New Orleans CityBusiness articles from December 2007

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from December 2007

Argus king crowned at Court of Two Sisters in New Orleans.
December 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Argus 2008 Bruce Degler, owner of the second-largest trucking company in California, will bring 150 guest to celebrate his day as king of one of Metairie's premier parades. The Orange County king is the...

No new applications will be taken for The Road Home.
December 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report If you haven't applied by now, it's too late. Applicants to The Road Home program had until Saturday to schedule their initial appointments. All appointments must be completed by Dec. 15. The Road Home...

Gov.-Elect Bobby Jindal stacks committees with Baton Rouge residents.
December 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Gov.-Elect Bobby Jindal on Friday named the Economic Growth Transition Advisory Council's Workforce, Natural Resources and Environment Groups. Jindal's choices were heavily stacked with Baton Rouge...

Commentary: Racial outrage misses mark.
December 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff With scores of young African-Americans being gunned down annually in the New Orleans metro area, and Jefferson Parish Highway Department supervisors hanging a noose in a work station along with a dartboard...

Commentary: Leadership issues face N.O. Council's female majority.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Mark Singletary The New Orleans City Council now has an overwhelming feminine majority. With Jackie Clarkson's rejoining the City Council after winning the Nov. 17 at-large special election, there are five women and two men...

New Orleans Inspector General Cerasoli forges ahead with full funding.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet Now that the New Orleans City Council has promised to fully fund his new office, Inspector General Robert Cerasoli is racing to ramp up his operations. The City Council promised Tuesday to provide Cerasoli's complete...

La. senator kills Gulf Coast Recovery Act in committee, despite overwhelming support.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Richard A. Webster The Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act guarantees the redevelopment of the New Orleans public housing projects into mixed income communities and the return of thousands of working class families to the city,...

Commentary: Racial outrage misses mark.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Editorial With scores of young African-Americans being gunned down annually in the New Orleans metro area, and Jefferson Parish Highway Department supervisors hanging a noose in a work station along with a...

Look Who's Talking: Craig Berthelot, president of Homebuilders Association of Greater New Orleans.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Christian Moises Age: 45 Education: Jefferson Parish Vocational and Technical School Family: wife, Jennifer; and children Joseph, 6, Bailey, 5, and Gracie, 1 Hometown: Metairie Craig Berthelot worked with wood even as a little...

Commentary: 'Popeye' Cerasoli is ready to squeeze N.O. crooks.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Terry O'Connor "I am what I am," a humble Robert Cerasoli told more than 300 people in attendance Tuesday at Loyola University in his first public address as a fully funded public official. What he is now is the man with the most...

Debtor prison: Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff's Office needs more money to care for prisoners.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet The Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff's Office will lose $15.9 million in 2008 by maintaining fewer cells at Orleans Parish Prison and earning less revenue. Sheriff Marlin Gusman said the city must soon increase the...

New Orleans-area animal shelters fetch new digs.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Richard A. Webster There is a silver lining in even the worst disasters, said Damian Anti, division supervisor for the Slidell Office of Animal Control. In two years Slidell will open a new $3-million animal shelter after its old...

Why Stay? Man who sells medals of saints returns because of others who have endured much worse.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Richard A. Webster Rob Clemenz, 48, thought he was done with New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina wiped out his Lakeview home. Clemenz sells medals of saints imported from France and Italy, which he hand paints for his Web site...

What others say.
December 3, 2007... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports 'Future of levee projects rests, literally, on clay,' USA Today, Nov. 21 The project to rebuild this region's critical levee system is in need of some good old Louisiana clay. But a clay shortage --...

Waiting lists for child psychologists in New Orleans area add damage to fragile child care.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney Mental health professionals say long waiting lists for child psychologists in the New Orleans area are compounding problems for troubled teens. A delay of two to three weeks can be disastrous for an adolescent in...

