Ray Nagin and the feds are moving their spring fling, setting the stage for a fall classic in the courtroom. U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan agreed with a Friday request by the two sides to move the indicted former N.O. mayor's trial from April 23 to Oct. 7. 

Ray Nagin apparently thinks his fall line of argument will go over better with a jury. The former New Orleans mayor and the feds asked to delay Nagin's trial from its originally scheduled April time to October, according to court documents. The court filing said discovery in the case is too "complex" to complete by the two sides' originally scheduled mid-JazzFest courtroom rendevous on April 29.

Updated 2:15 p.m.

Ray Nagin pleaded not guilty to corruption charges Wednesday, setting up a trial. In a 15-minute arraignment hearing, the former New Orleans mayor pleaded not guilty to each of the 21 counts brought against him in a federal indictment that was unsealed in January. Nagin is free on $100,000 bond, with travel restricted to Louisiana and Texas. Nagin's trial is scheduled for April 29 before U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan, with a pretrial hearing on April 19. He had to surrender his passport at the arraignment.

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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted on 21 counts of bribery, conspiracy, money laundering, wire fraud, and other charges this morning. NoDef has the full court document.  

All Nagin's men are falling down around him, leaving the former Mayor exposed for what appears to be an imminent plunge into federal clutches. According to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office, A City Hall contractor plead guilty this morning to bribing a New Orleans official who is not named in court documents, but is widely believed to be Nagin. Rodney Williams, president of Three Fold Consultants, admitted giving the city official $60,000 in return for contract work with City Hall.

Former Mayor and apparent federal probe target Ray Nagin was reportedly dealt a subpoena this week to appear before a grand jury. But that may not mean he has to testify. Thanks to the Fifth Amendment, Nagin has the right to remain silent during the Friday hearing. How things change...Coverage: WDSU WWL

A former City Hall contractor pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges earlier today, but it's a man who is not even named in court documents that makes the case a blockbuster. Former New Orleans Mayor and recent federal investigation target Ray Nagin is figured to be the public official that Frank Fradella admitted to bribing with $50,000, truckloads of concrete and consulting gigs after his time at City Hall came to an end. Fradella's guilty plea, which was the result of a deal with the government that will give the former New Orleans contractor reduced time in the pen. Nagin has not faced federal charges to date.

In his memoir, Katrina's Secrets, former mayor Ray Nagin waxes long and hard about his post-flood paranoia that the CIA was planning to take him out after bugging his hotel room, and making him get shots on a Navy warship. But, six years later, turns out they're interested in much more mundane matters. Today, Da Paper's David Hammer reports that the two-term mayor is at the center of a federal grand jury probe into potential gifts he got from city vendors and potential work and favors given to a countertop company he owned.

In 2011, a lot of the old maxims about New Orleans' resistance to change got thrown out the window. From Freret Street to Mayor Mitch's office to the Krewe of Chewbacchus, the City showed us that changing with the times, if not desired, is at the very least inevitable and therefore necessary. Waters around us have grown and all that. To be sure, many of the old vanguards of the city will live on past this period. But there are a few who came later that didn't live up to the hype. That doesn't mean they won't be back around again. As EWE taught us, you can always come back and marry someone who makes you look good. So, without further rambling, here's a list of who's in and who's out in 2011, and what to look out for in 2012.

Is Ray Nagin ready to stamp out his life in New Orleans? The former mayor's Ashtray House is up for sale, according to a real estate listing on Gardner Realtors that is circulating in the local press. The 47-year-old four-bedroom, three-bathroom Park Island chateau is being listed at $729,000. It includes a swimming pool, proximity to the placid Bayou St. John and an air conditioned garage. But the real feature is the butt bowls. Architect Albert Ledner designed the house to incorporate 1,200 ashtrays into the facade. And you thought the only intrigue was in the lawn care history.