By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Ernie K-Doe, a New Orleans singer who died in 2001 and is known for the song “Mother-In-Law,” was part of one of the hottest commercials across the pond this past holiday season.
According to wwoz.org, K-Doe’s 1970 song “Here Come the Girls” was used in an ad for a British drugstore chain called Boots.
The song came close to being a No. 1 Christmas hit, the Web site said.
To view the commercial on YouTube, click here.
Categories: New Orleans · music
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Today, a group of advocates for the homeless living under the Interstate 10 overpass at Canal and Claiborne issued a press release announcing a rally at 4:30 p.m.
The press release attacked Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, saying that at a recent meeting of the council’s housing committee she “expressed concern that the homeless encampment … might still be in existence come Mardi Gras. The sordid record of Councilmember Morrell regarding the issue of affordable housing strongly suggests that what troubles her most about the shantytown at the I-10 overpass is that it might disturb Mardi Gras revelers.”
Hedge-Morrell’s office said the press release is inaccurate. For one, the councilwoman is not even on the housing committee, said her spokesman, Jared Brossett.
Second, as to the Mardi Gras comments, “she never said that,” Brossett said.
Categories: City Council · homeless
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
So, a judge has ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can’t be sued for the flooding that ruined homes and lives in Hurricane Katrina.
According to U.S. District Judge, the Corps cannot be sued for flooding from three outfall canals because of immunity provided under the Flood Control Act of 1928.
An attorney for about 300,000 plaintiffs said today that they plan to appeal.
What do you think?
Categories: Corps of Engineers · Katrina
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Democrat John Edwards today ended his run for the White House in the same place he launched it, New Orleans.
It was more than a year ago that he officially announced his candidacy. It was Thursday, Dec. 28, 2006. Surrounded by youngsters in the Lower Ninth Ward, Edwards, who had repaired flood-damaged homes in the city that week, announced he would join the 2008 presidential race.
Today, he came to New Orleans to officially drop out of the race. After his announcement, he and his family planned to help build homes in Musicians’ Village.
Whether you disagreed with Edwards’ ideas or questioned whether he was the right person to run the country, you can’t say he ignored New Orleans. By making two major campaign announcements in New Orleans, Edwards helped bring attention to our region at a time when the nation is suffering from Katrina fatigue. Hopefully, the other candidates will shine more attention on our plight, too.
Categories: New Orleans
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
I received a comment today from a blog reader, DP.
Here’s what he had to say:
“I don’t know why the people in this area continue to expect that the president should mention this area and the Gulf Coast every time he speaks. Sure, for us that live here, Katrina and Rita (don’t forget, Rita was a stronger storm that was worse in the areas that it hit than Katrina) is an ongoing issue, but there’s a lot that’s been happening in the world in the last 2 1/2 years that bears mentioning as well. Katrina is a regional issue. The State of the Union focuses on the Union, with issues that are present and impact the entire country. Sure, it would be nice if the president mentioned the Gulf Coast, but it sounds conceited and haughty to expect it. But, that seems to be a big problem around here, people expecting that the government should do everything for them.”
Here’s what I wrote to him:
“Thanks for writing in to the blog. We appreciate your comments. However, I take issue with your remarks. You say Katrina is ‘a regional issue’ and that ‘the State of the Union focuses on the Union, with issues that are present and impact the entire country.’ First, New Orleans is one of the oldest cities in New Orleans, and its cultural contributions to the nation are irreplaceable. The state’s tourism industry was worth $9.9 billion before Katrina, according to the Louisiana Recovery Authority. Louisiana also plays a crucial role in the nation’s energy industry. According to a November story in Oil & Gas Financial Journal, ‘Louisiana ranks first in overall crude oil production and second in terms of natural gas production, when considering the offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico.’ Further, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, ‘coastal Louisiana is of vital importance to the nation because its well-being affects 35 percent of the U.S. commercial fish harvest, 70 percent of migratory waterfowl along the Mississippi River, 27 percent of U.S. oil, 32 percent of U.S. natural gas, the port of New Orleans and countless acres of upland that can be damaged by storms and hurricanes.’ So, sorry, but we don’t think Katrina is simply a regional issue. Also, it’s rude to say people from this area expect ‘that the government should do everything for them.’ We only expect the government to fix the mess it created when its own levees failed.”
Categories: Katrina
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Last January, when President Bush gave his State of the Union address, he did not mention New Orleans or even the Gulf Coast, which had been hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita just less than two years before.
Bush’s failure to mention the plight of the Gulf Coast in that 2007 speech was met with criticism.
But when he gave his final State of the Union address last night, the president did not leave out the hurricane-ravaged region. Bush dedicated a paragraph of his address to the area.
“America honors the strength and resilience of the people of this region,” Bush said. “We reaffirm our pledge to help them build stronger and better than before. And tonight I’m pleased to announce that in April we will host this year’s North American Summit of Canada, Mexico and the United States in the great city of New Orleans.”
Were you happy with Bush’s comments about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast last night? Do you think he said enough, or were you wanting to hear more?
Categories: Bush · Katrina · New Orleans
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
It seems Hurricane Katrina is not even an issue for the presidential candidates. All everybody seems to be talking about is the economy. Health care and Iraq are other hot topics.
I think about this as I wait for President Bush to give his final State of the Union address tonight. The economy and the stimulus package will surely be part of his address. So will Iraq.
I care about these things, as do most Americans. But I’ll be listening, and hoping for, at least a mention of the still-battered Gulf Coast. After all, FEMA only called Katrina “the most catastrophic natural disaster in our nation’s history.”
If the president doesn’t remember us, how can we expect the presidential candidates and the rest of the nation to?
Categories: Katrina
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Have you ever found yourself wondering how Sen. Mary Landrieu feels about creating human-animal hybrids?
Well, you don’t have to wait any longer for the answer.
Her office has issued a press release detailing Landrieu’s stance on the matter. Check it out by clicking here.
Categories: Mary Landrieu
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Many high school students have no idea what career they want to pursue after graduation. Most just go to college, pick a major that sounds cool – psychology is a popular choice, for some reason – and either stick with that major or change it.
The state-run Recovery School District, which has control over some schools in New Orleans, could make choosing a career much easier for high school students.
This week, CityBusiness reporter Stephen Maloney wrote about a new RSD program that provides students with paid internships.
The idea makes a lot of sense. Not only will it give students a better understanding of whether a certain career is right for them, it also makes it less likely they will change majors midstream, which means no wasted money on tuition.
To read Stephen’s story, click here.
Categories: economic development · economy · education
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Today is a big day for the family of restaurateur Al Copeland Sr., famous for the Popeyes chicken empire, power boats and Christmas lights.
It is the day Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro reopens at 2001 St. Charles Ave. for the first time since Hurricane Katrina hammered the New Orleans area more than two years ago.
In the meantime, Copeland’s Famous New Orleans Restaurant and Bar at St. Charles and Napolean avenues – a prominent location on the tourist-heavy St. Charles – remains shuttered since the storm, much to the dismay of some neighbors, who say they worry the site is a crime magnet.
This week, I saw a TV news report about the reopening of Cheesecake Bistro. The report also focused on the vacant Copeland’s building at St. Charles and Napolean. A woman who apparently is a resident of the area said the empty building bothered her. At one point, she was filmed briskly walking away from the building, as if it frightened her.
It’s not clear when that Copelands will reopen. The restaurant is not even included on a list of restaurants on the company’s Web site. In an August CityBusiness story, CEO Al Copeland Jr. said the site will be reopened but no timeline had been set. (By the way, Copeland Jr. also told reporter Emilie Bahr that Cheesecake Bistro would reopen in November. So today’s reopening comes a little later than planned.)
He also told our reporter, in the August story, that the company’s New Orleans restaurants are highly dependent on diners from out of town. As much as 50 percent of the company’s business at the St. Charles Avenue restaurants comes from tourists, who are not returning quickly, he said.
