nola411.com: February 2012

Save-a-Lot opens in Gentilly and New Orleans East | WVUE

People who live in Gentilly and New Orleans East can now add Save-a-Lot grocery stores to an already small selection. The grocery stores will open for the first time ever in Gentilly near the intersection of Mirabeau and Paris Ave., and in New Orleans East on Lake Forest Blvd.

Mondo Kayo banner is missing in New Orleans at Mardi Gras

Attention New Orleans! The Mondo Kayo Social and Marching Club has lost their banner. Keep an eye out for the banner...

BP Ignored Well Test Warning Before Blast, Transocean Says on Eve of Trial | Bloomberg

BP Plc (BP) officials overseeing the Macondo well that spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico ignored questions about whether safety tests done hours before a fatal blast on the drilling rig were flawed, lawyers for Transocean Ltd. (RIG) said in a court filing. The filing came three days before BP, Transocean, the U.S. government and plaintiffs suing over the oil spill are scheduled to begin a trial in New Orleans to apportion blame for the disaster and determine exposure to punitive damages.

BP faces billions in fines as spill trial nears | Northwest Herald

On the cusp of trial over the catastrophic 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, phalanxes of lawyers, executives and public officials have spent the waning days in settlement talks. Holed up in small groups inside law offices, war rooms and hotel suites in New Orleans and Washington, they are trying to put a number on what BP and its partners in the doomed Macondo well project should pay to make up for the worst offshore spill in U.S. history.

Bereaved Mardi Gras Indian chief captured in 2004 video by Jim Gabour is finally identified | NOLA.com

Eight years ago, Big Chief Peppy of the Golden Eagles sewed the most difficult suit of his life, one that contained several beaded portraits of his fallen son, U.S. Marine Sgt. Estabon Eugene, Jr. He dressed a grandson and granddaughter in suits that carried similar beaded portraits. In March 2004, filmmaker Jim Gabour captured those suits on video, as the chief sang a heartfelt version of the hymn "Indian Red" before that year's Super Sunday Mardi Gras Indian parade.

Al Johnson says, "It's Carnival Time" | WVUE

Some believe carnival season doesn't really begin until this New Orleans icon sings.

Mardi Gras means fat business all over the Gulf Coast, not just New Orleans | Associated Press

Mardi Gras. It brings to mind beads, parties and fancy floats in New Orleans as people cram in all the fun they can before Lent begins.

In reality, Mardi Gras has long been celebrated in coastal towns from Texas to Florida. And it means big business...

Parades Moved As Rain, Storms Threaten Carnival Weekend‎ | WWL

Forecasters say periods of very heavy rain and high winds are expected through most of the day Saturday. There is also the possibility of severe weather for all of Southeast Louisiana.

Officials are hoping that the weather will let up enough to allow for Endymion to remain on the Mid-City route, with perhaps a later start time...

GE Capital Sets Up Shop In New Orleans‎ | Forbes

The General Electric finance division will be bringing an information technology office to New Orleans that will employ 300 people and provide around 301 indirect jobs around the city, GE announced today with Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. He also committed 5 million dollars to partner with GE capital and higher education in New Orleans to develop digital media education...

As Mardi Gras Nears, Watch Out for Wookiees |‎ New York Times

William Widmer for The New York Times

A member of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus put the final touches on a float this week.

Bar2D2, as the robot is called, is the mascot of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, which runs a ragtag operation dedicated to all things science fiction. In two years, the group, which started as a drunken joke in a bar, has become the quickest-growing krewe in the city, and a center of the amateur costume culture in New Orleans.