New Orleans CityBusiness articles from May 2007

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from May 2007

'Broadway South' proposal finds fans in New Orleans City Council.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Deon Roberts Tax credits to lure theater productions to Louisiana are one of two important economic development needs for the city, Councilwoman Stacy Head said. "From an overall economic development plan for the city," the tax...

U.S. construction spending rose .2 percent in March.
May 1, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Construction spending nationwide climbed .2 percent March after a 1.5 percent increase in February, according to Monday's construction spending report from the Census Bureau. Steady activity in the...

Louisiana officials support further studies of proposed cargo airport.
May 1, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The heads of Louisiana's departments of economic development and transportation on Monday said they support a study to measure the economic benefits of a cargo airport between Baton Rouge and New Orleans....

New Orleans Recovery School District interim leader to leave May 31.
May 1, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Acting Superintendent Robin Jarvis announced today she will leave the Recovery School District May 31. She said she several offers to consider but has not yet made a decision on what she will do next....

Business credit improves, housing market still slack, says Credit Manager's Index survey.
May 1, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness staff report The creditworthiness of businesses in the manufacturing sector improved in April, driving a 1.6 percent increase in the Credit Manager's Index. The CMI survey asks credit managers to rate favorable and...

La. Dept. of Transportation campaign aims to put a stop to pedestrian deaths, injuries.
May 1, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report To reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries on state roads, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has launched a public service announcement campaign. The pedestrian safety PSAs, which...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to advertise two Jefferson Parish drainage projects.
May 1, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Two Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Damage Reduction projects are scheduled to be advertised for bidders in early summer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. Grand Cross Canal, a West Bank project, calls...

CityBusiness online poll asks: What's your favorite N.O. event?
May 1, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness staff report After just one day of voting, CityBusiness readers are coming out strongly in favor of Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest as their two favorite New Orleans events. Voting concludes at noon next Monday. All survey...

Critics: Louisiana's proposed insurance incentives unfair.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Greg LaRose Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon and Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco unveiled a joint package of legislative proposals in March to attract new property insurers to the state. Big name insurance companies...

Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan features more than 100 proposals.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan announced today by the Louisiana Recovery Authority and citizen leaders, includes more than 100 recommended actions aimed at comprehensively managing future risk,...

Louisiana Recovery Authority releases Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Recovery Authority today released its long-term recovery plan for south Louisiana after spending last year and part of this year gathering ideas from citizens, elected leaders and others. The...

Recovery School District in New Orleans plans to cover teacher walkout Wednesday in N.O.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report All 22 schools in the Recovery School District will be open Wednesday despite the possibility of a teacher walkout. The RSD is deploying Central Office staff to all schools in the event of teacher absences...

Sen. Landrieu disappointed by Bush veto of spending bill.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, expressed disappointment after President George W. Bush vetoed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act Conference Report, which passed the Senate and House last...

Louisiana Recovery Authority Support Foundation meets Thursday.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The charitable arm of the Louisiana Recovery Authority will meet Thursday to discuss issues such as a proposed catastrophic insurance pool and community planning following the 2005 hurricanes. The LRA...

Coastal systems conference coming to Crescent City.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Economists, sociologists and policymakers from federal, state and local governments will attend the second national forum on socioeconomic research in coastal systems in New Orleans May 20-23 at the Royal...

More than 200 Recovery School District teachers skip class for rally.
May 2, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney More than 200 Recovery School District teachers missed class today to participate in a rally for higher teacher salaries in Baton Rouge. None of the district's 22 schools were forced to shut down due to the teacher...

Horizon Initiative, of New Orleans, adds to its support.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Executive Committee of Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans have endorsed the Horizon Initiative, a coalition of business and civic leaders pressing to lead New Orleans' future prosperity through...

High gas prices, hot weather drive demand for scooters.
May 2, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet Climbing gasoline prices are accelerating sales for New Orleans-area scooter and motorcycle dealers. Many business owners had to make tough decisions after Hurricane Katrina about whether to stick it out in a reduced...

