February stinks. Well ok, I guess many folks are happy because there is Mardi Gras and King Cakes, but at least for hunters and this goes for fishermen too, February really does stink. It’s cold and dreary, the only water left by the low tide is muddy and almost every hunting season is shut down. Yeah sure, there’s snipe and the goose conservation order, but those aren’t exactly the most popular seasons. But it is a good time to take a look at the future of our hunting and shooting heritage as we get past the inauguration of a new president and administration.

Northshore Conifer The Hunt

With little fanfare, the City of Mandeville is rapidly approaching an important milestone – its 175^th birthday. “But how can that be?” you might ask. “Didn’t we celebrate its 150^th birthday in 1990? I’m not saying that Mandeville officials would cook the history books, but that doesn’t seem to add up – I keep coming up with 169; how about you?”

Northshore Conifer Past Tense

It’s been said that “the best throw of the dice is to throw them away.” My sentiments exactly! A recent proposal to create a local “entertainment district,” replete with casino gambling is an interesting but not compelling concept. Some may view this as a means to enhance our declining tax base and an economic catalyst while others see it as a social and perhaps even religious affront to the values of the community. I, on the other hand, tend to assess the issue with a purely economic argument. 

Northshore Conifer My Two Cents

The next big political campaign in the New Orleans area will be the race for Mayor. Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin is term limited and cannot seek re-election. With an open seat, there will be a large list of candidates entering the race. Qualifying does not start until early December, with the election scheduled to be held next February. 

Northshore Conifer Ringside - Politics with a Punch!

Life insurance isn’t a fun topic to discuss. No one wants to think about dying prematurely or ever for that matter! Denial doesn’t make this tragedy any less likely to occur, but it does make it potentially more devastating. Proper planning can make it a little easier to get through tough times.

Northshore Conifer Investments

When I recently addressed the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce and guests at its annual installation banquet, I was asked to say something inspirational. I was also asked to be brief, which called to mind George Santayana’s reflection that “[t]o be brief is almost a condition of being inspired.” I considered this charge in the particular context of the audience, which included many of the business and community leaders of St. Tammany Parish. They were there in support of the Chamber and its new board and officers, but in a more general sense, they were there because they care about this community and are willing to devote their efforts to its improvement.

Northshore Conifer Growing Pains

If you live in St. Tammany Parish and haven’t gotten an email in the last month asking you to sign a petition to raise the homestead exemption… well… then you probably haven’t checked your email.

For weeks, an online petition has been circulating with a promise that at 5,000 signatures it will be forwarded to every member of the Legislature. The goal of the petition is to raise the Homestead Exemption – long set at $75,000 – to more than double that amount, a step that would require a constitutional amendment and that would result in no small amount of angst for local taxing authorities. It’s also not all it’s cracked up to be.

Northshore Conifer James Hartman, Staff Writer