Cahn
5. Mike Pearce
6. David Porretto
7. Suzanne Accorsi
8. Greg Jeanfreau
9. Keith Twitchell
10. Cynthia Scott
11. Rachel Dangermond
12. Bobby Wozniak

Nancy Shepard
Secretary
Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association

BlightStat 28

2011-12-01T03:14:00.000-08:00
Photo and article by Charlie London

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PDF of the
CITY's December 1, 2011 BlightStat presentation.

The 28th BlightStat meeting to which the public was invited began with city department representatives introducing themselves.

Mr. Keith Ferrouillet, Mr. Allen Square, Mr. Jeff Hebert , Mr. Oliver Wise, Ms. Joyce Wilkerson, Mr. Brian Lawlor, Mr.Miles Granderson, Ms. Brenda Breaux, Ms. Pura Basco, Ms. Kristin Illarmo, Mr. Winston Reid, Mr. David Lessinger, Mr. Justin Kray, and Ms. Tammy Johnson were in attendance.

Mr. Lessinger began the meeting with an announcement of the upcoming “Fight the Blight” day on December 10th. 10 am until 1 pm

The "Fight the Blight" day takes place in each council district. Here is what is happening in District A from the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization:

"Volunteers will fan out in a five-block radius from St. Patrick park (which effectively means towards the river and Canal Street, given the location of I-10). Volunteers can plant trees, clean storm drains and paint "No Dumping" on them, cart away abandoned tires, appliances, etc., cars, spray for rodents and then remove the debris, fill potholes, replace street signs, and more."

Inspections
Ms. Basco indicated 445 inspections were done during the last two weeks. More emphasis is on re-inspections to move hearings along.

Mr. Wise noted the inspections backlog is beginning to creep back up. Overall the backlog has been reduced significantly and continues to be a focus of Code Enforcement.

Hearings
Ms. Illarmo noted the backlog has been reduced significantly. The strategic demo team (Tammy) is working diligently to research properties in need of demolition.

A discussion ensued about the hearings backlog. Ms. Illarmo continued the meeting noting that 235 hearings were completed over the last two weeks.

Much work has been done researching files and getting cases organized.
Mr. Wise again focused on the hearings backlog. A further discussion ensued.

Reset cases are down significantly. This may indicate significant efficiency measures have been implemented and are working.

Demolitions
Demolitions continue to rise. “Jason” indicated that 3 properties are ready for demolition with 6 properties waiting for utility disconnects.

FEMA
Demolished 3 residential structures and one large property on General Taylor.

Interim Nuisance Abatement Program
Mr. Ferrouillet indicated 9 properties were cut this two week period. Workers were off for the Thanksgiving holiday.

FEMA TRAILERS
5 Fema trailers remain. 1 is empty. 2 should be gone before the end of the year. 2 will likely remain for a while.

Sheriff Sales
Compliance continues to go up as properties go to Sheriff sale. (Liens paid or property sold). 15 had no bid. 1st round the property has a minimum. If no bid then the second time the property has a much lower price.

Dec 6 and Jan 10 Sheriff sale dates. Dec 15, 19, 26, and Jan 2 for foreclosure sales.

Over a million dollars has been collected so far from the lien foreclosure process.

Mr. Wise asked Mr. Lawlor about the “soft second” program. Mr. Lawlor indicated work continues to make properties available.

Ms. Wilkerson indicated 5 new NORA properties are available with two dozen properties closed this bi-weekly period.

More “lot next door” closing are getting done.

Mr. Lawlor answered a question from the audience concerning help for people trying to rebuild their homes. Mr. Lawlor indicated a visit to http://www.rtno.org and http://stbernardproject.org would be a good place to start.

