Is New Orleans On The Mend?

The City of New Orleans has hired an engineering management firm to oversee the repair of public assets and keep residents updated on the work.

MWH, formerly known as Montgomery Watson Harza, will earn an estimated $6 million to coordinate the work of architects, engineers and building contractors hired by the city to fix flood-damaged police and fire stations, streets, recreation centers, court buildings, museums, libraries and parks.

What Does Stan "Pampy" Barre & Marc Morial Have In Common?

They both have relatives serving time on home detention:
JACQUES MORIAL
Jacques Morial, brother of former Mayor Marc Morial, was sentenced to six months of home detention for failure to pay income taxes.
STAN "PAMPY" BARRE, III


Stan "Pampy" Barre, III, son of convicted felon Stan "Pampy" Barre, was sentenced to three months of home detention for residential burglary after reaching a plea agreement and having New Orleans Civil Sheriff Paul Valteau write him a "good boy" letter.
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Lessons Learned:
Jacques Morial apologizes for his actions.
Stan "Pampy" Barre, III tries to blame others for his actions.

Ethics Group Vaguely Accuse Sen. Mary Landrieu of Bribery

It appears that a watchdog group is trying to accuse Sen. Mary Landrieu of bribery. The T-P, however, mildly states the accusation:

An ethics watchdog group Tuesday asked the Justice Department and Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., violated federal bribery laws in getting a $2 million earmark for a reading program whose executives and lobbyists donated to her 2002 re-election campaign.

The money was earmarked for a Washington, D.C., public schools reading program operated by Voyager Expanded Learning, a Dallas company then headed by Randy Best.

The request for investigations came from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington via letters to the Senate Ethics Committee, the Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Northern District of Texas.

Was this some form of bribery?

"Sen. Landrieu appears to have traded a $2 million earmark for $30,000 in campaign contributions," said Melanie Sloan, the group's executive director. "It was a win-win situation for Best and Sen. Landrieu, but a lose-lose for the taxpayers and D.C. schoolchildren."

Be careful when making accusations.

Rep. William Jefferson Decides To Keep Corruption Running Smoothly In His Family

When it comes to Family Corruption In The Big Easy, the Jefferson Clan is now running front and center. It appears that his wife, brother, and son-in-law had their hands in the cookie jar:

The Justice Department is for the first time disclosing the names of family members it says are connected to the public corruption case against Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans.

The government brief says that "Family Member A" referred to in the 16-count criminal indictment of the congressman, is Andrea Jefferson, the congressman's wife; "Family Member B" is Mose Jefferson, the congressman's brother; and the congressman's son-in-law Philip Jones had a 2003 contract for 5 percent of each $7 million garbage-to-energy incinerator he helped LETH Energy, now Global Environmental Inc., sell in Nigeria.

William Jefferson, and his clan, has decided to bring new meaning to IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR.

Brad Pitt's "Make It Right Project" Shines

Let us give thanks to Brad Pitt and to all of those who contributed to this effort. New Orleans truly appreciate their contributions. Some of the donors are:

Angela Bassett, Bill Cosby, Tom Cruise, Carrie Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne, Will Ferrell, Goldie Hawn, Salma Hayek, Ethan Hawke, Angelica Huston, Samuel L. Jackson, Quincy Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves, Ving Rhames, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, Meg Ryan, Kevin Spacey, David Spade, Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, Barbra Streisand, Russell Simmons, brothers Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, and brothers Branford and Wynton Marsalis.

May New Orleans' corrupt politicians and political operatives take note: You get more when you do the right thing.

New Orleans' Police Dept. Should Stop Shifting Responsibility

This wonderful editorial, from the T-P, needs to be preserve for future reference.

EDITORIAL: A more peaceful future
Sunday, January 06, 2008

New Orleanians understand very well the historic failings of the city's public schools, the scourge of the drug trade and the hardship of poverty.

Residents have watched for more than a decade as murderers got younger and some neighborhoods became killing zones for drug lords.

