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Ochsner Clinic Foundation
received high honors recently from VHA Inc., a national cooperative of nonprofit health care organizations, and the national management consultant firm, the Herman Group. The awards cite Ochsner for outstanding leadership, superior business practices, and employee programs and benefits. Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute was singled out for clinical excellence and cost-efficient care.

New Orleans firefighters
turned out a successful 'boot shake' to benefit Red Cross programs for fire victims. During the three-day fundraising drive, firefighters collected more than $15,000 for programs that include distributions of emergency clothing, food and shelter to New Orleans fire victims. Last year, the Red Cross spent more than $200,000 on fire victims, according to the New Orleans Fire Fighters' Association Local 632.

Local "Excellence in Government Award" recipients,
will be honored June 9 by the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR). They include the Sewerage and Water Board's Facility Maintenance staff, the New Orleans Police Department's Major Case Narcotics staff, Housing Authority of New Orleans compliance manager Naomi Paris Roberts, and New Orleans Botanical Gardens director Paul Soniat. A number of Jefferson Parish employees also will be honored.

Python Brown,
an ex-state trooper formerly assigned to Troop L near Mandeville, admitted he had sex in his patrol car with a female motorist shortly after ticketing her for speeding and driving with a suspended license. Brown had resigned a few months after the 2002 incident to avoid being fired, a state police spokesperson said. Brown pleaded guilty to malfeasance in office to avoid a more severe charge of sexual battery.

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