New Orleans CityBusiness back issues from September 2007:
Commentary: Labor Day honors all our hard work
Sep 02, 2007 ... Labor Day is a misnomer for a holiday weekend where little work isdone nationally beyond barbecues, drinking beer and watchingbaseball. The labor movement is worth remembering as we put our feet up thisweekend. Without labor unions, Saturday would be just another workdayas ...
Commentary: Numbers game
Sep 03, 2007; ... Blueprint Louisiana advocates instituting the toughest ethicsreform laws in the nation, health and education reforms, work forcedevelopment and transportation upgrades during the next legislativesession. This statewide lobbying coalition is asking all legislativeand gubernatorial ...
Commentary: Last word
Sep 03, 2007; ... Just returned from a week vacation on the Redneck Riviera, orPanama City Beach as the locals call it. Had a great time but ...service at the local eateries, casual and fine dining, offered astartling contrast to the polish hereabouts. The week before theholiday is a slow one along the ...
N.O. Council miserly in funding IG
Sep 03, 2007; ... When Inspector General Robert Cerasoli begins his first day ofwork Wednesday, his duty to New Orleans citizens is certain but hisoperating budget to fulfill his responsibility is much less so. The New Orleans City Council established the Office of theInspector General Nov. 2, more ...
New medical center in downtown N.O. not cheered by all
Sep 03, 2007; ... The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Aug. 21 announcement itwould build a medical center in downtown New Orleans was widelycheered. In one small neighborhood, however, there was a mixture ofbitterness, sadness and, ultimately, resignation. Carl Tate owns two houses and ...
Harbor Board adrift during membership maelstrom in N.O.
Sep 03, 2007; ... Boathouse owners have complained of mismanagement by the MunicipalYacht Harbor Board ever since Hurricane Katrina pummeled thefacility. Soula O'Bannon, for example, is trying to rebuild her boathouse.She spent $60,000 rebuilding retaining walls and pilings, accordingto Federal ...
Boeing lands $1.1B Ares rocket deal to be assembled in Michoud
Sep 03, 2007; ... A Boeing Co. team was awarded a maximum $1.1-billion contract forthe Ares I Upper Stage rocket, which will be assembled at NASA'sMichoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans. The rocket is partof NASA's Constellation program to put astronauts on the moon by2020. Boeing will ...
NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi breaks ground on testing stand
Sep 03, 2007 ... NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi broke ground Aug. 23 onthe A-3 test stand for the J-2X upper stage engines that will powerthe new fleet of Constellation program rockets. NASA's Constellation Program is developing the Ares rockets andOrion crew capsule to return ...
Master plan done for 1-mile portion of Algiers project
Sep 03, 2007 ... Planners revealed their vision Aug. 28 for a 1-mile section ofAlgiers near the Crescent City Connection. The Algiers Nexus Master Plan, developed with community input,includes the area loosely bounded by the Mississippi River to thenorth, Magellan Canal to the south, Richland ...
Road Home maps neighborhood rebuilding in La.
Sep 03, 2007 ... The Road Home program has launched an Internet-based map thatshows rate of residents returning to their neighborhoods, includingwhich businesses are open. What's in my Backyard can be found on The Road Home's Web site atwww.road2la.org. "We know from recent studies that ...
Canal Street celebrates renovations Saturday in N.O.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Downtown merchants will mark the completion of improvements toCanal Street sidewalks and landscaping with a celebration. The Downtown Development District, Canal Street Development Corp.and the city of New Orleans will present "Canal Street: A NationalTreasure," a full day of ...
Commentary: What others say
Sep 03, 2007 ... 'New Orleans now sings a different tune,' Los Angeles Times, Aug24. This is a town so inextricably linked to good times and revelrythat a musician could practically make a name with one celebratoryanthem. That's the case with Al "Carnival Time" Johnson. Since 1960,"Carnival ...
Commentary: It's time for N.O. restaurants to step up
Sep 03, 2007; ... Two anniversaries just passed that had me thinking in a moregeneral way than usual about the stuff I write here. The first was the two-year mark of Hurricane Katrina, which I'msure didn't escape your notice. The second is entirely personal. This is the 35th anniversary ...