More questions from the audience were answered and the meeting adjourned.
***

You can review my reports on all of the previous BlightStat Meetings in the links below:
Blight Sweep in 9th Ward: http://fsjna.org/2010/11/blighted-beginnings/
BLIGHTSTAT ONE: http://fsjna.org/2010/11/bi-weekly-blight-business/
BLIGHTSTAT TWO:http://fsjna.org/2010/11/keeping-our-eyes-on-the-prize/
BLIGHTSTAT THREE: http://fsjna.org/2010/12/what-gets-measured-gets-managed/
BLIGHTSTAT FOUR: http://fsjna.org/2010/12/blight-busting/
2010 Year End Update: http://fsjna.org/2010/12/year-end-update-from-the-landrieu-administration/
BLIGHTSTAT FIVE: http://fsjna.org/2011/01/the-5th-dimension-of-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT SIX: http://fsjna.org/2011/01/a-sixth-sense-for-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT SEVEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/02/the-7-heavens-of-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT EIGHT: http://fsjna.org/2011/02/8-by-ya-mommas/
BLIGHTSTAT NINE: http://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-9/
BLIGHTSTAT TEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-10/
BLIGHTSTAT ELEVEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/04/blightstat-11/
BLIGHTSTAT TWELVE: http://fsjna.org/2011/04/blightstat-12/
Mayor's State of the City Address: http://fsjna.org/2011/04/one-city-that-shares-one-fate/
BLIGHTSTAT THIRTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/05/blightstat-13/
BLIGHTSTAT FOURTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/05/blightstat-14/
BLIGHTSTAT FIFTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-15/
CITY GETS REPORT CARD: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/city-gets-report-card/
BLIGHTSTAT SIXTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-16/
BLIGHTSTAT SEVENTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-17/
BLIGHTSTAT EIGHTEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/07/blightstat-18
BLIGHTSTAT NINETEEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/07/blightstat-19/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY: http://fsjna.org/2011/08/blightstat-20/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-ONE: http://fsjna.org/2011/08/blightstat-turns-21/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-TWO: http://fsjna.org/2011/09/blightstat-22/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-THREE: http://fsjna.org/2011/09/blightstat-23/
FIGHT BLIGHT RIGHT: http://fsjna.org/2011/09/fight-blight-right/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-FOUR: http://fsjna.org/2011/10/blightstat-24/
CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: http://fsjna.org/2011/10/citizens-participate-in-new-orleans/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-FIVE: http://fsjna.org/2011/10/blightstat-25/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-SIX: http://fsjna.org/2011/11/blightstat-turns-one
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-SEVEN: http://fsjna.org/2011/11/27-meetings-about-blight/

NOCCA Fundraiser at Santa Fe

2011-11-30T16:11:00.000-08:00
On Tuesday December 20th, we are having a NOCCA fundraiser from 6pm onwards. Students of NOCCA classical music department headed by Dr. Jee Yeon Ko will be performing as well as some of the teachers and parents. We shall be donating 20% of the evening's proceeds to NOCCA's classical music department to help with the puchase of costly instruments needed by the students.

If you appreciate the arts, especially classical music and cello, please stop by and join us for dinner on Tuesday December 20th and help us make a difference in our community.
***
Also, we are preparing to host a memorable New Year's Eve party at Santa Fe on December 31st which is going to include:-
*an amazing jazz trio with Eileina Dennis, Jason Stuart and Todd Duke, *dinner specials will include Chilean seabass, New Zealand lamb, lobster, duck, scrumpcious desserts and more....
*our patio will be covered (clear) and heated for your comfort throughout this winter.

Please make your reservations as early as possible, call 504 948 0077 (the restaurant) or Lale on my cell phone 504 512 1828
***

Last but not least, we want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and the best of health, happiness and wealth in 2012. Kindly be advised that we shall be closed for Christmas on Saturday December 24, Sunday December 25th and Monday December 26th.