What do you think of the restaurant still being closed? Is it understandable or unacceptable?
Categories: New Orleans · food
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Ethics and New Orleans government are not terms generally associated with each other, unless of course you’re talking about a lack of ethics.
The City Council, it seems, is trying to change the city’s image of corruption. Yesterday, the council said that it supports not only the upcoming special session on ethics in the Legislature but also the extension of the ethics policies from the session to New Orleans.
It’s a nice thought. But I’ll be surprised if the council adopts the recommendations from the Jindal session without adding some changes to them. Do you think the council will wholeheartedly adopt the ethics changes without any debate or alterations?
Categories: Bobby Jindal · City Council · New Orleans · ethics
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Mardi Gras comes earlier than usual this year, and that creates concerns that businesses that depend on the revenue-rich event won’t do so well.
CityBusiness staff writer Ariella Cohen wrote about the issue this week. To put things in perspective, this year’s Carnival season will be 30 days long, compared with a typical 50-day season, Carnival expert Arthur Hardy said in the story. Indeed, it is the earliest Mardi Gras since Feb. 4, 1913, Hardy said.
For businesses, that means 20 fewer days of king cake consumption, hotel stays and drinking, eating and shopping in the city.
Some businesses that depend every year on a Carnival-related sales boost are already lamenting the shorter season. Take Dave Haydel, of Haydel’s Bakery, who said, “We’re losing three weeks of king cake parties. We’re looking at a 10,000 to 15,000 cake difference between this year and other years. That’s an extremely significant loss.”
(On the bright side, fewer days to eat king cakes might help those trying to stick to diets.)
The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau is also concerned about a very early Mardi Gras, said spokeswoman Mary Beth Romig. For one, with Mardi Gras on Feb. 5, it’s too far away for spring breakers to participate, Romig said. (That means yet another business – the topless video industry – will perhaps suffer from the shorter season, too.)
But maybe all this worrying is for nothing. The granddaddy of Mardi Gras, 81-year-old artist and float builder Blaine Kern, who has decades of perspective on the New Orleans tradition, doesn’t seem concerned.
“I’ve been doing this so damn long I can still see it will be OK,” said Kern.
Tours of his float factory, Mardi Gras World, in Algiers, are booked solid through Fat Tuesday.
Categories: Mardi Gras · New Orleans · economy
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
In case anyone is interested in knowing where Mayor Nagin will be for the rest of this week, his press office says he will be in Washington, D.C., “where he will meet with key constituents and participate in the Washington Mardi Gras celebration.”
The press release does not list who those “key constituents” are.
In case anyone wants to know, Nagin will return Sunday.
Categories: Nagin
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Jefferson Parish today OK’d an ordinance that makes it illegal for hotels and motels to rent rooms by the hour.
Council members talked about ”bad characters” when discussing the new law.
What do you think? Will this move deter crime?
Categories: Jefferson Parish · Jefferson Parish Council
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Former Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom apparently did not care as much about fighting boll weevils as he did about building sugar mills and other construction projects.
According to the new commissioner, Mike Strain, much of slot machine money that can be used to battle boll weevils and for other agricultural projects is tied up through 2017 in paying down $97 million to $103 million in debt stemming from construction projects pushed by Odom.
As a result, the agriculture department might be $4 million short of what it needs to fight the pests in the upcoming year, Strain said.
On an interesting side note, boll weevil is slang for a conservative Southern Democrat.
Odom was a Democrat, but it when it came to construction he certainly wasn’t conservative. So, he wasn’t a boll weevil.
Categories: Uncategorized
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
The brains on Capitol Hill are reportedly working hard on trying to figure out how to shake up the economy and stave off a possible recession.
According to news reports, one possibility is a tax rebate along the lines of the $300 to $600 checks sent in the summer of 2001.
What do you think? Are rebate checks the solution? And who should get the rebate checks? Should they mostly go to low-income workers or to the middle class?
