Woods apologizes for ‘selfish’ behavior

Tiger Woods apologized this morning for having affairs and says he is unsure when he will return to competitive golf. "I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable," said Woods, looking composed and speaking in a steady voice. His wife, Elin, was not obviously present. As for coming back to the PGA Tour, Woods said: "I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out it will be this year." Woods talked for more than 13 minutes Friday from the clubhouse at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., home of the PGA Tour. About 40 people were in the room, including his mother. Woods said he is solely responsible for his actions and was in treatment for 45 days. He said he will return for more therapy. He also insisted there were no instances of domestic abuse in his marriage. The world's No. 1 golfer had not talked in public since his traffic accident Nov. 27 triggered shocking revelations about Woods' serial infidelity. Friday's event was tightly controlled, with only a few journalists allowed to watch Woods live. Click here to view a replay of the news conference.

Central school board to vote on PBK recommendation

The Central Community School Board is set to vote Monday on a recommendation by an ad hoc building committee to continue to retain Houston-based architecture firm PBK by accepting an addendum to the existing contract. That addendum would protect the school system by making PBK responsible for any costs incurred from an investigation by the Louisiana Board of Architectural Examiners. The firm, which recently opened a Baton Rouge office, is under investigation for not being properly licensed in the state when it put in a bid to design the $36 million elementary and middle schools in Central.

Six of the seven board members attended the committee meeting, with several sitting on the committee. Although there was some controversy when the school board announced PBK the winning bidder last year over two local firms that also submitted bids, committee chairman Jon Simmons says there was little consideration of rebidding the projects because the school system has advocated an aggressive work schedule and much of the design work has already been completed. Board vice president James Gardner says the issue is moot. “We went into this thing choosing them [PBK],” he says. “There was a glitch and now we’ve solved it.” —Emma James

Downtown library advocates call for breathtaking plan

About 60 people crowded into a meeting Thursday evening at the East Baton Rouge main library to learn the latest on nebulous plans to improve or replace the downtown River Center branch. Framing support of a proposed visionary architectural landmark as something more than wanting a new building, downtown residents and others campaigned for a redesigned branch that would function as a tourist magnet and as a quality-of-life asset for the city. “It’s a growing city, and downtown, like it or not, is the face of that city,” says Scott Murry, a Beauregard Town resident. Murry suggested a vanguard direction for a new building, like Salt Lake City’s elaborate downtown library, which he says “takes your breath away.” Prairieville resident Ann Shaneyfelt says of a library overhaul, “You open it up to the community, and we will come. It’s one of the things that makes me want to move back to Baton Rouge.” Spanish Town resident Andy Kopplin, the former head of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, says he hopes for collaboration among the library system, the school district and the parks department to solve parking issues and possibly create a shared performing arts space in a new River Center branch. Parish Library Director David Farrar says he is organizing an advisory committee that will consider patron comments made recently on concept plans for a retooled downtown branch; roughly 70% of respondents backed a new design. Farrar says the committee will recommend “the most financially responsible path” to the Library Board of Control, not ruling out in advance the relocation of the library branch.—Todd R. Brown

State gets $8.8 million to improve library technology

The State Library of Louisiana has been awarded nearly $8.8 million in federal stimulus funds to improve technology at public libraries around the state. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu announced the funding award Thursday. Rebecca Hamilton, state librarian, says the money will cover the cost of offering 10 laptops per parish for patron checkout, installing WiFi at every library, installing assistive technology workstations in every parish to help visually impaired patrons and establishing databases for tutoring, workforce development and health and wellness. The money will also be used to provide basic computer skills training. The grant fits in with ongoing efforts to streamline state government, Hamilton says, since a lot of agencies have begun offering more services online. "That’s sending patrons to public libraries," says Hamilton, who says that 57% of Louisiana residents do not have Internet access. "A lot of these patrons are computer illiterate or functionally illiterate," she says. "This will help them take care of their own lives." Hamilton says, according to the plan, the state will start receiving stimulus funds for library technology by the summer or fall.

