New Orleans CityBusiness articles from January 2006

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from January 2006

Curtain Call for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, after Katrina?
January 2, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster When Jim Atwood, principal timpanist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, descended into the basement of the Orpheum Theater one month after Hurricane Katrina, the light from his head lamp broke the...

New Orleans-area auto dealers revved up by record sales.
January 2, 2006... Byline: April Capochino For the first time in Philip Leone's 11-year career with Premier Nissan and Premier Kia dealerships in Jefferson Parish, he sold out of every vehicle in the lot. "There were an overwhelming number of people looking...

$40M deficit challenges displaced New Orleans churches.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Fritz Esker Catholic priests were stormed-tossed but not buried by Hurricane Katrina.For the past month, the Rev. Danny Digal, pastor of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chalmette, celebrated Mass in the church parking lot. Digal says...

Spa surge: Planet Beach Tanning Salon provides stress relief after Katrina.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Tommy Santora With the press of a button, Uptown hairstylist Kristen Schroeder disposes of the pain in her lower back after standing up all day and cutting customers' hair."I come here after work, lay face down on a machine, a...

New Orleans fitness centers rush to reopen.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster Health clubs are scrambling to meet the needs of people desperate for a respite from house-gutting, insurance companies and constant reminders of Hurricane Katrina. Three of five French Riviera Spa locations have...

Look Who's Talking: Interview with Randy Strassel, Elmwood Fitness Center's asst. manager.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Tommy Santora Elmwood Fitness Center, one of the first fitness centers in New Orleans to reopen after Hurricane Katrina, has thrived in the past three months off new members and increasing daily traffic.Since Sept. 21, 2005, the...

Commentary: Strong planning, not politics, should drive rebuild.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary Before Katrina whacked us into Neverland, an estimated 18,000 empty homes were scattered around New Orleans, according to work compiled by Mayor C. Ray Nagin before he took office in 2002.Assuming 360,000 homes in...

Slow going on convention center construction since Katrina.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Angelle Bergeron Officials with the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center are anxious to restart construction on the $315-million Phase IV expansion but post-hurricane challenges are slowing them down. Broadmoor Construction LLC...

Restored New Orleans city property records return home.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts They've been soaked in sewage and floodwater, frozen and trucked across the country to be dried out and restored.This week, all city property records damaged by Hurricane Katrina are expected to be back home to the...

Katrina cools New Orlean's red hot condo market.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts John Schaff used to sell New Orleans condominiums to medical students, lawyers and other young professionals.But since Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, Schaff and other real estate agents are selling fewer condos to...

Jefferson Parish President Broussard revamps emergency plans.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Pump operators and other essential workers will stay behind in Jefferson Parish the next time a major hurricane threatens the area under a new emergency preparedness plan from Parish President Aaron...

Commentary: Entergy access to federal grants helps everyone in New Orleans.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans unplugged is not a soothing prospect. The possibility of Entergy New Orleans uncoupling from its Crescent City connections is real. Company officials had not-so privately estimated the departure...

Commentary: Post-Katrina confusion clouds obvious solutions.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor There's a lot not to understand about the new normal in New Orleans post-Katrina. You've heard the old saying: The more I learn, the less I know. Now how much sense does that really make? Yet it's true in New Orleans...

Commentary: New Orleans citizens draw battle lines over delaying city's elections.
January 2, 2006... Byline: Jeff Crouere Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said she issued an executive order delaying Orleans Parish elections indefinitely after Hurricane Katrina destroyed voting machines, entire precincts and displaced more than 300,000...

SBA: Katrina loans top $1 billion.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report More than $1 billion in U.S. Small Business Administration disaster assistance loans have been approved for almost 14,800 residents and business owners in Louisiana that were affected by hurricanes Katrina...

Women resolve to have stronger '06.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Last month WomensWallStreet.com asked women: If you could choose a New Year's resolution for your mate, what would it be? The answer: "Be more romantic," with 27 percent of the vote, followed by "lose...

