New Orleans CityBusiness back issues from August 2008:
Louisiana panel ends property tax assessment appeal review for Orleans Parish property owners
Aug 04, 2008; ... Property owners in New Orleans who feel their tax assessmentswere too high may not get the relief they hoped for. After evaluating an estimated 1,000 property tax assessmentappeals for Orleans Parish, the Louisiana Tax Commission upheld themajority of assessed land values, but it ...
New Orleans City Council's design-build law fast-tracks storm jobs
Aug 04, 2008; ... In hopes of getting Hurricane Katrina-decimated fire and policestations built faster, the New Orleans City Council has amendedpublic contracting laws with a new ordinance encouraging the design-build method of construction.Approved July 10, the design-build ordinance allows the ...
New Orleans recreation officials question overhaul of department
Aug 04, 2008; ... Since its creation in 1946, the New Orleans Recreation Departmenthas remained focused on providing the youth of the city with year-round recreational opportunities, but changes may be on the horizonfor the struggling entity. Recreation directors, however, are hesitant to change a ...
Commentary: Obama, the quake and our overlooked river
Aug 04, 2008; ... Last week there was an earthquake in California, Sen. BarackObama came home from his Middle East and European junket, and theMississippi River reopened to shipping after a big oil spill. Amazingly, the Mississippi River oil spill was overshadowed bythe first two stories. I ...
Captain Crunch: Industrywide shortage of qualified mariners to pilot boats
Aug 04, 2008; ... The unnamed person towing the massive fuel barge that collidedwith a 600-foot tanker July 23, resulting in the spill of 400,000gallons of fuel oil, did not have the proper license to operate atugboat. That much has been said. But as the oil settles into the muck of the Mississippi ...
CEO of New Orleans-based Touro Infirmary attempts to stop bleeding
Aug 04, 2008; ... Touro Infirmary interim CEO Michael Sniffen handed out businesscards at a recent meeting that noticeably did not include the word"interim." It wasn't by choice, he said. "The board chairman came into my office one day, looked at mycard with the interim title and told me to ...
Mettle of honor: Misconceptions about organ donation
Aug 04, 2008; ... Britney Dugas trembed as she lay on a stretcher in the operatingroom at Ochsner Medical Center. Just a few months earlier, during aroutine visit to the doctor for a simple cold, she was told therewas a virus destroying her heart. Various treatments failed during the next seven ...
Aug. 5 - 7
Aug 04, 2008 ... Aug. 5 As part of WYES's A Season of Good Tastes, a wine dinner will beheld at Ralph's on the Park, 900 City Park Ave., at 7 p.m. The costis $85 per person and includes tax and tip. The wine dinners will beheld through November at different restaurants. For more informationand to ...
McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans moves offices
Aug 04, 2008; ... McGlinchey Stafford law firm has sold its office building at 643Magazine St. and parking garage at 618 Magazine St. to New Orleansreal estate developer Brian Gibbs and will move to the 28-story Pan-American Life Center in September. The selling price of the building was not ...
Port of New Orleans, maritime interests consider lawsuit options
Aug 04, 2008; ... Maritime businesses have lost time and money since the July 23barge and tanker collision, fuel oil spill and subsequentMississippi River closure, and recouping those losses could takeyears, if it is possible at all. New Orleans maritime attorney George Fowler said lawsuits ...
New Orleans Construction Briefs: August 4, 2008
Aug 04, 2008; ... Developer adds concrete home to Bywater lineup A developer who has rehabilitated historic buildings across thecity is building a thoroughly modern house in the Bywater. Real estate maven Pres Kabacoff of HRI Properties is working witharchitects to design an energy-efficient, ...
Hurdles to heirship: Heirship property prevents many New Orleans residents from receiving grants
Aug 04, 2008; ... Darlene Leavell owned the house she lived in. The mint-greendouble shotgun had been her mother's, the proud payoff of a life'swork. When Leavall's mother died in 2001, leaving the city busdriver the Desire property, she made sure to maintain its smallgreen lawn and check the gutters ....
Mississippi River oil spill's down river damage not as bad as first feared
Aug 04, 2008; ... Andy Nyman is relieved. The Louisiana State University assistant professor of wetlandwildlife and ecology said he expected to see much more shorelinedamage at the mouth of the Mississippi River after a July 23 oilspill near the Crescent City Connection dumped an estimated ...