Categories: economy
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
A man has been charged with helping former Orleans Parish School Board member Ellenese Brooks-Simms cash a $40,000 bribery check, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office said today.
Burnell Moliere, 58, is accused of concealing from the feds the flow of funds to Brooks-Simms.
According to the charge, around January 2005, Brooks-Simms received the kickback from a person identified in court documents as “Mr. A” in exchange for her approving the school system’s purchase of the computer-based I Can Learn program.
Federal law requires that transaction of more than $10,000 conducted through a bank be reported to the IRS in a currency transaction report, according to Letten’s office. Moliere allegedly concealed the flow of funds from Moses to Brooks-Simms by depositing the check in his First American Bank checking account and then structuring payments of less than $10,000.
Categories: Orleans Parish · Orleans Parish School Board · corruption
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Blaine Kern, the float builder whose name is synonymous with Mardi Gras, plans to expand his Mardi Gras World shop to the East Bank, according to a CityBusiness story this week.
Kern plans to lease space from the Port of New Orleans.
Kern’s float-building operation has long been on the West Bank, in Algiers. Kern Studios President Barry Kern said much of the tourist component of the business will likely be relocated to the East Bank, but Mardi Gras World will remain open to visitors in Algiers.
The expansion to the East Bank stems from the need to use some of the Mardi Gras World site for another project the Kerns are involved in, a residential development dubbed Algiers Crossing.
New Orleans tourism officials seem happy about Kern’s East Bank plans. But some Algiers businesses are concerned about the loss of tourism.
Categories: Mardi Gras
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
The stock market has seen better days, oil prices have reached record highs and the housing market is struggling with the subprime implosion.
Some are worried these are symptoms of a pending recession.
But, despite growing mention of the R word, I see no signs of people tightening their belts in the New Orleans area.
It’s just as hard as always to get a parking spot at Lakeside mall. Granted, much of the mall’s parking area is fenced off for construction. But the new parking garage is always full.
Restaurants in our area also seem to be doing well. Especially on Friday nights and weekend evenings, it’s impossible to avoid waiting for a table.
A recession is defined as two back-to-back quarters of declining GDP. So, maybe later this year we’ll have a better idea of whether we are in a recession or not.
But in the New Orleans area, at least for now, I’m not seeing much penny pinching yet. Are you?
Categories: economy
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
According to news reports, former Gov. Blanco will receive more than $65,000 a year in state retirement pay for all the years she served in office: four years as governor, seven on the Public Service Commission and about five in the state House of Representatives.
This begs a question: Should those who held elected office in Louisiana – or anywhere in the United States – continued to be paid a public salary after they are no longer in office?
What do you think?
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
New Orleans drivers have another reason to watch their driving, besides the tire-eating potholes. I’m talking about traffic cameras, coming to an intersection near you.
Orleans is following the lead of Jefferson Parish, which last year installed the devices to ticket drivers who run red lights.
I’ve said many times that I support the traffic cameras as a means to prevent accidents. But, listen up, New Orleans: In my experience driving through Jefferson Parish, the cameras are not preventing drivers from running red lights at intersections that don’t have the cameras.
I have seen people obey the red light at an intersection with a camera only to run the light at the next intersection. Drivers know which intersections they can and can’t blow through, because there are signs telling them which intersections have cameras. The cameras are also large and visible. The point is, drivers who have always run red lights will perhaps not do it at intersections with cameras, but they will keep breaking the law at other intersections.
Categories: traffic cameras
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
A press release from the city today made me think of the controversial green dots that were on post-Katrina redevelopment plans.
You remember those dots, which represented neighborhoods that could be turned into parks or wetlands. Residents were furious to see those maps, because the dots basically were a threat that their neighborhoods would not be rebuilt.
Well, today Mayor Nagin accepted a $1.14-million grant from the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation to fund Nagin’s “greening plan,” which in a nutshell calls for the city to become more environmentally friendly. The city sent out a press release announcing the grant.
