2007 was emotional roller coaster

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

As 2007 comes to a close, I look back on a year that at times made me happy and sad, weary and invigorated, pessimistic and hopeful. It was an emotional roller coaster of a year, no doubt about it.

 

There were moments that were disappointing, such as Sen. David Vitter’s escort service scandal and New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas’ admission that he accepted bribes in exchange for helping someone maintain a city contract.

 

There were moments that brought hope, such as the election of Bobby Jindal for governor, in whom many people are putting a lot of faith. Jindal, who is young and well educated, is expected to turn Louisiana around.

 

Another hopeful moment for 2007 was the hiring of Robert Cerasoli, New Orleans’ first inspector general, whose job will be to root out corruption and fraud. Cerasoli’s hiring should make the rest of the nation realize that New Orleans is serious about cleaning up its image and sweeping out the crookedness.

 

There were moments that made us reflect, such as when longtime Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee died of leukemia. Always colorful (he described himself as the Chinese Cajun Cowboy) and often controversial (his comments were considered racist by some) Lee was both loved and despised. Many expected the crime fighter to sail into re-election and his eight term, but he lost his battle with the disease before the election. Now, Jefferson Parish is looking to Lee’s successor, Newell Normand, to control crime in a parish that has been booming since Katrina.

 

There were moments that made us happy, such as when the New Orleans Hornets returned for the first time since Katrina. Whenever a major business such as an NBA team is committed to New Orleans, it has the potential to make other businesses feel confident about staying in, and relocating to, the Big Easy.

 

There were moments that just plain wore us out, such as waiting for Road Home funding, which to some people seemed like it would never come. Thankfully, homeowners are seeing those Road Home payments roll in and, hopefully, their lives will become less stressful.

 

There were moments that lifted our spirits and made us forget about The Road Home, the scandals and our other troubles, such as when the Saints has us thinking they would make it to the Super Bowl. The Black and Gold didn’t quite make it to the Super Bowl, but we thank them for giving us something to believe in when we needed it the most.

 

There were moments that gave us relief, such as no hurricanes in 2007. We certainly could use more of that good luck in 2008 and beyond.

 

Yes, 2007 leaves my head spinning. It truly was a year of the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

Inevitably, 2008 will have its ups and downs for many of us. Such is life. If 2008 throws obstacles your way, if you’re tired of waiting for your home to be rebuilt, the levees to be strengthened, your homeowners insurance payments to go down, consider French painter Henri Matisse, who said, “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

 

Look around you. Find the “flowers” in our community, and let’s rebuild our region in 2008.

 

Happy New Year.

Pitt for N.O. mayor?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Some have suggested, although perhaps only in jest, that actor Brad Pitt run for mayor of New Orleans.

 

What do you think? Would you vote for Pitt?

 

And who’s done more for the city, Pitt or Nagin?

Is the French Quarter becoming too clean?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

New York has block after block of buildings.

 

Vegas has block after block of casinos.

 

And the French Quarter, for years, has had block after block of grime.

 

But since the beginning of this year, SDT, the city contractor in charge of cleaning the French Quarter, has attacked the grime with water trucks and citrus-scented disinfectant. And, this week, SDT unleashed a new machine to make the sidewalks of the Quarter sparkle.

 

What do you think? Is it a good thing for the Quarter to smell fresh and be clean? Or was the dirt and stench part of its charm?

Using sales techniques to solve crimes

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

In retail, stores sometimes have “limited time” offers to sell products.

 

A donor borrowed that technique when they offered $4,000 as a reward for information leading to the arrest and indictments of those responsible for the recent killing of two LSU students. The offer, which was added to a $1,000 Crime Stoppers reward, expired after Christmas Eve.

 

It’s the first time I’ve seen someone put a time limit on reward money.

 

But the technique produced no results, and the reward, as scheduled, is no longer on the table.

Isn’t it odd?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Elton Phillips, the man accidentally released from prison in New Orleans last week, has been arrested today in Hammond, according to news reports. Am I the only one who finds it odd that Phillips, the guy who reportedly sought refuge at former District Attorney Eddie Jordan’s home following a crime for which Phillips is a suspect, also happened to be accidentally released from prison?

 

Of all the people in Orleans Parish Prison, isn’t it weird that this one man – this one man who knew Jordan’s girlfriend – was let out by mistake?

 

A weird coincidence, or something else?

Stranger than ‘K-Ville’

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

It looks like the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office is not the only arm of the city’s criminal justice system in need of serious improvement.

 

Today, our attention is focused on the city’s Criminal Sheriff’s Office, which has accidentally released a man implicated in an October armed robbery and also once considered a suspect in the fatal shooting of a city police officer.

 

The man, Elton Phillips, is the same guy made famous for reportedly fleeing in October to the home of then-District Attorney Eddie Jordan following an armed robbery. Phillips is a suspect in that armed robbery, which took place at an Algiers gas station. Shortly after the crime, Phillips, who knew Jordan’s girlfriend, sought refuge at Jordan’s home.

 

Police charged Phillips with armed robbery for the Algiers crime. Police had also named him a suspect in the home invasion and killing case of NOPD officer Thelonious Dukes. But Phillips was never charged in the Dukes case and today police said he is no longer a suspect in that case, according to The Associated Press.

 

Now, Phillips is free.

 

Criminal Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s office released Phillips on Dec. 21. Apparently, Gusman’s office interpreted paperwork from the DA’s office to mean that Phillips could be released. Basically, a man named a suspect in two serious crimes was release from Orleans Parish prison because of paperwork confusion. WDSU-TV reports that Phillips’ mother says her son will surrender.

 

This ordeal is downright frightening. It is certainly not comforting to know that the Criminal Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office have different interpretations for forms that authorize or prohibit a prisoner’s release.

 

It makes me wonder whether this has happened before. How many suspects have been released by the criminal sheriff because paperwork was wrongly interpreted?

 

Don’t the DA’s and criminal sheriff’s offices communicate with each other? Phillips’ name has been in the news a lot. At the least, somebody at Gusman’s office should have recognized Phillips’ name and the following phone call should have taken place:

 

Gusman’s office: “Uh, do you guys know that you are asking us to release Phillips? You know, that suspect in that Algiers armed robbery case? I don’t remember hearing that he’s been cleared. Is this right?”

 

DA’s office: “Oh! Thanks for calling. No, do not release him. Sorry about the paperwork confusion.”

 

Gusman’s office: “No problem. Just checking. Sorry to bug you.”

 

Now, was that so hard?

 

This ordeal could easily be material for the makers of “K-Ville.”

 

I wonder if anyone will be fired over this.

 

Here are some links:

 

http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/UpToTheMinute.cfm?recID=14607

 

http://www.wdsu.com/news/14928374/detail.html

 

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/man_who_fled_to_home_of_da_rel.html

My robot maid

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Just call me George Jetson. I now have robots cleaning my house.

 

For Christmas, my brother got me a Roomba, a high-tech vacuum.

 

It does not look like Rosie, the maid from “The Jetsons,” a humanoid. No, the silver machine looks sort of like an over-sized hockey puck on wheels. It also reminds me of a portable CD player. (For all I know, it might play music, too; I haven’t read the instructions yet.)

 

I do know this: Roomba will vacuum my floor at my command, and I do not have to lift a finger, helping me become an even more sedentary human being.

 

The gift was a surprise, and I’m excited to use it. But I’m also worried that the insane amount of animal hair in my house – I have two dogs and three cats – will cause Roomba to go on strike and demand wages. I envision a helpless Roomba unable to move after its wheels become tangled with the cabbage ball-sized piles of hair dropped by my German shepherd.

 

Does anyone else have a Roomba? What do you think of it? I’d especially like to hear from pet owners. My pets make my floors look like a barber shop’s. Does Roomba stand a chance in my house?

 

I’ve found lots of articles online about Roombas.

Check out these links:

http://www.time.com/time/roomba/

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqhIMFQNGCg

 

http://hackingroomba.com/

 

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2007/tc20070821_419619.htm 

Traffic cameras create anxiety

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Let me start this off by saying that I support the new traffic cameras in Jefferson Parish as a tool to cut down on red-light runners.

 

But, to be honest, the cameras freak me out. I’ve become a panicky driver because of them.

 

For example, a few days ago I was driving through Metairie when the lights at an upcoming intersection changed from green to yellow. I knew the intersection had cameras, and I began to have a slight panic attack.

 

What to do? I’m too close to the intersection to slow down. Should I slam on the brakes? No, that’s not a good idea: I have a baby in the backseat and someone could rear end me. Should I speed up to make it through? Or do I keep driving the speed limit and hope the light stays yellow?

 

The cameras are a good idea. But we can’t ignore the anxiety they create.

They have the potential to cause accidents as people come to a screeching halt to avoid getting ticketed. Accidents can also be caused when people turn around to see whether the camera’s flash goes off as they pass through an intersection.

In other communities, rear-end crashes increased after traffic cameras were installed.

Hopefully, we’ll avoid that byproduct in Jefferson Parish.

Has anyone heard of ‘the bricks’?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

In a story last week by The New York Times, the newspaper said public housing in New Orleans is referred to as “the bricks.”

 

HUD “plans to replace barracks-style projects, known as ‘the bricks,’ with mixed-income developments,” says the story by Adam Nossiter and Leslie Eaton.

The bricks? Who calls it that? I’m from the New Orleans area and I’ve never heard that nickname used to describe public housing here. Am I alone?

Sick of being sick on vacation

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Have you ever used vacation time from work and become sick shortly after your vacation starts?

 

What a drag, right? You feel like you’re being cheated out of your vacation.

 

Well, apparently, many people come down with nasty bugs the minute they time off from work.

 

Some medical professionals refer to it as the Let-Down Effect or Let-Down Syndrome.

 

In a nutshell, here’s what happens, according to some researchers: Our immune systems go into high gear when we are stressed, such as when we are overworked or studying for finals in college. Once that stress passes and our vacations begin, our burned-out immune systems also go on vacation – or let down, hence the “Let-Down Effect” – which makes our bodies more susceptible to illness. So we find ourselves reaching for Kleenex when we should be reaching for the suntan lotion.

 

For working folks, perhaps the trick is to not take time off immediately after a large project or a stressful period.

 

But isn’t that when we need a vacation the most?  

Next council meeting could be interesting

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

The next New Orleans City Council meeting is shaping up to be interesting.

 

The council apparently will get to vote Thursday on whether to tear down a handful of public housing complexes in New Orleans. Here’s why:

 

Today, the day before some New Orleans public housing was planned to be torn down, demolition was put on hold. The Housing Authority of New Orleans agreed to postpone the razing so that the New Orleans City Council can review the matter.

 

The federal government wants to tear down the C.J. Peete, Lafitte and St. Bernard complexes and build mixed-income, mixed-use developments at the sites.

 

HANO’s decision to put the razing on pause comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by those opposed to demolishing the city’s public housing. Demolition opponents said the city charter requires the council to approve demolitions.

 

But demolition at B.W. Cooper apparently can continue because the council approved tearing down that complex four years ago, lawyers said, The Associated Press reported. Cooper demolition began Wednesday.

 

Thursday’s meeting is bound to be interesting. Demolition opponents protested at a recent council meeting, where one man was handcuffed.

I expect a packed house and, of course, disorder.

Bad talking the Hornets’ return

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

The Hornets are “a fine team wasted on New Orleans.

 

“The general consensus around the NBA is the return experiment will fail and the Hornets will be bound for Oklahoma City or Seattle before long.

 

“It’s difficult to see how New Orleans is going to be able to support an NBA team at such a time of despair and rebuilding.”

 

That’s what columnist Sam Smith wrote Dec. 6 on MSNBC.com.

 

Smith said the Hornets are not appreciated in New Orleans and “deserve better.”

 

“The general consensus around the NBA is the return experiment will fail and the Hornets will be bound for Oklahoma City or Seattle before long,” Smith wrote.

 

Smith also took the opportunity to take a potshot at New Orleans. In a backhanded compliment, he called it “one of America’s great party cities,” adding, “if they do anything else I am not quite aware of it.”

