New Orleans CityBusiness back issues from March 2008:
Louisiana highway department receives $42M in bids
Mar 02, 2008; ... The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Developmentconsidered bids totaling more than $42 million at its Jan. 30 publicbid opening, said Gov. Bobby Jindal and DOTD Secretary William D.Ankner. With a bid of $11.5 million, James Construction Group, of BatonRouge, was the ...
N.O.'s Michoud facility to benefit from $45M NASA contract extension
Mar 02, 2008; ... NASA has awarded a $47.5M contract extension to Lockheed MartinCorp. to build external fuel tanks for the space shuttle. The contract calls for extending a production contract to includethe final assembly of one tank, partial construction of anadditional tank and the purchase of ...
N.O. builders hammering out surplus of new homes
Mar 02, 2008; ... The inventory of unsold homes in the greater New Orleans regionreached a record high in February with 8,806 single-family dwellingsconstituting a 14-month supply, according to the New OrleansMetropolitan Association of Realtors. But even as builders stare down virtual cul-de-sacs ...
Boarding pass changes take effect at N.O. airport
Mar 04, 2008 ... NEWAs part of a new procedure being implemented at airports bythe Transportation Security Administration, boarding passes andidentification documents will be checked by TSA workers rather thancontract employees hired by airlines. The changes will take effect immediately at Louis ...
WTC offers briefing in N.O. on 'Doing Business in Taiwan'
Mar 04, 2008 ... The World Trade Center and Louisiana Economic Development willsponsor a breakfast program, "Doing Business in Taiwan," Friday inthe WTC's executive offices at 2 Canal St. Steve Lee, director of LED's Taipei, Taiwan, office, will speakat the event, which begins with a continental ...
Commentary: Illegal info policy impedes recovery
Mar 04, 2008 ... New Orleans city officials are breaking the law by forcing anyonewith a public records request to make it in writing. This needlessly bureaucratic hurdle is illegal and self-servingfor foot-dragging public officials. Whatever happened to publicservants simply doing their job, ...
La. Gov. Jindal aims to reduce business taxes in special session
Mar 04, 2008 ... Eliminating business taxes and creating a better business climatefor Louisiana are goals of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who today released hisagenda for a special session of the Legislature that kicks offSunday. It is the second special session Jindal has called since becominggovernor ...
Louis Armstrong N.O. International passenger count climbs 17 percent
Mar 04, 2008; ... Passenger totals were up 17 percent in January, to 671,703 from574,222 the same month last year, Louis Armstrong New OrleansInternational Airport said today. "It's just the continuing rebound of the region since the storm,continued growth of the tourism market coming back and ...
Michigan State University law students offer free tax preparation in N.O.
Mar 04, 2008 ... A contingent of students and faculty from Michigan StateUniversity College of Law are spending their spring break weekhelping the recovery of New Orleans by offering free tax returnpreparation. Starting Monday, a team of 10 students began a tax clinic thatruns through Friday to ...
School district performance scores show little change in Louisiana
Mar 04, 2008 ... School district performance scores released by the LouisianaDepartment of Education today reveal little change statewide fromlast year, although storm-battered parishes were not included inthis wave of results. The scores consist of results from the Louisiana ...
Movie filming could affect Orleans Avenue traffic
Mar 04, 2008 ... Filming for "The Librarian 3: Curse of the Judice Chalice" couldcause traffic problems on Orleans Avenue today. Merchants were being cautioned about roadblocks on OrleansAvenue. Filming began at about 10 a.m. in the 700 block of Orleans Avenueand 700 block of Bourbon ...
His Honor: Slidell judge speaks out about his role in his city's legal battle with the ACLU
Mar 04, 2008; ... Judge Jim Lamz shut the door to his office and made his waythrough the Slidell courthouse to the front entrance, the heels ofhis dress shoes clipping across the barren cement floors. It hadbeen nearly two years since Hurricane Katrina devastated Slidell andwashed a foot of water into the ...
National summit on equitable development starts today in N.O.
Mar 05, 2008 ... More than 1,500 advocates and policymakers are slated to come tothe city for a national summit on equitable development that beginstoday and runs through Friday. Actor Danny Glover is scheduled to beone among event participants. PolicyLink, an Oakland, Calif.-based research group ...
Resigning N.O. cultural ambassador cites lack of city commitment
Mar 05, 2008; ... New Orleans musician Irvin Mayfield will resign from his post ascultural ambassador for the city of New Orleans at the end of thisyear, the jazz trumpeter said Tuesday.Mayfield, who was appointed to the unpaid position in 2003, citeda "lack of commitment" from the city to ...
Port of New Orleans to unveil $1B master plan
Mar 05, 2008; ... The Port of New Orleans will unveil its $1.04-billion 2020 masterplan, which includes an outline of proposed long- and short-terminfrastructure improvements, on Thursday. For the past five months, Port President and CEO Gary LaGrangehas been alluding to the coming of a master plan ...
'Birdman' back with the N.O. Hornets
Mar 05, 2008 ... Chris "Birdman" Andersen is a member of the New Orleans Hornetsagain after a drug suspension kept him out of the NationalBasketball Association for more than two years. The team today announced that it has signed the free agentforward and center. Citing team policy, terms of the ...
Red-light cameras yield thousands of tickets in Jefferson Parish
Mar 05, 2008; ... The red-light cameras operating in unincorporated JeffersonParish have generated copious tickets and plenty of irate motorists. Last month, the Metairie law firm of Joseph R. McMahon III filedclass-action lawsuits against Jefferson and Lafayette parishes andRedflex Traffic Systems, ...
Regional work force planning meeting set for Thursday in N.O.
Mar 05, 2008 ... The development of a stronger Louisiana work force will be thesubject of a meeting organized by Delgado Community College, NunezCommunity College and Region 1 of Louisiana Technical College. The regional work force planning meeting will be held Thursday atthe Marriott New Orleans ...
Road Home surplus projected above $1B in La.
Mar 05, 2008 ... The Road Home's projected surplus topped $1 billion this week. That's good news for 13,194 homeowners still awaiting elevationmoney. Those homeowners will receive Road Home elevation money onlyafter all rebuilding and relocation claims have been settled. Homeowners can apply ...
Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors in N.O. commit to second year
Mar 07, 2008 ... A program that sends civic, business and elected officials acrossthe country to promote New Orleans' recovery will return for asecond year. Tulane University President Scott Cowen and City Councilman ArnieFielkow were co-founders of the Fleur-de-lis Ambassador Program lastyear ....
N.O. French immersion school to hold annual fest
Mar 07, 2008 ... Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle-Orleans will hold its annual FeteFrancaise, a celebration of New Orleans' connection to French arts,food and culture, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. This year's event, Vive Les Arts, will include culturaldemonstrations, food, music and children's ...
Job loss nosedive in U.S. underscores soft economy
Mar 07, 2008 ... The job market is growing rugged for middle-class Americans. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today the U.S. economylost 63,000 jobs in February, following a decline of 22,000 jobs inJanuary -- the first months of consecutive job declines since June2003. "The labor ...
Lafitte Corridor in N.O. master plan complete
Mar 07, 2008 ... Friends of Lafitte Corridor have released the Lafitte GreenwayMaster Plan, which calls for transforming the area into a 3-miletrail and public space that will link Armstrong Park to City Parkand connect neighborhoods from Treme to Lakeview. The trail would begin at Basin Street ...
City of N.O., state officials call for Tulane Avenue upgrades
Mar 07, 2008; ... The City Council on Thursday adopted a resolution intended tospeed up infrastructure improvements on Tulane Avenue, anunderdeveloped area quickly transforming into the next hip place forreal estate developers. The resolution, which was sponsored by Councilwoman JacquelynBrechtel ...
School savings in N.O. sprout from Global Green
Mar 07, 2008; ... A.P. Tureaud Elementary School on Pauger Street is a whole lotgreener today even without a new coat of paint. Santa Monica, Calif.-based Global Green USA designated Tureaud asits first Green Seed School in June and immediately went to work onthe 69-year-old Seventh Ward ...
Future of American transportation to be discussed at WTC in N.O.
Mar 07, 2008 ... A luncheon program on "The Future of American Transportation"will be held Wednesday in the Plimsoll Club of the New Orleans WorldTrade Center, 2 Canal St. The program will focus on various priority issues confronting theU.S. transportation industry. Speakers include James ...
Hammond woman accused of defrauding Red Cross
Mar 07, 2008 ... A federal grand jury today indicted a Hammond woman on threecounts of mail fraud for allegedly submitting fraudulentapplications to the American Red Cross for post-hurricane financialaid, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office said. Debra A. McGowan, 43, fraudulently obtained a total of ...
Chef 'Bingo' Starr, Jason Roland team on Baton Rouge catering business
Mar 09, 2008; ... Chefs Richard "Bingo" Starr, who worked at Windsor Court, MarignyBrasserie, Mr. B's and Restaurant Cuvee, and Jason Roland, whoworked at Windsor Court, Muriel's Jackson Square and Beau CheneCountry Club, have joined forces. Starr and Roland opened Heirloom Cuisine LLC, a catering ...
Juries shutting down welder claims of manufacturer negligence
Mar 09, 2008; ... Welders suing for health care compensation are increasingly beingsealed off by case dismissals. John Beisner, attorney for welding rod manufacturers, applaudedthe unanimous defense verdicts in the four-plaintiff Andre-Barrastrial, which was returned Saturday after a six-week trial ...
Bartenders Guild expands to New Orleans
Mar 09, 2008; ... Crescent City mixologists are going union. New Orleans is forming a chapter of the U.S. Bartenders Guild,with certification training provided from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondayand Tuesday at Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House, 144 Bourbon St. Educational material will include in-depth ...
Louisiana Oyster Jubilee comes to French Quarter March 23
Mar 09, 2008; ... The Louisiana Oyster Jubilee March 22 will feature chefs,restaurants and oyster aficionados in the French Quarter competingin the longest oyster po-boy and the oyster shuck 'n run. New Orleans Musical Legends Inc., Louisiana Seafood Promotion &Marketing Board and WYES have ...
Mayor Nagin applauds 1.8-mile Robert E. Lee rehab
Mar 09, 2008; ... Mayor C. Ray Nagin held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for thecompletion of the Robert E. Lee Boulevard repavement in Lakeview. Itwas the second roadway construction project begun followingHurricane Katrina. "The completion of Robert E. Lee and other roadways, includingKabel ...
U.S. Army Corps to discuss N.O. East levee fixes Monday
Mar 09, 2008; ... The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, is holding a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Mary Queen ofVietnam Church, 14001 Dwyer Blvd., in New Orleans East to discussthe 100-year hurricane storm damage and risk reduction system. This meeting will not include ...
Chris Owens' Easter Parade turns 25 this year
Mar 09, 2008; ... The 25th Chris Owens French Quarter Easter Parade will start at11 a.m. March 23 at the Astor Crowne Hotel Ballroom with acontinental breakfast, hat contest and entertainment. Riders will hop on floats at 1 p.m. at Canal and Bourbon Street,continue down Bourbon Street to St ....
New Orleans-based Ochsner Medical Center provides free seminar on blood clots
Mar 10, 2008 ... The wife of former NBC correspondent David Bloom, who died from ablood clot while covering the war in Iraq, is scheduled to take partin a free public seminar from noon to 1 p.m. today at OchsnerMedical Center, 1514 Jefferson Highway. Ochsner and the Coalition to Prevent DVT, or ...
Sellout crowd helps New Orleans Hornets attendance
Mar 10, 2008; ... Another sellout crowd at the New Orleans Arena Friday nighthelped the New Orleans Hornets edge closer to their attendance goal. A capacity crowd of 17,225 fans watched the Hornets defeat theNew Jersey Nets 107-96, bringing the total number of Hornets fanswho have attended the 25 ...
Louisiana disburses $3.1B in FEMA public assistance
Mar 10, 2008 ... Louisiana has disbursed $3.1 billion in FEMA Public Assistancefunds, about half of the total obligated by FEMA for hurricanerecovery, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday.FEMA has obligated $6.2 billion to the state. Public Assistancefunds are used by parish, ...
Qatar gives $2.5M for Treme recovery
Mar 10, 2008 ... Treme homes damaged and without electricity since HurricaneKatrina will be renovated and restored to working order thanks to a$2.5-million grant from Qatar, a country on the Persian Gulf. The grant, part of a $100-million gift from the amir of Qatar toassist victims of the storm, ...
N.O. CityBusiness online poll results: $1.1B surplus should go to state's coast
Mar 10, 2008 ... Louisiana should spend its surplus on coastal restoration andprotection, according to a majority of voters on CityBusiness'Question of the Week. The poll, posted a week ago, asked how the state should spend its$1.1-billion surplus, an issue the Legislature is expected to takeup ...
