Lawsuit filed against oil and gas companies to face fierce opposition ~WWLTV

~Editilla Conswellas~ Won't make it to'da Water Festival today, more for health reasons than lack of wanting to be there. I'll admit it, Ladderellos, Mardi Gras Kicked My Ass! It took a couple'a days to rise up but up it came like a viscous hurricane crup yesterday. But I hope all involved with this fine event know my anonymocity does not speak of ambivalence. I'm work in the undergrowth, beneath even the underground, beneath the grassroots. Some of you who've followed me a while know what I'm talkin'bout. Ever since the Federal Flood of New Orleans 8-29-05 I'm wary of crowds. I don't like people who hurt Louisiana. I don't play fair. I don't really like to be seen, much less identified. But hahaha thank God fo'da Internets eh?

Bobby and Big Oil squash Mr. Bill ~Gambit

Lee Zurik Investigation: Senator's bill would open the spigot for PAC cash ~WVUE

"Thank you New Orleans for an amazing nine years.." Is Lance Moore gone? ~WWLTV

Jimbo Mathus takes his time, makes the album he wants ~Alex Rawls, New Orleans Advocate

Honoring Dr. John’s Musical Influence: Concert May 3 at Saenger ~WWOZ

Senator Robert Adley wants it both ways ~We Saw That

Flood insurance bill clears House ~Koran Addo, N.O. Advocate

Flood Protection Authority nominating committee to meet Thursday ~Bob Marshall, The Lens

State senator files complaint against levee board case judge ~Marsha Shuler, The Advocate

GreenARMY Action: Water Festival in the Capitol

Dear Editilla,

Come stand with General Russel Honore in support of the Flood Authority's lawsuit demanding that the Oil and Gas Industry fix their damage to our coast.

For more info, tune in to Garland Robinette today at 11:10a. I will be the guest to discuss the lawsuit and the Governor's attempts to quash it. http://go.levees.org/Robinette

To reserve a spot on a New Orleans bus, just reply to this email. The bus departs from 1421 Soniat Street (uptown), New Orleans at 11:00 a.m.

To reserve a spot on a Lafayette bus, send an email with BUS in the subject line to hrmartin2sc@gmail.com

Yes, bring signs and banners! Please note that signs must be hand held.

Our message needs to be loud and clear. The weather is forecast to be perfect.

WHAT: Water Rally / Festival
WHERE: Capitol Grounds in Baton Rouge
WHEN: Saturday March 8, 2014 from 1:00p - 3:00p
WHY: To tell our legislators that our Water, our Coast and our Health are at stake

Stand with me and the General for better legislation of of the oil, gas and chemical industry.

Thank you for your support of Levees.org.
And see you at the Capitol!

Sandy Rosenthal
Founder, Levees.org

John Barry decries efforts to shelve oil lawsuit ~Will Sentell, The Advocate

St. Tammany Parish president pushes for secession from South Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East ~The Advocate

Jimmy Graham to participate in NFL’s Middle East USO Tour ~NewOrleansSaints.com

21th Annual Zulu Lundi Gras Festival
~HAPPY LUNDI GRAS PARADES TODAY!
KREWE OF PROTEUS: 5:15 p.m., Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF ORPHEUS: 6 p.m., Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF HERA: 6:15 p.m., Metairie.
KREWE OF ZEUS: 7 p.m., Metairie.
KREWE OF COMOGO: 6:30 p.m., Plaquemine.
KREWE OF CLEOPATRA: 6:30 p.m., Houma.
QUEEN EVANGELINE’S PARADE: 6:30 p.m., Lafayette. 
LUNDI GRAS PARADE: 10 a.m. Batchelor. (225) 492-3474.
KREWE OF AMANI: 2 p.m., Patterson.

Zulu Lundi Gras Festival!

