Spanish Town development on hold for now

Developer David Slaughter has decided to “briefly delay” bringing his controversial Capitol Lofts apartment development to the Historic Preservation Commission “until further agreements may be reached,” according to an email sent to various city-parish officials and activists. The commission, which must approve any new development or demolitions within the Spanish Town historic district, had been scheduled to discuss the proposal Wednesday. “I am committed to continue working closely with the community to discuss the issues of this very unique site,” Slaughter says in the email.—David Jacobs

Southdowns residents concerned about TND changes

A group of Southdowns residents is alarmed by several proposed changes to the ordinance governing Traditional Neighborhood Developments that was approved by the Planning Commission July 20 —and they’re taking their concerns to the Metro Council. The amendments flew below radar when they were given the nod by the Planning Commission last month, but if ultimately approved by the Metro Council they could have a big impact on TNDs like Tommy Spinosa’s controversial Rouzan project.

Residents say they’re concerned by the proposed changes because they weaken the neighborhood protections that exist in a TND ordinance that has never been tested. The amendments remove the requirement that a developer submit the final plans for each phase of a phased-TND project within 12 months of one another, giving him unlimited time to do so. The amendments also keep inactive TND plans from ever expiring; and, remove the provision in the current ordinance that allows the land from an expired TND to revert to its previous zoning.

“This holds hundreds of surrounding homeowners' property values hostage to a shadowy and amorphous development, and takes away the developer's incentive to keep things moving,” says Angela Angelloz, a board member of the Southside Civic Association. “It even creates the opportunity for developers to buy and rezone these areas on speculation and sell to the highest bidder down the road.” The Metro Council is schedule to consider the amendments August 19. —Stephanie Riegel

Chamber, N.O. group urge higher ed commission to set goals

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber and Greater New Orleans Inc. are urging the newly formed Postsecondary Education Review Commission to set specific goals for reforming state universities and colleges. The commission is set to hold its first meeting Monday morning and will look at ways to cushion impending higher education budget cuts. The two economic development organizations say the goals of the commission should include:

—To have a flagship research university and other research universities that are appropriately funded and competitive with schools in other states

—To operate an integrated, three tier system of technical, two-year, and four-year institutions that match the needs of population and the economy

—Elimination of program duplication and inefficiencies, while preserving access for students

—Development of a sustainable finance model.

“Higher education will drive the future of our growth in high-wage, knowledge-driven business sectors," says Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. "In a period of dwindling resources, there is no more important topic for governmental reform and prioritization.”

The commission will present its recommendations to the state Board of Regents in February.

LaPolitics by John Maginnis: Jefferson in perspective

Former Congressman Bill Jefferson's conviction on 11 counts of racketeering, bribery and money laundering has been called another stain on the state's reputation. But national news coverage has not played the Louisiana angle strongly, thanks largely to voters in the 2nd Congressional District who turned him out of office last year. Reader comments on national news sites note more his Democratic affiliation than his state, reflecting Washington's ongoing corruption scorekeeping along partisan lines.

—President Barack Obama said this week if a bipartisan healthcare plan doesn't materialize in Congress, he might resort to passing a bill with only Democratic votes. But he may have to do so without any from Louisiana. Congressman Charlie Melancon voted against the House bill in committee, while Sen. Mary Landrieu opposes key provisions of that bill, especially the government-run insurance plan option. Yet that controversial government plan option, the centerpiece of both the House bill and Obama's plan, seems to be losing favor among senators working on a bipartisan bill in the Finance Committee. The death of the government plan would vindicate Landrieu, whose opposition to it caused her to be attacked in TV ads by liberal Democratic groups last month.

—The Times-Picayune reported this week that U.S. Attorney Jim Letten has confirmed his office is investigating New Orleans' technology office and its crime camera program. That investigation moved closer to Mayor Ray Nagin when a city contractor received federal subpoenas for the mayor's e-mails that the company retrieved from the city's computer system. Rumors are flying around the city that Nagin has received a target letter from Letten's office. Whether so or not, it appears that the last nine months of his administration will proceed under darkening legal clouds.

