Census estimates show New Orleans up, Baton Rouge down

Population estimates released today by the U.S. Census indicate New Orleans' population continues to climb, while Baton Rouge is on the decline. As of July 1, 2008, the Crescent City had an estimated 311,853 residents—up from 288,113 a year ago. That's an 8% gain. Baton Rouge, meanwhile, dropped to 223,689 from 226,864 the previous year, a loss of slightly more than 1%. On the Northshore, Mandeville grew 22% to 12,421. Youngsville, Louisiana's fastest-growing city several years in the running, grew by less than 9%. Elsewhere along the corridor, Lake Charles has almost 1,000 new residents, while Lafayette, Hammond and Slidell remained virtually flat. Lafayette, however, is the only city to show steady growth from 2000 to 2008. The latest numbers are not actual population counts, but rather estimates based on government records. Nor are they current; they reflect patterns only through July 1, 2008. — Penny Font

UL system makes cuts on corridor campuses

Randy Moffett

The Louisiana Board of Regents yesterday doled out $36.9 million in cuts to its eight campuses — including three along the corridor. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette will lose $7.5 million; Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, $6.7 million; and McNeese State University in Lake Charles, $3.7 million. That's better than the original $67 million the UL System was projected to lose before the Legislature restored some of the funding, but, combined with the mid-year cuts, means the campuses have lost $56.5 million this year. "Given where we were three weeks ago, this is a positive step and lessens the severity of the impacts on our campuses," UL System President Randy Moffett says. "However, these are still significant reductions in funding over the previous year. We will have definitive impacts once the campuses have time to adjust their plans." Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, says the legislature restored $106 million of the $219 million in cuts proposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal only to give colleges and universities time to transition to a smaller, more efficient system. "There is general agreement on this restoration, but almost all agree it must be tied to restructuring/resizing of the system," he says. "My hope is that they understand that the legislature cannot and will not continue to find money to bail them out." Moffett says he believes the campuses will make it through the process "a more efficient enterprise."

Baton Rouge's job market is second best in the nation

Baton Rouge added 1,300 jobs in May, compared to the year before, making it the second-biggest gaining city in the country, according to figures released yesterday. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says only Austin, Texas, added more jobs, with 4,200 more positions than in May 2008. The BLS says just 15 U.S. cities added jobs in May, while 295 posted decreases. Los Angeles, New York and Chicago all dropped more than 200,000 jobs from May 2008. Preliminary numbers show the unemployment rate in Baton Rouge was 6% in May, well below the national average of 9.1%. “The May 2009 metro economy rankings are strong for the Baton Rouge region, and perhaps most impressive because these jobs have been produced primarily in higher-wage, goods-producing sectors,” says Baton Rouge Area Chamber President & CEO Adam Knapp. “Coupled with recent manufacturing investments such as SNF Holding in Iberville and PanAmerican Capital’s wood products investment in West Feliciana, the region continues to see new economic growth.”

Mandeville parking standoff ends

There's parking after all for the Greater Mandeville Seafood Festival. The State of Louisiana, the St. Tammany Parish School Board and the City of Mandeville have identified more than 1,500 additional parking spaces available at Fontainebleau State Park. The discovery ends a lengthy standoff between festival organizers and Recreation District #1, which wanted to charge the charity event $28,925 to open Pelican Park lots to festival goers — a fee it later lowered to $5,000, plus an optional $3,300 for staffing if it was unable to provide its own. Greater Mandeville Seafood Association President Bill Dobson says those additional spaces should handle all attendees during the morning and early afternoon hours of the four-day event. The festival also has contracted with the St. Tammany Parish School Board for parking at Monteleone School and with the State of Louisiana for an area adjacent to the campus that will hold 4,000-plus vehicles. Both areas will have shuttle service and security, and will be available only when Fontainebleau is full. The festival has donated more than $1 million to groups like Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Treatment Center, the St. Tammany Association of Retarded Citizens, Hope House Children's Advocacy Center and the American Heart Association's St. Tammany chapter.

Cyprus is coming to St. Tammany

Cyprus is coming to St. Tammany. The St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce is taking part in a foreign Executive Exchange Program this month. Niyal Ozturk, a program development officer for the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry, will visit the chamber to observe its operations, meet with community leaders, take part in events and exchange ideas. The Cypress Turkish Chamber of Industry focuses on enhancing the private sector development within the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus. “We see this as an exchange of ideas where we will learn as much about Ms. Ozturk’s organization as she will about ours," says St. Tammany West Chamber President & CEO Lacey Toledano. "We believe this is an excellent learning opportunity for all of us. This is a program that our organization wholeheartedly endorses.” During her visit, Ozturk will attend all committee meetings, board meetings, special events and seminars hosted by the Chamber. She will also engage in dialogue with other business and organizational leaders throughout the area, including the East St. Tammany Chamber, GNO Inc., Southeastern Louisiana University’s Small Business Development Center, and Idea Village. The chamber is one of just three nationwide taking part in the program this summer.

Harvey Gulf spends $200 million to expand

Harvey Gulf International Marine — an aquatic transportation firm — is spending $200 million for the construction of new vessels and acquisition of existing vessels. This purchase is part of a worldwide expansion of services for Harvey Gulf’s deepwater operations. The Jordan Company, a New York-based private equity firm with over $5 billion in capital and a majority owner of Harvey Gulf, is financing the move. The commitment comes during a downturn in the marine and oilfield support industries and at a time when financing is difficult to obtain and expensive for all industries. According to Harvey Gulf CEO Shane J. Guidry, the company partnered with Jordan "to ensure that Harvey Gulf has the resources to continue to provide the vessels and services that meet the requirements of our customers as they evolve. With Jordan’s support, Harvey Gulf can now explore opportunities worldwide that would not have otherwise been feasible.”

At 75, Middendorf's prepares 'high and dry' kitchen

Last September, storm surge from Hurricane Ike pushed four feet of water into Middendorf’s Restaurant, causing major damage to the Manchac eatery’s original structure. The restaurant closed for nearly six weeks, resulting in a loss of around $300,000, says chef/owner Horst Pfeifer. Since reopening last fall, Pfeifer and his wife and business partner, Karen, have operated out of the portion of the restaurant built in the mid-seventies, while a major renovation has been under way to make the original kitchen as flood-proof and state-of-the-art as possible. The 2,000-square-foot space will include next generation fryers, burner and boilers — all efficiently positioned so that the longtime staff can turn out the scads of fried catfish and boiled seafood for which Middendorf’s is known. The kitchen is elevated “five feet higher than the last flood, on 60 pilings sunk 35 feet deep,“ says Pfeifer. The couple also restored hardwood floors throughout the restaurant. “It’s real important to us to keep it as close as possible to its original look,” says Karen Pfeifer, who has been “tweeting” with a growing number of observers about the progress. The Pfeifers bought Middendorf’s in April 2007 after losing their French Quarter restaurant, Bella Luna, to Hurricane Katrina. Renovations should be finished by Labor Day, provided this hurricane season doesn’t deliver any shutdowns, they say. This weekend, the restaurant officially turns 75. For more information, click here. — Maggie Heyn Richardson

The new bar is open at Keith Young's Steakhouse

Keith Young's Steakhouse is getting a new look. The Madisonville restaurant has undergone renovations to add a larger full-service bar with rich wood and copper accents and a lush, umbrella-laden courtyard-style patio featuring a fountain as a focal point. The bar menu has been updated as well; new offerings include the likes of a Seafood Martini, homemade potato chips with blue cheese dipping sauce and Almond-Crusted Shrimp with Citrus Beurre Blanc.

Cylons and swamp monsters will dominate this convention

Rekha Sharma

Cylons and swamp monsters alike will be out in full force at the upcoming Babelcon Science Fiction, Fantasy and Science Convention. Look for former "Battlestar Galactica" star Rekha Sharma, anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" voice actor Tiffany Grant and "Haunting Evidence" paranormal investor Patrick Burns. Other honored guests listed include the Slow Poisoner, Cedric of the Bedlam Bards, Dwayne Sanburn of the 13th Gate Haunted House, Dr. Eric Ravussin of Pennington Biomedical Center and BlogTalkRadio.com host Missa Dixon. The event is set for July 17-19 at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. For more information, click here.

Poll: Layoffs hit home

The economy is taking its toll in a personal way for respondents to a 10/12 poll. Some 69% of those who responded say they know someone who has been laid off. The remaining 31% do not. The 10/12 poll is not a scientific survey. It reflects the responses of the people who choose to participate. This week's question: What is your opinion of the news coverage of pop star Michael Jackson's death?

Faces to Know: Willie King

Willie King

This Lake Charles businessman who owns several companies is better known for his community activism. His Project Build a Future helps struggling families achieve home ownership. Most recently, he won the 2008 Good Samaritan of the Year Award for his work through the 100 Black Men Youth Leadership Program. Each year, King buys 350 backpacks for area schools and also provides tablets, pencils and school supplies for students throughout the year. He’s served as the small-business representative for the Atlanta region Federal Reserve Advisory Board and on the boards of numerous community social agencies.

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Viewpoint: Wit and wisdom of the Louisiana Legislature

"Everything starts from a beginning," explained Rep. Henry Burns, which might seem like an obvious statement, except for legislators who learned to take nothing for granted in the recently adjourned legislative session, which was light on substance but slippery on process, LaPolitics columnist John Maginnis writes. During it, first-term legislators learned a new word: "rookie-doo," a variation of "fugaboo," both used to express the schnookering of a member or the whole body. Such occurred when Rep. Avon Honey nonchalantly got the House to approve a "routine amendment," which effectively accepted the $98 million federal stimulus unemployment benefits that Gov. Bobby Jindal and his Republican legislative allies had vowed to reject. Or when committee approval of a cigarette tax bill was foiled for lack of a quorum because two Republican members, Reps. Steve Carter and Frank Hoffman, hid out in the governor's office. Incidents like that characterize a session, instead of soaring speeches and courageous votes, which didn't happen. Rather, it was the passing comment, the flip rejoinder, the clueless remark that defined this meeting of lawmakers and showcased the wit and wisdom of the 2009 Louisiana Legislature. To read the full column, click here.