Now, here’s the bit from the press release that reminded me of those green dots:
“Sustainable development will mean establishing population resettlement patterns based on a thorough understanding of flood risk.”
Does this mean the city is going to tell people they can’t live in certain areas because of flood risk? What do you think? I know this is a tired argument, but should the city tell people where they can and can’t rebuild?
Categories: Katrina · Nagin · New Orleans
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Last night, I watched a local news story that reported that the Hornets are not filling as many seats as they would like to.
You can’t blame it on performance: The Hornets are having a great season. The team is 26-12. So, what gives? Why are they apparently struggling to boost attendance?
According to an online story I came across this morning, the Hornets and the state agreed to extend the Hornet’s lease until 2014 if the team can meet its goal of 14,735 fans per game for the final four months of this season and for all of the 2008-09 season. The story said the Hornets are currently 29th in the NBA for game attendance, and the team averages 12,341 per game.
In the TV news report, some experts said the Hornets should better market themselves.
But is that the real problem?
Why do you think more people aren’t going to the games? Is it that New Orleans simply isn’t a basketball town and never will be?
To read more about the Hornets’ recent game against the Seattle SuperSonics, check out these links:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hZhOKACKfWAOKDH2XbGdvpsOPfOQD8U7DAK00
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/347699_sonx17.html
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080117/SPORTS/750045421/1004/SPORTS
Categories: Hornets
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Today, I sat on a panel of New Orleans journalists speaking to the International Association of Business Communications at Cannon’s restaurant on St. Charles.
We were asked to speak on our favorite and least favorite stories of 2007 and what we would have done differently.
I said the media could have done a much better job reporting on Mayor Nagin’s activities last year. Where was the mayor for most of 2007? The public did not hear much from him. The media should have held him more accountable.
During and after the panel discussion, people told me they did want to hear more from the mayor in 2008, which makes sense; in the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster, the public should be hearing weekly reports from the mayor about what he is doing to speed up the recovery. Since the storm, it seems we see and hear from the mayor less and less.
Some people might see that as a good thing: Think about his infamous “Chocolate City” comments. Others see it as negative: They need to hear from their mayor more often.
What’re your thoughts? Do you want to hear more or less from Nagin in ’08?
Coincidentally, CityBusiness’ editor, Terry O’Connor, sat down with Nagin today. To read the story, click here.
Categories: Nagin
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
The Federal Emergency Management Agency today said it is allowing people who started or finished raising their hurricane-ravaged properties to receive hazard mitigation grants.
This rule change applies also applies to businesses.
The White House’s reversal of this rule is good news. It made no sense to penalize people who couldn’t wait for government approvals before rebuilding and elevating their homes. We all know how slowly the wheels of government turn. If we had to wait for hazard mitigation grant approvals before raising our homes, we could be waiting forever.
Those who rebuilt higher and, therefore, smarter can now tap into these grants. It’s good to see the federal government being flexible for a change.
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Have you ever heard of the Gray Ghost?
If you haven’t, sit back and let me tell you a little about him.
First, you may have seen his work around New Orleans: large spray-painted areas of gray paint on the sides of buildings and over street signs. Gray Ghost, whose real name is Fred Radtke, painted those to cover graffiti.
Radtke sees himself as a good guy who’s out to eradicate graffiti, which is illegal. According to a story by reporter Richard A. Webster in this week’s CityBusiness, the New Orleans Police Department, Mayor C. Ray Nagin, Louisiana State Police, U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI support what Radtke does.
What do you think? Do you support Radtke’s work? Or is he just another graffiti artist?
Categories: NOPD
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
I can remember talk of the city wanting to redevelop Lincoln Beach going back as far as when I began as a reporter here at CityBusiness, which was about five years ago.
It’s now 2008 and the site, once an African-American amusement park that closed in the 1960s, is still not redeveloped. But the New Orleans Building Corp., an arm of city government, said it is working on changing that.
It’s a little confusing, though, as to who will ultimately redevelop the site. Here’s why:
Last week, at an NOBC meeting, NOBC Executive Director Sean Cummings said Atlanta-based Nolatown Inc. has been given a nonbinding letter of intent from NOBC to “do certain things. Most of it has to do with financing.”
So, on the one hand, it sounds like Nolatown will be the developer.
But later, at the same meeting, Cummings said the letter does not provide exclusivity to Nolatown and that “the city is still subject to public bid law … It would be a competitive process.”
One thing is for sure. Many in that area are anticipating this project. Community group All Congregations Together said it has worked for more than 14 years to clean the site.
Categories: Lincoln Beach
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Today is the start of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s first term as Louisiana governor.
While being sworn into office, Jindal pledged to fight corruption and turn around the state’s image.
Can he do it?
Categories: Bobby Jindal
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
It’s not Carnival in New Orleans until the king cakes start showing up at the office.
The rules are simple: The employee who gets the plastic baby hidden inside must buy the next cake.
Everyone is happy until the day someone fails to bring in a king cake. At that point, the office becomes a crime scene and suddenly somebody in the office is a cheap or lazy crook. Then, either some generous person has to bite the bullet and buy another king cake to get the ball rolling again or that’s the end of king cakes for that Carnival season.
What’s been your experience with king cakes in the office? Have you ever worked at a place where someone got the baby but did not buy another king cake? Is there a way to prevent coworkers from being dishonest?
Categories: Mardi Gras
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Today marks the anniversary of a march on City Hall that drew protestors from all walks of life angry over violence in a city struggling to rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
The march was huge. It brought together multiple races. I’ve heard estimates of 3,000 attendees. It even attracted the likes of CNN.
At the time, Mayor Nagin pledged to make curbing crime his top priority.
A year later, has the march made any difference? Has Nagin kept his promise?
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
What do you make of the controversy over Sen. Mary Landrieu authoring a $2-million earmark for a company whose executives reportedly gave her campaign $30,000?
Do you think she did anything wrong? If so, what should happen to her? Should she resign? Or is this much to do about nothing?
Categories: Mary Landrieu
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Some of you have asked for an update on the robot vacuum cleaner my brother gave me this past Christmas.
So, back by popular demand, is another blog posting about my Roomba.
Here’s my review.
For those of us who work for a living, Roomba seems like a godsend. The idea of coming home from work to clean floors sounds wonderful, right?
But don’t expect Roomba to make your floors spotless. If your house has lots of furniture or other obstacles that you can’t move out of the room, Roomba can get disoriented and waste precious battery power – my fully charged Roomba operates for only about 45 minutes – as it bounces back and forth trying to free itself from obstacles.
And since my Roomba’s battery lasts only 45 minutes, I can forget about it cleaning my whole house in a day.
Also, Roomba is a bit noisy (but what vacuum isn’t?). So if you plan on watching TV while Roomba slaves away, you might need to crank up the volume to catch all the action on “Celebrity Fit Club.”
If you have lots of pet hair, like I do, Roomba will suck it up. I was afraid the tumbleweeds of pet hair in my house would break Roomba, but the little droid is tougher than I thought. Still, sometimes hair will get caught on Roomba, which will drag it around the room until you get annoyed, get off the sofa even though you were thoroughly engrossed in “I Love New York,” and pluck the hair from Roomba.
I can’t tell you how Roomba works on carpet, because I’ve only run it on hard surfaces. So if all you have is carpet, you might want to see if you can test drive one before you buy it.
As long as you don’t expect Roomba to make your house spotless every time you use it, you’ll be pleased. I use Roomba to keep the grime in my house under control. That way, when I do have to get off the sofa every once in a while and use a real vacuum, it won’t take me as long.
Then I can get back to watching “Rock of Love.”
Categories: Uncategorized
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Today, I attended a meeting of the New Orleans Building Corp., a division of city government responsible for putting underused city-owned property into commerce.
