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A new study by Tulane University demographer Mark VanLandingham puts New Orleans' per capita murder rate at 96 per 100-thousxand people last year -- the highest in the nation. There have been various other estimates of the per-capita murder rate, based on various population estimates in the city after Hurricane Katrina. VanLandingham's method takes into account the large change in New Orleans' population over the course of the year. That method takes into account the far lower population of the city in the early months of the year. In his study, VanLandingham used a group of the most widely accepted...

NEW ORLEANS - With at least eight slayings in the city in the first week of the new year, officials are considering a curfew to help stem the violence, the police superintendent said Saturday. "It's something we're just sort of talking about, to see if that will make a difference," police Superintendent Warren Riley said. Mayor Ray Nagin, meanwhile, urged residents not to leave the city, still rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, because of the recent killings. He said the slayings could be a tipping point that "galvanizes our community" to find solutions. Nagin and Riley both tried to reassure residents...

NEW ORLEANS — For months, Mayor Ray Nagin has been saying displaced New Orleanians would return to the city. Today he faced the harsh reality. According to the U-S Census Bureau, Louisiana's population has dropped by two hundred thousand people or five percent over the last year. That's the largest one year migration from an American state since World War Two. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, broken levees and flooding have pushed people into neighboring states. Nagin says, "to be quite frank with you, I think our repopulation,or recovery is somewhat in a holding pattern right now." Nagin says the delay...

Landrieu Leads Nagin In N.O. Mayor's Poll Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu leads the first poll in the New Orleans mayor's race. The results for the four candidates listed in the summary were: Landrieu, 35 percent; Nagin, 25; Ron Forman, 9; Peggy Wilson, 7. The Ed Renwick survey, commissioned by a group of local businessmen, sampled 400 voters who could be reached through their New Orleans phone numbers.

MAYOR C.RAY NAGIN'S CONTROVERSIAL NEW PLAN TO JUMPSTART THE ECONOMY OF THE CRESCENT CITY. In a sudden, bold move similar to his ill-fated vision for a downtown casino district, Mayor Ray Nagin unveiled a new plan for the economic revitalization of the region. “New Orleans is a Chocolate City,” Nagin declared to select members of the press who greeted him at the airport upon his return from Jamaica, where he met with officials to facilitate a cultural exchange. The statement echoed similar comments Nagin had made to California Rep. Maxine Waters (D) during recent Congressional hearings. While most observers thought...