New Orleans CityBusiness back issues from August 2007:
FEMA estimates proving woefully short of Road Home needs in N.O.
Aug 01, 2007 ... The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates for The RoadHome program are proving woefully short of the mark. FEMA estimated only 123,000 homeowners would apply for the programand 174,262 did so through Monday. FEMA estimated $7.5 billion would satisfy the payouts and ...
Terrytown man pleads guilty to Social Security fraud
Aug 01, 2007 ... U. S. Attorney Jim Letten said today that a Terrytown resident haspleaded guilty to Social Security fraud. Ronald P. Leo, 55, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge A.J.McNamara to one count of falsely reporting his work status to theSocial Security Administration, Letten's ...
WRDA veto threat alarms Louisiana legislators
Aug 01, 2007 ... President Bush will veto a $20 billion water projects bill unlesslawmakers remove the billions added for new plants and new costsshifted onto the federal government, the White House said Wednesday. The veto threat brought immediate clamor from Louisiana'scongressional ...
N.O. Public Library offering downloadable books
Aug 01, 2007 ... The New Orleans Public Library system said it has begun offeringdownloadable e-books and audio books from its Web site. The New Orleans Public Library Foundation is funding the service,which is provided by OverDrive Inc. of Cleveland. Costs of the service were not immediately ...
Leake & Andersson merges with Lafayette firm
Aug 01, 2007 ... The law firm of Leake & Andersson said it completed today a mergerwith the Lafayette firm of Roy, Bivins, Judice, Roberts & Wartelle. The merged firm will practice as Leake & Andersson and haveoffices in New Orleans and Lafayette. It will have 25 lawyers and 35support ...
Louisiana cancer rates outpace national average
Aug 01, 2007 ... The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleanshas mapped the geographic distribution of cancer for the first time. "This volume - is the first to show cancer incidence and mortalitymaps for major cancer sites by parish, providing the foundation forfuture ...
Campaigning Falconer departs St. Tammany West Chamber temporarily
Aug 01, 2007 ... Reid Falconer, St. Tammany West Chamber chairman, is taking aleave of absence to Campaign for Parish Council. The temporary leadership change took place Tuesday at the St.Tammany West Chamber of Commerce board meeting when Falconer said hewould take a leave of absence during his ...
Recovery School District closing registration center in N.O.
Aug 01, 2007 ... The state-run Recovery School District said it is closing itsregistration center at Edgar P. Harney Elementary School, 2503 WillowSt., because the site receives little traffic. Beginning today, parents can register students at the RSD'sCentral Office, 1641 Poland ...
'Coolbaugh Night' coming to Z's Field in N.O.
Aug 01, 2007 ... The late Mike Coolbauch, who holds the Zephyrs' single-season homerun record with 30, will be the subject of "Mike Coolbaugh Night" atZephyr Field before a 6 p.m. game Aug. 18. The Zephyrs are collecting money for the Mike Coolbaugh MemorialFund since Coolbaugh's tragic July 22 ...
Nonprofit trying to extend deadline to recover hurricane losses in La.
Aug 01, 2007 ... A nonprofit has filed lawsuits to extend the amount of timevictims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita have to recover insurancepayments for storm damages. Katrina Justice filed two lawsuits in Baton Rouge to extend theAug. 29 deadline for Katrina victims and the Sept. 25 deadline ...
Allman tops stars at Fanfest 2007 in Hammond
Aug 01, 2007 ... Louisiana University and the Columbia Theatre for the PerformingArts today announced headliners of Fanfare 2007, a month-longcelebration of the arts, humanities and social sciences. Gregg Allman, founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, topsthe bill of the 22nd annual event ...
Cancer patients say Hope Lodge in N.O. allows them to get treatment
Aug 01, 2007; ... When Diane Cousin returned to Hope Lodge after spending severalhours in cancer treatment, she said she threw open the doors with asmile and announced, "I'm home." It seems unusual that someone would express so much joy uponreturning to a "residential cancer facility," but Hope ...
Tensions mount in debate over N.O. District Attorney Jordan's job performance
Aug 01, 2007; ... New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan entered the CityCouncil chambers July 18 to answer for his recent dismissal of twohigh-profile homicide cases. In the weeks leading up to his appearance, a biracial coalition ofcitizens came together and demanded improvements to his ...
La. Sen. Landrieu snips FEMA red tape on Road Home cash
Aug 01, 2007 ... The Senate Homeland Security Committee today unanimously voted fora bill authored by Disaster Recovery Subcommittee Chairman Sen. MaryLandrieu, D-New Orleans, to allow Louisiana to use $1.17 billion inhazard mitigation money for The Road Home program. The money was part of the ...
La. Sen. Landrieu tries to pry loose $1.17B from FEMA for Road Home
Aug 01, 2007 ... The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committeewill vote this morning on a bill authored by Disaster RecoverySubcommittee Chairman Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, to allowLouisiana to use $1.17 billion in hazard mitigation money for TheRoad Home program. This ...
New Orleans plans recycling drive
Aug 02, 2007; ... The city is scheduled to hold a recycling drive 9 a.m. to noonSept. 8 on the East Bank and in Algiers. The East Bank drop-off site will be the intersection of NorthClaiborne Avenue and St. Peters Street. In Algiers, recyclables canbe dropped off at the public library at General ...
New Orleans Satchmo SummerFest kicks off today
Aug 02, 2007; ... The seventh annual Satchmo SummerFest, a three-day eventcelebrating the influence of jazz icon and New Orleans native Louis"Satchmo" Armstrong, kicks off today and runs through Sunday. The event, which features free jazz, will take place at the OldU.S. Mint, the French Market and ...
U.S. Army Corps to hand off hurricane recovery to state of Louisiana
Aug 02, 2007; ... Since Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'Louisiana Recovery Field Office has overseen debris removal and thedemolition of buildings and homes across the New Orleans area. But after Sept. 30, parishes and local governments will beresponsible for hiring contractors ...
Foreclosures level off after a surge in St. Tammany, La.
Aug 02, 2007; ... Foreclosures on the North Shore are slowing down after the worstquarter in more than two years. St. Tammany Parish reported only 16 foreclosures in June, down 54percent from 35 the previous month, according to RealtyTrac Inc., anIrvine, Calif.-based national real estate ...
Burger King campaign awards $100K to N.O.-area organizations
Aug 02, 2007; ... Burger King's Campaign For Your Cause is awarding 10 Louisianaorganizations, including two New Orleans-area high schools, a shareof $100,000. The campaign allowed New Orleans-area residents to vote for whichcharities and organizations they wanted to receive the funding. Voteswere ...
N.O.-based Bollinger Shipyards completes oil tank barge for NY firm
Aug 02, 2007; ... Bollinger Shipyards said it has delivered the first of two double-hull, 35,000-barrel oil tank barges to Melville, N.Y.-based BouchardCoastwise Management Co. Value of the work was not immediately available. Bollinger Marine Fabricators in Amelia built B. No. 231, a ...
New Orleans CityBusiness' parent company goes public
Aug 02, 2007; ... Dolan Media, the parent company of New Orleans CityBusiness, wentpublic today. The Minneapolis-based firm's shares will trade on the New YorkStock Exchange under the ticker symbol DM, with an initial publicoffering price of $14.50. "It's really exciting being here, watching ...
Audubon Nature Institute hatches world's first 'cyrochick'
Aug 02, 2007; ... The Audubon Nature Institute today said it has achieved a firstfor science by hatching the world's first bird produced with sementhat had been frozen and thawed. The "cyrochick," a Mississippi sandhill crane, an endangeredspecies, was born June 20, the institute ...
Minneapolis bridge collapse fuels Louisiana veto session lobby
Aug 02, 2007; ... The tragic Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis hasLouisiana legislators calling for a veto session to override Gov.Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's veto of Senate Bill 146, which would havededicated an annual revenue stream to the state's ailingtransportation infrastructure ....
City of New Orleans plans to provide relief for higher property assessments
Aug 02, 2007; ... The New Orleans City Council said millages controlled by the citywill be rolled back to soften the blow of higher property taxes. The Council also has promised to lobby the Louisiana TaxCommission to ensure that property reassessments are equitablethroughout the ...
6 percent of Louisiana schools are 'academically unacceptable'
Aug 02, 2007; ... Of the 1,119 public schools in Louisiana, 70, or 6 percent, areacademically unacceptable and must grant students the right to attendother schools, the Louisiana Department of Education said Wednesday. An additional seven schools must also offer students the option ofattending other ...
'Day of Presence' protest set for Katrina anniversary
Aug 03, 2007 ... Lack of progress in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina spurred agroup of business, civic and entertainment organizations to joinforces and converge upon New Orleans for "8/29, A Day of Presence,"from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Ernest N. Morial ConventionalCenter. The ...
Commentary: N.O. recovery requires community unity
Aug 03, 2007 ... Many aspects of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and recovery arebeyond our control or even influence. The initial savagery of the storm, the utter failure of the leveesand the futility of the federal responses are all beyond our control. The leadership void, the pointless ...
N.O. Council President: Donna Addkison's workload was a challege for one person
Aug 03, 2007 ... The day after the city's economic developer resigned, the CityCouncil president today said the job's workload would have been "asignificant challenge for any one person." Council President Arnie Fielkow said he was disappointed in theresignation of Donna Addkison, whom he called a ...
International electronic learning conference planned for N.O.
Aug 03, 2007 ... More than 400 participants from across the world are expected toattend an international electronic learning conference slated for NewOrleans Tuesday through Friday at the Sheraton hotel, 500 Canal St. The Louisiana Board of Regents plans to play host to the seventhannual MERLOT - ...
Boston company launches iPod walking tours of N.O.
Aug 03, 2007 ... A Boston company said it has launched a downloadable audio walkingtour of New Orleans, adding the Crescent City to tours the companyalready offers of Miami Beach, Boston, Seattle and Chicago. Audissey Guides said the hour-long tour, which can be downloadedfor iPod and MP3 players, ...
Economist questions construction job figures from feds
Aug 03, 2007 ... A payroll report released today by the Bureau of Labor Statisticsmay understate the jobs created by nonresidential construction, saidthe chief economist for the Associated General Contractors ofAmerica, a trade group. Seasonally adjusted construction employment dipped in ...
Copeland's restaurant grows in Jefferson Parish, will rebuild N.O. sites
Aug 03, 2007; ... The Spirit of New Orleans: It's the slogan emblazoned on the signoutside the newly reopened Copeland's restaurant on Clearview Parkwayin Elmwood. The 8,000-square-foot location opened July 20 for the first timesince Hurricane Katrina. A 6,000-square-foot Copeland's opened onWest ...
McMoRan Exploration announces discoveries at Flatrock well
Aug 03, 2007 ... McMoRan Exploration Co. said its the Flatrock discovery well southof Lafayette has been drilled to 18,100 feet and encountered threeadditional zones bearing hydrocarbon, an ingredient in petroleum. Tests indicated 30 net feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands over 120feet in one zone ...
Louisiana-based Hornbeck Offshore 2Q earnings rise 11.3 percent
Aug 03, 2007 ... Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. reported net earnings for thesecond quarter rose 11.3 percent to $22.6 million, or 85 cents perdiluted share, from $20.3 million, or 72 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenues were $75.1 million, up 6.2 percent from $70.7 ...
St.Tammany low-income families to receive free school supplies
Aug 03, 2007 ... The St. Tammany Parish Department of Community Action will providefee school supplies for low-income families from 10 a.m. to noonTuesday. The fifth annual giveaway will be held at 2004 First St. inSlidell and 1301 N. Florida Ave. in Covington. Supplies will be available on a ...
Jefferson Parish plans Sept. 1 recycling drive
Aug 03, 2007 ... Jefferson Parish plans to hold a recycling drive from 9 a.m. tonoon Sept. 1 at sites on the east and west banks.The East Bank drop-off site will be the Joseph S. Yenni Building,1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., in Jefferson. On the West Bank, recyclables can be dropped off at the ...
Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport gains $1.6M to upgrade security
Aug 05, 2007 ... Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, announced the LouisArmstrong New Orleans International Airport has secured a $1.6-million security enhancements grant from the U.S. Department ofTransportation. The airport plans several security upgrades. Airport Aviation Director Sean ...
Night Against Crime opens Sunday at Kenner casino
Aug 05, 2007 ... The National Night Out Against Crime Kick-Off party by the KennerPolice Department will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at theTreasure Chest Casino parking lot, 5050 William Blvd.More than 35 law enforcement and emergency agencies at all levelsfrom the southeastern ...
Coast Guard pinpoints Gulf of Mexico oil spill culprit
Aug 05, 2007 ... The U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans identified the vesselinvolved in a wellhead collision that caused an oil spill in the Gulfof Mexico last week. The spill discovered last Sunday occurred when a towing vesselpushing a crane barge struck a wellhead. "We used a lot of ...
Louisiana Rep. Tim Burns affirms re-election intent
Aug 05, 2007 ... State Rep. Tim Burns will seek re-election to his 89th House ofRepresentatives post. The Republican is completing his first term in the Legislature. Burns said he will continue to stress improved transportation andinfrastructure, fiscal reform, insurance reform, economic ...
Billy Arnold tosses hat in Louisiana House ring
Aug 05, 2007 ... Billy Arnold has announced his candidacy for the 85th Districtseat in the state House of Representatives for Gretna and Harvey. "I will focus on the issues that are most important to myneighbors in Gretna and Harvey. These issues include rising crime,flooding (Harvey Canal Flood ...
New Orleans residents see final plans for riverfront
Aug 06, 2007; ... New Orleans residents received planners' final draft for theRiverfront Redevelopment project, contracted through the city agencyNew Orleans Building Corp., during a public meeting held at the Portof New Orleans, Saturday. The packed auditorium of nearly 200 people listened to a ...
June home sales decline in New Orleans area from 2006
Aug 06, 2007; ... Fewer single-family homes sold in most parishes throughout themetro area in June compared with June 2006, according to the NewOrleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors. Home sales fell in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Charles,St. James, St. John and St. Tammany parishes ....
Look Who's Talking: Frank Trapani, president of New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors
Aug 06, 2007; ... Age: 63 Education: attended Loyola University Family: wife, Meg; four children Tina, Nicole, Tony and Ben Hometown: Metairie Frank Trapani became involved in real estate when he purchased hisfirst piece of investment property in 1972. He appreciated the ...
Online demand complicates Louisiana's The Road Home deadline
Aug 06, 2007; ... The Road Home received more than 175,000 applications for aid tohomeowners capped at $150,000 apiece. Gentry Brann of ICFInternational, which is accepting the applications for The Road Home,said people who waited until the last day to apply experiencedslowdowns but not ...
Blueprint Louisiana pushes for state upgrades
Aug 06, 2007; ... Hoping to capitalize on the massive turnover expected in theLegislature during the first election affected by term limits thisfall, a group of business leaders statewide has assembled a five-point plan they intend to ask politicial candidates to endorse. "It is time to create a ...
License to build: Commercial building activity picks up in New Orleans area
Aug 06, 2007; ... The New Orleans Safety and Permits office has issued 4,803commercial permits in Orleans Parish post-Katrina for work valued at$1.339 billion. New commercial work makes up about 25 percent, or $334.6 millionof the permits. About 75 percent has involved post-Katrina ...
ACORN: Inadequate levee rebuild on Orleans Parish side of the canal is racist
Aug 06, 2007; ... Nearly 200 New Orleans residents assembled July 28 along theMonticello Canal to form a "Human Levee" demanding equitable floodprotection. A reinforced levee and floodwall protects Jefferson Parish fromthe Monticello Canal. The Orleans Parish side of the canal, borderingthe ...
Post-Katrina recycling absence to end soon in New Orleans
Aug 06, 2007; ... Paula Cannon arrived at a parking lot at the corner of Gen.DeGaulle Avenue and Holiday Drive recently in a vehicle filled withmonths of castoff paper, plastic and aluminum. The Algiers Point resident, chairwoman of the local Sierra Club,was one of hundreds who turned out for a July ...
Checking in: Various developers plan to build condo hotels in New Orleans
Aug 06, 2007; ... In New Orleans, the first person who builds a condo hotel will bea real estate pioneer here. In other major cities, however, condominium complexes with unitsrented like hotel rooms have been part of the landscape since atleast the 1970s. Condo-hotels remain an untested ...
Katrina survivors to circle New Orleans Superdome Sept. 1
Aug 06, 2007; ... The African-American Leadership Project will close this year'ssecond anniversary observance of the Katrina disaster with its "HandsAround the Dome Ceremony" from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 1 at theSuperdome. The ceremony symbolizes "healing from the suffering and ...
Second helping: Copeland's strategically reopen their New Orleans- area restaurants
Aug 06, 2007; ... "The Spirit of New Orleans" is the slogan emblazoned on the signoutside the newly reopened Copeland's restaurant on Clearview Parkwayin Elmwood. The 8,000-square-foot eatery reopened July 20 for the first timesince Hurricane Katrina. A 6,000-square-foot Copeland's opened onWest ...
Commentary: New Orleans recovery requires unity
Aug 06, 2007 ... Many aspects of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and recovery arebeyond our control or even influence. The initial savagery of the storm, the utter failure of the leveesand the futility of the federal responses are all beyond our control. The leadership void, the pointless ...
Commentary: Blueprint Louisiana motto: Create a state we deserve
Aug 06, 2007; ... "It's time to create a state we deserve." With this simple statement, Blueprint Louisiana launched its five-part plan aimed at pressuring legislators taking seats in this fall'shistoric election to answer to constituent needs rather than lobbyistsiren songs. The time is ...
$161M ship comes in for Louisiana port projects
Aug 06, 2007; ... State port officials are pleased after lawmakers funded more than$100 million in projects during the latest legislative session,including $30.5 million to relocate frozen poultry shipper NewOrleans Cold Storage. The Legislature fulfilled short-term funding expectations ...
Why Stay? Restaurateur loses business, hired as executive chef at 7 on Fulton
Aug 06, 2007; ... Everything was falling into place for Chef Michael Sichel inAugust 2005. He and his wife, Kerry Sichel, a Louisiana native, left NapaValley, Calif., earlier that year to come to New Orleans. Their newrestaurant, Indigo on Bayou Road, was booked with 100 guests forSaturday, Aug ....
Entergy nuclear plant site in Louisiana still a mystery
Aug 06, 2007; ... Entergy Nuclear has signed a project development agreement with GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy for a major, advanced reactor componentsorder. Entergy Nuclear said it wants the parts, which include largeforgings and turbine components, for possible nuclear unitconstruction. By ...
Lingering challenges still plague New Orleans-area contractors
Aug 06, 2007; ... Permits for commercial and residential construction projects aremultiplying despite regional firms facing myriad hurdles post-Katrina. Simply launching a project can be a challenge. Mike Centineo, director of the New Orleans Safety and Permitsoffice, said construction ...
Entergy N.O. earns $11.8M post-bankruptcy
Aug 06, 2007; ... Entergy Corp. reported Tuesday that its second-quarter profitslipped 5 percent and missed Wall Street expectations because ofcooler weather and higher operational and maintenance costs. EntergyNew Orleans earned $11.8 million, or 6 cents per share, after itemerged from bankruptcy in ...
Look Who's Talking: Resident engineer on La.'s John James Audubon Bridge over Mississippi River
Aug 06, 2007; ... Age: early 60s Family: wife, Alida; sons Morgan Rudyard, 33, Caedmon Aidan, 27 Education: doctorate in civil engineering University of Rome andNaples; passed the Professional Engineer's exam Hometown: Milan, Italy Dante Lius is resident engineer on the ...
What others say
Aug 06, 2007 ... New York Times: 'New Orleans recovery is slowed by closedhospitals,' July 24 At the tip of Bayou St. John in the Mid-City neighborhood here,the brown and white bulk of Lindy Boggs Medical Center looms behind achain-link fence. Nineteen people died at the medical center ...
Work under way at $25M Walnut Square Apartments in New Orleans
Aug 06, 2007; ... Walton Construction Co. broke ground July 31 on the Walnut SquareApartments. The $25-million project will be a modular style apartmentcomplex with 209 units totaling ...
New Orleans reports street damage to FEMA
Aug 06, 2007 ... The city reported July 30 to the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency to qualify for infrastructure repair funds, one day beforereports were due. The city reports ensure it remains eligible for federalreimbursement for repairs made to Hurricane ...
Firm completes Algiers Business Corridor study
Aug 06, 2007 ... The final report of the Algiers Business Corridor study isscheduled to be presented to the public 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in theMoreau Center at Our Lady of Holy Cross College, 4123 WoodlandsDrive, in Algiers. Officials plan to present ...