Zulu Character Appearances & Stage Times March 3rd, 2014
Character	First Stop/Time	Second Stop/Time	Third Stop/Time
Mr. Big Stuff Kevin McKnight	King Zulu stage 11:00am	Frito Lay stage 11:30am	Golden Nugget stage 12:00pm
Parade Dukes Zulu LeBaron Fisher, Captain	Golden Nugget stage 12:00pm	Frito Lay stage 12:30pm	King Zulu stage 1:00pm
Governor Eric LaRose	King Zulu stage 1:00pm	Frito Lay stage 1:30pm	Golden Nugget stage 2:00pm
Province Prince Melvin Labat	Golden Nugget stage 2:00pm	Frito Lay stage 2:20pm	King Zulu stage 3:00pm
Mayor Lawrence Westley, Sr	King Zulu stage 2:00pm	Frito Lay stage 2:35pm	Golden Nugget stage 3:00pm
Ambassador Joseph Aldor, Jr.	King Zulu stage 3:00pm	Frito Lay stage 3:30pm	Golden Nugget stage 4:00pm
Witch Doctor Derek Rabb	Golden Nugget stage 3:00pm	Frito Lay stage 3:20pm	King Zulu stage 4:00pm
Mr. Big Shot Krieg Perkins	King Zulu stage 4:00pm	Frito Lay stage 4:25pm	Golden Nugget stage 4:45pm
King & Queen Mr. Garren Mims & Mrs. Georgette Mims	King Zulu stage 5:00pm

Temps turning much colder, rain likely for Fat Tuesday ~WVUE

Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras 

James Gill: Oil & Gas Industry spokesman doesn’t worry about the facts ~N.O. Advocate

House Republicans post revised flood insurance bill that instructs FEMA to 'strive' to keep premiums at 1% of total coverage ~Mark Schleifstein

~Hat Tweet~GulfSails ‏@GulfSails FEMA approved the money to rebuild a year ago. This is a massive @MayorLandrieu & @susanguidry fail for our economy.

The Jimmy Situation ~Saints Win

Bacchus 47 Hugh Laurie relishes his time in New Orleans ~Bill Capo, Shreveport Times

Endymion wows crowds along parade route ~Meg Gatto,WVUE

Area Mardi Gras Parades Today!
KREWE OF OKEANOS: 11 a.m., Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF MID-CITY: 11:45 a.m., Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF THOTH: Noon, Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF BACCHUS: 5:15 p.m., Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF NAPOLEON: 5:30 p.m., Metairie.
LIVONIA CARNIVAL ASSOCIATION PARADE: 1 p.m., Livonia.
KREWE OF TERREANIANS: 12:30 p.m., Houma.
KREWE OF CHRONUS:follows Cleophas, Thibodaux.
KREWE OF GALATEA: 2 p.m., Morgan City.
KREWE OF MONTEGUT: 2 p.m., Montegut.
KREWE OF NEREIDS: 6 p.m., Golden Meadow

Trombone Shorty's Bacchus Bash at Tipitinas, and more! ~NOLA DEFENDER

Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans opposes legislation to weaken flood protection authority ~Ruthie Frierson

We’ve Got That Fire ~Mark Folse
~MARDI GRAS PARADES, SATURDAY, MARCH 1
KREWE OF IRIS: 11 a.m., Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF TUCKS: noon, Uptown New Orleans. 
KREWE OF ENDYMION: 4:45 p.m., Mid-City New Orleans. 
KREWE OF ISIS: 6:30 p.m., Metarie. 
KREWE OF NOMTOC: 10:45 a.m., Westbank, New Orleans.
BALDWIN MARDI GRAS PARADE: 11 a.m., Baldwin.
KREWE OF SPANISH TOWN: noon, downtown Baton Rouge.
KREWE OF SALT BAYOU: 2 p.m., Slidell
CHILDREN’S PARADE: 12:30 p.m., Lafayette.
KREWE OF BONAPARTE: 6:30 p.m., Lafayette..
CYPREMORT POINT MARDI GRAS PARADE: 1 p.m., Morgan City.
YOUNGSVILLE MARDI GRAS PARADE: 1 p.m., Youngsville.
KREWE OF TICKFAW BOAT PARADE: 2 p.m., Tickfaw River, Livingston Parish.
KREWE OF DIONYSUS: 2 p.m., Berwick.
LAKE FAUSSE POINTE MARDI GRAS PARADE: 2 p.m., Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, St. Martinville.
KREWE OF MARDI GRAS: 6:30 p.m. Houma.
KREWE OF MCCA: 1:00 p.m., Bogalusa.

Environmental groups pledge to fight changes in levee board appointments ~Jeff Adelson, New Orleans Advocate~The groups announced their opposition at the site of the London Avenue Canal floodwall breach in Gentilly. They said that had a more active and professional board been in place prior to Katrina, it could have argued against design decisions that led to that breach and other failures in the area’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-designed flood-protection system. The creation of an independent board filled largely with engineers and other experts was a critical element of the 2006 legislation that replaced the prior boards with the two new flood-protection authorities. 
“It’s very simple. This is not about our safety. It’s about a different agenda,” Sandy Rosenthal of Levees.org said of the Adley bill.

