Fewer working in Baton Rouge, but more jobs

The state labor department says the number of people working in the Capital Region decreased slightly last month, even though the number of available jobs increased. A department report released this morning says there were 345,181 people working in the nine-parish region during March, compared with 348,337 a year earlier. The area added 2,300 nonfarm jobs during the period; Louisiana gained 30,300 nonfarm jobs in March compared to the same month last year. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the state's unemployment rate was 4.5% in March, an increase from the previous month's mark of 3.7%. The national unemployment rate last month was 5.1%, while the Baton Rouge unemployment rate was 4.2%.

Group picked up from remote Pacific atoll

A group that includes Lamar Advertising CEO Kevin Reilly and John Koerner, the reigning king of Rex, has been shuttled off the Pacific Ocean atoll where their chartered plane's engine problems stranded them and were spending a night on nearby Christmas Island. A chartered jet was to fly the group to Honolulu on Friday, said Grady Timmons, spokesman for The Nature Conservancy, which had arranged the trip to Palmyra Atoll, which the conservancy manages as a wildlife reserve. The jet was expected to arrive in Honolulu between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Timmons said. The trip was originally expected to last five days, ending last Saturday. The group—including Kevin and Winifred Reilly of Baton Rouge; Keith and Lila Ouchley of St. Francisville; John and Ann Koerner; and Thomas and Dathel Coleman—was not in danger. They kept in touch with family by satellite phone, said Bill Kearney, an executive at a company owned by John Georges, the son-in-law of one of the couples.

Tax rebates to arrive earlier than expected

President Bush said this morning that tax rebates would start going out Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Americans cope with rising gasoline and food prices, as well as aid a slumping economy. Those first rebates will be directly deposited into people's bank accounts. The Internal Revenue Service had been saying direct deposits wouldn't start until next Friday. Bush said paper checks would begin going out on May 9, a week earlier than previously announced. "The money is going to help Americans offset the high prices we're seeing at the gas pump, the grocery store, and also give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown," Bush said. The rebates—up to $600 for an individual, $1,200 for a couple and an additional $300 for each dependent child—are the centerpiece of the government's $168 billion stimulus package, enacted in February. Roughly 130 million households are expected to get them.

La. Politics by John Maginnis: Black legislators eye Congress

The state Democratic Party's hopes of winning long-held GOP congressional seats could be undermined by plans discussed by three black legislators to run as independents this fall in the 4th, 6th and 7th congressional districts. Sen. Lydia Jackson of Shreveport, Rep. Michael Jackson of Baton Rouge and Sen. Don Cravins Jr. of Opelousas say there are seriously considering bypassing the Democratic primary to file as independents on the November general election ballot. In that way, they could take advantage of the Obama-driven minority turnout without having to first survive a Democratic primary or two against better-funded white candidates. Other Democrats worry that the legislators' strategy would split party voters and enable Republicans to hold the seats.

--After President Bush helped Senate candidate John Kennedy raise $800,000 at a Baton Rouge event this week, the state treasurer hopes that Wall Street comes through for him next week. The Republican will hold a fundraising event at the New York Athletic Club on Wednesday. The suggested contribution is $2,300.

--Backed into supporting a bill to cut up to $300 million in income taxes, Gov. Bobby Jindal told a Shreveport radio station he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk. But he wants the Legislature to make the budget cuts to keep it in balance. Tuesday, the Senate debates what has suddenly become the hottest bill of the session, Senate Bill 87, which would lower the income tax brackets to the levels before they were increased by the Stelly tax swap plan of 2002. The potentially severe fiscal impact of the bill caused the Jindal administration to oppose it in the Revenue & Fiscal Affairs Committee on Monday. That stand caused Jindal to be blistered on conservative talk radio, where reversing the increases from the Stelly plan has been a cause celebre since it was enacted.

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

LSU audits self over community engagement

LSU vice chancellor and provost Astrid Merget wants to know how much the university's faculty, staff and students are involved with the community. To find out, her office is conducting a campus-wide audit by e-mail. It's an attempt to gauge the ways LSU interfaces with the surrounding community, whether it's personal, professional, involving student life or academic programs, Merget says. The information will be used on LSU's application to the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a new category created for colleges and universities. There are no direct financial rewards for LSU in attaining the classification, but it looks good. "It's a recruitment tool," says Jan Shoemaker, director of the LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning and Leadership. "It provides additional prestige for the university. Also it speaks to the community about how we are fulfilling our mission as a land grant institution."--Steve Clark

Editor: Talking openly about race

Race relations are one of the biggest problems in the Capital Region, and one of the problems is the conversations frequently occur in private settings between groups of the same color, says Business Report Executive Editor JR Ball. "There is, thankfully, at least one group in town working to drag the topic of race out of the closet," Ball says. "The YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge has been hosting dialogues on race for more than 30 years." Ball recently participated in a YWCA Dialogue on Race program and says it's a good start toward really creating One Baton Rouge. Read his column here. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com.

State has highest per capita firearm death rate

Louisiana leads the nation in the rate of gun deaths, with a little more than 19 people per 100,000 being killed, according to a report by the handgun-control Violence Policy Center. The report is based on data from the U.S. Centers from Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana was far ahead of Alaska, which had 17.5 gun deaths per 100,000. Hawaii had the lowest rate of firearm deaths at 2.20 per 100,000.

Last day for Influential Women in Business nominations

Nominations for Business Report's annual salute to Influential Women in Business will close at 5 p.m. today. The awards go to women business owners or managers who are making a noticeable difference in the Capital Region. Winners will be spotlighted in the June 3 issue of Business Report. All nominations must be made here.

Poll: Guilty is the verdict for the state's legal system

Daily Report readers say Louisiana's legal climate deserves a guilty verdict. Sixty-seven percent of the people who responded to an online survey handed down the toughest grade, while 15% gave the local legal system a hung jury. Six percent thought the system was innocent and 12% delivered a mistrial. More than 900 people participated in the survey. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report Wednesday saying that Louisiana had the nation's second-worst legal system.

Today's question: Do you plan on watching Gov. Bobby Jindal's appearance Monday on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno?

News roundup: No holding these Tigerettes; Lafayette named top innovation market; Cox honored for diversity

Eye on the Tigerettes: The Philadelphia Inquirer has an article that profiles the Baton Rouge-based Tigerettes, the top senior women's three-on-three basketball team in the country. The team, which is made up of Mavis Albin, Mary Bendsen, Wendy Blailock, Loretta Hill, Nikki Leader and Kitty Sparacello, has won five National Senior Olympics gold medals. They're going to compete in an international senior basketball tournament this weekend in Delaware. "Age is only a number. I give God a lot of credit for what we're able to do" says Hill, 68. "We're all healthy right now." Read the story here. High marks for the Hub City: Lafayette has been named as one of the "10 Great Innovation Markets in the South" by Southern Business and Development Magazine. The magazine credits Lafayette's ranking to innovative projects such as the Fiber Initiative, Louisiana Optical Network Initiative and LITE. Other cities making the list include Austin, Texas; Raleigh/Cary/Durham, N.C.; and Orlando, Fla. Communications company honored for inclusive workplace: Cox Communications finished sixth on DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity List. This is the third year in a row Cox made the list. DiversityInc notes that minorities comprise 27% of Cox's senior management, and the company has full benefits for gay and lesbian employees. Read the profile of Cox here.

Correction

Bob Breaux, the chief operating officer for the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations, has been named interim CEO as of May 1. He is serving in a temporary capacity after the departure of Melissa Flournoy, who announced last month she was leaving to become head of the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute.