New Orleans CityBusiness articles from July 2005

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from July 2005

New Orleans tutoring activity leaps on state testing performance focus.
July 4, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Eleven years ago, Renee Richardson began tutoring students on the side after a full day of teaching fourth grade at John McDonogh 15 Creative Arts. One student increased to two students, then doubled to four,...

Commentary: New Orleans' education woes make vouchers more appealing.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary For at least 25 years I've been railing against school vouchers. It might be time to change my position. Fundamentally I'm still opposed to the concept. Of all the essential elements of government, none is more...

Covington-based SCP Pool joins Russell 1000 Index.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff SCP Pool Corp., a Covington wholesale pool supply distributor, joined the list of the largest 1,000 U.S. companies June 24. The Russell 1000 Index, released by the Tacoma, Wash.-based multimanager...

New Orleans' chef Tom Wolfe to open third restaurant.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Chef Tom Wolfe is adding a third restaurant to his growing operations list, which already includes Wolfe's of New Orleans and Peristyle restaurant. Wolfe's in the Warehouse, his newest 170-seat...

Orleans Parish School District announces layoffs.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Orleans Parish School Board voted to lay off more than 800 district employees. School Board officials estimate the job cuts will save the district about $20 million. Spokeswoman Pat Bowers said a...

Port of New Orleans leases refueling site.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Port of New Orleans will lease space for $4,000 a month at the Perry Street Wharf in Gretna to John W. Stone Oil Distributor to make way for a mooring facility for barges. Gary LaGrange, Port...

RUTH is to be Nasdaq exchange symbol for New Orleans-based Ruth's Chris Steak House.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff In filing its initial public offering with the Securities & Exchange Commission, Ruth's Chris Steak House announced it would trade under the symbol RUTH on the Nasdaq exchange and its shares will cost...

New Orleans hotel occupancy rates are climbing.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The first quarter brought more business to New Orleans hotels, according to PKF Consulting in Atlanta. Occupancy climbed from 65.5 percent in the first quarter of 2004 to 70.7 percent in 2005. ...

LA Supreme Court rules 2002 state legislative act is unconstitutional.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled it is illegal for developers to use hotel occupancy taxes to build and operate a privately run hotel in the World Trade Center building at 2 Canal St. The Supreme...

New Orleans' chief administrative officer resigns.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Charles Rice, chief administrative officer for the city of New Orleans, resigned June 27 on his 41st birthday. Rice has accepted a position at the Poydras Street law firm Barrasso, Usdin, Kupperman,...

Louisiana stands to get $135M from Energy Policy Act of 2005.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Senate passed its version of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which includes $1 billion in coastal impact assistance to coastal oil- and gas-producing states. The coastal impact amendment...

Eighty companies submitted high bids for oil and gas leases.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Eighty companies submitted more than $342 million in high bids to the Minerals Management Service for 403 tracts offered in Oil and Gas Lease Sale 194. Houston-based Dominion Exploration was the...

Kenner-based Sizeler Property Investors buys land in Florida for development.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Sizeler Property Investors Inc. of Kenner purchased 12 acres of land adjoining the company's Lantana Plaza Shopping Center in Palm Beach County, Fla. The purchase price was not disclosed. Sizeler...

Louisiana officials lift parish boundaries for family aid.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Beginning July 1, people who need food, childcare assistance or other services can apply for aid with any of the state's Office of Family Support locations. Until now, families could apply only at...

Toll-free number now available for college admissions info.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff In light of the new four-year college admission requirements, the state Board of Regents established a toll-free number for students seeking admission information into public colleges. Board of...

Louisiana's Education Venture Fund touted as link to business community.
July 4, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Business and education leaders say the concept is simple: Give a child a quality education from pre-kindergarten through college, and the educated adult will eventually give back to the economy. But how...

Nonprofit Spotlight: Catholic Charities is the leading non-profit in New Orleans.
July 4, 2005... Byline: April Capochino With the recent addition of an elderly day-care facility and 31 other established programs, Catholic Charities is a leading nonprofit in the New Orleans area. "I bet they're one of the top 30 employers in the...

