Updated July 2, 2009

 The following linked articles and reports provide a summary of recent activities in the New Orleans and Louisiana economy and the outlook in a number of key sectors compiled by the WTC’s 1^st Stop for International Business Services. 

For additional information, 1st Stop's Category Index provides comprehensive news items, websites and databases (updated daily) for 33 economic, business, and other categories

STATE LEGISLATURE & GOVERNANCE

State budget year begins with cuts (7/1/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

A missed opportunity (6/28/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Jindal Steering with surer hand  (6/27/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Jindal gets bill recasting movie industry incentives (6/25/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

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STATE & LOCAL PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION

Firm sees risk, rewards at RTA (7/1/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Downtown Ruston to receive face lift   (7/1/09) Monroe News Star

City Hall move just got costlier (6/27/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Bill for N.O. master plan killed (6/25/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Officials excited for new libraries (6/22/09) Monroe News Star

Southdowns residents fear zoning (6/21/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

City Council asks Nagin for more information about deal to buy Chevron building (6/18/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Federal grants may help New Orleans streetcars expand to new lines (6/7/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Future of bus station relocation clouded: Greyhound renews interest in Moss Street station  (6/4/09) The Acadian Advertiser

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

GM Shreveport plant to close (6/24/09) Shreveport Times

Community shows excitement over new plant (6/21/09) Monroe News Star

GO Zone program lagging in New Orleans (6/21/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Wink selling part of its business (6/19/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

State reels in $362 million SNF chemical plant in Iberville Parish  (6/19/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Gov. Bobby Jindal announces new american car company will make history in Louisiana (6/17/09) New Orleans Times Picayune

Guide plant to drive Monroe economy with 1,400 jobs (6/14/09) Monroe News Star

Retail center financing backed (6/13/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans City Council OKs economic development funds (6/5/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

St. Bernard officials excited about Wal-Mart, mall (6/1/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

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HOUSING & REAL ESTATE

Central city to get new apartments (7/1/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

HANO to purge waiting list of households that haven't sent in contact information (6/29/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Home prices up in greater New Orleans (6/26/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Insurance report card gives Louisiana an "F" (6/16/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

BR-area home sales down 22% in May (6/16/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Liberty Bank to launch homeowners initiative this morning (6/11/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Former Guide Corp. building in Monroe could house new project (6/4/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

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HURRICANE PROTECTION, FLOOD CONTROL, & COASTAL RESTORATION

At a loss (6/29/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Clock counts down on hurricane protection (6/28/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Extra months of work on corps schedule (6/27/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Group seeks to revitalize N.O. swamp (6/24/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Slidell, St. Tammany seek to buy and elevate land for storm-surge protection (6/23/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Dredged mud can save Louisiana coast, state says (6/13/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Madisonville copes with new reality on riverfront (6/13/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Corps spells out surge options (06/12/09) The New Orleans Times-Picayune

Dupre: Move coast zone (6/6/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Bayou dredging to begin soon (6/6/09) Houma Today

Hurricane levee meeting planned for east bank of St. Charles Parish  (6/4/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Lower 9th Ward rally focuses on lost wetlands (6/2/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Effort helps build coastline (6/1/09) The Acadian Advertiser

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE & TRANSPORTATION

Federal programs can help small businesses to export goods (6/30/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

New flight could stimulate oil and gas ties between Louisiana, Mexico (6/26/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Airport tackles backlog of site upgrades (6/25/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Canada to beef up La. trade ties  (6/24/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Port trims budget (6/19/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Airport gets $140M bond for rental car facility (6/19/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

Legal thicket grows on bad drywall (6/19/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

City announces road construction, detours (6/15/09) Shreveport Times

Proposal puts roadway, dock at spillway (6/15/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Council OKs airport contract over protest (6/13/09) Monroe News Star

A report by GNO, Inc. says New Orleans should concentrate on drawing trade with Latin America (6/12/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Houma-Terrebonne Airport could be arrival site for foreign visitors (6/8/09) Houma Today

