” … Mayor Ray Nagin’s vision of a downtown casino district running along the city’s prime business corridor and one of its most-storied streets is a dreadful idea. This is not what the new New Orleans should be.

“The mayor admitted Friday that he is desperate to kick-start the city’s economy, and his proposal certainly smacks of desperation. New Orleans has too much to offer to sell itself for a quick buck to the gambling industry,” reads an editorial in Sunday’s Times-Picayune.