New Orleans CityBusiness articles from December 2008

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from December 2008

Documentary bookmaking project profiles overlooked sites that unite New Orleans neighborhoods.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen Every neighborhood has a story. What would happen if we made a habit of telling them? If you ask Bethany Rogers, author of the book Cornerstones: Documenting the Everyday Monuments and Gathering Places of New Orleans'...

N.O.-area first-time unemployment claims rise for third week.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The New Orleans area saw a third-straight increase in initial unemployment claims for the week ending Nov. 22 to 815 from 713. The area, comprised of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St....

Artist converts Katrina trailer into art.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Paul Villinksi's Emergency Response Studio will be open to the public through Dec. 14. The solar-powered, mobile artist's studio - made from a salvaged FEMA-style trailer - is set up outside the New...

NOPD: Bayou Classic crime down.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Crime at this year's Bayou Classic was down compared with last year, according to statistics released Monday from the New Orleans Police Department. There were 28 reported crimes in the downtown area...

New Orleans City Council calls for inspections before demolition.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff An independent structural engineer will have to inspect buildings slated for demolition in the city's historic core. The New Orleans City Council has approved a measure that requires any building within the...

N.O.-based Whitney Bank takes over Zoo-To-Do sponsorship.
December 1, 2008... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports Whitney Bank is the new title sponsor of the Audubon Zoo's Zoo-To-Do. The Zoo-To-Do raises more than $1 million a year for the nonprofit zoo, operated by Audubon Nature Institute. It has paid for...

Carlos Mencia to open N.O. restaurant.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff It's no joke. Carlos Mencia, a comedian whose show Mind of Mencia airs on cable channel Comedy Central, will open his new Latin restaurant downtown Friday. Suave Latino Bar & Grill is on the first floor of the...

Houma among best cities to find a job.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Houma, just miles away from the Gulf of Mexico, took a direct hit from Hurricane Gustav in late August, but its energy sector strength put the city among the U.S. Labor Department's best cities to find a job....

City Park in N.O. shuns Prospect 1 boats for safety's sake.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Argentinian artist Jorge Macchi had City Park's old paddleboats in mind when he created artsy versions that play music for the Prospect 1 exhibit on display throughout New Orleans. But his boats, which play...

Contractors in La. untie federal red tape.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Angelle Bergeron Even though Jane Tarleton's Metairie home has flooded five times since she bought it in 1974, she was reluctant to take advantage of a federally funded, parish-administered program to elevate. I knew the money was...

Violence, lack of resources thwart N.O. teachers.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Autumn C. Giusti To say our teachers are struggling would be an understatement. Last December was a very exciting time for my sister. She had just graduated college and landed her first job teaching at a New Orleans charter school....

Documentary bookmaking project profiles overlooked sites that unite neighborhoods in N.O.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen Every neighborhood has a story. What would happen if we made a habit of telling them? If you ask Bethany Rogers, author of the book Cornerstones: Documenting the Everyday Monuments and Gathering Places of New Orleans'...

Off the Clock: Q&A with Steve Dumez, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple design director in N.O.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Christian Moises Age: 50 Family: wife, Suzanne; children, Andre, 5, and Corinne, 2 Education: bachelor's degree in architecture, Louisiana State University; master's degree in architecture, Yale University Hometown: Houma Steve...

In Other Words: With higher occupancy rates, is a demand for new construction on the horizon?
December 1, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Nall L. Trimble Green, industrial specialist NAI/Latter & Blum Inc. Realtors With the exception of scattered build to suits for users with unique requirements, I see little, if any, new construction on the horizon....

Dec. 1-7.
December 1, 2008... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports Dec. 1 Pre-register for the Galatoire table auction for the popular Friday lunch before Christmas to benefit WRBH 88.3 FM, Radio for the Blind and Print Handicapped, and The Southern Food & Beverage...

Commentary: Let market forces dictate Big Three's fate.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Mark Singletary Economic theory is a circular affair. I recall a conversation from 1964 where I told some friends that I heard someone say, What's good for General Motors is good for the U.S. I really didn't know what it meant,...

