New Orleans CityBusiness articles from July 2006

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from July 2006

City on a Shoestring, Part VI: Asphalt Jungle.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts Editor's note: Ten months after Hurricane Katrina, stoplights are still out and potholes are growing. When will it all be fixed? Today's sixth installment of the nine-part "City on a Shoestring" series provides...

July 3-8.
July 3, 2006... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports The following calendar of business meetings and events is for July 3-8. The deadline for submissions to the business calendar is 10 days prior to publication date. July 3 Breastfeeding Support...

Dillard University students to check out of the Hilton Riverside Hotel on Canal Street.
July 3, 2006... Byline: April Capochino It's not hard to tell the difference between Dillard University students and guests at the Hilton Riverside Hotel on Canal Street. Students wander the hallways in twos and threes, dressed casually in sweatpants and...

Interview with Robin Jarvis, manager of New Orleans schools that fail to meet state guidelines.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Craig Guillot Robin Jarvis manages the day-to-day operations of more than 100 New Orleans public schools under state control. The district includes schools that failed to meet state guidelines four or more years. The district had...

New Orleans-area colleges project 80 percent of pre-Katrina enrollment.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Tommy Santora Ronald Maggiore, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management and dean of admissions at the University of New Orleans, says rarely is there a radical change in university's enrollment numbers from year to year,...

Commentary: Practice perfects lifesaving evacuation procedures in N.O.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary I spend a lot of time at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, an awful lot of time. As I was sitting in the airport last week, I started thinking of the similarities between big airports such as those in Chicago,...

Port of New Orleans finds detrimental domino effect while waiting for $10M payment from insurer.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet In the post-Hurricane Katrina world of insurance claims, time can count more than money. The Port of New Orleans is finding a detrimental domino effect while it waits for an overdue payment of $10 million from its...

Apartment owners in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast face mammoth insurance increases.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts HRI Properties, a New Orleans apartment and housing developer, emerged from Hurricane Katrina battered but still in business. Like many apartment owners, HRI has been making repairs and trying to collect on its...

Why Stay? Vietnam evacuee helps displaced New Orleanians find the resources they need.
July 3, 2006... Byline: April Capochino For 32-year-old Mimi Nguyen, watching Hurricane Katrina's aftermath unfold on the television in her Oakland, Calif., home brought back two-decade-old memories. "I was a boat person, an evacuee from Vietnam," said...

American Library Association convention boost makes New Orleans feel like 'old times'.
July 3, 2006... Byline: April Capochino Conventioneers Michael Salemi and his brother-in-law, Anthony Ferranti, stood in the doorway of the Cajun Market across from the Convention Center last Tuesday, smiling and chatting with other tourists. It was the...

New Orleans-based Abita Beer sales surge with expansion, 20th birthday.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Despite losing 60 percent of its New Orleans market after Hurricane Katrina, Abita Beer Co. LLC has made record sales in its 20th anniversary year, prompting company president David Blossman to announce a...

New Orleans CityBusiness nets 10 Press Club awards.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports New Orleans CityBusiness took home a ceremony-best 10 awards at the 48th annual Press Club awards June 24 at the Astor Crowne Plaza. CityBusiness swept the business category where Richard A. Webster won...

Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport to add 500 jobs for $198M Navy project.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The U.S. Navy awarded a Lockheed Martin-led team nearly $198 million for construction of the Navy's third Littoral Combat Ship. This is the second LCS awarded to the Lockheed Martin team. Bollinger...

International Shipholding moving from New Orleans to Mobile.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports International Shipholding Corp. will relocate its corporate headquarters and CG Railway operations from New Orleans to Mobile, Ala., because the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet is being closed. Chairman Erik...

New Orleans visitors bureau backs Guard presence, knocks timing.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, says he has long supported bringing in the National Guard to enhance police protection in the aftermath of...

State of Louisiana expects $24.3M Twin Span fix in November.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced the $24.3 million in road construction on the Interstate 10 Twin Span in Slidell will be completed this November, weather permitting....

Post-Katrina depression triples suicide rate in New Orleans.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix Shauna James stood trembling in the kitchen before hanging up the phone. Her mind raced. Her body shivered. Was it true? She finally slid down the wall to the tile floor where she huddled in a ball crying for more...

Abandoned homes in Jefferson Parish snag demolition processs.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix Homeowners barbecue, mow their lawns and occasionally stop for a friendly chat with neighbors in the 4500 block of Ithaca Street in Metairie. Yet, the home at 4504 Ithaca St. still sits in post-Hurricane Katrina...

Commentary: Quaint Iris is newest 'best' new post-Katrina restaurant.(Restaurant review)
July 3, 2006... Byline: Tom Fitzmorris $$$$ Iris Post-storm ratings: A 8115 Jeannette St., Riverbend Dinner only, Tues.-Sat. AE, DC, DS, MC, V The new restaurants that have opened since the hurricane continue to astound and delight. On two previous...

Commentary: Legislature gains barely passing grade.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Editorial A+ $7.5-billion Road Home aid The Legislature OK'd Blanco's $7.5-billion housing aid program for homes severely damaged or destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. If homeowners receive money by August,...

Commentary: It's hard to stop laughing at N.O.'s 'Transvestite Gang'.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor Sometimes, there's little doubt a story will make a splash even if it's just "a little story." As soon as I saw "Transvestite Crime" on the June 26 CityBusiness reporter budget, it was clear this relatively...

Dillard University students' stay at the Hilton Riverside Hotel on Canal Street comes to an end.
July 3, 2006... Byline: April Capochino It's not hard to tell the difference between Dillard University students and guests at the Hilton Riverside Hotel on Canal Street. Students wander the hallways in twos and threes, dressed casually in sweatpants and...

VA company hired to oversee Road Home program for rebuilding LA's hurricane damaged areas.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A Virginia company has been hired to oversee the Road Home program for rebuilding hurricane damaged areas of Louisiana. ICF Emergency Management Services will be paid no more than $87.18 million over three...

K-9 officers to patrol two Jefferson Parish schools.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Journal Staff Report Jefferson Parish education officials say crime and drugs aren't overwhelming concerns in public schools, but they want to be proactive with a pilot program that will place police dogs on two campuses. The...

Commentary: Practice perfects lifesaving evacuation procedures in N.O.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary I spend a lot of time at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, an awful lot of time. As I was sitting in the airport last week, I started thinking of the similarities between big airports such as those in Chicago,...

Commentary: Legislature gains barely passing grade.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Editorial Our state legislators managed to pass a $26.7-billion budget sure to escape much correction from Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. Here's how the Legislature grades out on the major issues. A+ $7.5-billion Road...

ALA convention bump makes New Orleans feel like 'old times'.
July 3, 2006... Byline: April Capochino Conventioneers Michael Salemi and his brother-in-law, Anthony Ferranti, stood in the doorway of the Cajun Market across from the Convention Center last Tuesday, smiling and chatting with other tourists. It was the...

What is your opinion of Louisiana's new smoking ban?
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report In light of Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's decision last Friday to sign a smoking ban into law, CityBusiness asks readers: What is your opinion of the Louisiana smoking ban, which will prohibit all...

LA Swift bus service to run weekend schedule for July 4.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report LA Swift, the free bus service that transports displaced residents, workers and job-seekers between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, will run on a weekend schedule for the July 4 holiday. Schedules and further...

Asphalt jungle: New Orleans' crumbling infrastructure is slowly being fixed.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts Editor's note: Ten months after Hurricane Katrina, stoplights are still out and potholes are growing. When will it all be fixed? This week's sixth installment of the nine-part "City on a Shoestring" series provides...

New Orleans CityBusiness will not send out July 4 daily updates.
July 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans CityBusiness will not send out its Daily Update e-news alerts July 4 in observance of Independence Day. The New Orleans Publishing Group offices will be closed for the holiday. Daily Update...

N.O.-based Freeport-McMoRan dividend payout trims $7M from income.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. today declared the following quarterly cash dividends payable Aug. 1 to holders of record as of July 17: * 31.25 cents per share of FCX common stock ; * $13.75 per share...

Jackson Barracks in N.O. to be rebuilt.
July 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness staff report Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco will announce a major investment of state and federal money to rebuild the hurricane-damaged Jackson Barracks in a 9:30 a.m. press conference Thursday. Blanco touts the...

New North Oaks clinic expands Pontchatoula services.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff The North Oaks Health System announced the North Oaks Orthopedic Clinic will open Monday at 530 W. Pine St. in Ponchatoula to provide medical and surgical treatment of bone, joint and muscle disorders. The...

Delgado Community College workshop set for July 15 in N.O.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Prospective college students are invited to a free Delgado Community College workshop, "Create Your Future," at 10 a.m. July 15. The event will detail the higher education opportunities available at Delgado....

Public input sought on Jefferson Parish thoroughfare plan.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff The public will have two chances next week to weigh in on the Jefferson Parish Thoroughfare Plan. Burk-Kleinpeter Inc., the New Orleans engineering firm involved in the Envision Jefferson 2020 master...

Healthy Lifestyles Expo in N.O. free to public.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Place St. Charles will present the sixth annual Healthy Lifestyles Expo from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 13-14 from 11 around the fountain on the first floor of Place St. Charles. The free Expo features top...

Orleans Parish records running out of time at Convention Center.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is still stuck storing the Orleans Parish property records. Convention Center management have granted one last extension for the property records offices and their employees but...

City on a Shoestring: When will N.O. fix lights, potholes?
July 5, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts Keith Twitchell, a Faubourg St. John neighborhood resident, used to feel guilty about driving a gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle. But he admits feeling somewhat justified in these post-Hurricane Katrina times as he...

Jefferson Parish students earn $16.7M in scholarships.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Journal staff report A total of 2,031 seniors from Jefferson Parish's nine public high schools qualified for $16.7 million in scholarships during the 2005-2006 school year. The average award per student comes to $8,212. "I'm very...

Sheraton taps well-decorated new GM for N.O. post.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff The Sheraton New Orleans today named 34-year veteran hotelier Bill McCreary general manager. McCreary comes from the Tishman Hotel Corp. where was president overseeing assets in New York, Chicago, Orlando,...

Mobile crows about International Shipholding 'abandoning' N.O.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff A June 28 editorial in the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register applauded the move by International Shipholding from New Orleans to Mobile: INTERNATIONAL SHIPHOLDING'S relocation to Mobile is a direct result of...

National Black Chamber of Commerce heading to N.O.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff The National Black Chamber of Commerce, will hold its 14th annual convention July 19-22 at the W Hotel in New Orleans. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit expects to bring about 300 attendees to the city....

West Jefferson Medical Center job fair set for July 14.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff West Jefferson Medical Center will hold a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 14. The center has a total of 312 positions to fill. "The job fair, to be held in the Fonseca Auditorium at West Jefferson...

LA Gov. Blanco applauds Crescent City unity.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco applauded todays announcement that an agreement has been reached between community leaders, Mayor C. Ray Nagin, and the City Council to work together on a single neighborhood...

Reptile, exotic animal expo slithers into Westwego.
July 5, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Gila Productions will hold the Louisiana Reptile & Exotic Expo and Sale July 22-23 at the Alario Center. Event hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. This is the third year the expo has been held in the...

Bankrupt Saulet complex in N.O. gains 'breathing space'.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts The struggling Saulet apartment complex, which filed for bankruptcy June 12, has reached an agreement with Fannie Mae to temporarily use insurance proceeds to fund operating costs, officials announced today. The...

The Capital One-University of New Orleans Charter School announces staff changes.
July 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Capital One-University of New Orleans Charter School Center today announced the following staff changes for the 2006-2007 school year: * Shannon Verrett is director of secondary education of the UNO...

Insurers pay Tenet Healthcare Corp. $340M for physical damage and business interruption claims.
July 6, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff Report Tenet Healthcare Corp. announced today it has settled with its property insurers all claims related to physical damage and business interruption as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The insurers...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to use closed-circuit television monitoring of New Orleans levees.
July 6, 2006... Byline: Greg LaRose It wasn't until late in the day Aug. 29 that officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were able to get a grasp of the flood damage Hurricane Katrina wrought on the New Orleans area. In an effort to keep a closer...

Faith-based educational and political organization executives gather in New Orleans for summit.
July 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Business executives and leaders of faith-based, educational and political organizations will gather in New Orleans July 12-14 for the Full Gospel Baptist Economic Development Summit. It is being held in...

