New Orleans CityBusiness back issues from February 2009:
Former N.O. gas station site to become bank
Feb 02, 2009 ... A vacant gas station at the Uptown intersection of St. Charlesand Louisiana avenues is being demolished to make room for a newbank. First Bank and Trust has purchased the property, which oncehoused an Exxon station ....
N.O. CityBusiness Question of the Week results: Raise homestead exemption to $170,000
Feb 02, 2009 ... The Louisiana homestead exemption should be increased from$75,000 to $170,000, according to most voters to CityBusiness'Question of the Week. In a week, 425 votes were cast to the question "What shouldhappen with the Louisiana homestead exemption?" The majority, 194 voters, ...
Coping with Carnival in N.O.
Feb 02, 2009; ... When the parades are over and the crowds have cleared, HerbertHalpern returns to his store at 1520 St. Charles Ave., eager to getback to business. But first, there are the yields of drunken revelry with which tocontend, among them "piles and piles and piles of trash" Halpernsaid ...
Crime alert system in N.O. uses cell texting
Feb 02, 2009; ... Imagine if crime victims had the ability to send a mass textmessage to thousands of people moments after they were attacked,warning the community of the exact location where the crime occurredand a description of the suspects. Imagine the difference it could have made for Wendy ...
Oscar buzz for 'Button' big for N.O.: Critical success of movie adds to city's industry appeal
Feb 02, 2009; ... For "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" production team, 13Academy Award nominations -- and any corresponding Oscar wins --represent a singular artistic vision successfully realized amongpeers on a global stage. For New Orleans, where the movie was filmed, the movie's ...
Downtown Development District in N.O. shares frustration over lack of city cleaning
Feb 02, 2009; ... The Downtown Development District has not had mechanical streetsweeping for almost a year, and it doesn't look like the servicewill be returning any time soon. On Jan. 26, Mayor C. Ray Nagin called for a scaling back ofFrench Quarter sanitation services to close a $7.5 million ...
Recession golden for pawn: N.O. shop owners report increase in sales
Feb 02, 2009; ... As banks topple and multi-national corporations plea forgovernment bailouts, consumers looking for a quick buck or cheapprices are beginning to turn to pawnshops. BJ's Pawn Shop owner Bill Johnson said he has seen recessionscome and go since he entered the jewelry business in ...
Commentary: Business travel reveals the not-so-friendly skies
Feb 02, 2009; ... It's the guy in 4F. It's all his fault. The guy in 4F doesn't know, or probably just doesn't care, howthings are supposed to work. The guy in 4F drives me crazy. Chaos,disorder and ulcers follow in the wake left behind his arrogance andcallous disregard for others. Let me ...
Feb. 3-9
Feb 02, 2009 ... Feb. 3 The St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce will hold itsPresident's Roundtable at Benedict's Plantation, 1144 N. CausewayBlvd., Mandeville. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. Paul Pastorek,state superintendent of education, is the guest speaker. For moreinformation or to make ...
Carver High athletics director in N.O. pitches 'Field of Dreams' at Super Bowl
Feb 02, 2009 ... Brian Bordainick was looking for a spotlight at Super Bowl XLIIIin Tampa, Fla., but he wasn't one of the athletes on the fieldSunday or a celebrity. Bordainick, athletics director at George Washington Carver HighSchool, was there to talk up his 9th Ward Field of Dreams ...
Developer moves studio plan from Algiers to Elmwood
Feb 02, 2009 ... A New Orleans developer's plan for building a 200,000-square-foot film studio in Algiers is no more. Wayne Read has redirectedhis project into the heart of Jefferson Parish's burgeoning filmindustry: Elmwood. Read, president and manager of Louisiana Film Studios LLC, wasworking ...
Diagnosis Unknown: Health care officials in N.O. prepare for changes with Obama administration
Feb 02, 2009; ... Change has supposedly arrived at the White House in the form ofPresident Obama, and the New Orleans health care community isbracing for its impact. Warner Thomas, Ochsner Health System president and chiefoperating officer, said he expects significant changes in healthcare within ...
New Orleans CityBusiness names 5th class of Leadership in Law
Feb 02, 2009 ... New Orleans CityBusiness has announced its Leadership in LawClass of 2009. A selection committee selected this year's 50 honorees based ontheir legal, professional and community contributions. Honorees will be recognized at a March 5 cocktail reception from5 to 8 p.m. at ...
New Orleans Health Care Briefs: February 2, 2009
Feb 02, 2009 ... The Tulane-Lakeside Behavioral Health Unit closed in Decemberbecause of a lack of qualified mental health professionals who couldprovide the needed services. The 10-bed unit opened in June because "the city needed thebeds," said Sarah Balyeat, Tulane Medical Center ...
N.O.-based Whitney sees 4Q boost, earnings down for 2008
Feb 02, 2009 ... Fourth-quarter earnings for the parent company of WhitneyNational Bank were down 73 percent from the same period in 2007, butthey climbed slightly from Sept. 30 to Dec. 31 last year. Whitney Holding Corp. reported net income of $8.2 million for thefourth quarter, down from $30.2 ...
In Other Words: How much further do we have to go to meet N.O.s mental health care needs?
Feb 02, 2009; ... Dr. James Barbee Medical director LSU Behavioral Sciences Center In my experience, every well-designed survey of the state ofmental health in the city and the region has shown a marked increasein psychiatric disorders since Katrina. While conditions do seem tobe ...
Off the Clock: Q&A with Dr. Deryk Jones, Ochsner Health System section head of sports medicine
Feb 02, 2009; ... Age: 44 Family: wife, Kina Wilusz; children Meshya, Cameryon and DerykJr. Education: bachelor's degrees in philosophy and biology, EmoryUniversity; doctor of medicine, Stanford University School ofMedicine; residency, Harvard University Hometown: Detroit Dr ....
State charter school in La. movement earns 'C'
Feb 02, 2009; ... With the highest concentration in the country, Orleans Parish isat the vanguard of the nation's charter school movement. But aneducation watchdog group says Louisiana is still a long way fromearning top marks. The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform rankedLouisiana ...
Tips trickle in as spenders cut back, business slows in N.O.
Feb 02, 2009; ... There was a time not long ago, bellman Albee Hendrix says, when$125 was the standard tip yield of an easy day of work at the HotelMonteleone on Royal Street. These days, he said he's lucky to earn$400 in a week. "I had days last week where I made $20, $30" in tips over thecourse ...
Commentary: FQ trash dispute smells rotten
Feb 02, 2009 ... Bet I know where you got your shoes. In a couple months, they'll be in the garbage after walkingthrough the French Quarter if the latest idea from the mayor'soffice takes hold. For some reason that escapes logic, our mayor and City Councilstruggle to find common ground when ...
Maternity leave policy lacking for U.S. moms
Feb 02, 2009; ... A case of "baby mama drama" has been playing out in France inrecent weeks. French Justice Minister Rachida Dati, a senior member ofPresident Nicolas Sarkozy's cabinet, sparked a nationwide debatelast month when she went back to work just five days after givingbirth. The ...
Commentary: Vitter gains GOP footing with anti-Clinton stance
Feb 02, 2009; ... Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, was the only member of the U.S.Senate Foreign Relations Committee to vote against the confirmationof fellow Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., as secretary of state.Vitter raised objections to the nomination, citing potentialconflicts of interest that exist with ...
Commentary: Acme Oyster House keeps hooks in locals, tourists
Feb 02, 2009; ... Acme Oyster House $$ Seafood 724 Iberville, French Quarter 522-5973 3000 Veterans Blvd., Metairie 309-4056 1202 U.S. Highway 190, Covington (985) 246-6155 Price ratings are what one person should expect to spend on ameal ....
Cost concerns keep N.O.-based Bayou Bend Petroleum away from Smoothie Prospect well
Feb 03, 2009 ... Bayou Bend Petroleum today announced that it did not participatein the sidetrack well on the Smoothie Prospect, a deep-shelfprospect operated by Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc., because of"concerns over cost overruns and the general refocus of thecompany's business strategy." ...
Minerals Management Service names senior staff geophysicist
Feb 03, 2009 ... Ron Brinkman has been appointed senior staff geophysicist in theresource evaluation office of the Minerals Management Service. Brinkman will oversee seismic compliance and policy issues forthe Alaska, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific MMS regional offices. "Ron Brinkman has earned a ...
