(CBS/AP) NEW ORLEANS - In the era of mobile telephones, AT&T Inc. is trying to rid itself of a long-standing tradition in Louisiana: the familiar white pages of residential phone listings dropped on front porches and driveways.

The staff of the Louisiana Public Service Commission has recommended a plan under which white pages would be sent only to customers who specifically request the directory. AT&T customers also could request a CD-ROM of home listings for computer use. Many commissioners say they support the plan.

"Unwanted and unused directories are a waste of natural resources and scarce capital," Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta said. "Savings from printing directories only for consumers who actually want them can free up capital for increased development of consumer DSL and broadband services, in both traditional and cellular based modalities. Consumer choice allows for smart management of resources."

The commission could vote on the proposal May 23.

The program wouldn't affect the yellow pages, which is advertiser-supported, or the business version of the white pages, both of which would be delivered to all customers.

"The traditional residential white page telephone directory no longer provides the same utility it once did as customers are now turning less and less to the residential white pages directory and are looking to online and other resources for listing information," AT&T said in its request to the commission.

At least one Public Service Commissioner, Foster Campbell, opposes the request, calling it "a moneymaking deal" for AT&T.

"What do you think people are going to do when you take their telephone directory away? They're going to call 411 and pay $1.50. If they don't have a computer, they're going to call 411," Campbell said.

AT&T spokeswoman Kim Allen said that in 75 of company's markets across the country where white pages delivery is optional, less than 1 percent of its customers requested the directory. She said at least 19 states have removed mandatory directory delivery.

AT&T would rather use the savings to upgrade broadband services and wireless services in the state, Allen said. Allen would not say how much AT&T spends annually on its white pages and how many customers the company has in Louisiana, citing competitive reasons. She also was unable to say how many cities might be affected the PSC approves the company's request.

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AT&T seeks to end paper White Pages in Louisiana

wwltv.com

Posted on May 8, 2012 at 11:37 AM

Alan Sayre / Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS In the era of mobile telephones, AT&T Inc. is trying to rid itself of a long-standing tradition in Louisiana: the familiar white pages of residential phone listings dropped on front porches and driveways.

The staff of the Louisiana Public Service Commission has recommended a plan under which white pages would be sent only to customers who specifically request the directory. AT&T customers also could request a CD-ROM of home listings for computer use.

The commission could vote on the proposal May 23.

The program wouldn't affect the yellow pages, which is advertiser-supported, or the business version of the white pages, both of which would be delivered to all customers.

"The traditional residential white page telephone directory no longer provides the same utility it once did as customers are now turning less and less to the residential white pages directory and are looking to online and other resources for listing information," AT&T said in its request to the commission.

Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell opposes the request, calling it "a moneymaking deal" for AT&T.

"What do you think people are going to do when you take their telephone directory away? They're going to call 411 and pay $1.50. If they don't have a computer, they're going to call 411," Campbell said.

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AT&T wants to end mandatory white pages in La.

EUFAULA, Oklahoma -

Construction is well under way on a different style of lake living.

It's like what you would see in Seaside, Florida, and unlike what you'd normally see with most new neighborhoods under construction.

On a beautiful spot along Lake Eufaula, something unique is taking shape.

"Similar to what you've seen out of the best neighborhoods between 1890 and 1940," said Grant Humphreys, Carlton Landing.

Carlton Landing is under development on Eufaula, introducing what's called new urbanism to life on the lake.

"We haven't seen it done in this region, so we're bringing in world-class design talent, into Oklahoma to redefine the lake experience and provide people with a great quality resort option," Humphreys said.

All of the cottages, with their large front porches, are built close to the street or with access to boardwalks, with the intent of creating a pedestrian friendly and more neighborly environment.

"New urbanism is just a way of designing communities around people instead of just the automobile," Humphreys said.

"I love the fact that you park your car and you really don't have to get back in your car again until you have to go into town here," Jen Humpreys said.

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Development On Lake Eufaula Puts Emphasis On The Past

Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times

Robert Morris, 83, of northwest Roanoke, dances to music on Saturday in front of the former Claytor Clinic in the Gainsboro neighborhood.

In the old days, people would gravitate to their front porches in the summertime, where they would talk to their neighbors and interact with the community.

"Air conditioning has been our worst enemy, said Bob Clement, neighborhood service coordinator for Roanoke. "When it was invented, everybody started hanging out indoors."

But during the next few weeks, neighborhoods across Roanoke are coming together to pull people outside for block parties and picnics, yard sales and street fairs. These events are in honor of Neighborhood Month, a celebration of community and neighborhood pride hosted by Roanoke's neighborhood organizations.

The Gainsboro neighborhood of northwest Roanoke helped kick off the celebrations Saturday with its first community celebration and block party. Streets were blocked off near the Gainsboro library for free hot dogs, music, face painting and a martial arts show. Free health screenings and voter registration also were available.

"I see a whole lot of people here I haven't seen in a long time," said Calvin Bradshaw, who has been a resident of the Gainsboro neighborhood for 54 years, as he waved to a friend. "Anything like this is good for the neighborhood. It brings people together to talk about things and ways to improve the neighborhood. I wish they'd have more of these events."

In 2003, eight to 10 organizations were participating in National Night Out to fight neighborhood crime every year in August. However, every celebration was on the same night, at the same time, which meant city council members couldn't support all of them and neighborhood residents couldn't attend one another's events.

"I thought, why not do something in the spring where neighborhoods come out, not just to fight crime, but celebrate their accomplishments," Clement said. Roanoke first celebrated Neighborhood Month the next May, with events scattered throughout the month.

Although Gainsboro hasn't had an event like this in years, all ages of neighborhood residents and visitors were out in full force. Children got their faces painted like tigers and butterflies, adults and clowns did line dances together in a cul-de-sac, and balloon animals dotted the crowd.

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Community camaraderie: Gainsboro block party could become annual event - http://www.roanoke.com

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Historic Mobile Preservation Society will host the first annual Oakleigh Porch Tour on Saturday, May 5, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the Oakleigh Garden Historic District.

Come, visit, sit a spell and see why our porches are truly the Parlors of the South, stated Renea Greene, Oakleigh Porch Tour Chair. Listen to stories, chat with neighbors and absorb the history of how some of these porches came to be. Start your summer on the right foot; step back in time and enjoy the day in Oakleigh. We are looking forward to your visit.

This event allows HMPS to showcase the lifestyle of this very historic and close-knit neighborhood in a casual presentation, stated Rhonda Davis, executive director of HMPS. May is National Historic Preservation Month and we want to celebrate Mobiles preservation legacy by creating a fun event that allows the public to meander through and explore one of our most loved historic districts. This tour will do just that.

Twelve beautifully restored and decorated porches will be open for the tour, along with lemonade stands, dog watering stations, and surprise entertainment along the way. The afternoon will end with a Porch Play at the Cox-Deasy Cottage at 4:00 p.m.

The Benson Home 202 Rapier Avenue 1908 Italianate

The Burns Home 1160 Church Street 1896 eclectic Queen Anne

The Cummings Home 1011 Augusta Street 1904 Coastal traditional and Colonial

The Garrett-Cumbie Home 1104 Palmetto Street 1927 Arts & Crafts Craftsman Cottage

The Grill Home 1124 Palmetto Street 1930 Arts and Crafts Bungalow

The Harrell Home 1156 Palmetto Street 1899 Queen Anne transitional to Colonial Revival

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Take the Oakleigh Porch Tour

A house wrapped in black plastic, vehicles with expired tags or no tags sitting on local lots for months, and junk-cluttered front porches.

Butch Schmitz has had his fill of such scenes in the neighborhood that surrounds his home in the 500 block of Alston.

The Marysville resident came to City Council in late March and told members it was time to do something.

This isnt the first time that I have complained to local officials about this problem and it probably wont be the last, Schmitz told the council. Its high time that you do something about it other than just send out letters or issue citations. There are very few of you who would put up with this crap in your own neighborhoods for very long.

Were aware of them. Were working with the property owners, said City Administrator Rick Shain.

He said city inspector Dave Richardson has talked to the owners.

He tries to handle it on a personal basis and visit with them face to face before we take further action, Shain said.

Schmitz said earlier Monday that hed noted the plastic was removed from a nearby house. He hopes changes will continue.

I think one of those houses is coming down, Shain said of another nearby home that burned in a fire earlier this year and is now being cleared.

Shain said he would talk to the council about revising existing housing code to add new minimal standards for housing.

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Marysville resident discusses concerns about neighborhood

Good Morning America co-anchor Lara Spencer and her husband, David Haffenreffer (a former CNN anchor now in real estate), recall finding their unusual home. It was 2005, and they were searching in Connecticut. We happened upon this little part of Greenwich called Riverside, Spencer says, and we knew this was the place to raise a family.

The house, a basic 1920s New England farmhouse, had been reconfigured and added onto over the years until it became, Haffenreffer says, endearingly quirky.

Porches were converted into oddly shaped rooms. More porches were added and then more rooms, too. We loved the neighborhood, and we loved the feel of the house, Spencer says. From the minute we stepped inside, we knew it was right.

Elizabeth Lippman

THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Lara Spencer, husband David Haffenreffer, daughter Kate and son Duff enjoy hanging out on the front porch of their 4,200-square-foot Connecticut home.

In its 4,200 square feet are four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a dining room, a 20-by-40-foot kitchen, a playroom for the kids (son Duff, 10, and daughter Kate, 8), Spencers reading room (once another bedroom), Haffenreffers office (formerly a maids room) and a sun porch.

The kitchen is so large that, in addition to a marble cooking island and a table and chairs, theres a seating area with a couch, a steamer trunk for a coffee table, a working fireplace and a TV. Its so nice to be able to cook while the kids are sitting there watching TV or doing their homework, Spencer says. The kitchen is the hub of our house.

As for the homes decor, Spencer who does all her own decorating approaches it like an adventure. She believes in the three Rs: rescue, recycle and reinvent. She hits up flea market, auctions, yard sales and sometimes even dumpsters, mixing her finds with new designer pieces. To me, she says, its not about whether you can afford to shop at antique stores or order up entire rooms from a catalog. Its so much more fun to do it this way. If I wasnt doing what I do for my day job, Id certainly be trying to figure out a way to do this full-time.

Sometimes, what Spencer does comes close to treasure-hunting. There are two numbered Picasso lithographs from the 1960s that she discovered at a Salvation Army store. They were $35 for the pair, and theyre worth about $3,500, she says. Id thought they were posters, but when I took them in for framing, the framer recognized the paper and verified that they were the real thing.

I think that helped me get the job when I was hosting Antiques Roadshow in 2004. I told them that story, and they could see I was serious about finding antiques.

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Morning blend

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt warns people to beware of home-repair schemes that accompany every spring storm season.

"We know from past experience that this type of damage attracts criminals looking for ways to take advantage of Oklahomans," he said. "We're getting the message out now so people can be aware of such quick-fix schemes and spread the word to neighbors and family members before they become victims.

"Within days of storms, home and business owners will want to repair storm damage quickly, but we caution them to be patient and make sure they are using a reputable home-repair contractor," Pruitt said. "Investigators with our Public Protection Unit have prosecuted unscrupulous repair workers, commonly called 'travelers,' who follow storms across the country to profit from the misfortune of others."

Pruitt suggests the following before choosing contractors or repair services:

"Ask people you trust for referrals. Whenever possible, deal with local firms and check out repair services with the Attorney General's Public Protection Unit, accessible at tulsaworld.com/OKPubProtUnit, or by visiting visit the Attorney General's Facebook Page or calling the Public Protection Unit at 405-521-2029 or writing Public Protection Unit, Oklahoma Attorney General, 313 NE 21st St., Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

Also check the company's track record with the Tulsa Better Business Bureau at tulsaworld.com/tulsaBBB or by keying its 10-digit phone number into the bureau's automated voice information system at 918-492-1266.

Pruitt recommends you ask for customer references; get written estimates from several companies; don't do business without a written contract; get guarantees, warranties and promises in writing; agree on start and completion dates; and agree to work only as outlined in written contracts.

He cautioned Oklahomans about repair services and contractors who solicit door-to-door, offer discounts for finding other customers, just happen to have materials left over from previous jobs, accept only cash payments, pressure you for an immediate decision or ask you to pay for the entire job up front.

Pruitt said storm victims also must be aware of identity theft from lost documents and charity fraud. Charity fraud can happen with local door-to-door solicitations or emails and phone calls from overseas con artists.

"Donating to an organization that is well-known and respected in the community is the best way to combat this type of fraud," Pruitt said.

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Opportunists can follow storms

Do you have a great front porch?

Remember when life was simpler and people sat out on their front porches in the evening?

They visited with neighbors, maybe shared a cold drink, listened to the radio, or played a game.

Do you have a great front porch where you hang out in the summer?

We'd like to hear your front porch tales.

Contact Sharon Roznik at the Reporter at 907-7936 or sroznik@fdlreporter.com.

Fond du Lac City Council has voted unanimously to allow digital billboards to be erected at three sites in Fond du Lac, including two locations on South Main Street and one on West Scott Street.

To install digital billboards, NextMedia Outdoor Inc., based in De Pere, must remove others that are located in residential neighborhoods or other inappropriate areas.

Ten existing billboards will come down as part of the agreement.

Installation of the new billboards would occur in six to eight weeks.

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Local Briefs

30-03-2012 10:02 In this video you will see a selection of front porch designs. We hope they will give you some inspiration. Visit our website to see more -

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A Selection of Front Porch Designs - Video