Holden’s attorney vows to get tough on smear letter’s author

Mayor Kip Holden has retained no-nonsense attorney Mary Olive Pierson to investigate an election year smear letter sent to thousands of people in the parish accusing the mayor and a local woman of infidelity. The letter could lead to a defamation suit by both the mayor and the woman the letter alleges was his mistress. “The people behind this, they don’t mind blabbering about it. And I’ve got investigators working on the file,” Pierson says. “These people are about as dumb as a box of rocks.” To read the full story, click here.—Rebecca Breeden

Census data says I-10/I-12 corridor becoming more diverse

Parishes along the Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 corridor from Lake Charles to Slidell are becoming much more ethnically diverse, according to U.S. Census data made public today. East Baton Rouge Parish has lost an estimated 5% of its white population since the 2000 Census, but the black population has grown 17% and the Asian population 26%. Ethnic shifts were most dramatic in Livingston and St. Tammany parishes. Although Livingston’s white population is up 24% since the 2000 Census, its black population climbed 75% and the Asian population more than tripled. Overall, however, blacks account for less than 6% of the total population, and Asians not quite 1%. St. Tammany’s black population has grown 45% and Asian 96%. Blacks now constitute 13% of the total population and Asians 2%. And in Ascension Parish, an estimated 21,765 blacks now call it home, up 38% from 2000. The Asian population now stands at 947, more than double what it was in 2000. It will be a few more years before we know whether these changes are permanent, says demographer and political analyst Elliott Stonecipher. The numbers reflect estimates only through July 1, 2007. Still unknown is the plight of the black middle class displaced by Hurricane Katrina—awaiting housing in the New Orleans region—and Latino workers drawn by the construction boom. “It’s logical to assume we’re going to see an even bigger wave of changes in next year’s data,” Stonecipher says. “A ton of Road Home money has landed since the time period these estimates reflect, and I think we’re going to see things settle out.”—Penny Brown

Auditor's lawsuit claims improper payments to Levine

Today's Miami Herald reports on a lawsuit by the former director of the North Broward (Fla.) Hospital District's internal audit division claiming he was fired for investigating "questionable payments" to Alan Levine, formerly the hospital district's CEO and president and now Louisiana's secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals. A member of the district's board of commissioners calls the claims of former audit director David Richstone "ridiculous," insisting Richstone's July 23 termination "had everything to do with lack of performance." Levine says he's been running hospitals for 20 years and expects to be audited regularly, though no audit was done on his expenses until after he left the Florida job

"What I found kind of shocking—and I found this out when they sent me the audit about two months ago—not only had they not audited me or any of my expense reports the entire time I was there, they hadn't audited any CEOs in the last 10 years," he says. Levine adds that in a handful of cases he was reimbursed for minor items he should not have been—which would have been caught had the audit department been doing its job. "It upsets me, quite frankly," continues Levine. "Because when you work for an organization you rely on a system of checks and balances. I never once signed an expense report. I was never asked for any reimbursements to me or authorized any reimbursements to me. Probably they need to do an outside review of their internal audit functions. It's a very flawed process. I'm very comfortable that I followed all the rules and procedures." Levine says he's doesn't think Richstone was fired for investigating reimbursements, but for other reasons. Read the full article here.—Steve Clark

Personal incomes rise by 6% in Baton Rouge

Personal incomes in Baton Rouge went up by 6% during 2007, a smaller increase than what was recorded in other south Louisiana metro regions. Per capita personal income locally were $33,318 in 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The parts of the state that saw the biggest increases are either centers for the offshore oil and gas industry or places where residents were getting federal payments for hurricane rebuilding. Incomes went up by 14.9% in New Orleans, 10.8% in Houma-Thibodaux, 10.7% in Lake Charles and 7.6% in Lafayette. Incomes increased by 4.9% in Shreveport-Bossier City, 4.5% in Alexandria and 3.7% in Monroe. Nationally, personal incomes rose by 6.2% in 2007. For a copy of the full report, click here.

Central TND accepting lot selections

The Village at Magnolia Square, a TND under construction in Central, has started accepting reservations on lots. After less than a week, builders have reserved 26 lots and individual homeowners have claimed nine pieces of property, says Jimmy Nunnally, who is developing The Village at Magnolia Square along with Steele Pollard. The first phase will consist of 79 lots, with houses selling for between $225,000 and $1 million. Nunnally says the first phase of construction has reached the midpoint, and streets should start going in next week. Retail and home construction should begin in late spring-early summer 2009. The Village at Magnolia Square will eventually include 510 residences, along with boutiques, restaurants, parks and a grocery store.

Analysts say TLC deal paying off big for Amedisys

Amedisys announced last week that its second-quarter earnings were up 36.6%, thanks to the recent buyout of TLC Health Care Services. The $395 million deal gave Amedisys a presence in Washington, D.C., and five states, including California, New York and Massachusetts. Investor's Business Daily says the integration of TLC into Baton Rouge-based Amedisys is running ahead of schedule. One analyst told the newspaper he expects Amedisys to continue to grow at a rapid clip. "The home health business is very well positioned," says Derrick Dagnan of Avondale Partners.

H&E says earnings increase, but lowers forecast

H&E Equipment Services posted better-than-expected quarterly results, but lowered its full-year outlook and said it would reduce its fleet of construction equipment because of a potential slowdown in nonresidential building. During the second quarter, the Baton Rouge-based sales and rental company says it earned $16.1 million, or 45 cents a share, compared with $15.2 million, or 40 cents a share, a year ago. The company says it sees rental-rate pressures in its softer markets and the rate pressures are beginning to affect other markets as well. For the full year, the company expects earnings of $1.57 to $1.71 a share, compared with its prior view of $1.74 to $1.99 a share. It anticipates revenue of $1.09 billion to $1.11 billion, down from its earlier estimate of $1.13 billion to $1.16 billion.

Louisiana ranks low for taxes

Louisiana ranks 42nd in a report on tax burdens by state, with residents paying 8.4% of their income in state and local taxes. The Tax Foundation report says that's below the national average state and local tax burden of 9.7% Louisiana dropped a spot on the annual report because income grew faster than tax collections. Last year, residents paid 8.7% of their income to local taxes. New Jersey residents paid the most, with 11.8% of their income going to state taxes, while Alaska had the lightest tax bill at 6.4%.

Venture capital forum looking for business plans

Emerging companies looking for a cash infusion can submit business plans for the Louisiana Purchase Venture Capital Forum starting today. Selected businesses will get the chance to make their pitch to potential investors Oct. 21-22 at LSU's Lod and Carol Cook Conference Center. Business plans should be sent to submissions@la-purchase.com by Sept. 5. Companies must be headquartered in Louisiana, or at least have a significant operating presence in the state. Target sectors include: biotechnology, information technology, telecommunications, environmental technology, agriculture and food technology, manufacturing and materials, and industrial and energy. More information is available at www.la-purchase.com.

News roundup: Port Allen refinery marks construction milestone; Pinnacle reveals theme for delayed Atlantic City casino; Louisiana ranks near middle for closing costs

Placid puts reactor in place: A 230-ton fluid catalytic cracking reactor was installed at Placid's Port Allen refinery earlier this week, a major milestone in the plant's $300 million expansion. The refinery expansion will be completed in 2010, the move will boost output from 1 million gallons of gasoline a day to 1.5 million gallons and from 750,000 gallons of diesel a day to 1 million gallons. Company says resort might not be built: Pinnacle Entertainment says a new mega-casino it plans to build in Atlantic City will have a beach house theme. The Las Vegas-based company plans to hold onto its land on and near the Boardwalk area of Atlantic City until credit markets improve and it can build its mega-casino project, says chairman Dan Lee. The as-yet unnamed $1.5 billion to $2 billion project on the site of the former Sands Casino Hotel has been on hold since February, and the company has floated the possibility of not building it at all if credit markets don't improve within the next year or two. Pinnacle also plans to build a casino resort on River Road and a second casino in Lake Charles. Below the national average: A report on closing costs in all 50 states and major residential markets found that Louisiana was ranked 32nd. According to the Bankrate.com closing cost study, the average fee on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage for a borrower buying a $200,000 home was $3,042. The national average was $3,118. North Carolina had the lowest costs at $2,650, while the cost associated with buying a home in New York was $4,016. Bankrate said the cost of getting a mortgage went up 14% over 2007 despite the soft housing market found in many parts of the U.S.