NOPD Issues Warrant for Darren Sharper on Rape Charges Update ~NOLA DEFENDER

Fatal bike accident along St. Claude raises safety awareness ~Thanh Truong, WWLTV 

RTA's new Riders' Advisory Committee seeks members ~Megan Braden-Perry, Gambit

Guardians of the Groove 5: Queen Reesie and Maryse DeJean ~WWOZ

Hermes, D’Etat, Morpheus, Centurions and Selene hit the streets Friday ~Arthur Hardy
~FRIDAY, FEB. 28
Divine Protectors of Endangered Pleasures or DIVA: 1:30 p.m., French Quarters
KREWE OF HERMES: 6 p.m., Uptown New Orleans. 
KREWE D’ETAT: 6:30 p.m., Uptown New Orleans.
KREWE OF SELENE: 6:30 p.m., Slidell.
KREWE OF APHRODITE: 6:30 p.m., Houma.
KREWE OF ADONIS: 7 p.m., Morgan City.
KREWE OF SOUTHDOWNS: 7 p.m., Baton Rouge.
KREWE OF CENTURIONS: 7 p.m., Metairie.
KREWE OF MORPHEUS: 7 p.m., Uptown, New Orleans.

Le Krewe D'Etat Dictator Says Parade Gets D.U.I. on 18th Birthday ~M.D. Dupuy

Former Jindal adviser Garret Graves running for Congress ~The Advocate

Legislative battle shaping up over bill that could affect flood board's 'Big Oil' AntiSLFPA-E lawsuit ~AP, via The Republic

Briggs’ pathetic performance ~Clancy Dubos, Gambit ~Consider the following exchanges in Briggs’ deposition:
Question:·Is it your opinion that oil and gas companies are leaving Louisiana because of the threat of lawsuits?
Briggs: Yes.
Question: Which oil companies have left Louisiana because of lawsuits?
Briggs: I don’t know.
Question: Do you have any facts or data to support your opinion?
Briggs: No.
Question: Is it your belief that oil and gas companies are not coming to Louisiana because of the threat of lawsuits?
Briggs: Yes.
Question: Which oil companies have decided not to drill in Louisiana because of the threat of lawsuits?
Briggs: I don't know.
Question: Do you have any facts or data to support your opinion?
Briggs: No.

Get the science right: Diverting river sediment is key to saving the coast ~David Muth, The Lens

Overhaul Of A FEMA Program Has Homeowners Calling Congress ~Alisa Chang

Public-art pelicans cause copyright flap ~Sarah Pagones

Arthur Hardy: Trio of parades roll Thursday ~New Orleans Advocate

Photos: WWNO Launches Coastal Desk With Trip To Port Fourchon ~Eve Troeh, WWNO

Judge denies BP's request to delay seafood claims payments ~Jennifer Larino

Mardi Gras parade weather looks cold and wet for krewes of Nyx and Druids

Parade Planner: Weather, Route for Krewes of Druids, Nyx ~NOLA DEFENDER

Saints ahead of the game in drafting the new model tight end ~Nick Rothschild, Cover 32
~He may still be realizing his potential, but there is no doubt in my mind that Jimmy Graham is the best all time Saints’ draft pick at tight end.
The numbers speak for themselves; in four years with the Saints Graham has been over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in two seasons. Remember, this is all coming from a guy who had never played football before his final year at the University of Miami.

Crawfish myths dispelled by LSU AgCenter, WWL reports ~Megan Braden-Perry, Gambit

New bubbles found in Bayou Corne sinkhole ~AP, via The Advertiser

BP seeks to halt payments to seafood-industry claimants ~Richard Thompson, N.O. Advocate

Holy Cross redevelopment moves to city council without recommendation~Blake Hanson, WDSU

Levee System Accredited... and Sinking, While Flood Insurance Set to Drop... or Rise ~Tulane Water Ways

5-year-old Anala Beevers is not just cute, she is a genius ~Michael Patrick Welch, Louisiana Weekly

What’s Cooking: Just follow your nose at Mardi Gras ~Ian McNulty

Lena Prima, "Muses Shoeses" ~WWOZ


Baby Dolls and Skeletons ~Jason Berry, New Orleans Magazine

First Female Flambeaux Troupe Puts Swifer and Brooms to Use ~Alyson Titkemeyer, WGNO

Lt. Gen. Russell Honore blasts state lawmakers for environmental damage, but downplays chance of run for governor ~Robert Morris, Uptown Messenger

“What our ancestors fought for was the human right that everybody would have access to clean water, clean air and safe food,” Honore said. “That is under assault every day.”