Off the Clock: Q&A with Bruce Sossaman, commercial leasing veteran for New Orleans area
Aug 04, 2008; ... Age: 49 Family: wife, Lizette; daughters Torre, 13, and Allain, 16 Education: bachelor's degree in marketing, Loyola University Hometown: New Orleans Working on the 13th floor in the Lakeway Building has broughtBruce Sossaman neither good nor bad luck ....
Washington, D.C. energy industry defends image in wake of Mississippi River oil spill
Aug 04, 2008; ... It was an appearance about as unfortunately timed as they come. Early July 23, the very day the American Petroleum Institute'sDenise McCourt was to arrive at the New Orleans Morial ConventionCenter hoping to drum up support for expanded offshore drillingamong state legislators ...
Crane pains: Regulations for crane usage varies from state to state
Aug 04, 2008; ... Michael Breecher, owner and operator of Marrero-based UnitedCrane Service, has all the typical worries of a person running hisown business. But one of those worries is not a surprise visit from aninspector to see whether the mobile crane he uses daily is in goodworking ...
New Orleans CityBusiness News Briefs: August 4, 2008
Aug 04, 2008; ... U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awards $110.5M in floodwallcontracts The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded two contractstotaling nearly $110.5 million to complete the Harvey Canalfloodwall project on the West Bank. New Orleans-based Boh Bros. Construction Co. won a $62 ...
Commentary: Solutions needed for safer river
Aug 04, 2008; ... Environmentalists seized the opportunity to thumb their nose atexpanded oil and gas exploration after a July 23 barge-tankercollision spilled an estimated 400,000 gallons of fuel oil into theMississippi River. In their eyes, the accident's impact on thedownriver ecosystem is yet another ...
New Orleans Government Briefs: August 4, 2008
Aug 04, 2008; ... As it stands now, don't expect John Georges to throw his nameinto the race for mayor of New Orleans next year, but that does notmean you have seen the last of him in the political realm. The former gubernatorial candidate says it is too early for himto make a definitive decision on ...
Commentary: Chateau du Lac elevates French bistro experience
Aug 04, 2008; ... **** Chateau du Lac$$$$$ 2037 Metairie Road Reservations advised: 831-3773 Lunch Tuesday through Friday. Dinner Tuesday through Saturday. www.chateaudulacbistro.com There's no such thing in New Orleans as a fancy French ...
Commentary: Jindal regains approval after pay raise reversal
Aug 04, 2008; ... Gov. Bobby Jindal's popularity declined significantly while thehoopla over the legislative pay raise was grabbing headlines. Beforethe controversy, Southern Media and Opinion Research reported Jindalenjoyed positive approval ratings from 79 percent of the electorate.After becoming ...
Mississippi River dredging stirs up oil down river
Aug 04, 2008; ... Mississippi River dredging was halted last Monday near theSouthwest Pass after a dredge disturbed oil originating from theJuly 23 spill in New Orleans. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said dredging was put on pauseto allow the oil to settle. The Coast Guard confirmed that there ...
New Orleans CityBusiness names 50 Innovators of the Year
Aug 04, 2008; ... CityBusiness has announced its 2008 Innovator of the Yearhonorees, recognizing 50 companies and individuals who continue tokeep the New Orleans area a center for creativity. In its seventh year, Innovator of the Year recognizesindividuals, companies and organizations that succeed ...
Metairie-based staffing firm agrees to pay back wages
Aug 04, 2008; ... Metairie-based Artiaga Solutions has agreed to pay $118,183 inback wages after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor'sWage and Hour Division found 288 current and former janitorial andhousekeeping workers did not receive overtime pay as required by theFair Labor Standards ...
Construction industry feels pressure to properly classify workers
Aug 08, 2008; ... In an industry well-known for having a large number of laborerscoming and going, construction companies are being increasinglyurged to make certain they properly classify everyone who works forthem. "It's a big problem," said Fred Kotler, associate director of theconstruction ...
Slidell to build new City Hall
Aug 08, 2008 ... Construction is expected to begin this fall on a new City Hallbuilding in Slidell. The main City Hall structure is expected to cost about $6million. The city hopes to get the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency to pick up half the tab. The new building will be on the site of ...
Design-build law fast-tracks storm jobs
Aug 08, 2008; ... In hopes of getting Hurricane Katrina-decimated fire and policestations built faster, the New Orleans City Council has amendedpublic contracting laws with a new ordinance encouraging the design-build method of construction.Approved July 10, the design-build ordinance allows the ...
Louisiana's Road Home refuses to budge on deadlines
Aug 08, 2008; ... The Louisiana Recovery Authority has no plans to rescind recentlyinstated Road Home Program deadlines that legal assistance groupssay could jeopardize thousands of grants for homeowners who havebeen trying to collect the funds needed to rebuild for as long astwo years."Right ...
N.O. first-time unemployment claims break 1,000 mark
Aug 08, 2008; ... The New Orleans area saw an increase in initial unemployment forthe week that ended Saturday to 1,007 from 916. The area, comprised of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St.Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John and St. Tammany parishes,posted the highest number of first-time ...
New Orleans Recreation Dept. officials question overhaul of department
Aug 10, 2008; ... Since its creation in 1946, the New Orleans Recreation Departmenthas remained focused on providing the youth of the city with year-round recreational opportunities. But changes may be on the horizonfor the struggling entity. Recreation directors, however, are hesitant to change a ...
Suite gig for entertainer at Ritz-Carlton hotel in New Orleans
Aug 11, 2008; ... Jeremy Davenport doesn't have far to travel for work. He grabs his trumpet and closes his Ritz-Carlton hotel room door.He takes the service elevator down to the kitchen, walks past thestainless steel countertops and pots and pans and out into the roomwhere he performs every Friday ...
Carpool lanes hit dead end along I-10 in New Orleans area
Aug 11, 2008; ... Editor's note: This story starts a three-part series on how theNew Orleans area is addressing transportation issues as part of itsinfrastructure overhaul. Matt Oubre of Luling has experienced the joys of high-occupancyvehicle lanes -- in Houston. He recalls blissfully driving ...
Aug. 14-25
Aug 11, 2008 ... Aug. 14 The W New Orleans French Quarter Hotel will feature a screeningof "In Her Shoes" as part of its free summer cinema in TheCourtyard. The movie starts at sunset and parking is $6. The NewOrleans Film Society will show different movies from Fox & MGM HomeEntertainment every ...
All in the family: Succession planning for small businesses
Aug 11, 2008; ... When it comes to the topic of a small business' future, thingscan get a bit sticky. In some instances, it can flat out cause afamily feud, said Jennifer Bordes, a CPA, director of tax servicesand certified specialist in estate planning at LaPorte Sehrt RomigHand.Some business ...
New Orleans Legal Briefs: August 11, 2008
Aug 11, 2008; ... Despite a drop in sexual harassment claims filed during the past10 years, the number of men filing claims has increased nearly 5percent since 1997. Men accounted for 16 percent, or 2,001, of the sexual harassmentclaims filed in 2007, up from 11.6 percent, or 1,843, of the ...
Off the Clock: Q&A with president of Louisiana State Bar Association
Aug 11, 2008; ... Age: 55 Family: husband, Ross; and sons, Paul, 23, and David, 20 Education: bachelor's degree in English literature, LouisianaState University; master's degree in English, Duke University; jurisdoctor, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Hometown: Lafayette As a ...
Commentary: Let's remove the bull's-eye from 'big oil'
Aug 11, 2008; ... Take most things to a ridiculous conclusion and things get ...ridiculous. But, nonetheless I feel compelled to dive into thismetaphoric pool. We are going to have a new national energy policy, and have itquite soon. What that energy policy looks like depends on who weelect as our ...
Shuttle shuffle at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Aug 11, 2008; ... A 10-year contract for shuttle services at Louis Armstrong NewOrleans International Airport -- awarded without a competitivebidding process -- is not a good deal for the airport or New Orleanscitizens, said Aviation Director Sean Hunter. That's why airport officials are fighting ...
New Orleans makes second plea for funds to fight crime
Aug 11, 2008; ... On June 30 President Bush signed a $162 billion war funding billthat included a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits and $2.7billion for emergency flood relief for the Midwest. Left on the cutting room floor -- $17 million for law enforcementin the bullet-scarred New Orleans ...
Entergy N.O. plan would raise gas bills
Aug 11, 2008; ... Entergy New Orleans has applied to the city council forauthorization to lower its rates on electric service whileincreasing rates for natural gas customers. If approved by the council as proposed, the average residentialcustomer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and 5,000 ...
Metro New Orleans tops in 4Q weekly wages
Aug 11, 2008; ... The highest paying jobs in Louisiana at the end of 2007 were inthe New Orleans area, according to a Louisiana Department of Laborsurvey. The $880 average weekly wage in metropolitan area was the state'shighest. The statewide average weekly wage was $783. Among parishes in ...
Chef Tom Wolfe closes New Orleans-based Peristyle for retooling, new name
Aug 11, 2008; ... Chef Tom Wolfe said his decision to close French Quarterrestaurant Peristyle and reopen a new, yet-to-be-named restaurant inits place was based on a desire to offer food "with no boundaries"and to put his own stamp on his restaurant's cuisine. "Peristyle is a very specific type of ...
Louisiana Restaurant Association names Besh 'Restaurateur of the Year'
Aug 11, 2008; ... The Louisiana Restaurant Association named John Besh 2008Restaurateur of the Year Aug. 3 during its annual reception andawards banquet at the Marriott New Orleans. The award is the most prestigious the LRA presents. Pastrecipients include Ruth Fertel, Charles Valluzzo, John Folse, ...
New Orleans-based EPL reverses 2Q earnings trend
Aug 11, 2008; ... Energy Partners Ltd. Reported net income of $4 million, or 12cents a share, for the second quarter of 2008. It is a 167 percentincreased compared with the company's net loss of $6.3 million inthe second quarter of 2007. The company also reported record revenue of $125.7 million ...
Healthy New Orleans office market bucks national trend
Aug 11, 2008; ... Even as a gloomy economy empties offices around the country, themarket remains strong for commercial space in downtown New Orleans,Metairie and the Jefferson Parish West Bank. The latest quarterly occupancy report from Equity Office showsoccupancy rates are in good standing ...
Shipyards join forces to deepen labor pool
Aug 11, 2008; ... Sterling Dolese remembers the heyday of shipyard and offshorefabrication in the 1970s when there was no need to recruit skilledlabor. "Across from my office there was a tree that grew welders. Icould pick one off whenever I needed one," Dolese said. The tree is bare now for ...
Commentary: Andrew Jaeger puts forth best effort on North Shore
Aug 11, 2008; ... *** Andrew Jaeger's$$$$ 4250 Highway 22, Suite B, Mandeville (985) 624-2300 Lunch: Monday through Friday. Dinner: Monday through Saturday. www.andrewjaegers.com Andrew Jaeger doesn't want you to forget his family's name isfamous ...
Commentary: Elections mark city's 'tipping point'
Aug 11, 2008; ... You often hear the term "tipping point" used to describe thestage at which post-Katrina New Orleans is rife with constructionand a thriving city economy as its ripple effect. Mayor C. Ray Nagineven forecasted 2008 as a tipping point, the year the city gets overthe recovery hump ....
Commentary: Patients left to unravel system's bureaucratic knots
Aug 11, 2008; ... No one should have to endure as much Musak as I have this year. I've spent the past 10 months disputing a charge of more than$600 from my health insurance for a procedure my daughter, now 1,had a few weeks after she was born. It's been an entirely frustrating experience, ...
What others say
Aug 11, 2008 ... 'Out of FEMA park, clinging to fraying lifeline,' New York Times,Aug. 4 Two months ago, as he left the trailer park he called home afterHurricane Katrina, Alton Love, 41, just knew he was on the brink ofgetting a working car, an apartment and a good job to support the 9-year-old ...
Foreclosures.com. Report: Louisiana pre-foreclosure filings set record
Aug 11, 2008 ... Louisiana was at the bottom of a list of 14 states with a recordnumber of pre-foreclosure filings in July, according to figuresreleased today by Foreclosures.com. Nationwide, pre-foreclosure filings also set a record in July. July pre-foreclosure filings by state: - ...
