The car looks to be an act of arson and it looks to have damaged the house near where the fire took place. It’s been there at least two weeks.

I am worried this could become a dumping ground for stolen cars or other crimes because it is a quiet area where these things never happen.

photo of 1549 Verna by Charlie London

This house at 1549 Verna is owned by the heirs of Edward A. Lambert. The house has been “demolished by neglect” for almost a decade. It’s my understanding that Mr. Lambert was an electrician who once ran wires from his house to the stage at one of the early Jazz Fests so that the “show could go on”.

Unfortunately, the heirs to this home have decided to slowly demolish it by neglecting it year after year. And now, the property has attracted someone who believes this is a good place to burn a car. Why? Because it is obvious that the property owner doesn’t care.

This house has been repeatedly featured in blight articles at FSJNA dot ORG and I reported it to the city. The city took action and levied fines. You can see a PDF with information about 1549 Verna from August 31, 2010 by clicking here.

What is it going to take to get rid of this problem? A new owner.

And, it appears we may have that in real estate salesman Tommy Crane.

Mr. Crane would like to take the photo you see above and transform it into a place we can all be proud of. As you can see from his architect’s rendering, the new house will seemlessly integrate into the neighborhood due to its thoughtful planning and style.

Criminals see blighted homes, bandit signs, and unkempt areas as an invitation.

Mr. Crane has the resources and a plan to make this blight go away. He would like our support for approval to remove this blighted building. Let’s work together to prevent more blight and more crime in this area.

Here is a statement from Mr. Crane on his intentions for the property:

“I have an agreement to buy the property from the heirs subject to getting a demo permit. I have submitted an application for such with HDLC and my understanding is that there will be a hearing on Feb 9, 2012. I wanted to bring this to your attention and am happy to meet in person to discuss my plans for the property.

To give a brief summation, my intentions are to build a raised center hall with approx 2500 to 2800 sq ft. The bulk of the sq ft would be on a main level with a 40 ft wide and 8 ft deep porch overlooking the Fairgrounds. There would be 2 bedrooms and a bath under roof in attic and ground level garages below entering from the side on Private St. My architect is drawing preliminary sketches which I will be happy to pass along. My goal would be to have a property that looks as if it has always been there and not appear to be a new home. I do not anticipate any variances will be needed or required.”

Tommy Crane
504-723-8504
CLICK HERE TO VIEW Mr. Crane’s plans for 1549 Verna.
***

Many thanks to Dean Burridge for first reporting the burned car on January 27th and for meeting with Mr. Crane about 1549 Verna.

***
March 13, 2011: 1549 Verna in the link below…
http://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-9/

November 18, 2011: 1549 Verna in the link below…
http://fsjna.org/2010/11/keeping-our-eyes-on-the-prize/

1549 Verna in the blight page at FSJNAdotORG:
http://fsjna.org/steps-to-stomp-out-blight/

Click here to see 1549 Verna on March 31, 2010.

FSJNA Special Meeting | Solely to discuss the zoning issues for 3127 and 3129 Ponce de Leon | Wednesday | February 8th | 7 pm | Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cafeteria | 1368 Moss Street | New Orleans

The problem has been fixed and our hosting service says FSJNAdotORG should not experience the problems we had before. Because your browser may still redirect you to katrinafilm.com when typing in fsjna.org, you may want to consider clearing your browser cache.

If you are using Internet Explorer 9 or Firefox 10 just hold down the ctrl shift and del keys at the same time while you are in the browser and you should see the screen in the upper left hand corner of this post appear.

Make sure the “Preserve Favorites website data” is unchecked and that the boxes for “Temporary Internet files” and “Cookies” are checked.

For more information about clearing your internet cache, please visit the link below:
http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser’s-Cache

The Mid City Cyclones Basketball Program will be starting their season with registration on March 3rd at Jesuit High School in the gym from 9:00-12:00. Feel free to check out our website at www.midcitybasketball.com

Thanks,
Jonathan Hernandez
Mid City Cyclones

For $25 (adults) and $5 (children) you’ll be “feted” with abundant food, copious libations including our “Junior’s Carnival Specialty Cocktail,” and CLEAN bathrooms. Children will enjoy “kid” themed food and a crafts table to make memorable masks, etc.

All are welcome and Security will be provided.

To RSVP by credit card, contact Gina Klein, (504) 529-2278 ext. 227
To RSVP & pay at the door, contact Robin Adams, readams70@yahoo.com or call (504) 261-7226
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=e279b0261851fcf4832fe296a&id=8b4d01592b&eo=232b084159

Mardi Gras 2012 is Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Courtesy the Linda Burns Collection

Saturday | February 4, 2012 | 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
at the Southern Yacht Club.

Dinner Buffet | Open Bar | Silent and Live Auctions

Tickets will be held at the door. Cocktail attire.

Pastor David V. Robicheaux, V.F.

For more information please contact the Gala Chairperson:
Dr. Nanette LoCoco | (504) 888-9333 (Office) | (504) 458-8676 (cell) | nldent@aol.com

Below is an opportunity for the artists of Faubourg St. John:

Last Chance to Apply for the Creative Capital

Professional Development for Creative Producers Workshop

What: 20+ inspiring hours of strategic planning, fundraising, promotion and self-management for artists of all mediums; music, visual, performing, design, and literary.

When: Friday, March 9th – Sunday, March 11th, 2012 (5:30pm-8:45pm Friday, 8:30am-5pm Saturday, and 8:30am-5pm Sunday)

Where: Joan Mitchell Center, 2275 Bayou Rd.

Who: 24 creative producers who make original work and Creative Capital’s expert consultants, leaders and grantees.

Deadline to apply: Friday, February 3rd, 2012, 5pm. (This deadline has been extended by two days.)

Where to apply: http:cano-la.org

Creative Alliance of New Orleans and Moving Stories Dance Project are currently accepting applications for Creative Capital’s Professional Development Workshop presented 5:30-8:45pm Friday, March 9th, 8:30am-5pm Saturday, March 10th, and 8:30am-5pm Sunday March 11th.

What is Creative Capital?
They are a nationally lauded organization who funds many exciting artists and projects every year. Creative Capital also offers cutting edge information on professional development to hundreds of artists each year. Creative Capital has never been brought to New Orleans before. This one of a kind workshop has been described as a “crash course in self-management, strategic planning, fundraising and promotion” for artists of all creative genres. This workshop takes artists on a two and a half day retreat led by nationally renowned arts professionals. The experience is limited to 24 artists from Louisiana. All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee with the goal of assembling a very diverse group of artists from varied artistic genres and cultural backgrounds. Applicants must create original works. Visual artists, composers, filmmakers, choreographers and all other mediums are encouraged to apply. The Creative Alliance and Moving Stories believe that this program presents an opportunity for Louisiana artists to learn new methods in improving their professional careers in the arts. Please go to this website http://cano-la.org to apply.

This program is able to be presented thanks to the Joan Mitchell Foundation, Creative Capital, National Performance Network and in kind support from the Joan Mitchell Center.

photo courtesy BeverlyMorrisArt.com

Artist Reception: Friday, February 3rd from 6pm until 8 pm

Faubourg St. John neighbor Peggy Bishop would like to announce that her work will be available in the Contemporary Crafts area during the first week of Jazz Fest. And, she has a corner booth!

The Contemporary Crafts area at Jazz Fest presents work by both Louisiana and the nation’s most talented contemporary artists. It features original, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind designs and accepts applicants from all crafts media and disciplines.

"Fighting the Demon Within" by Sandra Burshell

Faubourg St. John neighbor Sandra Burshell would like you to know about her work

SEPTENNIAL SELF-PORTRAIT INVITATIONAL | New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts | 5256 Magazine Street | New Orleans, LA 70115

through March 24, 2012

My pastel, “Fighting the Demon Within” portrays an ongoing battle for the artist facing the blank canvas in the struggle to express oneself.

The self-portrait, to me, is one of the most difficult and introspective subjects an artist can tackle – you must face yourself head on, physically, and more importantly, emotionally on many different levels.

sandra burshell
www.sandraburshell.com

Garden Art Series:
Robert Guthrie

Art classes taking place on January 28 and 29, 2012 will begin a multi-media art series exploring Longue Vue’s natural beauty.

Longue Vue House and Gardens
7 Bamboo Road, New Orleans, LA 70124
504.488.5488
www.longuevue.com

Faubourg St. John artist Robert Guthrie is having a two-part watercolor workshop that takes place this Saturday January 28th and Sunday January 29th, 2012, the first in a series of stimulating new art classes exploring the natural beauty of Longue Vue?s gardens. As the gardens represent a diversity of styles and plant life, the workshops focus on a multi-media approach to art.

A historic city estate built in 1942 by philanthropists Edith and Edgar Stern, Longue Vue is considered one of the last great houses of the Country Place Era. Encompassing eight acres, the house and gardens reflect the collaborative visions of the Sterns, architects William and Geoffrey Platt, and landscape designer Ellen Biddle Shipman. The gardens, a National Preservation Project of the Garden Conservancy, include a series of 14 historic garden rooms, each of which maintains a distinct identity. Garden Art Series participants will explore the Longue Vue gardens reflecting on the colors and representation of citrus in January, when it is at its best followed by instruction with Robert Guthrie where they will create their own watercolor Still Life with Citrus.

“In the winter, because flowers are not blooming, the garden might seem less lush. Citrus becomes a vibrant, special natural light by standing out against the winter background,” says Gardener Megan Roniger.

Mr. Guthrie will give a short painting demonstration and then provide individual instruction. The workshop is limited to 20 participants, small enough to allow for personal one-on-one art instruction as well as feedback. Fees for the workshop cover paints, brushes, and canvas boards. Additional items will be purchased by the participants including sponges and rags. At the end of the workshops, participants will go home with a completed or nearly-completed work of art. All skill levels are welcome.

“We’ve had a wonderful response to our garden-inspired art exploration programs for toddlers, young people, and their families and the Garden Art Series endeavors to bring that creative experience to our adult audience,” says Director of Education Jen Gick.

“This new workshop series will provide the opportunity to explore different artistic media inspired by the gardens as they grow and change throughout the seasons. Longue Vue is pleased to make available its extensive gardens for the Garden Art Series,” says Executive Director Joe Baker.

Long regarded a national treasure, the gardens come alive once again through the artists’ inspired interpretations.

Robert Guthrie is a New Orleans artist with a distinctive style. He has taught at the Bellas Artes Institute in Central Mexico and currently teaches at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts in New Orleans. Mr. Guthrie was the selected artist in 1992 for the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster and one of the official designers for the Les Rendez-vous D’Lerdre promotional poster in Nantes, France in 1999. He believes the fluid radiance of watercolor is well suited to the charismatic wash of lines and light intrinsic to the French Quarter. He will bring hat aesthetic of lines and light to Longue Vue. His art is displayed throughout New Orleans on canvases, posters, walls, banners, and murals. His work can also be found at Gallery Rinard, 738 Royal Street in the French Quarter.

Registration is required for the Garden Art Series and online payment is recommended. The cost is $200 for Longue Vue members and $225 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased on the Longue Vue website at www.longuevue.com. For more information, contact Jen Gick at 504.293.4723 or jgick@longuevue.com

Tracy Thomson is a local hat and costume designer. 20 years ago as she was walking in The Quarter, she had the idea to make a rubbing of the Water Meter cover to put on the top of a hat, and then to make kitchen potholders. They are decorative and functional, with three layers of batting inside, and canvas on the outsides. She cuts and makes fabric strips to sew around the edges.

Several years ago Ms. Thomson had another idea; to make her own complete font of the water meter letters; she created an entire alphabet from A to Z, and then spelled out a few different neighborhoods. She remembers that the first was BYWATER, her own neighborhood. Others followed, as she did festivals and markets in different neighborhoods.

Check out Ms. Thomson’s work atwww.kabukihats.com
kabuki hats on Facebook

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1) Clean litter and debris from the catch basins near your house. Also, clean the surrounding curb area, because any litter, leaves, or grass on the street or sidewalk can end up in the catch basin. Do not lift the drain cover or attempt to disassemble the catch basin; just clean what you can see. All you need is a pair of work gloves, a shovel or small rake, and a trash bag. Remember: If your neighbor is elderly or disabled, please help clean their catch basin too.

2) Dispose of trash and lawn clippings in trash cans. Do not sweep or blow yard waste into the gutters and catch basins. Remember: Trash in our streets ends up as trash in our lake!

