Thanks CN

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CN-snowphoto by Chris Wilson | Hawk Junction, Ontario

Canadian National Railway gave the maximum grant available to employees and their spouses to the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association. CN authorized $ 1,250 dollars for the volunteer work of Charlie and Brenda London.

CN took note of the hundreds of hours Charlie puts into FSJNAdotORG as well as the neighborhood Facebook and Twitter pages. Charlie also sends out subscription-only (no cost for subscribers) emails from Charlie’s Neighborhood News and PatJolly.com. Both sites provide information on community events. Check out the community calendar on Charlie’s website at http://katrinafilm.com/ Charlie also provides free promotional services to several neighborhood non-profits whose missions are to improve or preserve the quality of life for all residents in our area.

CN was impressed with Brenda’s contribution to the many outreach events in the neighborhood.

Many thanks to CN for their generous donation of $ 1,250 to the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association. CN donates millions each year to many worth causes all over North America!

    From the December, 2013 letter to employees from the CEO of CN…

“It was one day while Guylaine and I were counting our blessings of having healthy children and the financial stability to help them with their goals and dreams that we first thought of our Helping Hand from Claude and Guylaine initiative. As you know, last year we donated some of my CN shares to the CN Community Fund to set up A Helping Hand. The funds are destined for CN employees and their immediate families to help their children with physical or intellectual special needs.

So far, the program has disbursed nearly $850,000 and helped over 70 CN families to provide physical therapy for their disabled children, nephews and nieces; to purchase wheelchair-adapted vans; to customize parts of their homes; or to be able to access specialized education programs.

Guylaine is very actively involved in the cause and in helping CN employees who have kids with special needs in their families.

Let me remind you that the Helping Hand program is there to lend support and you can find more information about it and learn how to apply through the e-Portal. Now here is the good news: because our original contribution was in CN shares and not cash, the dollar value of the donation has grown, thanks to the tremendous work of our 23,000 railroaders that has increased the value of our stock. So every one of us has contributed to the success of the Helping Hand, and helped our colleagues whose children have special needs. I thank you for that, and of course for your passion and dedication in making CN the leader in a critically vital industry.”

APP-AD-web

Postcard from Home

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The Sunday Postcard from Home will be steering to a bit of a deviation from the local emphasis it’s had in the past.

Robert Thompson has generously allowed use of his collection of postcards. While his collection does have some postcards of local interest, his collection includes postcards with an artistic flair and some with national and international interest!

Many thanks to Robert Thompson for allowing use of his collection to help continue the weekly POSTCARDS from HOME you see here at FSJNAdotORG every Sunday.

President Warren G. Harding was born November 2. 1865 in Blooming Grove, Ohio. He was a member of the Ohio State Senate from 1900-1904, was Lt. Governor of Ohio from 1904-1906 and a United States Senator from 1915-1921. Inaugurated President of the United States March 4, 1921.


Dean Burridge would like to add:

“Walter L. Cohen of New Orleans, one of the first African-Americans to hold a national office was appointed by President Warren Harding as Comptroller of (U.S. ) Customs. At the time, the New York Times referred to the office as “one of the most lucrative federal offices” in the South. Later Cohen became the founder and president of the People’s Life Insurance Company in New Orleans, a large industrial company whose clients were African-Americans. Cohen was a member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in New Orleans. He died in New Orleans and is interred here at St. Louis Cemetery III. The Walter L. Cohen Senior High School in Uptown is named in his honor.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_L._Cohen

http://cohenhs.org/

Community Focus

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Newly elected Faubourg St. John president Michael Cohn participated in an interview with Ray Romero of the Clear Channel radio network. The interview was aired on January 1, 2012 on the following radio stations: WNOE 101.1 | WRNO 99.5 | KVDU 104.1 | WYLD 940AM | WODT 1280AM

The Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association’s boundaries are ORLEANS to ONZAGA and NORTH BROAD to NORTH CARROLLTON.

Citizens interested in fighting blight should call 311 to report the property to the city. Please forward any information about blighted properties in Faubourg St. John to info@fsjna.org

For more information about fighting blight, please click on the BLIGHT tab at FSJNA dot ORG or visit the link below:
https://fsjna.org/steps-to-stomp-out-blight/

LOYOLA University published blight busting strategies on July 20, 2010.
Click the link below to view that report:
BlightStrategyLOYOLA-2010july20

The City of New Orleans published their blight busting strategy on September 30, 2010. Click the link below to view that report:
CiityBlightStrategy2010sep30

The definitions of blight and public nuisance below were obtained from the following link:
http://www.nola.gov/RESIDENTS/Code-Enforcement/Definitions-of-Public-Nuisance-and-Blight
Many residents don’t understand what is meant by the terms “public nuisance” and “blight”. Generally, they refer to properties that are vacant and in a state of disrepair. Generally blight is a worse condition than public nuisance. Below is a description of what is usually meant by those terms. This is a summary, not a legal definition. For the legal definition, see Chapter 28 of the City code, available on the code enforcement main page.

Public Nuisance

A property can be considered a public nuisance if:
There is a significant amount of trash or garbage on the lot.
There are plants or weeds above 18 inches.
There are abandoned automobiles, building material, discarded appliances, machinery or furnishing.
It could be a hazard to children because of the condition of its foundation, the condition of the slab, abandoned machinery, unsecured building materials, uncovered holes or uncovered excavation.
There are conditions that could allow vermin infestation.
There are objects that can hold standing water.

Blight

A property can be considered blight if:
It is chronically vacant.
There are unresolved code violations for unsafe, unsanitary or unhealthy conditions.
It has been declared a fire hazard.
It is lacking in facilities or equipment required by the Housing Code of the City of New Orleans.
It has been deemed “demolition by neglect” pursuant to section 84-108 or 84-208 of the City Code.
It has a substantial negative impact on the health, safety, or economic vitality of a neighborhood.
It is a vacant lot that is abandoned, does not meet the requirements of the City Code or has been adjudicated.
There is a vermin infestation.

New Orleans Redevelopment Authority

The City of New Orleans Code Enforcement declares properties to be blighted through an official City of New Orleans designation process.

After a property is declared blighted by the city, ownership does not immediately transfer to NORA. Before we can take control of a blighted property, we must first work with the courts to obtain the title to the property. This process may take anywhere from six months to two years depending on the ownership structure and legal issues involved in each individual case.

NORA only initiates cases to seize titles of blighted properties in limited instances and on behalf of Lot Next Door purchasers.

As an alternative to pursuing property titles through the courts, NORA also works with code enforcement authorities and neighborhood organizations to develop remediation strategies. Through code enforcement liens on blighted properties and strategic investment initiatives, market forces are often quite successful in blight remediation.

For more information about code enforcement and blighted properties, please visit the City of New Orleans Code Enforcement page.

Parkway President

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The President and his family ordered their lunch at the counter amid a staring crowd; President Obama had a shrimp po-boy and alligator gumbo. The President on Sunday visited Parkway Bakery en route to a speech at Xavier University. Photo and info from the Times Picayune.

One of the many reasons world leaders, movie stars and tv personalities love New Orleans is generally we treat everyone the same. When the President’s order was ready at Parkway Bakery, the employee behind the counter announced, “Barack, order ready” just as they would for any other customer.