nola411.com - New Orleans news and information.: June 2011

New Orleans cemetery blighted, tombstones covered in weeds | WVUE-TV

> 6/30/2011 04:14:00 PM

Forgotten, blighted, and filled with the dead—that's how some neighbors in New Orleans are now describing part of their community.

Read more via fox8live.com

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Federal City opens with Marine Corps Reserves HQ as first tenant | WWL

> 6/30/2011 04:10:00 PM

It could have been an economic catastrophe, but it became a celebration of economic development as the Marine Forces Reserve Headquarters opened in the new Federal City complex in Algiers.

The Purple Wave Finds Conflict with New Orleans City Plans | The Pelican Post |

> 6/30/2011 04:07:00 PM

Mayor Mitch Landrieu has requested the limited removal of seniority privileges from consideration in city lay-offs, and the local chapter of the Service Employees International Union is unimpressed...

Former FEMA director Michael Brown writes Katrina memoir | WWL

> 6/25/2011 08:25:00 AM

Former FEMA director Michael Brown -- who was heavily criticized in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for the federal government's response to the storm -- has a series of book signings in the New Orleans area, as he promotes his post-Katrina memoir. In it, Brown points some criticism at former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin…

Read more via wwl.com

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ALA Annual 2011: Volunteers Help Rebuild New Orleans | School Library Journal

> 6/25/2011 08:22:00 AM

More than 220 American Library Association (ALA) volunteers from across the country gathered in New Orleans to help the city's rebuilding efforts. The scene was similar to that of five years ago, when ALA members joined forces to assistant residents of the Big Easy after the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005…

New Orleans restaurants are reinterpreting the BLT | NOLA.com

> 6/25/2011 08:21:00 AM

In a recent episode of his online cooking show "Taste of Place, " Donald Link, chef and co-owner of Herbsaint and Cochon, demonstrates his own personal version of the BLT (housemade bacon, shredded lettuce, salted tomatoes, pain de mie bread). In the process, he shares conjured childhood memories of eating tomatoes from his grandfather's garden…

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Crab Fest starts tomorrow | Slidell Sentry News

> 6/24/2011 07:07:00 AM

If you’re looking for two great days of music, crab races, great seafood and much more, head out to the 2011 Lacombe Crab Fest, at John Davis Park in Lacombe, Saturday and Sunday.

Lacombe is known for its blue crabs and home grown soft shell crabs, and there will be plenty of them to eat at the fest. But also, there will be lots of crawfish, shrimp, crawfish beignets, alligator, catfish, hamburgers, hot dogs chicken, pasta, drinks, desserts and cool fruit smoothies.

Texas forces firms to open up on 'fracking' | The Independent

> 6/24/2011 07:02:00 AM

For years, the industry in the US has refused to declare what toxic chemicals it uses during fracking, saying that to do so would amount to revealing trade secrets.

The Lone Star state's Governor, Rick Perry, quietly signed a law last week which forces gas companies to publish a list of the 600 or so substances they add to a mixture of water and sand during the process. This mixture then gets fired deep underground at high pressure to release deposits of gas locked up in formations of shale and other rocks.

The film GasLand, which was nominated for this year's Best Documentary Oscar, showed a homeowner in Weld County, Colorado, holding a cigarette lighter over his kitchen sink. When he turned on the tap, flammable gas emerged from it. The homeowner blamed the phenomenon on nearby fracking projects

New Orleans preservationist Thomas Favrot dies | NOLA.com

> 6/24/2011 06:54:00 AM

Thomas Favrot, a New Orleanian who acknowledged no limits when it came to preserving the city that an ancestor helped settle nearly three centuries ago, died Wednesday at Lambeth House. He was 87.

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Brother of Saints' Hargrove killed in stabbing, according to police | WWL

> 6/24/2011 06:51:00 AM

Florida police say Terrence Maurice Hargrove, the brother of Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, was killed in a stabbing early Thursday morning. The stabbing reportedly occured in North Port, Florida, a community near Sarasota...

Read more via wwl.com

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Cops' trial in Katrina killings tests New Orleans | ajc.com

> 6/21/2011 12:53:00 PM

A trial opens this week for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Jury selection begins Wednesday in the federal case involving the killing of two people and wounding of four others on the Danziger Bridge in one of the darkest chapters in the chaos after the 2005 storm...

