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By Barbara.Jim.Twardowski on
6/1/2009 10:33 AM
If your family includes a high school student—then it's not too early to plan a college road trip. Educational consultant Kim Simpson says the best time to start college visits is the summer after the sophomore year. “Rising juniors can begin identifying colleges they might want to attend. Rising seniors can use their summer to attend an academic program at a school that interests them.”
College experts recommend you visit a campus when classes are in session, but that is not always an option. Our first college tour was at the University of Pennsylvania during a summer vacation in Philadelphia. More than 40,000 prospective students tour this Ivy League campus every year.
Simpson who is the owner of Collegiate Admissions in Covington, says the Mardi Gras break is a great time for Louisiana residents to visit out-of-state schools. Colleges are in session and fewer prospective students are visiting at that time of year. Spring Break is a popular time to tour colleges, so schedule...
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By Stephen Cefalu on
6/1/2009 10:26 AM
With summertime quickly approaching, many parents might be interested in enrolling their children in one of the area’s summer theatre programs. There are several to choose from that are available on the northshore.
The North Star's Summer Program will be held at the theatre at 345 Gerard Street in Old Mandeville. This year's camp is for students 7-17 and will be led by Lori Bennett and Shannon Collins. The tuition is $450 and the camp will run from June 1 thru June 21. For information call (985) 624-5266.
CAST Talent and Theater Drama Camps and director Jennifer H. Patterson are pleased to announce their summer schedule starts off with “Emperor's Nightingale” (8-15 yrs)- June 1-12 12:30-5:30pm and "A Year with Frog and Toad" from July 27-Aug 6.
Then they will have “CAST's Lagniappe Summer Stock Stage”. This is a Broadway "boot camp" for serious actors, ages 12-18 years old who want to get the experience of training like a professional.
Then from May 15-17 at the Greater Covington Center. Children from St Tammany in Grades K-6th come together to perform the beloved Disney classic "Sleeping Beauty" from May 15-17. There will be auditions for the musical "Summer Stock Stage" for all actors and actresses ages 12-18.
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By Katie-Bird Brupbacher on
6/1/2009 9:30 AM
I was tasked by this year’s New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (N.O.W.F.E.) to spearhead one of their many annual entertaining and educational seminars. Last year we had the executive chef from the famous Hershey Company pair chocolate with wine. We had so much success with this seminar that we decided to carry through with the “sweet” theme and create a seminar around pastries.
It was suggested that we serve them with Port wines and call the seminar “Port and Pastries Paired to Perfection.” Great idea, but we needed a little more diversity, so we added Sherry wines to the mix. We then rounded up some of the best New Orleans pastry chefs and asked them to taste through samples of Ports and Sherries and select ones to use in the creation of their signature dishes. As expected, the Ports we chose for the chefs were absolutely beautiful, but the Sherries totally blew my mind. To be quite honest, it had never occurred to me before to drink these luscious Spanish beauties. What have I been missing? That’s...
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By Mary.Gilliam on
6/1/2009 9:20 AM
Overcoming “Couch Potato Syndrome” by helping others.
Summer is a time of the year that many charities see a downturn in donor giving. But summer is also a great time to give the gift of volunteer time to a local nonprofit . The time that volunteers give this year could make the difference between extending the work of that nonprofit to help others in the community or seeing their doors close. Volunteering is a core staple of American democracy and a key asset in solving some of today’s most pressing problems. The benefits of volunteering go beyond the community where the work is being done, however; it also affects the person providing the service. To summarize the conclusions of several studies, “Good health is preserved by volunteering; it keeps healthy volunteers healthy.” I
N THE U.S. VOLUNTEER
How do volunteers find the time to volunteer?
A 2008 report “Volunteering in America”, commissioned by the Corporation for National and Community Service...
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By Sandra Slifer on
6/1/2009 9:18 AM
Many of our regional and state-wide nonprofit organizations have released reports recently. Here’s a short summary of what’s available online for “information junkies” who always want to know more.
Bureau of Governmental Research: www.bgr.org
Who’s Behind the Tree? The Homestead Exemption and Taxpayers in the New Orleans Area, March 2009
Not everyone’s a winner in St. Tammany Parish if the homestead exemption is raised to $160K. Owners of rental property and commercial business owners will experience approximately a 34% increase in their property taxes. An owner of a $400K home would pay $40 less than they do now. Of the approximately 71,320 eligible homesteads in St. Tammany Parish, 13,129 are valued for $75K or less. If the homestead exemption was raised to $160K, then 57% or 40,385 eligible homesteads would not pay anything for parish government services. (The name of the report is from a quote from the late Louisiana Sen. Russell Long, “Don’t...