Commentary: Possible candidates consider challenging Vitter in 2010.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Jeff Crouere The next big statewide race in Louisiana will be the 2010 U.S. Senate race. Because of his involvement in the D.C. Madam scandal, GOP incumbent David Vitter is considered vulnerable. Many leading Louisiana Democrats...

October home prices higher in St. Bernard, Orleans East Bank.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen The average price of a home on the East Bank of Orleans Parish remained higher in October than prices in the parish a year earlier, according to the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors. The area was the...

Commentary: Keep LSU-VA project moving -- stat.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The good news is that we finally have a site selected for the shared 70-acre campus for the Veterans Administration and Louisiana State University teaching hospitals. The bad news is that it took more than three...

Latino Labor: Mixed bag for N.O.'s Hispanic work force.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Richard A. Webster Few groups played as important a role in the recovery of New Orleans as the Hispanic work force that arrived in the city just weeks after Hurricane Katrina, hammers and sleeping bags in hand, eager to take...

Real estate experts in N.O. like Riverwalk's potential.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen Rust has begun to collect on the aging metal lattice of Riverwalk Marketplace's gangplank-style entrance, and the brown tiles that cover the downtown riverfront mall's interior appear to date back to the 1980s. Don't...

Local booksellers cautiously optimistic with arrival of chain bookstore Borders in N.O.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Emilie Bahr For months, the city's independent booksellers have been bracing -- and strategizing -- for the behemoth's arrival. Their planning began more than a year ago, when it became known that national book chain Borders would...

504ward: Damien LaManna, a young professional who wants to stay in N.O.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Greg LaRose Damien LaManna Age: 28 Hometown: Buffalo, N.Y. Education: bachelor's degree in political science and history, Canisius College; completing thesis for master's degree in political communications, George Washington...

Grants for Grads in La. targets brain drain.
December 1, 2008... Byline: Stephen Maloney While industry leaders are busy trying to recruit qualified workers, many college graduates are looking everywhere but Louisiana for job opportunities, creating a brain drain industry leaders say has hindered the...

Forum: Gulf Coast erosion threatens U.S. energy security.
December 1, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The threat of Gulf of Mexico coastal erosion to the nation's energy security will be the focus of a policy forum hosted by America's Energy Coast on Capitol Hill at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Industry leaders,...

Capital One backs playground build at Gentilly school in New Orleans.
December 2, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff More than 200 volunteers from Capital One Bank and the New Orleans community will join forces Saturday with the nonprofit KaBoom to build a new playground at Gentilly Terrace Elementary School. Capital One...

Grants for Grads targets Louisiana 'brain drain'.
December 2, 2008... Byline: Stephen Maloney While industry leaders are busy trying to recruit qualified workers, many college graduates are looking everywhere but Louisiana for job opportunities, creating a brain drain industry leaders say has hindered the...

New Orleans Internet-based tax sale ends today.
December 2, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Today is the last day to buy properties via the city's Internet-based tax sale. The sale, being held at www.neworleanstaxsale.com, ends at 8 p.m. A list of all properties for sale is on the Web site....

Tulane professors: Unconventional thinking needed in New Orleans.
December 2, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Two professors with Tulane University say the No. 1 priority for Louisiana should be to combat global warming and accelerated rise in sea levels. In "Sustaining costal urban ecosystems," published in the...

ReadSoft doubles North American HQ space in Metairie.
December 2, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff ReadSoft Inc. has moved its corporate headquarters into a new suite in Lakeway III to double its office space. The document process automation software company moved its main office into a 20,000-square-foot...

University of New Orleans professors deep into whale research.
December 2, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff University of New Orleans physics professors George and Juliette Ioup are leading a team of researchers who are working to identify the sounds of individual clicking whales amid the clutter of other clicking...

N.O. council shoots down proposed property tax increase.
December 2, 2008... Byline: Jaime Guillet New Orleans City Council members decisively voted against increasing property taxes in 2009, just one of the body's primary budget mandates in direct philosophical conflict with Mayor C. Ray Nagin's proposed 2009...

Britney Spears to open 'Circus' tour in New Orleans.
December 2, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Kentwood native Britney Spears has picked New Orleans to kickoff her first concert tour in five years. She will perform March 3 at the 18,500-seat New Orleans Arena, the first of 27 stops on her North American...