CC's and Kleinpeter switch up

It's not just the Saints who are getting the spotlight this month—Community Coffee is getting some national attention, too. Food Network celeb and cookbook author Rachael Ray singled out its New Orleans Blend in her magazine as part of the "Supermarket 101" feature in the March issue. The chicory-flavored coffee—used in café au lait at CC's Coffee Houses—beat out all the other choices in the "best flavored coffee" category. Other categories included "best instant coffee" and "best organic/free trade coffee." Unfortunately, the local scene is being less kind to the company. Last year, Community and Kleinpeter Dairy signed an agreement for the Baton Rouge-based business to supply dairy products to CC's Coffee Houses. However, Jeff Kleinpeter, owner of the Baton Rouge-based dairy, stated in a Facebook posting earlier this month that Community had chosen to return to its previous suppliers. Community CEO Matt Saurage confirmed that the company was switching back to Borden Dairy. "I am, for obvious reasons, quite bothered by this decision, especially since we partner with them on the Café au Lait ice cream," says Kleinpeter. Kleinpeter says that although he previously "never thought of using anyone else's coffee to make that flavor," he is considering changing the coffee they use in the Café Au Lait flavor but has yet to make any definite decision. For more dining news you can use, read 225 Dine by clicking here.

Poll: Jindal’s forthcoming book viewed as sign of presidential run

Fifty-eight percent of people who responded to a Daily Report poll say Gov. Bobby Jindal's book is a sign of a 2012 presidential run. Twenty-five percent say the book doesn't mean that he will run for president and 17% are unsure. More than 1,200 people participated in the survey. On Solid Ground: Returning to America's Core Values will be released in July; the book is said to be a mix of Jindal's biography and his political philosophy.

Today's question: Will the LSU baseball team repeat as College World Series champs this season?

Hebert named COO of Lemle & Kelleher

Marshall G. Hebert has been named chief operating officer of Lemle & Kelleher, a law firm with offices in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Hebert earned a bachelor's in finance from LSU and a master's in business from Southeastern Louisiana University. He is the former legal administrator for Abbott Simses.

Consumer prices excluding food and energy fall

Consumer prices rose less than expected in January, at the same time that prices excluding food and energy actually fell, something that hasn't happened in more than a quarter-century. The Labor Department says consumer prices edged up 0.2% in January while prices excluding food and energy slipped 0.1%. That was the first monthly decline since December 1982. The benign inflation news gives the Federal Reserve more time to keep interest rates at record-low levels to shore up the economy and may ease worries in financial markets that a Fed rate hike is imminent. The news on consumer prices was better than expected, especially after a government report Thursday showed that wholesale prices shot up 1.4% in January.

News roundup: Premiums jump 14% on Medicare private plans ... Shreveport hospital closes

Rising rates bad news for reform: Millions of seniors who signed up for popular private health plans through Medicare are facing sharp premium increases this year—another sign that spiraling costs are a problem even for those with solid insurance. A study to be released today by a major consulting firm found that premiums for Medicare Advantage plans offering medical and prescription drug coverage jumped 14.2% on average in 2010, after an increase of only 5.2% the previous year. Some 8.5 million elderly and disabled Americans are in the plans, which provide more comprehensive coverage than traditional Medicare. The Medicare findings can be construed as bad news for President Barack Obama and his health-care overhaul, bogged down in Congress. That's because the higher Medicare Advantage premiums for 2010 followed a cut in government payments to the private plans last year. And the Democratic bills pending in Congress call for even more cuts, which could force many seniors to drop out of what has been a rapidly growing alternative to traditional Medicare.

The doctors are not in: Financial struggles that have plagued Doctor's Hospital in Shreveport for nearly three years have finally caught up with it. The Shreveport Times reported today the hospital has closed and likely will be auctioned at a foreclosure sale in March. Creditors forced the company operating the hospital to file for bankruptcy in 2007. The hospital gradually suspended or eliminated services until only a 41-bed drug addiction treatment unit and an acute-care unit, together employing about 130 people, remained. It discharged its last five patients Wednesday. The hospital still hopes to collect some of the money it is owed and pay off creditors and others.

Editors note: John Maginnis is on a Mardi Gras break. His LaPolitics column will return Feb. 26.