3) Construction sites or sites with hazardous materials must take special precautions to properly dispose of their paint and chemicals. They should not sweep, blow or hose waste into the catch basins. Report any improper actions to the City of New Orleans by calling 311.

MAYOR LANDRIEU ENCOURAGES COURTS TO INCREASE BOND FOR ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF FIREARM CHARGES

NEW ORLEANS, LA—In an effort to target violent gun offenders, Mayor Mitch Landrieu today encouraged judges at Criminal and Municipal Court to use their discretion in setting higher cash bond amounts for illegal possession of firearm charges. A similar policy change has shown initial success in reducing the murder rate in St. Louis, Missouri. Additionally, the Mayor is encouraging defendants facing gun charges to be required by the courts to pay for electronic monitoring as a condition of bonded release, so the NOPD can watch and restrict their movements.

The letter from the Mayor states:

“Last year, 199 people were murdered on the streets of New Orleans. A hard look at the facts shows that in 2011 many of those arrested for murder (40%) and many victims of murder (33%) had at least one prior arrest for illegal possession of a firearm. In St. Louis, authorities were seeing a similar pattern and last year the 22nd Circuit Court of Missouri began to require at least $30,000 cash bonds for those facing charges of illegal concealment of a weapon or other weapons charges.

“In early January, St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom credited the practice with reducing 2011 homicides by 20 percent to a level not seen since 2004. No other major anti-homicide initiatives were launched in St. Louis during this time that might otherwise explain the precipitous drop in homicides. Now, the University of Chicago Crime Lab has begun to review the results of St. Louis’ efforts and by all accounts this is a very promising approach that deserves further consideration.

“Gun offenders are a significant threat to the community. As a condition of bonded release, defendants facing gun charges should be required by the court to pay for electronic monitoring so the NOPD can watch and restrict their movements. In addition, we hope that your court will take a close look at the work being done in St. Louis to ensure that dangerous criminals with guns are kept off the streets.”

In addition to commending the cash bond policy to the judges, the Mayor is also encouraging the bench to ensure that those suspects that are released and who can pay for their own electronic ankle bracelet monitoring do so. For 2012, the City has budgeted $700,000, for the ankle bracelet monitoring program run by the Sheriff.

“As we work to reduce murders, it is important to examine thoughtfully the linkages we see between prior criminal conduct and the murders in our city,” said NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas. “The linkage between prior illegal weapons charges and murder cannot be ignored. The NOPD will continue to arrest serious offenders, and we’re encouraging our judges to use their discretion and consider illegal possession of a firearm charges as a serious threat to our community.”

Criminal Justice Commissioner James Carter said, “The more we look at the facts, it is clear that there are connections between prior illegal gun possession arrests and murder. This should be considered a grave threat to the safety and well-being of the people of New Orleans. It will not be tolerated. We have an aggressive, holistic approach to solving this problem. We are going to attack it from all ends, and this program is just another way we can deter the senseless violence occurring in our community.”

As the letter states, in mid-2011, St. Louis, Missouri was on pace to match its 2010 murder total of 144. But in May, the head of St. Louis Criminal Court, Judge John Garvey, began to implement a new strategy for addressing gun violence by setting cash bond amounts of $30,000 or more for illegal gun possession charges. Some observers, including St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom, credit the practice with helping reduce the city’s homicides by over 20 percent, to a level not seen since 2004.

The University of Chicago Crime Lab, which studies violence prevention efforts across the country, has started to review the results of St. Louis’ efforts. The team at the University of Chicago will provide similar analysis in New Orleans.

Jens Ludwig, McCormick Foundation Professor of Social Service Administration, Law and Public Policy at the University of Chicago and the Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab said, “The overwhelming majority of homicides in New Orleans are committed with firearms. The use of higher cash bond amounts for illegal gun possession combined with electronic monitoring of gun offenders upon release offers two promising mechanisms for increasing the deterrent effect the criminal justice system can have on illegal gun carrying. If successful, these strategies have the potential to dramatically improve public safety and reduce the enormous costs of gun violence to society.”

Letters to Chief Judges Camille Buras and Paul Sens are below:

Letter to Judge Camille Buras
Letter to Judge Paul Sense

Click here to watch the press conference video.