KreweNews

Au Revoir! See You in New Orleans!

We hope you have enjoyed this blog and have found it a useful way to get more information about NCSL's 2008 Legislative Summit in New Orleans. If you have any suggestions on ways to make this more useful for future Summits, we hope you will leave a comment below. Thanks for your interest!

Session Spotlight: Eyes of the Storm

When the streets of New Orleans flooded after Hurricane Katrina hit, photographers from the New Orleans Times-Picayune began documenting what was happening to their community. While doing so, they found themselves making difficult personal and professional decisions.

"Eyes of the Storm" is the name of a session that takes place at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 24 at NCSL's 2008 Legislative Summit in New Orleans. It's also the name of a special video presentation the newspaper produced that focuses on the recollections of the photographers in the early days of the flood. The NCSL session will feature three members of the newspaper's photography division.

It promises to be a very moving session. To be a part of this session, be sure to register for the Legislative Summit today!

Session Spotlight: Can We Afford Our Health Care?

America spends an astounding $2.4 trillion to keep us alive, productive and healthy -- a number that will rise another $175 billion in 2008. Some states want to take the lead in "fixing" key parts of this system—a daunting task for big-government and small-government experts alike.

"Can We Afford Our Health Care? New Directions and Solutions" will be a featured session at NCSL's 2008 Legislative Summit in New Orleans. The session will take place on Thursday, July 24 at 1 pm. Three national experts will discuss recent initiatives intended to control costs while preserving or improving health outcomes.

One of the speakers will be Robert Helms, an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services in the Reagan Administration, who played a key role in market-based reforms.

Register today to be a part of this session.

Speaker Spotlight: Paul Vallas

More than a year ago, Paul Vallas was named the superintendent of the Recovery School District in New Orleans. An article in The New York Times called him "one of the nation’s most prominent education reformers."

Vallas will be featured at two sessions at NCSL's 2008 Legislative Summit in New Orleans. On Thursday, July 24 at 1 p.m., he will be paired with Sol Stern to discuss "Two Decades of School Choice: What Have We Learned?" Then, at 8 a.m. Friday, July 25, he will be a panelist at a session entitled, "Lessons from the Trenches: Turning Around Poor Performing Schools."

Vallas is credited with making notable changes in Chicago and Philadelphia school districts. He has been featured in a PBS series on leadership. We couldn't find an official bio for Vallas on the Web, so here is a link to his Wikipedia entry.

To hear his views on education in America, be sure to register for the Legislative Summit today!

Take it from Frommer: You've Got to Go to New Orleans

One of the nation's most respected travel writers recently wrote a piece that sums up how we feel about New Orleans.

"It can now be said with certainty and joy that New Orleans has returned to life: you really should visit this unique national treasure."

We couldn't agree more, Arthur Frommer! Read the full article here. We think you'll agree, when you attend NCSL's 2008 Legislative Summit in New Orleans next week, you'll be glad you did! Register today!