Entergy Urges Customers to Watch for Phantom Power Users

Simple steps such as using power strips or unplugging chargers can make a difference

 

New Orleans, La. – With Halloween practically on our doorsteps, Entergy New Orleans is encouraging its customers to be on the lookout for phantoms – phantom power, that is.

Phantom power – also known as standby or vampire power – is the energy used by certain appliances and electronic devices, even when they are turned off. A variety of products and appliances, such as televisions, microwaves and cell phone chargers, use phantom power. While it may seem trivial, the amount of wasted energy can add up over time and show up on monthly utility bills.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, appliances and home electronics can account for as much as 20 percent of a typical monthly bill. And approximately 75 percent of the electricity used to power those products is consumed when the products are turned off.

“Phantom power can be compared to having a leaky faucet,” said Melonie Stewart, director of customer service for Entergy New Orleans, Inc. “A few drips may not seem like a big deal but they can add up to a larger water bill over time. Similarly, appliances and electronics that draw power even when you aren’t using them can add to your monthly power bill. Fortunately there are some simple ways to control phantom power and help you save money.”

Anything with a plug, a glowing light or a display can be a phantom power user. The most common culprits include electronics with remote controls, built in clocks or timers and instant-on features such as televisions, computers, printers, video game consoles and DVD players.

A study by the National Resources Defense Council showed that some cable TV boxes, which are often left on all day, can use as much power as a refrigerator.

Other common phantom power users are appliances and household items that are charged through a wall plug such as digital cameras, power tools, cell phones and MP3 players.

Here are some simple steps that can help you fight phantom power:

·         Purchase an advanced power strip and plug appliances into it.

·         Turn off televisions and computers when not in use.

·         Unplug small transformers (battery chargers and power adapters) when products are fully charged or not in use. Small transformers come with many electronics such as cell phones and electric shavers and plug into standard wall outlets.

·         Check the label. If purchasing an Energy Star-labeled product, choose the model that uses the least amount of phantom power. If the amount isn’t listed on the label, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s online database to view manufacturer-supplied data by category.

 

For more information on energy conservation and a variety of money saving tips, visit www.EntergyNewOrleans.com/savemoney.

Entergy New Orleans, Inc. is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 169,000 customers and natural gas to more than 100,000 customers. Entergy New Orleans is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2013.

 

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entergyneworleans.com

facebook.com/EntergyNOLA

More Trees for New Orleans

On Nov. 14, 2013 from 7-10pm, MotherShip Foundation will host a 
fundraiser and auction benefitting the Restore the Bayou Canopy 
Campaign. The event will take place at Pearl Wine Co. in the American 
Can Building and will feature entertainment by local artists. In 
addition to the musical entertainment, Marlin Miller—the artist who 
carved the public art sculpture out of the dead oak tree on the corner 
of Orleans Ave and Jeff Davis Pkwy—will also be at the event to share 
his story and auction off a few or his one-of-a-kind sculptures. 
Tickets, which include wine and food, are $50 for individuals or $75 
per couple—with one hundred percent of the proceeds benefiting the 
Restore the Bayou Canopy Campaign.

On Saturday, November 16th, all are invited to witness and celebrate 
the major tree planting on Bayou St. John.

http://fsjna.org/2013/10/trees-on-the-bayou/

Vehicle Burglaries 8200 Block of Fig

EVERY CAR WAS UNLOCKED..... Come on people.... BE SMARTER!!!!

Type	Description	Case #	Location	Agency	Date	Map It
	SIMPLE BURGLARY VEHI	J3622813	8200 BLOCK OF FIG ST	New Orleans Police	10/26/2013 1:04:00 PM	Map It
	SIMPLE BURGLARY VEHI	J3620413	8200 BLOCK OF FIG ST	New Orleans Police	10/26/2013 12:33:00 PM	Map It
	SIMPLE BURGLARY VEHI	J3617713	8200 BLOCK OF FIG ST	New Orleans Police	10/26/2013 12:09:00 PM	Map It
	SIMPLE BURGLARY VEHI	J3591113	8200 BLOCK OF FIG ST	New Orleans Police	10/26/2013 7:13:00 AM	Map It

Neighborhood Halloween Party

Neighborhood Halloween Party

Palmer Park

This Saturday, Saturday, Oct 26

6:30-9:00 pm

Here’s what you do:

1. Let us know you are coming. Drop off a small donation to the Ribka's mailbox at 8217 Neron Place. (This helps with party expenses. Include your family name and contact info if you wish to be added to our email list)

2. Dress up in your favorite costume (optional of course)

3. Show up at Palmer Park at 6:30 (after the Arts Market)

4. Bring a dish to share with your neighbors

5. Have FUN!!!

Front Belt - Back Belt - Middle Belt

There are 3 Railroad BELT systems in the New Orleans area:
Front Belt - Railroad System that skirts the Mississippi River and goes through Oak Street and parallels Press Street

Back Belt - Railroad System that goes through Old Metairie and parallels I-610 and goes through New Orleans East. The Back Belt has moved trains through Old Metairie since the very late 1800s when Old Metairie was a very sparsely-populated area. There is a consistent local story which indicates that this section of track was only "allowed" temporarily in reaction to WWII needs and was supposed to be removed.

Middle Belt - Railroad System that has been primarily, but not solely, used to get the Amtrak Trains into Union Station.  These tracks parallel Airline and go through Hollygrove. "But currently and for the last four decades have only been used by passenger trains - one daily (in both directions) and one about every other day - and a short, nocturnal local freight train (delivering news print to THE TIMES-PICAYUNE) one-to-three nights weekly". This route does not and will not have any grade crossings, meaning that there are no grade crossings & associated automobile traffic problems. NOUPT and ex-KCS-now-CN tracks are already exist in this area.

This article and the current preferred proposal for addressing the issues associated with increased train traffic on the critical East-West rail system that moves freight through New Orleans requires:
- eliminating the Old Metairie portion of the Back Belt
- building "the Carrollton Curve" (formerly considered an engineering implausibility)
- moving train traffic onto the section of the Middle Belt that has been used primarily to as a passenger train route
- the construction of new track a very narrow strip of land between Airline Highway and affecting the residences on the southern side of the track.



Published in Times Picayune


Trains would be stored/parked would be along Earhart just into Jefferson Parish.

Wildlife Habitat in NorthWest Carrollton

Send email to nwcarrollton@mindspring.com if you are interested in turning your yard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat.  We already have one Certified Wildlife Habitat in the neighborhood and would love to add more.


The information below is taken directly from National Wildlife Federations Website

Autumn brings dramatic changes in the bird life of any North American backyard. As many of the feathered residents that visit your yard during summer go south, migrants from regions to the north will pass through. Some will make brief stopovers while others will spend the winter.
You can make the most of this seasonal avian passage by making some adjustments to your property that will attract greater numbers of different birds in the fall—and help them thrive. Consider the following ideas:

 1. Provide running water:

 The sound of running water in a birdbath or pond will be heard by migrating birds from some distance, and will draw them to the bath for a drink, and possibly a quick dip. Most migrants that visit birdbaths with running water eat insects. These include warblers, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes and thrashers. In addition, the juveniles of summer resident birds are likely to spend more time at the pool before moving to more southern climes.
Tip: Running water can be created in a single pool birdbath by installing an electric mister or bubbler, available from bird supply stores. A small pump will move water in a multiple-tiered birdbath, causing the water to make a splashing noise as it recirculates from top to bottom.

2. Leave sugar water feeders out:

Don’t take down sugar water feeders as soon as local hummingbirds and orioles start leaving in the fall. There are huge numbers of hummingbirds and orioles that have spent the summer farther north; as they migrate through your area, they will recharge themselves at the feeders. And juvenile hummingbirds, the last to abandon nesting grounds, feed on sugar water long after their parents have gone south.

3. Clean out birdhouses:

Early fall is a good time to clean out and make necessary repairs to birdhouses in preparation for hosting species that roost during fall and winter. The old nests usually attract insects and parasites and should be removed before winter residents move in. In many areas, bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches and winter wrens may take up nightly residence in birdhouses to keep warm and safe.

4. Create brush piles:

Save your fall clippings of branches and twigs and pile them in a corner of the yard (where they will be less intrusive) to create cover for birds. Most birds that prefer habitat on the ground—such as dark-eyed juncos, tree sparrows and white-throated sparrows—will use brush piles for roosting at night and for protection from predators.
Tip: Fallen evergreen trees, placed along the border of the yard, create more cover that will last throughout the winter.

 5. Plant evergreens:

There is no better natural cover for birds in fall and winter than evergreens. Planted near feeders and birdbaths, they will attract migrants and provide cover (and thus increase the safety factor) for many birds after deciduous trees lose their leaves.

6. Increase the number of feeders:

Autumn is a good time to double the number and kinds of feeders you put out for the birds. Starting with the first cool fall days, the consumption of bird food will increase and continue to increase as the average daily temperatures drop.
Tip: To attract the greatest number and variety of birds, provide a variety of seed and suet feeders. Northern cardinals, for example, prefer tray feeders, where they can perch on a ledge, while chickadees are more adept at landing on small perches or clinging to wire netting that surrounds feeders. Other birds, including several species of sparrow, feed on or near the ground, while woodpeckers are drawn to suet hanging from tree trunks.

