New Orleans CityBusiness articles from March 2004

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from March 2004

Steady Hibernia growth reaches top five plateau.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Investment experts say a Covington pool conglomerate is taking its well-deserved turn in the sun while utilities are still lighting it up and banks are making big bucks. Weiss Ratings Inc. lists the five...

Weiss Ratings Inc. publishes list of lowest-rated Louisiana stocks.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky For the companies on the Weiss Ratings Inc. list of lowest-rated Louisiana stocks, the good news is there isn't more bad news. The better news is several of the companies may be on the verge of shedding the unwanted...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes $2.7M dike helps avert hidden danger in Mississippi River.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say a 70-foot-deep scour hole in the bed of the Mississippi River along the Southwest Pass is an accident waiting to happen. The hole is at the intersection of...

Clear Channel Communications Inc. sets zero-tolerance policy.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Clear Channel Communications Inc. is cracking down on risque radio by implementing a new zero-tolerance policy for indecency on the airwaves. Last week, Clear Channel fired Tampa, Fla., disc jockey Todd Clem, also known...

Staffer of New Orleans mayor responds to error in press release regarding Carnival 2004.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Mayor C. Ray Nagin's office of communications made a "Freudian slip" in a press release regarding Carnival 2004. When discussing the economic impact of Carnival 2004, mayoral spokesman Chris Bonura wrote, "Early economic...

Opponents of Uptown condominium development fight zoning change on their own Web site.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff An Uptown neighborhood organization is taking its fight against plans to build a 14-story luxury condominium "to a new level" with a Web site, www.zoningfordollarsiswrong.org. Sheldon Hersh, a resident who lives 36 feet...

Magazine ranks New Orleans salon among country's top 200.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Salon Today magazine has named New Orleans' Salon du Beau Monde to its Salon Today 200, a list of the 200 fastest-growing salons out of 25,000 salons in the country. Salons were chosen based on their percentage of sales...

Covington tattoo parlors need special permits.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Following opposition from residents and business owners, the Covington City Council revised an amendment Feb. 17 to an ordinance that requires tattoo parlors to gain a conditional use permit to operate in the city's...

Economic impact report predicts La. Transportation Center to bring $40.1B in earnings to residents.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff A proposed transportation hub near Donaldsonville will be the largest single economic development project in Louisiana history, according to one economic expert. Loren Scott, president of Loren C. Scott & Associates in...

Relatively new surgery, autologous chondrocyte implantation, makes ripples in the orthopedics.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Elisabeth Butler Baby boomers give orthopedic surgeons job security. Doctors say the largest single consumer group in history will need more knee surgeries than any generation, and plenty of surgeons are standing by with...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: Public deserves independent notice of government actions.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary All of us who live and work in New Orleans are used to our family, friends, co-workers and professional affiliates coming for visits. It's always a privilege. Well, most of the time it's a privilege. This week...

New Orleans-area municipalities inventory brownfields for redevelopment opportunities.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Since the mid-1990s, thousands of federal dollars have been granted to New Orleans area municipalities and agencies to inventory, assess, clean and redevelop brownfield sites. Brownfields are properties nobody...

New Orleans takes on intractable literacy problem.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Community groups and government agencies say a widespread literacy problem is stunting economic development in New Orleans. According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, an estimated 24% to 32% of people 16...

Residents hopes Desire streetcar ride will revitalize neighborhood.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Ellen Boyer Residents of the St. Claude Avenue corridor say the proposed Desire streetcar line is essential for their neighborhood to survive. "The physical development of the neighborhood is in relation to the original...

Commentary: Mardi Gras depends on strong arm of the law.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor There is no more thankless task than that performed by our law enforcement officials during Carnival. The police really do an amazing job directing traffic. With multiple parades and many out-of-state drivers,...

Commentary: Editor's Notes: Mardi Gras excess reveals room for N.ew Orleans to improve.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor There's no easy way to say this. There was a black cloud over this year's Mardi Gras. Oh, it's always a little depressing to have the sustained euphoria of Mardi Gras slam shut with the austerity of Ash...

Resident revives youth program in hopes of revitalizing St. Roch.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Reggie Lawson wants to turn around the St. Roch area at the same time as he is giving students a hands-on learning experience. Lawson, head of the Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association, is helping revive a...

Louisiana summit tackles state's controversial health care issues.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Elisabeth Butler Toting heavy volumes of public comments, regional health care leaders from across Louisiana hope to change the state's health care legacy through a statewide summit in New Orleans this week. Gov. Kathleen...

Louisiana explores options for collecting more offshore oil revenues.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Louisiana's share of federal revenues collected by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2003 more than doubled the 2002 amount thanks to oil and natural gas price increases. As drillers head out into the...

Businesses in wake of MV Lee III's sinking get no financial redress for losses due to river closure.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Ellen Boyer The sinking of the MV Lee III Feb. 21 at the mouth of the Mississippi River, which closed the river to traffic for four days, has caused financial ripples. The closure could cost the Port of New Orleans, oil...

Look Who's Talking... Dr. Paul K. Whelton of Tulane Health Sciences Center.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Elisabeth Butler Born in Cork, Ireland, Dr. Paul Kieran Whelton has spent his life traveling the globe to further public health. He's worked in more than a dozen countries, coordinating international collaborations and studying...

New Orleans mayor's office reports "slightly better than average" Carnival 2004.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Carnival 2004 appears to have been "slightly better than average when it comes to the number of revelers and the economic impact," according to the mayor's office. Mayor C. Ray Nagin thanked everyone who made Carnival "a...

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International reports increased air traffic for Carnival season.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport reported air traffic for the Carnival season increased by about 1% more than last year. Between the Friday before Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday last year, the airport had a...

Cox Communications to keep ESPN in basic cable lineup.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Cox Communications announced it will continue to carry ESPN on its expanded basic lineup, ending a standoff between the two companies over carriage rates. ESPN has raised rates an average of 20% per year for the past five...

Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group opens base in Iraq.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff The Shaw Group has opened an office in Baghdad to support its increasing activity in Iraq, including anticipated U.S. government projects under the $1.5 billion U.S. Central Command award announced in January 2004. The...

Port of New Orleans officials deliver trade talk to Cuba.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff As much of the city crept into the Lenten season following Carnival's revelry, Port of New Orleans officials put the party behind them and headed to Cuba on Ash Wednesday. Officials took the two-day trip to remind the...

New Orleans City Council gives approval for development of Edison Park.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff A sublease to develop Edison Park, 311 Bourbon St., into a Cafe Beignet was approved by the New Orleans City Council at its Feb. 19 meeting. Cafe Beignet LLC, which has three French Quarter locations, plans to open a...

Pittsburgh-based Bayer Corp. spares nonprofit from termite infestation.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff Bayer Corp. of Pittsburgh, recently spared a nonprofit restaurant in New Orleans from being devoured by termites. The company donated $12,000 worth of termite treatment to Cafe Reconcile, a collaborative program that...

Part I: New Orleans' Le Grand Executif: Bill Hines.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor He's a speed-talking corporate lawyer deluxe for the largest New Orleans-based firm. He's ranked nationally by the Best Lawyers in America in three different categories. He's also a 47-year-old family man who is...

Part II: New Orleans' Le Grand Executif: McMoRan deal was Hines' pinnacle.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Bill Hines looks perplexed for a moment, an unusual expression for him, when asked if he's ever learned from failure in business. "You know, I don't want to sound immodest," he finally says. "I really can't think...

Part III: New Orleans' Le Grand Executif: Hines is 'walking 30-second commercial'.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Bill Hines compares New Orleans to a poorly managed company. "I really think New Orleans is unique," Hines said. "Yet we have not had a business plan and properly employed our assets for at least the last two...

EPA sets deadline for Baton Rouge gas stations to add pumps offering reformulated gas.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Dealing with air pollution that exceeds federal standards and a lawsuit forcing its hand, the EPA has set a June 23 deadline for Baton Rouge gas station owners to add pumps offering reformulated gasoline. State...

New Orleans hip-hop artist signs athletic shoe deal with NY-based Lugz Shoe Co.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans hip-hop artist and Cash Money Records founder Bryan "Baby" Williams, also known as Birdman, has hatched a deal with New York-based Lugz Shoe Co. to create a namesake athletic shoe. The "Birdman" will make its...

New Orleans Councilwoman Clarkson applauds her daughter's Oscar nomination.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff In best supporting mother fashion, New Orleans City Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson said her daughter's Oscar nomination was a victory in and of itself. Patricia Clarkson, a New Orleans native, was nominated for...