BP taps Houma for major new plant.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report BP is placing a new 122,000-square-foot storage and preservation facility Louisiana Highway 311 and U.S. Highway 90 to consolidate its deepwater equipment into one facility from more than 100 storage...

State jobless rate edges up to 12.4%.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans metro area has added thousands of jobs since being stifled for September by Hurricane Katrina.The New Orleans metro area did produce 6,700 jobs in November. For the year, however, the...

BGR wants 'realistic' development strategy.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report In a report released to CityBusiness, the Bureau of Governmental Research called for New Orleans to implement a "realistic" redevelopment strategy.What parts of the city will be open for redevelopment is...

Tipitina's Foundation sets benefit for New Orleans musicians and restaurants.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report RiverBarge Excursion Lines will hold "Barging In for New Orleans Musicians" from 2-6 p.m. Jan. 14 onboard the River Explorer at Thalia Street in front of the Port of New Orleans office. Featuring music and...

Attorney General Charles Foti widens Countrywide Mortgage probe.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Attorney General Charles Foti Jr. said the Countrywide Home Loans investigation has intensified after his office has received almost 100 phone calls from consumers complaining about problems with delayed...

Whole Foods Market Arabella Station in New Orleans to reopen Feb. 1.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Whole Foods Market Arabella Station is reopening Feb. 1.Whole Foods is hiring. Applications are online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/jobs.

Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans celebrates 90th anniversary.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Our Lady of Holy Cross College celebrated its 90th anniversary Monday but its history of faith is much longer."OLHCC dates to the 1841 founding of the Congregation of the Marianites of Holy Cross by Father...

Manufacturing sector falls 4.8 percent in December.
January 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report December's Credit Manager's Index fell 2.5 percent to 54.9, a level still associated with economic expansion. But the manufacturing sector took a sharp plunge of 4.8 percent while the services sector...

Small business hiring flat in December.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness staff report Small business hiring was flat in December ending a three-month run of decreased hiring. The Scorecard hiring index ended December at 10,466 nationwide same as November.Net new small business hiring in...

Dominion Exploration and Production now hiring for New Orleans return.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Dominion Exploration and Production, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dominion, announced today its offshore business unit will return to New Orleans in March. The offshore business unit, based at the Dominion...

Hollis Cos. to remain in Metairie.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Hollis Cos., employee benefits brokers, today said it will remain in the New Orleans region.Hollis established temporary offices in Baton Rouge one week after Hurricane Katrina to handle employee benefits...

Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans delivers New Year's baby at 3:57 p.m.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Ochsner Hospital delivered its first 2006 baby at 3:57 p.m. Sunday. Scott Gaspard and Maria Lau-Gaspard of Metairie celebrated the birth of their first child, Owen, weighing in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces and 20...

Jones Walker law firm taps Harvard for New Orleans rebuild advice.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A New Orleans law firm is bringing in a team of business students, alumni and faculty advisers from Harvard to work with the city's rebuild committee. Jones Walker, along with researchers and experts from...

Sean Hannity to broadcast from Metairie.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report AM 690 WIST radio, which returned to the New Orleans airwaves after Hurricane Katrina, announced today Sean Hannity will broadcast his daily radio show Thursday from the AM 690 WIST studios. With more than...

Morton's feels 'moral obligation' to reopen in New Orleans.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Morton's, The Steakhouse reopens in New Orleans Jan. 12 with a full dinner menu."New Orleans was a premier dining city before Hurricane Katrina and it will remain one for years to come," said Vedran...

One Canal Place in New Orleans ready to reopen Feb. 10.
January 3, 2006... Byline: April Capochino The Shops at Canal Place will reopen at 10 a.m. Feb. 10 and most stores are expected to reopen."Many of the national vendors have been contacting shops at Canal Place," said spokeswoman Mary Lee Murphy. "We're...

Tulane law students to complete 'curriculum on steroids' this semester.
January 3, 2006... Byline: April Capochino Tulane University doesn't officially start classes until Jan. 17. But the law school is resuming its classes Monday and returning students face their most difficult semester ever."It's a curriculum on steroids,"...

First 2006 baby born in New Orleans at East Jefferson Hospital.
January 3, 2006... Byline: Tommy Santora Gretna residents Jacob and Allison Tapley rang in the new year of 2006 with the first baby born in New Orleans at 12:21 a.m. at East Jefferson General Hospital their first son, Benjamin Ryan Tapley.Delivered by Dr....

Loyola University tour to indoctrinate students.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Loyola University has scheduled a New Orleans bus tour for students, faculty and staff returning to the city to reintroduce them to life after Katrina and inform them about the complex effects from the...

Housing sales decline in N.O. parishes hit hardest by hurricane turns on insurance concerns.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Realtors are reporting a surge in home sales around the metropolitan New Orleans area.But not in Orleans and other parishes hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina.Real estate sales are in double-digit declines...

HUD loan limits upped 15%.
January 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the Federal Housing Adminstration increased its single-family home mortgage limits by more than 15 percent.The increased limits mean...

Damaged records back in N.O. order.
January 4, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts They've been soaked in sewage and floodwater, frozen and trucked across the country to be dried out and restored.This week, all city property records damaged by Hurricane Katrina are expected to be back home to the...

New Orleans Zephyrs lose top 2005 bat to Japan.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans Zephyrs infielder Rick Short will not return to the Zephyrs or the team's parent club the Washington Nationals in 2006. Short's contract has been purchased by Tohoku Rahoten of the Japanese...

Visa holiday spending tops 2005.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Consumer spending using Visa cards rose 16.1 percent last week over the same period of time in 2004, according to Visa USA SpendTrak.Consumers spent $24.6 billion from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1 compared with...

Feature film score to be recorded in N.O.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Lionsgate Film will record the score for its feature film "Madea's Family Reunion" in New Orleans. Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said the decision was spurred by the state's new sound recording tax incentives....

Sen. David Vitter convenes Senate session in Harvey today.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, will participate in a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation listening session at 4:15 p.m. today at La Maison Creole, 1605 8th St. The session will focus...

Louisiana ranks No. 1 in teacher accountability.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report For the second year in a row, Louisiana's efforts to improve teacher quality rank first in the nation, according to Education Week, the nation's foremost K-12 education magazine. Louisiana also ranked No....

Forbes Magazine applauds AmSouth Bancorporation operation.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report AmSouth Bancorporation has been ranked No. 7 in the Top 10 "Best Managed Banking Companies in America" by Forbes Magazine and as No. 13 in the "Top 20 All-Star" banks by US Banker Magazine. Forbes based...

Apogen Technologies promotes Gary Higgins to tech chief.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Apogen Technologies today promoted Gary Higgins to chief technology officer for its entire Information Technology business. Higgins was corporate vice president and chief engineer at Apogen.Higgins...

FEMA emphasizes disaster aid is tax-free.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Disaster officials are urging residents of disaster-designated counties and parishes in the Gulf Coast states to take advantage of the 60 additional days they've been given to register for federal and...

N.O. Airport at 50 percent of pre-Katrina service.
January 4, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport today reported Delta Air Lines has added three nonstop roundtrip flights to Atlanta, for a total of 10 daily the same frequency as Pre-Katrina. Armstrong...

Former New Orleans mayors, Nagin schedule special Friday meeting.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, former New Orleans Mayors Marc Morial, Sidney Barthelemy and Maurice "Moon" Landrieu along with five surrounding parish presidents will address the New Orleans City Council...

Churchill Downs readies CEO succession.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the Fair Grounds Race Track in New Orleans, today announced it has initiated a formal succession-planning process for president and CEO, which is now held by Thomas Meeker....

McMoRan Exploration Co. settles lawsuit for $17.5M.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report McMoRan Exploration Co. will settle class action litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery relating to the 1998 merger of Freeport-McMoRan Sulphur Inc. and McMoRan Oil & Gas Co. McMoRan will pay $17.5...

N.O.-based Dryades Savings Bank spots counterfeit check scam.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans-based Dryades Savings Bank has reported a financial scam using counterfeit checks in Dryades' name.Scammers are sending letters to people across the United States informing them they've won...

'Deja Vu' filming to begin in New Orleans.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report "Hollywood South" in New Orleans is cranking it up again with the return of "Deja Vu," a movie starring Denzel Washington that began filming in New Orleans pre-Katrina. "Deja Vu," featuring Jim Caviezel...

Orleans Parish School Board may get new president by Friday.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A new president of Orleans Parish School Board could be appointed at the meeting Friday."All indications are that Phyllis (Landrieu) will be appointed for presidency," said OPSB vice president Lourdes...

New Orleans Public School budget short $66M without aid.
January 5, 2006... Byline: April Capochino New Orleans Public School officials say without the financial help of a nearly $127 million federal loan, the district will face a near $66 million budget shortfall this school year."We applied for the grant and...

Nearly 90 percent of Loyola students return.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Loyola University will reopen Jan. 9 for the spring semester with 87 percent of its 2,743 undergraduate students returning, according to Loyola University President Rev. Kevin William Wildes."With 75...

State jobless benefit payout plunges.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The number of hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims continuingto receive unemployment benefits has dropped by more than 100,000 since benefit claims peaked in early November, the Louisiana Department of...

Gov. Blanco: Solve N.O. housing problem or I will.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco made an unusual appearance before the New Orleans City Council today to update state recovery efforts from hurricane damage.Blanco focused on bringing residents back to the...

Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana launching cookie sale.
January 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana cookie sale will begin Jan. 21 and nonprofit leaders say they are relying on the sales to help repair camps damaged by Hurricane Katrina."This year's cookie...

'Labou' productions begins again in N.O.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster In early August, as filmmaker Greg Aronowitz prepared to shoot, "Labou," his first feature film, he responded to critics who said it was unwise to film in the Louisiana bayou."I've shot in Siberia and Bulgaria....

Word Trade Center lunch spotlights Canadian opportunity.
January 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A noon luncheon briefing at noon Tuesday at the World Trade Center will focus on "Doing Business with Nova Scotia." Pamela Rudolph, trade development officer with Nova Scotia Business Inc., will discuss...

N.O. attorney takes Regents spot.
January 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Board of Regents swore in newly appointed Board member Mary Ellen Roy of New Orleans Thursday to replace Reggie Dupre. Roy received her bachelor's degree in political science from the...

Plaquemines Parish 'storefront' meeting to discuss rebuild options.
January 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A Plaquemines Parish storefront is helping federal officials receive community input on how to rebuild the community.The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Louisiana Recovery Authority are...

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now returns to N.O. at rehabbed home No. 200.
January 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now will celebrate two items at the 11 a.m. official kickoff the ACORN Home Clean-out Demonstration Program. The event will be held at the 200th home...

Commentary: Saints need a QB mentor - not a cheap coach.
January 6, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary In 1990, I wrote a convincing column on why the University of Alabama athletic director would not hire Gene Stallings as his next head football coach.He hired Stallings the next day.I made the case that Jack Pardee,...

Historic N.O. meeting launches next recovery phase.
January 6, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts At a special meeting of the City Council today, regional unity to fight for better hurricane protection was the overriding theme.Three former New Orleans mayors, five parish presidents, a Louisiana congressman and...

Orleans Parish School Board elects new president.
January 6, 2006... Byline: April Capochino Phyllis Landrieu was voted president of Orleans Parish School Board and Heidi Lovett Daniels gained the vice presidency both by 4-3 vote.Landrieu replaces Torin Sanders.Una Anderson, Jimmy Fahrenholtz and Lourdes...

Rep. Nita Hutter plans St. Bernard club meeting.
January 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Representatives of clubs and organizations in St. Bernard Parish are being asked to attend a Jan. 21 meeting to share information on their future plans. State Rep. Nita Hutter, R-Chalmette, is organizing...

Louisiana lawmakers want eminent domain included in special session.
January 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco has received a letter from three state lawmakers urging her to include eminent domain in the special session of the Legislature she is expected to call later this...

$35M Harvey Gate canal project slowed by Hurricane Katrina.
January 6, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts Construction of the Harvey Canal sector gate, a roughly $35 million flood-protection project first expected to be finished in June, has been slowed by Hurricane Katrina. The project is designed to protect from canal...

Commentary: Insurance frustration spilling over onto N.O. recovery.
January 6, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor Bill Bailey makes hurricane devastation his business. He understands frustration over slow insurance payments better than most because it's his job to remedy such distress. He knows how to make people feel...

Record auto sales roll through Jefferson Parish, New Orleans.
January 6, 2006... Byline: April Capochino For the first time in Philip Leone's 11-year career with Premier Nissan and Premier Kia dealerships in Jefferson Parish, he sold out of every vehicle in the lot. "There were an overwhelming number of people looking...

Commentary: Feds late in delivering timely mail restoration.
January 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff "Neither snow nor rainNor heat nor gloom of nightStays these couriersFrom the swift completionOf their appointed rounds."Greek historian Herodotus is said to have written this line sometime in his 54-year...

New Orleans business owners start nonprofit foundation to assist struggling restaurants.
January 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A group of New Orleans business people have created a specific-use nonprofit foundation to create and direct funds that will be used to assist Hurricane Katrina restaurateurs and small businesses who are...

Initial umeployment insurance claims drop below 2,500.
January 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 2,487 from last week's total of 2,982, according to the weekly unemployment claims report by the Louisiana Department of Labor. Unemployment insurance...

Gert Town abandoned by residents, officials.
January 7, 2006... Byline: April Capochino The Thompson Hayward Chemical Co. sits on the edge of the Gert Town section of Mid-City.Pesticides such as DDT were blended onsite from the mid-1940s through 1988 but it's now an abandoned warehouse with a few...

Red tape ties demolitions in New Orleans metro area.
January 9, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts Plaquemines Parish President Benny Rousselle is fed up with waiting for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin demolishing homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina.More than four months after Katrina, the Corps has not...

Gert Town turns into a ghost town.
January 9, 2006... Byline: April Capochino The Thompson Hayward Chemical Co. sits on the edge of the Gert Town section of Mid-City.Pesticides such as DDT were blended onsite from the mid-1940s through 1988 but it's now an abandoned warehouse with a few...

Fewer drivers, tourists tax taxi industry in New Orleans.
January 9, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet The New Orleans taxicab industry has been bottlenecked since Hurricane Katrina by a monumental loss of drivers and tourists and a service evolution changing the industry's protocol."The industry is slowly coming back...

Upcoming events scheduled in New Orleans.(Calendar)
January 9, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The following calendar of business meetings and events is for Jan. 9-Jan. 15. The deadline for submissions to the business calendar is 10 days prior to publication date.Jan. 9Story Time: "Snowy Days",...

Many business owners in N.O. plan reopening in time for Tulane students to return.
January 9, 2006... Byline: April Capochino Loyola University New Orleans senior Carolyn Brown spent the last four months at her parents' house in Houston. She came back to the city once shortly after the storm to get everything out of her rented Uptown...

N.O. Education Briefs: January 9, 2005.
January 9, 2006... Byline: April Capochino Students and teachers from New Orleans Public Schools attended their first full day of classes Jan. 3 at the new charter schools in Algiers.An estimated 2,200 students enrolled at the five schools Martin Behrman...

$30M BioInnovation Center in N.O. overcoming Katrina delays.
January 9, 2006... Byline: Fritz Esker Plans remain in place to build a $30-million, 130,000-square-foot BioInnovation Center at 1441 Canal St. although Hurricane Katrina delayed construction until April.The projected completion date of the new building is...

Interview with Scott Cowen: President of Tulane University.
January 9, 2006... Byline: Tommy Santora Days after Tulane University President Scott Cowen rode out Hurricane Katrina at the Uptown campus recreation center, the university reinvention plan began to take shape.The idea was to figure out the best way to...

Commentary: N.O. Saints need quarterback mentor - not bargain coach.
January 9, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary In 1990, I wrote a convincing column on why the University of Alabama athletic director would not hire Gene Stallings as his next head football coach.He hired Stallings the next day.I made the case that Jack Pardee,...