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Gubernatorial debate

The Council for a Better Louisiana and Louisiana Public Broadcasting will sponsor a series of gubernatorial candidate debates aimed at helping voters get the information they need to make an informed decision. The first debate will be televised statewide on the LPB network on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. Questions for the four participating candidates—U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner; state Sen. Walter Boasso, D-Arabi; Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, D-Elm Grove; and businessman John Georges, an independent from the New Orleans area—can be e-mailed to myvoice@lpb.org.

Game-time commercials

New York Life Insurance Company announced the launch of a local television and radio advertising campaign. The ads will run through LSU’s football season on WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, WWL-TV in New Orleans and ESPN (Cox Cable) in New Orleans. Local radio shows, including Tiger Sportsline Show and The Tiger Zone Show will also carry the commercials during the game.

Guide to amendments

The Public Affairs Research Council has released a guide to proposed constitutional amendments for the Oct. 20 ballot. The guide provides background and commentary on the four proposed changes, all of which could affect state or local budget flexibility. Arguments of proponents and opponents on the issues are provided.

AWARDS/HONORS

John C. Gautreau II of The Gautreau Group was elected to serve a second term as chairman of the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Greater Baton Rouge & Acadiana Inc. for the 2007-08 fiscal year. Other officers for the new term include Vice-Chair Rebecca Vance of Moran Printing, Secretary/Treasurer Todd Stevens of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and Education Committee Chairman Louis DeAngelo of DeAngelo’s Pizzeria Company.

Attorneys Michael D. Hunt, H. Alston Johnson III, F. Scott Kaiser, Thomas H. Kiggans and Marshall M. Redmon of the Phelps Dunbar regional office were honored in the 2008 issue of The Best Lawyers in America. The award is based on more than 2 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the nation. Best Lawyers also conducted extensive telephone interviews with leading attorneys throughout its balloting process.

Louisiana Judicial Administrator Hugh M. Collins was awarded the Kenneth Palmer Award in recognition of his services to the Conference of State Court Administrators at the 2007 annual meeting of the Conference of Chief Justices. Collins was nominated because of his extraordinary leadership and excellence in judicial administration.

Baton Rouge-based Provident Group received national recognition from the National Affordable Housing Management Association for outstanding quality affordable housing with its Holly Creek and Wood Glen apartment communities in The Woodlands, Texas. Both communities were recognized as a National Community of Quality by the association.

Jason MacMorran was selected to serve on the Society of Louisiana CPAs’ first Young CPA Board. The board will serve as the voice for the nonprofit association’s members who are age 35 and under.

Financial Representative Gavin Filasek of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network of Baton Rouge received the Pacesetter 40 award during the annual meeting of the company’s financial representatives, held in Milwaukee. Pacesetter 40 honors financial representatives who sell 40 life policies during their first six months in the business.

EATEL was selected by Broadband Properties magazine as the 2007 Cornerstone Award recipient. The annual award recognizes achievements in deployment of fiber-to-home networks and outstanding achievements in delivering telecommunications for the benefit of the end user.

James C. Carver was elected chair of the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He is a partner in the Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips law firm, where he primarily practices intellectual property law and toxic tort litigation.