New Orleans CityBusiness articles from July 2004

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from July 2004

Public school teachers back in summer classes to learn.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora Summer school is not just for students anymore. Orleans Parish public school teachers are taking part in "Teaching American History," a four-week, graduate-level summer seminar at Loyola University as part of a...

Commentary: Presidential 'What ifs' surround the politics of recent history.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary While a lot of significant events have shaped presidential politics over the past 50 years, two stand out for their impact on history. In 1968, three major candidates were running for president: Republican...

Marrero business sold to Dreyfus-Cortney Inc.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans-based Dreyfus-Cortney Inc., a worldwide supplier of lifting, mooring and related products to the marine, construction, industrial and oil and gas industries, is buying the operations of Marrero-based Lowery...

Education, uninsured top health panel goal.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's Health Care Reform Panel issued its preliminary report last week identifying short- and long-term objectives for changing Louisiana's health care system. The panel is an outgrowth of...

Youth sports complex slowed by funding shortfall.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Construction on a multipurpose athletic complex in eastern New Orleans is being delayed by lack of funding. Millions of additional dollars are needed to build the approximately $15 million to $20 million complex, which...

Airport passenger counts soar for ninth month.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport posted its ninth consecutive month of passenger growth in May. The airport boarded 470,035 passengers in May, up 12.5 percent from the 417,717 passengers in May 2003....

N.O.'s Music Co-Op reports $750,000 impact on industry.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Music Office Co-Op has released the results of a member survey measuring the impact of its services. The 51 members who responded reported an average of 32 percent increase in music-related income during...

Agreement reached on donation of 40 acres near Bayou Segnette.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff The Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission and a private landowner have entered an agreement regarding the donation of 40 acres of land to build a technology-oriented business park near Bayou Segnette and U.S....

Albert-Garaudy and Associates ranked 9 on fastest-growing firms list.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Albert-Garaudy and Associates, a Metairie engineering company that serves the petroleum, refining and chemical industries, ranked No. 9 on a report tracking the 100 fastest-growing U.S. architecture, engineering and...

Univ. to study gender-based differences in computer sciences.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Fewer U.S. women earned computer sciences degrees this summer and a research team led by Xavier University of Louisiana wants to know why. A three-year, $887,073 grant from the National Science Foundation will enable...

New Orleans Saints sell more than 40K season tickets.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Saints have sold more than 40,000 season tickets for the 2004 season but have a ways to go to match the all-time record of 53,527 sold last year. The club has sold out 30 consecutive regular season and...

Taylor Energy Co. CEO christens drilling decks.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Patrick Taylor, president, chief executive and sole owner of Taylor Energy Co. of New Orleans, last week christened the drilling decks of the company's Simba platform at the New Iberia fabrication yard of Cincinnati-based...

IberiaBank Corp. completes stock repurchase program.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff New Iberia-based IberiaBank Corp. completed a stock repurchase program authorized in September. The bank holding company repurchased 300,000 shares of common stock or approximately 4 percent of its outstanding shares at an...

Gov. Babineaux Blanco signs bill allowing international banks to establish branches in La.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco signed House Bill 911, which allows international banks to establish branches in Louisiana. The bill unanimously passed the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Orleans Parish School Board decides against removing termination clause.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff The Orleans Parish School Board decided not to remove a controversial unilateral termination clause from Superintendent Anthony Amato's contract, leaving the door open for litigation against the Board to continue. A federal...

EPA grants reprieve to Baton Rouge-area gas stations.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff The Baton Rouge area was granted a reprieve last week from an Environmental Protection Agency order that would have forced area gas stations to switch to selling reformulated gasoline by June 23. The five-parish area had been...

Global Industries signs day-rate agreement with TL Offshore.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Carlyss-based Global Industries Ltd. signed a day-rate agreement with Selangor, Malaysia-based TL Offshore for the use of the company's DLB 264 and DLB 332 pipelay vessels. The vessels are estimated to be in use for 700 days...