7. Move the action closer:

One of the main reasons for feeding birds is so that you can enjoy watching their behavior in a natural environment. If you move your bird feeders and birdbaths closer to the house, you can get close to the creatures without disturbing them.
 Tip: If there is not enough natural cover just outside the windows, plant some or place potted evergreens around the feeders and baths. The birds will adapt to being close to the house quickly.

8. Provide foods for insect eaters:

Many birds that frequent backyards will not eat seeds, but they will eat insects and fruits. Cedar waxwings, American robins, northern mockingbirds, some woodpeckers, and migrating thrushes, thrashers and tanagers will feed readily on chunks of apples, berries and jellies from containers. Bluebirds, robins, mockingbirds and some woodpeckers will eat live mealworms (available at pet supply stores) served in a tray feeder.

9. Bring bird sounds indoors:

With the arrival of cooler weather, people tend to close their doors and windows, blocking out the pleasant sounds of birds singing, scolding and chattering. If you like those sounds, consider installing a wireless baby monitoring device outside, and send the sounds of nature inside to a well-placed receiver.

10. Protect birds against collisions:

More birds collide with windows during fall than any other season of the year. Often migrating birds that are not familiar with the terrain will see the reflections of a woodland in a windowpane and fly right into it. If the reflection can be removed or muted with soap, netting, screening or by hanging streamers on the outside, the birds will veer away from it.
Tip: Whatever technique you use, do it on the outside of the pane. Pulling drapes inside will enhance the reflection on the outside. Pasting silhouettes of birds of prey, such as hawks and owls, may also help deter flying birds.

Adapted from "Avian-Attractions " by George Harrison, National Wildlife , October/November 2003.

Filming in Palmer Park

Heads Up!
You might notice tents and lots of filming trucks in and/around Palmer Park starting tonight through Friday. This is for the ABC Family series Ravenswood. You can catch the 1st episode of the 1st season tonight on ABC Family. The filming is actually taking place at 2000 Carrollton but the crew is calling Palmer Park "home" for the next few days... Welcome!

NOPD Convictions

Kirk M. Bouyelas

Seems that the TP did not run the stories on these two murder convictions. Not sure why, they are very positive stories on the good work by NOPD Homicide Detectives...

On 10/16/2013 in CDC section G, Daniel Holmes was convicted in the killing of Tyrez Williams. The crime occurred in the 6000 block of Chef Menteur Hwy in the 7th District. The lead detective was Richard Chambers.

The same day in CDC section I, Larry Haynes was convicted in the killing of Teira Reynolds. The crime occurred in the 2800 block of S. Roman St. in the 6th district. The lead detective was Liz Garcia.

Zoning Ordinance Meeting

We are up against a City Hall deadline to send in our comments on the Proposed Zoning Ordinance before November 30, 2013. 

The City had a public presentation and a Q&A of the proposed Zoning Ordinance last week.  Some of us were present.

Some of the proposed changes have an influence on the quality of life in the Carrollton Area.

Please go to this CPC website http://www.nola.gov/city-planning/comprehensive-zoning-ordinance/.  This 575 page document will give you a lot of details.

Some of the most important changes in favor of residents is the Citizen input and storm water management issues (paving of yards, etc). 

When adopted anyone needing a variance must meet with neighborhood before they submit to the City.

 

Please become familiar and attend a meeting to hear and discuss some of the issues with other Carrollton residents . 

This not a meeting organized by the City and may not have people from City Hall. 

This is a meeting to develop consensus and exchange opinions of what we all understand the new rules will / may be / what we may wish to have CPC change.

TUES, OCTOBER 29^th

 

                                                ST. ANDREW’S PARISH HALL

                                                            8017 ZIMPLE ST.

                                                   enter under the red awning

                                                               6:30 – 8:30pm     

Your active participation is welcome.

8237-39 Apricot

Security Development Company, LLC to Melissa Lopez for $12,000.

This is the burned out and essentially empty lot.

Transfer Tax - a VOTE FOR is actually a vote AGAINST Transfer Tax

Transfer Tax - Nov. 19th Ballot

If you vote "No" the tax will be implemented!

Reminder - 98% of the people in Louisiana are NOT familiar with this tax
on the ballot for Nov. 19 . This is a tax that both buyers and sellers of
a home in Louisiana will pay at the time of sale of their home if this tax
is ever passed . As an example, if you sell your home for $250,000, both
buyer and seller will each pay to Louisiana $4,925.00 as a transfer tax.
And, if this tax is ever passed, it would most likely be raised again in
subsequent years.