Louisiana Water Festival, Baton Rouge, La. March 8, 2014

~Green Army Event, Louisiana Water Festival, State Capital Grounds, Baton Rouge March 8, 2014, 1 to 3 pm Speakers: Russell L. Honore (Ret), LA Green Army; John Barry, Restore Louisiana Now; Marylee Orr, LEAN; Sandy Rosenthal, Levees.org; Jonathan Henderson, GRN; Darryl Malek-Wiley, Sierra Club; Louisiana League of Women Voters; Louisiana Progress; Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and others. Everybody is invited.
What is the GreenARMY? Five days after the floodwalls in New Orleans broke during Katrina US Army General Russell Honore and the Louisiana National Guard were allowed to enter the city, restore order, and start recovery operations. The General was able to get things done despite the inadequate national, state and local political leadership in place at the time, and despite the immensity of the disaster. We have another huge disaster that unfolds every day. That is the continuing destruction of our coastal environment and our water quality caused by unregulated and exploitative oil and gas extraction in Louisiana and its coastal waters. Retired General Honore has chosen to lead a broad coalition of environmental and community organizations in drawing attention to these issues and in forming a legislative agenda to tackle the problems. The GreenARMY event on March 8 is a chance for us to show support for the General and for holding big industry accountable for damage to our water and coastal resources. Please join us on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at the Louisiana State Capital. 

Oil and gas group’s leader does not appear for trial on its lawsuit ~Jeff Adelson, N.O. Advocate

Update: Oil and Gas lobbyist Don Briggs not going to jail ~Acadiana Business

Coast Guard Reopens Mississippi River After Oil Spill ~Eileen Flemming, WWNO

'Road Home' repayment demands rile homeowners ~Andrew Vanacore

John Georges for Governor? ~Kelly Connely, LaPolitics

Men seen prying Banksy painting from building wall ~Danny Monteverde

Dear The Lens… ~The Chicory

More Rain, Cold Headed fo'da Mardi Gras!

Glambeaux: Taking Cultural Appropriation Too Far ~Gianna Chachere, Louisiana Justice Institute

Flame on Glambeauxs...get your carnival on ~American Zombie

The Admiral's Appointment: N.O. native looks back on time spent as head White House usher ~Sabrina Wilson, WVUE

WWLTV's list of 20 iconic Mardi Gras floats

Lecture by Lt. General Russel Honoré Tonight!

Controversial Road Home letters the subject of public meeting ~Antwan Harris, WWLTV

Sediment diversions won’t save the coast — and they’ll be bad news for fishermen ~Captain George Ricks, The Lens

Sinking levee shows difficulty of protecting New Orleans from flooding ~Bob Marshall

Oil spill closes part of MS River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans ~International Business Times

Concerns linger after ruling clears way for oilfield waste storage well ~Daily Comet

It's beginning to look a lot like Carnival ~Confessions of a glitter addict

Cascade Stables And The Horses Of Mardi Gras ~Lane Kaplan-Levenson, WWNO

Jindal plans to swipe Coastal Protection and Restoration Funds for budget shortfall ~WRKF

Levee board begs corps to get a 10-year jump on subsidence — at local expense ~Bab Marshall, The Lens

Stephanie Grace: Mardi Gras heads to Washington, and the theme of the day is flood insurance ~New Orleans Advocate

Saints GM Mickey Loomis talks about NFL Scouting Combine

Mystic Krewe of Barkus!
 ~For the unlikely monarchs of Barkus, a happy ending

‘Carrollton Sunday’ a triple-header of Uptown parades ~Arthur Hardy, New Orleans Advocate

Live Streaming from tit rex and Chewbacchus ~small affairs

Fine dining while watching Mardi Gras parades ~Stacy Plaisance

A Lesson for Detroit in Efforts to Aid a New Orleans Devastated by Katrina ~Campbell Robertson, NYT