The Best and the Worst of the Week
The Shim Sham Clubwas named one of the world's "10 Bars Worth Flying To" in the April issue of GQ, which recently hit newsstands. The French Quarter juke joint/ dance club/ tiki bar, which features an array of music, theater and burlesque performances and events as well as themed dance nights, is named after the 1930s nightclub owned by Leon Prima.
The Shaw Group Inc.,
a
Baton Rouge-based corporation that builds industrial facilities such as power
plants, has become Louisiana's second Fortune 500 company. Last week, Fortune magazine
ranked Shaw at No. 479. The company, which has 3,000 Louisiana employees, has
accomplished recent growth by building new power plants and acquiring struggling
but reputable companies. The state's other Fortune 500, Entergy Corp., listed
at No. 224.
Jefferson Parish Judge Ronald
Bodenheimer
will likely serve from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years in federal prison after
pleading guilty to felonies he had long denied committing. Last week Bodenheimer
admitted he conspired to plant drugs on a critic of the marina he owns; he
planned to rig a child-custody case in restaurateur Al Copeland's favor in
order to secure lucrative seafood contracts; and he lowered or split bonds
for a bail bondsman, maximizing profits in exchange for gifts and services.
New Orleans Public Schools
showed a $31 million-plus budget gap that state auditors blame on atrocious money
management. Last week's audit showed that, among other errors, the district neglected
for months to deposit millions of dollars, forfeiting significant interest; it
had to pay more than $1 million in interest and fees due to late tax payments;
it routinely overpaid agencies, institutions and employees; and failed to collect
reimbursements it was owed.
