New Orleans CityBusiness articles from August 2004

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from August 2004

Young adults make up large percentage of uninsured in U.S.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster Five years ago, Adam Scott and four of his friends walked out of an Algiers bar. The next thing he remembers is waking up in the emergency room at Charity Hospital rigged with tubes and needles. As Scott,...

Bruno's owner makes changes to plans for bar.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts It could be called the Incredible Shrinking Bar. David Melius' controversial plans for a new bar on Maple Street have diminished from three stories to two since he first pitched the idea to New Orleans City Council...

N.O. riverfront development rules in works.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts The land abutting the Mississippi River has been in the spotlight recently for high-profile projects such as Phase IV expansion of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the redevelopment of the former St. Thomas...

N.O. tour group attempts to ride success of Segway.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Last week, City Segway Tours opened on Decatur Street and began offering four-hour tours of the city. The tour, which costs $65, begins at the Joan of Arc statue in front of the City Segway Tours office. Tourists are led...

Artist picks White Linen to display 'White House'.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff The Contemporary Arts Center will add a touch of red and blue to Saturday's White Linen Night. A traveling sculpture titled "White House - Greenhouse - Our House" will park at the CAC for the annual arts event. Also known...

Phony state employees prey on taxpayers in scam.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff The Louisiana Department of Revenue is warning about a scam targeted at Louisiana taxpayers by people posing as employees of the department. Callers posing as DOR employees tell individuals their excellent record of...

Tulane cancer researcher rising to the challenge.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Yeast is often associated with bread and beer making. A Tulane University professor is putting it to use in cancer research. Charles Miller, an associate professor in the Environmental Health Sciences department of the...

Louisiana passes bill to study childhood obesity in schools.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora The Louisiana Senate is trying to curb childhood obesity. Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco recently signed Senate Bill 871 into law as Act 734, which creates a pilot program to gather obesity data in state schools....

Commentary: Membership growth will be key to the N.O. Chamber's success.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary Sandra Gunner has brand new, bright and shiny business cards. I have a feeling the first printing of them won't last very long. Gunner is president and chief executive officer of the new New Orleans Chamber of...

Pamlab forms new business to fill need for partner.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Founder Samuel Camp and President Barry LeBlanc decided to form a Louisiana company to partner with when they couldn't find one to help Pamlab LLC develop and manufacture pharmaceutical products. Pamlab's new...

Low mortgage rates continue to fuel boom.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Low mortgage rates are pumping up home sales in the New Orleans region just as they did last summer. With real estate professionals predicting that mortgage rates will rise slowly during the rest of the year, the...

Second permit sweep less chilling for biz owners in French Quarter.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster Altered tactics in a second permit sweep of the French Quarter eased the concerns of affected business owners. On July 21, the New Orleans Police Department and the New Orleans Department of Finance began a...

Increasing day rates don't stop jackup rigs from leaving Gulf.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Day rates for jackup rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico are on the rise but the increase is a mixed blessing for Louisiana companies operating in the Gulf. Companies reporting day rate increases of up to 10...

National fishing tournament set to converge on Chalmette.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky St. Bernard Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez and Tourism Director Elizabeth "Gidget" McDougall are helping the parish play host to the first Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup, which will air on the ESPN2 sports...

Employer support encourages breast-feeding in workplace.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Experts say breast milk is better than formula but many mothers fight an uphill battle to continue breast-feeding once they return to work. A common reason working mothers stop breast-feeding is there is no time...

Teachers vow to continue push for rejected charter school.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts The Orleans Parish School Board might not have heard the last from the advocates of Einstein Charter School. The OPSB, following the recommendation of Superintendent Anthony Amato, denied the request of eight...

Nonprofit Spotlight: SpayMart Inc.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller A grasssroots nonprofit is working to put a leash on the number of stray animals in New Orleans. SpayMart Inc. is opening a clinic devoted solely to spaying and neutering animals - the first of its kind in the New...

Interview with new director of Loyola Univ.'s music program.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Loyola University New Orleans recently appointed Grammy-winning producer John Snyder to direct the school's music business program. Snyder has produced recordings for a number of labels, including A&M, Atlantic, RCA,...

American Eagle Communities lands $204M contract with U.S. Air Force.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff The Shaw Group of Baton Rouge announced American Eagle Communities LLC, a joint venture owned by Shaw Infrastructure and CIE Investment Corp. has been selected by the U.S. Air Force for a $204 million contract. The...

MAPP Construction awarded $4.5M contract.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff MAPP Construction LLC of Metairie has been awarded a $4.5 million contract to expand Glazer's Wholesale Distributors in St. Rose. The project consists of a 65,000-square-foot addition to an existing warehouse as well as...

Voodoo Music Experience lineup announced.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Producers of the annual Voodoo Music Experience at City Park in New Orleans announced a lineup that includes more than 60 artists. Performers include the Beastie Boys, Velvet Revolver, Kid Rock, A Tribe Called Quest, The...

Kerry to pull presidential campaign ads in Louisiana, Arkansas.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff John Kerry say they are pulling his presidential campaign ads in Louisiana and Arkansas temporarily. They said the move is not a sign they are giving up on the region or the South, which voted heavily in favor of President...

National Youth Leadership Forum draws 800 students.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff The National Youth Leadership Forum drew about 800 high school juniors and seniors to two sessions of a forum on medicine held in New Orleans last month. Students from across the country pay about $1,990 to participate in the...

Two plead guilty to conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, announced that Terrence L. Border, 62, and Mitchell N. Schwartz, 92, two of the suspects in the illegal "razzle" gambling operation in the French Quarter,...

Ogden Museum of Southern Art awarded $500K grant.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff The Ogden Museum of Southern Art was awarded a $500,000 challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The money will be used to complete the second phase of the museum, including the restoration of the...

Tulane professor's paper is third most-cited physics paper in world.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff A paper written by Tulane University physics professor John Perdew and his then-postdoctoral associates, Kieron Burke and Matthias Ernzerhof, was the third most-cited physics paper in the world between Jan. 1, 1994, and April...

Osprey Line increases container-on-barge activity.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Regional ocean and inland water carrier Osprey Line has increased its container-on-barge activity between the Port of New Orleans and Baton Rouge by adding a second service per week between the two ports. Osprey's first...

Stewart Enterprises: Trading plan drove insider sales.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Stewart Enterprises Inc. describes the recent spate of potential insider trades as part of a prearranged group stock trading plan announced in June. As first reported July 20 in the CityBusiness Daily Update, a free...

Hotel revenue spike skips Crescent City.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff The U.S. hotel industry has emerged from its slump, according to a report by the Hospitality Research Group, an Atlanta-based research firm, which projects year-end revenues will top 2003. But New Orleans and other cities...

Metairie real-estate firm buys North Shore property.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Favrot & Shane Companies Inc., a Metairie company that owns apartment complexes in Louisiana and Mississippi, now has a presence on the North Shore after buying Country Gables apartments. Last week, Favrot & Shane bought...

Satchmo SummerFest organizers predict record attendance.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Producers of Satchmo SummerFest expect another spike in attendance at this year's event Aug. 4 through Aug 8. Last year, the free festival honoring Louis Armstrong drew 31,000 people, up from 21,000 in 2002 and 12,000 in...

Commentary: Louisiana's teen birth rate reveals scandalous neglect.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor The teen birth rate in Louisiana is more than a crying shame. It's a preventable outrage. The problem is enormously draining financially and emotionally. Each year, teenage pregnancies cost the national economy...

Commentary: Departing Maj. Gen. Livingston has solutions for N.O. problems.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Talk about a brain drain. One of the top intellectual and inspirational leaders in New Orleans is moving to Charleston, S.C., in the next few days to be nearer to his family. Retired Maj. Gen. James E....

National fishing tournament set to converge on Chalmette.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Redfish became famous thanks to a Louisiana chef so it seems only fitting that a tournament centered on catching the fish makes a stop in the state where it all started. Nearly 125 teams of sport fishermen and...

NY-based American Detection Technologies use dogs and technology to check cargo.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky No Carnival or Norwegian Cruise Lines cruise ship leaves the Port of New Orleans, or any other U.S. port for that matter, before Fido gives his approval. And if a team of former police officers and K-9 handlers are...

Major oil companies report record earnings while service company revenues decline.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Major oil companies have been reporting record earnings this month, with some increases topping 300 percent compared with last year. But the wealth is not flowing down to oilfield service companies. While...

Food and beverage sponsorships could assist school funding.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster Coca-Cola presents the New Orleans public school system. The real thing could be just around the corner. In exchange for exclusive vending rights and advertising opportunities, soda companies are paying...

New Orleans woman wins $25,000 courtesy of Coke and Harrah's.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans resident Mary McLendon won more than she bargained for when she opened a can of Coca-Cola last week. Instead of soda, the can contained a cell phone and instructions to call Coke headquarters in Atlanta. When...

Time features New Orleans governor as rising female Democrat.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff Time Magazine named Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco as one of four rising female stars in the Democratic party. The magazine credited her for being Louisiana's first woman governor and for her focus on economic revitalization....

Success of Blue Tomato warrants sister restaurant just a few miles aways.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff The Blue Tomato was ripe for a nearby addition, said restaurant owner Rick Smith, who opened The Blue Banana at 998 Jefferson Highway a month ago. Smith said high demand at the 4-year-old Blue Tomato, located at 4401...

New Orleans native wins $250,000 home in a raffle.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans native Dawn Marie Harvey bought a $100 raffle ticket and walked away with a newly-built $250,000 house. The grand prize was part of the first St. Jude Dream Home giveaway in New Orleans. For a cost of...

New Orleans husband and wife team successfully establish two real estate companies.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora Real estate developer Jim MacPhaille throws his two dogs, Pia and Posey, into the hatchback of his Ford truck and the three drive through the Uptown streets daily visiting projects in progress and renovations on the...

New Orleans real estate agents use infrared technology in home sale process.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora New Orleans real estate agents will soon be a laser beam away from showing homes and improving communication in the home sale process. The New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors has had an electronic...

Commentary: Voters have chance to do away with two inefficient tax practices.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary I don't know how many of our readers own or fix offshore drilling rigs, but I hope the number is substantial. In any case, both groups should be interested parties this fall. Based on a constitutional amendment...

Health care jobs touted as part of the cure for Louisiana's ailing economy.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Part of the cure for Louisiana's ailing jobs outlook can be found in the health care industry, according to several panelists at an Aug. 2 economic development forum in Hammond. The forum at Southeastern...

Owner of New Orleans Saints picks granddaughter as his newest partner.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Tom Benson has a new partner in the New Orleans Saints team ownership: his granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc. The Saints quietly announced the addition of Benson LeBlanc to the team's ownership in the National...

New Orleans motorists pay cheapest gas prices.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Chris Price New Orleanians paid the lowest gas prices in the country in July. But prices are expected to rise again by Labor Day as international terror concerns drove crude oil futures prices to record levels above $44 last week....

Delta's market share dips during 2004 New Orleans airport resurgence.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Flight patterns continue to carry increasing ridership at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. More than 2.5 million people boarded planes in New Orleans through June, an increase of 183,000 people or...

Women shatter glass ceiling by starting new businesses.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster Tired of unequal wages and in need of more flexible hours, women are starting their own businesses. From 1997 to 2004, the number of women-owned businesses in the United States grew at twice the rate of all...

New Orleans Marketing Briefs: August 9, 2004.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Two entrepreneurs have created a new digital marketing tool to reach high-end New Orleans tourists. "My Friend In... New Orleans" is an interactive CD containing 50 30-second commercials for upscale restaurants,...

Interview with Lynn Yeldell, co-owner of Louisiana Produces, a nonprofit trade organization.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller A new nonprofit wants to be the voice of Louisiana's film industry. Lynn Yeldell, working with George Brower, president of Tax Credit Capital LLC of New Orleans, has launched Louisiana Produces, a nonprofit trade...

Court issues permanent injunction against termination of New Orleans school superintendent.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff The U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana permanently enjoined the Orleans Parish School Board from terminating Superintendent Anthony Amato's contract under the unilateral termination provision in his contract,...

New Orleans mayor names new director of Mayor's Office of Economic Development.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff Mayor C. Ray Nagin named Don Hutchinson, former Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, as director of the Mayor's Office of Economic Development. Hutchinson said he will focus on enhancing the existing industrial...

Patrick Evans resigns as communications director for city of New Orleans.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff Patrick Evans resigned as communications director for the city of New Orleans to concentrate on his Naval Reserve career. Evans, a public affairs officer with the Naval Reserve, is attending the military's Defense Information...

New Orleans Chamber of Commerce holds open house in its new offices.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce held an open house at 1515 Poydras St. in its new offices. Mayor C. Ray Nagin declared Aug. 3, 2004, as New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Day. Alden McDonald, chairman of the Chamber...

West Jefferson Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield cease HMO negotiations.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff West Jefferson Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana have ceased HMO service contract negotiations after trying to settle a six-month dispute. West Jefferson terminated its contract with the Blue Cross health...

Louisiana Restaurant Assn. presents its 2004 Restaurateur of the Year awards.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff The Louisiana Restaurant Association gave its 2004 Restaurateur of the Year award to Susan Spicer and Regina Keever, owners of Bayona. Winners must be members of the LRA and successful leaders in Louisiana's restaurant...

Concert to honor members of the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Infantry Brigade.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu announced a concert to salute the 3,500 members of the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Infantry Brigade training in Fort Hood, Texas, before deployment to Iraq. "Louisiana Presents: The Salute Our...

Cox Enterprises to buy all outstanding publicly held shares of Cox Communications.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Staff Cox Enterprises Inc. of Atlanta announced a $7.9 billion proposal to buy all outstanding publicly held shares of Cox Communications Inc. in a bid to take the cable television provider private. Cox Enterprises already owns...

Commentary: Fat chance for students who have grown obese.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor The Louisiana Senate is trying to curb childhood obesity. Basically, the message being sent is: Back away from the buffet and mix in some salads and exercise. The problem is severe here. One of every three...

Le Grand Executif: Virgil Robinson Jr., president and CEO of Dryades Savings Bank.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Virgil Robinson Jr. is not a gambler in the Las Vegas sense of the word. He likes the shows, not the slots; the lights, not the loot. More than that he likes a day with his family, a day at home, where there are no...

Le Grand Executif: Gridiron great and former coach guides Robinson.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Virgil Robinson Jr. couldn't always bank on a career as a running back, but he carried lessons from the gridiron to the financial world. After a stellar high school career at L.B. Landry High School, Robinson...

Le Grand Executif: Family backs Robinson through career changes.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Alexis Robinson was never impressed with her husband's shiny football uniform and his fast moves on the field. "If you ever saw someone and said, 'There is no way I would ever be with that person,' that's the kind...

Workers wary of changes to overtime regulations.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster Controversial new overtime regulations go into effect next week, and both employers and employees are bracing for their impact. The U.S. Department of Labor claims the changes that become effective Aug. 23...

WTIX drops conservative talk show for syndicated shows.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Listeners to radio station WTIX-AM received a shock last Monday when instead of conservative talk show host Rob Hunter's regular show, the station ran a tape of an interview with former president Bill Clinton. "I did get...

Tulane-sponsored paint rally set to spruce up schools.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Four Orleans Parish public schools will be overtaken Oct. 2 by an army of volunteers with brushes and paint. For the past six years, Tulane University has sponsored an annual paint rally for New Orleans Public Schools....

New Orleans-area hotels help employees stock up on school supplies.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Local hotels launched the annual "Back to School" project with the distribution of more than 4,000 bundled packages of school supplies to hotel employees with school-aged children. The Greater New Orleans Hotel and...

