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The Veterans Administration said Friday, soon, some of the first construction in the new biosciences corridor in lower Mid-City will begin. The VA said the city and state have acquired a key building in the VA hospital footprint, and have turned it over to them.
The Pan American Life Insurance building sits at the corner of Canal and Rocheblave Streets. The VA footprint stretches from there to Tulane Avenue, and in the opposite direction, to Galvez.
"The actual intent is to begin work as soon as possible. I think that you'll see a fence and a sign go up within the next week," said Rob Goza, Chief of Public Affairs with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System.
The Pan Am building, which was at one point the City Hall Annex, will soon breed new life. It'll be the first building to come on-line as part of the new VA medical center in lower Mid-City.
For Vietnam veteran Clemon Jacquet, it's been a long time coming. "It's a number one priority because of the sacrifices we've made for our country," said Jacquet. He and many other vets have waited patiently for the VA to return a hospital to New Orleans after floodwaters during Katrina shutdown the Perdido Street location four and a half years ago.
The 1950's building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Goza said it's a symbol of restoring health care and history in New Orleans and in the future, it will house education and recruiting services for the VA.
It's not the only historic building that fits in the VA footprint. Goza said, eventually the old Dixie Brewery on Tulane Ave. will be used for research.
Several months ago, the city told FOX 8 that it had negotiated a new agreement with the VA that identified four priority zones within the footprint, and that it would have the entire area "construction-ready" by August.
Goza said the Pan Am building will open in 2012, and it plans to serve the first veteran patient in 2013.
"We expect that this, along with the University medical center, will be a cornerstone for health care for the future of New Orleans," said Goza.
The VA said since Katrina, a good deal of care has to be referred to other VA medical centers and community hospitals.
Last year, some Mid-City residents filed a lawsuit against Mayor Ray Nagin claiming he ignored provisions laid out in the city charter when he signed off on the VA hospital deal.
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Carmelo Anthony had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to five with a 102-95 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.
Chauncey Billups scored 21 points for Denver, which finished with a flourish to break open an 86-all tie with 6:05 to go. Nene added 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Johan Petro had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
David West scored 30 points for New Orleans, which has dropped eight of 10 games. Hornets rookies Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison added 23 and 17 points, respectively, and Julian Wright scored 13 points.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Starting Monday, the Judge Seeber Bridge, also known as the Claiborne Bridge, will be closed for two months for repairs.
Thousands of drivers will be forced to find another way across the Industrial Canal and at times, it may become frustrating.
The Port of New Orleans owns and operates the Saint Claude Bridge and the Florida Avenue Bridge. Both will be alternate routes for commuters.
Just being able to sail across the Saint Claude Bridge or the Florida Avenue Bridge though, could be tough since both bridges go up and down to allow for marine traffic to pass.
On average, the bridges go up 30 times a day.
Debroah Keller with the Port says, "Our bridge operators that are at Saint Claude and Almonaster don't have visual contact with one another, so we're making sure that they are in constant radio contact and until traffic is flowing on one of the bridges, the other bridge won't open. That way we won't have a gap of both bridges up at the same time."
While it may become an inconvenience for some drivers, it could also become as safety issue for the Lower 9th Ward and Saint Bernard parish.
Councilman Wayne Landry says, "As you know we have a clinic right now in Saint Bernard Parish and the clinic can not provide emergency services. If somebody is in an ambulance trying to get out and that bridge is up and the other one is starting to go up, they are basically locked in."
The port says they've come up with a plan for that. Keller says that all first responders will be able to call to the bridges and have the operator either hold up on lifting the draw bridge or bring it down as soon as possible.
For the average driver, if you want to plan ahead, there will be curfews on both bridges. Monday though Friday from 6:30 till 8:30am and from 3:30 in the afternoon till 5;45, the Saint Claude Bridge and the Florida Avenue bridges will only go up in the case of an emergency.
Still most drivers say it could be a long 2 months of finding an alternative route or just having to wait to get across the busy waterway.
New Orleans - The Zulu organization tonight says it is pleased it is being considered as a recipient of money from the Urban Development Action Grant fund program.
Yesterday, New Orleans council member Cynthia Hedge-Morrell introduced an ordinance to give Zulu at least some of the $800,000 the mayor promised them on Lundi Gras.
The money would be used by the club to expand its headquarters on Broad Street, a facility they point out, isn't a private lounge but instead would be a multifunctional community center.
In a statement Friday night, Zulu President Charles Hamilton says the funds will allow the organization to further its economic impact by broadening the rang and scope of services they provide to the community.