Commentary: Reveillon menus provide fine dining at reasonable prices.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Tom Fitzmorris The Reveillon, an ancient Yuletide feasting tradition brought by the French when they founded New Orleans, was an unlikely candidate for revival when it was suggested in the 1980s, but it has nevertheless become an...

Louisiana's Road Home nears solvency.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Road Home program is closer to solvency now than ever since it began paying homeowners up to $150,000 apiece 15 months ago. The projected shortfall based on 162,000 eligible applicants receiving the...

Dillard University downsizes with recovery funds in limbo.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney Dillard University faced an uphill battle after Hurricane Katrina wiped out its Gentilly campus. Using help from as far away as Rhode Island meant the 77-year-old historically black university could survive. Three...

Program salvages historic homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports As New Orleans rebuilds from Hurricane Katrina, historic homes with severe damage have become candidates for demolition. Rather than throw away valuable components of the homes -- such as windows, doors...

Rand report: Revitalize N.O. economy.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Rand Gulf States Policy Institute has provided guidelines for the economic recovery of New Orleans following the 2005 hurricanes. Its study, "An Economic Development Architecture for New Orleans,"...

On the block: Kenner expert says New Orleans-area residential real estate market is "tough".
December 3, 2007... Byline: Deon Roberts "Tough" is how David Gilmore, a Kenner real estate expert, sums up the New Orleans-area residential real estate market. According to the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors, it took a lot longer to sell a...

Horizon Initiative forum in New Orleans focuses on energy sector.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports A lunch forum focused on strengthening the oil and gas industry will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Hotel InterContinental, 444 St. Charles Ave. The Horizon Initiative event is the...

New Orleans Real Estate Briefs: December 3, 2007.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Lease and contract agreements for redevelopment of the World Trade Center should be complete on or before Feb. 1, said Sean Cummings, executive director of the New Orleans Building Corp. NOBC acts as...

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans generates $719.4M after reopening.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, closed for most of 2006 to undergo renovations after Hurricane Katrina, generated $56.8 million in tax revenue and a $719.4-million statewide economic impact since...

Tulane University selling modular building on craigslist.org.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Tulane University has turned to craigslist.org, an online classified and forums Web site with listings from 450 cities worldwide, to sell a modular structure used during renovations to its student center...

Most state lawmakers back Blueprint Louisiana agenda.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report More than 80 percent of incoming state senators and nearly 70 percent of state representatives have agreed to support the five-part plan of Blueprint Louisiana, a group established in 2006 to improve...

DA, Nagin earn low marks on New Orleans CityBusiness Question of the Week.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The offices of Mayor C. Ray Nagin and the district attorney have been the least effective among other city offices since Hurricane Katrina, according to the results of CityBusiness' online Question of the...

New Orleans-area Bocage Plantation auction features history.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The contents of Bocage Plantation, an antebellum mansion built in 1801 on River Road, will be auctioned at 1 p.m. Saturday at the property. A preview of the collection will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m....

Coast Guard ends search for missing cruise ship passenger.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Coast Guard said it has ended the search for a 77-year-old passenger who reportedly went missing Saturday from a cruise ship that had made a stop in New Orleans. Carnival Cruise Lines reported that the...

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport passengers rebound to highest level since Katrina.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport's passenger levels continued gaining altitude in October, bringing LANOIA's number of passengers to their highest since Hurricane Katrina. Total inbound...

Jefferson Parish buses to begin using biodiesel this month.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Jefferson Transit buses will begin running on biodiesel in mid-December, Jefferson Parish officials said Monday. The switch is scheduled to be complete by early January. Biodiesel, derived from plant oils...

Ochsner Medical Center opens Kenner clinic.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Health care has expanded in Kenner with today's opening of Ochsner Clinic at Ochsner Medical Center, 200 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 210. "The opening of the clinic reflects Ochsner's continued commitment to...

Auctions can help crack tough N .O. real estate market.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Deon Roberts "Tough" is how David Gilmore, a Kenner real estate expert, sums up the New Orleans-area residential real estate market. According to the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors, it took a lot longer to sell a...

Minerals Management Service accepts $287M in Gulf of Mexico lease bids.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Minerals Management Service said it has accepted high bids valued at $287 million and awarded 274 leases to bidders who participated in western Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale 204 held Aug. 22....

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation brings back holiday bazaar.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation will present its second annual holiday bazaar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 15 at 1205 N. Rampart St. On sale at the event will be collectible items from the vaults...

Contemporary architecture to be showcased in N.O. festival.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A free, eight-day festival featuring architecture, art and music will be held throughout the city in 19 locations from Friday to Dec. 14. The American Institute of Architects and the W Hotel are scheduled...

Minerals Management Service names supervisor for Gulf field operations.
December 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Minerals Management Service has named a new regional supervisor for field operations for the Gulf of Mexico region. Joe Gordon, who began his career with MMS in 1988, will oversee a staff of 170...

Company goes to La. Supreme Court in N.O. garbage contract case.
December 4, 2007... Byline: Deon Roberts A competitor suing the city over a contract awarded to SDT Waste & Debris Services has taken his case to the Louisiana Supreme Court. SDT handles residential garbage collection for the French Quarter and Central...

Louisiana Speaks documentary wins Emmy.
December 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A documentary used in a campaign to encourage the public to participate in long-term planning for Louisiana has won an Emmy. The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences...

New Orleans businesses asked to sponsor streetcar art.
December 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Young Leadership Council is looking for businesses to sponsor fiberglass replicas of streetcars in a project that will raise funds for a public project for New Orleans. In the art project, "A Streetcar...

SBA releases disaster-planning guide for small businesses.
December 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The U.S. Small Business Administration and Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. Tuesday launched a disaster planning guide for small-business owners. SBA said the 10-page guide provides...

New Orleans Inspector General Robert Cerasoli forges ahead with full funding.
December 4, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet Now that the New Orleans City Council has promised to fully fund his new office, Inspector General Robert Cerasoli is racing to ramp up his operations. On Tuesday, the City Council promised to provide Cerasoli's...

Kenner seeks donations for Thanksgiving fire victims.
December 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report In an effort to aid the 28 Kenner families displaced from their homes Thanksgiving Night by a fire that swept through an apartment complex, city officials are asking the community to help with donations of...

Louisiana's citrus industry blooming post-Katrina.
December 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Two years after the worst hurricane season in Louisiana history, the citrus industry is showing resilience. According to Louisiana State University AgCenter county agents in the two main citrus-growing...

Brad Pitt's plans for N.O. involve more than houses.
December 4, 2007... Byline: Ariella Cohen Brad Pitt could soon expand his construction enterprise in New Orleans to include nonresidential development, the actor indicated Monday during a kickoff of his Lower Ninth Ward home-building project. "We are...

Slidell receives $1.7M to acquire 22 properties.
December 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The city of Slidell will acquire 22 flood-prone properties and convert them into green space, the Louisiana Recovery Authority said. The properties are on the National Flood Insurance Program's list of...

New Orleans-based Tidewater to replace aging fleet.
December 5, 2007... Byline: Emilie Bahr Tidewater plans to spend between $300 and $500 million annually for the next several years to replenish its aging fleet of energy service vessels. Tidewater's effort to transition from its fleet of more than 400...

Shaw Group misses SEC's annual report deadline.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Shaw Group Inc. reports it was unable to meet a Tuesday deadline to file it annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission According to a statement from the company, its financial statements...

Tour De Lis bike ride in New Orleans to return for second year.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The second annual Tour De Lis bike ride, designed to raise funds for cancer survivors, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon April 12. The nine-mile route is a loop that begins and ends at Landry's Seafood...

Seats still available for New Orleans CityBusiness' Best Places to Work luncheon.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Seats are still available for CityBusiness' 2007 Best Places to Work event to be held at noon Dec. 14 at the downtown Sheraton. The event will recognize 35 large companies and 15 small companies deemed...

