New Orleans CityBusiness articles from August 2005

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from August 2005

N.O.-based Omni Bank to restore former Maison Blanche department store icon, Mr. Bingle, by holidays.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Omni Bank is collecting money to restore a New Orleans Christmas icon this holiday season. Mr. Bingle, a snowman-like Christmas character once displayed outside the former Maison Blanche...

Business newspapers reach younger audience.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The cliche that only men in suits read business newspapers is no longer accurate, according to a survey by Houston-based Media Audit Report. In the 87 metro markets surveyed by The Media Audit, 58...

Famed Huxtable painting comes to New Orleans.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Fans of "The Cosby Show" will recall the painting of a Haitian funeral procession hanging over the Huxtable living room mantel. African-American artist Ellis Wilson's best-known painting, "Funeral...

Formerly free information now comes at a premium.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Free information on nonprofits is not as easy to access as it once was. As of June 1, the nonprofit database GuideStar began charging for most information on its Web site, said Suzanne Coffman,...

When it comes to smoking, there are no ifs, ands or butts for.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster The employee smoker's lounge is a thing of the past. Tobacco lovers, say hello to the parking garage. Effective Aug. 1, all West Jefferson Medical Center employees and guests who wish to enjoy a Benson &...

Louisiana Medical Briefs: August 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Tulane University and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are working together to cure infectious diseases that endanger astronauts and their missions. Dr. Cheryl Nickerson, an associate...

Workday workouts pump up employee morale, production.
August 1, 2005... Byline: April Capochino For Allan Smith, working out during lunch isn't just about the exercise - it's about the feeling he gets when he's done. "The alternative to not working out during lunch is going out to eat and that just induces...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: Hey fellas, skip the lost balls and move it along.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary It was a bad weekend for speed golf and Ben Crane is the reason. Ben Crane is a very good golfer and from all reports a decent man, but he sets a bad example for weekend golfers. He did it by winning and having...

High vacancies in the health-care industry in the New Orleans area.
August 1, 2005... Byline: April Capochino In 1992, Ecoee Rooney graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a communications degree. But it wasn't until she went back to nursing school four years later that she began her career. She chose Delgado...

Rising prices for steel, gas drive up costs of construction in N.O.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Last year, Jefferson Parish put out to bid a street and drainage job parish engineers expected to cost $2.4 million. Parish officials were shocked when the lowest bidder, Barriere Construction Co. LLC of New...

New tattoo shops on the rise in New Orleans.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster When Ron Fox and Stacy Depaola decided to close their New York tattoo shop, move to New Orleans and open Art Angels Visual Assault on Magazine Street, they had no idea they were entering a highly competitive...

Inflation stifles Convention Center work in New Orleans.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Use aluminum instead of steel. Change the roof. Raise the building by a foot. These are some of the cost-cutting ideas the panel in charge of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is considering as it...

Orleans Parish struggles to assign classrooms.
August 1, 2005... Byline: April Capochino With about two weeks left before students return to New Orleans Public Schools Aug. 18, teachers should be decorating classrooms, tweaking lesson plans and gathering materials needed for the school year. But...

Commentary: Editor's Notes: Unsung Nagin looks unbeatable early in 2006 re-election race.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor Mayor C. Ray Nagin is no Superman but he does appear to be bulletproof. How else to explain the fact he so far has only two lightweight challengers to his next term with money-raising time growing short before...

Newest eatery in N.O. hits Magazine Street.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The developers of the Broken Egg Cafe in Mandeville and Whole Foods Market on Magazine Street in New Orleans have teamed on a new dining venture - Jesse's Cafe. Mark Dixon, owner of the Broken Egg...

Shipwreck attraction drops anchor Aug. 27 in New Orleans.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc., a deep-ocean shipwreck exploration company based in Tampa, Fla., will open its newest attraction, Odyssey's Shipwreck & Treasure Adventure, in New Orleans Aug. 27. ...