What they need to hear from the New Orleans Police Department is what it plans to do about violence in the city. Instead, Deputy Chief Marlon Defillo talked New Year's Eve about the obstacles presented by social ills. The problem "is far greater than the Police Department or the criminal justice system," he said.

That is true, but it is not a sufficient explanation for the city's high murder rate. Other cities face the same societal problems, but all of them reported fewer murders per capita than New Orleans did in 2007. The murder rates in Chicago and New York are the lowest they have been in years. Even historically violent cities like Detroit, Baltimore and Birmingham had a much lower per capita murder rate than New Orleans did last year.

At least some of the credit must go to the police in those cities. The same ought to be true here.

Let's agree that the crime rate is not the fault of any one agency or person. But the Police Department has a vital role in reducing crime no matter what the difficulties may be.
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To the New Orleans Police Force: Please do your job.

Corps Study Urges New Wall For Kenner

What about New Orleans?

The best method of defending Kenner's western flank from storm surges out of Lake Pontchartrain is to build a taller, sturdier wall near the existing West Return Canal floodwall, a new engineering analysis suggests.

Under that scenario, a new wall likely would be erected some 35 feet west of the current structure along the canal's east bank, which engineers said would have to be enlarged to enable construction.

The engineering study is part of the Army Corps of Engineers' commitment to provide 100-year protection throughout southeast Louisiana by 2011. In the case of the West Return Canal, corps engineers have already concluded that the existing wall -- finished in the early 1990s -- is not high enough to meet the new 100-year standards.

New Orleans' residents need protection from much more than storm surges.

Another Oliver Thomas Update

From the T-P:

Former New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas reported to an Atlanta federal prison Thursday to begin a three-year sentence for accepting $20,000 in bribes and kickbacks from Stan "Pampy" Barre who was seeking to retain a public parking garage contract, federal officials said.

Thomas, 50, was sentenced by a federal judge in November to serve 37 months for the felony, which he plead guilty to last summer. Thomas, whose resignation in August ended his 13-year career on the council, can reduce his stay behind bars by about 5 1/2 months through good behavior.

Under the so-called "good time'' provision, a well-behaved inmate can shave 54 days per year from a sentence.

Thomas entered the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta shortly after 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Felicia Ponce, a Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman

Former New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas Reports To Prison Today

Former New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas reports to a federal prison, in Atlanta, at noon today.

According to the Times Picayune, Thomas has said the following:

I just want to pay my debt to society,"; "I'm not angry at anybody. I've asked God to forgive me and I'm working to forgive myself. I want to move on with my life."

What the former Councilman failed to realize is that his debt to society will never be paid since he failed to cooperate with the federal governments' probe into political corruption. Yes, God will forgive him but can he really move on if deception remains a large part of his life?

One has to wonder: Why did Stan "Pampy" Barre feel so comfortable with approaching him in the first place? It is obvious that Stan "Pampy" Barre, did not feel that he could approach Nagin with such an offer. Stan "Pampy" Barre may be an ignorant individual but what did he see in Oliver Thomas? Apparently he felt that bribing Oliver Thomas would not be reported to the feds.

Additionally, it was reported several times that Oliver Thomas' guilty plea was part of a plea agreement between him and the U.S. attorney's office. At no time did he say that there was no plea agreement. Why would he later tell the judge that he could not "make up stuff"?

This statement is also troubling: On Wednesday, Thomas declined to elaborate on the matter but indicated he was at peace with the decision to maintain his silence.

If Oliver Thomas had no other information to provide to the feds, then why would he feel the need to "be at peace with the decision to maintain his silence"?

Lastly, Oliver Thomas should be placed in the Guinness Book of World Records if he want the citizens of New Orleans to believe that he will be serving a 37 month prison sentence for committing one crime. A criminal getting caught after their first crime is something that children may read about in fairy tales but adults know that that sort of thing NEVER HAPPENS.

