Holden: Jindal should revisit decision on federal money

Mayor Kip Holden says it was awkward for Gov. Bobby Jindal to reject federal stimulus money after Louisiana legislators announced the state needed the cash. Holden told the Baton Rouge Press Club today that he "would have been a lot more diplomatic” if he had handled the stimulus money. Holden says refusing the money could also doom Louisiana’s smaller towns to becoming ghost towns without help in a tougher economy. “I would hope that the governor will revisit his thoughts on this whole package,” he says. “We can’t afford to lose hundreds of millions of dollars with this state on the edge of a financial crisis.” Jindal has said he plans to turn down $98 million in stimulus money, set aside for expanded unemployment coverage. Holden says the Legislature could still push a measure to override Jindal and take the money.

The mayor also still hopes to land some stimulus money to help lower the price tag of a bond proposal planned for the October ballot. Potential stimulus funding for the project should be identified by June, he says. Last year, voters narrowly rejected his $989 million proposal, which included several municipal projects and the Audubon Alive downtown tourist attraction. The Audubon Alive project will be in the new package. Holden says he's working on generating community support and excluding Baker, Central and Zachary projects from the proposal are being assessed. An additional project is being considered, but the mayor declined to name it at this time.—Anna Thibodeaux

Siegen Lane barbecue restaurant closes

Corky's Ribs & BBQ has closed its location on Siegen Lane. The Memphis, Tenn.-based restaurant, which was attached to the Days Inn, had been open since February 2006. Dr. Gary Jones, an Alexandria heart surgeon, owned the franchise. He did not return calls seeking comment.

Art Car Parade hits dead end in 2009

Culture Candy, the umbrella organization for arts and artists throughout the city, has cancelled its fourth annual Art Car Parade, planned for May 2, because of a resignation and lack of corporate sponsorship. “I gave someone the keys to my Art Car Parade and when I got it back, there was no gas, the tires were bare, and the back seat was full of empty beer cans and cigarette butts,” Culture Candy founder and Chairman Bill Kelley wrote Sunday to dozens of out-of-state art car owners who each year participate in the Baton Rouge parade. “We’re going to take some time off this year and clear ’er up for next year.” More than 30 cars participated in the parade each year. Read the 225 story here.—Rebecca Breeden

La. Catholic population decreasing, but other denominations increasing

A new survey shows that Louisiana had the biggest percentage drop in the number of Catholics, but the state saw the largest increase in members of other Christian groups. According to the American Religious Identification Survey of more than 54,000 people, Louisiana was one of two states to show an increase in Christians between 1990 and 2008, according to the report, published in today's USA Today. The number of Protestants, nondenominational Christians and Mormons was up by 8% in Louisiana over the 18-year period. Rhode Island was the only other state to show an increase. Texas posted the biggest drop, with the number of Christians falling by 20%. The number of Catholics in Louisiana fell by 16%, and the same drop was reported in Montana and Rhode Island. Christian groups now make up 57% of the state's population, Catholics account for 31%. See the details here.

Executive spotlight: Brad Parks

Baton Rouge business owners are lucky Brad Parks isn’t closer to the ocean on a regular basis, otherwise he might have traded in business attire for flippers and an oxygen tank long ago. Rather than opening a dive shop, Parks is glued to his cell phone, helping his clients develop unique Point of Sale software for their businesses. It’s a passion that he dove into at the age of 29 and has kept him training and providing technical support to clients for eight years. For now, Parks keeps his flippers in the closet and his cell phone in his hand—that is, until vacation. Read the full Q&A with Parks here.

Here's a sample:

What is the best advice you've ever received?

“Cash is something to be kept. My father picked that up from a professor at LSU and passed it on to me.”

Katrina cottage contractor selection questioned

Louisiana's legislative auditor says the Louisiana Recovery Authority might have violated the public bid law when it took control of a program to build alternative housing units for hurricane victims. The LRA took control of the so-called "Katrina cottages" housing program last year amid complaints that the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency was moving too slowly to erect cottages. No cottages have been completed. The auditor says the LRA entered into a new contract with the same contractor the LHFA had been using, but the recovery authority didn't put the contract out for public bid. The LRA disagrees with the finding, saying it took over management of an existing program in which a contractor already had been chosen.

The 10 major newspapers that will fold or go digital

Over the past few weeks, the newspaper industry has entered a new period of decline. The parent of the papers in Philadelphia declared bankruptcy as did the Journal Register chain. The Rocky Mountain News in Denver closed, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will almost certainly close or only publish online. Hearst, which owns the Post-Intelligencer, has said it will also close the San Francisco Chronicle if it cannot make massive cuts at the paper. The most recent rumor is that the company will fire half of the editorial staff. That action still may not be enough to make the property profitable. 24/7 Wall St. has created its list of the 10 major daily papers that are most likely to fold or shut their print operations and only publish online. To see which newspapers are on the list, click here.

LSU basketball team falls in rankings after 0-2 week

The LSU men’s basketball team dropped to No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and No. 20 in the Associated Press media poll released earlier today. The Tigers (25-6 overall, 13-3 Southeastern Conference) lost their final two regular-season games, 75-67 at home to Vanderbilt on Wednesday and 69-53 at Auburn on Saturday, after winning their second SEC title in four seasons.

The SEC Tournament tips off Thursday with four games at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. LSU opens tourney play at 1 p.m. Friday against the winner of Thursday’s first-round game between Kentucky and Ole Miss.

Meanwhile, LSU dropped to a sixth seed in ESPN.com’s latest version of Bracketology. The Tigers are projected to face Mountain West Conference member New Mexico in a first-round South Region game in Philadelphia. The winner advances to a second-round game between No. 3 seed Villanova and No. 11 American University. Bracketology awards No. 1 seeds to North Carolina (South), Louisville (West), Pittsburgh (Midwest) and Connecticut (East). See the projections here.

Business Report weekly planner: LABI talks legislative issue … Metro councilwoman meeting with constituents

Thursday: The LABI Legislative Issues Conference will be at 7 a.m. at Boudreaux's on Government Street. Dan Juneau, LABI president, and Jim Patterson, director of LABI's employee relations council, will present the organization's priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Admission is $20. To register, click here.

Thursday: Metro Councilwoman Donna Collins Lewis will hold a District 6 community meeting at 6 p.m. at the BREC headquarters. All district residents are invited to attend the meeting and voice their opinions and concerns. Representatives from the Baton Rouge Police and the Department of Public Works will be on hand.

For a list of more upcoming events, click here.