"The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club Incorporated, a 101 year New Orleans tradition, is pleased to be considered as a recipient of the Urban Development Action Grant Fund Program (UDAG) from the City of New Orleans. This assistance will fast track our efforts to expand our headquarters located at 732 North Broad Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119.
We responded to the publically announced Request For Proposal within the time frame allotted and met the criteria required for the Grant Fund Program. The Urban Development Action Grant Fund was made available to participating cities pursuant to Title 42 USC 5318 of the United States Code, cities such as New Orleans who were experiencing severe economic distress to help stimulate development needed to aid in recovery.
DAG funds will allow us to further our economic impact by broadening the range and scope of services that we provide to the community by directly creating over 225 construction jobs, in addition to permanent jobs. The City of New Orleans will benefit by the establishment of a new sales tax base, while spurring economic development, recovery and revitalization inside one of the heaviest trafficked corridors in New Orleans, all of which have a direct or residual impact on additional re-investment, property values, blight and crime."
The ordinance as read into the record yesterday didn't spell out a dollar amount or whether it was a grant or loan. But according to a report in The Times-Picayune, it is a $400,000 loan.
Hoping for New Orleans Schenectady Gazette (blog) Of the eight first-round sites for the NCAA Tournament, New Orleans is far and away my first preference, followed by Jacksonville. ... Where will UW dance? New Orleans, San Jose or Spokane? |
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Kenner - Louis Congemi put to rest rumors that he'd get back in the Kenner mayor's race Friday by issuing this statement: "I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration for Mayor of Kenner. I do this with a heavy heart knowing that many of my supporters will be disappointed." That leaves two candidates running, Phil Capitano and Mike Yenni.
When asked about the main issues facing Kenner, Phil Capitano responds, "Here in the city of Kenner unfortunately our finances is not good. We have closed fire stations. My opponent Mr Yenni is on record that he wants to raise taxes. We've stopped recycling. I want to be able to bring recycling back."
Mike Yenni says sales tax collections in Kenner are down dramatically. He thinks voters should be the ones to decide if they want to pay more, to get more. He says for example, "Chief Carraway, his budget is 24% of undedicated revenue. That is no way to operate a police department. It fluctuates every year. He doesn't want to have to furlough officers at the end of the year, but he may have to do that if he can't make it through the end of the year."
Louis Congemi's name will still be on the ballot since he has not filed the official paperwork to withdraw from the race. Early voting starts Saturday March 13-20. The primary election is March 27th.
Federal investigators are digging deeper into the scandal in Jefferson Parish. The feds sent two subpoenas requiring the parish to turn over extensive information on the red light cameras as well as payroll discrepancies first reported by FOX 8.
Federal prosecutors want employment records for two current Jefferson Parish employees and four whose jobs were eliminated after the parish uncovered what could possibly be payroll fraud.
Earlier this year, after a Fox 8 Investigates report revealed payroll discrepancies in the Parish Attorney's Office, the parish eliminated the positions of Sportscaster Ken Trahan, Karen Parker, who is the ex-wife of Aaron Broussard, and Constable Tony Thomassie.
Thomassie said during an interview earlier this month that he's embarrassed and hurt by his name surfacing in connection with a scandal, he says had nothing to do with his work.
"I went to a meeting with Aaron Broussard and Tom Wilkinson and that's when I was offered a part-time job and they told me 'you gonna be listed as a paralegal working under Code Enforcement under the direction of Debbie Villio.'"
FOX 8: "Did it seem strange to you that you would be called a paralegal and working in Code Enforcement?"
Thomassie: "I was looking for additional employment and they could have called me a paraplegic and I wouldn't care and I just figured that they were the people that know what to do."
By phone Friday, Thomassie said he did not know that federal investigators are looking into his case and that he has records to prove he did his work.
Interim Parish President Steve Theriot also eliminated the $12,000 a year position of part-time Parish Attorney Steve Mortillaro.
According to parish records Mortillaro was working in the health department.
However, by phone Friday, the former Justice of the Peace said Broussard hired him on retainer to eventually be a hearing officer for drivers with red light camera tickets.
Mortillaro says former Parish Attorney Tom Wilkinson was his supervisor and that he was not required to come into the office.
The feds also asked for employment documents on Kernan "Skip" Hand. Hand was hired by former parish CAO Tim Whitmer last September as an Administrative Hearing Officer.
Theriot says Hand was brought in to help clear out a back log of cases and that he will be leaving the parish when that work is done.
