Rising oil prices may not help state budget

Oil prices might be nearing $70 a barrel, but that might not be enough to bail out the state's budget shortfall. The official forecast for fiscal 2010 calls for oil prices of $53.29 cents a barrel. The price of oil would have to be above that level for an extended period of time to generate the revenues needed to revise the forecast upward and lead to surplus revenues. While forecasting oil revenues is tricky business—just ask state budget officials—some analysts say the prices could be up for a while. Glenn Darden, chief executive of Quicksilver Resources, an independent oil and natural gas producer in Fort Worth, Texas, told the New York Times he could see oil prices at between $70 to $100 a barrel. Other analysts told the newspaper they didn't think prices would stay high because oil demand is weak, because of the worldwide recession and high inventories.

Entergy customers to see lower bills

Falling natural gas prices are leading to lower electric bills for Entergy customers. Officials with the utility company say households that used an average of 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in June paid $72.11, about 44% lower than in August 2008, when it would have cost $128.46 to provide power. Natural gas prices have fallen by 73% from summer of 2008, knocking down the cost of the fuel adjustment. The fuel adjustment reflects the cost of fuel used to produce electricity. Entergy says natural gas prices are projected to remain low, which should keep prices down during the summer months, when power consumption is the highest.

Spanish Town residents could get parking passes

Metro Councilwoman Tara Wicker plans to introduce a measure at Wednesday's Metro Council meeting that would allow residents of the city’s oldest neighborhood to have personal parking passes. Parking is an issue in Spanish Town partly because so many state workers park on the streets there, even though they can park in state-owned garages for free, Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer says. The problem worsens when the Legislature is in session. Residents might pay $5 for a one-year pass; temporary passes would be available for visitors.—David Jacobs

Traffic cameras could snap litterbugs

The Metro Council seeks public comment at its Wednesday meeting on adding litter enforcement in its contract with American Traffic Solutions, the company that installed traffic cameras across Baton Rouge. The council also will listen to public comments on the creation of a new administrative hearing officer to enforce public health and environmental ordinances. Also on the meeting agenda: A couple dozen condemnations around the city; spending $300,000 on a music festival next year; and a look at increasing the library’s annual budget to almost $15.6 million—$5 million for constructing the new Fairwood Branch and $10 million for the new Main Library in Independence Park, including a budget for LEED certification. The Metro Council meets Wednesday at 4 p.m. Tune in to Government Access Channel Metro 21 (for Cox Cable subscribers) or watch it live online here.

John Maginnis: First shots of Vitter-Dardenne fight?

A harmless legislative bill dealing with minor political party primaries may have been the scene of the first battle between U.S. Sen. David Vitter and Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, says John Maginnis. Dardenne is mulling a challenge against Vitter in next year's Republican U.S. Senate primary. "While the bill, on its surface, had no effect on his candidacy, Vitter and Republican supporters approached it like it was the first skirmish of next year's election. For those keeping score, he won," says Maginnis. Read the column here.

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

Second smoking ban bill defeated

Louisiana's bars and casinos can remain smoke-filled. The state House already had resoundingly thumped a bid to ban smoking in bars and gambling facilities. The House health care committee today refused to advance a scaled-back smoking ban proposal for debate, seeming to ensure the ban's defeat for the session. Sen. Rob Marionneaux, D-Livonia, stripped casinos and other gambling facilities from the Senate-backed bill and limited the proposed ban to bars that sell food. Restaurants in Louisiana already are smoke-free. But Marionneaux's bill still couldn't gain passage from the House Health and Welfare Committee, where committee members said the House already had spoken about a smoking ban bill.

Plan for new La. high school diploma has momentum

A plan to create a new public school curriculum and diploma has strong momentum in the Legislature, as lawmakers look for ways to increase the number of Louisiana students who graduate high school. The House Education Committee today unanimously approved the bill by Sen. Robert Kostelka, R-Monroe, which would give low-performing students the option of concentrating their studies on trades such as carpentry or auto repair. To keep the teenagers in school, Kostelka wants to give those students an easier path through the state's "high-stakes" standardized testing. Kostelka cited new dropout statistics, saying just 52% of seventh-graders ultimately get high school diplomas. The state Department of Education usually relies on statistics tracking ninth-graders, which show 66% of those students getting diplomas. Opponents of Kostelka's measure include business groups and education Superintendent Paul Pastorek, who told the committee that Louisiana has seen progress in the percentage of students who graduate. Pastorek cited a report from Education Week magazine, released today, that found Louisiana's graduation rate improved from 54% to 62% from 1996 to 2006, the sixth-highest percentage gain among states. Despite Pastorek's objections, lawmakers in both chambers have given strong support to the Kostelka bill and an identical measure by Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro. Under the bills, students 15 and older could leave the standard curriculum and instead take a "career track" if they have parental approval. Requirements for graduation would be less oriented toward college preparation.

Real Estate Weekly has news about foreclosures falling, new hotel

Real Estate Weekly is out with news about how the foreclosure rate in Baton Rouge is running opposite the national trend, a new hotel for O'Neal Lane, a land deal that paves the way for sewer improvements and the latest column from Brian Andrews. To read the newsletter, click here.

News roundup: Downtown event guide now available ... Trace Security up for national honor ... IEM staffer looking for missing poet

Rules and regulations: A manual detailing policies and procedures for anyone looking to open a business or hold an event downtown is now available at downtownbatonrouge.org/. To find the guide, click “play” on the left side of the homepage, then “Event Procedures & Guidelines.”

Company honored two years in a row: For the second consecutive year, Baton Rouge-based TraceSecurity is a finalist in two categories for the American Business Awards, considered by some as the business world’s version of the Oscars. The company, a provider of on-demand security compliance management solutions, is a finalist for Best Overall Company, and its CEO and President Pete Stewart is up for Best Executive: Computer Software. This is the third year in a row Stewart was nominated for the best executive award. The winners will be announced June 22 during a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York. The winners will be selected from more than 2,600 entries.

Sad task: Doug Alvey, a staffer at IEM, is part of a five-member international search group searching for an award-winning poet who is missing on a small Japanese island. Craig Arnold was on the island of Kuchino-erabu doing research for a book when he went missing in late April. According to Poets & Writers, there are signs that Arnold suffered a leg injury, then fell from a cliff and died shortly afterward. Alvey was selected for the 1st Special Response Group mission because of his two decades of search and rescue experience. Alvey left for the island Friday.