Sunday, October 14, 2012

New Orleans is now an open book to deteriorated neighborhood properties.

October 12, 2012 By Sarah Rich

When New Orleans (click here) became partnered with fellowship program Code for America this year, the city had one goal: develop a system that focuses on the city’s blighted properties. 
And the Code for America fellows are on the job, spending this year working with the city to improve data transparency on those blighted properties. 
When the city declares a property as blighted, steps to determine a resolution — whether it’s to be demolished or sold at auction, for example — are taken....
When Orleans Parish voters decide Nov. 6 whether to amend the City Charter to change the way at-large members of the City Council are elected, they will write the final chapter in a strange political saga. If the amendment passes, the two at-large seats would be voted on independently starting in 2014....
...Under the current system, in effect since the 1950s, candidates for both at-large, or citywide, seats run in the same field, with voters allowed to cast ballots for any two. The top two finishers are elected, provided they each get more than 25 percent of the total votes cast. If two candidates do not get 25 percent, a runoff for one or both seats is held.
The proposed change would have the at-large members elected separately, though at the same time, with all candidates having to declare which seat they are seeking when they qualify. The winners would need to get more than 50 percent of the votes for that seat in a primary or runoff....

The New Orleans Film Festival needs assistance in completing its roster of films.

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper star in director David O. Russell's dramatic comedy 'Silver Lining's Playbook.' (Photo by The Weinstein Co.)

...A silver lining has emerged (click here) for New Orleans Film Festival attendees unable to score a ticket to Monday night's (Oct. 14) screening of the eagerly anticipated "Silver Linings Playbook." A second screening of the film has been revealed as a late addition to the festival schedule.
David O. Russell's crowd-pleasing dramatic comedy -- which emerged last month from the Toronto International Film Festival as an instant Oscar contender -- will fill one of two "TBA" slots on the festival's closing-night schedule, according to festival artistic director John Desplas. So in addition to the previously announced Monday screening, it will now also play Thursday (Oct. 18) at 8:15 p.m. at the Theatres at Canal Place.
The festival's other closing-night "TBA" slot has yet to be filled....




A new group (click here) of homeless people have been found living under the New Orleans Pontchartrain Expressway between Camp Street and LaSalle in New Orleans, La. The group is reported to be quite large with the homeless people bringing all of their belongings to the site and settling in.
WWLTV reports that mattresses, bags of clothing, boxes and tents have popped up under the expressway with multiple families and communities of homeless people. Neighbors living close by have complained to the city and have now taken their complaints to Governor Bobby Jindal in hopes that the situation can be resolved.
Stacy Horn Koch, the mayor's liaison for the homeless, is working to move the homeless to shelters and then into transitional housing. They will then be moved to permanent supportive housing. Koch is now working with the group under the expressway on a daily basis to get them off the streets and out from under the expressway....