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By Don Dubuc on
6/1/2009 9:14 AM
Never could decide if catching frogs is hunting or fishing so I just call it “frogging.” In Louisiana we have a 10-month open frog season. Only a valid fishing license is required. April and May are the only months when frogging is not legal. Size limits are measured from tip of muzzle to posterior of body between the hind legs, and are 5 inches for bullfrogs and 3 inches for pig frogs. Not being a catch and release sport (at least not intentionally) there are no limits on how many frogs you can take home. No firearms are allowed when frogging, but it’s ok to take them at night with lights, gigs, spears, nets, etc. The best method is determined by the species hunted and the terrain. Bullfrogs (at 5-15 inches, the largest frogs in North America) are more common in swamps and along rivers and bayous that have high, dry banks. Pig frogs (3-7 inches and named for their “hog-like” grunting sounds) are more common in marshy terrain like duck ponds. Sometimes their territories overlap allowing you to catch both species...
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By Elizabeth Manshel on
6/1/2009 9:11 AM
Are you ever on your way home from work and just want to pick up a good pizza? Or do you ever have one of those nights when the kids are a little wound up and you just want to take them out for a very casual dinner where they can get up from the table and play some video games while you sit back and order yourself a cold one? If you answered yes to either of these questions, or if you are just looking for an easy place to go to get a quick bite of good Italian food in the Mandeville area, then Coscino’s is the restaurant for you.
Coscino’s is a 5-year old family run business and when I say family run, I mean it! Everywhere you turn there is a Coscino! First, there is Jamie, the “Godmother” who is the owner and the apparent head of the family. Then there is Mike, her husband, who you can catch performing on stage with his guitar on Thursdays during open mic night. Running the front of the house is Jamie and Mike’s daughter, Danielle and managing the kitchen is their son, Jeremy.
Jeremy is...
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By Jeff Crouere on
6/1/2009 9:05 AM
On May 21, Ray Nagin delivered his last major address as Mayor of New Orleans. It was his annual “State of the City” speech and it was quite a spectacle with Gospel choirs, multi-media presentations, television star Wendell Pierce, a lavish spread of refreshments, and giveaways for all of the guests who attended.
Interestingly, the crowd was mostly members of the media and the Nagin administration who were required to attend. Very few regular citizens took the time and trouble to witness the extravaganza at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts. Alert for the news media: it may be an interesting public records request to investigate how much tax money was used to organize this unnecessary event.
The purpose was mostly to bolster the ego of Mayor Nagin and allow him to present the best possible case for his two terms. Nagin is fighting for a better legacy, but that quest should not be funded by the struggling taxpayers of his city. There are innumerable...
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By James Hartman on
6/1/2009 9:02 AM
Water recreation is as much a part of Louisiana culture as crawfish and corruption. Local marina owners and boating retailers say the market for watercraft and bayou bank parking spaces remains steady, if slow. In fact, from marinas renting slips and providing fuel for boaters to retail sales lots with a wide array of boats to buy, business is in a very good place.
“We sell and service Honda outboard motors,” said Mary Eirich, owner of Slidell Marine, Inc., on Old Bayou Liberty Road. “We sell pontoon boats. We also have a restaurant and a ship store that sells boating and fishing supplies. We also sell fuel.”
Fuel, in fact, is an increasingly difficult commodity for boaters to find at marinas, Eirich said.
“There are fewer and fewer,” Eirich said. “After Katrina, a lot opted not to re-open.”
Eirich, however, got into the marina business after Katrina, as she and her husband expanded their holdings of Cypress Cove Boating Center on Pontchartrain Drive to include Slidell Marine. And...
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By James Hartman on
6/1/2009 8:58 AM
Following the worst natural disaster in United States history – the small matter of a killer storm that starts with a “K” – the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) set out to redo its flood elevation maps. The results have raised ire and confusion, and could imperil the ability of local residents to get flood insurance at all.
Flood insurance is a complicated issue. Since private insurance carriers will no longer offer it in homeowner’s policies, the federal government stepped in with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). NFIP rates are based on flood zones. Flood zones are based on Base Flood Elevations (BFEs). BFEs are established by FEMA. Follow all that? In short – or in alphabet soup – to get NFIP you have to reference the BFEs established by FEMA.
Adding another step, the BFEs have to be adopted by local governments – city or parish councils, for example – before NFIP will or can remain in effect.
NOW do you get it?
Not if you’re lucky. Coastal St. Tammany...