Standardized test scores improve for N.O. schools.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Standardized test scores, including the LEAP, GEE and Iowa, were released last week for the nearly 1,400 public schools in Louisiana, with a majority of New Orleans Public Schools showing improvement....

$10M Asian center opens in Algiers.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff A new $10 million, 120,000-square-foot Asian shopping center opened July 21 in Algiers. Hong Kong Plaza, 925 Behrman Highway, includes the Hong Kong Food Market, three restaurants, Bubbles Tea...

Architect team eyes Crescent City.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The American Institute of Architects Center for Communities by Design selected New Orleans as one of two cities to participate in its 2005 Sustainable Design Assessment Team community assistance...

Space Shuttle Discovery's returns to space.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Space Shuttle Discovery's Tuesday launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida marked NASA's return to flight for the first time since the 2003 Columbia disaster. The shuttle lifted off on schedule at...

N.O. Mayor C. Ray Nagin names new chief administrative officer.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Mayor C. Ray Nagin named Brenda Garibaldi Hatfield his new chief administrative officer effective Aug. 1. Hatfield, 61, now executive assistant to the mayor for intergovernmental affairs, replaces...

Orleans Parish School Board approves a $420M budget.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Orleans Parish School Board approved a $420 million budget but officials from Alvarez & Marsal, the firm charged with overhauling the New Orleans Public Schools' finances, say it is still a work in...

Louisiana's labor force breaks all-time high.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Louisiana's labor force is approaching 2 million and broke an all-time high in June at 1,998,607, according to the Louisiana Department of Labor. Nonfarm jobs increased 1,500 from May up to...

First Bank and Trust in N.O. searching for new president.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff First Bank and Trust is searching for a new president after Ashton Ryan resigned to pursue other business opportunities. Ryan led FBT for six years and was previously chief executive of First...

N.O.-based Whitney Bank expands into Florida.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Whitney Bank continued its expansion into Florida with its acquisition of First National Bank of Bradenton. The deal for FNB's eight locations will boost Whitney's Sunshine State presence to 33...

N.O.-based Entergy's method of calculating gas rates shortchanges public says energy watchdog group.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Alliance for Affordable Energy, a nonprofit energy watchdog group, says . The Alliance claims Entergy failed to inform the public of its Formula Rate Plan, which includes changing customer...

Mortgage Bankers Association refinancing applications on decline.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a decline in refinancing applications and a steady flow of purchase applications. Refinancing made up 42.9 percent of mortgage applications compared with 45.7...

Tulane University Health Sciences Center in N.O. receives grant to study lung disease.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The National Institutes of Health granted $800,000 to the Tulane University Health Sciences Center to lead a regional effort to investigate a lung disease that claims almost as many lives as breast...

United Way of St. Charles hires new executive director.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Denise Brodsky will join the United Way of St. Charles as its new executive director Sept. 1. Brodsky replaces executive director, George Williamson who is retiring after eight years.

Interview with Bill Roberti: Chief Restructuring Officer for N.Y.-based Alvarez & Marsal.
August 1, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Employees from Alvarez & Marsal began trying nearly three weeks ago to straighten out the New Orleans Public Schools finances and there's no end in sight to the task. Chief Restructuring Officer Bill Roberti has...

Orleans Parish public schools enter most critical semester.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor This is one of the most critically important periods in the history of New Orleans Public Schools. Students will arrive at Orleans Parish public schools in a mere 17 days and it's hard not to worry about how far...

Tree codes in Old Metairie leave builders, homebuyers out on a limb.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Trees in Old Metairie are creating headaches for some homebuilders. The root of the pain lies in a February 2004 Jefferson Parish ordinance that added protection for trees on private property in one of the priciest...

New Orleans schools invest $50,000 in superintendent search.
August 1, 2005... Byline: April Capochino The New Orleans Public Schools superintendent search committee hopes to have a search firm in place by Sept. 26 and a superintendent hired by the end of January 2006. The 35-member committee of Orleans Parish...

Noncompete deals save pride, data for companies.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Tommy Santora Bill Mack, president of First Communications Co., a telephone and computer system installation and maintenance firm in Kenner, estimates he's spent $35,000 the past 15 years guarding his customer base. The expense...