G.B. Cooley withdraws as provider from Medicaid Supervised program.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff G.B. Cooley, a Monroe company that provides services for individuals with developmental disabilities, voluntarily withdrew as a provider from the Medicaid Supervised Independent Living Program after a Department of Health and...

La.'s Farm Service Agency offices to administer federal loans.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Louisiana's Farm Service Agency announced its offices will administer federal loans via the Internet beginning Tuesday. Many community banks, credit unions and farm credit services associations in Louisiana also will use the...

Commentary: Fixing La. business tax flaw allows SCP retention to succeed.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Retention of the SCP Pool Corp. underscores how serious Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is about opening this state for business. Losing the 160 white-collar jobs from SCP's Covington headquarters would have been...

New Six Flags ad campaign features mysterious character.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky He's been compared to everyone from Mr. Magoo to Junior Soprano. But he's Mr. Six of Six Flags Inc., one of the hottest advertising icons on television. One of the biggest mysteries of the summer pertains to the...

Tulane works on stem cell miracle cure for paralysis.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster The spinal cord injury may no longer be an incurable nightmare. Tulane University is near completion of a $500,000 laboratory where adult stem cells can be created and used to repair new spinal cord injuries....

Stormtrooper NOPD tactics anger French Quarter business owners.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster French Quarter business owners complain the New Orleans Police Department moved overnight from lax regulation of licenses and permits to stormtrooper-like enforcement. The NOPD and the New Orleans Department...

Artist registers wacky corporation names.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Move over Boudreaux's Butt Paste. Three new Louisiana incorporations are vying for most peculiar business name. In June, the Secretary of State's office registered businesses under the names of Crack Cocaine Wholesale and...

Tulane grad set to premiere animated 'reality' show.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff A Tulane graduate has created a new reality series with a twist. Billed as the first animated reality show, "Drawn Together" follows eight cartoon characters living in the same house who agree to have their lives filmed....

Collector flips rare coin back to N.O.'s Old U.S. Mint.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff On July 7, the Louisiana State Museum will be presented with a rare half dollar proof produced at the U.S. Mint in New Orleans in 1861. The coin will be displayed in an October exhibition at the Old U.S. Mint. In 1861,...

Mardi Gras beads help Norco residents protest.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff A group of former Norco residents traveled to London last week to attend the Royal Dutch Shell Annual General Meeting in London. The group attended the meeting to protest what they claim are continued health problems...

NOPD wheels in new Vespas to patrol narrow FQ streets.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Thanks to 10 area businesses and associations, police in the 8th District have 11 new scooters to patrol the French Quarter. Vespa New Orleans offered 10 Piaggio LT 150 Scooters at a discount and donated a Vespa...

Interview with new senior VP for external affairs of La. Philharmonic Orchestra.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is fine-tuning its structure. Sharon Litwin has completed her five-year tenure as executive director of the LPO. Looking to scale back her responsibilities, she now assumes the job...

Trumpet launching ad campaign to rebrand the South.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky New Orleans-based Trumpet Advertising has embarked on a campaign to help redefine what people think of as the South. The campaign is part of a rebranding effort for Turner South, Atlanta-based Turner...

Louisiana's politicians not ready to pass CAFTA treaty.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Debate over the Central America Free Trade Agreement came to New Orleans last week, as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce tried to drum up support for the pending legislation at a World Trade Center forum. But it's a hard...

SCP's criticism gives governor leverage to fix tax dilemma.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky The controversy surrounding Covington-based SCP Pool Corp.'s threat to move its headquarters to Florida put a spotlight on a state tax system many blame for driving businesses out of Louisiana. While Gov....

N. Shore apartment inventory multiplies.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Brian Campbell uses a fishing analogy when explaining why he chose to build an $18 million, 264-unit apartment complex on the North Shore. To catch the most fish, go where the fish are, he says. Likewise, to catch...

Superdome officials wooing potential corporate sponsors.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Chris Price The "Insert Your Company's Name Here" Superdome sweepstakes is still under way, according to Superdome and New Orleans Saints officials. The search for a stadium sponsor will resume now that the state is set to...