New Orleans housing market is through the roof.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts By the end of May 2004, Realtor Lisa Carey had sold 15 homes in the New Orleans area during a booming year for housing. "Last year was very busy because the interest rate had decreased," Carey said. This year...

Energy leaders push U.S.-China union at New Orleans forum.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky The United States and China could meet their respective energy needs by working together rather than competitively, according to U.S. and Chinese officials. U.S. Energy Department officials and oil company...

California-based Sempra Energy plan blocked by objections from New Orleans-based Entergy Corp.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky If a California company wanted to invest $650 million in an economically depressed area of eastern New Orleans, why would anyone object? That was the question many were asking last week after the board of the...

Bruno's Tavern still under siege by wary neighborhood residents.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts David Melius was having lunch last month at a restaurant on Maple Street across from where Bruno's Tavern, his new $1.6 million Uptown bar, is being built, when an angry opponent of the project stormed over to the...

Big fireworks burn through cash quickly.
July 4, 2005... Byline: April Capochino They go off with a bang and usually last less than an hour. But city- and parish-sponsored fireworks displays in the New Orleans area burn through thousands of dollars. The length of the show and special effects...

Gov. Blanco signs $42.5M tax cut.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco chose Chalmette as the site Friday to sign into law a $42.5 million tax cut aimed at creating jobs in Louisiana. The Economic Development Legislation signing was...

Bankrupt Torch Offshore's board chairman exits with parting shots.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The last remaining member of bankrupt oil service vessel operator Torch Offshore's board of directors resigned June 20 and had a few harsh words for Torch founder Lyle Stockstill on his way out the...

Interview with Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans' executive VP Scott Coulombe.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Seven years after becoming executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans with its $1 million budget, Scott Coulombe stepped down June 30 to take the same position for the Collier...

Commentary: Nagin administration shameful in neglecting eastern New Orleans.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor A disturbing pattern of neglect persists regarding city treatment of business owners and residents in eastern New Orleans. The New Orleans Regional Business Park has had to demand the city honor its obligations...

Commentary : Editor's Notes: Coastal restoration work threatened by Congress.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor It only seems as if we are threatened by hurricanes every year. Since 1901, Louisiana has only been hit by seven severe hurricanes, according to researchers at Louisiana State University. The last severe...

Environmental hazard facing the Reyne Homes in eastern New Orleans is a burning Issue.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster "It burns, Momma." Those words first warned Michelle Marshall that something was terribly wrong. After playing outside, her three children were all in tears. It was their skin, they said. It was burning....

Kenner cracks loan letter case.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Kenner officials say they have cracked the case of a mortgage protection company that used the city's name to solicit business from Kenner residents. Kenner issued a warning June 28 to homeowners...

Housing Authority of New Orleans denies plans to demolish Iberville.
July 4, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff A community organization devoted to protecting the Iberville public housing development was to present its case Friday to the Housing Authority of New Orleans. C3/Hands Off Iberville Coalition...

Signs at former Bank One offices and ATMs throughout La. to change over to Chase this week.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose The Beatles 1967 No. 1 hit "Hello Goodbye" has been heard in television commercials airing over the last week in anticipation of roughly 3,000 signs being changed this week at former Bank One offices and ATMs throughout...

Private schools in the New Orleans area offer parents school tuition loans.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose Scores of private schools in the New Orleans area have stopped collecting tuition from students' parents - allowing a bank to handle the responsibility instead. First Bank and Trust of New Orleans is trying to...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: It's so hard for old pros to know when to go home.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary "The Beach Boys continue to create and perform with the same bold imagination and style that marked their explosive debut 40 years ago. In addition to the founding Beach Boys Mike Love (lead vocals) and Beach Boy...

Demise of New Orleans' neighborhood theaters chronicled in documentary "No More Joy".
July 11, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky Vitascope Hall, the first continuously operating movie house in the United States, opened on Canal Street in 1896. It soon had a lot of company. At various times between the beginning of the 20th century and...

Nonprofit Kingsley House bridges tech gap with help from HP, Magic Johnson Foundation.
July 11, 2005... Byline: April Capochino From the classroom to the living room, there's no escaping the digital age. But many people living at or below the poverty level have never typed an e-mail, surfed the Internet or entered financial statements...

LA Supreme Court quashes plan for financing renovation of World Trade Center into hotel.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts The day after a Louisiana Supreme Court ruling quashed plans to use tax increment financing to turn the mostly vacant World Trade Center into a Westin hotel, Lambert Boissiere was awash with disappointment. "I was...

Film stores bid farewell to photo paper as digital era develops.
July 11, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Eastman Kodak will stop producing black-and-white photo paper at year's end but camera shop operators say the digital age means the move will have little effect on their businesses. "Most of the people who...

337 New Orleans metro 'brownfields' could benefit from state tax credit.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Louisiana has made it cheaper for people to reuse former gas stations, old dry-cleaning properties and other possibly polluted sites known as brownfields. When Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco signed Act 156 earlier...

Orleans Parish School Board hires parliamentarian to enforce meeting rules.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff In an effort to control Orleans Parish School Board meetings, the School Board hired Ed Morris, deputy general counsel and parliamentarian, to enforce School Board rules. Morris, whose salary is...

Port of St. Bernard cargo up 33 percent.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The amount of cargo handled by the Port of St. Bernard last year increased 33.3 percent to 3.2 million tons from 2.4 million tons in 2003, according to the port's annual report. "The St. Bernard...

Interview with Darrell Johnson, exec. director of United Services for AIDS Foundation.
July 11, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Darrell Johnson joined the United Services for AIDS Foundation Inc. as executive director March 1 after working three years with Odyssey House, a drug rehabilitation center in New Orleans. He said his public...

LA governor declares state of emergency following damage caused by Tropical Storm Cindy.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco declared a state of emergency Wednesday following the damage caused by Tropical Storm Cindy in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Tammany, Terrebonne, Lafourche,...

More than 278,000 Entergy New Orleans customers lose power as a result of Tropical Storm Cindy.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff More than 278,000 Entergy New Orleans customers lost power in the wake of Tropical Storm Cindy, which caused widespread damage to Entergy facilities, utility officials said. Entergy teams were still...

Federal agency reports number of Gulf of Mexico rigs evacuated for Tropical Storm Cindy.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service reported 85 of the 819 manned platforms and 11 of 135 rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated for Tropical Storm Cindy. MMS...

Orleans Parish School Board has still no agreement with NY firm on management of finances.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Orleans Parish School Board has still not reached an agreement with New York firm Alvarez & Marsal to manage the district finances. The firm was scheduled to begin July 5 but work won't start until...

Lakeside Hospital becomes Tulane-Lakeside Hospital after merging of services.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Lakeside Hospital became Tulane-Lakeside Hospital after merging its maternity services with Tulane University Hospital and Clinic. The partnership, planned for 18 months, will expand Tulane Hospital's...

CFO of New Orleans law firm sentenced for directing money from firm's account for his personal use.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Delbert Lee, chief financial officer of New Orleans law firm Hoffman, Siegel, Seydel, Bienvenu and Centola LPC, was sentenced June 30 to more than seven years in prison for directing money from the...

Apogen Technologies subsidiary awarded contract by the LA Dept. of Public Safety and Corrections.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Apogen Technologies subsidiary Apogen Services has been awarded a one-year contract worth $735,000 by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of State Police, to develop...

Magnolia Marketing Co. changes name to Republic Beverage Co.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Magnolia Marketing Co., one of the country's largest and oldest wine and spirit wholesalers, is changing its name to Republic Beverage Co. The Goldring family, owners of Magnolia, formed a...

Would-be florists ask 5th Circuit to declare LA's florist licensing law unconstitutional.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Would-be florists Shamille Peters and Kayode Howell of New Orleans and Barbara Peacock of Shreveport asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to declare Louisiana's florist licensing laws a...

Baton Rouge construction and engineering firm The Shaw Group Inc. to restate earnings.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Baton Rouge construction and engineering firm The Shaw Group Inc. will restate earnings for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2004, and the six months ending Feb. 28 in order to correct an accounting...

Commentary: Bruno's Tavern opponents have no right or reason to be abusive.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor The overreaction and obstructionism of some neighbors to the planned $1.6 million Bruno's Tavern in Uptown unfortunately illustrates how doing business in New Orleans can go awry. David Melius has a proven...

Banking consultant says Capital One could be next bank to merge with credit card company.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Next January is the earliest Hibernia Bank branches will be rebranded as Capital One locations. But it might not be as a Capital One outlet. A national banking consultant says the McLean, Va.-based...

New Hawaiian bar coming to Hotel Le Cirque in New Orleans.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Restaurateur Vicky Bayley and chef Mike Fennelly, creators of the former Mike's on the Avenue restaurant on St. Charles Avenue, are planning a late summer opening for Ohi'a, a 50-seat bar at Lee...

Consortium of five high-performance technology companies opens New Orleans office.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Flagship Team, a consortium of five high-performance technology companies - CellExchange, Northrop Grumman, Anteon, CommTech Industries and Blue Skies Consulting - opened a New Orleans office at 1615...

Xavier's "Recover New Orleans" project replaces lead-contaminated soil in neighborhoods.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Bettina Reutter and Miguel Maldonado bought a modest house in Bywater about four and a half years ago. It was a joyous time for the couple, who would soon have their first baby. They finally had a place of their...

Heart implant manufacturer recalls 50,000 cardiac defibrillators.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Calls from terrified patients came pouring in shortly after cardiovascular product manufacturer Guidant recalled nearly 50,000 cardiac defibrillators, said Dr. Freddy Abi Samra, medical director of the Ochsner...

FCC collects more than $5.5M in fines for indecency from radio and television stations.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster In 2004, the Federal Communications Commission collected more than $5.5 million in fines for indecency from radio and television stations, nearly $4 million more than in the previous 13 years combined. In...

Hurricanes threaten HGTV's plan to spotlight four renovated New Orleans homes.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Producers of the cable television show "Generation Renovation" want to spotlight four renovated New Orleans homes on the Home and Garden Television channel this year. But damage from Tropical...

Mystery publisher circulates e-newsletter critical of Louisiana governor.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff A new e-mail newsletter is appearing in the mailboxes of politicians and members of the business community around the state has people wondering who's behind it. "You have been selected, as a...

Cingular Wireless survey finds talking on cell phones in theaters is moviegoers' #1 pet peeve.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The annoying people talking loudly throughout a movie have been replaced by the cell phone as moviegoers' No. 1 pet peeve, according to a Cingular Wireless survey. Of 1,100 cinema fans polled, 73...

Esplanade Mall to hold Harry Potter book release.
July 11, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The Esplanade Mall will hold a "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" book release party in the center court of the mall beginning at noon Saturday to celebrate the release of the sixth book in...

Commentary: Voluntary evacuation plans need Broussard's common sense idea.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard didn't appreciate being told to go with the flow by Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and it's hard to blame him. Broussard received stinging criticism from state and local...

Commentary: Editor's Notes: Hurricane danger often triggers tales of Louisiana lifetimes.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor Having grown up a poor, simple boy from Omaha, Neb., all the fuss about hurricanes seemed overdone when I arrived in Louisiana in March 1993. People were overly obsessed with and many were downright rattled by...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: Tenet, CityBusiness salute extraordinary achievements.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary When she was 75, Freddie Pincus organized a committee to develop a hurricane evacuation plan for New Orleans-area nursing homes. Maybe Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard and Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco...

Early in 2005 hurricane season, southeastern LA parishes piling up big storm-related bills.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts The 2005 hurricane season has just begun but southeastern Louisiana parishes are already racking up big storm-related bills. As of last week, parishes were still picking up the mess left behind by Tropical Storm...

Market expert predicts Federal Reserve will end funds interest rate increases.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose An investment expert who specializes in the bond market expects the Federal Reserve to end a string of federal funds interest rate increases next month. But some analysts aren't so confident the trend will end. ...

