Bill filed to create recreation district for Central

State Rep. Mack "Bodi" White has filed a bill for the March 31 regular session that would remove Central from BREC’s taxing authority and create a new recreation district for the city. The issues surrounding House Bill 792 will be discussed at the regular monthly meeting of the BREC commission at 5 p.m. Thursday. White says Central has outgrown its current facilities, while BREC hasn’t done a major expansion since the 1970s, a couple of new softball fields notwithstanding. He says BREC has promised significant improvements year after year but hasn’t followed through, and a local recreation district could better utilize the $1.1 million Central contributes to BREC annually.

BREC spokeswoman Kristi Barnett Williams says White’s bill would open up legal issues and potentially cost money that could otherwise be spent on programs and land acquisition for Central. She says BREC collects about $1 million a year from Central, and spends about the same amount on existing parks. Williams says BREC has been trying to acquire more land from Central, but since 2005’s hurricanes, the asking prices for land have tended to be higher than the appraisal prices. By law, BREC can’t pay more than the appraisal price. However, Thursday's agenda includes the possible purchase of 33 acres in Central for its community park; the appraisal price of the land is $525,000, and Williams says the estimated construction budget for the park is $1.825 million. She says BREC is also working on acquiring land for a separate sports park in Central.

“We feel like we’re not getting our fair share from BREC,” Central Mayor Shelton “Mac” Watts says. He says Central’s citizens are disgruntled with the community’s “subpar” facilities. Watts says he hopes the issues could be resolved without a court fight.-- David Jacobs

Louisiana leads nation in per capita income growth

Louisiana’s per capita income grew by 9.2%—or $2,935—in 2007 to rank first nationally, according to a report issued today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The report says much of the gain comes from Road Home subsidies, which averaged nearly $1,250 per Louisiana resident. New York was the second fastest-growing state at 7.6%, followed by Mississippi at 6.7%, Connecticut at 6.6% and North Dakota at 6.4%. Arizona and Tennessee tied for the lowest per capita growth at 3.4%, followed by Delaware, Nevada and Michigan at 3.8% and Colorado at 3.9%. U.S. personal income rose by 6.2% last year, down from the 6.7% growth recorded in 2006. Nationally, professional services, health care, state and local government, and finance contributed the most to personal income growth in both 2006 and 2007. The construction industry contributed almost nothing in 2007 after contributing nearly a half percentage point to growth in each year from 2004-06. Real estate earnings declined 2.0% in 2007, the only industry to register a decline nationally. But because real estate is relatively small, it reduced personal income growth by less than one-tenth of a percentage point. To see the full report, click here.

Louisiana jumps four spots in livable state rankings

Louisiana leapfrogged four places to No. 45 in the annual ranking of the most livable states, based on factors such as household income, crime rate and the number of sunny days. The list is published by CQ Press, the reference publishing division of Congressional Quarterly. Louisiana finished 49th last year, ahead of only Mississippi. This year, the Magnolia State ranked last for the ninth time in 10 years. South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas ranked behind Louisiana. New Hampshire topped the list, followed by Utah. To see the full list, click here.

New home sales activity reaches 13-year low

Sales of new homes fell in February for the fourth consecutive month, pushing activity down to a 13-year low as the steep slump in housing continued. The Commerce Department reported this morning that new home sales dropped 1.8% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 590,000 units, the slowest sales pace since February 1995. The median price of a home sold last month dropped to $244,100, down 2.7% from the level of a year ago. The number of unsold homes on the market at the end of the month represented a 9.8-month supply at the February sales pace, the same as in January. That was the highest inventory in more than 26 years.

Business Report publisher endorses Calongne, Jackson for Congress

Voters in the Republican and Democratic 6th Congressional District primaries have tough choices to make, Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister says. But he says Republican Laurinda Calongne and Democrat Michael Jackson are the ones who would do the best job of representing the district. Early voting will go on all this week and end Saturday. The elections will be held April 5. Also: Street gets to work as inspector general; Tulane legislative scholarships should be eliminated; and the School Board wins the tax battle, but the war to capture the hearts of citizens goes on. Read the column here. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com.

Lawmaker advocates card-carrying immigrants

Unauthorized immigrants would be allowed to work in certain Louisiana industries if they obtain a special biometric card that contains their personal medical information and other data, according to proposed legislation for the approaching regular session. Such identification cards, which can hold everything from fingerprints and photos to any range of digital documentation, are nothing new to the debate over illegal immigration. Congress has considered a wide adoption of the credit card-sized IDs, and Great Britain will require them of U.S. students later this year. Rep. Joe Harrison, a Republican from Napoleonville, says he drafted legislation for a Louisiana program after seeing similar efforts in Pennsylvania and Colorado.

Harrison says the Louisiana program needs to be created as a roadblock to new and reemerging diseases that have been credited with the flow of illegal immigrants. “I’m trying to protect the sovereignty of the state. Immigration laws are set up to protect the citizenry, and that is being bypassed,” he says. “We’ve already experienced a resurgence of tuberculosis from South America, and it has been a tremendous drain on our resources and medical community. This proposed system would do a screening for diseases.” Harrison, who says he is still gathering support information for his House Bill 1097, adds the screening process would seek out other information as well so that “employers can feel confident about who they bring on and not have to worry about any fines.”

While the state has yet to issue a fiscal note for the bill, meaning an actual cost analysis, Harrison says he is considering passing some of the expenses on to the individual or employer. He says it would the move would be justified since the electronically read cards would reveal immigration status, where the cardholder is allowed to work and how long they can stay in the U.S. Under his legislation, an unauthorized immigrant would be able to work in the “planting and harvesting of agricultural, forestry or horticultural products; in the production or gathering of livestock, dairy, or poultry products; in the field of animal husbandry; or in the care, feeding, and training of horses” if they obtain a biometric card.

The state Department of Labor would be charged with creating the program, and its guidelines. Harrison’s bill has been assigned to the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.--Jeremy Alford

Business owners express frustration over Perkins project

The Perkins Road widening project has led to traffic delays and heavy congestion in one of Baton Rouge's fastest growing commercial and residential areas. Business owners along the three-mile stretch from Essen to Siegen lanes are hoping the project can finish soon; some argue project delays are hurting business as potential customers are prevented from getting through or bypass the area altogether. The bad news is the $27 million project has just reached its midpoint, and the roadwork isn't set to end until January 2010. To read the Business Report story on the project, click here. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com.

Blues Festival returning after long absence

The Baton Rouge Blues Festival will return April 26 after a 15-year hiatus. A news conference will be held Thursday to discuss details of the event, which will be held in Repentance Park between the Old State Capitol and the Baton Rouge RiverCenter. The festival will be a free, daylong event featuring performances from a number of local and regional artists, including Kenny Neal, Lazy Lester and Tab Benoit. The festival caps off Baton Rouge Blues Week, which starts April 19 with the 2008 Slim Harpo Awards. Concerts and events will be held at a variety of locations, from Teddy's Juke Joint to the Manship Theatre. For more information, visit the Blues Festival Web site.

Louisiana marks Tax Freedom Day on April 13

After April 13, Louisiana residents will no longer be working to pay off their annual tax burden, reports the Tax Foundation. The foundation released its annual report today, marking when various states and the country will see Tax Freedom Day. While the national average is April 23—three days earlier than last year—Louisiana residents stop paying taxes earlier because so many residents fall in the lowest income tax bracket, reports the foundation. Alaska residents mark the day Saturday, while Connecticut, which has high state taxes and a wealthy population, reaches the day May 8. Click here for the report.

LSU’s tipoff time set in New Orleans Regional

The No. 2 seed LSU women’s basketball team (29-5) will play No. 3 seed Oklahoma State (27-7) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the NCAA regional semifinals. That game serves as the nightcap to the contests between No. 1 seed North Carolina (32-2) and No. 4 seed Louisville (26-9) at 11 a.m. in New Orleans Arena. Both games will be broadcast by ESPN, and LSU’s game also will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network (107.3 FM in Baton Rouge). Saturday’s winners meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday for a berth in the Women’s Final Four in Tampa, Fla.

Poll: Most disagree with Census figures

Daily Report readers aren't sure about U.S. Census figures that show the Capital Region population has decreased. Fifty-seven percent of the people who responded to an online survey say they don't agree with the numbers, while 25% say there has been a decrease. Eighteen percent say they aren't sure. Nearly 1,550 people participated in the survey. According to the report released late last week, more than 15,000 people left the Capital Region last year.

Today's question: According to a report issued today, Louisiana’s per capita income growth in 2007 ranks first nationally. Has your personal income increased in the past year?

News roundup: Jenkins receives endorsement; weak dollar expected to help hotel industry; Pennington study finds personal contact helps keep weight off

Backed by Grimmer: Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer says he is supporting former state Rep. Woody Jenkins in the Republican runoff election for the open 6th Congressional District seat. Grimmer, a Democrat who backed Paul Sawyer in the Republican primary earlier this month, says he supports Jenkins because of his legislative experience, integrity and commitment to help Livingston meet its infrastructure needs. Jenkins faces Laurinda Calongne in the April 5 election. Foreign visitors the key: The weak U.S. dollar is expected to help the hotel industry this year as more foreign tourists visit the country and spend more money on lodging, according to an industry report. Ernst & Young says the number of international visitors has increased for 18 consecutive months and the amount of money they spent went up by 11% during the first 11 months of 2007, to $111.6 billion. The economic slump is also expected to confine Americans' vacation plans within the 50 states. Better than the Internet: A study conducted by Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that personal contact with a trained weight-loss counselor was more effective in keeping pounds off than help from an Internet support group. The Los Angeles Times says the study, which was led by Duke University Medical Center, found that 30 months after an initial weight gain, patients who were getting monthly phone calls and regular in-person visits kept more weight off, when compared with patients who had unlimited access to a Web site.