The subpoena also asks for the employment records of Chereen Gegenheimer, an administrative assistant to the parish president who makes $106,000 a year.
Gegenheimer is married to JP Clerk of Court John Gegenheimer.
"They (federal prosecutors) may be looking to see if these individuals did in fact report to work and perform services for their pay. And as such, what the federal potential violations would be if any public employee didn't and they were paid. If those funds were transferred electronically into any checking accounts it could be considered a wire fraud," said Rafael Goyeneche of the Metropolitan Crime Commission.
The feds also asked for extensive information about the parish's red light camera program.
The parish council suspended the program after questions came up about who was set to make money off the deal.
Redflex Traffic Systems has said that local insurance agent Bryan Wagner and Julie Murphy, the wife of JP Judge Bob Murphy, would be paid for working on the deal.
"I think that there is a lot of information that the federal authorities already have that they're pouring through right now and this is just a logical extension of them following up and independently verifying maybe some of the information that was provided to them by various individuals that have first hand knowledge," said Goyeneche.
The subpoena asks for everything related to the camera contract, including all communications between Broussard, Whitmer, Wilkinson, council members and their staffs, Wagner, Murphy, the committee that wrote the proposal for the deal and parish contractor Charlotte Burnell.
"They're looking at not just the initial three or four names that surfaced but now we're seeing more and more names," said Goyeneche.
Theriot recently canceled a contract with Burnell.
She was hired to facilitate a $3.5 million federal grant for making houses more energy efficient but Theriot says the contract was over loaded with administrative fees.
Goyeneche says the feds must have good reason for wanting this information "The federal government, they have stringent rules they have to play by, they just can't go on fishing expeditions. They have to present credible information to the judge that meets the legal standards for him to allow these subpoenas to go forward," said Goyeneche.
The Redflex subpoena also asks for all communications to or from a Baton Rouge company called Courson Nickel.
Owner Jim Nickel says his company only represented Redflex regarding matters at the capital and that his company never had any dealing with Jefferson Parish.
Burnell says she is not due any commissions on the Redflex contract.
Burnell says she did work for the company in 2007 and has already been paid.
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New Orleans - At a convenience store in Marrero, operator Ahmad Mohammed tossed some of his inventory into the trash on Friday afternoon. "I'm trying to stop selling it myself, lots of people get sick from this stuff, you know what I'm saying?" said Mohammed.
He was referring to an incense that resembles marijuana which some people are using to get high on by rolling it into cigarettes. "This stuff is no good for the lungs," Mohammed said after getting complaints from some of his customers."
State Senator A.G. Crowe said complaints are growing about the incense.
"I've had parents come to me as early as about a month ago, parents of 5th graders in junior high are saying that this substance was kind of going around and you know how kids are, they'll get out there and start talking to one another and they'll try different things."
So, Crowe is working on legislation for the upcoming legislative session that would either ban the incense altogether or have the state better regulate it to keep it out of juveniles' hands. He said at the very least it should be sold to persons 21 years old and older and customers should have to show their ID's.
But a local wholesale distributor said a ban would force some small stores out of business because the incense is so popular. ''The money, people are not spending, the chips and candy are not moving, so this product is and some of them possibly could shut down," said Clayton Cangelosi of Cangelosi Wholesale.
He further stated, "People that say its dangerous, well you shouldn't smoke it, its sold as an incense." Mohammed said he is not taking any chances. "I ain't gonna make no money and hurt people and I just want to trash it, don't want to have it no more," he said.
New Orleans - At a convenience store in Marrero, operator Ahmad Mohammed tossed some of his inventory into the trash on Friday afternoon. "I'm trying to stop selling it myself, lots of people get sick from this stuff, you know what I'm saying?" said Mohammed.
He was referring to an incense that resembles marijuana which some people are using to get high on by rolling it into cigarettes. "This stuff is no good for the lungs," Mohammed said after getting complaints from some of his customers."
State Senator A.G. Crowe said complaints are growing about the incense.
"I've had parents come to me as early as about a month ago, parents of 5th graders in junior high are saying that this substance was kind of going around and you know how kids are, they'll get out there and start talking to one another and they'll try different things."
So, Crowe is working on legislation for the upcoming legislative session that would either ban the incense altogether or have the state better regulate it to keep it out of juveniles' hands. He said at the very least it should be sold to persons 21 years old and older and customers should have to show their ID's.
But a local wholesale distributor said a ban would force some small stores out of business because the incense is so popular. ''The money, people are not spending, the chips and candy are not moving, so this product is and some of them possibly could shut down," said Clayton Cangelosi of Cangelosi Wholesale.
He further stated, "People that say its dangerous, well you shouldn't smoke it, its sold as an incense." Mohammed said he is not taking any chances. "I ain't gonna make no money and hurt people and I just want to trash it, don't want to have it no more," he said.
Federal investigators are digging deeper into the scandal in Jefferson Parish. The feds sent two subpoenas requiring the parish to turn over extensive information on the red light cameras as well as payroll discrepancies first reported by FOX 8.
Federal prosecutors want employment records for two current Jefferson Parish employees and four whose jobs were eliminated after the parish uncovered what could possibly be payroll fraud.
Earlier this year, after a Fox 8 Investigates report revealed payroll discrepancies in the Parish Attorney's Office, the parish eliminated the positions of Sportscaster Ken Trahan, Karen Parker, who is the ex-wife of Aaron Broussard, and Constable Tony Thomassie.
Thomassie said during an interview earlier this month that he's embarrassed and hurt by his name surfacing in connection with a scandal, he says had nothing to do with his work.
"I went to a meeting with Aaron Broussard and Tom Wilkinson and that's when I was offered a part-time job and they told me 'you gonna be listed as a paralegal working under Code Enforcement under the direction of Debbie Villio.'"
FOX 8: "Did it seem strange to you that you would be called a paralegal and working in Code Enforcement?"
Thomassie: "I was looking for additional employment and they could have called me a paraplegic and I wouldn't care and I just figured that they were the people that know what to do."
By phone Friday, Thomassie said he did not know that federal investigators are looking into his case and that he has records to prove he did his work.
Interim Parish President Steve Theriot also eliminated the $12,000 a year position of part-time Parish Attorney Steve Mortillaro.
According to parish records Mortillaro was working in the health department.
However, by phone Friday, the former Justice of the Peace said Broussard hired him on retainer to eventually be a hearing officer for drivers with red light camera tickets.
Mortillaro says former Parish Attorney Tom Wilkinson was his supervisor and that he was not required to come into the office.
The feds also asked for employment documents on Kernan "Skip" Hand. Hand was hired by former parish CAO Tim Whitmer last September as an Administrative Hearing Officer.
Theriot says Hand was brought in to help clear out a back log of cases and that he will be leaving the parish when that work is done.
The subpoena also asks for the employment records of Chereen Gegenheimer, an administrative assistant to the parish president who makes $106,000 a year.
Gegenheimer is married to JP Clerk of Court John Gegenheimer.
"They (federal prosecutors) may be looking to see if these individuals did in fact report to work and perform services for their pay. And as such, what the federal potential violations would be if any public employee didn't and they were paid. If those funds were transferred electronically into any checking accounts it could be considered a wire fraud," said Rafael Goyeneche of the Metropolitan Crime Commission.
The feds also asked for extensive information about the parish's red light camera program.
The parish council suspended the program after questions came up about who was set to make money off the deal.
Redflex Traffic Systems has said that local insurance agent Bryan Wagner and Julie Murphy, the wife of JP Judge Bob Murphy, would be paid for working on the deal.
"I think that there is a lot of information that the federal authorities already have that they're pouring through right now and this is just a logical extension of them following up and independently verifying maybe some of the information that was provided to them by various individuals that have first hand knowledge," said Goyeneche.
The subpoena asks for everything related to the camera contract, including all communications between Broussard, Whitmer, Wilkinson, council members and their staffs, Wagner, Murphy, the committee that wrote the proposal for the deal and parish contractor Charlotte Burnell.
"They're looking at not just the initial three or four names that surfaced but now we're seeing more and more names," said Goyeneche.
Theriot recently canceled a contract with Burnell.
She was hired to facilitate a $3.5 million federal grant for making houses more energy efficient but Theriot says the contract was over loaded with administrative fees.
Goyeneche says the feds must have good reason for wanting this information "The federal government, they have stringent rules they have to play by, they just can't go on fishing expeditions. They have to present credible information to the judge that meets the legal standards for him to allow these subpoenas to go forward," said Goyeneche.
The Redflex subpoena also asks for all communications to or from a Baton Rouge company called Courson Nickel.
Owner Jim Nickel says his company only represented Redflex regarding matters at the capital and that his company never had any dealing with Jefferson Parish.
Burnell says she is not due any commissions on the Redflex contract.
Burnell says she did work for the company in 2007 and has already been paid.
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