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

Handicapping the NoDef Burger Brawl: Elite Eight | Eater NOLA

> 9/22/2011 08:35:00 AM

The results are in from the first round of NOLA Defender's Burger Brawl are in. As NoDef writes, New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co., Port of Call Bud's Broiler, Tru Burger, Juicy Lucy's, Company Burger or another contender? ...

Food Network's Chopped to Cast in New Orleans | Eater NOLA

> 9/22/2011 08:05:00 AM

Food Network is seeking the next round of professional chefs to compete on one of the hottest cooking competition shows, CHOPPED.

Can you create a $10,000 meal out of our mystery baskets?

Seeking talented, dynamic, outgoing creative chefs who are ready to take their game to the next level. MEN and WOMEN, any ethnicity and cooking specialty are encouraged to apply. Seeking chefs from restaurants, catering, private/personal chefs, corporate, supper clubs, yachts, instructors, food stylists/recipe developers, etc.

J.Crew to expand in New Orleans ‎| NOLA.com

> 9/22/2011 08:04:00 AM

J.Crew – the retailer who turned khaki cargoes, cardigan sweaters, ankle socks and quirky styling into a serious fashion movement – is finally expanding in the local market. The apparel and accessories company will open a new location at The Shops at Canal Place in time for Mardi Gras...

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Oprah-Backed Charter School Denying Disabled Collides With Law | Bloomberg

> 9/21/2011 04:04:00 PM

When talk-show host Oprah Winfrey handed a $1 million check last September to the principal of New Orleans Charter Science and Math Academy, 200 students watched the broadcast from a church and celebrated with a brass band. A ninth-grader with learning and emotional disabilities, sat next door in a school office. The staff was concerned his fighting and cursing could be an embarrassment...

Michael Kors to open a boutique in Canal Place | NOLA.com

> 9/21/2011 04:03:00 PM

The fashion designer and “Project Runway” judge will take over the former Lee Michaels space at The Shops at Canal Place. The opening is planned for December. The store will be one of Kors’ “lifestyle” boutiques...

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NFL Preview - New Orleans Saints | MiamiHerald.com

> 9/08/2011 02:34:00 PM

The NFL will kick off its 2011 season in style on Thursday, as the last two Super Bowl winners square off at Lambeau Field in a marquee matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints. The Saints ended a 43-year title drought with a stirring 31-17 victory over Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV, then backed that unprecedented achievement up by winning 11 regular-season games (one more than the Packers) in 2010...

Free Dental Clinic Day in Lafayette | MusiCares

> 9/07/2011 02:44:00 PM

Free Dental Clinic Day from MusiCares at Lafayette Dental Clinic
September 14, 2011 -- 9:00 am - - 4:30 pm
Cité Des Arts, 109 Vine St., Lafayette, Louisiana

MusiCares, Smile Programs… The Mobile Dentists and the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation Healthcare Initiative are partnering to provide a dental clinic featuring dental screenings, teeth cleaning and X-rays to uninsured music professionals in need. These treatments will be provided free of charge to pre-screened pre-approved applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Those wishing to take advantage of this service must be able to provide documentation of at least five years of work in the music industry. If professional music industry experience is less than five years, eligibility can also be determined through credited contribution to at least six commercially released recordings or videos (singles).

Bountiful waters lure saltwater fishermen to Louisiana | Louisiana Travel

> 9/07/2011 02:15:00 PM

To make the most of your Louisiana saltwater fishing adventure, consider hiring a licensed charter guide who knows the locations of local reefs and wrecks as well as where the fish are and what they’re biting.

You’ll also want to decide on an inshore or offshore fishing excursion, and both can be found all along the coast, in spots like Lake Charles, Cocodrie, Grand Isle and Venice...

Wednesday with Culture, Fashion, Art & Music | Gratis NOLA

> 9/07/2011 02:05:00 PM

Tonight is Culture Collsion 3 and the opening of the New Orleans cultural season from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Museum admission will be free and their will be free specialty drinks and food, with additional cash bars throughout the Museum. The after-party tradition continues this year even bigger and better this year with the a festive party in the Sculpture Garden from 8:00 to 10:00 pm...

Vietnamese-American group rates 6 New Orleans high schools | NOLA.com

> 9/07/2011 11:37:00 AM

The Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association plans to unveil a report based on surveys, focus groups and interviews with 450 students at six public high schools. Dubbed the "Raise Your Hand Campaign," they asked students to rate their school on everything from teachers to textbooks to the cafeteria food...

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NOLA, San Fran work to increase transparency‎ | CivSource

> 9/07/2011 11:34:00 AM

New Orleans and San Francisco are looking at ways to increase transparency. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, announced yesterday that the city will be implementing two new measures BottomLineStat and ReqtoCheckStat designed to increase budget transparency and improve the efficiency of the city’s contracting system...

Happy Ending In the Big Easy ‎| Wall Street Journal

> 9/07/2011 11:32:00 AM

Facing a deadline to repay debt, the developer of a storied New Orleans hotel has brought in a partner to stabilize its finances and move ahead with a major renovation. The 251-room Chateau Bourbon Hotel, which originally housed the D.H. Holmes department store, is home to a white clock that has served as a meeting place for generations. The property, converted into a hotel in the 1990s, gained wider fame through its mention in John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer-prize-winning novel, "A Confederacy of Dunces."

VooDoo BBQ hopes to become national brand | NOLA.com

> 9/06/2011 12:00:00 PM

Rusty Costanza, The Times-Picayune

VooDoo BBQ & Grill was born in 2002. In the nine years since then, the company, which is based in Prairieville but opened its first restaurant in New Orleans, has grown wildly through franchising, even as franchise expansion has tapered off nationwide. Most recently, VooDoo in August announced plans to expand into Austin, Texas, with five locations...

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'Creole Beethoven' Wardell Quezergue dies | WWL

> 9/06/2011 11:51:00 AM

New Orleans musician and band leader Wardell Quezergue, a man known locally as the Creole Beethoven, has died. He was 81.

Quezerque’s imprint on local music scene looms large, arranging “Chapel of Love” by the Dixie Cups, “Mona Lisa” by Aaron Neville, Professor Longhair’s “Iko Iko” and “Big Chief” and Earl King’s “Trick Bag.”

Gulf oil spill cleanup workers' health claims drawing scrutiny from Kenneth Feinberg | NOLA.com

> 9/05/2011 07:07:00 AM

As a massive federal study aimed at gauging the human health effects of exposure to oil and chemicals during the cleanup of last year's Gulf oil spill gets under way, the man in charge of compensating the spill's victims reports that only 200 people have put in claims saying they were injured or sickened by the disaster. Kenneth Feinberg, who was appointed by BP and President Barack Obama to administer a spill-damage claims fund, has paid more than $5 billion to more than 200,000 victims, and he has received about 1 million claims in all. But only about 0.02 percent of them are health-related -- including those from the workers injured or killed on the rig itself. He is skeptical of some of the other claims...

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Diminished Lee Still Poses Threat As It Marches North | NPR

> 9/05/2011 07:04:00 AM

Parish crews placed sand bags along a flooded street in Lafitte, La.,
on Sunday. Lee dumped more than a foot of rain in parts of
Louisiana and may have spawned tornadoes elsewhere before
weakening to a tropical depression Sunday night.
Sean Gardner/Getty Images

While Lee's winds have lost some of their punch, forecasters warn that its slow-moving rain clouds pose a worse flooding threat to inland areas with hills or mountains in the coming days.

Flash flood watches and warnings were in effect across a swath of the Southeast early Monday, stretching from the lower Mississippi Valley, eastward to the Florida Panhandle and the southern Appalachians, according to the Hydrometeorological Predication Center...

Plaquemines Parish losing flood fight on Hwy. 23 at Myrtle Grove | WWL

> 9/05/2011 07:00:00 AM

It's a mess in Plaquemines Parish: Hwy. 23 near Myrtle Grove has gone under as authorities fight levee overtopping in that area...

Ludacris Helps To Raise Over 250000 Text Books For New Orleans | BSCkids

> 9/04/2011 09:00:00 AM

Rapper Ludacris is teaming up with DoSomething.org and Better World Books for a massive book drive that was properly named Epic Book Drive for the Recovery School District in New Orleans. Ludacris made the announcement earlier this year that he wanted to help bring new textbooks to the town that is still recovering even 6 years after Hurricane Katrina. Ludacris’ Epic Book Drive brought in 250,000 new books for 30,000 students...

Tropical Storm Lee lurches ashore in Louisiana | NOLA.com

> 9/04/2011 08:42:00 AM

The center of Tropical Storm Lee stretched across the central Gulf Coast early Sunday, dumping torrential rains that threatened flooding in low-lying communities in a foreshadowing of what cities further inland could face in coming days. Lee's center crawled ashore in Louisiana before dawn after the vast, soggy storm system spent hours during the weekend hovering in the northernmost Gulf of Mexico. The storm's slow crawl to the north gave more time for its drenching rain bands to pelt a wide swath of vulnerable coastline, raising the flood threat.

At least 6 to 10 inches of rain have fallen in spots in Louisiana and Mississippi...

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Use Tropical Storm Lee twitter hash tags #nolaflood #nolalights | nola.com

> 9/03/2011 10:46:00 AM

Tweet your street flooding and power outage reports | Use hashtags: #nolaflood / #nolalights

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New Orleans forecast calls for more pizza | NOLA.com

> 9/03/2011 06:42:00 AM

Will fall 2011 be to pizza in New Orleans what quality hamburgers were to summer? Given the rush of new pizzeria openings, it’s a possibility. Real NFL games are about to start, kicking off the official high season for pizza consumption...

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Gay Travel: New Orleans ‎ | Pride Source

> 9/03/2011 06:40:00 AM

New Orleans has long ranked among the top destinations in the United States for gay travelers - it's been the case for decades, and even following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, LGBT tourists were among the first to return to the Big Easy in significant numbers. The city is especially popular with gay visitors during a handful of festivals and events throughout the year, including Southern Decadence, which takes place over Labor Day weekend...

Tropical Storm Lee Won’t Test Levees: Officials | Bloomberg

> 9/03/2011 06:36:00 AM

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers close the final bays of the Bonnet Carre
Spillway just above New Orleans in Norco, La., on June 20, 2011.
Photographer: Gerald Herbert/AP

No storm surge is expected, so the levees fortified after devastation by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 won’t be tested, said Robert Turner, regional director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority.
The storm, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) southwest of the Mississippi River mouth, may reach Louisiana over the weekend. Winds of almost 60 miles per hour were reported on oil rigs north and east of the storm center at elevations of a few hundred feet, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.

Storm Lee strengthens as it inches toward Louisiana | AFP

> 9/03/2011 06:29:00 AM

Oil companies evacuated workers from offshore
rigs ahead of the arrival of Lee (AFP/NASA/NOAA GOES Project)

Tropical Storm Lee strengthened on Saturday as it inched toward Louisiana, threatening to dump heavy rains and trigger dangerous flash floods along the Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States.

The slow-moving storm could bring the same kind of flooding that residents in the northeast are still grappling with after Hurricane Irene tore up the east coast last weekend, officials warned...

Sazerac inks brand purchase agreement with White Rock Distilleries‎ | Drinks Business Review

> 9/02/2011 10:49:00 AM

Sazerac Company has entered into an agreement with White Rock Distilleries to buy a number of brands. The deal, which is takes effect from 1 October 2011, includes 32 brands of White Rock. The brands included in the deal include Tortilla, Desert Island, Kapali, Ryans, Fire Water, Ice 101, Barbarossa, Ice Box, Mt Royal and others. The purchase price was not revealed.

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Private company chosen for La. health program |‎ Houston Chronicle

> 9/02/2011 07:00:00 AM

Connecticut-based Magellan Health Services Inc. has been chosen by Louisiana's health department to manage its upcoming privatization and coordination of behavioral health services to Medicaid recipients and the uninsured....

Governor Bobby Jindal Declares State of Emergency for Tropical Disturbance Invest (AL-93)

> 9/02/2011 06:18:00 AM

Governor Bobby Jindal issued the following executive proclamation declaring a state of emergency as a result of the forecasted conditions of Tropical Disturbance Invest (AL-93).

STATE OF EMERGENCY – TROPICAL DISTURBANCE INVEST

WHEREAS,              the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., confers upon the Governor of the State of Louisiana emergency powers to deal with emergencies and disasters, including those caused by fire, flood, earthquake or other natural or manmade causes, in order to ensure that preparations of this State will be adequate to deal with such emergencies or disasters and to preserve the lives and property of the people of the State of Louisiana;

WHEREAS,              when the Governor determines that a disaster or emergency has occurred, or the threat thereof is imminent, R.S. 29:724(B)(1) empowers him to declare a state of emergency by executive order or proclamation;

WHEREAS,              Tropical Disturbance Invest (AL-93) is currently located over the central Gulf of Mexico moving slowly northwestward toward the State of Louisiana and posing a threat of extremely heavy, prolonged rainfall resulting in very high tides for coastal parishes and the possibility of flash floods for coastal parishes and inland parishes through the Labor Day weekend;

WHEREAS,              the National Weather Service does not at this time predict this storm to develop into a hurricane, however, the National Weather Service does calculate a high probability this storm will develop into a Tropical Storm that, due to regional weather conditions forecast for the State, could cause it to move slowly along the coast of the State with coastal and inland areas of the State forecast to receive up 12-15 inches of torrential rainfall over the next 48 hours;

WHEREAS,              the National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the next 72 hours for parts of southeastern Louisiana, which places lives and property in jeopardy;

NOW THEREFORE I, BOBBY JINDAL, Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1:              Pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., a state of emergency is declared to exist in the State of Louisiana as a result of forecasted tropical storm which has created emergency conditions that threaten the lives and property of the citizens of the State.

SECTION 2:              The Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is hereby authorized to undertake any activity authorized by law which he deems necessary and appropriate in response to this declaration.

SECTION 3:              The state of emergency extends from Thursday, September 1, 2011 through Friday, September 30, 2011, unless terminated sooner.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the City of Baton Rouge, on this Thursday, 1st day of September, 2011.

                                                                        /S/ Bobby Jindal____________
                                                                        GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA

ATTEST BY
THE GOVERNOR

/S/ Tom Schedler_________
SECRETARY OF STATE

Greater New Orleans area receives over $485,000 for Green Endeavors | US EPA

> 9/01/2011 04:14:00 PM

PA Region Administrator Al Armendariz announced that EPA is awarding $487,500 in environmental justice, job training and education grants to the Greater New Orleans Area. The projects will recruit and train people for environmental jobs and provide air quality sampling. Regional Administrator Armendariz was joined by Charles Allen, Director of Environmental Affairs for the City of New Orleans, at the press conference where they highlighted the impact the investment will have on the city post Katrina.

“EPA is committed to creating green jobs and reaching out to low-income and minority communities that often bear the brunt of environmental degradation,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “This grant will help extend and enrich our effort to clean up all communities by adding more sustainable jobs to the Greater New Orleans area - a region Administrator Jackson is personally and professionally dedicated to revitalizing.”

Recipients and Awards:

Louisiana Green Corps: $300,000 environmental job training grant to train low-income residents over a two year period in three environmentally focused tracks: Energy Efficiency and Green Building; Solar and/or Solar Thermal Installation; and Materials Reuse, Deconstruction and Recycling.

Global Green USA: $100,000 Green Jobs Pilot Program grant providing job training for local youth and job placement with local, small construction contractors. With the support of the Department of Energy and the City of New Orleans, Global Green USA's NOLA Wise program stimulates the market for energy efficiency retrofits, providing contractors and apprentices with a steady stream of employment.

Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development: $32,500 Pollution Control grant in partnership with Nurtured World which provide residents of the Lower Ninth Ward with training on energy efficiency in their community.

Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association: $30,000 Environmental Education grant providing local youth with training to monitor and measure air quality in New Orleans East neighborhood.

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade: $25,000 Environmental Justice grant providing air quality sampling in and around industrial areas of Southeast Louisiana.

Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant funds are provided to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit, train and place predominantly low-income and minority unemployed and under-employed residents from solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities.

Trainees learn the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field, including a focus on assessment and cleanup activities. These grants help to create green jobs that reduce environmental contamination and promote sustainability in communities throughout the nation.

EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program helps train people for jobs in the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties, including abandoned gas stations, old textile mills, closed smelters and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. These investments target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed. EPA awarded its first Job Training Grant through the Brownfields program in 1998.

Costco mulls building warehouse store in New Orleans | NOLA.com

> 9/01/2011 04:06:00 PM

Officials from Costco Wholesale Corp. are in early talks with city officials about opening a big-box warehouse store at the former Carrollton Shopping Center property across from Xavier University. If the plan comes to fruition, it will replace an expanse of weeded and cracked parking lots with a 145,000-square foot Sam's Club-style membership-only warehouse store selling both general merchandise and food.

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New Orleans starts preparing for possible Gulf storm | CNN.com

> 9/01/2011 04:03:00 PM

A low-pressure system in the central Gulf of Mexico has about an 80% chance of becoming a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center in Miami projected Thursday afternoon. But even if it doesn't, New Orleans -- much of which sits below sea level -- is likely to see 8 to 10 inches of rain in the few days, Mayor Mitch Landrieu told reporters.

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Handicapping the NoDef Burger Brawl: Elite Eight | Eater NOLA

Food Network's Chopped to Cast in New Orleans | Eater NOLA

J.Crew to expand in New Orleans ‎| NOLA.com

Oprah-Backed Charter School Denying Disabled Collides With Law | Bloomberg

Michael Kors to open a boutique in Canal Place | NOLA.com

NFL Preview - New Orleans Saints | MiamiHerald.com

Free Dental Clinic Day in Lafayette | MusiCares

Bountiful waters lure saltwater fishermen to Louisiana | Louisiana Travel

Wednesday with Culture, Fashion, Art & Music | Gratis NOLA

Vietnamese-American group rates 6 New Orleans high schools | NOLA.com

NOLA, San Fran work to increase transparency‎ | CivSource

Happy Ending In the Big Easy ‎| Wall Street Journal

VooDoo BBQ hopes to become national brand | NOLA.com

'Creole Beethoven' Wardell Quezergue dies | WWL

Gulf oil spill cleanup workers' health claims drawing scrutiny from Kenneth Feinberg | NOLA.com

Diminished Lee Still Poses Threat As It Marches North | NPR

Plaquemines Parish losing flood fight on Hwy. 23 at Myrtle Grove | WWL

Ludacris Helps To Raise Over 250000 Text Books For New Orleans | BSCkids

Tropical Storm Lee lurches ashore in Louisiana | NOLA.com

Use Tropical Storm Lee twitter hash tags #nolaflood #nolalights | nola.com

New Orleans forecast calls for more pizza | NOLA.com

Gay Travel: New Orleans ‎ | Pride Source

Tropical Storm Lee Won’t Test Levees: Officials | Bloomberg

Storm Lee strengthens as it inches toward Louisiana | AFP

Sazerac inks brand purchase agreement with White Rock Distilleries‎ | Drinks Business Review

Private company chosen for La. health program |‎ Houston Chronicle

Governor Bobby Jindal Declares State of Emergency for Tropical Disturbance Invest (AL-93)

Greater New Orleans area receives over $485,000 for Green Endeavors | US EPA

Costco mulls building warehouse store in New Orleans | NOLA.com

New Orleans starts preparing for possible Gulf storm | CNN.com

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