Judgement Day for Oliver Thomas

Ollie will be reporting to the federal pen tomorrow as a result of accepting a bribe from Stan "Pampy" Barre. He will always be known for his refusal to cooperate with the government that would have helped the City rid itself of other corrupt individuals.

I hope he can live with that decision. One thing he should realize though is that the citizens of New Orleans will never forget "his lack of cooperation".

Happy New Year, New Orleans

I hope this year provide the city with hope and optimism. I believe the City will recover and become a great place to live. I would like to thank all of those who have not turned their backs on New Orleans. I am grateful for people like Brad Pitt who has devoted his time and money to help New Orleans rebuild.

I am also grateful for the U.S. Attorney's office who have worked diligently in cleaning out political corruption in our great city. Yes, we can rebuild; but we do need to attract businesses to the City. I believe we first must make corporations feel that they can do business, in our City, on an equal playing field if we are to succeed. Keep up the good work, Jim Letten, and I hope this is the year when more corrupt individuals are brought to justice.

Say It Ain't So Jefferson

Jefferson evidently had no idea how much legal danger he was about to get himself into. How could he have known that when he invited the FBI in for a chat a team of agents was positioned down the block, hidden from sight and ready to swarm his home to conduct a floor-to-ceiling search?

Did he think they were there for tea and crumpets?

"I said, 'Do you have time to speak to a couple of my agents? They want to talk to you,'¤" Bernazzani said. "He said fine .¤.¤. He was very gracious, very accommodating."

Bernazzani had nothing but kind words for the congressman.

"He was a gentleman. He's always a gentleman," the agent said.

With Jefferson's acquiescence, Bernazzani waved two other agents up from the street, introduced them to the congressman and left the Marengo Street house. Jefferson ushered agents Thibault and Daniel Evans into his living room and they all sat down.

We all have the FBI over, early in the morning, just for a chat. How did they ambush Jefferson with these tactics? It is time for William Jefferson to face the inevitable: A PRISON TERM

Could Sen. David Vitter Go To Jail?

Jail time is a possibility, for Senator David Vitter, if the D.C. Madam has her way:

The attorney for the "D.C. Madam" wants Sen. David Vitter, R-La., held in contempt of court for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena in her prostitution case. Lawyer Montgomery Sibley asked U.S. District Judge James Robertson to lock up the senator until he complies.

Vitter was subpoenaed to testify in mid-December at a hearing about telephone calls he placed to an escort service between 1999 and 2001, but the hearing was canceled. According to court papers, his attorney, Hank Asbill, said that the senator had no records requested by the defendant, Deborah Jeane Palfrey.

Nonetheless, her attorney told the court that Asbill "refuses to indicate what efforts were made by Sen. Vitter to comply with the subpoena of his documents" and that he wants the senator held in contempt. The judge has not ruled.

Should Vitter be held in contempt?

Tired of Corruption In "The Big Easy"?????

Then the Metropolitan Crime Commission may be the answer:

The commission gets about 100 tips a month on its local hot line, and another 20 or so on a new statewide corruption line. About 15-20 percent provide enough information to warrant consideration.

Tips that show particular promise are passed on to law enforcement and prosecutors, often on the federal level where virtually all successful public corruption cases in New Orleans are handled.

What Is Going On With Gusman

It seems that Marlin Gusman incompetence will never end. First he was over charging the state for housing prisoners, now he is allowing prisoners to go free.

Elton Phillips, the accused armed robber mistakenly released from the Orleans Parish jail last week, was arrested Thursday by the Hammond police, according to the Hammond Police Department.

Lt. Vincent Giannobile, spokesman for the Hammond Police Department, said Phillips was arrested about 12:30 p.m., after the department received an anonymous call that he was in the area. Police officers stopped a rented Toyota Corolla, in which Phillips was a passenger, driving on Old Baton Rouge Highway west of Hammond, Giannobile said. Phillips was arrested without incident, he said.