Murder costs N.O. millions annually
Mar 10, 2008; ... Editor's note:The finale of the two-part Murder Inc. series todayfocuses on the costs of murder and violent crime to the community'sjudicial system. Two men and one woman were shot March 2 in Central City,according to the New Orleans Police Department. One man died whiletwo ...
Cable execs to rock out for N.O. recovery
Mar 10, 2008 ... Cable executives will participate in a "Battle of the Bands"during a cable industry conference here to raise funds for NewOrleans schools, libraries and other organizations, the NationalCable and Telecommunications Association said. The charity concert will be at 8 p.m. May 20 at ...
Louisiana hospitality officials push for N.O. Hornets sellout Wednesday
Mar 10, 2008 ... The Louisiana Restaurant Association, New Orleans MetropolitanConvention and Visitors Bureau and SMG, the management company forthe Louisiana Superdome and New Orleans Arena, have teamed with theNew Orleans Hornets to sell out the arena Wednesday. The first Hospitality Night at the ...
Louisiana Governor's Technology Awards entries due Friday
Mar 10, 2008 ... The deadline for entries to the annual Governor's TechnologyAwards program, designed to recognize and celebrate accomplishmentsof companies making innovative strides, is 5 p.m. Friday. The event is organized by Louisiana Economic Development,Louisiana Technology Council and ...
Cox, Dish Network reach deal for New Orleans Hornets North Shore broadcast
Mar 10, 2008 ... Hornets games will be broadcast on the North Shore under a dealreached by Cox Sports Television and Dish Network Corp. The multi-year deal will distribute CST to Dish customers within75 miles of New Orleans and Baton Rouge and who subscribe to DishNetwork's America's Top 100 Plus ...
Murder Inc: Policy shackles
Mar 10, 2008; ... Editor's note:The finale of the two-part Murder Inc. series todayfocuses on the costs of murder and violent crime to the community'sjudicial system. Two men and one woman were shot March 2 in Central City,according to the New Orleans Police Department. One man died whiletwo ...
Overstuffed N.O. office space at 12-year tenant high
Mar 10, 2008; ... Offices in the New Orleans Central Business District are fillingup. The latest occupancy report on the city's tallest neighborhoodshows nearly 91 percent of the 8 million square feet of Class Aoffice space available in the CBD is leased, a rate exceeded only insecond quarter ...
Pastorek paycheck dwarfs other Gulf educators
Mar 10, 2008; ... A $50,000 pay raise makes Louisiana State Superintendent ofEducation Paul Pastorek the highest-paid public school leader in theGulf Coast region. Pastorek took office a year ago with a $227,249 salary, a $48,000annual housing allowance and a car allowance of $24,000, bringinghis ...
March 11-22
Mar 10, 2008 ... March 11 and 13 The second annual French Quarter Wine Festival in Dominique'srestaurant at Maison Dupuy Hotel will hold special vintner dinnersfeaturing 12 world-class wineries on Tuesdays and Thursdays untilApril 17. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, a dinner featuring wines fromthe ...
Technology helping city battle crime
Mar 10, 2008 ... Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace increasinglyare helping track crime suspects, said Jim Letten, U.S. attorney forthe Eastern District of Louisiana. "They think they're using technology ... for their ownentertainment and communication," Letten said at a ...
GCR & Associates Inc. in N.O. becomes major player in the data- managing world
Mar 10, 2008; ... New Orleans has a hidden gem in the technology consulting sector.In 29 years, GCR & Associates Inc. has grown from a small urbanplanning consulting firm to a major player in the data-managingworld. New Orleans residents know Greg Rigamer as one of the city's go-to demographers ....
Commentary: Private school tax break 'poison pill' for public schools
Mar 10, 2008; ... The Louisiana Legislature went into its second 2008 specialsession Sunday to consider restructuring or eliminating onerousstate taxes businesses have paid for decades. We've received a sneak preview of the governor's $30-billionbudget this year and how he wants to spend the surplus ...
Interview with Jeff Taylor: Planner of new Website, Eons.com
Mar 10, 2008; ... Age: 47 Family: fiancee, Anna; and children Ryan, 19, Brooke, 16, Cole,13 Education: bachelor's degree, University of Massachusetts; andcertificate, Harvard Business School, Harvard Executive Education Hometown: Needham, Mass. When Jeff Taylor graduated from ...
Artists in N.O. gain market appreciation
Mar 10, 2008; ... Heather Elizabeth, a New Orleans artist, returned three monthsafter Hurricane Katrina, anxious to be home but unsure how she'dpiece together a living. For years she'd gotten by as a tour guide for visitors thenplentiful in the French Quarter while selling her art on the side ....
Port of New Orleans engages in cargo competition
Mar 10, 2008; ... The Port of New Orleans plans to take advantage of its locationat the axis of six chief railroads by expanding its on-dock railfacilities no later than 2012.Containerized cargo improvements are the focal point of the Portof New Orleans $1-billion 2020 Master Plan, which ...
New Orleans Inspector General Cerasoli: Where we're at
Mar 10, 2008; ... New Orleans Inspector General Robert Cerasoli, 60, said hisoffice is gaining momentum but stresses there are hardships inestablishing a new IG office. "I feel very positive about the position of the office," saidCerasoli. "Legislatively, we've accomplished some major goals ...
Road Home projects surplus in La. will top $1B
Mar 10, 2008 ... Homeowners awaiting funds to elevate their homes to new floodstandards have a better chance of seeing that money eventually afterThe Road Home announced its projected surplus will top $1 billion. Those homeowners will receive Road Home elevation money onlyafter all rebuilding and ...
Omni Bank of N.O. income down 41 percent
Mar 10, 2008 ... Although assets and deposits are rising, Omni Bank income dipped41 percent in 2007. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data shows Omniearned $4.27 million in 2007, down from $7.22 million in 2006. Omni President and CEO Jim Hudson said the bank's financialstatements show growth ...
Mayfield wants more backing for N.O. culture
Mar 10, 2008 ... New Orleans musician Irvin Mayfield, a jazz trumpeter appointedto the unpaid New Orleans cultural ambassador post in 2003, said astatewide "lack of commitment" to promote and protect New Orleansculture is a problem. Mayfield said the lack of support made him consider resigning ...
MMS Gulf lease sale nets $2.8B
Mar 10, 2008 ... The Minerals Management Service accepted $2.8 billion in bids andawarded 683 leases to high bidders in the Central Gulf of Mexico Oiland Gas Lease Sale 205. Eighty-four companies submitted 1,428 bids on 723 tracts in thesale held Oct. 3. High bids submitted on all tracts totaled ...
Louis Armstrong N.O. International Airport ridership climbs 17 percent
Mar 10, 2008 ... Ridership rose 17 percent in January to 671,703 from 574,222 thesame month last year, reported officials at Louis Armstrong NewOrleans International Airport. "It's just the continuing rebound of the region since the storm,continued growth of the tourism market coming back and ...
Commentary: What others say
Mar 10, 2008 ... 'Louisiana governor pierces business as usual,' New York Times,Feb. 28 Six weeks into the term of Gov. Bobby Jindal, an extensivepackage of ethics bills was approved here this week, signaling ashift in the political culture of a state proud of its brazen style.Jindal quickly ...
Hoffman Triangle keys N.O.'s Central City rebirth
Mar 10, 2008; ... New Orleans civic activist Rosalind Peychaud believes inneighborhood branding, especially now, two years after she coinedHoffman Triangle to describe a section of Central City long knownfor a preponderance of drugs and vacant wooden homes so decrepitneighbors were scared to walk below ...
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding won't have official HQ
Mar 10, 2008 ... Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, the company's newly alignedsegment, will not have an official headquarters, NGS President MikePetters said. Petters said he will not select a headquarters for theconsolidated operations composed of two former shipbuilding sectors -- Newport News in ...
N.O. East Bank charter schools unite through alliance
Mar 10, 2008; ... Nine New Orleans charter schools have joined with BaptistCommunity Ministries and the School Leadership Center to cutoperations costs. The new Louisiana Charter School Alliance includes AudubonCharter, Ben Franklin High School, Edward Hynes Charter,International School of ...
Commentary: Time allows Chops Bistro in N.O. to solidify menu, service
Mar 10, 2008; ... Chops Bistro $$$$ Metairie: 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd. 218-8967 Lunch Monday through Friday Dinner Tuesday through Saturday www.chopsbistroandmartinibar.com "It's not the best steakhouse in the world," my wife said. "Butwho wants to go ...