Impact of Tropical Storm Cindy catches Entergy officials by surprise.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky The impact of Tropical Storm Cindy caught Entergy officials by surprise, causing widespread damage and knocking out power to more than 270,000 customers. The damage is expected to be the worst since Hurricane...

Hurricane sales surges in New Orleans-area disrupt retail businesses as employees evacuate.
July 18, 2005... Byline: April Capochino Tropical storms and hurricanes wreak havoc on people's lives and homes when they hit close by. But the mere threat of one often disrupts retail businesses either by creating a demand surge or decreasing sales and...

Plush commodity prices prove irresistible to oil exploration and production companies.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky As the price of oil continues to rise, exploration and production companies are finally spending more on drilling new wells. That, in turn, drives up demand for drilling rigs and supply vessels. Capital budgets...

Satchmo SummerFest in New Orleans expects crowd boost of 10,000 this year.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The fifth annual Satchmo SummerFest will kick off Aug. 4 at the Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint on Louis Armstrong's birthday and go through Aug. 7. Beth Vicari Fisher, interim executive...

Orleans Parish School Board signs contract with NY financial firm.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff After nearly a month of negotiation, the Orleans Parish School Board, the state Department of Education and New York firm Alvarez & Marsal signed a two-year, $16.8 million contract Thursday to begin...

University of New Orleans hires principal to head its charter school.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The University of New Orleans chose Jonathan Williams, a former New Orleans Public Schools principal and administrator, to head its second charter school in New Orleans. Williams heads Medard H. Nelson...

Tulane University Hospital and Clinic ranked 49th in nation for ear, nose and throat treatment.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff U.S. News and World Report in its July 18 issue ranked Tulane University Hospital and Clinic the 49th-best hospital in the United States for ear, nose and throat treatment. The magazine ranked...

Hurricane Dennis delays Base Realignment and Closure hearing in New Orleans.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Hurricane Dennis could have improved New Orleans' chances of keeping the Naval Support Activity base open. Dennis, which made landfall in the Florida panhandle Sunday, forced a July 14 New Orleans...

LA lawmakers tout $20M boost for eastern New Orleans.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Money was the big news Wednesday at the New Orleans East Economic Development Foundation legislative wrap-up meeting where legislators discussed issues they supported during the recently ended session....

Liberal talk radio station makes its Louisiana debut in Baton Rouge.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Liberal talk radio made its Southern debut in Baton Rouge last week. According to San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications, the format could be tried at other Louisiana stations if it performs...

Terrorist bombings in London will not thwart Loyola study abroad.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The July 7 terrorist bombings in London hit close to home for a study abroad group visiting London from Loyola University New Orleans, but the attack will not deter the university from offering the...

Interview with Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish's director of emergency management.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Walter S. Maestri, entering his 10th year as Jefferson Parish's director of emergency management, is recognized as one of the nation's foremost experts on hurricane preparedness. With two tropical storms and a...

Cleco Power to build $1B clean coal electric generating plant near Boyce, LA.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Cleco Power, the electric utility subsidiary of Pineville-based Cleco Corp., filed plans with the Louisiana Public Service Commission to construct a $1 billion clean coal electric generating plant near...

New Orleans ranked No. 10 in Travel + Leisure magazine's list of Best Cities in U.S. and Canada.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff New Orleans ranked No. 10 in Travel + Leisure magazine's list of Best Cities in the United States and Canada, while the Windsor Court Hotel was the only New Orleans hotel ranked in the Top 100 hotels...

Delgado Community College ranked nationally in 5 categories of "Top Associate's Degree Producers".
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Delgado Community College, one of the nation's oldest community colleges and the largest community college in the state, ranked nationally in five categories of the "Top Associate's Degree Producers,"...

Nine LA State University Health Sciences Center hospitals recover from $66M deficit.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The nine hospitals under the control of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center are more autonomous after recovering from a $66 million deficit. The LSU Board of Supervisors voted July 8...

Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint to acquire its Lake Charles cellular affiliate, US Unwired.
July 18, 2005... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint plans to acquire its Lake Charles cellular affiliate, US Unwired, for $1.3 billion. Sprint's cellular subscriber base will increase by about 500,000 customers and...