News roundup: Fire destroys Hubig's Pies factory in New Orleans … La. National Guard has its first female general … Pastorek joins board of directors for national nonprofit focused on public schools

News roundup: Fire destroys Hubig's Pies factory in New Orleans … La. National Guard has its first female general … Pastorek joins board of directors for national nonprofit focused on public schools

Published Jul 27, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated Jul 27, 2012)

Landmark lost: A bakery that pleased New Orleans' tastes for generations with its locally iconic line of fried snack pies was gutted by fire early today. The Simon Hubig Pie Co. in the Marigny neighborhood was a total loss, says Capt. Edwin Holmes, a New Orleans Fire Department spokesman. No one was injured. Hubig's had operated in the neighborhood of tightly packed wood-frame structures, many more than 100 years old, since 1922. The owners say they intend to rebuild. Get the full story here.

Salute: The Louisiana National Guard will get its first female general today. Col. Joanne Sheridan is being promoted to brigadier general in a ceremony at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans. Sheridan, an assistant adjutant general for the Army, will have the star attached to her uniform during a "pinning ceremony." A native of Leesville, Sheridan's recent assignments were vice chief of the joint staff and, before that, as commander of the 199th Regiment-Regional Training Institute at Camp Beauregard in Pineville.

A seat at the table: Paul Pastorek, a former Louisiana state superintendent of education and former BESE president, is one of four new members to join the board of directors of The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, a nonprofit that seeks to prepare leaders to strengthen public school systems. Others joining the board include a former Democratic Party leader, a former Obama Administration official and former labor leader. Get the full story on all of the appointments here.