Plans for Section 8 housing raise ire of neighborhood residents.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Neighborhood criticism is mounting against a New Orleans company's plans to build about 100 Section 8 units in Orleans Parish. Residents in Faubourg Marigny, Algiers Point, Esplanade Ridge and other communities...

Evolving Pantheon renovation slowed by licensing red tape.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller The face of the 2100 block of Magazine Street is changing. After 14 months of stops and starts, the first phase of the multimillion-dollar Pantheon Village, a new upscale destination spa and wellness center, has...

Louisiana's Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is often underestimated by political opponents.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Louisiana's leading chief executive is thought of more often as a kindly grandmother than a savvy business executive. And that plays right into her hands. "People have always underestimated me," Blanco said with...

Louisiana's Gov. Blanco turns her critics into fans.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor A measure of Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's success in her first six months in office can be seen in how she's turned critics into fans. The Business Congress for Louisiana, a statewide, nonpartisan group of...

Bourbon Street nightclub files suit against city of New Orleans over occupancy permit.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster A Bourbon Street nightclub has fired the latest shot in a long-simmering feud between business and residential interests in the French Quarter. Utopia filed suit against the city of New Orleans and the Vieux...

World Trade Center developers file lawsuit against La. Legislature in Orleans district court.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff Whether the Louisiana Legislature violated the constitution by creating a special taxing district for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center is the question now before Orleans Parish Civil District Court. Judge...

New Orleans Saints to offer Official Pre-Game Tailgate Party for home games.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Saints have created an Official Pre-Game Tailgate Party that will be available for home games throughout the 2004 season, beginning with the club's regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks Sept. 12....

Louisiana Casting LLC issues casting call for Ben Affleck movie.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff So you wanna be in pictures? It's your lucky day. Louisiana Casting LLC is searching for several thousand people to play students, townspeople and arena crowds in the film "Glory Road." Produced by Walt Disney Pictures...

Kenner City Council outlaws hallucinogenic plant.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff The Kenner City Council passed an ordinance outlawing the consumption or sale of hallucinogenic cocktails made from the tropical plant known as angel's trumpet. Their action was spurred after several incidents involving...

Millions of Americans using online banking services.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora Banking hours are no longer short and sweet. Millions of Americans have stretched banking hours to 24-7 via the information superhighway. Online banking increased 30 percent in the first quarter over the same...

Nigerian letter, phishing scams target businesses, consumers.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora St. Tammany Parish resident Vicky Magas received an E-mail in her home account about an offshore worker named Peter Magas, who died along with the rest of his family, and together, they left $3 million to his closest...

Commentary: Atlantic storm season begins without Agnes, Cleo.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary Here at the beginning of the 2004 hurricane season, there are important things to consider. I won't bore you with those things. According to the National Weather Service, great benefit is gained by giving...

Sports cluster to help drive economic growth in Greater New Orleans.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Sports sells, and Greater New Orleans Inc. has taken notice. GNO Inc., a regional economic development partnership of business, education, labor, government and civic organizations from the 10-parish region of...

New Orleans Business and Industrial District board changes its membership and name.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts It seems businesses looking for a place to establish themselves should be flocking to the tracts of vacant land in the New Orleans Business and Industrial District. Most of Orleans Parish is built up, and a large...

Insurance costs causing a crisis for doctors.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Imagine an expectant mother having to drive across three parishes to find an obstetrician to deliver her baby or a 9-year-old child with a head injury having to travel out of state to see a neurosurgeon. These are...

Xavier tops U.S. schools for number of black science grads.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Xavier University has caught the nation's attention for the large number of black science undergraduates it churns out. Last month, Xavier topped all other schools around the nation for graduating more blacks in...

Section 8 land ownership puts developer and Housing Authority of New Orleans at odds.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts More drama is unfolding in the redevelopment of the former St. Thomas housing site, with a developer and the Housing Authority of New Orleans both trying to call the shots. Sheila Danzey is president of Shedo, one...

