Levees.org’s Second Annual Levee Disaster Bike Tour

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal discusses the breach of the 17th Street Canal on May 4, 2012.

Levees.org will host its Second Annual Guided Levee Disaster Bike Tour on Sunday May 5 starting at 9 a.m.

The group will depart from City Park Boat/Bike Rentals parking lot. After stops at the London Avenue and 17th Street Canal breach sites, we return to the Parkview Cafe in City Park. The bike tour is 12 miles through neighborhoods, along Lake Pontchartrain and through City Park. It will take between 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours.

For more info and a Google Map, click here: http://go.levees.org/LeveeBikeTour

There is no charge to join the Bike Tour. But you must bring your own bike.

This tour was inspired by, and organized with assistance from, Jane Jacobs Walk, an organization committed to helping city neighborhoods thrive by making them walkable and bike-friendly.

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President of LSU Faculty Senate speaks on expenses relating to Ivor van Heerden lawsuit

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

Kevin Cope, President of LSU Faculty Senate

Louisiana State University spent nearly $1 million in a legal fight over the firing of coastal scientist and New Orleans hero, Professor Ivor van Heerden.

Click here for story by Mark Schleifstein, New Orleans Times Picayune.

Upon request from Levees.org, Kevin Cope, President of the Faculty Senate at LSU submitted commentary regarding the expenditures by the flagship university in fighting Dr. van Heerden’s lawsuit. Portions of the commentary were included in our press release yesterday. Here is the statement in its entirety.

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LSU spent nearly $1 million fighting New Orleans hero Ivor van Heerden

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

Credit: Fred Mulhearn, Baton Rouge Advocate

Documents obtained in response to Levees.org’s Public Records Request reveal that LSU paid a Baton Rouge law firm nearly a half million dollars to defend the flagship university in Dr. Ivor van Heerden’s wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed in 2010.

The law firm Kantrow Spaht Weaver and Blitzer received more than $457,000 over a course of two and 1/2 years according to the records.

Additionally, last month, LSU and the Louisiana Office of Risk Management paid a settlement check to the former deputy director of the now shuttered LSU Hurricane Center in the amount of $435,000.

The settlement and the payments to Kantrow Spaht totalling more than $892,000 do not include payments that LSU paid its own staff spent to comply with court orders, subpoenas and depositions.

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