Sewell Cadillac GM presented with U.S. flag from Baghda.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff A flag that once flew over the Baghdad Airport has found a home in New Orleans. The flag, one of 911 United States flags that flew over the airport on Sept. 11, 2003, was presented to Sewell Cadillac-Chevrolet general...

Tropical Isle bar owners buy French Quarter's Vieux Carre restaurant.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Owners of the Original Papa Joe's on Bourbon Street are ready to retire, but they're leaving the 39-year-old French Quarter institution to seasoned veterans. Pam Fortner and Earl Bernhardt, owners of Tropical Isle, Funky...

Calendar quirk rewards some workers with extra check in 2004.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Michael Giusti Many workers who collect weekly and biweekly paychecks are in for a little gift in 2004 - an extra paycheck. Through a calendar quirk, this year will finish with 53 Fridays, instead of the usual 52. For more than...

Large banks adopt new layouts to draw customers into branches.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller After what many consider a failed experiment pushing customers to make transactions online or at automated teller machines, big banks are inviting customers back into their branches. And those branches are looking...

Commentary: Tournament Players Club will give golf pros another place to play in New Orleans area.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary Next year the Professional Golfers' Association tournament in New Orleans will change venues. That is not news. The presenting sponsor of the event is Hewlett-Packard, which is why it's called the HP Classic....

New Orleans developer tries to win approval on scaled-back condo building.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Jim MacPhaille is trying his best to sell Uptown residents on his luxury condominium project. He's been tweaking his plans, looking at alternatives and hoping to find some middle ground where the project can survive...

Brownfield redevelopment can spur growth in New Orleans area.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Andy Antippas finds it hard to believe his gallery is located on a former brownfields site. Barrister's Gallery, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., specializes in African and contemporary folk art and features works...

Oil observers blame regulatory barriers for Louisiana's drop in active rigs.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Oil industry observers say regulatory barriers are preventing Louisiana from cashing in on high oil and natural gas commodity prices. From January 2003 to January 2004, the wellhead price of natural gas surged...

New Orleans Police Dept. served 56% fewer lost children during 2004 Carnival.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Most people who attend Carnival focus their attention on catching long pearl beads, plastic cups and stuffed animals. Officers within a special unit of the New Orleans Police Department have their minds on catching...

Louisiana state health care officials told to stop relying on federal dollars.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Elisabeth Butler Health care experts told Louisiana health professionals last week to stop depending so heavily upon federal money to support the state health care system. Advisers from several national health-care advocacy...

Look Who's Talking... Arthur P. Brief, Lawrence Martin Chair in Business, Tulane University.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Arthur P. Brief has spent his professional career studying organizational behavior, specifically corporate corruption. Brief recently addressed a meeting of the Rotary Club of New Orleans, where he presented some...

Louisiana Dept. of Labor announces unemployment increased in December.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff The Louisiana Department of Labor preliminarily announced unemployment increased in December to 5.8% from 5.5% in November. Unemployment in December 2002 was 6.3%. Nationally, the December unemployment rate was 5.7% compared...

McMoRan Exploration Co. applies for license to develop natural gas terminal in Gulf.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff McMoRan Exploration Co., a wholly-owed subsidiary of New Orleans-based Freeport-McMoRan Energy LLC, has applied for a license to develop a $440 million liquefied natural gas receiving terminal at the company's Main Pass...

Retired marine general and New Orleans officials discuss how to protect military base from shutdown.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Retired Marine Maj. Gen. David Mize met last week with city officials and community leaders in Algiers to discuss detailed plans for protecting the Naval Support Activity base from possible shutdown. Base Realignment and...

Port of New Orleans formally dedicates Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff The Port of New Orleans formally dedicated the $101 million Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal with a wharf-side ceremony. The complex, which began operating in January, is billed as the world's most technologically advanced...

Port of New Orleans signs $1M contract with Ampco System Parking.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff The Port of New Orleans signed a $1 million contract with Ampco System Parking, a Los Angeles-based subsidiary of ABM Industries Inc., to provide parking services during construction of the $29 million Erato Street cruise...

Grand Isle is site of celebration for project to rebuild Fifi Island.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Grand Isle was the site of a celebration for a project to rebuild Fifi Island, an eroding, uninhabited barrier island north of Grand Isle. Fifi Island is an important buffer for Barataria Bay. A $3 million rock dike project...

Integrated Deepwater System Program delivers first Island class Patrol Boat.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff The Integrated Deepwater System Program celebrated the delivery of the first 123-foot Island class Patrol Boat at Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Miss. The USCGC Matagorda, the first Coast Guard cutter for homeland security,...

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare to sell home health agencies and two hospices to Amedisys Inc.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. announced it will sell 11 home health agencies and two hospices to Amedisys Inc. for $19 million at closing and $4.3 million from working capital. The sale, which includes Memorial Home...

IberiaBank Corp. completes merger with Alliance Bank of Baton Rouge.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff IberiaBank Corp., parent company of IberiaBank, completed its merger with Alliance Bank of Baton Rouge, a single-branch bank established in 1999. Account conversion is scheduled to take place in April. Based in New Iberia,...

Metairie Bank & Trust Co. approves cash dividend of $5 per share of common stock.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Metairie Bank & Trust Co. approved a special cash dividend of $5 per share of common stock, payable March 26 to shareholders of record Feb. 10. Established in 1947, Metairie Bank operates six offices in Metairie and has...

Athletics Reform and BCS Presidential Oversight Committee agrees to add fifth major bowl game.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Led by Tulane University President Scott Cowen, the Presidential Coalition for Athletics Reform and the Bowl Championship Series Presidential Oversight Committee tentatively agreed to add a fifth major bowl game to the BCS...

Edwin Neill II, founder of Paris Parker salons and spas, dies at age 64.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Edwin Neill II, founder of Paris Parker salons and spas, died Feb. 28 at age 64. Neill, who died of complications from Hodgkins disease, was chief executive of Hammond-based Neill Corp., the world's largest independent...

Lee Hampton named executive director of Amistad Research Center at Tulane.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Lee Hampton was named executive director of the Amistad Research Center, an independent archive at Tulane University that chronicles the history of African-Americans and other ethnic groups. Hampton had been vice president of...

New Orleans named No. 2 in North American market for producing large medical meetings.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff The doctor is in for New Orleans' tourism industry. Tradeshow Week, a trade industry publication that tracks the convention business, listed New Orleans as No. 2 in the North American market for producing the largest...

Entergy Corp. raises power lines near Port of New Orleans to accommodate big ships.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff This time last year, a set of New Orleans power lines were causing a problem for a cruise ship. Rising 208 feet from the surface of the Mississippi River, Carnival Cruise Lines' Conquest could not reach the Port of New...

Flight numbers rise at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Air traffic at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport had a gentle takeoff in January, with nearly a 10% increase in flights compared with January 2003 said Michelle Duffourc, airport spokeswoman. Airline...

Offshore cabin supplier plans $2M expansion.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Staff Duffy and McGovern Accommodation Services, the world's largest supplier of offshore accommodation cabins, is expanding its lodging capability in the Gulf of Mexico. The company maintains an office in Belle Chasse. In...

La. business leader believes backing away from tax cuts will send wrong business message.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor The Public Affairs Research Council has twice recommended, in 1994 and 2002 reports, lifting two major impediments to economic development: the sales tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment and the corporate...

Harvey-based Superior Energy Services reports record revenues and earnings for 2003.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Despite gloomy predictions in the Louisiana oil and gas industry, some companies still believe. To make that point, Harvey-based Superior Energy Services capped 2003 by booking record revenues, along with some...

Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Assn. to file suit over World Trade Center deal.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts The Bureau of Governmental Research, the Metropolitan Crime Commission and others have strongly criticized the $190 million World Trade Center hotel project for improperly diverting tax dollars ever since it was...

Laplace-based Bayou Steel Corp. sheds $97M debt to emerge stronger.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Ellen Boyer Bayou Steel Corp., a steel minimill in LaPlace, is emerging from bankruptcy with higher than anticipated revenues. Bayou Steel projected $188 million in revenue for fiscal year 2004 and pulled in $51.7 million...

Peter A. Mayer Advertising uses rapper slang to land Ponchatoula-based Elmer's Candy Corp.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Staff The creative team at Peter A. Mayer Advertising learned to speak Snoop this year to land an account with Elmer's Candy Corp. in Ponchatoula. Elmer's wanted to create a new marketing campaign featuring modern slang and a...

Pineville-based Cleco Corp. helps re-establish endangered black bear in Louisiana.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Staff Pineville-based Cleco Corp. is the first company to adopt a Louisiana black bear as part of a program to re-establish the animal in the state. The Louisiana black bear is considered a threatened species under the federal...

