Louisiana, B.R., N.O. win awards from development magazine

Louisiana picked up a trio of top honors from Southern Business & Development magazine for its economic development wins in 2008. The state was named Co-State of the Year, while Baton Rouge and New Orleans were named as the top cities in their respective categories. This is the second time in three years Louisiana was named State of the Year, and the second consecutive year Baton Rouge topped the mid-market category. "Over the last three years no state in the South has performed better than Louisiana," says the magazine, noting that the state has come a long way since the mid-1990s when its biggest deals were new Wal-Mart stores. Louisiana tied with Tennessee because of big economic development projects like the Shaw Group's decision to build nuclear power plant modules in Lake Charles, the $110 million Federal City project in New Orleans and Albemarle's decision to move its corporate headquarters to Baton Rouge. Terrebonne Parish also received an honorable notice, for its success in attracting new jobs in the offshore industry. See the full list of winners from Southern Business here.

Hotel King will fly Hotel Indigo flag

Hotel King will carry the Hotel Indigo brand name, says Brace Godfrey of hotel owner Cyntreniks. Hotel Indigo is an upscale boutique brand comparable to W Hotels. The nearest Hotel Indigo listed on the company’s Web site is in Houston. At this morning’s Downtown Development District commission meeting, Godfrey said the branding will require some exterior changes to the building, including new paint. John Schneider of Cyntreniks has said demolition will start later this month, in anticipation of the 93-room hotel opening in November 2010.—David Jacobs

Plans for Capitol Lofts evolve again

Capitol Lofts, the apartment building proposed for Spanish Town, is now designed to include 76 units. The version of the design announced last week would have included 67 units; developer David Slaughter says the larger number was achieved by cutting up the floor plan, and says the design now features 12 different plans. The new design can still be accomplished within the existing A4 zoning, Slaughter says. Of the 10 historic homes on the block, Slaughter plans to save three in place, and has offered the other seven for donation to anyone who is willing to move and preserve the houses. The Historic Spanish Town Civic Association voted Sunday to oppose any development that would remove or destroy those houses, chairman David Brown says. The development goes before the city-parish Historic Preservation Commission next month.—David Jacobs

Shaw wins maintenance contract for Geismar plants

The Shaw Group's maintenance division has been awarded a contract to maintain and do minor construction at the two Lion Copolymer in Geismar. The value of the three-year contract was not disclosed. The company manufactures rubber chemicals and chemical foaming agents at the plant.

Forum 35 issues official apology for nude photo removal

Forum 35 leaders met Monday evening to draft an official statement apologizing for the removal of a nude portrait from the show’s opening Friday night. The group also wrote that they’d work to ensure the mistake doesn’t happen in the future.

“Forum 35 regrets the decision to temporarily remove the piece without in-depth consideration of its impact on the artistic integrity of the piece, the artist and the arts community and its supporters,” the organization wrote. “Forum 35 values the arts and considers a vibrant arts community a necessary component of a truly great city.”

The discussion about the temporary removal has quickly led to debate over whether or not the act was censorship. Ann Connelly, an artist, gallery owner and one of the jurors for this year’s Art Melt, said she doesn’t view the action as censorship because Brunner Gallery is a private gallery.

“I was completely impressed with the entire operation,” Connelly says of Art Melt. “We hold onto things that are great in the community. This shouldn’t be negative focus.” View the entire Forum 35 letter here.-- Rebecca Breeden

Poll: Most say photo shouldn't have been removed from Art Melt

Sixty-four percent of people who responded to a Daily Report poll say a controversial nude photo shouldn't have been removed from Friday night's Art Melt. Twenty percent of people who participated in the online survey say the photo should have never been accepted into the art show; 12% say it was the right move to take the picture out, and 4% were undecided. Nearly 1,600 people participated in the survey.

Today's question: Should the Senate confirm Sonia Sotomayor as a U.S. Supreme Court justice?

Jindal fills seats on reform commissions

Gov. Bobby Jindal appointed two Baton Rouge men to a pair of study commissions that will soon pave the way for what’s expected to be two more tough years of reductions in state government. One commission will oversee higher education while the other will identify ways to generally save the state money as future budget deficits materialize.

The Postsecondary Education Review Commission, which was the brainchild of House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, will not only seek out ways to cushion the coming blow for higher ed, but its members are also charged with investigating how cuts should be implemented. Critics argued that Jindal failed to focus on the latter by not offering more specifics during the session, which is why Tucker says he filed legislation to create the new commission. As governor, Jindal was allowed two appointments. He named Tony Clayton of Baton Rouge, currently the chairman of the Southern University Board of Supervisors, and Blake Chatelain of Alexandria, chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors, to serve on the panel. The commission is required to present its recommendations to the state Board of Regents in February.

The Commission on Streamlining Government was among Jindal’s centerpiece initiatives from the recent regular session. In particular, Jindal says the commission will be a “great tool for reviewing and addressing operations in state government that are duplicative or have become outdated.” The governor's two appointments on this board are Barry Erwin of Baton Rouge, president of the Council for a Better Louisiana, and Roy O. Martin of Alexandria, director of Roy O. Martin Lumber. The Public Affairs Research Council suggested in its session wrap-up last month that streamlining efforts should already be well underway and a study isn’t the solution.—Jeremy Alford

News roundup: U.S. retail sales rise better than expected ... Mortgage rates continue to fall

Gas prices, car sales lead way: The government says retail sales advanced in June by the largest amount in five months, led by a surge in gasoline prices and a slight rebound in the battered auto sector. The Commerce Department says retail sales rose 0.6% last month, better than the 0.4% gain that economists had expected. It marked the second consecutive increase and boosted hopes that the economy may be on the verge of a rebound. While much of the strength came from a price-driven surge at gasoline stations, there was also strength in a number of other areas, including the best showing at auto dealerships since January.

A month-long decline: The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell again last week, continuing a month-long trend. For the week ending Sunday, the average rate was 5.26%, compared with 5.4% for the week ending July 5, says Zillow.com, a real estate Web site. Fifteen-year fixed-rate mortgages fell by the same number of points, from 4.79% to 4.65%.