With warm regards,
Lale E. & Carlos A. Lourenco
Santa Fe restaurant
3201 Esplanade Avenue, NOLA 70119
Tel: 504 948 0077

Drop It Like Its Hot

2011-11-30T16:03:00.000-08:00

First Annual NOFD Cookie Drop
On Friday, December 16th, the American Red Cross SELA Chapter will be distributing cookies to the New Orleans firehouses to show our appreciation for all they do for our community. There are three simple ways YOU can help:

1.) Bake some cookies! There are around 600 firefighters in New Orleans, so we need LOTS of cookies! Please bake a dozen or more of your favorite cookies and bring them into chapter HQ on Thursday, December 15th. Our goal is 60 dozen (WOW), but I know we can do it!

2.) Say thanks and send some holiday cheer! We will be attaching thank you/holiday cards to the cookies, so if you would like to write a letter of appreciation or send a card, we will need those by Thursday, December 15th.

3.) Deliver the cookies! We need volunteers to help deliver the cookies because there are 31 firehouses in New Orleans! Delivery will be throughout the day on Friday, December 16th.

For any questions or to sign up to help with delivery, please contact Aimee Mankins at (504)620-3131 or via email at amankins@arcno.org.

As always, thank you for all that you do for the American Red Cross and for New Orleans! Happy Holidays!

Postcard from Home - Pirates Alley

2011-10-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Postcard from Home - Slave Block

2011-10-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Postcard from Home - Cabildo Courtyard

2011-10-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Postcard from Home - Charity Hospital

2011-10-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Magical Mystery Tour - Popp's Fountain

2011-10-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Popp fountain was built in 1937. Its artistic design was proposed by an artist named Enrique Alferez. As with most of the fountains around the world, the Popp fountain was heartily donated by one of the locals of the city. In the year 1928, a total sum of $25,000 was given as a gift to the city. The kind people behind the possible building of the Popp fountain were Mrs. Rebecca Grant Popp and her dear sister, Isabel Grant. They helped in the creation financially merely not just the fountain itself but also on the beautification and maintenance necessities that the fountain needed. The fountain was all the same, dedicated to the generous sisters, hence the name Popp Memorial Fountain.

Talking about the designs of the Popp Fountain, the structure itself stretches to a measurement of 60 feet and that is quite wide. The artistic Enrique Alferez put up leaping dolphins that spectacularly spout water into the air to a maximum of 30 feet, and that is half the size of the fountain area. The artistically designed dolphins were made up of cast bronze. There is an upper and a lower public walk that encircle the fountain. These walkways are engulfed in Corinthian columns in which they add up to the beautiful surroundings to the fountain. There is also placement of different green plants all over the path, in such a way that they create a warm ambience around the fountain’s area.

Without a doubt, the fountain has become a main attraction in the urban. With its lust sculpture design and the gifts of nature put together, there is nothing more to be asked for the gorgeous Popp fountain. The park where the Popp fountain is standing has more of a private approach. The park which is an 11-acre site eventually has been the locals’ favorite place to be in the time of important events such as weddings, or just the simple family and friends’ gathering.

Over the years, the Popp fountain also suffered what humans are suffering from, and it is the “Tear and Wear” phenomena. The Popp fountain has experienced a number of both natural and man-made destructions. As historic and as a masterpiece of pride for the locals, the Popp fountain really needs its restoration in one way or another. Thus, the call for beautification and restoration parties is sought after. As a result, the Popp fountain was back to its original beauty in the year 1999. But, unfortunately, it was inevitably damaged by the hurricane named Katrina, and so restoration plans and methods are for a second time required for the famous Popp fountain.

Other than that, the fountain also has its savior and this is no other than the local people. There are good-hearted organizations that answered the call for Popp’s renovation, like that of the Starwood Hotel. This organization’s movement is called the “Operation CPR: City Park Restoration, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide” which resuscitates or relives the original state of the Popp fountain.

Original article can be found at:
http://soothingwalls.com/articles/famous-water-fountains/popp-fountain-new-orleans-city

Constant Content at FSJNA dot ORG

2011-09-30T19:18:00.000-07:00
Art & Jewelry Sale on Esplanade | 9 am to Noon | Oct 1st
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/art-jewelry-sale-on-esplanade/

Folk Art Zone | 4 pm to 7 pm | Oct 1st
http://katrinafilm.com/public/wordpress/?p=2501

Vecinos | 10 am to 5 pm | Oct 2nd
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/vecinos/

Kermit Ruffins at Mid City Lanes | 7:30 pm | Oct 3rd
http://katrinafilm.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/13587/
FSJNA does not endorse any political candidate.

