Dear Flood Protection and Coastal Restoration Task Force Co-Chairs and Members,
Transition New Orleans invites you to present your Task Force's work at a public event called, “One Voice. One Mission. Presenting a Vision for the Future”. Each of the 17 Task Forces, formed to gather information and public input on a variety of issues that affect the quality of life for the residents of New Orleans, will have this opportunity to present key recommendations to Mayor-elect Landrieu and the public.

Date: Thursday, April 22nd Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Program will start at 1:30 p.m. Task force members are asked to arrive at 1:00 p.m.) Location: Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts 801 N Rampart St. (parking accessible at 1419 Basin Street)

The Co-chairs are asked to present on behalf of each Task Force.
Each Task Force will have 5 minutes to present the following:
-Brief description of issue addressed and mission
-Brief summary of process
-Top 3-5 recommendations from Task Force

The Mayor-elect wishes to acknowledge all Task Force members at this event, and a summary of Task Force findings will be shared with the public and media. We will communicate more details regarding the order in which Task Forces will present and additional logistics in the next days. We thank you for your dedication and look forward to hearing your great ideas.
~Editilla Crow'tellas~ Special thanks to Sandy Rosenthal, founder of Levees.org and a Task Force member, for sliding this news our way.
But we have to axe, 5 minutes? It takes longer than that to order a $5 Foot Long at Subway! Sure sounds like a Bit of Pomp given the Circumstance. If the words Option 2 or Option 2a are not in this brief brief then what's the point?
The evening will be dominated by press for the Mayor's Police Chief TF and his Economic Dev TF... and of course much much discussion on Episode 2 of Treme.

“What should City Hall do to increase the City’s resilience and protections against storm and flood hazards?”

Why do an 8/29 Review, really?
~The National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007, introduced in March by Representative Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), would establish a levee safety program modeled on the National Dam Safety Program, which is led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "asce strongly supports the enactment of federal and state legislation to protect the health and welfare of citizens from the catastrophic effects of levee failures," Roth said.
"The act should require the federal and state governments to conduct mandatory safety inspections for all levees and establish a national inventory of levees. The inventory database should include the levee's location, date of construction, local sponsor, and current physical condition based on the most recent inspection. Every levee that has been wholly or partly constructed with federal funds should be inspected at least once every five years."~Again, can somebody tell me why an Independent Review now?

2010 Hurricane Season: Accuweather calls for active year and major landfalls

Katrina babies not forgotten
~Jennifer Hale~12 of these are babies who were either stillborn or died at the Baton Rouge hospital in that chaotic time after the Federal Flood and Hurricane Katrina. Five years later, no one has ever come forward to claim them.
Davis gave her favorite names to the 13 babies along with the common last name that sums up the congregations feelings.
Mary Elizabeth Love
Ester Joy Love
Twins Abigail Grace and Gabriel Edom Love
John Mark Love
James Matthew Love
Daniel Luke Love
Samuel Joseph Love
Michael Joshua Love
Simon Peter Love
Jacob Bartholomew Love
Timothy Abram Love
Moses Daniel Love
A donated headstone will stand at the grave, bearing those names so no one ever forgets.
~Editilla mourns these lost souls~ We thank this Coroner for Holding On To Our Loved Ones for NEARLY FIVE YEARS SO THEY WOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN!
I am haunted by the image of a little girl drowned face down and alone near the Industrial Canal. I look for her, and anyone else looking for her... nothing. Am I the only person to have seen her?
This has been called Disaster Myth by some "for the most part", and yet we are in the midst of "Treme", the Lemon Ice and Hubig Jazz Partay without the Refrigerators, the Sky-high piles of Garbage, the Cough, the Guard, the Curfew and Bodies, yet with the coming Hurricane Season and the Same Bad Flood Walls.
No 8/29 Review. No dealing with the Old Still Bad Flood Walls, as we seem to be getting Option 1 on our outfall canals and it appears --if his bend-over-sellout of Charity Hospital is any indication-- that Mitch Landrieu may just Know How to Bow to the Corps on that one, despite his vaunted Flood Protection Task Force.
So yeah, let's get Happy Treme Yay, play Jazzboys and Indians and keep the same failed infrastructure in place.

Introducing Guest Columnist Sam Jasper
~Back of Town blogging Treme

Corps awards $174M contract to protect East Jeff pump stations
~Sheila Grissett

City Council suprised to learn of revolver money used for proposed medical district
~Ariella Cohen, The Lens

HB 1205: Open Letter to Walker Hines~The Huck Upchuck

Is New Orleans one of the world's most dangerous cities?

Magazine Street among state roads to be repaired with $81.5 million in new federal aid for Flood-damaged streets

Lakeview prepares for another round of Road Home lot auctions

AP Stylebook "the journalist's bible" online

Editilla de Word'fella!

Festival attracts bird lovers, families to Grand Isle this weekend~Nikki Buskey
~Editilla Notellas~ If y'all want some great Bird Shots check out Ron Hay's Photostream. I also like to drop in on Steve Buser at New Orleans Daily Photo.

Earth Day Activities in Louisiana, April 17-22 ~EDF Louisiana

Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty, grows into his sound
~Edna Gundersen
~Hat Tweet~Gambit