Louisiana

Sunday, November 16, 2008 6:10 PM CST

PONCHATOULA — A rail car recycling firm and locomotive repair company are interested in locating at Port Manchac.

Pat Dufresne, executive director of the South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission, said the names of the companies will be divulged as talks progress. Now, discussions are in the very preliminary stage.

Dufresne said Port Manchac would be an ideal site for both businesses. The port has two rail spurs leading from the nearby Canadian National Railroad, one of the nation’s main rail lines.

“Both companies would be a good fit,” Dufresne said.

The rail car recycling firm would bring in old rail cars to be cut up and sold for scrap.

(Read the full post about ‘Rail car recycler, repair company may locate at Port Manchac’…)

COVINGTON, La. — Investigators said the driver of a fire engine on its way to an emergency is to blame for a crash that tied up traffic for hours.

Covington police said that the crash happened at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Highway 190 and Highway 190 Business.

A truck was attempted to cross the intersection when a District 12 fire engine crashed into it.

Police said that the firefighters were responding to a fire along Highway 25.

After talking with witnesses, investigators determined that the fire engine was at fault.

Traffic was blocked for three hours due to the crash.

The fire truck struck a light pole that supported traffic signals at the intersection.

Workers have set up portable stop signs to deal with the traffic.

Officers said that traffic will be slow Monday morning because of the mess and that drivers should avoid the area if possible. (Read the full post about ‘Fire Engine To Blame For Covington Crash’…)

BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. Bobby Jindal said a recent survey shows residents are leaving Louisiana and it would be a mistake for state officials to blame Hurricane Katrina or any other storm for the migration.

The American Community Survey shows Louisiana’s population in 2007 was 4.29 million, down from 4.5 million in 2000.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 did force many residents to leave the state, but Jindal said the migration out of Louisiana goes back almost 15 years.

The reason people are leaving, Jindal said, is because of the lack of educational and economic opportunities in Louisiana. (Read the full post about ‘Data Shows Residents Leaving Louisiana’…)

NEW ORLEANS — Reversing a long-standing policy, Louisiana’s Supreme Court has decided to allow lawyers from foreign countries to practice law in the state as long as they are in the nation legally.

The amended rule, posted on the high court’s Web site this week, takes effect in January. It allows admission to the state bar of “an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or an alien otherwise authorized to work lawfully in the United States.” The rule includes some education requirements, including 14 semester hours of education in an American law school.

Foreign attorneys had fought unsuccessfully for years to practice in Louisiana but the state Supreme Court rebuffed the efforts. (Read the full post about ‘La. High Court OKs Practice By Foreign Lawyers’…)

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The New Orleans Police Department investigated a fatal hit-and-run crash early Saturday morning.

A 49-year-old man was killed in the crash. His name is being withheld pending notification of family members.

The crash happened in the 7700 block of Colopissa Street at about 5 a.m.

According to investigators, the driver of a garbage disposal truck discovered the body of the man lying in the street with tire marks over his torso. (Read the full post about ‘New Orleans Man Killed In Hit-And-Run’…)

Friday, November 14, 2008 9:45 AM CST

Gray Insurance submitted a new plan to the Hammond Northshore Regional Airport Authority Thursday that still includes a multi-million dollar office and hangar facility. The board approved the concept of the plan unanimously, but is waiting for leasing specifics before approving the final plan.

The new plan could be approved within the next week.

According to multiple sources, the Hammond airport is located ideally between Jackson, Biloxi, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and is primed for growth because it is considered hurricane protected.

The new plan is similar to the original plan submitted over a year ago to the board minus a seven-floor office building that would have housed its corporate office.

(Read the full post about ‘Gray Insurance presents new plan’…)

Thursday, November 13, 2008 9:31 AM CST

Junior Auxiliary of Hammond will host its 33rd annual Children’s Benefit on March 21 at Twelve Oaks in Hammond.

During the benefit, the nonprofit organization will honor two outstanding members of the community as Man and Woman of the Year.

The Junior Auxiliary is looking for individuals who volunteer their time and energy to make the community a better place to live.

JA will be accepting nominations for Man and Woman of Year through Dec. 31.

Mail submissions to Man and Woman of the Year, P.O. Box 235, Hammond, LA 70404.

(Read the full post about ‘JA accepting nominations for Man, Woman of Year’…)

NEW ORLEANS — The space shuttle’s external fuel tank was made at NASA’s Michoud Facility in east New Orleans.

The plant has seen recent reductions as NASA winds down the current space shuttle program.

With that in mind, Mayor Ray Nagin was on hand at NASA’s space launch center this week and released a statement.

“The NASA Space Launch Center has further clarified that NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility will be a key economic driver in our city’s future,” Nagin said. Michoud is a strategic player and is repositioning itself for full participation in future space endeavors.”

NEW ORLEANS — A series of conferences to be held in New Orleans this weekend promises to teach attendees how to find free money — but buyer beware: The Better Business Bureau said it may be too good to be true.

National Grants Conferences is a company that hosts free seminars across the country, educating people about no- or low-cost government grants and loans. But consumer advocates question their sales tactics.

Search “National Grants Conferences” online, and a Web site pops up promising easy money with little investment through various business ventures, including real estate.

A man featured in an infomercial on its Web site said, “I joined NGC, and it taught me to go to the city. (Read the full post about ‘Better Business Bureau: Buyer Beware ‘Free Money’ Conferences’…)

NEW ORLEANS — Economic experts worried Friday that two New Orleans malls could become casualties of the tough economic times.

“I’m not going to sound the death nell for it, but I think there are tough times ahead at a lot of other retail businesses in the city,” New Orleans CityBusiness Managing Editor Greg LaRose said.

The biggest worry is over financial problems at General Growth Properties. The company owns the Riverwalk downtown and the Oakwood Center in Gretna.

“Its a very good mall. Facilities are quite good,” Reeva Valentine said of the Riverwalk. Valentine said she shops at the Riverwalk when the cruise ship she works on docks in New Orleans. (Read the full post about ‘Tough Economy Means Trouble For Local Malls’…)