By Thursday afternoon Phillips was back at the jail run by Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff Marlin Gusman.

Maybe Marlin Gusman should be under investigation. Should we wait until his actions cost someone their life? Inaction may be the better word. Either way, New Orleans will surely suffer.

Santa Was Upset At 'Ollie' This Year

Santa was upset with Ollie this year.

The corruption probe at the North Pole wasn't going well. Comet had agreed to tell Santa everything he knew about the rampant bribery schemes stemming from parking contracts for the sleigh. But now he was refusing to talk.

"I'm a reindeer, not a rat," he said.

Santa was furious. "I wish I could get Jim Letten up here," he grumbled as he made a note on his Hollyberry to move the U.S. attorney's name up a few notches on the nice list.

But North Pole corruption was only part of what was eating Santa. The naughty side of his ledger was so long that he feared an imminent environmental crisis from the coal-mining.

Santa sadly shook his head as he moved Oliver Thomas out of the nice column for taking bribes. The former New Orleans city councilman acknowledged that the city needs to be cleaned up, but then he refused to help out prosecutors.



Don't worry Santa. January 3rd. is soon approaching. Ollie will soon realize what happens to naughty LITTLE BOYS.

New Orleans' Old Houses In The Spotlight

Rashida Ferdinand sits in front of her house in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans on Monday. The television program, "This Old House" will cover in great detail the rebuilding of her 1892 Creole shotgun-style home. The show's 10-episode series featuring New Orleans area homes is scheduled to begin airing nationally next month on PBS.
Alex Brandon: AP
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Audiences will follow homeowner Rashida Ferdinand, 32, a fourth-generation resident of the neighborhood, as she rebuilds the home she purchased in 2004, about a year before Katrina smashed levees and inundated her home with floodwater.

As cameras rolled, her home was buzzing with construction workers hanging drywall and installing French doors.

A ceramic artist by trade, Ferdinand called finding the home "a blessing" because of its lot size, art studio out back and location near the Mississippi River. But it was the history of the neighborhood she cherished most.

"The 9th Ward was a place of pioneers, a place where people found land, built on the land and started communities, especially right here along the river," she said.

Though it's taken more than two years to rebuild her dream, Ferdinand expects to be in the house by February. She's "on the forefront of the rebuild" in the Lower 9th Ward, said This Old House host Kevin O'Connor.

New Orleans' Population Increases

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Despite slow progress in rebuilding some neighborhoods, New Orleans' population is nearing 300,000, or about 65 percent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina size, according to a new report.

The report, compiled by urban planning consultancy GCR & Associates and based on utility hookups, estimates the population at 295,450 and predicts it will surpass the 300,000 mark soon. That will put it on par with cities like Tampa, Fla., and Pittsburgh and provide a "significant indication of New Orleans' sustained viability as a major city and as an anchor for a large metropolitan area," the report says.

Feds Give Out Christmas Presents To 4 Convicted Felons

Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends and to celebrate the season by giving out gifts. The federal government has decided to hone in on the holiday spirit by issuing out Christmas gifts of their own; delaying prison sentences to four New Orleans' criminals who are guilty of corruption:

Former Orleans Parish School Board President Ellenese Brooks-Simms, restaurateur Stan "Pampy" Barré, businessman Reginald Walker and former Johnson Controls project manager Terry Songy all were scheduled to be sentenced the second week of January.

All of their sentencing dates have been delayed until April. Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas..you felons.

Last Minute Shopping

Looking for an Xbox this year? Well don't worry. You won't have to be concerned with Stan "Pampy" Barre, III stealing your Xbox. He is still serving his sentence. One of the items stolen in the home burglary...An Xbox. Now after his sentence is served, you may have something to worry about.


New Orleans: You are safe now from the former New Orleans' resident who is serving his home detention sentence in Federal Way, Washington. Gear up for next year though and try to protect your home from this residential burglar. Have a great Sunday!!!