New Orleans and La. bar associations represented by partners at Phillip Wittmann and Wayne Lee.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora For the first time in nearly 15 years, the New Orleans and Louisiana bar associations were represented by the same school of thought, so to speak. Phillip Wittmann and Wayne Lee, both partners at Stone Pigman...

Law firms devote more effort to keeping clients out of court.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora Car owners are often advised to change their oil every 3,000 miles and rotate tires every six months as forms of preventive maintenance to save thousands of dollars on future automobile costs. Computer owners are...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: Doing away with the penny would make better cents, save time.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary After some introspective self-analysis, I've determined that the most critical need I have in life is to live it quickly. I want to miss all the red lights, travel with a multi-use toll-pass card and never buy...

New Orleans-based Omni Bank expands presence with new branches, ATM network.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Omni Bank wants to be omnipresent. Today Omni Bank is opening a new branch in a historic building in Gretna. Last week, the bank opened a branch in LaPlace, and plans are in motion to open as many as four new...

Louisiana's tax incentives lure Los Angeles film company to New Orleans.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky In a validation of Louisiana's film industry tax incentive, a Los Angeles-based film production and distribution company is moving its headquarters from California to New Orleans. Isis Films founder Milena...

New Orleans Saints owner grooms granddaughter for team ownership.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky New Orleans Saints Owner Tom Benson says he has put his granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, in terrible jobs and terrible offices to test her desire to work in professional football, and every time she worked hard...

New board for New Orleans Regional Business Park beginning to take shape.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts The governor. The lieutenant governor. The Port of New Orleans. The Regional Planning Commission. Until now, it was unlikely those names would have been associated with the New Orleans Regional Business Park,...

Baton Rouge court may hear World Trade Center hotel case.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Litigation for the controversial World Trade Center hotel project has been bouncing around New Orleans courts for about six months. Next stop - East Baton Rouge Parish. Attention is shifting to East Baton Rouge...

Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold considers selling part of largest gold mine.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the majority owner of the world's largest gold mine, is considering selling a stake in the mine to Indonesian investors. Freeport owns 81.28 percent of the Grasberg mine directly and...

New Orleans group to sell naming rights to pay Einstein Charter School's rent.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff The organizers of the Einstein Charter School have a theory about how to win Orleans Parish School Board approval: If the group can sell naming rights to the school and use that money to cover building rent, perhaps the Board...

City of New Orleans launches online permit system.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Permitting and land management, as well as planning, licensing and enforcement activities will no longer rely on pen and paper. Last week, the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits launched a new Web-based software...

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra inks deal with Calif. talent agency.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is hitting the road big-time with a little help from a new friend. The orchestra announced a three-year booking deal with International Creative Management Artists, a subsidiary of Beverly...

New Orleans Chamber task forces to tackle health care, crime issues.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce has more than business on its mind. When the Chamber's board of directors officially opened the doors to its new offices the first week of August, board members said their...

Interview with Jim Sugarman, general manager of House of Blues in New Orleans.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Jim Sugarman took the helm of the House of Blues two weeks ago when former general manager Dan Smith left to start a new House of Blues in Cleveland. Sugarman moved to New Orleans in August 2002 from Colorado Springs,...

Louisiana law firm named to American Lawyers' Top 200 list for top gross revenue.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Adams & Reese was the only Louisiana firm to be named to American Lawyers magazine's Top 200 list for top gross revenue. The New Orleans firm ranked No. 196 in gross revenue at $85 million; No. 191 in revenue per lawyer at...

Tulane Univ. report says problem drinkers in rural areas likely to skip HIV treatments.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Tulane University researchers released a report that says problem drinkers who live in rural areas have a high probability of skipping their HIV treatment schedules. Tulane epidemiologists studied interviews of 273 patients...

Federal authorities investigate Pakistani immigrant found with videotapes of downtown bldgs.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Staff Federal authorities are investigating an illegal immigrant from Pakistan found with videotapes of downtown buildings and transit systems in five Southern cities, according to a New York Times report. The videos in the...