Orleans Parish School Board rolls back property tax rates.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Orleans Parish School Board has rolled back, or reduced, property tax rates for 2008 in the wake of new property assessments that in many cases resulted in higher property valuations. The millage...

Pittsburgh community college hires Delgado Chancellor Johnson.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Delgado Community College Chancellor Alex Johnson has been named president of the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh. CCAC has four campuses and six centers, which enroll nearly 70,000...

CityBusiness to honor top 50 N.O.-area businesses.(Company rankings)
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Time is running out to attend the 2007 Best Places to Work event at noon Dec. 14 at the downtown Sheraton. But tickets are still available. CityBusiness will list the top 35 large companies and 15 small...

Dillard University downsizes with recovery funds in limbo.
December 5, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney Dillard University faced an uphill battle after Hurricane Katrina wiped out its Gentilly campus. Using help from as far away as Rhode Island meant the 77-year-old historically black university could survive. Three...

New Orleans-based Galatoire's seat auction raises $40,000-plus.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Galatoire's Restaurant raised $40,200 Monday during its annual seat auction for the Friday lunch before Christmas. All proceeds benefit The Louisiana Children's Museum's mental health outreach program,...

Olivier resigns as top Louisiana economic development official.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Michael Olivier is stepping down as economic development director for Louisiana "for an opportunity in the private sector." His resignation is effective Jan. 14, 2008. The date is the same day Gov.-elect...

Louisiana citrus crop grows juicier in Plaquemines Parish.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Two years after the worst hurricane season in Louisiana history, the citrus industry is showing resilience. According to LSU AgCenter county agents in the two main citrus-growing areas of the state, the...

Guaranty Savings Bank expands to West Bank of Jefferson Parish.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Guaranty Savings Bank is opening a branch on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish on Manhattan Boulevard in Harvey. The bank has placed a temporary facility on the location it owns at 1800 Manhattan Blvd....

Ochsner Health System in New Orleans delivers quads, triplets in unprecedented day.
December 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Ochsner Health System welcomed a first to the hospital last week --two multibirth deliveries within 24 hours. Doctors delivered quadruplets -- one set of identical twins and one set of fraternal twins --...

New Orleans Hornets get in the holiday spirit with charitable events.
December 6, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans Hornets are gearing up for the team's annual Season of Giving initiative, which features weeks of charitable events and donations leading up to a special holiday game. For the...

Louisiana leads nation in percentage of nationally certified teachers.
December 6, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report The ranks of National Board Certified teachers in Louisiana schools is growing. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards said 181 Louisiana teachers from 42 school districts...

New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps seeks public comment on levee-building material.
December 6, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a public meeting on its plans to use "borrow material" from the New Orleans area to build levees in the metro area. The...

Louisiana is 7th in U.S. for share of mineral royalties.
December 6, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report Thirty-four states earned more than $1.9 billion during fiscal 2007 as part of their share of federal revenues collected by the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service....

CityBusiness Leadership in Law nomination deadline is Jan. 4.
December 6, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report The Jan. 4 deadline to submit nominations for CityBusiness' 2008 Leadership in Law program is less than a month away. Honorees will be recognized at a luncheon at noon March 18 at the Sheraton...

Entergy New Orleans customers could see lower bills this month.
December 6, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report Entergy New Orleans said its customers will pay less for electricity this month, thanks to a roughly 12 percent reduction in the fuel adjustment fee. A customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of...

New Orleans fiddler Amanda Shaw to release debut album in January.
December 6, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans musician Amanda Shaw, a 16-year-old fiddler, will release her debut album, "Pretty Runs," with Burlington, Mass.-based Rounder Records Jan. 8. Shaw recorded the album at Piety...

Sen. David Vitter blocks plan to rebuild New Orleans projects.
December 6, 2007... Byline: Richard A. Webster The Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act guarantees the redevelopment of the New Orleans public housing projects into mixed-income communities and the return of thousands of working-class families to the city,...

Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission elects its 2008 board of commissioners.
December 7, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report The Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission has in place its 2008 board of commissioners. Serving as board officers for 2008 are Chairman Ray Seamon, Vice Chairman...

Loyola University New Orleans campus expect 20 tons of snow.
December 7, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report The campus of Loyola University New Orleans will be transformed into a winter wonderland with 20 tons of snow scheduled to be delivered tonight. Starting at 7:30 p.m., the university's students...

Louisiana Department of Education releases average salary calculations for teachers.
December 7, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report Louisiana public school teachers earn $36,493 on average in their first year while 30-year teachers earn $47,030, the Louisiana Department of Education said in releasing new salary calculations....

City of New Orleans installs high-tech devices to monitor streetlights.
December 7, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report The city Thursday launched a pilot program to install on streelights new devices that turn the lights on and off and alert the city when the lights break or burn out. At an initial cost of...

State of Louisiana trains businesses to tap into $10B in tax incentives.
December 7, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report Louisiana Economic Development has launched a statewide program to help state businesses gain a share of $10 billion in cash incentives through two federal programs. YourTaxClaim.com offers...

Construction to begin on New Orleans' Ninth Ward apartments for seniors.
December 7, 2007... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report A five-story Upper Ninth Ward building damaged in Hurricane Katrina is slated to be repaired and reopen as apartments for senior citizens. Ground will be broken at 10 a.m. Friday on Annunciation...

U.S. attorney unveils crime-fighting plan for N.O.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report U.S. Attorney Jim Letten will unveil a new crime-fighting strategy, Street Smarts NOLA, that involves educating middle and high school students about crime. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Rose and Abram...

N.O. Center for the Creative Arts throws 'Home for the Holidays' fundraiser to help aspiring artists.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report "Home for the Holidays," a fundraiser to benefit the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts' Daniel Price Memorial Fund for Aspiring Artists, will be held Dec. 23 at the House of Blues, 225 Decatur St. A...

Commentary: Time to make recovery happen.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Donald E. Powell, the president's top official for Gulf Coast rebuilding, spoke well of citizen leadership in post-Katrina New Orleans at the National Press Club recently. The Gulf Coast recovery guru is right in...

Playground to be built in one day in N.O.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A new playground will be built in one day at the Church of the Annunciation, in a project involving volunteers from the church, the New Orleans Hornets, Broadmoor Improvement Association and the nonprofit...

Covington-based Smoothie King giving away smoothies in food drive.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Smoothie King is giving away 20-ounce smoothies to people who donate five nonperishable canned goods to any participating Smoothie King throughout the country Saturday. The Covington-based company said the...

Disney ice tour will be first post-K event at Lakefront Arena.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report At 7 p.m. May 2, Disney's "High School Musical: The Ice Tour" will be the first event inside the University of New Orleans' Lakefront Arena since Hurricane Katrina damaged the facility more than two years...

Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore to speak in N.O. on crisis leadership.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who came to the Gulf Coast to coordinate military relief efforts immediately following Hurricane Katrina, will speak at a New Orleans meeting of Southern colleges and schools....

8 new public charter schools approved for N.O.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Thursday approved eight new public charter schools to open in New Orleans for the 2008-09 school year. The schools: - Advocacy for the Arts and...

Gov. Blanco: Road Home fully funded.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Updated budget estimates show the state's Road Home program is fully funded, which means Louisiana will not have to ask Congress for more Road Home funding, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said Friday. "At...

Louisiana government watchdog shapes Jindal policy.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a government watchdog, said Friday that its research is helping shape Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal's policies on government finance, ethics and health care....

Tulane students lead effort to rebuild housekeeper's home.
December 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A Tulane University student group is trying to raise funds to help rebuild the Hurricane Katrina-damaged home of a 60-year-old university housekeeper, according to the university's Web site. Margarita...