(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)

B.R. IT companies complete merger

Interactive E-Solutions has acquired SimplifyIT, a move that's expected to rapidly double the staff of the local IT company. Ned Fasullo, president of SimplifyIT, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of IES, says the move is a "perfect marriage" of the technology service providers. "We were doing the exact same stuff and running on the same systems," he says. "The only difference is we sold better than they did and they supported customers better than we did."

SimplifyIT had concentrated on small business customers, while IES worked with government agencies and finance companies. IES, which also owns the Pluse+, TelNet, Inc., and the NerdWerks chain of computer stores, had about 15 employees prior to the acquisition, while SimplifyIT had five. Fasullo says the plan is to hire between 12 to 20 sales employees over the next six months and beef up NerdWerks. "We want to reconstitute those stores and make them like Apple stores —except without the Apples," he says. "The plan is to have at least one store in every major city in the state."—Timothy Boone

U.S. job losses slow, jobless rate dips

Employers throttled back on layoffs in July, cutting just 247,000 jobs, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate dipped to 9.4%, its first decline in 15 months.

It was a better-than-expected showing that offered a strong signal that the recession is finally ending. The new snapshot, released by the Labor Department today, also offered other encouraging news: workers' hours nudged up after sinking to a record low in June, and paychecks grew after having fallen or flat lined in some cases.

To be sure, the report still indicates that the jobs market is on shaky ground. But the new figures were better than many analysts were expecting and offered welcomed improvements to a part of the economy that has been clobbered by the recession. Analysts were forecasting job losses to slow to around 320,000 and the unemployment rate to tick up to 9.6%.

The dip in the unemployment rate —from June's 9.5% —was the first since April 2008. Also heartening: job losses in May and June turned out to be less than previously reported. Employers sliced 303,000 positions in May, versus 322,000 previously logged. And, they cut 443,000 in June, compared with an earlier estimate of 467,000.

Get saucy at Red Stick Farmers' Market

This week is National Farmer's Market Week, and Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain is encouraging Louisianans to eat local for the duration of the celebration. Red Stick Farmers' Market is spicing it up Saturday with a selection of summer produce-specific recipes at their market coffee booths. And if you've got a story about the farmers' market, or a local-ingredient-specific recipe, BREADA wants to hear it. They're collecting stories, recipes, and tips this week from loyal customers. Don't be shy: Drop by and let them know what about the market keeps you coming back for more. And don't miss the conclusion of their summer-long Fresh Fest celebration, "Salsa Saturday," with live salsa music and demonstrations of spicy salsa recipes by chefs from the Louisiana Culinary Institute. Also this week in 225 Dine, "On the Road" familiarizes you with Houston's House of Pies, Maggie Heyn Richardson gives you four sweet recipes for salad success, and DuJour takes you behind the scenes of Calandro's Select Cellars. Read 225 Dine by clicking here.

Poll: Few spending less on back to school

The majority of people who responded to a Daily Report survey say they are spending the same or more on back-to-school items. Forty-six percent of people who responded to the poll say they are spending as much this year as in the past, while 14% say they are spending more. Thirty percent say they are spending less this year, and 10% are unsure. Nearly 500 people participated in the survey.

Today's question: Is Aug. 7 too early for children to go back to school?

News roundup: Madisonville barge yard preparing to close ... 3DTV just around the corner?

Could shut down by December: Trinity Marine Products will start the first in a series of layoffs next month as the company prepares for the eventual closure of the Madisonville barge-building yard. About 235 people work for the company, a division of Dallas-based Trinity Industries, which builds tank barges for the offshore petroleum industry. Because of the recession and lower oil prices, Trinity has not received any new orders this year. The first round of layoffs will come next month, with 88 workers losing their jobs. Additional workers will be laid off every month until Trinity finishes its existing orders and closes the yard permanently, a move that could come as soon as December.

Better than HD: Sony's vice president for engineering says 3DTV is about two or three years away, but will need more than a remote control. Peter Ludé says, for the foreseeable future, there's no way to get 3D at home without special glasses. Japan has a daily satellite service offering some 3D. Ludé says more than 2 million televisions already in U.S. homes could take 3D transmissions. Ludé spoke at in New Orleans at SIGGRAPH 2009, the 36th international conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques.