Charles A Slifer

It starts at 7 p.m. A lecture at Tulane University by Andrew Young, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, headlines today's offering of public meetings in the area. Young, a New Orleans native, will deliver his Tom Dent Congo Square Lecture at 7 p.m. at the university's Dixon Hall, 6823 St. Charles Ave. Young grew up with Dent, an author, playwright, journalist, poet and executive director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The presentation will commemorate the opening of an exhibit on Dent's papers at the Amistad Research Center. Residents can attend a bevy of other civic meetings, mostly in New Orleans, tonight. The New Orleans Council on Aging Elder Action Coalition meets from 9 to 10:30 a.m. inside a conference room at 2475 Canal St. E-mail RSVP to administration@nocoa.org. The Lake Carmel Improvement District/Homeowners Association meets at 6 p.m. at St. Maria Goretti Community Center, Room 11, 7300 Crowder Blvd. The Burbank Gardens Neighborhood Association meets at 6:30 p.m., 6005 Wildair Drive. Call Meg at 504.288.9706. The Prytania Theater, 5339 Prytania St., will host a benefit screening of the movie "Legendary" at 7 p.m. Stars Patricia Clarkson and Devon Graye will be there. The $125 tickets to the event will benefit the Louisiana SPCA and Friends of the Fishermen. A reception follows at the Elms Mansion, 3029 St. Charles Ave., 11 p.m.-midnight. Elsewhere: In St. Tammany Parish, school board candidates will gather for a 6 p.m. voters' forum at Parish Council Chambers, 21490 Koop Drive near Mandeville. For more information, consult a voting guide from the sponsor, League of Women Voters of St. Tammany, at the group's Web site, www.lwyst.info, or call Sandra Slifer at 985.875.9388. In St. Charles Parish, the Community Action Advisory Board meets at 7 p.m. at the Parish Courthouse, 15045 River Road in Hahnville.

Meetings today in Orleans, St. Tammany and St. Charles parishes The first in a series of three meetings will take place tonight to discuss NORD reform, while election season heats up on the North Shore and several other meetings are held across the region. Beginning tonight, New Orleans City Council President Arnie Fielkow and other council members hold a series of public meetings to discuss the proposed reform of the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD). The meetings will address a City Charter amendment on the Oct. 2 ballot that would replace NORD with a new public-private recreation commission. Joined by District D Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, tonight's meeting will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Martin Chapel, 3939 Gentilly Blvd. In Abita Springs, voters can weigh their options as candidates discuss the issues at a forum sponsored by the league of Women Voters of St. Tammany. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Abita Springs Town Hall, located at 22161 Level St. For more information call Sandra Slifer at 985.875.9388, or visit the online voting guide.The Slidell City Council meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Slidell City Council and Administrative Center, 2045 Second St. in Pearl River.Also in Pearl River, the Board of Aldermen meet at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, 39460 Willis Alley.Reaching out to victims of domestic violence, a "Talk it out group meeting" will be held from 6-8 p.m. at 115 Terrance Lane in Des Allemands, sponsored by the Alpha Daughters of Zion Outreach of St. Charles Parish. For more information call 985.287.2268 or 504.431.2254. A Library Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the St Charles Courthouse, 15045 River Rd, in Hahnville.