Commentary: Let's remove the bull's-eye from 'big oil'
Aug 11, 2008; ... Take most things to a ridiculous conclusion and things get ...ridiculous. But, nonetheless I feel compelled to dive into thismetaphoric pool. We are going to have a new national energy policy, and have itquite soon. What that energy policy looks like depends on who weelect as our ...
CityBusiness Question of the Week results: Speculation drives gas prices higher
Aug 11, 2008 ... Speculation in the oil markets has caused gas prices toskyrocket, according to most voters to CityBusiness' Question of theWeek. The online poll garnered 224 votes to the question "What is thebiggest factor in today's high gas prices?" Speculation in the oil markets was the ...
Maritime industry faces pinch for qualified personnel
Aug 11, 2008; ... The unnamed person towing the massive fuel barge that collidedwith a 600-foot tanker July 23, resulting in the spill of 400,000gallons of fuel oil, did not have the proper license to operate atugboat. That much has been said. But as the oil settles into the muck of the Mississippi ...
Jefferson Transit to up weekday service
Aug 11, 2008 ... Jefferson Transit will add service on the Avondale (W1), Lapalco(W3) and Huey P. Long (W10) routes starting Sunday, in a move toincrease weekday service. Also, the Westbank Expressway (W2) and Terrytown (W8) scheduleswill be modified to provide better connections between the ...
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of La. board accepts resignation of CEO
Aug 11, 2008 ... The board of directors of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisianatoday said it has accepted the resignation of President and CEO GeryBarry, who has accepted a position as chief strategy officer forAetna Inc. Barry worked for Aetna for more than 21 years before joining ...
Landis Construction moving back to N.O.
Aug 11, 2008 ... After moving from New Orleans to Jefferson Parish in 1973, LandisConstruction Co. said it is moving back to Orleans Parish. The company is renovating 8300 Earhart Blvd. as its newheadquarters ....
Jefferson Parish suspends search for fire services director
Aug 11, 2008 ... Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard today said that he hastemporarily suspended the search for a new director of fireservices."With various issues between fire department personnel andJefferson Parish government, I do not believe that this is theproper environment to ...
CVB opening offices in St. Louis, Atlanta
Aug 11, 2008 ... The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau today said it isopening offices in St. Louis and Atlanta and expanding itsconvention sales team in New Orleans and ...
Passenger counts up at N.O. airport
Aug 11, 2008 ... Passenger traffic at Louis Armstrong New Orleans InternationalAirport was up in June over the same month last year. According to figures released by the airport Monday, the totalnumber of departing passengers rose 11.4 percent to 355,368 from318,960. The year-to-date figure is ...
Kid Rock: New Orleans 'one of the cleanest' cities
Aug 12, 2008 ... First, it was Lenny Kravitz. Now, it's Kid Rock. SDT's latest commercial features Rock walking around New Orleans,digging into a pile of crawfish and picking up trash with SDT ownerSidney Torres IV. "I love New Orleans for its history, its soul, it's culture,"Rock says in the ...
Free seminars at University of New Orleans on making roofs hurricane- proof
Aug 12, 2008 ... The University of New Orleans will host free, one-hour seminarson "Storm-Resistant Roofing Techniques" from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. andfrom 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The seminars will be held at the Rebuilding Information Stationin Suite 103 of the UNO Research and Technology ...
$38M BioInnovation Center construction to begin next week
Aug 12, 2008 ... Construction is set to begin Aug. 20 on the long-awaited $38million New Orleans BioInnovation Center. The facility - a 65,000-square-foot business incubator featuringwet-lab space and other lab and office space that can be leased bybiotechnology companies with university ...
City of New Orleans agrees to 10-year deal for ground transportation without aviation board OK
Aug 12, 2008; ... A 10-year contract for shuttle services at Louis Armstrong NewOrleans International Airport -- awarded without a competitivebidding process -- is not a good deal for the airport or New Orleanscitizens, said Aviation Director Sean Hunter. That's why airport officials are fighting ...
Former Kenner councilwoman fills Jefferson Parish School Board vacancy
Aug 12, 2008; ... The Jefferson Parish School Board added a former Kenner CityCouncilwoman as an interim board member at a special board meetingMonday night. Kenner resident Wilma Irvin, 68, will fill the District 5 seatonce held by Paul Johnson for the next four months until a generalelection in ...