Fight Blight Right | 6:30 pm | Oct 4th
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/fight-blight-right/

BESE Candidates Forum | 6:30 pm | Oct 5th
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/bese-candidates-forum/
FSJNA does not endorse any political candidate.

Movie Night with Mr. Okra | 7:30 pm | Oct 5th
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/10/movie-night-with-mr-okra/

Mid City Theatre | 8 pm | Oct 6th
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/mid-city-theatre-october-6th/

Voodoo on the Bayou | 8:30 pm | Oct 29th
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/voodoo-on-the-bayou-4/

Neighbor Hunts History
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/neighbor-hunts-history/

City Park Gets Recognition
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/city-park/

City Park's Arbor Room
http://business.fsjna.org/2011/09/city-park-opens-arbor-room/

Please visit FSJNA dot ORG often as new posts are added daily.

Look for a Postcard from Home every Sunday courtesy of Linda Burns.

And, every Wednesday check out the Magical Mystery Tour at FSJNA dot ORG.
This week's photo will be by Eileen Duke!

Charlie London
http://business.fsjna.org

Movie Night with Mr. Okra

2011-09-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

You are invited to the first and only screening of the award winning short film, Mr. Okra Wednesday, October 5th in the NOMA Sculpture Garden. For those of you who don't know, this is the little film that could...Mr. Okra was an official selection of the Sundance and
Cannes film festivals and won awards at the Austin, NY Food, Dallas and Nashville film festivals. Please join us for what promises to be a great night...and Mr. Okra himself will be there!
See more about the film here: www.nomdeguerre.tv
See invite here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171756262907775

Wednesday, October 5 · 7:30pm - 9:30pm

The Young Leadership Council, One Book One New Orleans, and the New Orleans Film Society present a movie night in the NOMA Sculpture Garden!

Character and characters: "Nine Lives", like New Orleans, is filled with both. Join us for a celebration of all of the above, and all things New Orleans, as One Book teams up with the New Orleans Film Society to bring you a night of free New Orleans films on the big screen under the starr...y skies of the Sculpture Garden!

Opening Short: "Mr. Okra," the award-winning documentary about everyone's favorite food truck before food trucks became food trucks. Art, passion, community, food: Mr. Okra is New Orleans. http://nomdeguerre.tv/news.html

Feature Film: "From The Mouthpiece On Back," the touching, tough, and not-to-be-missed documentary about the To Be Continued Brass Band as they found their sound and soul once again after Hurricane Katrina. http://fromthemouthpieceonback.com/

**SPECIAL GUESTS: "Mr. Okra" Executive Producers andre' jones and george "hutch" hutchinson, Director tg herrington, and...

******MR. OKRA HIMSELF!*******

The main gates of the sculpture garden will open to the public at 6:30, for those who'd like to experience it prior to the films.

Brennan's Restaurant will sell refreshments, beer and wine. Please - no outside food or drink.

Bring a blanket, bring a buddy and be ready for an extraordinary, only-in-NOLA night.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Suggested donation: one paperback book (no violence/graphic on the cover) for donation to our partners Louisiana Books2Prisoners, to help fight illiteracy in the prison system.

BUY LOCAL!

2010-03-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Superbowl Saints

2010-02-08T00:30:00.000-08:00

Bayou St. John Gets High Tech

2009-08-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

Bayou St. John recently received solar powered high tech water monitoring equipment that will monitor such things as depth, temperature, oxygen, and salinity levels which when all processed together will indicate water quality. And, if that wasn't enough, the unit will eventually transmit this data to a public website.

This data could be used by fishermen to know when is the best time to catch fish in Bayou St. John. The data could also be used by scientists to back up the residents requests to have the Bayou St. John sector gates open on a regular basis and only closed during extremely high tides or when a hurricane enters the Gulf of Mexico.

New Orleans 4 Years After Katrina

2009-08-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Night Out Against Crime in Faubourg St. John

2009-08-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

An amazing "Night Out Against Crime" and one that will be remembered for a long long time. Allen Toussaint and Rockin Dopsie performed together in a spectacular performance all for the benefit of the 1st District of the New Orleans Police Department. Nelson Savoie and Warren Guidry have held the "Night Out Against Crime" each year for many years in Faubourg St. John and it showed. The entire celebration was flawless. Great food, great fun, and spectacular music all for the benefit of the New Orleans Police Department. You can still donate to the cause. Contact Nelson Savoie or Warren Guidry at realcajuns@gmail.com or just hit the DONATE button at http://fsjna.org, make your tax deductible donation, then send an email to info@fsjna.org with instructions on how to apply your donation. (N.O.P.D., Night Out Against Crime)

Big Night Out

2009-07-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Video courtesy DJ Studios, 2nd Line Productions of New Orleans

Big party at 3006 Esplanade in New Orleans on August 4th

http://www.fsjna.org/2009/07/night-out-against-crime-3/

Welcome World Walkers

2009-07-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

http://worldwalk-peacetour.info/

I had the opportunity to visit with a couple
of brothers from Hungary who are walking
around for world peace.

One of the things they found most odd was
when they were in Jackson County
(they said in North Florida) they were unable
to buy beer on Sunday. The concept was
amusing and befuddling to them. Blue laws.

The strangest experience they relayed was
walking down a very narrow strip of road
in Mauritania where minefields were present
on either side of the road. There are signs
with skulls on them to warn people not to
stray off the roadway.

Made bathroom decisions interesting.

Since either side of the road was full of
mines, they had to sleep literally within
inches of the road as cars continued to
use the narrow pathway. Their most
interesting food was camel. They said it
tastes a lot like regular beef.

They also relayed that Hungarian,
while an interesting language with
46 characters, is utterly useless.
No one in Europe speaks Hungarian and
even the Hungarians use English as their
language of choice.

More info below:
http://www.fsjna.org/2009/07/faubourg-st-john-welcomes-world-walkers/

The Lafitte Corridor

2009-07-05T20:02:00.000-07:00
Go to http://folc-nola.org for more info.

RTA Board Meeting July 1st, 2009

2009-07-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

The meeting began after 11:30 a.m. to a packed room. General orders of business were covered along with two major issues. The first issue was Veolia's contract with the RTA which was renewed for 5 years. Either party can discontinue the contract with 180 day notice. After 5 years the contract can be renewed for another 5 years. Veolia's website and a statement from their website is below: http://www.veoliatransportation.com/vision-for-cities/smart-development Smart development focuses understanding the interrelationships between population, land use, transportation, economics, environment, and other factors. The goal is to develop policies that result in more sustainable urban environments that provide a high quality of life. Also covered was the addition of three new streetcar lines which will span from St. Claude down Rampart Street. I understand the new lines will be named Desire, Rampart and Loyola. This film covers the section of the meeting as it relates to the streetcar issue.

Opportunity is Knocking Loudly

2009-06-29T13:20:00.000-07:00
http://www.fsjna.org/2009/06/opportunity-is-knocking/ The video above explains how first time home buyers can get free money if they agree to live in the home for five years. The link below lists properties available from the New Orleans Recovery Authority. It is a great time to live in New Orleans. Opportunity abounds! http://katrinafilm.com/Opportunity.pdf The Request For Proposals is designed to draw proposals from individuals, small entrepreneurs and larger entities interested in purchasing property to support redevelopment within the neighborhood.

Alligator Sunrise

2009-06-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

As I was driving back from Destrehan on Airline Hwy this morning, I encountered an interesting event near St. Rose, LA. It was 3 a.m. and an alligator, I estimate to be approximately ten feet in length, was warming itself on the roadway.

