Target, Lowe's coming to Burbank/West Lee

Plans for a 516,000-square-foot shopping center anchored by Super Target and Lowe's at the corner of West Lee and Burbank drives will go before the planning commission later this month. Victory Real Estate Investments of Columbus, Ga., is developing Arlington Creek Centre. Along with the big-box stores and retailers, Arlington Creek will have 70,000 square feet of restaurant space. Plans are also in the works for a traditional neighborhood development behind the shopping center. Planning commission staffers have recommended that Arlington Creek receive approval when it goes before the commission on Sept. 17. --Timothy Boone

Former state film recruiter pleads guilty

Former state film industry recruiter Mark Smith pleaded guilty this morning to federal charges that he took bribes to inflate tax credits for a movie producer. The Associated Press reports that the charges against Smith are the first in a federal investigation. Sentencing is set for Dec. 5. To read 225 magazines' coverage of the film commission's tax credit woes, click here.

Constitution site sold for parking, possible hotel

The Constitution Place Office Park has been sold for $3.4 million to the owners of the Holiday Inn Select, who plan to use the land for additional parking and may build another hotel on the site. Executive Capital Corporation of Big Rock, Ill., bought the office park next to Ruth's Chris Steak House in a deal that closed Thursday. The park sits on a 4-acre site, says Hank Saurage of Saurage Commercial Real Estate, who brokered the deal. Executive Capital's hotel arm, Executive Hotel Management, owns the Holiday Inn Select. Ed Baker, an executive vice president with Executive Hotel, says the deal gives the Holiday Inn "a whole boatload of parking.” "We have adequate parking, but there's not an overabundance, especially when we have certain events with 1,500 people," Baker says. Executive Hotel officials will spend the next 30 days looking at the possibility of building a hotel on the site. --Timothy Boone

Loop meetings set for next week

A briefing for elected officials from the five parishes involved in the Baton Rouge Loop project was scheduled for this morning, in advance of four public meetings planned for next week. In Baton Rouge, you can give your thoughts about possible Loop routes Monday at BREC Headquarters on Florida Boulevard. Other meetings are Tuesday at the North Park Recreation Center in Denham Springs, Wednesday at the Addis Community Center and Thursday at the Gonzales Civic Center. All four sessions are scheduled from 4-7 p.m. The Baton Rouge Loop is expected to cost about $4 billion and is intended to help traffic flow in East Baton Rouge, Livingston, West Baton Rouge, Iberville and Ascension parishes by diverting traffic around the city and away from interstates 10 and 12. Visit brloop.com for more information.

Black Chamber sponsors senate debate

The Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce will hold a forum for candidates in the State Senate District 14 race from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the McKinley Alumni Center. Scheduled to participate are incumbent Sen. Cleo Fields along with challengers Jason DeCuir and Willis Reed. Invitations have also been submitted to the other candidates: State Rep. Yvonne Dorsey, Scott Lemoine and Steven Schilling. The forum will feature questions submitted through the chamber's Web site at brblackchamber.org.

La. Politics by John Maginnis: Race set to go

The rumors swirled and questions persisted until the final hours of qualifying for governor, when John Georges filed after switching from Republican to no party, while New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin did not show up. In the end, both major parties got what they wanted, sort of. Republicans once again have a single candidate to get behind in Bobby Jindal, as they aim to repeat Sen. David Vitter's primary win of 2004. Democrats were relieved when Nagin did not qualify, giving Walter Boasso and Foster Campbell a shot at winning black votes. Yet the absence of a candidate who can naturally connect with African-American voters, combined with depopulation in New Orleans, does not bode well for turnout among the party's base.

-- A poll compiled for a group of Shreveport businessmen has Bobby Jindal at 51%, but with a significant black vote that the Republican is not likely to get. The 500-sample poll completed Sept. 4 by the Kitchens Group also shows Walter Boasso at 11%, Foster Campbell at 8%, John Georges at 7% and undecided voters at 20%.

-- Newest Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson's organization in Louisiana is bound to grow, but it begins with his point man Ross Little of Lafayette, a longtime party activist. He did not return a call for comment. The former Tennessee senator and actor also will be raising more money here, following a successful Baton Rouge fundraiser for his exploratory committee in July.

John Maginnis publishes the Louisiana Political Fax Weekly and Lapolitics.com

Poll: Saints fans optimistic

They may have gotten crushed by the defending Super Bowl champs last night, but Daily Report readers are still optimistic about the New Orleans Saints' chances during the upcoming pro football season. Forty-seven percent of the people who responded to an online survey say they think the Saints will make it to the Super Bowl, with a narrow majority picking the team to win the NFC Championship Game. Twenty-nine percent believe the Saints will again make it to the championship game. Just 5% picked the team to miss the playoffs. More than 850 people participated in the survey. The Saints will try to rebound from their loss to the Indianapolis Colts when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 16.

Today's question: Who will win Saturday night’s Virginia Tech-LSU game?

Exporting conference set

A daylong trade seminar on "exporting the right way" will be held Sept. 25 at the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Conference Center. Topics set for discussion include how to develop export strategies, sources for export financing and new export technologies. Registration is $30. For more information, or to register, call 928-5388 ext. 245 or e-mail robina@labi.org.

News roundup: Boise Cascade agrees to sell paper divisions; Local apartment publication sold; Flynn profiled by Washington Post

Out of the paper business: Boise Cascade has entered into a deal to sell its newsprint and paper divisions to Aldabra 2 Acquisition Corp. for $1.625 billion. The deal includes a newsprint paper mill in DeRidder, one of the largest in North America. Boise Cascade plans to hold on to its wood products and building materials division. 'Apartment Guide' gets new owner:Network Communications Inc. has acquired DGP's Apartment Publications of Louisiana, which publishes Apartment Directory of Baton Rouge and similar publications in Lafayette, Shreveport/Bossier City and Monroe. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The publications will be incorporated into NCI's Apartment Finder brand, which is published in 107 markets across the U.S. This will be NCI's first entry into Louisiana. More coverage for LSU quarterback: LSU quarterback Matt Flynn is profiled in today's Washington Post in advance of the No. 2 Tigers' home opener Saturday against Virginia Tech. The newspaper notes how Flynn, who was behind JaMarcus Russell, "is intent on squeezing an entire career into his final season". Read the profile here.

LPB/CABL want your questions

Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Council for a Better Louisiana are looking for questions to use in the upcoming governor's forum, which will air on public television and radio stations across the state at 7 p.m. on Sept. 27. To submit a question, go to lpb.org or e-mail myvoice@lpb.org.