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By Nixon Adams on
6/1/2009 8:55 AM
Many of you – even those who are extremely familiar with Old Mandeville – are probably unaware of the insidious plot by printers and office supply companies to periodically change the names of streets in this historic old area. This ploy, which effectively forces all elements of local commerce to completely replace their letterhead stationery and business cards every few years, has for too long gone unreported in the press. With this issue of the Conifer, this shameful conspiracy of silence ends. Let others focus on corruption, financial crises, pandemics, threats to national security, yada, yada, yada – we are taking the battle for truth to the streets.
This perhaps disjointed thought came to me a few weeks back as I was listening to extremely interesting and educational talks given by Sally Reeves and Robin Perkins in connection with the celebration of the 175th anniversary of Bernard Marigny’s land auction in 1834. While Mandeville was not incorporated officially until 1840, Marigny’s...
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By Donna Plaia on
6/1/2009 8:52 AM
It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Well, actually not quite yet, but the jingle jangle of the tinsel town season is not so far away. Indeed, how about near the end of July.
To be exact, July 25 is the Saturday picked for the second Christmas In July sales promotion among the many exciting merchants of Old Mandeville. This year your Old Mandeville Business Association is helping coordinate the event. They will publicize it in the area news media and help organize a poinsettia stroll as part of the day-long festivities.
July actually is not too early to begin seasonal shopping and it is that concept that led to the first Christmas In July last year. in Several merchants are offering early chances to stock up on seasonal items and avoid much of the traditional December shopping frenzy. Kerri Blache, co-owner with her husband, Michael, of Vianne's Tea Salon & Cafe on Girod Street, came up with the original idea.
This year your OMBA will take a more active role and we will be bringing a new activity to the event: the stroll. Our OMBA-sponsored champagne stroll was such a smash success at the conclusion of the Art Hear & Soul Festival in March, that your OMBA is responding to a deluge of requests from participants for a repeat as soon as possible.
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By Evans C. Spiceland on
6/1/2009 8:49 AM
I was raised in what I consider to be a fairly typical southern family. Together we attended a small rustic Methodist Church located on the outskirts of town. All of the elders, to include my parents, have since passed away, but the belief and value system they collectively imparted to me has remained as part of their legacy. I cherish the fond memories of that church and its people.
It was a very patriotic congregation, filled with many veterans and their families. Both our National Flag and Christian Standard were given prominent places on each side of the pulpit. On special commemorative occasions our church’s Boy Scout Troop would “post the colors” and we would join in singing many patriotic songs from an old Cokesbury hymnal. We don’t seem to sing as many of these anthems anymore. With the exception of our National Anthem, many of these musical expressions, such as the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “God Bless America” and “My Country Tis of Thee” seem to receive less and less popularity. Let’s...
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By David Smith on
6/1/2009 8:46 AM
In 1960, Congress passed the Real Estate Investment Trust Act, which allows individual investors to own a portion of a diversified portfolio of large institutional-quality commercial real estate through Real Estate Investment Trusts, also known as “REITs” (pronounced “reets”). A REIT’s primary business is owning and managing real estate properties such as office buildings, apartment buildings, hotels, warehouses, health care facilities, shopping malls, timberland or golf courses and other recreation facilities. REITs may focus on one or more sectors, depending on their objectives.
There are two types of REITs – Traded and Non-Traded. We will concentrate on Non-Traded.
Non-traded REITs are considered to have a low correlation to other types of exchange-traded investments, meaning that their investment performance is independent of the stock market and not directly affected by daily stock market fluctuations. They strive to keep a consistent value. Non-traded REITs are illiquid. They...
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By Jean Champagne on
6/1/2009 8:43 AM
A common aphorism holds that “[c]lothes don’t make the man,” meaning, of course that one cannot (should not) judge a person solely by appearance. Mark Twain’s variant on this, however, insists that clothes do indeed “make the man,” as “[n]aked people have little or no influence on society.” This calls to mind the story of the mature woman who was surprised when her newlywed daughter answered the door in the nude, only to explain that she was wearing her “love dress” in anticipation of her husband’s imminent arrival. When the mature woman surprised her husband in a like manner and similarly explained her déshabillé, the old gentleman simply remarked that her love dress needed ironing. Whether or not he was “influenced” was not revealed (pun intended).
While both positions have merit, I would argue that the choice of clothes (or the lack thereof) reveals a great deal about a person. No less an avatar of modern culture than Homer Simpson has remarked that “[t]he only guys who wear Hawaiian...
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By Barbara.Jim.Twardowski on
6/1/2009 8:37 AM
Eight years ago, the O’Mahoney family of Mandeville bought a vacation home in Gulf Shores, Alabama. They visit at least once-a-month and more often in the summer. “It is a year-round retreat,” says Susie O’Mahoney, who is the mother of four children. Even in the winter, her kids bundle up in sweaters and fly kites on the beach.
“Gulf Shores is fun, casual and relaxed,” says Susie. Her favorite activity is sitting on the beach and spending the day reading. The family’s house is located in a secluded area, and it “feels as if we have a private beach.”
The O’Mahoney children frequently invite their friends to Gulf Shores and so does their Mom. Susie hosted a girlfriend getaway for her pals from California. A favorite excursion is the spa at the Beach Club. After, the girls enjoyed a massage and manicures, they spent the afternoon lounging at the resorts outdoor swimming pool.
The O’Mahoneys enjoy exploring Gulf Shores and discovering new diversions. Susie frequently stops at the Alabama Visitor Center and picks up brochures that describe area attractions. She keeps the information in a binder to share with her guests.
...
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By Joe Luna on
6/1/2009 8:31 AM
For over 150 years trains have been traveling the historical tracks that connect New Orleans with Jackson, MS., leaving behind a legacy of civilization that has been engineered into one of the fastest growing parishes in the state.
Dating back to the 1850’s, Tangipahoa’s railroad system has seen changes come to the parish that would inspire a new generation of agriculture and industry, as well as make way for the new wave of changes in the latter half of the century.
According to the Hammond Chamber of Commerce, “It was the coming of the railroad that insured our town’s existence, prompted land speculation and brought many new people to the area.” This is also reportedly true of the other municipalities in the parish.
Toward the end of the century, a large amount of the lumber in the vicinity of the tracks had reportedly been cut down and hauled off, transforming the once wooded area around the tracks into “cut over land.” “The downtown became a shipping...
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By Rhonda Landry on
6/1/2009 8:25 AM
In the face of the worst economy America has seen in decades, you might think that the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s economy would be in big trouble. After all, tourism is one of its chief economic drivers and the gaming industry is a huge part of Mississippi’s tourist business. And with the recession tightening gambler’s wallets and forcing travel plans to be canceled or cut back, the Gulf Coast could be suffering a severe one-two punch on the heels of Hurricane Katrina. But instead, optimism abounds. Mississippi tourism and economic development officials say that the Gulf Coast is not only stable, but poised for unprecedented growth once the economy recovers.
Not that the Mississippi Gulf Coast hasn’t taken a hit. The economy on the Gulf Coast began to decline in the fourth quarter of 2008 and the trend continued through the first quarter of 2009. Unemployment levels reached eight percent for the three coast counties in February 2009 and remained stable in March, but are still well below both the state...
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By James Hartman on
6/1/2009 8:21 AM
Expecting house guests this summer? Better hope their names aren’t Ana, Bill, Claudette or Danny. Erika, Fred, Grace and Henri can stay away, too. And let’s just hope we never come anywhere close to seeing Wanda.
The 2009 storm names are an ominous guest list of visitors we might expect – and hope not to – during the June 1 through November 30 Hurricane Season.
The very notion of “Hurricane Season” can bring a mix of emotions, long before the first clouds start swirling in the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico. For some, memories of Hurricane Katrina are too painful to remember. For others, denial is the preferred emotion. But for anyone who used to think “it can’t happen here,” there are memorials and ceremonies every August 29 to say different.
Professional prognosticators who specialize in storm season predictions are saying 2009 will be an “average” season. Scientists at the University of Colorado’s Department of Atmospheric Science start issuing predictions each December and update the forecast as the season nears and then progresses. According to the April 7, 2009, update, things shouldn’t be that bad this year.
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By Lacey Toledano on
6/1/2009
Results of the work done within our chamber by both staff and volunteers are sometimes intangible. We can assure our membership by numbers, we can measure fundraising events by attendance or dollars raised, but we cannot accurately measure the results that working together collaboratively can net.
What is the sum value of ten Chambers of Commerce working together with the executive office and alumni association of a major university?
The sum is a larger presence and voice before the over 200 members of the Louisiana legislature and statewide elected officials in the Capitol Rotunda. That is just what happened Wednesday afternoon, May 13 after weeks of planning our annual “Northshore Focus” event.
The Chambers of Commerce working together included St. Tammany East and West, Lacombe, Amite, Independence, Ponchatoula, Hammond, Livingston and Bogalusa. Helping lead the way were Erin Moore-Cowser of Dr. John Crain’s office and Kathy Pittman of the Alumni Association...
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