Jefferson Parish president backs sales tax increase for police pay.
December 2, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard says he backs a one-quarter cent increase in sales taxes to, among other things, up the pay of police and district attorney employees. The proposal could come before...

Louisiana ranks worst in state health rankings.
December 3, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Louisiana has reclaimed its status as the least healthiest state in the country, according to the 2008 America's Health Rankings released today by United Health Foundation. Last year, Louisiana ranked 49th. This...

Omni Bank chooses Mandeville for largest branch.
December 3, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Omni Bank today said it opened a branch at 810 N. Causeway Blvd. in Mandeville, the largest of the bank's 16 locations in the region. Chenevert Architects designed the two-story, 10,000-square-foot building....

Report: St. Tammany economy not encouraging but better than nation's.
December 3, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Economic trends in St. Tammany Parish are less than encouraging but still in a better state than the national economy, according to third-quarter 2008 data released by the St. Tammany Parish Economic Development...

Seats available for CityBusiness Best Places to Work event in N.O.
December 3, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Seats are now available for the sixth annual CityBusiness Best Places to Work program honoring the city's 50 top employers. Honorees include 35 large and 15 small businesses and will be recognized at a noon Dec....

Hotel Maison De Ville in N.O. closes, up for sale.
December 3, 2008... Byline: Deon Roberts The Hotel Maison De Ville in the French Quarter is for sale to anyone with $4.1 million. The property, owned by Hertz Investment Group, of Santa Monica, Calif., closed Saturday, said Crystal Berry, the Re/Max...

Blue Plate plant gets OK from N.O. City Council for apartments.
December 3, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen The City Council has approved a plan to convert the iconic former Blue Plate mayonnaise plant in Gert Town into apartments. The approval given Monday allows developer JCH Development to convert the South Jefferson...

O'Dell to speak at Louisiana Technology Council seminar.
December 3, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Gen. Doug O'Dell, the federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding, will be the keynote speaker at an upcoming Louisiana Technology Council seminar. The half-day seminar, "Business Continuity: Planning Your...

Real estate experts like Riverwalk's potential in N.O.
December 3, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen Rust has begun to collect on the aging metal lattice of Riverwalk Marketplace's gangplank-style entrance, and the brown tiles that cover the downtown riverfront mall's interior appear to date back to the 1980s. Don't...

N.O. Saints to offer online layway to season ticketholders.
December 3, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff New Orleans Saints fans strapped for cash to pay for their season tickets in one lump sum will be able to pay in installments via the Internet. The Saints will be the first professional sports franchise to offer...

Rash of shoplifting has been plaguing campus bookstores at Loyola and the University of N.O.
December 4, 2008... Byline: Katie Urbaszewski News Intern Loyola University recently WHEN shut down its basement bookstore, allowing only clerks to go down and brings books up. This is to prevent theft - but not from students. A rash of shoplifting has...

Commentary: Violence, lack of resources thwart N.O. teachers.
December 4, 2008... Byline: Autumn C. Giusti To say our teachers are struggling would be an understatement. Last December was a very exciting time for my sister. She had just graduated college and landed her first job teaching at a New Orleans charter school....

Program aims to build affordable, energy-efficient housing in N.O.
December 4, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Entergy New Orleans and the Louisiana Housing and Community Development Corp. are launching a program to build affordable, energy-efficient housing for low-income New Orleanians. Another goal of the...

Loyola, U of New Orleans bookstores plagued by thefts.
December 4, 2008... Byline: Katie Urbaszewski Since mid-October, Loyola University has closed its basement bookstore, allowing only clerks to go down and brings books up. This is to prevent theft - but not from students. A rash of shoplifting has been...

Fourth citywide master plan forum planned for N.O.
December 4, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The fourth of five citywide forums to develop a master plan and revised comprehensive zoning ordinance for Orleans Parish has been scheduled. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at...

Katrina-damaged streets to be repaired in N.O.
December 4, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is planning a meeting to inform the public about three upcoming street repair projects for New Orleans. DOTD's South Louisiana Submerged Roads...

Postal Service return to N.O. airport adds FedEx flights.
December 4, 2008... Byline: Jaime Guillet The U.S. Postal Service's decision to return mail operations -relocated to Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport after Hurricane Katrina - to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport will mean additional FedEx...

LSU, Our Lady of the Lake exploring partnership.
December 4, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The LSU Health System and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center said they are exploring a possible partnership aimed at supporting graduate medical education and improving access to care in the...

Borders celebrates opening of New Orleans store.
December 5, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Borders today through Sunday celebrates the grand opening of its new concept store in a building that once served as a funeral home at the intersection of St. Charles and Louisiana avenues. The...

Seats available for annual CityBusiness Best Places to Work event.
December 5, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Seats are now available for the sixth annual CityBusiness Best Places to Work program honoring the city's 50 top employers. Honorees include 35 large and 15 small businesses and will be recognized at a...

Mixed bag for N.O.'s Hispanic work force.
December 5, 2008... Byline: Richard A. Webster Few groups played as important a role in the recovery of New Orleans as the Hispanic work force that arrived in the city just weeks after Hurricane Katrina, hammers and sleeping bags in hand, eager to take...

Jefferson Parish Council chairman wants to explore tax alternatives.
December 5, 2008... Byline: Greg LaRose Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard wants to raise sales taxes a quarter-cent for police salaries, but the chairman of the Parish Council feels other sources should be explored before putting the burden on...

City of New Orleans enacts freeze plan.
December 5, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Citing forecasts that the temperature in the city will drop to 38 degrees Fahrenheit or lower in the next 24 hours, the city is enacting its freeze plan to provide temporary shelter for homeless residents....

Covington company wins $32M final Harvey Canal contract.
December 9, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports A Covington company has won a $32 million Army Corps of Engineers contract for the Harvey Canal floodwall project. It's the final contract that will be awarded for the project, the Corps said....

New Orleans Museum of Art opens new, permanent gallery.
December 9, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports A new, permanent gallery opens this week at the New Orleans Museum of Art featuring the work of Peter Carl Faberge and other Russian masters. The gallery, on the second floor mezzanine, features works...

Retiring New Orleans Redevelopment Authority chief stayed until 'everything was in place'.
December 9, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen Newly resigned New Orleans Redevelopment Authority chief Joe Williams expects to see the long-awaited transfer of Road Home buyout properties begin before he steps down from his post Dec. 31. I wanted to stay around...

Truck stop, casino plans rile Algiers residents.
December 9, 2008... Byline: Deon Roberts Residents are up in arms about plans to build an 18-wheeler truck stop featuring video poker machines in Algiers. John Moore, vice president of the Park Timbers Homeowners Association, says he and other opponents plan...

N.O. graphic artists to weigh in on Katrina recovery.
December 9, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The New Orleans chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts will hold its first design summit in New Orleans next week to discuss how the design community can contribute to the rebuilding of New...

Public accounting firm Postlethwaite & Netterville acquires divisions of N.O. firm.
December 9, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Public accounting firm Postlethwaite & Netterville said it has acquired the audit and tax divisions of New Orleans-based Legier & Materne. Legier & Materne is based at 1100 Poydras St. The acquisition...

Protests continue over Mid-City choice for VA, LSU hospitals.
December 9, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Those opposed to the choice of Mid-City as the site where a medical center will be built will hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the shuttered Charity Hospital, 1532 Tulane Ave. The Committee...

Entergy New Orleans customers to receive lower bills this month.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Entergy New Orleans said its customers should see electricity bills fall nearly 10 percent this month thanks to the lower cost of natural gas. A lower fuel adjustment charge is the reason bills will be lower, the...

'Imagination Movers' to return for 2nd season at Nims Center Studios in Elmwood.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The Disney Channel has renewed the "Imagination Movers" children's program for a second season. The show is filmed in the Nims Center Studios in Elmwood. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, said the television show...

Seats available for N.O. CityBusiness Best Places to Work event.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Seats are now available for the sixth annual CityBusiness Best Places to Work program honoring the city's 50 top employers. Honorees include 35 large and 15 small businesses and will be recognized at a noon Dec....

Bywater playground in N.O. to get new recreational space for children.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The playground at Bywater's Mickey Markey Park is getting an upgrade. Volunteers will gather at 8 a.m. Dec. 20 to build a new recreational space for children at the Piety Street park whose playground suffered...

