After a three-week shutdown due to a positive COVID-19 case, Nino’s Italian Restaurant on Bluebonnet Boulevard quietly reopened earlier this month and has been doing a surprisingly brisk business, all things considered, says owner and executive chef Elton Hyndman. But while Nino’s enjoys a loyal following of patrons, operating under current conditions is far from easy and not sustainable in the long term, Hyndman fears.
East Baton Rouge Parish has the third-largest number of rent-burdened households in the state at risk of losing their homes due to COVID-19, according to a new analysis from the Center for Planning Excellence.
With hotel occupancy down locally, the tax dollars that help offset some bonded costs are also down, meaning developers are having to use more of their own money to pay debt obligations.