Port of New Orleans waits for an overdue payment of $10M from its primary insurer.
July 6, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet In the post-Hurricane Katrina world of insurance claims, time can count more than money. For example, the Port of New Orleans is finding a detrimental domino effect while it waits for an overdue payment of $10...

Louisiana Board of Regents gives $900K to The University of New Orleans to help improve education.
July 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The University of New Orleans College of Education and Human Development has been awarded a $900,000 competitive grant by the Louisiana Board of Regents to help improve elementary and high school student...

New Orleans post offices reopen in Lower Ninth Ward.
July 6, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet Residents of the Lower Ninth Ward will be able to receive their first delivered letters since Hurricane Katrina when the U.S. Postal Service's Bywater facility reopens July 10. Despite large-scale destruction in...

116-year-old New Orleans marine-salvage company announces that it will remain in Houston.
July 6, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix Chalk up another one. Bisso Marine, a 116-year-old New Orleans marine-salvage company, will remain in Houston after moving there days after Hurricane Katrina stormed ashore, its owner announced. This is at least the...

LA initial unemployment claims remain 15 percent below 2005 figures.
July 8, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Report Initial claims for unemployment insurance increased to 3,176 from the previous week's total of 3,036, according the Louisiana Department of Labor. Initial claims remain 15 percent below the...

New Orleans Financial Briefs: July 8, 2006.
July 8, 2006... Byline: Greg Larose Liberty Bank and Trust Co. CEO Alden McDonald and his administrative staff are settling back into their headquarters on Plaza Drive in eastern New Orleans. Repairs to the building Hurricane Katrina put underwater...

"City on a Shoestring": City on a crawl.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts Editor's note: City Hall workers are laboring to keep the massive rebuilding effort on track by issuing thousands of permits with just half the pre-Katrina staff. Today's seventh installment of the nine-part "City on a...

Officials tout ALA convention success as tourism turning point for N.O.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster The American Library Association convention was a major milestone for the New Orleans convention industry. As the biggest conference held post-Katrina, national meeting planners watched the city perform for the...

New Orleans calendar of business meetings and events deadlines.(Calendar)
July 10, 2006... Byline: New Orleans CityBusiness Staff The following calendar of business meetings and events is for July 10-15. The deadline for submissions to the business calendar is 10 days prior to publication date. July 11 University of New...

N.O. Financial Briefs: July 10, 2006.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Greg LaRose Liberty Bank and Trust Co. CEO Alden McDonald and his administrative staff are settling back into their headquarters on Plaza Drive in eastern New Orleans. Repairs to the building Hurricane Katrina put underwater...

Policy Piata.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Greg LaRose The Federal Reserve's Board of Governors has increased the interest rate banks charge one another to lend money one-quarter of a point in each of its last 17 meetings, which is making consumer loans more costly. Fed...

Interview with Pam Hymel, e-commerce manager for Capital One.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Craig Guillot More than 63 million Americans use online banking. Customers can pay bills, move money between accounts and even apply for loans without visiting a branch at most institutions. Pam Hymel, e-commerce manager for...

Commentary: Elusive movers, power outages add to new home adventure.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary The note I sent to our Human Resource Department listed "vacation" as the reason for my time off. I was really taking the time off to move into my new home. The movers were coming Sunday and I planned to take Monday...

Why Stay? Steamboat Natchez Captain ffels blessed after Katrina.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Renee Aragon Dolese Capt. Don Houghton, 43, has worked on the Steamboat Natchez for 24 years, including three years as a deck hand and 17 as a captain. So when his Lakeview home flooded after Hurricane Katrina, it was fitting for...

Louisiana's Murphy Oil class-action suit hits fast track.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix Louisiana's class-action lawsuit against Murphy Oil is expected to result in tens of millions in payouts and take years to fully resolve. But it's on a fast track so far. "We're setting some sort of record," said...

Children of N.O. are not strangers to new schools.
July 10, 2006... Byline: April Capochino As Douglas Patterson filled out applications June 26 to enroll his two sons at Lafayette Academy Charter School in New Orleans, his youngest, 8-year-old Jacob Reeder, stood peering over his shoulder at the blue...

