North American Leaders Summit
The controversial North American Leaders Summit which continues today in New Orleans and includes Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Bush. The summit has been criticized for its support of free trade agreements such as NAFTA. Proponents have claimed that these agreements have been good for the respective economies. American workers have cited that the agreements have caused the loss of American jobs to foreign nations and trading partners and has caused the US borders to be porous.
Secure the Coast
United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., will today deliver the keynote address at the first-ever Secure the Coast, Protect the Nation national conference. The event will unite more than 60 key stakeholders in private industry and government from across the nation. The conference will focus on a plan to protect the region’s critical infrastructure from natural or manmade disasters and to strengthen the Gulf Coast’s response capability so its vital resources will continue to benefit the nation
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies (NIMSAT) Institute is hosting the event along with Sen. Landrieu, James Lee Witt Associates, and Maritime Institute for Emergency Monitoring and Response (MIEMAR). The conference is intended to promote NIMSAT’s mission: saving lives, strengthening the private sector supply chains that drive the national economy, and protecting the infrastructure and resources that support the economy.
The conference will continue until 11:30 am CT on April 24. Detailed conference information is available here: www.maritime-conference.com.
Dropping Real Estate
According to the National Association of Realtors, Home “resales” dropped to a 4.93 million annual rate. That decline is a 2.0% decrease from February's unrevised 5.03 million annual pace. Even worse, “Resales” plummeted 19% from March 2007's 6.11 million rate.
By comparison, the median home price was $200,700 in March, down 7.7% from $217,400 in March 2007. The events is further proof of a dominant buyer’s market.
Louisiana Literacy
The Second Annual Louisiana Literacy Conference will be held this week, April 22-24, 2008, in New Orleans. The event will take place at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel located at 739 Canal Street. Literacy experts from Louisiana and around the country will convene for the three-day conference to discuss the challenges facing public schools and solutions, as well as how to provide teachers with the tools and support they need to help improve students' reading and writing skills.
Some of the topics that will be addressed include developing strategies for struggling readers, creating literacy rich schools, coaching and connecting kids to books.
Child Abuse
When representatives of the Children’s Advocacy Center visit the state Capitol on Thursday to ask for capital funding, they will also provide legislators with information about the problem of child abuse and what they say is its overwhelming impact on the economy.
According to a 2007 study by Prevent Child Abuse America, the economy of the United States endures an annual indirect impact of $103.8 billion as a result of child abuse through juvenile delinquency programs, mental health, physical healthcare issues, criminal justice system costs, and lost productivity.
The $103.8 billion figure does not include the costs for hospitalization, mental health, child welfare services, or law enforcement.
The Children’s Advocacy Center in Covington provides forensic interviews to assist law enforcement in investigating child abuse claims, and provides counseling services to survivors of abuse. The CAC receives no mandated public funding, but is supported by voluntary contributions from the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, individual donors, and active fundraising by its Board of Directors.
This year, the CAC has asked the Legislature for a $600,000 capital outlay expenditure to pay for the construction of a counseling center adjacent to its existing facility.
Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day, the City of New Orleans and its partners will plant a sunflower garden at 1237-1241 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard as a means of remediating the soil of lead contamination. Students from Dillard University will measure the lead content before planting and after harvesting the sunflowers. Horticulture students from Delgado Community College will supervise the planting and harvesting.
The ultimate goal of the project is to produce a citizens' guide to phytoremediation, or using plants to remove toxins from soil.
Attending will be Executive Director of Recovery and Development Administration Dr. Edward Blakely; Dr. Earthea Nance, Director of Infrastructure and Planning; Alice Strong of Gardenbasket.com: partners from Dillard University, Delgado Community College and the People's Environmental Center; and volunteers from City Year Louisiana.
Industrial Development Board
On April 2, 2008, the board members of the Industrial Development Board (“IDB”) voted in Mr. Tyrone A. Wilson as its new president. Mr. Wilson is president of the Wilson Group Realtors, Inc. of New Orleans and replaces former president, Jimmie Thorns, Jr., who decided to resign after serving as the IDB president since 1999. Mr. Thorns served a total of 25 years as a member of the IDB. The IDB was created by the City Council in 1972 and has an all-volunteer supported board
