Free Republic

Shifting the nation’s perception of New Orleans as a drowned city of Third World proportions remains in the forefront of new Gulf South marketing, advertising experts said Dec. 7 at a chapter meeting of the American Marketing Association. “(Marketing to tourists) is going to take a grassroots effort to combat the negative publicity,” said Mark Mayer, president of Peter A. Mayer Advertising of New Orleans. Although Mayer is optimistic about the city’s future, combating the damaged brand of New Orleans is key in the short term, he said. “Tourism is alive and well (in New Orleans),” said Zehnder Communications President...

Louisiana Officials Indicted Before Katrina Hit Federal audits found dubious expenditures by the state's emergency preparedness agency, which will administer FEMA hurricane aid. WASHINGTON — Senior officials in Louisiana's emergency planning agency already were awaiting trial over allegations stemming from a federal investigation into waste, mismanagement and missing funds when Hurricane Katrina struck. And federal auditors are still trying to track as much as $60 million in unaccounted for funds that were funneled to the state from the Federal Emergency Management Agency dating back to 1998. In March, FEMA demanded that Louisiana repay $30.4 million to the federal government.