Mentally ill patients in Louisiana still have too few places to go.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix For months, New Orleans emergency responders have lambasted state health officials for not reopening another psychiatric facility after Hurricane Katrina closed Charity Hospital. This week, the Louisiana Department of...

Texas investor buys flooded Orpheum Theater in N.O.
July 10, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Orpheum Theater, closed since the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of its interior, was purchased two weeks ago by Rick Weyand, owner of Golden Eagle Investments in Frisco, Texas. A...

Macy's revises plans to reopen at Esplanade in N.O.
July 10, 2006... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports The banner outside Macy's in The Esplanade mall claims the store will return this fall, but Macy's officials say it will not reopen until at least 2007. "As we have stated previously, we're not...

Bankrupt Saulet complex in N.O. gains 'breathing space'.
July 10, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Reports The struggling Saulet apartment complex, which filed for bankruptcy June 12, has reached an agreement with Fannie Mae to temporarily use insurance proceeds to fund operating costs, officials said...

N.O. Video Access Center 's Katrina series offers online look.
July 10, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Reports The nonprofit New Orleans Video Access Center is producing a series of short documentaries and a one-hour program posted on YouTube.com, where it has grown to be the most viewed documentary series...

Entergy of New Orleans blackouts concern N.O. Council.
July 10, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Reports New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas called on the Louisiana Recovery Authority to immediately allocate millions to help restore the city's spotty energy network, especially after thousands of...

30,000 Realtors expected in N.O.
July 10, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Reports Advance registration for the 2006 Realtors Conference & Expo in New Orleans is outpacing all previous conventions, including last year's record-breaking convention in San Francisco and the 2002...

Farm Bureau insurers of Katrina survive unprecedented $440M payout.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix After seeing his ruined Lakeview home for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, claims adjuster Khanh Benson was positive his home insurance policy would be canceled. He'd seen it happen many times before in his...

Unchecked N.O. electrical work creates greater risk of fires.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts A City Council ordinance intended to speed the homebuilding recovery from Hurricane Katrina has created fire hazards, too. The Department of Safety & Permits has discovered "life-threatening problems" in work done by...

Sapporo, Parran's feed Metairie lunch crowds fast.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Tom Fitzmorris The following two restaurants serve a good meal quickly on a busy day in Metairie. $$ Sapporo Post-storm ratings: B 3544 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie Lunch and dinner continuously, seven days. AE, DC, DS, MC, V...

Tourism recovery buoys New Orleans.
July 10, 2006... Byline: N.O. CityBusiness Staff Reports The New Orleans tourism industry is setting a successful example the rest of the metro economy would do well to emulate. Rather than waiting around post-Katrina to see what help would be made...

Commentary: Heitmeier shows promise in Secretary of State race.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Jeff Crouere On Sept. 30, there will be a special statewide election for Secretary of State. After longtime incumbent Fox McKeithen died last year, Al Ater has been serving in the office but ruled out running this fall. Several...

National Guard presence hurts New Orleans image.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Bill Woodall Through the years I, like millions of Americans, have been drawn to New Orleans. On many occasions, I've been called to the Crescent City for a refresher course in real music and serious food. I answered the call. At...

New Orleans NAACP claims comment by St. Tammany Parish sheriff is racist.
July 10, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans Branch NAACP today condemned statements by St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain about targeting people with certain black hairstyles, saying that constituted illegal racial profiling. The...

Head Start way behind in Jefferson Parish.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Thomas Leggett Almost half of all damaged Head Start Center sites in Jefferson Parish sit vacant more than 10 months after Hurricane Katrina and rebuilding plans are still being finalized. "We've submitted proposals to our...

New Orleans CityBusiness survey: Snuff smoking in LA restaurants.
July 10, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report CityBusiness survey respondents overwhelmingly want to snuff cigarette smoking in Louisiana restaurants. The Legislature decreed all cigarette smoking will be illegal come Jan. 1, 2007, in all restaurants....

U.S. drilling decline hits third week in row.
July 10, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report U.S. drilling activity continued to decline for the third consecutive week from a 20-year high in mid-June, Baker Hughes Inc. reported today. The number of rotary rigs working dipped by seven to 1,659...