New Orleans CityBusiness articles from January 2002

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from January 2002

Hospital & HMO in dispute over late claim payments.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Chris Bonura The decisions of people like Marjorie Calato, a 74-year-old Folsom resident, will determine the victor in a spat between St. Tammany Parish Hospital and Ochsner Health Plan. The hospital decided a month ago that it...

Grammy Hall of Fame almost a done deal.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff The city of New Orleans will chip in $5 million over the next 10 years to help fund construction of an $81 million Grammy Exposition and Hall of Fame on Convention Center Boulevard. Late last week, the New Orleans City...

La. requires professional athletes living out of state to pay taxes on in-state earnings.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff A new law taking effect this month requires professional athletes who live outside Louisiana to pay income taxes to the state when they compete here. Late last year, the Legislature created the Sports Facility Assistance...

Louisiana collects millions through tax amnesty program.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff Louisiana's Department of Revenue collected more than $150 million through its tax amnesty program, which gave delinquent taxpayers 60 days this fall to pay up and avoid penalties, interest or prosecution. The department...

New Orleans forum participants want new mayor to help music industry.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff The next mayor must help significantly improve the business climate and working conditions for local musicians, say organizers of the Mayoral Candidates' Forum on Music and Economic Development. The forum, sponsored by...

Blood Center of Southeast Louisiana still needs blood donors.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff Shortly after Christmas, the Blood Center of Southeast Louisiana got 100 pints of blood imported from a sister organization in another state. That infusion helped, but it still left the Blood Center with only about 40% of the...

Louisiana's roads ranked fifth in nation among states with worst roads.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff Louisiana ranked fifth in the nation among states with the worst roads, according to a report by The Road Information Program. The Washington, D.C., road safety group found that 27% of the state's roadways are in poor...

U.S. Social Security Administration's offices to move to Tulane Ave.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff The U.S. Social Security Administration's offices on North Carrollton Avenue in Mid-City will move this summer to Tulane Avenue, on the site of a former movie theater and reception hall. Construction has begun on the...

New year brings new look to CityBusiness.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff With this issue of CityBusiness we are happy to introduce some improvements aimed at expanding our coverage and making the newspaper more reader friendly than it has ever been before. Our goal is to deliver more of what our...

Burkenroad fund seeks to grow with area companies.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty Theres more riding on the academic performance of some Tulane University business students than their grades. Now the quality of their work could determine profit or loss for some stock market investors. The...

St. Thomas/Wal-Mart panel puts stamp of approval on tax plan.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Stephen Stuart Historic Restoration Inc. won a small victory last week for its controversial plans to leverage sales taxes from a proposed Wal-Mart Super Center to turn the St. Thomas housing project into mixed-income housing. ...

New law gives foreign airport workers their walking papers.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton Not a U.S. citizen? Then dont bother applying for a job as a luggage screener at your local airport. Beginning next month, when the U.S. Department of Transportation takes over private security service contracts...

LA Public Service Comm. scrutinizes power buys.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Keith Brannon State regulators are preparing to turn up the heat on utilities to make sure they get bulk power at the cheapest available price. The Louisiana Public Service Commission wants to take control over the way...

Excess of holiday goodies sends guilty droves to fitness clubs.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Keith Brannon If your New Years resolution is to join a gym this year, get ready to wait in line before you start sweating away on the treadmill. Fitness centers across town are doing brisk business as people pledge to be more...

Metairie funeral co. thrives after restructuring.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Chris Bonura Despite a series of accounting changes that have complicated Stewart Enterprises earnings statements, the markets have rewarded the Metairie funeral and cemetery company over the last year. Its stock went from an...

Mentally disabled getting better jobs, more money.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty A business that expands into such disparate service sectors as catering, landscaping and building maintenance might be called a conglomerate. At the Arc of Greater New Orleans, this kind of expansion is called client...

Suspension of 30 year Treasury Bond leaves void.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Megan Kamerick It has been the benchmark for nearly 25 years the standard against which the financial markets measured most investments and a bellwether of interest rates. But now the 30-year Treasury Bond is taking a hiatus....

Briefs: Area homeless org. receives $4.1M grant+.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty Unity for the Homeless, an umbrella group for the area's homeless service providers, received $4.1 million in December through federal grants authorized by Sens. John Breaux and Mary Landrieu. Unity will distribute the...

Commentary: City prepares to host Super Bowl, Mardi Gras.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff Two of the biggest events regularly hosted in New Orleans now lie less than a month away. It's a good time to feel particularly thankful for some of the city's greatest assets, those being a genuine flair for hospitality and...

Banking fees are rising, but free checking can still be found.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Kaija Wilkinson Checking account fees are on the rise, but with a little effort customers can minimize fees or even pay nothing, say industry experts. Thats because financial institutions are offering more options than ever, and...

Technology development plan hits funding, volunteer obstacles.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Keith Brannon The group writing a 20-year plan to grow and attract high-tech companies in New Orleans has pushed back the reports release by three months. The plan wont be ready until March. City economic development task force...

Interview with Kristina Ford, N.O. Bldg. Corp.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Stephen Stuart Former executive director of New Orleans City Planning Commission (1993-2000). Now directs New Orleans Building Corp., which will oversee conversion of the city-owned World Trade Center to a hotel and the...

Commentary: State must get financial resources in order.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Kathy Finn With just a few months remaining before the governor calls the Legislature into an expected special session focused on economic development, there's still no word on exactly what the governor has planned. At press time a...

Commentary: New Orleans' adaptability will dictate its economy.
January 7, 2002... Byline: D. Singletary The collapse of the New Orleans Saints this football season lends itself to comparative analysis with the nation's economy and how things might go in the near future. The baseline for the analysis would be the...

Briefs: Gentilly Shopping Center to be renovated+.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Staff Gentilly shopping center to get facelift Gentilly Woods Shopping Center on Chef Menteur Highway will get extensive renovations and a new anchor tenant under the plans its new owner announced last week. Thor Equities...

Turn up the heat: It's cheaper this winter.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Keith Brannon Consumers are getting a break from at least one symptom of a slower economy: Its a lot cheaper to stay warm. Consumer heating costs are as much as 61% lower than a year ago in New Orleans because of falling...

Local doctors oppose city's tax collection tactics.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Chris Bonura Doctors who practice in New Orleans are grumbling that the city is using strong-arm tactics to wrest uncollected taxes from them. The doctors see a push by the city to have doctors audit their records for unpaid taxes...

Marigny neighborhood's quiet character is changing.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton Since moving to the Faubourg Marigny in 1999, Melissa Hodgson says she rarely crosses Canal Street anymore. With a house on Chartres Street just four doors from her office, and a grocery store, pharmacy and...

Marigny neighborhood would benefit from streetcar.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton Tim Magee, manager of a Whitney National Bank branch on St. Claude Avenue, says the extension of the streetcar line down St. Claude Avenue in several years could be a major boon for the neglected commercial strip....

Police pressured to make Marigny neighborhood safe.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton As the Faubourg Marigny has blossomed, the New Orleans Police Department has felt increasing pressure to step up protection in the area. A few years ago, Marigny was divided into two policing districts. The tiny, but...

Sports foundation CEO explains its role in sports.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty President, chief executive officer of Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. Executive director of Super Bowl XXXVI Host Committee First general manager of New Orleans Zephyrs minor league baseball team,...

Support grows for investment in biotech research.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Staff Survival. Its the prime mover behind the development of human thought, the construction of societies and technological progress. The survival instinct is basic and pervasive; it will always be there. Sounds like a good...

Mayor's push to privatize sewer, water questioned.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Kathy Finn The mayor of New Orleans appears to have dug in hard on the matter of privatization of the citys sewerage and water operations. Repeatedly in public settings, including recent meetings of the Sewerage & Water Board,...

Oil cos. move further offshore to search for oil.
January 14, 2002... Byline: Kaija Wilkinson Encouraged by big finds in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, oil companies are searching for more oil nearby in water depths that are growing ever deeper. The number of rigs operating in the gulf has fallen, but...

Author accused of plagiarism should apologize.
January 14, 2002... Byline: D. Singletary Stephen Ambrose has distinguished himself with an incredible ability to communicate history and the astounding success he has had in developing the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. Now Ambrose is under attack...

Focus/Small firms team up with giants, offer more to clients.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Kaija Wilkinson One of Michael Smiths clients a small manufacturing firm recently changed its corporate structure, moving it into a new tax reporting category. The shift called for a business valuation, one that could stand up to...

Briefs: Harvey Press sold back to local owners+.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Harvey Press back in local hands Harvey Press LLC, a commercial printer that had earlier been acquired by a larger company, is once again locally owned after its managers bought it on Jan. 16. Harvey Press parent...

New Orleans mayoral candidates declare support for business.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff In some respects, business already appears to be a winner in the race to determine who will be the next mayor of New Orleans. No city race in recent memory has elicited so many declarations of support for business initiatives...

Mayoral candidate interviews: Jim Singleton.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Age: 68 Residence: Broadmoor Family: Married, two children, two grandchildren Education: Graduated from Southern University, Baton Rouge Professional: Taught mathematics for 12 years at Orleans Parish Public...

Mayoral candidate interviews: Ray Nagin.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Age: 45 Residence: Bayou St. John Family: Married, three children. Education: Graduate of O. Perry Walker High School; Bachelor of Science degree from Tuskegee University, 1978; Master of Business Administration...

Mayoral candidate interviews: Emile Labat III.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Age: 45 Residence: Seventh Ward Family: Married, six children Education: St. Augustine High School; attended McNeese State University; Associate of Science degree, Delgado Community College (1980) ...

Mayoral candidate interviews: Paulette Irons.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Age: 48 Residence: Gentilly Family: Married, two children Education: Booker T. Washington Sr. High School (1971); Loyola University, business administration (1975); Tulane Law School, juris doctor (1991) ...

Mayoral candidate interviews: Troy Carter.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Age: 48 Residence: Algiers Family: Married , two children Education: Graduate of O. Perry Walker High School; bachelors degree in political science from Xavier University Political: District C councilman...

Govt. officials want crackdown on payday loans.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty Payday loan operations arent shy about advertising their business. Many use neon signs, catchy names and bold-face declarations of cash on demand to promote their high-priced, short-term loans to consumers. But lately,...

Groups clean up city for upcoming events.(Calendar)
January 21, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty Its been monsoon season for garbage lately and like many downtown businesses Pat OBriens is in overdrive trying to keep up with it. The bars load of roughly a dozen 70-gallon bags of trash after a normal Saturday...

Fuel cell tech stirs little interest in LA.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Stephen Stuart Louisiana has mustered only limited research and development activity for fast-emerging fuel cell technology, despite being a major supplier of the natural gas that could power many fuel cells. The technology,...

Malpractice insurer's exit could squeeze health providers.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Chris Bonura With Louisianas second largest medical malpractice insurer leaving the market, some doctors and hospitals are bracing for a major increase in insurance premiums. At the end of the year, the St. Paul Cos. of...

Land use expert says zoning laws don't harmonize with city.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton New Orleans newly revised zoning laws fit this historic city like round pegs in square holes, says national land use expert Daniel Mandelker. Mandelker, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis,...

Real estate lenders staying away from hotel projects.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Stephen Stuart New Orleans economy has weathered much of the national recession, but real estate lenders still prefer stable investments such as apartments and industrial warehouses over higher-risk hotels. Real estate finance...

French Quarter will get cleanup service demo.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton French Quarter residents waking up to find their sidewalks littered with beer bottles or their stoops sullied with something worse may get some help. Early next month, a new hotline will be available to them to...

Connections still the name of the game for young Realtors.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Stephen Stuart The competitive world of residential and commercial real estate, where customers demand performance and pay for experience, makes it tough for novices to seek out and close their first deals. The lucky few can land...

Nonprofit Briefs January 21, 2002.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty The Entergy Charitable Foundation has set a Feb. 1 deadline for grant applications for the first of three funding cycles it plans for 2002. The foundation, which was established last year by New Orleans-based Entergy...

Associated Branch Pilots president discusses rates, industry.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff President of the Associated Branch Pilots Lorino, 51, heads the group of 47 mariners who steer ships from the Gulf of Mexico through the first stage of the journey up the Mississippi River. The Branch Pilots, who are...

New Orleans may soon host a pro basketball team.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff In the end, we may find that New Orleans remarriage into the National Basketball Association family came from the quietest suitor of all. In the past, the city was wooed by flamboyant declarations of commitment and affection...

Mayoral candidate interviews: Richard Pennington.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Age: 55 Residence: Algiers Family: Married, two children Education: Bachelors degree in criminal justice from American University, 1976; graduated from the FBI National Academy, 1978; masters degree in...

Briefs: Kajun Kettle Foods acquires baking plant+.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Staff Kajun Kettle takes dough boys space Kajun Kettle Foods Inc., which makes the popular Jazz Fest dish Crawfish Monica, has quadrupled its size by acquiring Minneapolis-based Pillsbury Co.s Elmwood baking plant for about $2...

LA ArtWorks building will showcase local art scene.
January 21, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty When the Louisiana ArtWorks building is completed next year, its broad picture windows will bring in more than sunlight. A massive renovation of the 92-year-old Bradford Building, which will house the labors and works...

Commentary: When will economic turnaround occur?
January 21, 2002... Byline: D. Singletary Our companys fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31. What this means is that we are in the midst of finalizing our forecasts and budgets for the upcoming year. The questions Im asked most often from our...

Businesses unite in effort to attract NBA team.
January 27, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty Suddenly, New Orleans has a lot of Charlotte Hornets fans. By the middle of last week, roughly 7,000 people had called a hotline to request information about season tickets for hoped-for New Orleans Hornets games next...

Briefs: Jazzland Theme Park may be sold+.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Staff Jazzland mum on possible sale by Alfa Officials with the company that owns Jazzland Theme Park last week refused to confirm or deny rumors that they are in talks with an entity interested in acquiring one or all of the...

Super Bowl entertainment to have patriotic theme.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton A grieving nation is not the best audience for a big, overblown TV event. At least, thats what the planners of Super Bowl XXXVI were thinking just after the September attacks. The original idea was that the Super...

Will owners' bankruptcy lead to sale of the Ritz?
January 28, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton Owners of the year-old Ritz-Carlton New Orleans hotel say that the bankruptcy petition they filed early this month has nothing to do with the health of the five-star hotel. They characterize the filing as a way to...

Chamber of Commerce names leaders, bestows honors.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Staff Leadership at the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce changed hands last week at the business groups annual meeting. The chamber also presented awards for business leadership to six individuals and one company. ...

Industrial district seeks continued tax support.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Stephen Stuart Mayoral and City Council races dominate the Feb. 2 ballot, but Orleans Parish voters will also decide on a little-known millage renewal for eastern New Orleans industry. Only property owners in the New Orleans...

Briefs: Political ad spending is down for year+.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Keith Brannon If you dont believe candidates gripes about how hard it is to raise campaign money this election, just ask local television stations. Local TV advertising reps were counting on a hotly contested New Orleans mayors...

Film aims to set local R & B sailing into mainstream.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Brett Clanton The Buena Vista Social Club records did it for Cuban music. The O, Brother Where Art, Thou? soundtrack did it for bluegrass. Now, a Baton Rouge businessman hopes the Deacon John Jump Blues Project will turn the...

'Clean' zones shield Super Bowl fans from commercial pitches.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty Chef Emeril Lagasse endorses snack dips made from Kraft Foods Inc. products for Super Bowl parties; Reebok International Inc. sells limited edition Super Bowl XXXVI sneakers; and Southern Comfort Co. encourages football...

Briefs: Nonprofit group issues election guide+.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Staff Election road map The crowd of candidates running for New Orleans mayor and other public offices this election season means a beefed up volume of the League of Women Voters perennial election guide. The nonprofit group...

Kmart, Service Merchandise fall under Wal-Mart steamroller.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Stephen Stuart Last weeks liquidation of Service Merchandise stores has underscored todays competitive pressure on mid-size retail chains. Several mid-size or regional chains have been caught in recent years between discount...

HMOs are healthier on the whole, but some are still hurting.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Chris Bonura Taken as a whole, the health maintenance organizations that offer health insurance in New Orleans lost about $4 million in the first nine months of 2001. While some of the insurers still must straighten out their...

Commentary: The race for mayor: sizing up the front-runners.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Kathy Finn The 2002 mayoral race has focused what may be unprecedented attention on the need to elect a mayor who can grow business in New Orleans. Theres a strong feeling that we lag far behind in economic development and that...

Council attorneys call watchdog group's complaints unfair.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Keith Brannon The law firm that advises the New Orleans City Council on utility issues says its regulatory work for the city is legal, despite complaints by a local consumer watchdog group. Attorney Clint Vince says the council...

They're in the money: Banks raked it in during latest quarter.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Ian McNulty One thing seems absent from year-end and fourth-quarter balance sheets of banking companies: the recession. Publicly held banks based in or operating in the New Orleans area reported financial results earlier this...

Trenchless pipe repair cuts down on disruptive digging.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Chris Bonura As the city of New Orleans undertakes a massive federal mandate to rebuild its crumbling sewer lines, construction firms have developed ways to fix leaky water mains without digging them up. In the construction...

Sport Utility Vehicles continue to outsell cars.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Kaija Wilkinson A glance around at any intersection proves that Americas love affair with the sport utility vehicle is far from over. Several SUVs, along with big trucks, remained the best-sellers nationwide in 2001. Trucks a...

Commentary: Leadership is objective for Chamber of Commerce.
January 28, 2002... Byline: D. Singletary Mike Bush was installed last week as the chairman of the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce at the organizations annual meeting. Bush is the president and chief executive of Mississippi River Bank in Plaquemines...

Local biz community unites in support of sports.
January 28, 2002... Byline: Staff In basketball and football, commentators constantly chirp about the importance of momentum. Gathering momentum can lead to victory; losing momentum can mean defeat. Certainly, at the end of this past season, the New Orleans...