‘Blues Brother’ actor on mission to help New Orleans’ neighborhood rebuild after Katrina

September 30th, 2009 New Orleans' past, future collide at OktoberfestNEW ORLEANS — The beer and oompah music are flowing as ever but there is a mournful tone to this year's Oktoberfest at the Deutsches Haus, a remnant of the city's once-vibrant German culture that faces demolition for post-Katrina development. First opened in 1928 and rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina's ravages, the cultural center is one of many buildings in a historic neighborhood likely to be torn down for a $2 billion medical complex billed as a centerpiece of city's recovery.

September 10th, 2009 Judge approves $20M settlement over Katrina damageNEW ORLEANS — A federal judge has given final approval to a $20 million settlement of class-action lawsuits against several Louisiana levee boards. The suits were filed on behalf of about 500,000 homeowners whose property was damaged by Hurricane Katrina's flood waters.

September 2nd, 2009 Ernie 'K-Doe' Kador: Emperor's clothes up for saleNEW ORLEANS — Hundreds of glittery, gemstone-studded suits belonging to the late New Orleans rhythm and blues musician Ernie "K-Doe" Kador and his wife Antoinette are going up for sale. Hundreds of suits in a rainbow of colors accented with braids and sequins will be sold starting Saturday.

August 28th, 2009 Doc: I 'got rid of' patient after KatrinaNEW ORLEANS — Louisiana's top prosecutor says he will not reopen a probe into allegations of euthanasia at a hospital crippled by Hurricane Katrina. That's despite new statements from a Memorial Medical Center doctor who says he drugged a terminal patient to "get rid of her faster." The hospital had no power and was isolated by floodwater for days after the 2005 storm.

August 22nd, 2009 Ex-La. congressman's brother convicted of briberyNEW ORLEANS — A federal jury has convicted New Orleans political operative Mose Jefferson of bribery charges less than a month after his brother, a former Louisiana congressman, was found guilty of unrelated corruption charges. The jury of six men and six women on Friday convicted Jefferson of two counts each of bribery and obstruction of justice for paying $100,000 in kickbacks to former New Orleans school board president Ellenese Brooks-Simms.

August 13th, 2009 Pitt laughs over New Orleans mayor T-shirt pushNEW ORLEANS — The idea of Brad Pitt running for New Orleans mayor has generated a lot of buzz around the city even though he isn't eligible. It also generated some laughs for the actor in a Thursday television interview.

July 28th, 2009 Sale of New Orleans 'GO-Zone' bonds not going wellNEW ORLEANS — New Orleans got approval for more than $1 billion in tax-free bonds to help spur development after Hurricane Katrina, but it's finding few takers nearly four years later. Officials blame a tight credit market and lingering jitters about investing there.

July 21st, 2009 New Orleans mayor wants Census to count displacedNEW ORLEANS — Mayor Ray Nagin wants hurricane-displaced people who plan to return to New Orleans counted as residents in the upcoming U.S. Census even if they live elsewhere.

July 20th, 2009 Miss. shows Katrina recovery at govs' conventionBILOXI, Miss. — Governors attending their national convention on Mississippi's Gulf Coast have seen signs of Hurricane Katrina recovery — glitzy casinos packed with tourists, new condominium towers rising along the beach, the major expansion of a bustling state port.

June 5th, 2009 Corps: Costs for storm surge barrier work risesNEW ORLEANS — Top brass at the Army Corps of Engineers say the estimated price of a major project to build three floodgates and a 1.8-mile storm surge barrier to protect New Orleans from hurricanes is now $1.8 billion. The cost of closing off the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal has risen since the project began last year.

June 2nd, 2009 New Orleans again nation's murder capitalNEW ORLEANS — A newspaper analysis of fresh FBI statistics finds that New Orleans is once again the nation's murder capital. The Times-Picayune determined that with 64 killings per 100,000 people in 2008, New Orleans had the highest per capita murder rate in the nation, well ahead of second-place St.

May 31st, 2009 Fats Domino makes rare appearance at La. concertNEW ORLEANS — Fats Domino rarely emerges from his Louisiana home — and many wondered if he'd show up for "The Domino Effect," his namesake concert that raises funds to help rebuild schools and playgrounds damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

April 30th, 2009 Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris to take Jazz Fest stageNEW ORLEANS — Rock musician Ben Harper and country singer Emmylou Harris take the stage for the second half of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Soul singers Marva Wright and Solomon Burke, singer and violinist Theresa Andersson, and the Little Freddie King Blues Band are also set to perform Thursday.

April 24th, 2009 Steps urged to make New Orleans safer post-KatrinaNEW ORLEANS — New Orleans should increase the strength of new levees being built to protect against catastrophic hurricanes, elevate more houses and abandon neighborhoods that rest below sea level, an independent research panel said Friday. Levees under construction by the Army Corps of Engineers aren't being built to a high-enough flood protection standard, said the report by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council.

April 21st, 2009 S&P upgrades New Orleans' bond ratingNEW ORLEANS — Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has boosted its bond rating for the city of New Orleans to investment grade, significant for the city as it continues recovering from Hurricane Katrina. After the 2005 storm, Standard & Poor's rated the city at below-investment grade, and an upgrade was seen as critical to the city's hopes of selling up to $80 million in bonds for infrastructure projects this year.