The mystery of the fliers

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

It’ll be interesting to find out – if we ever will – who is behind the fliers threatening to destroy a condo for every unit of public housing demolished.

 

Is it a disgruntled former public housing resident? Or is it someone totally unconnected to public housing, such as a New Orleans college student?

 

Is it one person or more? Are they from here or from out of town?

 

Was it a joke or meant to be taken seriously?

 

Who do you think was behind the fliers and what should their punishment be?

Louisiana should strive for the bottom of this category

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

When it comes to national rankings, Louisiana wants to be at the top of lists that score states for good schools and being a good place to open a business.

 

But here’s a national ranking Louisiana needs to score lower on: cases of sexually transmitted diseases.

 

CityBusiness reported this week that, according to a 2006 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisiana ranks in the top 15 states in reported cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. To read more, click here.

 

Let’s all hope we earn a lower score the next time that report comes out.

Gee, how surprising. Not!

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Millions of dollars are spent every year on studies that are pointless.

For example, researchers Tuesday said a study found that a flexible work schedule is good for your health.

Wow! Who would have thought that? You mean being able to work from home – which affords some time to exercise, perhaps take a nap and eat a little healthier – is good for your health?

Perhaps someone should do a study on whether breathing is good for your health.

Levees.org stands by video

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

A little more than a month ago, I blogged about a video that pokes fun at an investigation into Hurricane Katrina-related levee failures.

 

That video, which was posted to YouTube, apparently has incensed the American Society of Civil Engineers, the organization that conducted the investigation.

 

Levees.org, the grassroots group that created the video, said it will not comply with an ASCE request to yank the video. In fact, levees.org plans to repost the video to YouTube Friday and post it to its own Web site, www.levees.org.

 

I’m no legal expert, but I’m placing my bet on the First Amendment prevailing in this case.

Top stories of 2007

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

2007 definitely was not a slow news year for New Orleans.

 

After all, this was the year former City Councilman Oliver Thomas was sentenced for accepted bribes. It was the year Harry Lee, Jefferson Parish’s colorful sheriff, died. It was the year Bobby Jindal was elected governor.

 

Yep, we all had a lot to talk about at the water cooler.

 

You can rank these and other 2007 stories on CityBusiness’ online poll. Go vote now and check out where the rankings stand.  

‘Tipping point’

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

I’ve been hearing city government officials referring to 2008 as the “tipping point” for New Orleans’ recovery.

Council President Arnie Fielkow is one example of someone who has used the phrase.

“We believe 2008 is a tipping point and the most important year in New Orleans’ history,” he said.

What do you think? Is 2008 the “tipping point”?

Inflatable Christmas decorations: Gaudy or not?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Christmas is around the corner, a fact made very clear by the decorations that have taken over my neighborhood.

 

I don’t know when it happened, but at some point Christmas decorations overdosed on Miracle-Gro.

 

All the rage these days are large, lighted, inflated decorations that look like they belong in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Some stand as tall as the houses themselves. Collecting the whole set might require a farm.

 

The decorations come in the form of Santa, Frosty and all the other characters typically associated with Christmas. But that’s not all. I’ve seen an inflated Homer Simpson dressed as Santa. Many other cartoon characters abound; driving around neighborhoods bedecked with them can be a surreal experience, a bit like entering Roger Rabbit’s Toontown.

 

Some of these characters are animated. In one example, Charlie Brown pops in and out of a chimney. In another, a carousel turns in a giant snow globe completed with swirling fake snow.

 

Some people aren’t content to buy just one or two of these mammoth props. Instead, they cram their yards with them. Some yards are lit like mid-afternoon by the light from all these decorations.

 

They aren’t cheap, either. Some cost around $100. Half a dozen could run you half a grand.

 

What do you think of these decorations? Do they make it feel more like Christmas, or are they just ho ho horrible?

Public housing debate inspires threats of arson

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Some New Orleans condo owners might have elevated blood pressures today. Fliers are being posted around New Orleans threatening the destruction of condos for every unit of public housing demolished in the city.

 

An image of one of these fliers was on nola.com today. The flier, signed by “The Angry & Powerless,” shows a building engulfed in flames.

 

But why are they targeting condos? Homes on tony St. Charles Avenue are way more expensive than most condos around here. It’s likely the threat applies to more than condos. The use of the word condos is probably a reference to the homes of the rich, New Orleans elite. But that’s just speculation.

 

In any event, this flier – this terrorism, basically – is the latest example of the craziness that is unfolding in New Orleans as Saturday approaches, D-Day, the demolition day for public housing developments. The C.J. Peete, B.W. Cooper, Lafitte and St. Bernard complexes are among those slated to be torn down.

 

Combined, the four total about 4,500 units. So that means 4,500 condos will be destroyed, according to the threat.

 

The public housing debate has made New Orleans fecund ground for protests and threats of widespread arson.  As D-Day day draws near, activists have become feverish. Some have threatened to chain themselves to public housing in an attempt to block the wrecking ball. Last week, a civil rights lawyer was handcuffed at a City Hall meeting. Over the weekend, public housing supporters staged a protest in front of Mayor Nagin’s home.

 

And now this: arson. What’s next?

 

There’s no evidence the groups protesting at City Hall and the mayor’s home are connected to the fliers. Does anyone know who’s behind the fliers?

 

As D-Day draws near, will City Hall be locked down? Will the bomb squad be on standby?

 

This week is shaping up to be anything but boring.  

Begging could be over for Road Home

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Gov. Blanco says it looks like Louisiana has enough money to fully fund The Road Home.

Congress and President Bush gave the program an infusion of $3 billion this year, and that should be enough, state officials said.

I wonder if The Road Home will use up the $3 billion. If, after funding all the applicants, any funds remain, maybe the state could share the leftovers with residents who have been waiting more than two years for Road Home rebuilding funds.

It could be given to them for pain and suffering. How does that sound?

This is just weird

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Here’s something for the coffee room discussion.

A Louisiana man and his wife were sentenced to prison for scamming friends and family for more than $800,000 by telling them that they could arrange for a satellite to give them a medical scan from space.

I don’t know what’s harder to believe: that someone would conceive of a scam like this or that someone would buy it.  

Duncan Plaza puzzle

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

The homeless people living on Duncan Plaza next to City Hall apparently will have to find another place to live, as the state plans to fence off the site to tear down a building.

What should happen in this case? Should the demolition be delayed to provide more time for the homeless to be relocated? Or should the state move ahead with demolition and let the homeless fend for themselves?  

Public housing still a hot topic

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Public housing has always been a controversial issue in New Orleans, as it has been in many other parts of the country, too.

But since Hurricane Katrina, the debate has intensified in the Crescent City, with public-housing opponents calling for the razing of hurricane-damaged units and advocates of public housing arguing for reopening and repairing them.

The controversy has made its way to Washington, D.C., where Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, and David Vitter, R-Metairie, have been at odds over a bill that deals with the future public housing in New Orleans.

Supporters of the bill, the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act, say it calls for redeveloping public housing in mixed-income communities and gives help to public housing residents displaced by the 2005 hurricanes.

Landrieu touts the mixed-income aspect. But Vitter has said the bill would simply “recreate the New Orleans housing projects exactly as they were.”

Over the past couple of months, it seemed like Vitter and Landrieu were talking about two different bills.

On the one hand, Vitter said the bill would basically recreate the same public housing the city had before the storm. But Landrieu disagreed, saying the bill would not result in the same quality of housing the city had.

“We don’t want a repeat of what we had,” she said.

It sounded like Landrieu and Vitter had the same vision, didn’t it? So what’s the problem? We the public were confused over this debate. 

Vitter said he supported a plan by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Housing Authority of New Orleans. That plan would rebuild the C.J. Peete, St. Bernard, B.W. Cooper and Lafitte housing developments in a less-dense way for residents representing a mix of incomes, he said. The GCHRA would derail the HUD/HANO plan, which is fully funded, he said.

Vitter killed the GCHRA bill in committee. Where it goes from here is anyone’s best guess. But for now, it seems dead. 

What is still alive, though, is the debate on public housing. I don’t see that going away any time soon.

Christmas gift idea for tightwads

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Here’s a Christmas gift suggestion for cheapskates or those on tight budgets.

From now until Dec. 16, Community Coffee is allowing Louisiana residents to send two free samples of its coffee, along with a personal message, to friends or family members outside the state.

Go to www.ourstatecoffee.com if you want somone you love to have a Merry caffeinated Christmas. (Note to my family: I prefer Starbucks, so this gift idea will not fly with me.)

Olivier resigns: Good news or bad?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Louisiana’s top economic development official today announced he is stepping down.

In a short – three paragraphs, to be exact – press release, Michael Olivier said he is leaving “for an opportunity in the private sector.” The press release offered no further details on the “opportunity.”

The press release also goes on to say that, during his tenure, Louisiana Economic Development “has announced more than $33 billion in capital investment by new and existing Louisiana companies, creating 27,442 new jobs and retaining 29,424 jobs.”

How do you feel about Olivier’s departure? Is this good or bad news for the state?

Pearls of wisdom from the SBA

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

More than two years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Small Business Administration has published a guide to help small businesses prepare for disasters.

It’s interesting that SBA is giving small-business owners advice on disaster planning. After all, this is the agency that told some loan applicants after Katrina that SBA records had them listed as dead, much to the shock of the very-much-alive applicants.

There were other SBA blunders after Katrina. Gulf Coast businesses complained about SBA delays and poor bookkeeping. The SBA took more than a year to get loans to some businesses struggling after the storm. One businessman alleged that SBA misclassified him as a large manufacturer.

It’s good to see SBA helping businesses prepare for the next disaster. But I hope SBA has prepared itself, too.

Is Beef ‘n Cheddar economic development?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Elected officials often release statements when something big happens in their community, such as when a factory announces major expansion plans or a business that will employ thousands of people moves into town.

Today, Sen. David Vitter was quoted in a press release announcing Arby’s plans to open eight restaurants in the New Orleans area. One of those, set to have a grand opening Thursday at 509 Canal St., will be the first Arby’s in Orleans Parish.

“Attracting new business to New Orleans is one of my top priorities as senator,” Vitter said. “Arby’s is setting a great example for other companies who are considering expansion in New Orleans.”

No offense to Arby’s, but what does it say about New Orleans when our elected officials get excited about a fast-food restaurant setting up shop here?

Who deserves credit for moving N.O. forward?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

In our online Question of the Week last week, CityBusiness asked people which New Orleans department has been the most effective since Hurricane Katrina.

We gave people options to choose from: City Council, Sewerage and Water Board, Office of Recovery Management, Public Works Department, New Orleans Police Department, district attorney and the office of Mayor C. Ray Nagin.

These are powerful departments, which made them obvious choices for the poll.

But it turns out the most popular choice was “Other,” meaning most people were not impressed with the post-K performance of any of the offices we listed.

Our poll also allows people to leave comments. Several people wrote “none of the above.” In the comments section, people suggested nonprofits and grassroots groups have been more successful in helping the city recover.

But it’s not all bad news for public agencies. The City Council did receive the second-largest number of votes, which means some folks are pleased with the performance of some people in city government.

Good insurance news for a change

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Insurance prices have been the stuff of nightmares in the New Orleans area since Hurricane Katrina.

Many people have seen their premiums go through the roof.

But prices may be leveling off, at least for some people. Last week, I found out that my annual premium will only go up by about $100. But let’s not forget that I live on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, which did not experience the catastrophic flooding that other parts of our area did. 

Hopefully, with no major hurricanes striking the Gulf Coast this year, prices will fall for other homeowners, too.

Sayonara, New Orleans

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Japan plans to close its New Orleans consulate and move the office to Nashville, Tenn., according to news reports.

The consulate had been considering the move well before Aug. 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit, according to an official quoted by Nashville Business Journal.

This will likely increase the difficulty of luring Japanese businesses and college students to New Orleans. It could also mean fewer performances and exhibits of Japanese art and culture in the Big Easy.

All of the above is not good news for a city trying to recover from a major hurricane.

If there is a silver lining, it’s that other countries apparently are interested in opening offices in New Orleans for trading purposes. Maybe many more will follow suit.