Tulane Cancer Center begins lung cancer vaccine trials.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff The Tulane Cancer Center is the first site in the country and the only site in the Gulf South to offer a Southwest Oncology Group phase II clinical trial for a vaccine to fight a specific form of lung cancer called...

Harvey-based oilfield services company purchases Gulf leases.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff Harvey-based Superior Energy Services, Inc. announced this week that its subsidiary SPN Resources has signed a purchase and sale agreement to purchase the South Pass 60 Field from Ulysses, Kan.-based BP America Production...

New Orleans city officials plan music summit.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff City arts and entertainment officials are planning a Jazz Summit in conjunction with Satchmo SummerFest this year. Ernest Collins, executive director of arts and entertainment in the mayor's office of economic...

New Orleans French immersion school set to expand.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle-Orleans has received City Council approval to build its second private French immersion elementary school Uptown. The new school plans to set up shop at 938 Calhoun St. on property occupied...

Interview with Byron Scott, coach of the New Orleans Hornets.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller New coach, new conference, new attitude - that's the theme of the New Orleans Hornets for the 2004-2005 season. Coach Byron Scott, a 14-year veteran of the National Basketball Association and a three-time NBA...

New Orleans mayor announces plan to encourage more filmmaking in city.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced a four-point plan to turn New Orleans into a southern Mecca for filmmaking. During the past 18 months, more than $200 million in film production has taken place in the metro area,...

New Orleans District C Councilwoman Jacquelyn Clarkson elected Council vp.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, District C councilwoman, was elected Council vice president, succeeding District B Councilwoman Renee Gill Pratt. Clarkson's term began July 1 and will run until February 3. Under Council rules,...

Bernardine Weaver Kelly to head up New Orleans' Central Evidence and Property Division.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Police Department made history when it promoted the first black woman to a captain position. Bernardine Weaver Kelly will be reassigned from District 8 to head up the Central Evidence and Property Division....

Pineville-based Cleco Corp. subsidiary reaches preliminary settlement in fuel audit.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff Pineville-based Cleco Corp. announced last week that its Cleco Power LLC subsidiary reached a preliminary settlement of its pending fuel audit and related issues with the Louisiana Public Service Commission. The settlement...

New Orleans Saints and Boy Scouts of America team up to raise funds for the Scouts.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Saints and the Boy Scouts of America have teamed up to launch a new program in which the Boy Scouts will raise funds by selling tickets to the Saints 2004 preseason games. As part of this program, tickets sold...

University of New Orleans names Tom Walter as head baseball coach.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff The University of New Orleans named Tom Walter as head baseball coach. Walter becomes the fifth coach to lead the Privateer baseball program. The school has competed in the sport for 35 seasons, compiling a .586 winning...

Loyola hires Giorlando as athletic director and head coach of men's basketball.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff Loyola University New Orleans hired Dr. Michael F. Giorlando to serve as athletic director and head coach of the men's basketball program. Giorlando will oversee all aspects of Loyola's Intercollegiate Athletic Program...

Princeton foundation ranks La. among worst states for nursing home care to African-Americans.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff A new study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropy group based in Princeton, NJ, placed Louisiana among the worst states in the country in terms of giving quality nursing home care to African-Americans....

Tenn.-based LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. acquires River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. acquired the 106-bed River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace from Universal Health Services, Inc. for $24 million. LifePoint, based in Brentwood, Tenn., operates 30 hospitals nationwide in non-urban...

Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Financial completes merger with Union Planters Corp.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Financial Corp. completed its merger with Union Planters Corp., based in Memphis, Tenn. The $5.9 billion deal boosts Regions' total branches to 1,400 in 15 Southern and Midwestern states....

New Orleans' Essence Music Festival draws record attendance.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Staff The 10th anniversary Essence Music Festival drew 228,000 fans over the Fourth of July weekend, surpassing its record attendance of 223,000 in 2002. This year's music lineup at the Superdome included Prince, Mary J. Blige, LL...

