• New Canal Lighthouse top pick in contest
A beacon for generations of New Orleanians, the New Canal Lighthouse on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain is another step closer to shining a welcoming light. A casualty of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the West End landmark was chosen the winner of a contest launched by an Oregon door and window company with a corporate commitment to reviving historic lighthouses.

• Post-Katrina cleanup reveals lost ring
Hurricane losses mourned most include keepsakes, such as wedding and baby photos, family heirlooms and souvenirs. So, when a cherished high-school ring was found three years after Katrina, the grateful owner rejoiced.

• Coach does the right thing
The Class 3A state football playoff started without the Clark football team last weekend, and what we learned was the good, bad and ugly about forfeitures, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and the state playoffs.

• Sheriff invites all to annual holiday meal
For 34 years, the city's Thanksgiving tradition has included dinner hosted by the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff's Office. This year, citizens are welcome to join Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman Nov. 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall E.

• Anniversary celebration will include musical
Old Zion Baptist Church at 430 N. Johnson St. is celebrating 100 years of faith and service with special events this weekend. Activities begin Friday at 7 p.m. with a special guest performance by the choir of Greater Liberty Baptist church in an anniversary musical presentation. The church will celebrate in worship at 9 a.m. and the Rev. Sam Young Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church's satellite campus in Houston and longtime Old Zion member, will speak at a 3 p.m. anniversary service. A dinner will follow. All are invited to attend.

• Armstrong Park hosting North Rampart Festival
The second North Rampart Festival is taking to the streets Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Rampart Street promenade in front of Louis Armstrong Park. Laurie Toupes said the free fest will showcase local artists, food vendors and musicians. The children's area will feature art programs and other surprises. For information visit www.northrampartmainstreet.org on the Web or call 504.256.4848.

• Event will feature wheelchair sports
Exercise is important to well-being, especially for people with disabilities. One of the activities for such people is wheelchair sports. Competitive wheelchair sports came about after World War II, when disabled veterans began playing wheelchair basketball at Veteran's Administration hospitals throughout the United States.

• Event will have wheelchair sports
Exercise is important to well-being, especially for people with disabilities. One of the activities for such people is wheelchair sports. Competitive wheelchair sports came about after World War II, when disabled veterans began playing wheelchair basketball at Veteran's Administration hospitals throughout the United States.

• Event will have wheelchair sports
Exercise is important to well-being, especially for people with disabilities. One of the activities for such people is wheelchair sports. Competitive wheelchair sports came about after World War II, when disabled veterans began playing wheelchair basketball at Veteran's Administration hospitals throughout the United States.

• Event will have wheelchair sports
Exercise is important to well-being, especially for people with disabilities. One of the activities for such people is wheelchair sports. Competitive wheelchair sports came about after World War II, when disabled veterans began playing wheelchair basketball at Veteran's Administration hospitals throughout the United States.

• Library to honor Abraham Lincoln
Beginning Tuesday, one of America's great men, Abraham Lincoln, will be honored as people visit a traveling exhibit at the main library, 219 Loyola Ave.

• Make your front door glow for the holidays
Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Get out your twinkling lights and the hot glue gun. The Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Improvement Association will make the holidays brighter with a neighborhood door-decorating contest, open to all Gentilly Terrace and Gardens residents. Entry fee is $10 per door, and the entry deadline is Dec. 10.

• MIRLITON SHOWCASED AT FESTIVAL IN BYWATER
The Bywater Neighborhood Association, in partnership with the Bywater Art Market, recently presented the 9th annual Mirliton Festival at Markey Park. Centered around one of the most misunderstood members of the vegetable family, the celebration was an eclectic blend of residents, music, food and artists and, of course, the mirliton. The festival was born in 1989, when a small neighborhood party turned out to be a showcase of the versatile squash.

• PET OF THE WEEK
Along with Thanksgiving, November also marks Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month. Our older animal companions are the best of all worlds. Like fine wine, good cheese and my mom's gumbo on the second day, they grow better with age.

• PET OF THE WEEK
Along with Thanksgiving, November also marks Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month. Our older animal companions are the best of all worlds. Like fine wine, good cheese and my mom's gumbo on the second day, they grow better with age.

• Po-boy festival has fun and games, dressed
Celebrate two iconic New Orleans institutions Sunday: the historic streetcar and the po-boy. Take the streetcar to Oak Street and join in the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival from noon to 6 p.m. with every variation of the sandwich you can imagine, plus music, arts and crafts, a silent auction, a children's section with games and prizes, and, beginning at 10:30 a.m., panel discussions covering the history of the po-boy.

• Preview will kick off holiday display
One of my favorite yearly events is "Celebration in the Oaks" at City Park, where you'd have to be a real scrooge not to get in the spirit of the season after viewing all the wonderful trees done up by local schools, and of course the train village and Mr. Bingle. Why not come out to the preview party Friday from 7:30 to 11 p.m. and get a sneak peek at the light display, which benefits the New Orleans Botanical Garden.

• Stuart Hall boasts record enrollment
During a time of economic downturn, ongoing storm recovery and a decrease in population after Katrina, the Stuart Hall School for Boys opened to a record enrollment of 332 students this fall. In fact, its enrollment numbers have increased every year since the storm. Despite extensive damage to the three main buildings on their Carrollton Avenue campus, Stuart Hall regained 86 percent of its student population within weeks after the storm, and the school is now above its pre-Katrina student-body population of 308, school officials said.

• Student honored for philanthropy
Helping others is the way of life for many New Orleanians. One of them, Madeline Baay, recently was honored for her work with Amigos of Christ in Nicaragua at the Association of Fund-raising Professionals' National Philanthropy Day at the Hotel InterContinental. Because of her continuous dedication to helping the people of Nicaragua, she received the Association's Youth in Philanthropy Award.

• Student honored for philanthropy
Helping others is the way of life for many New Orleanians. One of them, Madeline Baay, recently was honored for her work with Amigos of Christ in Nicaragua at the Association of Fund-raising Professionals' National Philanthropy Day at the Hotel InterContinental. Because of her continuous dedication to helping the people of Nicaragua, she received the Association's Youth in Philanthropy Award.

• Student honored for philanthropy
Helping others is the way of life for many New Orleanians. One of them, Madeline Baay, recently was honored for her work with Amigos of Christ in Nicaragua at the Association of Fund-raising Professionals' National Philanthropy Day at the Hotel InterContinental. Because of her continuous dedication to helping the people of Nicaragua, she received the Association's Youth in Philanthropy Award.

• Volunteers back drive to heal nature center
Volunteers are helping to bring back the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center at Joe Brown Park, 5600 Read Blvd. When I spoke with Colleen Morgan, volunteer coordinator for the Audubon Nature Institute, she said she was about to meet with a group who will be helping with Saturday's invasive species removal project.

• Xavier Prep student was People to People delegate
Xavier Prep High School student Keelyn Myers recently traveled to Europe with the People to People Ambassador Program as one of a delegation of about 35 high school students from around the state. The group was accompanied by three high school teachers and a delegation manager who coordinated cultural and recreational activities.

• AP SCHOLARS
--- Louise S. McGehee School ---

• CALENDAR
THURSDAY

• COLLEGES
--- Xavier University ---

• COMMUNITY REPORT
--- AARP tax aid ---

• Costumes for a Cause fundraiser is Saturday
A benefit to help first-time college students from low-income families, "Costumes for a Cause," will be held Saturday from 7-11 p.m. at The Precinct, 1377 Annunciation St. Coordinators are Tulane graduates and businesswomen Nina Santa Marina and Adia Lundy. The event will include food, a fashion show and several auctions. Former Saints player Joe Johnson will be among those present, and those attending do not have to wear costumes.

• EVERY GIRL, EVERYWHERE
Women of the Storm founder Anne Milling is welcomed by Brownie Troop 1368 as she arrives to speak at the Girl Scouts Louisiana East organization's annual luncheon, held recently at the Audubon Tea Room. The event, called "Every Girl, Everywhere," was a fundraiser for the Girl Scouts and featured a flag ceremony and Scout testimonials. Margaret Orr was mistress of ceremonies.

• HONOR ROLLS
--- Mount Carmel Academy ---

• Xavier Prep students attend national leadership conference
Xavier University Preparatory School students Aniya Mercadel and Megan Sutton were nominated by Curtis Lawrence to serve as National Scholars to represent Louisiana at the National Young Leaders Conference. The students were accepted and recently attended the conference in Washington, D.C.

• New Canal Lighthouse top pick in contest
A beacon for generations of New Orleanians, the New Canal Lighthouse on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain is another step closer to shining a welcoming light. A casualty of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the West End landmark was chosen the winner of a contest launched by an Oregon door and window company with a corporate commitment to reviving historic lighthouses.

• Little church shows big heart
For the 12-member congregation of Carrollton Presbyterian Church, an uncertain future in a city with recent church closings hasn't stopped them from trying to change the world.

• Post-Katrina cleanup reveals lost ring
Hurricane losses mourned most include keepsakes, such as wedding and baby photos, family heirlooms and souvenirs. So, when a cherished high-school ring was found three years after Katrina, the grateful owner rejoiced.

• Crystal ball sheds light on playoffs
So, let me guess. Your favorite local high school football team has advanced to the postseason, but you're antsy.

• Counseling centers spread hope around
Celebration Hope Center, a Christian counseling service, has opened two new sites in Orleans Parish making their services available at seven locations.

• Daughter embraces first chance to vote
I have always believed that the privilege of voting -- whether in local, state, or national elections -- is very important. But I have been hesitant about registering my daughter, Carolyn, who has Down syndrome, in this process.

• Daughter embraces first chance to vote
I have always believed that the privilege of voting -- whether in local, state, or national elections -- is very important. But I have been hesitant about registering my daughter, Carolyn, who has Down syndrome, in this process.

• Eating spaghetti can aid senior center
Enjoy a dinner -- spaghetti and meatballs, salad and bread -- for $8 and help support the Uptown Shepherd's Center, which provides noon meals, programs, outings and fellowship to senior adults. Sponsored by the 3ird District Kiwanis Club, the event will be Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the center, 921 S. Carrollton, at Freret Street. Director Sylvia Warren said there also will be desserts for sale, a boutique of gift items, and dinner takeout will be available.

• Fellows Program deadline today
Principals interested in the Student Leadership Center Fellows Program should note the application deadline is today. The Fellows program is seeking principals from Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany and Plaquemines Parishes to participate in its two-year intensive professional and leadership development program, Fellows Director John Brown said.

• Flowers' names tell magical tale
In recent weeks, we have had outstanding "Chamber of Commerce" weather that got me planting a fall garden of snapdragons, pansies, alyssum and daffodil bulbs. I have always been fascinated with plants and the folklore that surrounds them.

• Literacy AmeriCorps volunteers aid library
Literacy AmeriCorps' New Orleans chapter began a new partnership with the New Orleans Public Library about a year ago. We accepted Literacy AmeriCorps members at the main library to help with after-school tutoring and outreach to Central City day-care centers and elementary schools. In 2008, we are again hosting Literacy AmeriCorps members, two of whom are doing new things for the community: Judith Ann Patrick and Kenneth Bryan.

• Neighborhood Watch decals are available
When you drive through Gentilly and see neighborhood watch signs along the way, take note that residents have another tool in their crime prevention chest.

• PET OF THE WEEK
Having multiple pets is like having multiple kids -- especially when you're trying to discipline them. How many times have you called out to your dog to stop stealing food from the kitchen counter and called out the wrong pet's name? Well, imagine how difficult it would be if your pet's name was a tongue-twister. Recently the organization Veterinary Pet Insurance, or VPI, researched a database of nearly half a million pets that are insured nationwide and compiled a list of the wackiest names.

• Rampart Street venue highlights local talent
The beach along the Mississippi River has grown wider since I wrote about this curiosity last week.

• Sacred Buddhist relics on display at Van Hanh
Eastern New Orleans is honored to be one of the stops for the Maitreya Project Heart Shrine relic exhibit as it travels the globe.

• Scholarships let teen pursue dreams of music
Joel Callonia Dyson, a junior at Xavier University Preparatory School and a vocal music student studying classical and operatic music with New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, received scholarships from Walnut Hill Arts in Natick, Mass., and NOCCA-Riverfront that provided the opportunity to attend the Walnut Hill Arts Opera Program, where she furthered her studies in voice technique, vocal coaching, acting and music history. She met teenagers from all over the world interested in pursuing a career in the arts.

• Area chock-full of talent on basketball courts
The biggest star in the Orleans and St. Bernard parishes high school basketball universe may be gone, but that doesn't mean that other stars won't shine this season.

• COLLEGES
--- Xavier University ---

• COMMUNITY REPORT
--- Literacy program launch ---

• Culture of Honduras featured at forum
When the World Cultural Economic Forum was convened last month at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 70 international delegations were represented

• Culture of Honduras featured at forum
When the World Cultural Economic Forum was convened last month at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 70 international delegations were represented

• Exhibit of Buddhist holy relics Monday
An exhibit of Buddhist holy relics will be held Friday to Monday at Van Hanh Buddhist Temple, 13152 Chef Menteur Highway, New Orleans.

• MARCH AGAINST VIOLENCE
United Peace in New Orleans set off at Martin Luther King Boulevard on Nov. 1, All Souls Day, on a march to honor the 500 people killed by violence since Hurricane Katrina.

• ORLEANS BASKETBALL CAPSULES
--- BOYS ---

• Photographers sought to help document Fest
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive is looking for volunteers to help document next year's festival by taking part in the Jazz Fest Volunteer Photographer Program. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 30 and should be mailed or delivered to: Volunteer Photographer Program, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive, 1205 North Rampart St., New Orleans, LA 70116.