Sept. 5 - Sept 8
Sep 03, 2007 ... Sept. 5 Toasts and Tails Wine Tasting, 5:30-8 p.m. at Canine Culture, 8110Hampson St. Dog Lovers Wine Club will unveil its Dogs of New Orleans,Resilient Pups Pinot Noir in support of the Louisiana Society forPrevent of Cruelty to Animals. Dog owners are welcome to bring ...
Gray matters: Reverse mortgages are not as volatile as those on forward mortgages
Sep 03, 2007; ... Bob Harrison, 82, took a reverse mortgage loan to access money fora variety of uses. "In January 2004, I took out a line of credit on the equity in myhome, and I can use it for whatever I want," the Metairie residentsaid. "It's an excellent program and I highly recommend ...
New Orleans Financial Briefs: September 3, 2007
Sep 03, 2007; ... Buy low, sell high is time-tested investment advice from WallStreet. But managers of a fund that's weathered recent Dow Jonesdownfalls offer another stock recommendation. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. The Vice Fund, traded under the ticker symbol VICEX, invested 80percent of the ...
Interview with Stephen Daste, vice president, institutional financial adviser FFC Capital Management
Sep 03, 2007; ... Age: 40 Family: wife, Carla; sons Brandon, 9, and Bradley, 8 Education: bachelor's degree in economics, Southern University atNew Orleans Hometown: New Orleans Stock market volatility has worried investors the past few weeks.Stephen Daste, vice president and ...
Greater New Orleans Paycheck Project links jobseekers with training
Sep 03, 2007; ... Hurricane Katrina widened the gap in the New Orleans area's workforce for employers scrambling to find qualified employees. Nearly 70 percent of local employers were having trouble findingworkers with basic skills even before Katrina, said Northrop GrummanShip Systems Avondale Site ...
Commentary: Out-of-the-blue call leads to surprise meeting
Sep 03, 2007; ... The call came from out of the blue. Although I've been keeping upwith statistics released weekly by The Road Home, I haven't thoughtabout my personal relationship with The Road Home for months. I signed up for The Road Home because I thought it would beinteresting to see how the ...
New Orleans Real Estate Briefs: September 3, 2007
Sep 03, 2007 ... The 700-room Astor Crowne Plaza hotel has been sold for $93million to Canal New Orleans Hotel LLC by New Orleans Fine Hotels. NOFH has owned and operated the hotel at the intersection ofBourbon and Canal streets since 2002. It paid $6 million for the landand invested $55 million in ...
Commentary: Labor Day honors us all
Sep 03, 2007 ... Labor Day is a misnomer for a holiday weekend where little work isdone nationally beyond barbecues, drinking beer and watchingbaseball. The labor movement is worth remembering as we put our feet up thisweekend. Without labor unions, Saturday would be just another workdayas ...
Commentary: Please don't feel guilty about surviving Katrina
Sep 03, 2007; ... I used to think survivor guilt was a little silly. You'd see it in Army movies after soldiers went through hellishfirefights and came back in one piece but not unscathed. Back in civilian life, among people unaware of the nightmaresthey'd witnessed, some veterans would slowly ...
Commentary: Georges expected to bolt into Independent status
Sep 03, 2007; ... A new John Georges campaign poll shows the Republican businessmanwill improve his standing among voters if he switches to anIndependent affiliation. Verne Kennedy's new poll shows Rep. Bobby Jindal still leads with54 percent followed by Walter Boasso at 14 percent, C. Ray Nagin at ...
Slim pickings for musicians in N.O.
Sep 03, 2007; ... New Orleans musicians marched from Armstrong Park to JacksonSquare Aug. 26 without playing a note on instruments held by theirsides. Organizers of the "Solidarity March" wanted to show the city whatlife would be like without the rolling sounds of the brass bands andjazz artists ....
Bottom Feeder fishes out Gulf storm debris
Sep 03, 2007; ... The hulking predator was first spotted trolling the Gulf of Mexicoearlier this summer. Its prey? Massive chunks of steel tossed to theocean's floor by hurricanes. The Bottom Feeder, a $30-million system created and operated byVersabar Inc., was deployed out of Corpus Christi, ...
Why Stay? Gary Winker says N.O. holds a lot of promise
Sep 03, 2007; ... Gary Winker was in Keystone, Colo., for the annual conference ofNew Horizons, an international computer training company based inAnaheim, Calif., when he asked CEO Mark Miller to hold a comingconference in New Orleans. "He asked me if New Orleans was ready to host a conference and ...
Canal Street panels designed to give facelift to New Orleans corridor
Sep 04, 2007 ... The first 20 of 60 large decorative panels will be installed onCanal Street Wednesday, in a gift to the city from Fairfax, Va.-based Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, the New OrleansMetropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau said. Panels will be in place for Saturday's expected ...
Troubled Einstein Charter School in eastern New Orleans could be closed
Sep 04, 2007; ... The Louisiana Department of Education could close Einstein CharterSchool in eastern New Orleans for administrative improprieties. At issue is the legitimacy of the school's chartering company,Einstein Group Inc. Federal law dictates every charter must qualifyas a 501(c3) nonprofit ...
La.-based Shell facility works to trim work force shortfall
Sep 04, 2007; ... The Shell Exploration and Production Co. is doing something aboutthe perennial labor shortage in the industry. Its Tangipahoa Parish training facility, which has been open 20years, is designed to train a work force for an industry perpetuallylacking manpower. Despite high wages, ...
New Orleans CityBusiness online poll: Residents uninterested in Katrina ceremonies
Sep 04, 2007 ... Last week was filled with memorials and other ceremonies to markthe second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. But most voters, 55 percent, to CityBusiness' online poll saidthey had better things to do. A total of 336 votes were cast for the question "Will you attendany Katrina ...
New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year nominations due Sept. 14
Sep 04, 2007 ... Less than two weeks remain to submit nominations for CityBusiness'2007 Women of the Year program. Nominations are due 5 p.m. Sept. 14. Honorees will be recognized at an awards luncheon noon Nov. 16 atthe Sheraton hotel on Canal Street. A special insert will run in theNov ....
Jefferson Parish, Kenner auction to feature more than 200 properties
Sep 04, 2007 ... Jefferson Parish and Kenner are scheduled to offer more than 235adjudicated properties in an auction at 10 a.m. Sept. 15. The auction will be held at 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd. in Jefferson. Kenner-based Gilmore Auction & Realty Co. will be the auctioneer. The auction ...
Internet communication propels growth of North Shore law firms
Sep 04, 2007; ... Hurricane Katrina helped accelerate law firm expansions as clientsand attorneys moved across the lake and provided the spark for theNorth Shore to plug into a national trend -- the virtual lawyer. Aside from court hearings, trial work and other personal servicesthat require a ...
VISA commercial will feature New Orleans Saints players, fans
Sep 04, 2007 ... Saints players and fans will be featured in a Visa USA commercialthat will air Thursday during the Saints-Indianapolis Colts game, thefirst game of the National Football League 2007 season. The commercial, "When the Saints Go Marching In," will show Saintsfans using ...
United Steelworkers union urges Governor Blanco to monitor emissions at LaPlace facility
Sep 04, 2007 ... United Steelworkers, the nation's largest industrial union, wantsGov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to monitor emissions at a DuPontfacility in LaPlace. The union said dangerous chemicals are being emitted at thefacility, which plans to increase production. Of particular concernis ...
N.O. traffic court clerk pleads guilty to bribery scheme
Sep 04, 2007 ... A New Orleans traffic court clerk has pleaded guilty to acceptingbribes in exchange for dismissing traffic violations, U.S. AttorneyJim Letten's office said today. A federal grand jury charged David "Doc" Williams, 48, withconspiracy to commit computer fraud and in connection with ...
Jefferson Parish gives green light to red light cameras
Sep 04, 2007 ... Jefferson Parish is launching a camera system to catch drivers whorun red lights at about 11 intersections in unincorporated portionsof the parish. Parish officials will kick off the system at the intersection ofVeterans Memorial Boulevard and Clearview Parkway at 10 a.m ....
Kenner Laketown Festival to fund lakefront redevelopment
Sep 04, 2007; ... City officials today announced the inaugural Laketown Festival tobe held along the lakefront in October, as part of an effort to raisemoney for a series of planned improvements there. The festival, slated for Laketown Park on Oct. 27 and 28, isexpected to provide seed money to get ...