New Orleans judge halts Le Petit Theater sale | Forbes

> 6/21/2011 06:35:00 AM

At the request of a group of theater boosters, a New Orleans judge has ordered the board of Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre to temporarily halt steps to sell part of the theater building for use as a restaurant. The theater board had agreed to sell 60 percent of the French Quarter building to the Dickie Brennan Restaurant Group...

Mayor Nagin tells of Hurricane Katrina ‘hell’ | TODAY.com

> 6/21/2011 06:31:00 AM

When Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans on August 29, 2005, the city changed forever. Mayor Ray Nagin was thrust into the national spotlight as he struggled to handle the unfolding disaster. Nagin, who left office last year, describes the aftermath of the storm in his new book, “Katrina’s Secrets: Storms After the Storm.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

NOLA Summer Jam: The Sampler | OffBeat

> 6/17/2011 09:58:00 AM

Last June, the first-ever NOLA Summer Jam hip-hop festival was held in Washington Square Park. This year, the festival’s chief coordinator and organizer, Lawrence Parker (owner of Traffic Boutique clothing shop and the Supreme Street music group), is making the event even bigger and better than the last time around...

Business booming this summer for metro area film industry | WWL

> 6/17/2011 09:54:00 AM

hursday, film crews worked to transform the interior of Gallier Hall, building a set for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," one of several big-budget productions based in the metro area this summer. It's a departure from years past, when officials say some production teams would pack up and leave before hurricane season.

Turn that French Quarter racket down | WVUE-TV

> 6/17/2011 09:51:00 AM

There's a new stricter New Orleans noise proposal that is aimed at turning down the volume in the French Quarter. Supporters say it’s needed to ensure the quality of life for residents and to also preserve New Orleans' true musical culture...

Read more via fox8live.com

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4-Alarm Fire damages the Former Mayor Morial's family home on Bayou St. John | WDSU

> 6/17/2011 09:48:00 AM

New Orleans firefighters are investigating a four-alarm fire at the home of former Mayor Dutch Morial. The fire started shortly before 5 a.m. Friday. No one was home at the time...

New segment of National Jazz Park opens at Armstrong Park | WWL

> 6/16/2011 09:14:00 AM

On a sultry summer-like day, jazz fans flock indoors for some cool air and even cooler sound at the visitor center of the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park.

The venue is located on North Peters Street in the French Quarter. Yet, over at Armstrong Park in Treme, there is a new hope that jazz enthusiasts will flock to the newly-renovated "Perseverance Hall."

Stalled 3-mile long park back on track to connect New Orleans Neighborhoods | WVUE

> 6/16/2011 09:11:00 AM

Neighbors say it could transform New Orleans and connect communities in a way nothing else could. The federal government is putting $6.5 million dollars towards the project, but some residents remain cautiously optimistic, saying they've heard these pledges of progress before.

Read more via fox8live.com

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Entergy Corporation Commits $150000 to KIPP New Orleans Schools | Sacramento Bee

> 6/16/2011 09:07:00 AM

Approximately 75 Entergy Corporation executives turned up at KIPP Central City campus on Wednesday armed with paint brushes and a check for $150,000 to help KIPP New Orleans Schools build on its record of success.

The Entergy volunteers spent most of Wednesday painting, mulching and generally sprucing up the campus of KIPP Central City Primary and Academy schools on Thalia Street.

The executives were also on hand for a brief ceremony Wednesday morning announcing the new $150,000 grant to help fund KIPP New Orleans Schools' plan to add five more schools by 2014.

Recipe Creole Tomato Jam | NOLA.com

> 6/16/2011 09:04:00 AM

Tomato jam, a cross between marmalade and ketchup, has been the rage on goat cheese (or any kind of cheese) and sandwiches (try it on turkey burgers) since Mark Bittman published a recipe for it in The New York Times a few years ago. The Creole tomato version is sweet-tart with a spicy little back burn. If you increase the recipe, the simmering time will increase, too.

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Life expectancy in the US varies widely by region and in some places is decreasing | Washington Post

> 6/15/2011 07:00:00 AM

The region where life expectancy is lowest, and in some places declining, begins in West Virginia, runs through the southern Appalachian Mountains and west through the Deep South into North Texas. Places of high life expectancy are more scattered. In addition to Northern Virginia they include counties in Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, California, Washington state and Florida...

Community grows at New Orleans farmers markets | USA Today

> 6/15/2011 06:56:00 AM

The Crescent City market, now in three locations, is entering its 16th year. It was part of the 1994-2002 boom when farmers markets increased 79%. Americans started seeking out the vibrant markets for safe, fresh food from local farmers practicing sustainable growing methods. By mid-2010, 6,132 markets operated across the USA. Now the markets are also social scenes where top chefs hold cooking classes, bands play and generations and ethnicities can mingle...

Louisiana chemical plant fire will be allowed to burn itself out | Washington Post

> 6/15/2011 06:53:00 AM

A fire at a southern Louisiana plant where chemicals are blended and stored for oilfield operations is being allowed to burn itself out before investigators enter the facility to search for a cause.

Tuesday afternoon’s explosion and fire at the Multi-Chem Corp. plant in New Iberia forced residents within a 1-mile radius of the area to evacuate.

Coast Guard: Louisiana Oil Spill Cleanup Done, Origins Unknown | WSJ

> 6/14/2011 02:53:00 PM

The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday the cleanup of a small oil spill near Venice, La., is complete, but federal investigators are still unsure where the plume came from. A fisherman spotted and photographed a mile-long band of oily sheen last Wednesday on Breton Sound, a body of water separated from the open Gulf of Mexico by a series of slender barrier islands that form the Breton National Wildlife Refuge.

610 Stompers to romp in New York City | WWL

> 6/14/2011 11:43:00 AM

A bunch of guys in short shorts, high socks and satin jackets will represent New Orleans at this year's big Macy's Day Parade in New York. The 610 Stompers say they'll provide something that the holiday classic, and all of America, has been missing. The guys will strut their stuff from Central Park to Herald Square starting at 9am on November 24th.

Read more via wwl.com

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New Orleans: Pair a crazy summer festival with Marriott's $99-a-night package | Los Angeles Times

> 6/14/2011 11:41:00 AM

The lobby of the New Orleans Marriott. (New Orleans Marriott)

Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest aren't the only reasons to visit New Orleans. The Running of the Bulls in July, when roller derby "bulls" skate through the French Quarter and "gore" each other, can be just as much crazy fun. But you have to be able to handle the sticky summer heat. For those who can, the New Orleans Marriott has a room rate that starts at $99 a night and throws in dining discounts.

Governor Bobby Jindal urges hospital board to review all options | WWL

> 6/14/2011 11:39:00 AM

Gov. Bobby Jindal is encouraging the board overseeing a new public medical center planned for New Orleans to look at different options, opening the door to scale back a $1.2 billion proposal under pressure from fellow GOP leaders. Jindal asked University Medical Center board members Monday not to limit their research to the plan offered by LSU to replace its Charity Hospital, which was flooded in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.

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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's tell-all memoir for sale on Amazon | NOLA.com

> 6/11/2011 12:44:00 PM

With the June 22 release date of former Mayor Ray Nagin's memoir approaching, the author appears to be cranking up his PR machine, engaging Texas-based Polite & Associates to advertise the work and on Monday releasing a third excerpt, this one focused on "unfettered disaster capitalism." Nagin makes his observations in an expert voice, though he offers no source for the volume and per-item prices he cites or the pyramidical workflow he posits. Similar schemes -- though not the particular cases Nagin describes -- were documented in 2005 by The Times-Picayune.

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Swamp People | History.com

> 6/10/2011 10:15:00 AM

Deep in the heart of Louisiana lies America's largest swamp--a million miles of inhospitable bayous, marshes and wetlands where nature rules and humans struggle to tame it. Many of its inhabitants are the hardened descendants of French refugees who were forced out of Canada in the 18th century and settled in this harsh yet majestic environment. Today, these people are known as the Cajuns, a group renowned throughout the world for their flavorful cuisine, distinctive music and vibrant culture. Resilient, self-reliant and fiercely independent, the Cajuns of the Atchafalaya Swamp still carry on many of their ancestors' trades and traditions.

HISTORY follows these swampers through a time of year that is crucial to their survival: the 30-day alligator hunting season. At its core, this is a uniquely American story of a proud and skillful people fighting to maintain an ancient way of life in a rapidly modernizing world, despite the many perils and trials that stand in their way.

NOLA411.com Mobile Template (beta)

> 6/10/2011 10:08:00 AM

This week we launched mobile templates for our website. Give nola411.com a try on your mobile device.

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Senior citizen housing spurs legal fight | WVUE-TV

> 6/10/2011 09:52:00 AM

A local judge issued a stop work order today for a senior citizens housing complex on Hayne Boulevard in New Orleans East. The construction site sits right next to Southern Oak Plantation and the owner of the business is so upset that he is fighting in court...

Read more via fox8live.com

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We Live To Eat & Bowl at Rock n Bowl 6/12/2011

> 6/09/2011 09:28:00 AM

We Live to Eat Our 2nd Annual We Live To Eat & Bowl event is this Sunday (June 12) at Rock n Bowl! Tix include drinks and food from Drago's Seafood Restaurant, Ernst Cafe and more!

We Live To Eat and Bowl
June 12, 2011
Rock N Bowl, New Orleans

Fierce Loyalty Fuels NOLA Digital Rivalry | NetNewsCheck.com

> 6/09/2011 09:22:00 AM

Two universal characteristics distinguish the true New Orleanian: defiant exceptionalism and ferocious local loyalty. Ask anyone in this battered but rebounding city what makes it special and they’ll answer with a smile: “We do things differently here.” “We’re true to our own” might be the follow up refrain, and these twin mantras extend to the digital front.

Advance Publications-owned NOLA.com, the Web site of the city’s war horse daily The Times-Picayune, holds a commanding lead among local users, followed by perennial TV ratings leader WWL. Both secured seemingly everlasting bona fides with locals for their coverage during the worst of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

New streetcar line groundbreaking in New Orleans | BusinessWeek

> 6/09/2011 09:18:00 AM

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and other city officials have broken ground for a new streetcar line. It is expected to begin service in about a year, running from the bus and rail station through the Central Business District to Canal Street...

A Night in Treme: Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, Donald Harrison Jr., Big Sam Williams, Michael White, Wendell Pierce

> 6/08/2011 02:36:00 PM

A Night in Treme: Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, Donald Harrison Jr., Big Sam Williams, Michael White, Wendell Pierce

Fri., June 10, 8:00pm
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness (at Grove); San Francisco CA

Corps' work to keep Mississippi open blasted | Hattiesburg American

> 6/08/2011 08:58:00 AM

Louisiana politicians and maritime interests are urging Congress and the Army Corps of Engineers to step up dredging on the lower portions of the Mississippi River where ships enter and exit the river at the Gulf of Mexico or face losing huge amounts of cargo.

Forum on Coastal Louisiana, June 23, 2011

> 6/08/2011 08:52:00 AM

The Delta Discussion Group and the Urban Conservancy host "Getting It Done Together: The Public's Role in Shaping Our Coast's Future."

June 23, 5-7:30 p.m.
Longue Vue Gardens
7 Bamboo Road
New Orleans

Registration required
Read more via urbanconservancy.org

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Woman Fights To Get Monkeys Back | WDSU

> 6/08/2011 08:41:00 AM

A woman fighting to regain custody of her pet monkeys collapsed in municipal court Tuesday after learning from a judge she can't have them back yet. Officials from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries took the monkeys away four months ago after they said their owner, Joan Newberger, was panhandling with them on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras...

Joplin Residents Get A Break From The Disaster, New Orleans Style.| OzarksFirst.com

> 6/08/2011 08:34:00 AM

Greg Reggio owns 11 restaurants in New Orleans. He says after seeing how much national support his home town received during hurricane Katrina he wanted to help other communities that are in crisis. Along with 2 other colleagues they started a group called "The Taste Buds".

Five New Big Easy Seasonings from Simply Organic Deliver Cajun/Creole Flavors of New Orleans @SimplyOrgFoods

> 6/07/2011 09:02:00 AM

Capitalizing on the increasing interest in U.S. southern regional cuisines, Simply Organic® is capturing the flavors of The French Quarter by adding five new gluten-free seasoning mixes – Red Bean, Black Bean, Dirty Rice, Jambalaya, and Gumbo Base. All of Simply Organic’s New Orleans-style mixes are third-party certified as organic, kosher, gluten-free and are also vegan.

Simply Organic Red Bean Seasoning Mix provides the characteristic flavor of the Louisiana Creole dish traditionally served on Mondays. “Our delicious seasoning blend, which includes black pepper, oregano, parsley and a dash of cayenne, tastes great every day of the week,” remarks Kory Kazimour, Senior Brand Manager for Simply Organic Simply Organic. Black Bean Seasoning Mix melds spices — including onion, cumin, garlic and roasted chili powder — to create a taste sensation. “More savory than spicy hot, this would be an excellent seasoning mix for vegetarian dishes.”

Simply Organic mixes are online at simplyorganicfoods.com.

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New Orleans Saints Player Reports Super Bowl Ring Stolen | WDSU

> 6/07/2011 08:54:00 AM

New Orleans Saints linebacker, Stanley Arnoux, had his Super Bowl ring stolen from his car while he was at a nightclub at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach,
according to media reports...

Irvin Mayfield Jr. and James Bernazzani team up to inspire New Orleans kids | NOLA.com

> 6/07/2011 08:49:00 AM

When James Bernazzani retired from the FBI in 2008, he decided to fight crime in a different way. He knew that arresting young criminals, prosecuting them, convicting them and incarcerating them wasn’t going to solve the crime problem in New Orleans. If children are going to blossom, they need to know how to read. He decided the “Power Through Reading” book drive would be the YRI’s first initiative. He just had to figure out how to do a book drive. He started by getting Irvin Mayfield Jr. involved...

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The New Orleans BINGO! Show

> 6/05/2011 10:15:00 AM

Le Chat Noir, New Orleans’ premier venue for musical theater, comedy, cabaret and originality in live entertainment. For information on shows not pictured below, visit performances. For more about local theaters visit More Theater in New Orleans.

The New Orleans BINGO! Show is an ever-evolving, multi-media, theatrical revue built around the exquisite songwriting and impeccable musical chops of multi-instrumental vocalist and frontman Clint Maedgen. With this amazing original music & a great swath of New Orleans revelry, The New Orleans BINGO! Show is “a link between the old music to come and the mysterious-funhouse atmosphere that continues in New Orleans.” – The New York Times.

Is Mississippi River reaching higher levels, more often? | The Natchez Democrat

> 6/05/2011 09:55:00 AM

The waters of the Great Flood of 2011 are receding, and it appears the Miss-Lou is again safe from Mississippi River flooding, but for how long? The river at Natchez has reached three of its top 12 highest levels ever in the last four years and has crested at or above flood stage 29 times since 1970. The river only crested at or above flood stage 17 times from 1903 to 1969...

Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church resurrects itself | NOLA.com

> 6/05/2011 09:08:00 AM

ELIOT KAMENITZ / THE TIMES PICAYUNE
Congregation members pray at The Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church on Sunday, May 29, 2011.

Nearly six years after Hurricane Katrina smashed, with all else, the largest church in the region, once-broken Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church has reconstituted itself in two states under a husband-and-wife team whose focus on rebuilding means they have largely relinquished the outsized political influence their pulpit used to offer. Reassembled in a smaller version with an estimated 5,000 members, it remains one of the largest churches in the area, on a tier with New Orleans’ Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and the multi-venue Celebration Church, based in Metairie.

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Oyster Fest time in the Quarter | WWL

> 6/03/2011 09:47:00 AM

It's time again for the New Orleans Oyster Festival! The 2nd Annual New Orleans Oyster Festival will be this weekend, June 4th and 5th. The 2011 New Orleans Oyster Festival will feature lots of Louisiana music, a cultural oyster tent, local cuisine, competitions for oyster shucking, the Acme Oyster House World Oyster Eating Challenge, and the largest oyster.

Read more via wwl.com

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The 610 Stompers invite you to their second annual pub crawl | NOLA.com

> 6/03/2011 09:46:00 AM

The 610 Stompers marching group invites men and women to join them on a dancing excursion to raise money for the club and for charity. Spectators are welcome, of course, but registrants get perks such as T-shirts, head bands, dance lessons, free beer and an after-party. The crawl is Saturday, June 11th, from 4 to 8 p.m., starts at the Mid-City Yacht Club, 440 S. St. Patrick St., stopping at various bars, and ending at the Bayou Beer Garden, 326 N. Jefferson Davis Parkway.

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