Monroe accepts bid on new airport terminal (6/4/09) The Shreveport Times

State's future with Cuba explored (5/30/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

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TOURISM & CULTURE

New Orleans named top Fourth of July destination in U.S. (6/29/09) New Orleans City Business

I-10 welcome center reopens near Slidell (6/29/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Essence ticket sales are looking hot (6/28/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Nonstop flight to Mexico touted (6/27/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Wild Child: Sumatran orangutan born at Auduban Zoo (6/27/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Convention Center business down (6/25/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Louisiana Restaurant Association expo to attract 15,000 (6/25/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

Hollywood veteran tapped to direct operations at film studio taking shape in the lower Garden District (6/16/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Tourism hopes are tied to Super Bowl (6/13/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Microsoft to host conference in New Orleans next month (6/12/09) The New Orleans Times-Picayune

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ENERGY, SHIPBUILDING & MANUFACTURING

GNO, Inc. wins some legislative victories to promote drilling in south Louisiana (6/28/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Shaw Group wins engineering contract in Iraq (6/29/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Harvey marine transportation firm to spend $200M on new vessels (6/29/09) New Orleans City Business

Pipeline possibilities (6/28/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Entergy to present plan for weatherizing homes (6/26/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

High temperatures taxing utilities in Acadiana (6/26/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Energy provider change possible (6/25/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Nuclear reactions  (6/14/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Landrieu's oil plan hits snag (6/13/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

La.’s ‘clean energy’ reviewed (6/11/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Smaller energy companies are finding it difficult to compete in the Haynesville Shale (6/11/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Providence doubles Louisiana production (6/8/09) Baton Rouge Post

Alternative energy blowing in the wind (6/8/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Entergy Louisiana completes $100M in power transmission projects (6/4/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

Shell: No plans to cut N.O. jobs, leadership (06/2/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

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AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHING

Dry conditions hurting Louisiana farmers (6/30/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Cotton farmers in Louisiana, Mississippi plant smallest acreage on record (6/30/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Shrimp season closing in eastern Louisiana (6/29/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

$44.5M set aside to help agriculture industry rebound from storms (6/27/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

Economy, foreign competition pinch crab industry (6/10/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

Program spells relief for hard-hit fishers (6/11/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

State unveils $30 million aid program for fishers hurt by Hurricanes Gustav, Ike (6/10/09) New Orleans Times Picayune  

Grant to fund oyster reef (6/8/09) The Acadian Advertiser

Measure may boost area’s rice industry (6/5/09) Lake Charles American Press

Grand Isle gets stimulus money for trees (6/4/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

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EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

New Orleans is the fastest-growing big city; population increases 8.2 percent in year (7/1/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Tulane to offer degree in disaster management (6/22/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Stuck on New Orleans (6/21/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Training for future: Workforce programs offer second chance; join the conversation(6/17/09) The Acadian Advertiser

La. posts second-highest jump in jobless claims (6/11/09) The Lafayette Town Talk

Lockheed Martin is implementing a loaned labor program that will keep employees working until business rebuilds (06/14/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Louisiana running in middle of pack for green jobs (6/10/09) New Orleans CityBusiness

Legislators cite need for dual diploma plan (6/9/09) The Acadian Advertiser

New Orleans area weighs in with lowest April unemployment rate in the nation (06/4/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

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HEALTHCARE

Bus in New Orleans area to give low-income patients access to prescription medicines (6/30/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

State suggests making hospital independent of LSU (6/29/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Slidell Memorial Hospital moves forward with bond issue for new cancer center (6/29/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

Map shows HIV rate highest in South  (6/23/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Hospitals face major funds loss (6/20/09) Monroe News Star

Lane opening outpatient diagnostic center (6/16/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

Jindal: New clinic La.’s future (6/5/09) The Baton Rouge Advocate

LHC Group enters joint venture with East Alabama Medical Center (6/2/09) New Orleans Times-Picayune

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Useful local media websites for current news and information: