Today's Headlines / Thu, May 01, 2008
BREC officials to meet with Central stakeholders
BREC officials will meet with stakeholders from the Central area Tuesday in an effort to avoid the possibility of Central leaving BREC's taxing authority and forming its own recreation district. House Bill 792, by Rep. Bodi White, R-Central, which would allow the fledgling city to do just that, has been temporarily shelved by the House Municipal, Parochial and Governmental Affairs committee to allow BREC to come up with some sort of timeline for recreation improvements in Central. White argues BREC has neglected Central's needs since at least 1975, while BREC says it's moving as fast as it can in trying to build new parks but has had trouble acquiring land. “They need to tell us what their expectations are,” says Bill Palmer, BREC's superintendent. The public meeting will be held at 7 a.m. in the conference room at BREC headquarters on Florida Boulevard. For a previous Daily Report story about the BREC/Central split, click here.--David Jacobs
B.R. among nation's worst for ozone
Baton Rouge was ranked 10th on a list of cities that have the most ozone pollution. The American Lung Association State of the Air Report found that the Capital Region had an average of 10.8 unhealthy ozone days per year from 2004 to 2006, down from the 13.5 unhealthy days experienced from 2003 to 2005. Ozone or smog, which is formed when sunlight reacts with vehicle and plant emissions, irritates the respiratory tract and can cause asthma attacks, coughing, wheezing, chest pain and even death. Los Angeles was rated as the worst city for ozone, the worst city for year-round particle pollution and the second-worst city for short-term particle pollution.
Lamar CEO gets 14% more compensation in 2007
Kevin Reilly Jr., the head of Lamar Advertising, received 14% more in compensation in 2007 than in the previous year, according to a regulatory filing. Reilly, the chairman and CEO for the Baton Rouge-based outdoor advertising company, received just under $4.3 million in 2007, up from $3.7 million in 2006, according to an Associated Press analysis of the company's proxy filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Reilly received a $700,000 salary in 2007 and 2006. His incentive pay dropped to $500,000 in 2007 from $700,000, the previous year, but his stock and options awards increased to $2.8 million from $2.2 million. Lamar's annual SEC filing said Reilly received $214,645 in other compensation and perquisites in 2007, up from $156,166 in 2006.
Poll: Cazayoux leads Jenkins in Sixth District race
State Rep. Don Cazayoux has a lead over former Rep. Woody Jenkins in the 6th Congressional District race, set for Saturday. A SurveyUSA poll that ran in today's Roll Call showed Cazyoux, a Democrat, with 50% support, while Jenkins, a Republican, was favored by 41% of the respondents. Three independents candidates are also running: Ashley Casey of Baton Rouge, Peter J. Aranyosi of Hammond and Randall T. Hayes of Winnfield.
Louisiana tops auto insurance list
A survey of auto insurance quotes found that it cost more to insure a car in Louisiana than any other state—twice as much as in Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio. The Insurance.com report says the average quote for annual coverage in Louisiana was $2,674, well ahead of Washington, D.C., which was $2,515, and New Jersey, which was $2,499. Wisconsin was the cheapest, at $1,237. Additionally, Insurance.com says coverage rates went up 1.05% from 2006 to 2007—and continue to increase into 2009.
LSU’s black graduation rate lags slightly behind white
LSU is like the vast majority of four-year U.S. colleges and universities in that a gap exists between graduation rates for white and black students. LSU isn't the best, but it's far from the worst. According to a study by Education Sector, a Washington, D.C.-based research group, reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education, LSU in 2006 graduated 8% fewer of its black students than its graduation rate for white students. Nationally, the six-year graduation rate for black students at four-year colleges is about 20% lower than that for white students, according to the report, which says colleges already know how to close the gap but many have failed to take the necessary steps. The report singles out Florida State University as a "success story" in increasing its black graduation rate. FSU in 2006 graduated 3% more of its students who are black compared to students who are white, says the report. Jim McCoy, vice provost of enrollment at LSU, says that report's conclusion that colleges aren't doing enough to close the gap doesn't apply to LSU. He says the university works hard to improve graduation rates among all students, black and white. Among those efforts is a revamp of LSU's "first year experience" program. McCoy says LSU would prefer to have have no gap between graduation rates.--Steve Clark
Mahoney named product development executive for BRAC
Meg Mahoney has been promoted to senior vice president of product development for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and will be in charge of the organization's public policy and research efforts. Mahoney has been with BRAC since July 2006, serving as the organization's director of technology, entrepreneurship and small business.
News roundup: Home Depot to close Opelousas store; Louisiana Hispanic population increases by 6.5%
First time for closing: Home Depot says it will close 15 underperforming stores, including its Opelousas location—the first time the chain has closed stores because of sales. The other stores targeted for closings are in the Midwest and Northeast; plans are to shutter the locations within two months. Home Depot, which has more than 2,250 stores in North America and China, has projected a 4% to 5% sales drop this fiscal year. State ranks 10th for Latino growth: Louisiana's Hispanic population increased by 6.5% in 2007, according to a new report by the Brookings Institution. The report, based on an analysis of Census data, showed that nine of the 10 states that saw the biggest surges in Hispanic population were in the South. South Carolina had an 8.7% increase in the number of Latinos to lead the list, while Tennessee had 8.1% growth and North Carolina was up by 7.8%.
