Commission Accomplished: April 7-13 [see the SlideDeck] 28 Audubon Place, New Orleans, 70118Sales price: $3,705,000 List price: $4.1 million Date sold: April 12 Days on Market: 17Listing agent: Sissy Sullivan, RE/MAX New Orleans Properties Sales agent: Britt Galloway, Latter & Blum, Inc. Tulane University is your next door neighbor, and “it’s like having your own security guard near the entrance,” said realtor Sissy Sullivan, who listed 28 Audubon Place, an Uptown New Orleans mansion that sold for $3,705,000 on April 12. The home, on a private and gated street, features 6 b ..read more

CityBusiness this month is profiling 20 leaders in the New Orleans-area tourism and hospitality sector. This special section appears quarterly in CityBusiness and looks at some of the region’s most influential professionals. Each section focuses on a different sector or industry.  Click here to read the Power List: Tourism & Hospitality. The long-time roots of the tourism sector has sprouted new beginnings for a city built to withstand generations. The 20 individuals profiled in the following pages represent a wide range of companies, organizations and institutions and are ..read more

The Louisiana House Committee on Judiciary deferred a bill Thursday that would lessen regulatory burdens on the state’s beer brewing industry. The committee voted 12-6 to reject House Bill 821, sponsored by Rep. Tony Romero, R-Jennings. The measure would’ve ended the mandate for craft brewers to use a distributor to move product between two or more in-state facilities for sale. Under present law passed in 2022, for a brewery to transfer beer between locations by paying an outside distributor, the transferring brewing facility must have at least a 10-barrel brewing system and the receivin ..read more

As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge, it’s worth noting that they’re not just annoying, noisy pests — if prepared properly, they can also be tasty to eat. Blocks away from such French Quarter fine-dining stalwarts as Antoine’s and Brennan’s, the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans has long served up an array of alternative, insect-based treats at its “Bug Appetit” cafe overlooking the Mississippi River. “Cinnamon Bug Crunch,” chili-fried waxworms, and crispy, cajun-spiced crickets are among the menu items. Periodical cicadas  ..read more

Sometime in the next few days or even hours, the “miners” who chisel bitcoins out of complex mathematics are going to take a 50% pay cut — effectively slicing new production of the world’s largest cryptocurrency in half. That could have a lot of implications, from the price of the asset to the bitcoin miners themselves. And, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. Here’s what you need to know. WHAT IS BITCOIN HALVING AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? Bitcoin “halving,” a preprogrammed event that occurs roughly every four years, impacts the production of bitco ..read more

Bret Chittenden, President, Expotel Hospitality — Expotel Hospitality, a prominent full-service third-party hotel management company, announced today that Bret Chittenden, formerly the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, has become its new President. Expotel Hospitality Chairman George Newton made the announcement. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-chittenden-b8693b25/ Announce your new employees, promotions, board positions, community notes and leaders in your organization to our influential audience. The information in the Professional Announcements section is provided by the submitter. Click he ..read more

Preservation Resource Center Awards 2024 [see the SlideDeck]   The Louisiana Landmark Society has announced the winners of its 2024 Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation. The awards honor projects completed in 2023 that are outstanding examples of historic restoration. “The diversity among the award-winning projects showcases the very best of historic preservation across New Orleans’ many notable neighborhoods and communities. This year’s honorees embody the vibrant tapestry of our city’s architectural legacy,” said René Fransen, President of Louisiana Landmarks Society, in a ne ..read more

Two bills to repeal a consumer protection law in Louisiana that stops insurance companies from canceling homeowner policies without good reason are nearing final approval in the Legislature. Senate Bill 370, sponsored by Sen. Adam Bass, R-Bossier City, cleared the House Insurance Committee on Wednesday, while its lower chamber counterpart, House Bill 611, sponsored by Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, cleared the Senate Insurance Committee. Each bill will need to pass another floor vote and will then return to their respective chambers for concurrence on any amendments before heading to Gov ..read more

John Maas spent years buying and outfitting a 17-foot aluminum boat called the Superskiff 1 so he could take customers fishing for sea trout and flounder in the Gulf of Mexico. But before the Mississippi captain could make his first charter trip in 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up 120 miles (193 kilometers) to the south, killing 11 people and sending many millions of gallons of oil into the sea. As for many along the Gulf coast, the disaster changed Maas’ life. Fishing stopped when oil contaminated the water, so he used his boat to help clean up the spill. It was nasty work ..read more

Mandatory meal breaks for minor workers in Louisiana could become a thing of the past under a bill that gained initial approval Thursday. House Bill 156, by Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, would repeal a law that requires employers to provide a 30-minute meal break for minors who work at least five hours. The House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations signed off on the proposal with a 10-3 vote.  Rep. Tehmi Chassion, D-Lafayette, joined Republicans in supporting the bill. Wilder, a Smoothie King franchisee with multiple stores in Louisiana and Mississippi, said the ..read more