[StBernard] The LRA Progress Report for July 27

[Westley Annis]

Governor asks President to declare Katrina anniversary as National Day of Prayer 

Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco wrote to President Bush requesting that he declare August 29, 2006, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, as a National Day of Prayer. Governor Blanco also invited President Bush to Louisiana during the week leading up to August 29 to participate in events honoring the lives lost due to Hurricane Katrina. 

Click here to read Governor Blanco's letter. <http://www.gov.state.la.us/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&articleID=2066>  

Recovery in the News 

Periodically, the LRA will share notable editorials and news articles about the recovery process. 

EDITORIAL: Tough choices after hurricane Published by: The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
Date: July 26, 2006

In a forest of easels littered with magic markers, Louisianians are working this week to fashion a vision of the future that looks past the horrors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Gatherings of interested people in Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans contributed ideas on the direction and scope of coastal restoration, but also on the critical rebuilding choices facing the state's southern tier of parishes hit so hard by the 2005 storms.

The meetings were organized by the Center for Planning Excellence, the Baton Rouge organization that developed the progressive Plan Baton Rouge master plan for downtown. The regional plan is funded privately through the Louisiana Recovery Authority Support Foundation, set up by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to assist with the planning process. The resident-input sessions are the first major public event in the regional planning process.

Click here to read the full editorial. <http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/3425086.html>  

Marriage Boom Provides Relief to New Orleans Reception Halls Published By: Associated Press
Date: July 17, 2006

NEW ORLEANS - When it was obvious Hurricane Katrina had laid waste to New Orleans, bride-to-be Lauren Francingues told her wedding planner, "It's not going to happen."It was a call received by wedding planners, florists, cake makers, calligraphers, dress designers and horse-carriage handlers who saw their industry all but disappear after last year's storm turned New Orleans - the country's No. 3 wedding destination, according to one poll - into a debris heap.

Yet a month later Francingues called the planner back, saying: "Reschedule it - in the spring." While many parts of the local economy continue to sputter, weddings are at a fever pitch. Not only are venues being booked by the regular wave of nuptials, but those forced to cancel ceremonies last fall have rescheduled to this spring and summer, multiplying the load.

Click here to read the full article. <http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=148054>  

Upcoming events: 

Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Event: LRA Economic & Workforce Development Task Force meeting
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Governor's Press Room, 4th Floor of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge Wednesday, August 9
Event: Audit Committee Task Force
Time: 2:30 a.m.
Location: Oliver Pollock Room of the Galvez Conference Center, 602 North Fifth Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

Thursday, August 10, 2006
Event: LRA Board of Directors meeting
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: The Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE), which is in the Research Park of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, located at 537 Cajundome Boulevard in Lafayette. 

For a map, click here. <http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=537%20Cajundome%20Blvd&city=Lafayette&state=LA&zipcode=&country=US&geodiff=1>  

The dates of LRA Board of Directors meetings for the rest of 2006 are also posted on the LRA Web site (www.lra.louisiana.gov <http://www.lra.louisiana.gov> ). Meeting times and locations are subject to change.

Meeting agendas are posted on the LRA Web site as soon as they are available. All meetings are open to the public.