New Orleans CityBusiness articles from September 2005

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from September 2005

Capital One delays $5B Hibernia deal.
September 8, 2005... Byline: City Business Staff Writer Capital One postponed its acquisition of Hibernia Corp. and negotiated a lower purchase price for the New Orleans-based bank. With one-fifth of its offices still shuttered following Hurricane Katrina,...

Contractors want access to Jefferson Parish.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose The head of the Home Builders Association for Greater New Orleans is upset government officials won't allow contractors into the area to tackle what he predicts will be an epidemic of mold damage following Hurricane...

Northop Grumman's Avondale and Tallulah facilities to resume normal production by Sunday.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Northop Grumman's Avondale and Tallulah facilities will be resume normal production no earlier than, Sunday. Only maintenance and security shift personnel should report to work if possible. Reporting...

Verizon Wireless communications returning to normal in many areas of New Orleans.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Verizon Wireless claimed progress today in strengthening communications in many of the hardest hit areas of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Verizon Wireless used additional cell sites in...

Metairie Bank operates out of data processing center in Monroe.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Metairie Bank employees are asked to call (318) 512-1019 to say where and how they are and how to get in touch with them. Those with Internet access can go to www.metairiebank.com for more information. "We...

Benefit for New Orleans-based Southern Rep theater organization to be held in Atlanta.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Rude Mechanicals in Atlanta is holding a benefit for New Orleans-based Southern Rep professional theater organization. Southern Rep Theatre is run by Rude Mechanicals co-founder and former artistic...

Louisiana Restaurant Association temporarily reopens in Baton Rouge.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Restaurant Association has opened a temporaryoffice in the Louisiana Technology Park in Baton Rouge after being forced to evacuate its Metairie offices by Hurricane Katrina. The LRA and the...

New Orleans CityBusiness Web Log to feature reopenings, closings.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report All businesses ready to reopen or planning to close in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area are asked to post information at the New Orleans CityBusiness Web Log. We want to know what you are up to in...

The number of rescues in New Orleans area decreased significantly in the last 36 hours.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Line shots: More than 3,300 Coast Guard men and women from Florida to Louisiana continue to use a mix of more than 50 aircraft, dozens of cutters and hundreds of small boats to conduct search, rescue,...

MGM Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss., to be rebuilt 'quickly'.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The owner of the MGM Beau Rivage resort in Biloxi, Miss., on Thursday pledged to pour $200 million into restoring the damaged property.Parent company MGM Mirage, based in Las Vegas, said the plan is to...

More Louisiana state offices set to reopen.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Commissioner of Administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc announced the discretionary reopening of state offices in Lafourche, Livingston, St. Charles, St. John and Tangipahoa parishes as of Thursday, Sept. 8. He...

Some greater New Orleans-area businesses rebound after Hurricane Katrina.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Some businesses rebound after Hurricane Katrina. The following businesses have resumed operations in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area: * Deerfield, Ill.-based Protocol Integrated Direct...

Stricken New Orleans businesses establish new Baton Rouge presence.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The following businesses have resumed operations outside the New Orleans region: * Omni Bank, which ordinarily serves Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, East Baton Rouge and St. John parishes, has opened...

New Orleans filmmakers plan Katrina documentary.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report New Orleans husband and wife team Tim Ryan, executive director for the New Orleans Video Access Center, and actress Heather Ryan have begun to document the experiences of Hurricane Katrina. ...

Hurricane Katrina spared much of energy infrastructure.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Katrina spared much of energy infrastructure Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Rebecca Watson Tuesday told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee the status of offshore oil and...

U.S. Sen. David Vitter says New Orleans Saints owner wants to play in Baton Rouge.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, said New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson wants to play in Louisiana this season. Vitter said Benson assured he would maximize the number of Saints' home games played in...

North Oaks Health System facilities in Hammond is back on track.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report North Oaks Health System facilities in Hammond returned to "business as usual" for most inpatient and outpatient services on Tuesday. The following facilities resumed normal business hours: North Oaks...

St. Bernard schools will not open this year.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Education officials revealed the fate of Plaquemines and St. Bernard schools by posting on www.louisianaschools.net. Plaquemines Parish has nine schools and six were under water. But Belle Chase...

Baton Rouge health operation sets world record.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The medical evacuation effort for Hurricane Katrina represents the largest deployment of public health officials in U.S. history. According to Dr. Chris Trevino, the 800-bed medical facility at LSU is the...

Southeastern Louisiana Univ. operations, classes resume.
September 8, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Southeastern Louisiana University reopened its administrative and academic offices and resume classes Thursday. The university information hotline can answer questions at (985) 549-2000, 549-2222 and...