Torres ready and waiting as N.O. hashes out trash talk
Feb 03, 2009; ... Like the rest of New Orleans, the owner of SDT Waste and Debrisis waiting to hear from City Hall about whether he can fire up hismechanical street and sidewalk sweepers in the French Quarter again. Sidney Torres this morning said a compromise has been reachedbetween the Nagin ...
Class A office occupancy continues to rise in Central Business District of N.O.
Feb 03, 2009; ... Despite an increase in leased Class A office space, ChevronCorp.'s move to its new Covington headquarters in the fourth quarterof 2008 has left a gaping hole in the Central Business District'scommercial real estate landscape. According to an Equity Office report released today, ...
Louisiana Bancorp income grows 3.8 percent in first year public
Feb 03, 2009 ... Fourth-quarter earnings were down for the parent company of Bankof New Orleans, but 2008 still ended on a high note with net incomeup 3.8 percent. It marked the first full fiscal year for Louisiana Bancorp Inc.as a publicly traded company. Traded under the symbol LABC on ...
Levees.org opposes calls to remove Corps of Engineers chief
Feb 03, 2009 ... Levees.org, a grass-roots group that has often criticized theCorps of Engineers, says it is opposed to efforts in Washington,D.C., to remove corps leader John Paul Woodley Jr. Eleven Senators are asking President Barack Obama to appoint anew corps chief, Levees.org says. "We ...
New shuttle service arrives in 9th Ward of N.O.
Feb 03, 2009; ... Residents of the Lower 9th Ward should be seeing public transitvehicles passing through their neighborhood with greater frequencythese days. A new Regional Transit Authority shuttle service dubbed The Lil'Easy began circulating throughout the neighborhood Jan. 26,supplementing ...
Touro Infirmary in N.O. to join forces with Children's Hospital
Feb 03, 2009; ... Touro Infirmary is joining the Children's Hospital family. The deal announced this morning will pump $100 million into Touroover the next five years. Touro will become an affiliate of Children's parent co.,Louisiana Children's Medical Center. The deal should be ...
Chalmette-based SDT hopeful French Quarter cleaning announcement to come Wednesday
Feb 03, 2009 ... SDT Waste and Debris Services "had a very productive meeting"with Mayor C. Ray Nagin and his staff this afternoon and is hopefulthe city will make an announcement Wednesday regarding FrenchQuarter and Downtown Development District enhanced cleaningservices, SDT said in a news release ...
504ward plans 'Dine Around' event Thursday in N.O.
Feb 03, 2009 ... Networking in New Orleans usually revolves around a socialsetting, food and drink, but the 504ward initiative to keep youngprofessionals in the city is putting its own twist on the pastime. On Thursday, 300 young professionals will have dinner at thehomes of 33 community leaders in ...
N.O. airport issues $144.4M in bonds
Feb 03, 2009 ... The New Orleans Aviation Board today said it has sold $144.4million in bonds for Louis Armstrong New Orleans InternationalAirport. The general airport revenue bonds, which were sold in mid-January, will refund all of NOAB's outstanding bonds. In connectionwith the bond ...
Interim IG in N.O. promises 'full court press'
Feb 04, 2009; ... Interim Inspector General Leonard Odom promises he will beaccessible to the media and public "but not nearly as much" asformer Inspector General Robert Cerasoli because he will be busygetting the job done. Odom promises a "full court press" while in charge of thecontinuing ...
City of N.O. breaks ground on first roadway project of '09
Feb 04, 2009 ... The city today marked the start of construction on the firstroadway project of 2009. Major reconstruction is planned for Desire Street from NorthRoman to North Dorgenois streets. The approximately $4.7 million project includes the removal andreplacement of concrete pavement ...
Huey P. Long eastbound lanes near Elmwood to close for 6 hours Saturday
Feb 04, 2009 ... The eastbound lanes of the Huey P. Long Bridge will be closedfrom 6 a.m. until noon Saturday for ...
