Celtic Group's O'Connor dies

Brendan O'Connor, chairman of the board and CEO of the Celtic Group, died Thursday evening, an employee of the company confirmed this morning. O’Connor was 64. No other details were available. O'Connor, a native of Ireland, was the man behind the Celtic Media Centre, Louisiana's first full-service movie production studio, a project he started in 2006, taking advantage of the state's entertainment industry tax credits. Earlier this month, Celtic added a fifth building to its production complex just south of Interstate 12 and just west of Airline Highway. Mayor Kip Holden says he became close with O'Connor while he worked to build up the Celtic Media Centre. "We have virtually been working with them hand in hand," he says. "Those studios have a lot to offer the movie industry." To read a 2006 Business Report cover profile of O'Connor, click here.

Holden urges support for local auto dealers

In the wake of 10 consecutive months of declining local auto sales, Mayor Kip Holden is asking East Baton Rouge residents to support local car and truck dealers. People who are in the market to buy a vehicle should look at local dealers, he says. "There are a lot of incentives being offered, so you could end up saving money," Holden says. The 38 auto dealers in the parish, Holden says, are major employers along with being a source of tax revenues. "If we want to continue to have this healthy job outlook in Baton Rouge, we need to stay ahead of the curve," he says. "We've been watching some slippage in the amount of auto sales tax revenues coming in." Parishwide vehicle sales tax collections are down 12.4% through November 2008, when compared with the first 11 months of 2007.—Timothy Boone

Work to start on Highland Road project

Officials will break ground at 10:30 a.m. Monday on Highland Road improvements, the 10th Green Light project. Highland will be converted from a two-lane road to a four-lane boulevard with a raised median from Perkins Road to Airline Highway, including new bridge crossings at Ward's Creek and Old Ward's Creek and a new railway crossing. The project is estimated to cost $14.9 million and should be completed by the end of 2010. Two Green Light projects have been completed: Burbank Drive and Veterans Memorial Boulevard. For a Business Report cover story about the Green Light plan, click here.

LaPolitics by John Maginnis: State in line for highway money

The $825 billion congressional stimulus bill that cleared the Appropriations Committee includes $471 million for Louisiana transportation projects and $57 million for local transit systems. Highway contractors, however, are dissatisfied. "It's a major disappointment," Associated General Contractors lobbyist Derrell Cohoon said. "They were saying this should be a jobs creation bill. It's not what we expected. There's all kind of stuff in that bill." The House is pushing to get a bill on the president's desk by mid-February, though the Senate version of the package of tax breaks and spending is still in committee.

—A major battle is brewing between the state Department of Education and local school boards. State Superintendent Paul Pastorek is asking the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to push bills in the next legislative session to put term limits on local school board members and to abolish their salaries. Pastorek also wants to give more power to local superintendents, and less to school boards, on hiring and firing and procurement decisions. Leaders of the school boards' state organization say they will resist Pastorek's initiative, which they see as an attempt to drive a wedge between superintendents and local boards.

—The Medicaid funding match bill, still in committee, contains two provisions that could pump more federal money into Louisiana's program. One would keep the federal match at 32% for the coming year, when it was scheduled to be lowered to 28% because of an increase in personal income. The difference would be more than $200 million, according to state health officials. A separate provision would raise the federal match for all states by 4.8 percentage points. The combination of the provisions could add more than $400 million in federal funds to revenue projections for the next fiscal year, at a time when legislators are looking at a $2 billion shortfall. Congressman Charlie Melancon, however, cautions that one of those provisions could be dropped from the final measure. "By the middle of next week, we will have a better idea," he says of the fast-moving bill.

(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)

Obama urges bipartisan help on stimulus bill

President Barack Obama says he realizes that some Republican lawmakers dislike portions of his massive new stimulus package, but the economic crisis demands that Congress act soon. Obama told congressional leaders at the White House today that he recognizes differences between the administration and members of Congress about "particular details" of the plan. But he said they are unified by "a recognition that we are experiencing an unprecedented, perhaps, economic crisis." Obama spoke at the start of a meeting in the Roosevelt Room with top Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress.

Poll: Most have cut back on spending

Sixty percent of respondents to a Daily Report survey say they have recently cut back on retail spending. Twenty-five percent say they are spending the same as usual and 15% say they're still spending, but buying less expensive items. Nearly 1,300 people participated in the survey.

Today's question: Should salaries for Louisiana school board members be abolished and term limits enacted?

News roundup: Calvin Klein, Izod, Van Heusen owner closing stores ... Average Super Bowl party costs revealed

Well known fashion brands take a tumble: Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., which owns the Calvin Klein, Izod and Van Heusen clothing brands, says it will close 175 stores and lay off 400 employees due to the recession. About 250 of the layoffs will come from the company's salaried division, reducing that unit's work force by about 10%. The remaining 150 layoffs will come from the neckwear manufacturing division. The company will also stop domestic production of machine-made neckwear, reduce its warehouse capacity and cut travel, marketing and administrative expenses.

Good times for the big game: A survey found that the average Super Bowl party will cost $172, but people in New York plan to spend more money on the event. A Visa survey of 1,000 people found that 62% plan to invite family and friends over to watch the game. The Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will play Feb. 1 in Super Bowl XLIII at Tampa, Fla.