Gentilly walking path in New Orleans to open Wednesday
Sep 04, 2007 ... Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell today invited all residents tothe opening of the Gentilly Sugarhill Walking Path at 2 p.m.Wednesday on Gentilly Boulevard at Saint Anthony Avenue's neutralground. "The walking path in Gentilly ...
Tulane University recruits more new freshmen in fall than expected
Sep 05, 2007 ... More than 1,330 new first-year students entered Tulane Universityfor the fall semester, a 51 percent increase over last year's class,the university said. The number exceeds the school's recruiting goal of enrolling 1,200new freshmen. Tulane also enrolled its largest transfer ...
Louisiana Recovery Authority economic development, infrastructure groups plan meeting
Sep 05, 2007 ... The Louisiana Recovery Authority will hold a joint meeting of itsEconomic and Workforce Development Committee and Infrastructure TaskForce from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday in the state Capitol's HouseCommittee Room 3. Committee and task force members will discuss federal ...
Seminar in N.O. to teach contractors accounting software
Sep 05, 2007 ... AD Training Systems is scheduled to offer QuickBooks training forcontractors at the New Orleans Marriott hotel from 8:30 a.m. to 5p.m. on Sept. 28 and 29. QuickBooks provides accounting ...
U.S. construction spending falls in July
Sep 05, 2007 ... Total U.S. construction spending sank 0.4 percent from June toJuly, according to the Census Bureau's construction spending report. July construction spending was estimated at a seasonally adjustedannual rate of $1.16 billion, down from the revised June estimate of$1.17 ...
La.'s Road Home hits 50,000 closing mark
Sep 05, 2007 ... The Road Home program has awarded funds to 50,122 applicants, 27percent of the total program applicants. The payouts are an increase of 12 percent over 44,687 a week ago. Total program payouts are $3.09 billion, up 3 percent from $3billion last week. The federally ...
New Orleans Harbor Board adrift during membership maelstrom
Sep 05, 2007; ... Boathouse owners have complained of mismanagement by the MunicipalYacht Harbor Board ever since Hurricane Katrina pummeled thefacility. Soula O'Bannon, for example, is trying to rebuild her boathouse.She spent $60,000 rebuilding retaining walls and pilings, accordingto Federal ...
Honduras, Coast Rica targeted by Louisiana trade mission
Sep 05, 2007 ... The state of Louisiana, the Louisiana District Export Council andthe World Trade Center invite Louisiana companies to participate in abusiness development trade mission to Honduras and Costa Rica Nov. 12-17. The mission offers U.S. companies and government entities contactsand ...
Ochsner Health System in New Orleans schedules two free prostate cancer screens
Sep 05, 2007 ... Ochsner Health System is offering free prostate screenings from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Lakeside Mall and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Sept. 21 at Ochsner Medical Center, 1514 Jefferson Hwy. The most common type of cancer found in American men is prostate.It's estimated more than ...
Central American trade mission open to Louisiana businesses
Sep 05, 2007 ... A business-development trade mission to Honduras and Costa RicaNov. 12-17 is open to Louisiana companies, the Louisiana DistrictExport Council said. The U.S. Commercial Service in New Orleans, Honduras and CostaRica is promoting the trip and supporting it by organizing events ...
City of New Orleans drops 120 homes off demolition list
Sep 05, 2007 ... The city is taking 120 properties off a demolition list aftertheir owners provided proof that the homes have been gutted andboarded since Hurricane Katrina. The city sponsored a four-day drive Aug. 22-25 to allow the ownersto have their homes removed from the imminent health ...
La. state Senator Ann Duplessis seeking re-election
Sep 05, 2007 ... State Sen. Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans, today announced that shewill seek re-election to the District 2 seat, which includes easternNew Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward and Holy Cross. "The best asset that any legislator can bring to the ...
State of La. giving $6.7M to N.O.-area colleges for added faculty
Sep 05, 2007 ... State Commissioner of Higher Education Joseph Savoie at 11 a.m.Thursday will present seven New Orleans-area colleges anduniversities with $6.7 million in matching funds to create endowedchairs and professorships. The institutions receiving the funds are Louisiana Health ...
Dillard University taps author to fill Ray Charles-funded chair
Sep 05, 2007 ... Dillard University said author Jessica Harris will fill an endowedchair named after musician Ray Charles. Charles died in June 2004. In 2003, Dillard gave an honorarydegree to Charles, who never attended college. After Charles' death,his estate gave $1 million to establish the Ray ...
Group asks City Council to wait on funding N.O. recovery plan
Sep 05, 2007 ... The City Council should not give $117.3 million to the city'sOffice of Recovery Management until a detailed recovery plan has beenmade public, a government watchdog group said today. The Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on giving ORM thefunding. But the New Orleans-based ...
Eleven candidates so far for Louisiana governor's race
Sep 06, 2007 ... Eleven candidates had qualified for the Louisiana governor's raceas of 2:15 p.m. today, the last day for qualifying. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Metairie, was the only Republican. Democratic contenders are state Sen. Walter Boasso, D-Chalmette;Foster Campbell, of Baton Rouge; Hardy ...
Gretna Heritage Festival packs $1.1M economic punch
Sep 06, 2007; ... The Gretna Heritage Festival, celebrating its 13th year this fall,has a $1.1-million economic impact, according to a 2006 survey. That's how much visitors to the festival spend on average over therun of the event each year, says the survey by the University of NewOrleans ...
22-room Uptown home sells for $1.5 million
Sep 06, 2007 ... A 22-room Uptown guest house at 7004 St. Charles Ave. has sold formore than $1.5 million, real estate brokerage firm Sperry Van Nesssaid today. Gretna-based Parkview Guest House LLC bought the home from PaulRansom, of Tuscon, Ariz. The European-style grand Victorian inn, near ...
Louisiana schools' performance scores hit plateau
Sep 06, 2007 ... Louisiana made minimal academic growth and fewer schools met theirgrowth targets this year than in the past eight years of the state'saccountability program, state education officials said today. In School Performance Scores for 2007, Louisiana received anoverall growth SPS of ...
John Georges to run as independent in Louisiana governor's race
Sep 06, 2007 ... Businessman John Georges dropped his Republican status when hesigned up today for the Louisiana governor's ...
Louisiana-based Tidewater makes board appointment
Sep 06, 2007 ... Tidewater today announced it has named James C. Day to its boardof directors for a term expiring in July. Day is the retired chairman and former CEO of Noble Corp., anoffshore drilling company. He serves on the board of directors ...
Commentary: French Quarter living features friendly fun
Sep 07, 2007; ... Measuring genuine wealth is not just a matter of adding up dollarsand cents. And in a real sense, New Orleans is one of the wealthiestcities on the planet. The neighborhood associations now demanding more and more of ourleaders are enhancing a growing sense of community here. In ...
Louisiana's only dental school reopening in N.O.
Sep 07, 2007 ... The School of Dentistry at the Louisiana State University HealthSciences Center New Orleans plans to resume treating patients instudent clinics near City Park. It is the last of LSUHSC New Orleans schools to ...
Thelonious Monk Institute designed to jazz up N.O. recovery
Sep 07, 2007 ... The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance has opened atLoyola University New Orleans for the fall semester after relocatingfrom the University of Southern California. The institute, a graduate-level program, relies on contributionsto fulfill its "Commitment to New Orleans" ...
City of New Orleans exceeds goal of 50,000 pothole repairs
Sep 07, 2007 ... The city's Department of Public Works said it has met a goal ofrepairing 50,000 potholes this year. The goal was achieved on Aug. 31, Mayor C. Ray Nagin said. So far this year, 50,931 potholes have been repaired, he said. Since January, the city has been filling ...
Ochsner Baptist Medical Center donates computers to N.O. school
Sep 07, 2007 ... Ochsner Baptist Medical Center said it is donating 18 refurbishedcomputers to Samuel J. Green Charter Elementary School in Uptown. The computers are from the medical center's Katrina-damagedfacility at 2700 Napoleon Ave. Junior League ...
$12.9M Canal Street facelift complete
Sep 07, 2007 ... A $12.9-million Canal Street improvement project that began beforeHurricane Katrina is finished, including new sidewalks and more than200 palm trees with an automatically controlled irrigation system. "I am pleased to announce after two and a half years ofconstruction, the Canal ...