Budding entrepreneurs to tour N.O.'s economic hot spots
Feb 04, 2009 ... The Urban League of Greater New Orleans and Greater New OrleansInc. will host a tour of the city Thursday for young professionalsinterested in exploring entrepreneurial opportunities. The Young Ambassadors of New Orleans Industry Tour will makestops at the Michoud NASA facility, ...
New Orleans City Council to consider take-home vehicles legislation
Feb 04, 2009; ... New Orleans City Council members will have an opportunity to voteon two pieces of legislation addressing the city's take-home vehiclefleet during Thursday's regular council meeting. District A Councilwoman Shelley Midura will introduce aresolution that would force Mayor C. Ray ...
Bureau of Governmental Research pushes city to change economic development fund policy in N.O.
Feb 04, 2009 ... A government watchdog group wants the City Council to change thelaw dealing with the way money from an economic development fund isallocated. It's this money that is being used to pay for enhancedstreet cleaning services in the French Quarter and downtown. The Bureau of ...
N.O. Mayor Nagin: Enhanced cleaning to return to Quarter
Feb 04, 2009 ... An agreement appears to have been reached in City Hall to restoreenhanced cleaning services - mechanical street sweeping and streetflushing - in the French Quarter. Mayor C. Ray Nagin said he spoke today with the chair of theEconomic Development Fund Committee to discuss expediting ...
Summit to discuss nursing faculty shortage in La.
Feb 04, 2009 ... Officials representing the nursing industry in Louisiana aremeeting here today to discuss the shortage of qualified personnel intheir field and what they call a dire lack of nursing schoolfaculty. According to the Louisiana Hospital Association, the state'snursing shortage is at ...
N.O. Mayor Nagin orders cleanup of FQ, DDD garbage
Feb 04, 2009 ... Mayor C. Ray Nagin says he has asked the city's in-housesanitation crews to remove piles of garbage that have beencollecting in the French Quarter and Downtown Development District. Bags of garbage had been accumulating in the area after the citytold garbage contractor SDT Waste ...
Gentilly library to be razed, rebuilt
Feb 04, 2009 ... A Gentilly landmark will be torn down and rebuilt after beingdestroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Durr Heavy Construction, in an approximately $70,000 contract,will carry out demolition of ...
Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, R-New Orleans, named to three congressional subcommittees
Feb 04, 2009 ... Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, R-New Orleans, has been named to threecongressional subcommittees: Water Resources and Environment;Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials; and EconomicDevelopment, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. "Congressman Cao's position on these ...
Krewe of Orpheus axes Mencia from N.O. Carnival celebrity lineup over Katrina remarks
Feb 05, 2009 ... The Krewe of Orpheus said it has cut comedian Carlos Mencia fromits 2009 celebrity lineup, citing comments he made after HurricaneKatrina. In late 2005, Katrina and its aftermath provided ample materialfor Mencia. "My take on it is, I think black people, you're f---ing ...
N.O. City Council Council votes to cap take-home vehicles at 60
Feb 05, 2009; ... City Hall's administrative fleet of take-home cars will belimited to the city code's mandated 60 vehicles, following a 7-0City Council vote today to force the Nagin administration intocompliance by March 13.The motion, ...
N.O. City Council votes for sunshine in city contracting process
Feb 05, 2009; ... The City Council voted unanimously in favor of 100 percenttransparency in city contracting, approving council Vice PresidentArnie Fielkow's ordinance to open the city's professional servicescontract selection process to the state's open meetings law with a 7-0 vote. After a ...
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, gets subcommittee assignments
Feb 05, 2009 ... Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, today said he has receivedsubcommittee assignments on the Energy and Commerce Committee. He will serve on the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment andthe Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. "These two subcommittees have ...
Louisiana launches workers' compensation fraud program
Feb 05, 2009 ... The Louisiana Workforce Commission is launching a workers'compensation fraud program to find businesses not coveringemployees. A ...
Floating residential community to call on N.O. for first time
Feb 05, 2009 ... A 644-foot boat that is home to people from 18 countries isslowly going around the globe. Its next stop: New Orleans. The World, which visits about 100 ports every year and stays fromtwo to five days at each, will make its maiden trip to New Orleansat 6 p.m. today and dock here ...
Port of New Orleans gets new chairman
Feb 05, 2009 ... A new chairman was elected to the Port of New Orleans boardtoday. The port's board chose A.J. Gibbs to succeed James Campbell,whose term as chairman expired. Campbell will continue to serve as acommissioner.Gibbs has 29 years of experience as a river pilot and ...
N.O. average gas price rises overnight
Feb 05, 2009 ... City gas prices ticked up overnight, rising from an average$1.821 per gallon of regular grade Wednesday to $1.825 today,according to ...
$149K General DeGaulle Drive rehab begins in N.O.
Feb 05, 2009 ... The city has begun rehabilitating a 0.2-mile portion of GeneralDeGaulle Drive, a project that is slated to be complete before thefirst West Bank Mardi Gras parade of this year. The $149,000 project runs from from Holiday Drive to BehrmanPlace. It is funded by tax incremental ...
Corps publishes alternatives for N.O. lakefront projects
Feb 05, 2009 ... The Army Corps of Engineers' New Orleans District has released adocument with proposed alternatives for New Orleans lakefrontprojects. The corps released Individual Environmental Report 4, "NewOrleans Lakefront Levee, West of Inner Harbor Navigation Canal,Orleans Parish," Tuesday ...
Zurich Classic Pro-Am headed to Baton Rouge
Feb 05, 2009 ... The first-ever Zurich Classic PGA Pro-Am event is planned forBaton Rouge April 22 at the University Club of Baton Rouge. To announce ...
'Trash Fair' planned for downtown New Orleans, French Quarter
Feb 06, 2009; ... Help is being offered for downtown and French Quarter businessesand residents whose garbage will no longer be picked up by thecity's contractor come March 15. The Downtown Development District, the French Quarter-MarignyHistoric Area Management District and the French Quarter ...
Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise follows up with Obama on N.O. visit
Feb 06, 2009; ... Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise has again invited PresidentBarack Obama to visit New Orleans and review the recovery work thatremains to be done. After a meeting last week between House Republicans and Obama,Scalise said he invited the president to come to the New ...
New Orleans City Councilwoman Shelley Midura comments on Nagin's ABC26 interview
Feb 06, 2009; ... City Councilwoman Shelley Midura today issued a statement inresponse to an interview that aired Thursday on the ABC26 televisionnews show. Nagin was interviewed about the council's vote Thursday to limitCity Hall's administrative fleet of take-home cars to the citycode's mandated ...
LSU system budget cuts would not impact N.O. hospital plans
Feb 06, 2009; ... Budget cuts being considered by the Jindal administration wouldhave no effect on LSU's plans to build a teaching hospital in NewOrleans, LSU System spokesman Charles Zewe said. According to a story by The Associated Press today, Fred Cerise,LSU vice chancellor for health affairs ...
Marigny coffeehouse caters to young musicians
Feb 06, 2009; ... Blocks away from the smoky, music-filled barrooms of FrenchmanStreet and miles away from the tourist-themed cover bands dominatingBourbon Street, a trio of young musicians are honing their craftamid the sounds of brewing coffee and clinking spoons at a newMarigny ...
La.'s citrus growers can ship product again
Feb 08, 2009 ... A U.S. Department of Agriculture quarantine on the Asian citruspsyllid has been expanded to include all of Louisiana, Mississippiand Alabama, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain toldPlaquemines Parish citrus growers last week. "It means that our Louisiana producers ...
City of N.O. sets community meetings for streetscape enhancement projects
Feb 08, 2009 ... The city of New Orleans is holding several community meetingsthis week of streetscape enhancement projects to take placethroughout the area. The first meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at DelgadoCommunity College to discuss a $370,000 project on General MeyerAvenue from ...
Non-traditional teacher training making strides in La.
Feb 09, 2009; ... A recent statewide study has found high quality alternativeteacher certification programs, which prepare non-education majorsfor the classroom, are leveling the playing field between rookie andveteran instructors. Louisiana State University psychology professor George Noell ...
Liberty Bank to buy N.O.-based United Bank and Trust
Feb 09, 2009 ... Liberty Bank and Trust is making its second bank acquisition inas many years, adding New Orleans-based United Bank and Trust to itsroster. In addition to its corporate headquarters on Canal Street, UBThas branches in Algiers, Harahan and Opelousas. Those offices willgive Liberty ...