Louisiana ag losses to top $1B.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Louisiana farm leaders Thursday estimated losses from Hurricane Katrina could exceed $1 billion. "We know what some of the immediate losses are but it may be months before we know the full scale impact...

Louisiana construction association official wants to keep homegrown labor.
September 9, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose The construction industry in New Orleans will have to replace workers who relocate permanently after Hurricane Katrina. But work is available now for those who want to stay home. Derrell Cohoon, CEO of Louisiana...

Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group gains $100M rebuilding contract for N.O.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Shaw Group Inc. has been awarded a $100 million contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help rebuild the New Orleans levees breached by Hurricane Katrina. Shaw has begun pumping...

New Orleans firm of Stone Pigman temporarily relocates to Baton Rouge.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann's New Orleans office suffered only minor physical damage but it will not be operable in the near future, officials say. The Stone Pigman firm will temporarily operate from...

La.'s U.S. Senators Landrieu, Vitter: $50B is good start but more needed fast.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, and David Vitter, R-Metairie, said it's not enough that the Senate passed House Resolution 3673 by a unanimous vote Thursday night for $50 billion in Hurricane Katrina...

New Orleans Public Schools rebuilding project will be 'enormous'.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report In an effort to finally meet the Sept. 2 payroll for employees of New Orleans Public Schools, the turnaround firm Alvarez & Marsal has set up shop in upstate New York to retrieve payroll information from...

Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans facilities questionable.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, which includes the Charity and University hospitals, are temporarily closed due to extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, officials say. When the...

Smaller Louisiana newspapers devastated by Katrina have help.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The National Newspaper Association reports more than 20 small Louisiana papers are on the brink of extinction after Hurricane Katrina. Several community publishers, without a bigger parent company to prop...

Dryades Savings Bank moves to Lafayette.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Dryades Savings Bank is moving its operations and call center to Lafayette and expects to be operational by Monday, said Virgil Robinson Jr., president and CEO. Telephone numbers for the Lafayette...

Gulf Coast Bank assists Metairie-based Omni Bank in Lafayette.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Gulf Coast Bank of Lafayette is helping Metairie-based Omni Bank serve its displaced customers by lending space in one of its branches to conduct business. Omni staff, including customer service...

Entergy making restoration headway.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report As of Friday morning, Entergy has restored power to more than 738,000 customers while nearly 353,000 remain without electrical service. About 345,000 customers in Louisiana remain without power. ...

Bush lifts prevailing-wage rules.
September 9, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Federal contractors rebuilding the Gulf region don't have to follow prevailing-wage rules, according to an executive order President Bush issued Thursday. Bush said Hurricane Katrina's devastation created a...

FEMA's Brown pulled from Katrina duty.
September 9, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Federal Emergency Management Administration chief Michael Brown is being yanked from leadership of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, the Associated Press has reported. Brown is being replaced by Coast Guard Vice...

Louisiana's fishers to lose $1.3B from Katrina.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries preliminary analysis of economic losses to state's fisheries-related industries projects $1.3 billion will be lost because of Hurricane Katrina damage....

Traffic snarls slow homebuilder recovery.
September 9, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose The head of the Louisiana Homebuilders Association says getting building materials into the hands of contractors will be the primary difficulty in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Ronnie Kyle said homebuilders...

Mandeville-based FARA bounces back fast after Katrina.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report FARA, a nationwide third-party insurance administrator, expects to be back in its corporate headquarters in Mandeville Monday after running operations from back-up offices in Baton Rouge for two weeks. The...

Young Leadership Council regroups; plots New Orleans return.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Jennifer Lange, president of the Young Leadership Council, said project activities have been suspended indefinitely but YLC is still operational and its executive leadership remains in regular...

National Guard's Task Force Pelican has enormous agenda.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana National Guard's primary missions include security, search and rescue, evacuation of New Orleans, levee repair, debris removal, citizen support (water, food distribution, shelter) and medical...

Eureka Homestead moves to Covington until Jefferson Parish office reopens.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Eureka Homestead has established temporary headquarters in downtown Covington, 205 N. Columbia St., until regular operations can be re-established in Jefferson Parish. All telephone numbers from existing...

GS Financial Corp. resumes limited operations.
September 9, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report GS Financial Corp. and its subsidiary, Guaranty Savings and Homestead Association, have resumed limited banking operations at the Mandeville branch office at 2111 N. Causeway Blvd. The GS Financial...

Companies commit to remain in New Orleans.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Officials from two New Orleans companies committed today to returning to the city once rebuilding efforts are under way. The officials made their commitments in conjunction with the unveiling of...

Northrop Grumman fires up New Orleans-area shipyards today.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Northrop Grumman Corp. asked all its able shipbuilders to work today at its Pascagoula and New Orleans shipyards. Partial ship production and office work will combine with cleanup and recovery efforts...

