Author: Kathy Finn

The debate that erupted recently over the docking of a new steamboat on the Mississippi River at the French Quarter held a familiar irony for longtime observers of riverfront issues. Local preservationists were speaking out against New Orleans Steamboat Company’s…

Sizing up the state of Louisiana’s energy industry used to be pretty simple. If the price of crude oil was strong relative to historic values, the state’s oil producers raked in profits. If prices declined or were persistently low, those…

Though New Orleans’ history is deeply intertwined with the growth of commerce on the lower Mississippi River, few could have imagined centuries ago that much of today’s industry would involve people and thier entertainment. Cruise ship business at the Port…

In a city where land available for commercial development is scarce, it is refreshing to see a strip of green space not only preserved, but transformed into a magnet for new activity, which is what is happening along the corridor…

  A recent move by lawmakers in the nation’s largest city in defiance of one of the world’s largest corporations drew diverse reactions around the country. New York City drew a line in the sand when, after being selected as…

As she saw it, the year 2004 was going well for Essence Harris Banks. She was enjoying her job in human resources for a corporation headquartered in downtown New Orleans, and she felt invigorated by her part-time work as a…

  In just a few months, one of the biggest construction projects in New Orleans’ history will be ready for its close-up. The new Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is slated to open for business in February, whereupon local…

Cheers went up in New Orleans’ hospitality industry a few months ago when word came that a record number of people had visited the city. Almost 11 million visitors came to town during 2017, according to data released by the…

A decade or so ago, when New Orleans began garnering attention in the business press as an up-and-comer in technology and entrepreneurial innovation, it was fair to wonder whether the praise marked the start of a lasting change or merely…

For many residents of New Orleans, it is easy to go through life largely unaware of one of the city’s most vital industries. The Port of New Orleans, despite occupying hundreds of acres of prime land along New Orleans’ most…

A sense of inevitability imbues the tensions between one of Louisiana’s largest industries and advocates for some of the state’s most precious resources. In the days when the oil and gas business was starting up, concerns over its impact on…

Twenty years ago, the idea that an industry could start up in Louisiana and within a relatively short time become a significant source of state tax revenue may have seemed a pipedream. Then again, in the view of some people…

Better future for Big Charity?

Hot real estate market raises questions

Projects under way and proposed dot the landscape