On the agenda was the proposed redevelopment of a six-mile stretch of Mississippi Riverfront running from Jackson Avenue to Poland Avenue. Under the plan, “Reinventing the Crescent,” the swath would mostly become parks and trails open to the public. NOBC’s vision is to establish a world-class riverfront.
Anyway, at the meeting, as New Orleans architect Allen Eskew showed slides depicting what the project would look like, Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson chimed in.
Clarkson asked why the renderings depicted buildings with only contemporary designs. Why aren’t the designs more in line with the old, European-style architecture found throughout New Orleans? she asked.
Apparently, Clarkson’s design aesthetic is not popular with contemporary architects. Eskew said contemporary design is preferred over creating a “thematic replication” of the city’s architecture.
What do you think? Should the buildings in the riverfront redevelopment be of new or old design?
Categories: Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson · New Orleans
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
New Orleans lawyer Bill Hines today criticized Nagin and Blanco for what he called their inaction while 12 public companies left the New Orleans area since 2003.
This makes me think of earlier blog postings of mine:
http://neworleanscitybusiness.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/tidewater-to-stay-in-no/
http://neworleanscitybusiness.wordpress.com/2007/06/16/businesses-say-state-better-wake-up/
Categories: economic development
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Last week, I blogged about how residents of Jefferson Parish ignore a ban on fireworks.
Apparently, it’s an explosive issue in other states, too.
Some U.S. communities have repealed their fireworks bans, which were ignored by the public.
Check out these links to see how other states are dealing with this issue:
http://starbulletin.com/2007/12/31/editorial/editorial02.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/los-angeles/110836-fireworks-most-ignored-law-la.html
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/Jun/24/more-freedom-with-fireworks/
http://news.mainetoday.com/stories/040630fireworks.shtml
Categories: Jefferson Parish · fireworks
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
New Orleans charter schools are struggling to provide services to special education students, the media reported last week.
That news got me thinking of my short experience teaching special education.
In 2000, fresh out of college, I thought I’d do some good, so I took a job with the Jefferson Parish Public School System.
I did not have an education degree, so what did the school system do? They hired me as a special education teacher for elementary students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
To say I was not prepared is an understatement. My students needed a highly trained professional. Most of them lived with relatives, because their parents were either in jail or had abandoned them. I found myself being more of a disciplinarian than teacher. Fights would break out almost daily. I had an assistant, but it was nearly impossible to teach amid the chaos.
I did the best that I could. I even began taking master’s degree classes. But I left the school system after two years and became a journalist. Teaching was not for me.
To this day, it makes me angry that a school system would shove an uncertified teacher with no experience into a special education classroom. The message it conveys is that special education students are second-rate, an afterthought, that they don’t deserve as good an education as regular education students.
I hope policies have changed. Special education students should always have certified, experienced teachers, not uncertified people who promise to earn a teaching certificate.
Categories: education
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
I could not believe my eyes this morning when I read a story by The Associated Press about how much some fans will spend on tailgating for the BCS game.
According to the AP story, one man, Tom LeBlanc, bought a $1.2-million RV just to enhance the tailgating experience.
That’s not all.
RV parking spots cost $600. In all, LeBlanc will spend at least $12,000 partying this weekend.
I don’t think I could even afford a ticket.
Do you know super fans like this, or are you a super fan? How much are you or your friends and family spending on the BCS game?
Categories: LSU
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
As for customer service, there’s always room for improvement at New Orleans City Hall.
I’ve been a reporter in New Orleans for nearly five years. So, I’ve had many interactions with City Hall staff in various departments.
To be fair, some are very helpful. They treat you warmly, call you baby and actually smile. Others will ignore you or, worse, be flat out rude. They seem to be miserable to be at work and want to make you miserable, too.
But bad attitudes are only one form of bad customer service coming out of City Hall. Bad customer service can also be found on the city’s Web site.
In his column this week, CityBusiness Publisher Mark Singletary pointed out that one page of the city’s Web site lists only fax numbers for various divisions of the Department of Public Works. But they are not labeled as fax numbers. So, when you call them, expecting to get a person or answering machine on the other end, you instead get an earful of that painful, annoying faxing sound.