N.O. Mayor Nagin touts city's legislative successes.
August 1, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Passing tax incentives for the recording industry along with brownfield and video game development made the spring legislative session "one of the most successful ones that we've had," New Orleans...

Film exec: Soundstages won't saturate N.O.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff New Orleans is building a $20 million movie studio and soundstage complex. Construction is expected to begin in December or early 2006. New Orleans film executive Charlie French, a partner in the...

Tulane Univ. advises new STD approach.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The best way to combat sexually transmitted diseases is to give men medicine to take directly to their partners, according to an all-male Tulane University study. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control...

Jefferson Parish councilwoman will push for tree law changes.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Old Metairie tree preservation rules could soon change to make it easier for homeowners to obtain construction permits. Jefferson Parish Councilwoman Jennifer Sneed wants to exempt homeowners who...

Hibernia Corp. approves takeover by Capital One.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Hibernia Corp. shareholders voted to approve Capital One's $5.3 billion takeover of the bank holding company. The McLean, Va., credit card company will acquire Hibernia in a stock and cash...

Fair Grounds Race Course in N.O. contributes $14.8M in net revenues to Churchill Downs.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans contributed $14.8 million in net revenues to parent company Churchill Downs Inc. over the last quarter but it wasn't enough to offset a 12.6 percent drop in CDI...

N.C.-based The Fresh Market to open first Louisiana store.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Greensboro, N.C., grocery chain The Fresh Market, plans to open its first Louisiana store Aug. 17 in the North Lake Shopping Center, 1816 N. Causeway Blvd. in Mandeville. The store, which sells...

Pacific Gulf Marine wins part of $2B contract.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Pacific Gulf Marine Inc. in Gretna won part of a nearly $2 billion contract to manage 10 Department of Transportation ships supplying U.S. military forces. The DOT's Maritime Administration says...

Louis Armstrong N.O. International Airport sees drop in ridership.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Ridership slowed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in June with 418,912 departing passengers this year compared with 422,242 last year at the same time. Year-to-date totals show 5...

Northrop Grumman welder dies of heart attack.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff William Fields, a 45-year-old Northrop Grumman Ship Systems welder, died of an apparent heart attack while working in a ship's unit at the Avondale operations. Northrop Grumman environmental,...

Commentary: Tough guys sometimes break under pressure of real life.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary Every year about this time, I think about Blue McDonald. Whatever success I become in business or other stuff, it's because of the lessons I learned, not from, but through Blue. Blue was a tough guy. Back then...

Special-effects expert coming to New Orleans to shoot feature-length film.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Greg Aronowitz, a special-effects master who has worked on four movies with Steven Spielberg, has come to New Orleans to shoot "Lubu," his first feature-length film. Unlike big-budget movies that have flocked...

Commitment of volunteers saves millions for New Orleans charities.
August 8, 2005... Byline: April Capochino For nearly an hour each week, Lee Bridges volunteers at Gert Town Community Center, where he teaches aerobic exercises to a group of senior citizens. Bridges, a sales manager at Premier Nissan who makes a...

Officials give Capdau Middle School test high marks.
August 8, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Since the University of New Orleans took over Pierre A. Capdau Middle School a year ago, the school increased its eighth-grade LEAP scores by an average of 14 points - catapulting it from one of the state's...

After 287 years, Orleans Parish may soon have a master plan.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts When Stephen Villavaso was a graduate student at the University of New Orleans in 1974, his urban studies professor, Ralph Thayer, gave the class what seemed to be a piece-of-cake assignment: Bring a copy of the city's...

Louisiana companies measuring impact of new energy policies.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky When President Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law, Louisiana companies and universities can expect to be among the biggest beneficiaries. Along with a variety of tax incentives for oil and gas...

$7M cancer center to open in N.O.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The American Cancer Society of the Greater New Orleans area will open a $7 million cancer treatment facility in January with free services for cancer patients and their families. One of only 22...

Italian energy firm joins liquified natural gas project near Lake Charles.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy, has signed a 20-year agreement to provide Eni SpA of Rome with approximately 40 percent of the capacity of Sempra LNG's Cameron liquefied...

Parents, teachers feel pinch from back-to-school expenses.
August 8, 2005... Byline: April Capochino When Patricia Smith was a secretary at Paul B. Habans Elementary School in New Orleans, the state supplied students and teachers with paper and pencils. She remembers bundles of paper stacked against the walls in...

Financial firm sets up hotline to answer questions about N.O. schools' finances.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Alvarez & Marsal, the New York firm overhauling the New Orleans Public Schools' finances, set up a toll-free hotline for questions or comments about the school district. The number is (866) 803-4667....

Interview with Wade Ragas, director of U of N.O. Real Estate Market Data Center.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts In New Orleans, the name Wade Ragas is synonymous with real estate research. As director of the University of New Orleans Real Estate Market Data Center since 1981, Ragas publishes widely read real estate reports...

Sales of $1M-plus homes increasing in New Orleans area.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Carol and Harold "Skipper" York bought more than just a new home in Old Metairie when they purchased 125 Mulberry Drive in January for $1.75 million. They also bought the right to say they own the most expensive...

New Orleans radio station embattled after losing stars, ratings in one year.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts WWL-AM, the leading radio station in New Orleans for decades, is struggling to deal with a combination of changing market conditions and a stretch of bad luck that trimmed its ratings considerably in the past 18...

Killer bees in Caddo Parish are stinging discovery.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The latest buzz from northwest Louisiana is that Africanized honeybees, or "killer bees," have been found near Shreveport, according to Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner...

N.O. artist's work given national play.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. is now home to the work of New Orleans portrait artist Christopher Juge. Juge donated a life-size portrait of Lincoln to...

Shell introduces dirty car race.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Don't wash your dirty car just yet. Shell is searching the New Orleans-area for the grimiest car in town. As part of the Shell "Clean to the Extreme" contest, the motorist with the grungiest car will...

Rep. DeLay riles Democrats with energy meddling.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, made a major concession when he dropped his demand that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 include a provision shielding the makers of gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether...

New Orleans Construction Briefs: August 8, 2005.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts A national company converting the leaky, asbestos-riddled Plaza Tower into condos is setting up permanent offices in the city with plans to do more projects here. "I would say within the next few years, I would...

Commentary: Astronaut bravery comes through on every American space mission.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor While the nation holds its collective breath watching our space program teeter on the brink of another disaster, it is comforting to know true heroes are running the rescue operation. How difficult it must be to...

St. Bernard officials plan to showcase culture.
August 8, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff St. Bernard officials have a plan to showcase "cultcha" in "da parish." Parish officials want to create an arts community between the old parish courthouse and the nearby Ducros/Islenos Museum...

Tulane looks for way to increase season ticket sales and eliminate sports deficit.
August 15, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose It will be almost 30 years to the day that Tulane University's football team started playing games in the Louisiana Superdome when its 2005 home schedule kicks off with a Sept. 17 date against Mississippi State. ...

$300M sale of Apogen Technology of New Orleans creates a complex new business.
August 15, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor The $300 million sale of Apogen Technology of New Orleans - Louisiana's largest information technology company - to foreign-owned Qinetiq creates a complex new business better able to land and service U.S. defense...

Teachers turn to fund-raising to fix crumbling New Orleans' schools.
August 15, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Three days remain before New Orleans Public Schools start, ending a summer marked by school closings, the threat of teacher layoffs and a grim probe into dire financial circumstances. But NOPS principals and...

LA officials lobby BRAC commissioners in effort to save Naval Support Activity base.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff With time running out to save the Naval Support Activity base from being shut down, state officials want to speak with six base closure commissioners who have not heard their arguments yet. The...

Congress approves $2.2M to fix Louisiana's Kerner Bridge.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Kerner Bridge, which takes 15 minutes to swing open and close at Bayou Barataria, has delayed Lafitte and Barataria residents for about 55 years. But Congress approved $2.2 million in federal...

Cingular Wireless spends $144M in Louisiana.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Cingular Wireless is adding 64 new cellular towers and investing $144 million to expand its network in Louisiana this year. Cingular Wireless, the former BellSouth Mobility, is spending $6.2...

New Orleans enrollment increases markedly for University of Phoenix.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The University of Phoenix is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a 187 percent enrollment increase at its New Orleans campus. In 1995, eight graduate students enrolled. This year, more than...

Hibernia shareholders approve Capital One's $5.3B takeover of the bank holding company.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Hibernia Corp. shareholders voted to approve Capital One's $5.3 billion takeover of the bank holding company. The McLean, Va., credit card company will acquire Hibernia in a stock and cash...

Churchill Downs Inc.'s earnings down 12.6% for the second quarter.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans contributed $14.8 in net revenues to parent company Churchill Downs Inc. over the last quarter but it wasn't enough to offset a 12.6 percent drop in CDI net...

Greensboro, N.C., grocery chain The Fresh Market to open its first Louisiana store.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Greensboro, N.C., grocery chain The Fresh Market, plans to open its first Louisiana store Aug. 17 in the North Lake Shopping Center, 1816 N. Causeway Blvd. in Mandeville. The store, which sells...

Pacific Gulf Marine in Gretna to help manage 10 ships supplying U.S. military forces.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Pacific Gulf Marine Inc. in Gretna won part of a nearly $2 billion contract to manage 10 Department of Transportation ships supplying U.S. military forces. The DOT's Maritime Administration says...

Northrop Grumman Ship Systems welder dies of heart attack while working at Avondale operations.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff William Fields, a 45-year-old Northrop Grumman Ship Systems welder, died of an apparent heart attack while working in a ship's unit at the Avondale operations. Northrop Grumman environmental,...

NY firm overhauling the New Orleans Public Schools' finances sets up toll-free hotline.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Alvarez & Marsal, the New York firm overhauling the New Orleans Public Schools' finances, set up a toll-free hotline for questions or comments about the school district. The number is (866) 803-4667....

'The Black and White Blues' could become first New Orleans musical production to perform in NYC.
August 15, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster The long-running New Orleans musical, "The Black and White Blues," could become the first Crescent City production to perform in New York in more than 25 years. But show producers first must raise $280,000 in...

Stuff magazine ranks Turbodog as No. 1 beer in America.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The staff at Stuff magazine, a monthly geared toward young adult males, ranked the top 80 American-brewed beers in its August issue. It's No. 1 choice: Turbodog from the Abita Brewing Co. in Abita...

LA Army National Guard lawyers help convict Iraqi terrorists who commit crimes against US soldiers.
August 15, 2005... Byline: Tommy Santora In the last 18 months, Maj. Rico Alvendia has helped put more than 370 criminals behind bars with an 80 percent conviction rate. He calls it the biggest accomplishment of his legal career because these aren't...

New Orleans' City Park's $115M renovation plan receives funds from private and government sources.
August 15, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts City Park's massive $115 million master plan is opening wallets. Since adopting a plan in March to rehabilitate the park by 2018, the park has raised $8.3 million, including $1.3 million from private donors and $7...

Outdoor workers in New Orleans battle blistering heat.
August 15, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Carl Conforto sat atop a New Orleans house in the hellish heat of July laying flat roof with a blowtorch. He had been there for several hours, crouched over the flame that cooked him from below while the furnace...

Expansion bids on Louisiana's Huey P. Long Bridge are delayed.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Construction jobs on the long-awaited $308 million Huey P. Long Bridge expansion won't go out to bid until later this year after a review process wraps up Aug. 20. Project leaders first want to hear...

$9.5M fed grant funds stem cell research at Tulane Center for Gene Therapy.
August 15, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Tulane Center for Gene Therapy received a $9.5 million grant to study the use of adult stem cells for lung diseases. The five-year grant, awarded by the National Institutes of Health, will...