Spanish Town project to be 67 units, developer says

Developer David Slaughter says Capitol Lofts, the controversial apartment building planned for the north side of Spanish Town next to Arsenal Park, will include 67 units, including 18 one-bedrooms, 40 two-bedrooms, and nine three-bedrooms, and will be four stories. A new rendering of the project should be available Thursday, Slaughter says. Capitol Lofts will contain enough parking spots for the residents, he says. Spanish Town is designated as a historic district, and Slaughter will need a certificate of appropriateness from the city-parish Historic Preservation Commission before getting a building permit. If denied, he can appeal to the Metro Council. He's set to go before the historic commission in August. Originally, Slaughter proposed a six-story, 115-unit development, which would have required a zoning change to A5 that was staunchly opposed by the neighborhood civic association. Slaughter says the new version can be built within the current A4 zoning.—David Jacobs

Mockler teams up to buy N.O. beer distributor

Mockler Beverage has joined with a Madisonville company to buy Southern Eagle Sales & Service, which distributes beer in metro New Orleans. Terms of the deal between Mockler, Southern Eagle and Champagne Beverage were not disclosed. Southern Eagle is the primary distributor of Anheuser-Busch products, such as Budweiser and Bud Light in the Crescent City, along with beverages from smaller breweries, such as Lazy Magnolia. Mockler distributes the same beers in metro Baton Rouge, and Champagne has the Northshore territory. "It's exciting for us," Tim Mockler says. "New Orleans may not swing the hammer it once did, but clearly it’s a key part of our state, and everyone wants good things to happen for the city." Mockler and Champagne are also Anheuser-Busch distributors, so the transition is seamless. Southern Eagle will remain a freestanding operation, with its 240 employees retaining their jobs. Mockler says they're looking at adding workers and warehouse space to Southern Eagle.—Timothy Boone

Jindal starts economic development tour

Gov. Bobby Jindal will launch the "Louisiana Working Tour" today during a noon speech before the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge. Jindal plans to visit every parish over the next several months, stressing the importance of job creation and economic development to Louisiana. In recent weeks, his office has made several big economic development announcements, including the SNF chemical plant in Plaquemine, the V-Vehicle automobile manufacturing plant near Monroe and the Global Air Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base.

IEM gets Alabama emergency contract

IEM has signed a contract with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency to conduct a series of statewide disaster preparedness workshops. The value of the contract was not disclosed. IEM will hold workshops dealing with emergencies such as hurricanes, winter storms and weapons of mass destruction across Alabama. Baton Rouge-based IEM has worked on a variety of projects in Alabama for more than a decade and has an office in Anniston, Ala.

Foreclosure, delinquency rates lower in B.R.

Foreclosure and delinquency rates remain lower in Baton Rouge than in the rest of Louisiana, according to a new report. The study by First American CoreLogic found that local foreclosures and delinquencies are also increasing at a slower rate than the national and Louisiana averages. The foreclosure rate in metro Baton Rouge was 1.4% in May, while the number of home payments that were more than 90 days late was 4.6%. The foreclosure rate in May 2008 was 1.2%, while delinquencies were 3.2%. Statewide delinquencies were 5.1% in May, while foreclosures were 1.6%. The year before, the Louisiana delinquency rate was 3.6% and foreclosures were 1.2%. First American says the nationwide delinquency rate was 6.5% and foreclosures were 2.5% in May.

Watchdog: FEMA still lacks housing plan

FEMA's internal watchdog says the government could end up repeating mistakes seen after Hurricane Katrina if it doesn't improve its plans for housing people after major disasters. Richard Skinner, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's inspector general, told the House Homeland Security Committee today the agency still relies too heavily on temporary mobile homes. Such housing is fine for routine disasters but inadequate to handle widespread housing losses from catastrophic events. Nearly four years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005, about 3,000 households remain in federally supplied trailers and mobile homes in Louisiana and Mississippi. That's down from a high of 143,000 along the Gulf Coast after the storms.

Poll: Most not seeing more teen jobs

Fifty-four percent of respondents to a Daily Report poll say they aren't seeing an increase locally in the number of summer jobs for teenagers. Thirty-four percent of the people who took the online survey are unsure if the number of summer jobs have gone up, while 12% say there is more work locally now for young people. Nearly 400 people participated in the survey.

Today's question: Do you support plans to build the Capitol Lofts apartment complex in Spanish Town?