Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans

When Mayor Ray Nagin jetted off to Cuba recently, the buzz around town and on the Web had little to do with trade opportunities or disaster preparedness, the jaunt's stated mission. Instead, chatter focused on motivation and cost. Many top administration officials — and Nagin himself — will be out of office in months and seemingly unable to do much with any useful information they picked up from the Cuban government. And with little discernible results for the city from Nagin's other overseas travels, a potential $68 million city budget deficit next year and allegations a businessman who had ties to the city's technology ... Read Full Story

As New Orleans struggles to keep its recovery from Hurricane Katrina on track, it's facing one of its largest ever budget deficits, $68 million, and the prospect of higher fees for residents and forced furloughs for many city workers to address it. Mayor Ray Nagin told the City Council on Friday that expenses have already been cut "to the bone" as the city has struggled to regain financial self-sufficiency — weaning itself off the federal loans it's relied on since the 2005 storm to balance its budget. But he said the next several years look rough, noting what he sees as a worrisome trend ... Read Full Story

New Orleans' controversial mayor is now officially a character. The scathingly satirical "Ray Nagin Coloring Book" pairs the mayor's at-times baffling comments with illustrations. Creator Karen Ocker says she hopes people think carefully about the mayor's tenure of the last seven years, including the city's slow recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The cover shows a chocolate milk drink, riffing on Nagin's declaration that New Orleans would become a "chocolate" city in Katrina's aftermath. Another shows his quote calling Katrina the biggest "crisis in the history of this country" with next year's election date to replace Nagin and a brass band. Nagin's office didn't respond when ... Read Full Story

The mayor of New Orleans arrived in Cuba on Friday to study the communist government's disaster response system. A Cuban official said Mayor Ray Nagin planned to be on the island six days, though details were not available. Nagin's office confirmed the visit, which began a day after President Barack Obama was in New Orleans. Nagin's city was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and many deaths there were blamed on people deciding to ride out the storm. Cuba uses mandatory evacuations to limit casualties from hurricanes, with authorities going door to door to ensure all comply. Trips by U.S. mayors to Cuba are not uncommon. ... Read Full Story

  It may sound funny but that thought crossed my mind as I heard about the Nagin administrations plan to move forward with the city hall restoration.The oil wells alludes to Saddam Hussein as his army retreated from Kuwait setting oil wells on fire in their wake and literally burning money in effect.There is no doubt that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is upset that the New Orleans City Council (4 members) have decided to halt the purchasing of the Chevron building which many would agree is a good deal on paper but th problem seems to be that its the end of his ... Read Full Story