I hate that.
This is not good customer service. Why list only fax numbers for the maintenance and parking divisions and construction and traffic engineering? Better yet, why not label them as fax numbers so callers won’t get blasted with that awful noise?
Bad customer service is bad for business. Everybody knows that.
The city needs to take a closer look at its Web site. We need to make it easier for businesses and residents to get in touch with City Hall.
What about you? Have you had bad experiences with customer service at City Hall or on the city’s Web site? I want to hear your gripe. Leave a comment.
Categories: City Hall · New Orleans · customer service
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Fireworks are illegal where I live, in Marrero, on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish.
Yet year after year, despite promises from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to crack down on lawbreakers, fireworks are used illegally in mine and other neighborhoods.
It makes me wonder why the law is even on the books. If you’re not going to enforce it, it makes sense to do away with it. Perhaps then I and other residents wouldn’t be so angry.
Not only do people illegally use fireworks in Jefferson Parish, the lawbreakers also become brazen with them. Some people – mostly teenagers, obviously – aim them at one another or at homes and other property. Parents stand by and watch this dangerous activity or, worse, they don’t supervise. This is a fire and safety hazard.
Parents, you need to wake up: Firecrackers are not toys, and, in the hands of teenagers, they can be deadly.
Parish leaders need to wake up, too. The quality of life in Jefferson Parish stinks on New Year’s Eve, as the night is disrupted by hordes of people exploding firecrackers. Some blasts have actually shaken my house. These can’t be fireworks. Are people detonating homemade bombs? Seriously: What is causing such loud explosions?
For us parents of young children, it can be a terrible night. Good luck trying to keep a baby asleep when it sounds like a war zone outside. It’s also impossible for us adults to rest, because people aren’t content to stop using fireworks after midnight. No, the lawbreakers shoot them well into the early morning hours.
Jefferson Parish this year rolled out red-light cameras to slap light runners with expensive tickets, which I’m sure have become a major revenue source for the parish. So why not enforce the fireworks law as another revenue source? It couldn’t be easier to catch a lawbreaker. On the West Bank, you are only allowed to use them in Gretna, which is the only place they can be sold. Drive anywhere on the West Bank, and you’ll find tons of people in the streets, in plain view, firing them off.
Residents complain about this every year. But it doesn’t get any better.
We must learn to live with the fact that Jefferson Parish turns a blind eye to this problem and, it seems, always will.
Categories: Jefferson Parish
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
What do you think of this?
A 265-pound man and a relative say they were overcharged and then banned from a Houma restaurant buffet.
One of the men said a waitress told the men they were fat and ate too much.
I though buffets were all you can eat.
Categories: Uncategorized
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
New Orleans’ murder rate is all over the national news, which, I’m sure, will create a challenge for tourism officials trying to lure people to the recovering city.
Based on varying population estimates, the rate is 67 to 71 murders per 100,000, making the Crescent City one of the deadliest in the nation.
What do you think?
Here’s how other news media are covering the story:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319416,00.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/01/national/main3665137.shtml
Categories: New Orleans · crime
By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Is New Orleans losing its momentum in the film industry to northwest Louisiana communities, such as Shreveport? Or does the Crescent City have nothing to worry about?
According to a story by The Associated Press, Arlena Acree, Shreveport’s director of film, media and entertainment, said that in 2007 northwest Louisiana attracted 24 movie and TV projects worth about $181.5 million in total budget dollars.
That’s a lot of films.
Plus, the films shot in northwest Louisiana in 2007 involved major actors, such as Katie Holmes and Denzel Washington.
After Hurricane Katrina, when much of New Orleans was freshly devastated, filmmakers flocked to north Louisiana communities.
But, apparently, they are still heading there, more than two years after Katrina.
Do you think New Orleans should be concerned by the film activity gravitating to northwest Louisiana? What does northwest Louisiana have that we don’t down here?
Categories: film industry · film tax credits
