New Orleans

(Newser) - The promise of jobs in New Orleans' ongoing reconstruction has drawn thousands of Spanish-speaking immigrant laborers to the city in one of the quickest demographic shifts America has seen, the AP reports. The Hispanic population has increased from 15,000 to 50,000 since the storm, accounting for 15.2% of the population. More »

(Newser) - For the first time since Christmas 2004, snow fell today in New Orleans, shuttering schools and causing accidents on the region’s roads, the Times-Picayune reports. The snowfall has mostly tapered off or turned to freezing rain, leaving some damage behind. About 7,000 homes lost power statewide, and numerous airline flights were delayed or canceled. More »

(Newser) - An election delay caused by Hurricane Gustav likely helped tip the vote away from scandal-plagued Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson, whose nine-term Congressional career came to an unexpected end yesterday, the Times-Picayune reports. Republican newbie Anh "Joseph" Cao unseated the 2nd district’s incumbent African-American Democrat in an election marked by much lower turnout than November’s general election, considered a disadvantage for Jefferson despite the district’s large black population. More »

(Newser) - A new biennial meant to restore New Orleans' cultural life—and expand it—opens this weekend in the city, the New York Times reports. With 81 artists participating in Prospect.1 and 50,000 out-of-town visitors expected, the exhibition could be a pick-me-up for a city still trying to come back from Hurricane Katrina. But New Orleans is as much a collaborator as a beneficiary. More »

(Newser) - New Orleans residents may be celebrating Hurricane Gustav's near-miss this week, but that's no reason to get complacent, the New York Times reports. Officials admit that protective infrastructure still isn’t up to par, and there were several close calls when Gustav made landfall. “I want everybody to understand—we’re not there yet,” an Army Corps of Engineers colonel said. More »