N.O. chefs to face off in cooking competition.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Two New Orleans chefs will test their culinary mettle during an Iron Chef-style competition Sunday. Chef Justin Devillier, executive chef at La Petite Grocery, will compete against chef Brian Landry, executive...

Commentary: Budget cut talk just a 'peep'.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff By today, we will know how Mayor C. Ray Nagin chose to attack the $1.16 billion municipal budget the City Council approved for 2009. It's a spending plan he says puts the city on the path of a financial train...

Economic strains could limit United Way for the Greater N.O. Area contributions.
December 10, 2008... Byline: Stephen Maloney The United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area has collected more than half of this year's fundraising goal, but the flagging economy may make it much harder to raise money for the next five years. Amid fears that...

Health center for uninsured workers to open on Canal Street in N.O.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff New Orleans Faith Health Alliance today said it has chosen the First Grace United Methodist Church on Canal Street as the site for its future health center for uninsured workers. The nonprofit plans to open the...

N.O. Minerals Management Service names new district manager.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The New Orleans District of the Minerals Management Service has a new manager for field operations. David Trocquet, drilling engineer for the New Orleans district, has been with the MMS since January 1988, when...

Corps faces 'challenges' in completing St. Bernard protection.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The Army Corps of Engineers said it is facing "challenges" in trying to finish hurricane protection for St. Bernard Parish. There are a number of engineering and technical challenges involved in completing the...

Office Depot closures skip N.O. stores.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The five Office Depot stores in the metro New Orleans area will remain open despite the national chain's decision to closed 112 underperforming retail stores nationwide. The office products and services store...

Tulane-Lakeside Hospital in N.O. celebrates birth of 100,000th baby.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff A 7-pound, 2-ounce boy made history as the 100,000th baby born at Tulane-Lakeside Hospital. Albert Gooden IV was born at 4:52 p.m. Tuesday. His parents are Shanika Anderson and Albert Gooden III. The hospital...

FEMA closing N.O. disaster recovery center.
December 10, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will close its disaster recovery center in New Orleans Friday. Until the center closes, it will operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Orleans Parish main library...

Snow leads to state government offices shuttering in Louisiana.
December 11, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports As snow falling in parts of Louisiana today, state government offices are closed in 47 parishes, Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis said. The parishes with closed state government...

Corps cancels St. Bernard public meeting.
December 11, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Army Corps of Engineers has canceled a public meeting that was scheduled for tonight in St. Bernard Parish, because of inclement weather. The meeting, which was to be held at Lynn Oaks School in...

Southern University at New Orleans closes because of weather.
December 11, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Southern University at New Orleans closed at 11 a.m. today for the remainder of the day, because of ice on the campus grounds, university officials said. Final exams scheduled for after 11 a.m. today will...

Our Lady of Holy Cross College to close at 4 p.m. due to inclement weather.
December 11, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Our Lady of Holy Cross College said it will close at 4 p.m. today because of weather. All exams scheduled after 2:00 p.m. today will be postponed until the same time Monday. Questions should be directed...

N.O.-area roadways reopen.
December 11, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Snow created complications for New Orleans-area drivers today, as roadways were shut down because of icy conditions. But some roadways were reopened later in the day. The Belle Chasse bridge reopened at 11...

$411M in N.O. recovery budget.
December 11, 2008... Byline: Jaime Guillet The New Orleans City Council passed a pivotal recovery budget Dec. 1 that will launch major projects, with actual construction beginning no later than end of 2009. The council voted 7-0 to pass a $309.1-million...

Brechtel Park in Algiers to make comeback.
December 12, 2008... Byline: Ariella Cohen Brechtel Park in Algiers is in the throes of a behind-the-scenes makeover that will have it looking better and greener than ever before by May of 2010. The park, at 4401 Lennox Blvd., not far from the Park Timbers...

Thibodaux-based Rouses Supermarkets kicks off yearlong food drive.
December 12, 2008... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Rouses Supermarkets has begun a yearlong drive for nonperishable food to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. We wanted to do something to help people in our area year-round, said Donald Rouse, managing...