Commentary: Louisiana should pay lobbyists to push for its military bases.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Louisiana and New Orleans are being penny-wise and pound foolish by failing to have consultants working to protect the Naval Support Activity base in Algiers and the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle...

Commentary: Editor's Notes: Victor's Grill chef's table concept provides a taste of 'reality' dining.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Reality dining takes an intriguing twist in Chef Matthew Murphy's kitchen at Victor's Grill in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Murphy and his merry minions have set up a table - in the kitchen - where the chef can lavish...

Louisiana's governor doesn't need advice on government.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Former Gov. Mike Foster said it. But many people were thinking it. Foster said Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's husband, Raymond, would hold the true reins of power if she was elected in what was one of the...

Commentary: New Orleans should rethink notification idea after heavy-handed licensing sweep.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor The recent French Quarter police action looking for business permits should have and could have been handled in a much more professional manner. Instead of employing official communication, the New Orleans Police...

New Orleans Hospitality Briefs July 19, 2004.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller After serving pizza and pasta on Carrollton Avenue for nearly 50 years, Venezia is branching out. Owners Anthony and Melissa Bologna opened Venezia II three weeks ago at 587 Central Ave. in Jefferson, the former...

New Orleans to host first, second rounds of NCAA tournament.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff The National Collegiate Athletic Association selected New Orleans as the site for the first and second rounds of the Division I Men's Basketball Championship in 2007. Eight of the 65 teams in the 2007 tournament will play in...

Louisiana curbs sales of cigarettes to minors.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced the state has one of the lowest rates for the sale of tobacco products to minors for the second year in a row. Louisiana's noncompliance rate of 7.4 percent in...

N.O.'s new kiosk system eases permitting.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff Obtaining building, electrical, mechanical and zoning permits from City Hall is expected to become less time-consuming with the installation of a new $30,000 kiosk system unveiled last week. Greg Meffert, the city's chief...

New museum to display Catholic Church heritage.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff The Archdiocese of New Orleans is planning to open a Catholic Cultural Heritage Center in the Old Ursuline Convent at 1100 Chartres St. The museum will be devoted to the heritage of the Catholic Church in New Orleans...

Cleco Power wins Industry Excellence Award.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff Cleco Power LLC won an Industry Excellence Award during the Southeastern Electric Exchange Annual Conference & Trade Show in Orlando, Fla., in June for the company's efforts in preserving the environment. The company...

Hotel restaurant operations challenging to owners, chefs.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller In a city known the world over for its food, providing a unique dining experience for a wide range of tastes at virtually any hour of the day is a challenge for New Orleans hoteliers. In a typical day, a hotel...

New Orleans catering companies see increase in wedding business.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora Brian Fitzgerald, a catering director for 12 years at the New Orleans Columns Hotel on St. Charles Avenue, says this is the best wedding season he has ever seen as the Columns will have done 11 between June and...

Commentary: La. seafood industry struggle calls for subsidized marketing.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary I travel in fits and spurts. This summer the fits and spurts have come frequently and I've been on the road a lot. Most of the travel has been for business. Business travel usually involves lots of eating, at...

Commentary: Congressman ready to give up seat but not fight against cancer.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Billy Tauzin, R-Chackbay, is winding up his congressional career and his chemotherapy at about the same time. He'd win a 13th consecutive term to the House of Representatives if he so desired but he's content to...

Fahrenholtz to run for re-election to Orleans Parish School Board.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff Orleans Parish School Board member Jimmy Fahrenholtz, who successfully fought to keep Superintendent Anthony Amato on the job, was scheduled to announce the start of his re-election campaign for School Board District 3 last...

Orleans Parish DA's office going after bad check writers.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan said his office is collecting more money as the result of aggressively going after bad check writers. Writers of bad checks are required to pay restitution to victims and district...

Orleans Parish middle school gets new principal.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Staff Pierre A. Capdau, a failing Orleans Parish public middle school, has a new principal. Shannon L. Verrett, former principal of Livaudais Junior High School in Jefferson Parish, was selected by the University of New Orleans to...