Hurricane Katrina cuts annual Gulf energy production by 3 percent.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report With 122 platforms and three rigs knocked out in the Gulf of Mexico by Hurricane Katrina, roughly 3 percent of the annual energy production has been lost. Shut-in oil production is 897,605 barrels of...

Surprisingly slow Labor Day nationwide helps depleted gas supplies.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Energy analysts expressed surprise over the limited drawdown in gasoline inventories over the travel-heavy Labor Day weekend, despite the impact of Hurricane Katrina on U.S. refinery capacity. The...

School damage throws 25 percent of LA teachers out of work.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Superintendents of the school districts hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina have now assessed damage done to at least some of their school buildings. The news is mixed. "It's clear from these damage...

Unemployment claims spike in Katrina's wake.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Initial claims for unemployment insurance increased to 8,469 for the week ending Sept. 3 from last week's total of 3,034. The obvious factor was Hurricane Katrina. Initial claims were above the...

Historic law firm of Lemle & Kelleher relocates New Orleans offices.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Lemle & Kelleher LLP, one of the historic New Orleans law firms, is operating out of its Baton Rouge and Shreveport offices, said Lanny Edwards, managing partner. "As we take stock both personally and...

Montgomery Barnett law firm relocates to Baton Rouge for now.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Montgomery Barnett law firm is now operational at its temporary Baton Rouge office at 5215 Essen Lane, Suite 2, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Call (631) 457-7300, fax (631) 457-7322 or visit the Web site at...

Most Hurricane Katrina-stricken credit unions back in business.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Hurricane Katrina temporarily closed 139 federally insured credit unions with assets totally $3.4 billion in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. As of Friday, 102 of those credit unions representing...

LA Dept of Labor links displaced workers with employers.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Several companies have been having some difficulty locating their craft workers, due to the mass evacuation of southeast Louisiana. Here's a way to find your displaced workers, or locate additional...

State of LA administering inoculations for certain diseases on prioritized basis.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Several members have called us regarding the requirement by some governmental bodies that all workers will be required to show proof of inoculation for certain disease. We talked to the State OEP and they...

Update on Fifth District Savings Bank, New Orleans' efforts to re-establish services.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report In the aftermath of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Fifth District is working hard to re-establish full banking services. While significant progress has been made, much work remains to be done....

Mandeville recording option reopens.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Beth Harris of Greenbean Productions LLC has reopened the business' recording studio in Mandeville. Harris, formerly of the radio show "Bo and Beth," records radio commercials, TV voiceovers or...

National guilt will be good for New Orleans, CityBusiness publisher predicts.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Government guilt over its poor showing in the days following Hurricane Katrina may prove to be a good thing for New Orleans, according to the publisher of the city's leading business publication. In...

Hurricane Katrina displaces 13,000 registered nurses.
September 12, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose Officials are working non-stop to help displaced registered nurses find work after Hurricane Katrina, but they fear many of the 13,000 RNs who fled the New Orleans metropolitan area may not return. Barbara Morvant,...

St. Bernard residents convene on Louisiana's Capitol.
September 12, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose Thousands of displaced St. Bernard Parish residents lined up outside the Capitol to get an update on their home that remains restricted to them two weeks after Hurricane Katrina. Compounding the storm damage just east...

University New Orleans compiling list of classes to offer online.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Instruction via Internet will be the first route students at the University New Orleans can take to resuming their education. Chancellor Tim Ryan said faculty members are now compiling a list of classes...

Line Shots: September 12, 2005.
September 12, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Business owners in the Central Business District can obtain a temporary permit to do emergency work and recover essential property through the New Orleans Police Department. Call (504) 599-5541 between 9...

Entergy completes Mississippi power restoration.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report All Entergy Corp. customers in Mississippi who are able to take utility service have been restored as of this morning, officials from the utility company said. About 265,000 customers in Louisiana...

Energy officials warn of door to door fraud.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Entergy officials said Tuesday that they have received reports of people posing as Entergy employees approaching customers whose electricity has not yet been restored and asking for money to effect or...

IRS approves vacation donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Employees can donate their vacation, sick or personal leave in exchange for employer cash payments made to qualified tax-exempt organizations providing relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the...

Hurricane Katrina won't kill Mardi Gras in 2006, predicts Carnival expert Arthur Hardy.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Fat Tuesday will be a little leaner than usual, but Mardi Gras parades will roll in New Orleans in 2006, predicts Carnival expert Arthur Hardy. "It will be smaller than usual and different in some...

Education officials to discuss rebuilding Louisiana's school system.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report State education chief Cecil Picard and officials from the U.S. Department of Education, FEMA and Homeland Security will discuss how to rebuild Louisiana through education at a 3:30 p.m. news conference in...

Stewart Enterprises reports survey of property damage to funeral homes and cemeteries.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Stewart Enterprises Inc. reports three funeral homes and five cemeteries suffered substantial property damage from Hurrican Katrina but expects all losses to be covered by insurance. Stewart operates...

Cleco restores more than 70 percent of power outages in North Shore.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report More than 70 percent of the power in Washington Parish and 65 percent in St. Tammany Parish has been restored, according to Cleco exceutives. Of the 80,000 customers in St. Tammany Parish, 29,928 were...

EPA confirms that New Orleans water is undrinkable.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Environemntal Protection Agency has made it official: Don't drink the water. After more than 190 samplings, heavy concentrations of lead and e. coli prompted the EPA to warn against all contact...

Hibernia reopens 63 Katrina-closed sites.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Hibernia has reopened 63 locations that were closed by Hurricane Katrina while another 53 remain closed.Most shuttered offices suffered minimal damage and only require electricity to open, the company said....

Hibernia sets moratorium on loan payments.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Hibernia consumer borrowers in zip codes beginning with 700, 701, 703, 704, 394, 395 and 396 can defer all payments on consumer loans and lines of credit until January 2006. The policy also covers...

Line Shots: September 13, 2005.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report U.S. Foodservice will donate $1 million to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts through the American Red Cross... A REAL PITCH: Of the many relief benefits being held across the country, here's one from...

New Orleans hospitals update status.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Hospital Association has issued the following update on hospitals in New Orleans and the surrounding area. Kenner Regional Medical Center is working toward being operational by Monday....

President Bush suspends contract rules, triggers debate.
September 13, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter President Bush's suspension of a Depression-era law regulating workers' pay on federal rebuilding projects in the Gulf has ignited a storm of controversy. Labor unions and their Democratic allies denounced the...

United Way operating in Baton Rouge; employees asked to check in now.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The United Way of Greater New Orleans is up and running in a temporary Baton Rouge office, the head of the organization announced Tuesday. A core group of United Way employees are working from the...

New Orleans Saints to play three games in San Antonio.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans Saints will play three games at San Antonio's Alamodome beginning with the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 2. The team will play the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 16 and the Detroit Lions on Dec. 24,...

New Orleans mayor forming rebuild committee.
September 13, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin says a committee of New Orleans citizens "beyond reproach" will be asked to oversee the rebuilding of the city following the devestation of Hurricane Katrina. The "Bringing Back New...

Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana revamps focus.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a private nonprofit research association, has announced changes to its research agenda in response to Hurricane Katrina's impact on Louisiana. "Public...

Louisiana's school districts swell with displaced students.
September 13, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Department of Education got its first look today at revised enrollment numbers after school districts around the state absorbed students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. In all, Louisiana...

Port of New Orleans back in business.
September 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Port of New Orleans yesterday worked its first commercial cargo vessel since Hurricane Katrina shut down operations more than two weeks ago. The Lykes Flyer, operated by West Sussex, U.K.-based CP...

Officials fear natural gas shortage.
September 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Recovery of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has stalled over the past week, and government officials are becoming concerned about potential shortages this winter. As of Tuesday,...

Education costs pondered as Louisiana's displaced kids head to school.
September 14, 2005... Byline: April Capochino As state education department officials search to find classrooms for the nearly 200,000 displaced students in southeast Louisiana, school districts across the country continue to open their doors to welcome new...

Jefferson Parish residents allowed to return home.
September 14, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Residents of Gretna, Westwego and the Town of Jean Lafitte were allowed back into the parish beginning at 5 a.m. today, despite warnings from parish officials that sewerage, water and electricity are still not up to...

Line shots: Sept. 14, 2005.
September 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report POWER SHOPPING: Esplanade Mall has been repowered and will open soon, officials said, although no date has been set yet... LAST CHECKS: Orleans Parish school teachers can receive their Sept. 2 pay checks...

Patient Care moves to temporary digs in Milwaukee.
September 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Patient Care, a New Orleans-based national health advocacy company, has set up temporary shop in Milwaukee. Towne Realty Inc. of Milwaukee is covering most of the expenses of setting up a temporary...

FDIC chairman tours Omni Bank's crowded Gretna site.
September 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which backs the deposits in the large majority of U.S. banks, toured a branch of Omni Bank in Gretna this morning that reopened following Hurricane Katrina....

Limited Brands reaches out to Louisiana employees.
September 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Retail operator Limited Brands is asking employees who have not yet been in touch to contact the company at 800-765-7465 or directly at 614-415-3600. These numbers are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a...