Food Network to feature New Orleans' Windsor Court chef show.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Staff A New Orleans chef and veteran of cable television appearances will be featured once again on the Food Network. Keegan Gerhard, 40, executive pastry chef at the Windsor Court Hotel's New Orleans Grill, will appear...

Inquiring New Orleans tourists ask about Cuban ferry.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Staff Even though Americans are forbidden to visit Cuba in most cases, tourists in New Orleans still want to know how to get there. The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau polled its visitor information...

New Orleans Zephyrs included in "MVP Baseball 2004" video game.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Staff The New Orleans Zephyrs have been called up to "the show." The Zephyrs are one of many minor league baseball teams introduced in "MVP Baseball 2004," the second edition of the "MVP Baseball" video game franchise by...

Consumer groups concerned about acquisition of AT&T Wireless by Cingular Wireless.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky The acquisition of AT&T Wireless by Cingular Wireless is unlikely to cause layoffs in the New Orleans area, but the move will affect existing subscribers. Exactly how is still unclear. Consumer groups are...

Disposing of obsolete computers poses toxic landfill risks.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Ellen Boyer The computer sitting on your desk seems harmless but it can pose health hazards once you decide to trash it. Toxic computers received added attention last week after a United Nations report outlined the...

Commentary: Pragmatic Lt. Gov. Landrieu intends to make a major difference.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary Last week, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu spoke before a small group of business people at a working lunch. As part of the group, I was incredibly impressed by Landrieu's pragmatism. His message was everything I...

New Orleans-based Bevolo Gas and Electric Lights expands its light fixture business worldwide.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky A tiny French Quarter shop is at the forefront of worldwide demand for authentic gas light fixtures. Since the company was founded in 1945, Bevolo Gas and Electric Lights has seen its business expand worldwide....

Louisiana governor vows to bridge gap between state, energy industry.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky As far as the oil and gas industry is concerned, Louisiana is open for business, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said recently in a speech to the Professional Landman's Association of New Orleans. Blanco stopped...

New Orleans-area entrepreneurs provide new rehearsal facilities for musicians.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller New Orleans-area entrepreneurs are amplifying rehearsal options for musicians. For years, Tipitina's Fountainebleau Rehearsal Facility and an old Mid-City warehouse owned by Jimmy Robinson of the band Woodenhead...

French Quarter Festivals Inc. officials call for more volunteers and security officer in 2004.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Elisabeth Butler French Quarter Festivals Inc. officials called for backup for this year's springtime party. The event starts April 15 and features 15 stages and about 150 acts. Laurie Toups, executive director of the nonprofit...

Baton-Rouge-based industry group launches plan to bring insurance companies to Louisiana.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Ellen Boyer The Bayou State has changed the way it handles insurance, which industry officials hope will eventually result in lower rates for consumers. A Baton Rouge-based industry group is leading the way through a...

Core-South Center of Recovery offers free therapy to compulsive gamblers in Louisiana.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Elisabeth Butler Most people can slide a few dollars into a slot machine and - win or lose - walk away from the lever without looking back. They forget the experience quickly. Compulsive gamblers don't let it go so easily, said...

Country Music Television backs new 'Whiskey Bayou' festival in New Orleans.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Dust off your cowboy boots - a new country music festival is riding into town. Country on Whiskey Bayou will kick off the spring festival season March 28 at a new site behind the John A. Alario Sr. Center in...

Look Who's Talking... Cheryl E. Mills, president of Orleans Parish School Board.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts About two months ago, Cheryl Mills was unexpectedly elevated from Orleans Parish School Board member to board president after her fellow board members stripped the presidency from Ellenese Brooks-Simms. Mills had voted...

Biloxi Marsh Land Corp. announces its eighth consecutive profitable year.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Staff Biloxi Marsh Land Corp. announced its eighth consecutive profitable year. Total revenue for 2003 was $6,704,557 compared with total revenue of $5,961,295 in 2002. Net earnings increased 17 percent to $4,015,568 or $5.83...

La. Dept. of the Interior announces record number of drilling rigs in Gulf of Mexico.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Staff The Department of the Interior's Minerals and Management Service announced a record number of drilling rigs are working in ultra-deep water in the Gulf of Mexico. For the first time, 12 rigs are drilling for oil and gas in...