As if that wasn't excitement enough, the alligator would rear up and snap at oncoming cars as they passed. It was quite a sight to see as people swerved their cars around him.

I pulled up next to the alligator. It was at least ten feet in length. He did not snap at me but watched me intently. I was less than 5 feet from it. I adjusted the vehicle to shine the headlights on it. The alligator was uninjured and very much alive. It just wanted to be left alone to enjoy the heat from the roadway. The 99 degree temperature yesterday must have made the roadway toasty even until 3 in the morning.

I put the emergency flashers on and flashed oncoming vehicles to warn them of the alligator. He was sprawled across both lanes of traffic. Two guys in a pickup truck came by to try to catch him. They indicated they'd done this before.

Two St. Charles Parish Sheriff vehicles arrived shortly thereafter. The deputies seemed puzzled as to what course of action to take. I left soon after they arrived but not before taking the pictures in the attached film.

Oh yeah, there's some really nice sunrise pictures too. The pictures and video of the sunrise were taken over Zephyr Stadium. I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos and video as they were taken with my cell phone.

Moving New Orleans Forward

2009-06-12T14:10:00.001-07:00

The dock you see in this picture was donated by Robert Boh. There is another one directly across from it that was also donated. The docks are constructed with boards made of a composite material that will not rot, last for generations, and withstand any storm. The herringbone layout of the boards on the dock contributes to its strength as do the large support beams which are sandwiched in between cement caps on top of the pilings.

The pilings, foundation, and docks are so strong that according to the foreman at the site, "could support a tractor-trailer being driven on them". The same gentleman stated that he retired in 2004 but was asked to come out of retirement to participate in this project. He also noted that as a younger man he helped drive the pilings that support the large building wings added to the New Orleans Museum of Art years ago.

A restaurant and boat shed are to be built soon near the dock. Large cleats are ready for the paddle boats and canoes which are eventually going to be tied to them. Grasses were planted in front of the dock nearest the museum.

The "fountain" you see in the picture is not exactly what it seems. While it certainly looks like a fountain and has a dramatic plume shooting into the air, it is actually an aerator to keep up the oxygen level in the water.

The foreman indicated that Mr. Boh's donation to the Big Lake project near the museum already exceeds 200,000 dollars.

Congratulations to Mr. Boh for giving back to our community and helping to move New Orleans forward.

See more in this flyer from the Trust for Public Land at:

http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/TPL-LA%20Fall2008%2012-31-08.pdf

From The Trust for Public Land website:

The Trust for Public Land's agreement with Boh Bros. Construction Company includes a generous donation of services by company president, Robert S. Boh, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Boh Bros. in New Orleans. With this commitment of services along with an early cash donation to the project, Boh Bros. joins an impressive list of local and national foundations that have made the Big Lake project possible.

Article and photo by Charlie London

Lafitte Corridor Television Coverage

2009-06-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

Donation of City Properties

2009-05-29T14:59:00.000-07:00
As the recovery progresses, consideration of what makes New Orleans unique is paramount to retaining the character and ambiance people flock from around the world to see.

2552 St. Philip Street is just one of many city owned properties threatened with extinction.

It's hard for the city to be genuine in its pursuit of derelict properties when city-owned historically significant properties like 2552 St. Philip are systematically being demolished by neglect.

I believe a plan should be formulated to sell city owned historic properties at a discount(or DONATED) to entities which pledge to restore them properly.

The property at 2552 St. Philip is eligible for significant tax credits (50%) according to the
Office of Cultural Development/Division of Historic Preservation if it is donated/sold to a private entity and then restored and put into commercial use. A public/private partnership that would restore city-owned historically significant properties and make them commercially viable at the same time is a win for the city, bringing jobs and tax revenue and a win for preservation by retaining significant parts of our cultural heritage.

Would you please provide email addresses of people who might be willing to help bring this property back into commerce or restore it to its former glory?

Sincerely,
Charles London
http://fsjna.org
http://katrinafilm.com
http://katrinafilm.blogspot.com
http://katrinafilm.wordpress.com

Below is a link to the city owned property at 2552 St. Philip.
http://katrinafilm.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/2552-st-philip-street/

This property falls within the Bayou Road African American Heritage
Cultural District. It is currently owned by the City of New Orleans.

It would be wonderful if the city would concede to donating this property
to someone willing to restore it. It is just too great an asset to let the
city continue to demolish it by neglect.

I contacted the city about a month ago to see if it could be restored
to its best use - a police station but the city is not interested. Getting
someone to purchase it is unlikely because it is surrounded by blight and crime.
Donating to some entity that would restore it makes sense.

Because 2552 St. Philip is located within a cultural development/
historic preservation district it can qualify for a 50% tax credit
(25% state, 25% federal) IF it is privately owned and used for
commercial purposes.

The new owner needs to operate a business there for 5 years. If it
is privately owned and used as residential then only a 25% tax credit
applies.

As you can see from the picture in the link,
http://katrinafilm.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/2552-st-philip-street/
this is a very beautiful building that the city is demolishing by neglect.

How can we convince the city to sell or donate this property to a
commercial entity willing to restore it? Do you know any large corporate entity
that would be willing to take on such a project? The city values the
property at over a million dollars.

2009 Bayou Boogaloo

2009-05-12T11:29:00.000-07:00
Video supplied by Jared Zeller. Don't miss this free, fun festival taking place on beautiful Bayou St. John in Mid-City New Orleans on May 22nd and May 23rd.

2009 Crescent City Classic at Mile 4

2009-04-11T12:53:00.001-07:00

Old Soldiers' Home Demolished

2009-04-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Dr. John Surprises Fortier Park

2009-03-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

Mayor of New Orleans

2009-03-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

Let's Go Fishin'

2009-03-04T19:04:00.000-08:00
http://www.fsjna.org/2009/03/lets-go-fishin/

There will be a Fish Fry this Friday night, March 6th,
at the Our Lady of the Rosary cafeteria at 1322 Moss Street.
The menu will consist of fresh fried catfish, with sides and will cost $7 per plate.
Food will be served from 6 PM to 9PM.
Draught beer, soft drinks, wine and deserts will be available.
Dinners will be available for dine-in or take-out.
This is for a good cause and if you went to this last year the fish was great.
Plenty of free parking available
The event will be repeated next Friday, March 13th at the same time and place.

The Fish Fry is a community outreach event and fund raiser to rebuild
the wheelchair/ADA ramp on the Broad Street side of the church to
make it more user friendly. The fund raiser is called "Revamp the Ramp".
The new ramp will comply with all modern standards of ADA
(American with Disabilities Act.)

New Orleans: A Tradition in Progress

Postcard from Home

Mardi Gras 2012 is Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Postcard from Home

Postcard from Home - Garden District

Postcard from Home - Antoines

2012 Mardi Gras Parades

2012 New Orleans Area Mardi Gras Parade Schedule

Postcard from Home - Happy New Year

Ten Thousand Small Businesses

THE THIRD GOLDMAN SACHS 10,000 SMALL BUSINESSES CLASS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

New Orleans Enjoys Startup Boom

Greetings for the Season

Wishing you peace, love and laughter this Christmas and throughout the New Year.

Day Tripping

My day trip continued with a walk from City Hall down Loyola where I encountered this new and innovative bus stop at Tulane and Loyola. It's been there about one week.

Dats a Spicy Family!

Faubourg St. John resident Al Kramer and his family were featured in the Christmas Day article, "What a Card!" by Sheila Stroup of the Times Picayune. Click on Al's card to read her article.

And, if you still have Sunday's paper, look for the card on page D-10 of the December 25, 2011 issue of the Times Picayune.

Magical Mystery Tour - New Year

Article and photos courtesy www.neworleansonline.com

New Year's in New Orleans

Then the fireworks begin!

The party continues in the French Quarter

Quieter Celebration Options

For the Kids and Their Families

Skate Park Meeting at City Hall Wednesday

Wednesday, January 4, 2012; 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Klaus Weiland to Play at Fair Grinds Friday

late 80's Conceived, built (500 auto tires, 20,000 plastic soda bottles, 12miles of lobster trapline, all rescued from the environment) and sailed with my brother Chris "Bubbles" Weiland, together with a wonderful bunch of volunteer eco-adventurists in Key West.

Christmas on the Bayou

Postcard from Home - Merry Christmas

Look for a POSTCARD from HOME every Sunday at FSJNA dot ORG

Dirty Bird Gumbo is mmmmm good

Not only did the Saints beat the Falcons 45-16 but Drew Brees brought his season total passing yards to 5,087 - an new NFL record!

The New Orleans Saints play the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome on Monday, Dec 26 at 7:30 pm

Have You Seen Me?

Have You Seen Me?

Holiday Greetings

From our family to yours

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a New Year blessed with peace and happiness

Santa Says Clean Your Drain

THIS JUST IN: Santa requests all New Orleans Residents to clean the catch basins near their homes. Santa needs all streets to be free of water and debris for the efficient delivery of presents.

Click here for EPA recommendations for catch basin cleaning.

Click here to see catch basin guidelines from Connecticut.

Prepare to Renovate!

REBRIDGE NOW!

Happy Holidays Re-Bridgers:

Skate Park Meetings

Build a Bike and Make a Difference

RESTORE | RENEW | RECYCLE

Magical Mystery Tour - Snow on the Bayou

December 11, 2008

Lafitte Greenway News

December 20th is a Big Deal!

Louisiana Purchase, Completed in Cabildo, Stands as Greatest Realty Deal in History

Energy Smart

Postcard from Home

James Pitot and the Lafitte Corridor

Research by Charlie London

Want to learn more about James Pitot? Please click on the photo of a painting of James Pitot obtained from http://trueknowledge.comYou may enjoy reading some of the original articles about James Pitot and other interesting historical items in the links at the bottom of this post.

Festive Faubourg

Click on any photo for a larger view.

Dec 18: It's a Wonderful Life at the Deutsches Haus

The Deutsches Haus will eventually be located in Faubourg St. John facing the bayou on Moss Street.

Operation Homefront

BCS Bowl Changes Meeting

For more information about FSJNA meetings, please look for the "MEET" tab at FSJNA dot ORG or just click on the link below:http://fsjna.org/fsjna-meetings-and-more/

Port to Receive Rail Yard Improvements

by Charlie London

BlightStat 29 | December 15, 2011

2012 Board Elected

The 2012 Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Executive Board was elected at tonight's General Membership meeting at the Fair Grounds:

Lafitte Corridor One of Seven to Receive National Attention

Magical Mystery Tour - Vignaud

Dec 14: Important Fed Visits Lafitte Corridor

Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, will visit the Lafitte Corridor on Wednesday, December 14th at NOON.

Postcard from Home

1905: First Spike for New Orleans Public Belt

THE ALLEGED PUBLIC BELT RAILROAD

Not only did the Saints beat the Falcons 45-16 but
Drew Brees brought his season total passing yards to 5,087 - an new NFL record!

Want to learn more about James Pitot? Please click on the photo of a painting of James Pitot obtained from http://trueknowledge.com

You may enjoy reading some of the original articles about James Pitot and other interesting historical items in the links at the bottom of this post.

For more information about FSJNA meetings, please look for the "MEET" tab at FSJNA dot ORG or just click on the link below:
http://fsjna.org/fsjna-meetings-and-more/

THAT THE RAILROAD COMMISSION MAY SIT
IN NEW ORLEANS.

Who thinks we could have a Holiday Boat Parade on the bayou?
Who is willing to make that happen?

Bring Your Non-Perishable Donations for Second Harvest |
Great Door Prizes | Egg Nog | Cookies |

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PDF of the
CITY's December 1, 2011 BlightStat presentation.