New Orleans Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau loses major aviation convention.
May 2, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness staff report The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau has lost another major trade show. The National Business Aviation Association, expected to bring more than 20,000 people, will meet in Orlando,...

Louisiana tourism officials laud 2007 festival attendance.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu on Thursday said attendance is up at Louisiana's festivals and special events this year, another indicator that the state's tourism industry is recovering from the 2005 hurricanes....

Commentary: Road Home success problem indicates population surge.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Terry O'Connor The Road Home program has a success problem. More people are applying than expected, which is good because it indicates repopulation will be more robust than expected. But the heavy homeowner demand could drain the...

Report: Orleans Parish was at 56 percent of pre-K population in March.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Orleans Parish's population in March was 255,137, a 14 percent increase over July but still 56 percent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina population, according to a report by New Orleans firm GCR & Associates....

Cable networks slot $12M in ad time to New Orleans.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Eleven cable television system operators and cable advertiser Adlink are donating $12 million in advertising time on their networks to promote New Orleans tourism. With Cox Communications organizing the...

Donation by New Orleans doctor shapes glass exhibit.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Works of the internationally renowned Lalique family of glassmakers will be on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art until Dec. 30. "Lalique, Lalique, Lalique: Legends In Glass" features the 20th...

Commentary: PAR: Strategic flexibility needed in teacher pay raises.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Editorial Rather than grant the proposed across-the-board pay raise for teachers and school employees, the state should distribute the same statewide total amount to the districts in the proportion that they receive...

New Orleans-based Energy Partners Ltd. reports 1Q income fell 75 percent.(Financial report)
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Energy Partners Ltd. on Thursday reported first-quarter net income fell 75 percent to $3.7 million from $14.8 million in the same quarter last year. But oil and natural gas production was up for the quarter...

Commentary: Teacher hooky sends students wrong message.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Greg LaRose Teachers from around the state played hooky Wednesday to rally at the state Capitol to support teacher and school employee pay raises. Education officials estimate 120,000 students were affected by school closures as a...

British singer to join fans in New Orleans homebuilding.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report British soul singer Joss Stone plans work beside 40 fans and Habitat for Humanity to build homes in the Upper Ninth Ward. Stone will be in town to perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Stone...

St. Tammany event to put 41 homes on parade.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Forty-one St. Tammany Parish homes will be open for potential home buyers to tour during the 2007 Parade of Homes. The 28th annual event will be held noon to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday and May 12-13 and...

San Francisco nonprofit to help St. Bernard Parish with Katrina recovery.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report One Brick, a nonprofit that helps link volunteers with other nonprofits and community organizations, plans to help rebuild hurricane-ravaged St. Bernard Parish from Sunday through May 11. It is the first...

Hispanic Resource Center in Kenner to hold Social Security clinic.
May 3, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Hispanic Resource Center will hold a Social Security Clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 19. The center is located at 4312 Florida Ave. in Kenner. The clinic will provide information in Spanish and English...

New Orleans-area Regional Transit Authority drivers stage sickout.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Deon Roberts Sixty-one of 65 bus and streetcar drivers for the Regional Transit Authority staged a sickout today, as the drivers' union and RTA continue to negotiate a contract that predates Hurricane Katrina. RTA spokeswoman...

Hollywood production company considers filming revenge thriller in Louisiana.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Big Screen Entertainment Group said it is considering locations in Louisiana and Florida to shoot an upcoming revenge thriller, "Tool Girls." "We're also very intrigued by the Shreveport/Bossier City area...

Jefferson Parish to end free home demolitions June 29.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Jefferson Parish homeowners who want assistance with demolishing hurricane-damaged homes have until June 29 to apply. The deadline applies to unincorporated parts of the parish and the communities of...

New Orleans Zephyrs to hold baseball clinic for kids.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans Zephyrs and the city will hold a kids baseball clinic 9 a.m. Saturday at Taylor Park at the intersection of South Durbigny and Third streets. The New York Mets, the major league affiliate...

Group plans to finish rehab of 61 N.O.-area apartments in 60 days.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Downtown Development Group said it plans to finish the redevelopment of 61 low- to moderate-income apartments in New Orleans and Metairie within 30 to 60 days. The buildings are Washington Gardens, 2119...

Louisiana bills ignite changes in smoking law.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Richard A. Webster The cigarette is about to stage a comeback in Louisiana if two legislators have their way. State Reps. Alexander Heaton, D-New Orleans, and Robert Faucheux, D-Gramercy, proposed bills that anti-tobacco forces...

Tenet Healthcare completes sale of Lindy Boggs Medical Center in Mid-City.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Tenet Healthcare Corp. has completed the sale of Lindy Boggs Medical Center, a 187-bed hospital in Mid-City, to Victory Real Estate Investments of Columbus, Ga. The hospital, which sustained significant...

New Orleans-based Tidewater Inc.'s executive Cliffe Laborde leaving company.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Tidewater Inc. announced Cliffe Laborde, the company's executive vice president, secretary and general counsel, will leave the company June 29 to pursue business opportunities. Laborde has been with...

Audits reveal questionable spending, hiring at East Jefferson clinic.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet Three years after audits uncovered possible embezzlement and misspent clinic funds at East Jefferson Community Health Center, federal authorities are investigating the clinic's management during the time in question....

N.O. poised to reverse retail slump.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet Thanks to new and returning businesses opening in 2006, retail sales tax collections in Orleans Parish are emerging from a steep post-Katrina decline. Sales tax collections in Orleans Parish made big gains in January...

Kenner Police Department arrests 14 in prostitution sting.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Kenner Police Department conducted a sting operation Thursday to identify and arrest individuals seeking the services of prostitutes. Female undercover officers, posing as prostitutes, worked an area...

Annual inspection and Mass to be held for N.O. first responders.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The annual inspection and memorial Mass celebrated by the New Orleans police, fire, and emergency medical service departments will be held Sunday in Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. Police,...

Former Philly superintendent takes on N.O. challenge.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek announced today Paul Vallas will be the new superintendent of the Recovery School District. Vallas, CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, has been...

Construction economist: Housing construction to pick up in 2008.
May 4, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The nationwide decline in single-family home construction will not turn around until the second quarter of 2008. That's according to a construction outlook report released Friday by Ken Simonson, chief...

New Orleans Small Business Briefs: May 5, 2007.
May 5, 2007... Byline: Christian Moises More small businesses will soon land large federal contracts. House Resolution 1873, introduced April 17 and also known as the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act, will reauthorize Small Business...

Covington-based Hornbeck Offshore Services' 1Q income rises 17 percent.
May 5, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. reported first-quarter net income of $17.5 million, or 67 cents per diluted share, an increase of 17 percent from $14.9 million, or 54 cents per diluted share, versus the...

CityBusiness online poll results: Mardi Gras wins as favorite N.O. event.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Mardi Gras was the favorite New Orleans event for the majority of voters on CityBusiness' online poll. A total of 160 votes, or 33.9 percent, were cast for Mardi Gras over the past week. The poll received...

Louisiana or Alabama? ThyssenKrupp might make decision Friday.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Louisiana and Alabama officials may learn this week where steel company ThyssenKrupp will choose to build a $2.9-billion U.S. steel plant. ThyssenKrupp today announced that its supervisory board will take...

Tulane University expects record number of freshmen in fall.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The number of freshmen coming to Tulane University in the fall will set a Tulane record, the university said. More than 1,375 high school seniors are expected to enroll in August, an increase of 55 percent...

New Orleans luncheon to focus on Louisiana shipping facilities.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Transportation officials will discuss Louisiana's shipping facilities during a May 16 luncheon in Room 1830 of the World Trade Center, 2 Canal St. The discussion will be held during National Transportation...

New Orleans expo to offer businesses cyber crime solutions.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The top five Internet security risks for businesses will be the focus of the two-day IT Conference and Expo scheduled for May 22-23 at the Hilton Riverside hotel. The conference will not only review the...

New Orleans Free Academy to receive 3,000 donated books.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report More than 3,000 books are being donated to the new library at the New Orleans Free Academy. The books were collected through Book by Book, a drive to collect new and used books for the New Orleans Charter...

Louisiana unemployment claims drop 37 percent.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ended April 28 decreased 37 percent from the previous week, the Louisiana Department of Labor said. There were 2,527 initial claims for the week, down...

Commentary: Wanted: Grownups to spend Louisiana surplus wisely.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Mark Singletary There ought to be some grownups in charge of our state budget. Maybe it's us, the taxpayers. Like I read in CityBusiness Social Media Editor Deon Roberts' online blog last week, Louisiana has an abundance of cash to...

Public comment period nears end for New Orleans public schools study.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The final town hall meeting for a study seeking public input on New Orleans public schools will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at McDonough 35, 1331 Kerlerec St. In March, the New Orleans City...

New Orleans Jazz Fest officials estimate 2007 attendance hit 375,000.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The 2007 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival drew an estimated 375,000 visitors, according to Jazz Fest officials. The event ended Sunday after running two consecutive weekends. Jazz Fest officials say...

Louisiana port boards disdain consolidation.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet Hurricane Katrina helped spur consolidation of the state levee boards but don't look for it to do the same for the various port boards. Port officials statewide have discussed the need for Louisiana's 27 operational...

Commentary: Nuvolari's retooled menu hits culinary sweet spot.(Recipe)(Restaurant review)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Tom Fitzmorris Nuvolari's $$$$ 246 Girod St., Mandeville Dinner only, seven nights. At the end of my third recent dinner at Nuvolari's, I began mentally composing this column, starting like this: "The most exciting restaurant...

Tariff dispute nets jumbo headaches for shrimpers in La.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Kathryn Jezer-Morton With foreign shrimp flooding the American market, fuel prices already sky high and seafood tariffs a never-ending debate, the banged-up Louisiana shrimp industry is limping into its spring harvest. The...

Why Stay? N.O. bartender, firefighter says attitude of residents is behind his dedication to city.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney For bartender and firefighter Jan Soeten XV, 36, life is about connecting with people, and the friendly attitude of New Orleans residents is behind his dedication to the city. Soeten said no matter what else is...

University of New Orleans' Jumpstart program pairs tutors with tiny tots.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney The youngest students on the University of New Orleans Lakefront campus aren't worried about taking notes or cramming for finals. Instead, preschoolers in the New Orleans Jumpstart program, which pairs 3- to...

Metairie student honored in Washington for volunteer work.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report A student from Metairie who helped create a summer camp where children with disabilities interact with other kids was honored for her volunteer work at the 2007 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Sunday...

Kenner's University City residents still rely on temporary trailers.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina, some Kenner residents are still struggling to get out of FEMA trailers and back into their homes. For University City residents, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's...

'Broadway South' finds fans on N.O. Council.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Tax credits to lure theater productions to Louisiana are one of two important economic development needs for the city, New Orleans City Councilwoman Stacy Head said. In terms of economic development plans for the...

French Quarter Fest in N.O. rebounds big time.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The 24th French Quarter Festival posted a single-day attendance record and nearly returned to pre-Katrina attendance levels. An estimated 425,000 festivalgoers included a record 208,000 people April 15. French...

N.O. restaurants walk a fine line when changing their menus.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Tommy Santora New Orleans resident Juli Juneau wanted to give her out-of-town guest and mother Judi Lawrence, from Charleston, S.C., a taste of both culinary schools of thought during her mother's two-week New Orleans visit. "We're...

Minneapolis-based Dolan Media files $150M IPO deal.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Dolan Media Co., parent company of New Orleans CityBusiness and operator of a nationwide chain of business and legal publications, has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission...

St. Bernard regains $104M from feds.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, said St. Bernard Parish will receive $104 million in federal disaster aid grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grants will reimburse the parish for...

New Orleans Hospitality Briefs: May 7, 2007.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Kathryn Jezer-Morton Dalton Milton, the Rib Room maitre d' known simply by his last name, ended his 46-year career April 26. His colleagues at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel didn't let him go quietly, though. Upon finishing a...

$100M suit filed against state of La. over uninsured care.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Richard A. Webster The 381-member medical staff of West Jefferson Medical Center has filed a $100-million lawsuit against the state and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals seeking reimbursement for health care services...

Numbers taking off at Louis Armstrong N.O. International Airport.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Terry O'Connor The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is already a major hit this year at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. On the Monday following the first Jazz Fest weekend, 14,490 people passed through...

Interview with Hicham Khodr: Owner, Table One, Byblos restaurants in N.O.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Craig Guillot As an owner of Table One and the Byblos restaurants and partner in NOLA with chef Emeril Lagasse, Hicham Khodr has roots in New Orleans' restaurant scene. Coming to the Crescent City from Lebanon as a teenager in...

Commentary: Road Home success problem indicates repopulation surge.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Terry O'Connor The Road Home program has a success problem. More people are applying than expected, which is good because it indicates repopulation will be more robust than expected. But the heavy homeowner demand could drain the...

Tulane University in N.O. learning the Wall Street way.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Stephen Maloney Compiling an undergraduate class report won't necessarily help most students land a job after graduation. But for students in Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business, creating the annual Burkenroad...

Commentary: Skipping Road Home title searches is costly mistake.
May 7, 2007... Byline: James B. Barkate Recent reports of the increased number of closings by the Louisiana Road Home program is welcome news and should be applauded. Getting this money into the hands of rightful owners is a critical goal of the program....

Sour notes felt in the New Orleans music community.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Richard A. Webster Some in the New Orleans music community say they are being used as a mascot by the city to lure tourists while nothing is done to ensure their own survival. King Bolden's jazz club on Rampart Street closed...

Commentary: Investing $611M in education is sound.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff It's hard to argue against the need to invest in our education system. Not one legislator did so publicly when the teachers union made its disappointing push for more money last week. Thousands of teachers played...

Clinic woes force new leadership in N.O.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Jaime Guillet Three years after audits uncovered possible embezzlement and misspent clinic funds at East Jefferson Community Health Center, federal authorities continue to investigate the clinic's management during the time in...

Recovery School District leader Jarvis will leave N.O. May 31.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Acting Superintendent Robin Jarvis will leave the Recovery School District May 31. She said she is considering several offers but has not decided on her next move. Citing time away from her family as the main...

Negotiations for Federal City in N.O. move slowly.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Deon Roberts Anyone who's ever bought a house knows how complicated and voluminous the paperwork can be. Try buying or leasing land from the Navy. For months, New Orleans and state officials have been trying to reach an agreement...

$4.5M condo project planned for Marigny in downtown N.O.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff A developer plans to build a $4.5-million 13-unit condominium project in Faubourg Marigny at 2212 Burgundy St. Robert DeJean, who has opened Quizno's restaurants around New Orleans, plans to have a ribbon cutting...

May 7-13.
May 7, 2007... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports The following calendar of business meetings and events is for May 7-13. The deadline for submissions to the business calendar is 10 days prior to publication date. May 8 Public Service...

First Bank and Trust tower in N.O. lights up.
May 7, 2007... Byline: CityBusiness Staff First Bank and Trust has added its name to the New Orleans skyline by unveiling brightly lit signs 36 floors above Poydras Street. "It's exciting for us to become part of the New Orleans skyscape," said First...