Monsour named head of redevelopment authority

Walter Monsour, the former city-parish chief administrative officer, has been named president and CEO of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority. Monsour, who stepped down last month as Mayor Kip Holden's right-hand man, was named as the first head of the redevelopment authority this morning. There had been speculation that Monsour would get the job. His compensation will total $365,000 a year, including benefits. The redevelopment authority, which was formed last year, is charged with getting vacant or blighted properties back into use and revitalizing downtrodden neighborhoods. For a recent Business Report cover story on efforts to revitalize Old South Baton Rouge, click here.

Foreclosure program could target EBR

The Louisiana Housing Finance Agency has been charged with divvying up $36 million to address foreclosures across the state, and it’s possible that special attention will be directed toward Baton Rouge. The cash was made possible through HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, whose guidelines call for at least $2.3 million to go to New Orleans. Mayor Kip Holden has reportedly requested the same amount for Baton Rouge.

According to a preliminary action plan provided to Daily Report by the state housing agency, Holden might get what he wants, or even more. The greatest needs as determined by the agency exist primarily in northwestern Louisiana and in the metro areas of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. But outside of the Shreveport area, Baton Rouge has among the neediest properties. A handful of local neighborhoods are targeted with foreclosure risks, including communities off of Scenic Highway, Harding Boulevard, North Foster Drive and Highland Road.

In addition to foreclosures, the money can also be used to address instances of abandonment and blight. HUD has already outlined acceptable uses for the funds, but the LHFA will take the next few weeks to finish drawing up applications and streamlining the process. The housing agency’s board along with the state Office of Community Development will judge all applications. Scoring criteria is expected to be released later this month. For the full version of this story, click here.—Jeremy Alford

Louisiana banks receive $435 million in TARP funds

A Wall Street Journal report found that four Louisiana banks are in line to get $435 million from the U.S. Treasury as part of the government investment plan. Whitney National Bank of New Orleans has received the biggest share of the TARP funds, with $301 million. Lafayette-based IberiaBank has collected $90 million, Community Trust Financial Corporation of Ruston got $24 million and MidSouth Bank of Lafayette received a $20 million investment. The Louisiana total could grow. Liberty Bank of New Orleans announced last week it is seeking an undisclosed amount of TARP funds. See a state-by-state breakdown of where the bailout cash went here.

National new jobless claims rise more than expected

The number of new claims for jobless benefits jumped more than expected last week, as companies continue to cut jobs at a furious pace. The Labor Department reports today that initial jobless benefit claims rose to a seasonally adjusted 589,000 in the week ending Jan. 17, from an upwardly revised figure of 527,000 the previous week. The latest tally was well above Wall Street economists' expectations of 540,000 new claims. The total matches a 26-year high reached four weeks ago. The last time claims were higher was in November 1982, when the economy was emerging from a steep recession, though the work force has grown by about half since then. The increase is partly due to a backlog of claims that piled up in recent weeks in several states that experienced computer crashes due to a crush of applications, a Labor Department analyst said.

'Benjamin Button' leads Oscar nominations

The romantic fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was filmed in New Orleans, led Academy Awards contenders today with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson and a directing slot for David Fincher. Other best-picture nominees are Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader. Slumdog Millionaire lived up to its rags-to-riches theme, coming in second with 10 nominations, including a directing spot for Danny Boyle and two of the three song slots. For a full list of nominees, click here. The Oscars ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 22.

Friday last day to take BRAC survey

A survey assessing the economic outlook of the Capital Region for 2009 and beyond is due by Friday. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber and Business Report are conducting the poll of local business executives and industry experts. The survey should take about 5 to 7 minutes to complete. A summary of responses will be made public in a joint news release and in the pages of Business Report in a few weeks. To participate in the survey, click here.

Poll: Readers split on Obama

Forty percent of respondents to a Daily Report survey say they are more optimistic now that Barack Obama is president. Thirty-two percent say they have the same level as optimism and 28% are less optimistic. More than 1,700 people participated in the survey. An Associated Press-Knowledge Networks survey released Wednesday found that by a 3-1 margin, people feel more optimistic about the country's future now that Obama has been inaugurated.

Today's question: Have you cut back on retail spending in recent months?

News roundup: New Web site established for state taxes ... Louisiana ranked as No. 2 pro-life state ... DDD officers named

File online: Louisiana taxpayers can file their forms electronically at a new Web site. Louisiana File Online is available at the Web site of the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Individuals can use the site to file their returns online, and make payments for 2008 and for prior years back to 2004. To use the site, click here.

Abortion, cloning stance play in to ranking: Louisiana has been ranked as the nation's No. 2 pro-life state by a national anti-abortion group. Americans United for Life says the state got the high ranking because of its comprehensive abortion laws and bans on fetal experimentation and publicly funded cloning. Pennsylvania was ranked as the most pro-life state, while California was ranked as the least. See the state-by-state breakdowns here.

Downtown leaders: Van Mayhall Jr. has been elected as this year's president of the Downtown Development District Commission. Other DDD officers are Cheri Ausberry, vice chairwoman; Christine Nichols, treasurer; and Norman Chenevert, secretary.