This is the tricky part: Most people who are not aware of this tax will
just click "NO" on the ballot thinking they are voting against the tax.
But, they will then be voting FOR the tax. The Amendment starts out with
"To prevent....tax" so vote "FOR "

Voting "YES" prohibits any new real estate transfer taxes in the state.
(Orleans parish already has a transfer tax). Voters must vote "YES" which
means "stay tax free".

We would encourage everyone who lives in Louisiana to go to the following
website: http://www.staytaxfree.com/ On the home page there is a
calculator that figures the tax you will pay at closing if this tax is
ever passed.

This is an excellent website with great info. This website is sponsored by
the Louisiana Realtors Assn which is our watchdog for new taxes. I hope
everyone will look at this site and figure what their tax to Louisiana
could be just for buying or selling a home . You are just one click away.
http://www.staytaxfree.com/


Please pass on to your families and friends who live in Louisiana and
probably know nothing about this tax.

40 additional Project NOLA Crime Cameras in West Carrollton

According to an article in Uptown Messenger

"The anti-crime nonprofit Project NOLA received a $10,000 grant Wednesday from the Westway Group to expand its network of private surveillance cameras by 40 locations in the west-Carrollton neighborhood..."

 

But will we get any in NorthWest Carrollton? 
If we were to get cameras, any suggestions as to where they should be located?

NorthWest Carrollton is part of the West Carrollton-Leonidas neighborhood.

Guidry Town Hall Meeting - Monday

Councilmember Susan G. Guidry would like to invite you to the Uptown Area Town Hall meeting.

City department officials and other groups will be on hand to provide updates about ongoing work in your neighborhood and address your questions and concerns one-on-one. Photographs and documentation of any issues are highly encouraged.

Where

Audubon Tea Room 6500 Magazine Street

When

Monday October 21st  5:30-8 p.m.

The following organizations will be in attendance:   Sewerage & Water Board Department of Public Works NOPD NOFD Paths to Progress Project NOLA Energy Smart NOLA Wise Tulane University Regional Planning Commission Regional Transit Authority

If you need more information call (504) 658-1010

New Orleans Walkability

http://www.walkscore.com/LA/New_Orleans

Municipal Districts.... NorthWest Carrollton in in the 7th

http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2013/10/new_orleans_seven_municipal_di.html

Written by Richard Campanella, a geographer with the Tulane School of Architecture and a Monroe Fellow with the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, is the author of "Bienville's Dilemma," "Geographies of New Orleans," and the forthcoming "Bourbon Street: A History" (2014). He may be reached through rcampane@tulane.edu or @nolacampanella on Twitter.

(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

 

Consider the map on this page. You've seen it many times: the boundaries of the seven municipal districts of New Orleans, those bureaucratic spaces through which real estate transactions and tax assessments are organized. What could be more mundane?
What seems mundane, though, oftentimes reveals more about history and culture than landmarks or museum pieces. What you're seeing in this map is 200 years of tumultuous local machinations.

Let's start with Districts 1, 2 and 3, which are separated by Canal Street and Esplanade Avenue. Into the mid-1800s, the Francophone Creole population generally settled at the riverside end of what are now Districts 2 and 3, that is, the French Quarter, faubourgs Treme and Marigny and some of present-day Bywater.

Most members of the incoming English-speaking Anglo-American population, meanwhile, settled in what is now District 1, which was called Faubourg St. Mary at the time and now is the Central Business District.

Cultural differences between the Creole and Anglo populations, each of which developed alliances with various immigrant groups, led to economic and political tensions, which in turn led to a draconian solution: instead of learning to get along, why not get a divorce?

New Orleans in 1836 thus divided itself into three semi-autonomous municipalities, each with its own council, police, schools, port, services and amenities, ostensibly united under a single mayor and a general council. Each even had its own seal.

Because Canal Street roughly separated Anglo and Creole neighborhoods, it became the logical dividing line for the two new municipalities. The mostly Creole area from Canal and Esplanade was labeled the First Municipality, while the Anglo-dominated area from Canal to Felicity (New Orleans' upper edge at the time) became the Second Municipality.

Locals semi-jokingly described the spacious Canal Street median as a "neutral ground" between the rival ethnicities, borrowing an old colonial-era term for disputed regions between imperial claims. The term caught on and is now used to describe medians citywide.

Because Esplanade Avenue divided the Creole area into two roughly equal halves, that wide thoroughfare became the line between the First and Third municipalities. Farthest from the urban core and downstream from its pollutants, the Third Municipality found itself on the losing end of most local maneuverings and the recipient of several unflattering nicknames: "The Old Third," "The Poor Third," "The Dirty Third," and, sarcastically, "The Glorious Third."
 
The municipality system was a spectacularly terrible idea. It wasted resources, pitted neighborhoods against each other, confused visitors and wreaked havoc on the city's bond rating.

"Had the Legislature sought, by the most careful efforts, to create a war of races, to make distinction between Creole and American, they could not have chosen a better means...than the present division," wrote the Third Municipality's Daily Orleanian in 1849.

The municipality system finally was abandoned in 1852, and the city was reunified -- but only after the Anglo contingent had established alliances with German and Irish immigrants and, as the new electoral majority, started winning elections.

The 1852 reunification entailed some confusing renaming: the old First Municipality became the Second Municipal District, the Second Municipality became the First, and the Third remained the Third.

Also that year, New Orleans successfully annexed the neighboring City of Lafayette out of Jefferson Parish, an expansion that pushed Orleans Parish's limits from Felicity to Toledano Street. Why there? Because that's where four old French long-lot plantations -- belonging to the Ursuline nuns and the Panis, Livaudais and Delassize families -- had been previously subdivided into streets and parcels. Now as part of New Orleans proper, these lands became the Fourth Municipal District, today's Irish Channel, Garden District and Central City.

Eighteen years later, an opportunity arose for New Orleans to annex Algiers on the West Bank, as well as the east bank City of Jefferson, which is the heart of today's Uptown.

Proceeding in numerical order, Algiers became the Fifth Municipal District and the former City of Jefferson -- between Toledano and the lower line of the old McCarty plantation (hence Lowerline Street) -- became the Sixth.

Finally in 1874, New Orleans annexed the Jefferson Parish City of Carrollton, which pushed the parish line from Lowerline to Monticello (the upper line of the old McCarty plantation), where the city limit remains today. This final expansion made Carrollton the Seventh municipal district.

One major, final change awaited the municipal district map. When first sketched in the mid-1800s, authorities felt little need to extend the district boundaries too far into the back swamp, because hardly anyone lived there.
But after the drainage system was installed in the late 1800s, and its pumps, pipes and outfall canals ejected runoff and lowered the water table, new development spread in the early 1900s. With it came the need to administer thousands of new real estate transactions.

Thus authorities extended the First, Second, Third and Seventh district lines to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, and used existing political or physical boundaries -- the Jefferson Parish line, the New Basin Canal and Bayou St. John -- to separate them.
The Fifth Municipal District on the West Bank, meanwhile, was extended downriver to encompass the rural lower coast of Algiers.

Why not extend the Fourth and Sixth? Because the concavity of the Mississippi River's meander meant that those wedge-shaped districts -- the products of 15 slender, colonial-era plantations -- converged around present-day Gerttown, and never reached any further lakeward.

Thus, our municipal districts trace our urban expansion over the last 161 years. Why, for example, is today's Third District so large? Because the eastern half of the parish was once very lightly peopled, which made delineating all of its meager population into one gigantic district seem like a good idea -- though it no longer does today.
Think how different the metro area would be today had New Orleans not annexed present-day districts Four, Six and Seven out of Jefferson Parish.

Consider also the impact of these lines on modern city life. Each district's autonomous or semi-autonomous heritage fostered the development of a certain level of parochialism, which persisted long after the 1852 unification and the last annexation in 1874.

Until just a few years ago, each of the seven districts elected its own assessors, who staffed their own offices and assessed taxes independently -- a system unique in the nation. It took civic intervention after Hurricane Katrina to finally consolidate those political redundancies.

Plantations, faubourgs, Creoles, Anglos, competition, expansion, drainage, politics, taxes: embedded in that seemingly mundane map are sundry episodes in the human geography of New Orleans, going back 200 years.

Help find Louie

This is Louie.    He is missing from 8224 Pritchard Place.

 

He is an orange male tabby with a scratchy meow and a purple collar.

 

If found call Robin at 512-619-2043

Apple and Leonidas Arrest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/01/2013

On Tuesday October 1st, Detectives Malo and Weir arrested Mr. Ishmel Wiltz (B/M 10-24-1995) at Apple and Leonidas after the detectives observed Mr. Wiltz throw down a bag of marijuana and began to run from the detectives. As Wiltz was running the detectives observed him to be holding his waistband in a manner consistent with carrying a weapon. Wiltz was apprehended by Detectives Malo and Weir behind a residence in the 2600 block of Leonidas. A fully loaded handgun was recovered from where Wiltz was located. Mr. Wiltz was charged with Possession of a CDS Substance and Carrying a Concealed Weapon violation.