The big reveal: The Baton Rouge Marriott Hotel is unveiling its $25 million renovation today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The hotel, off Corporate Blvd. near College Drive, has been undergoing a major facelift since late 2015 that brought larger rooms and revamped meeting space, among other upgrades. Also part of the update was the addition of Stinky’s Fish Camp, a Florida-based seafood restaurant that opened in September. Mayor Sharon Weston Broome will be on hand at the ceremony, which takes place at 5 p.m. tonight.
Spending scrutiny: The Louisiana Legislative Auditor is investigating New Orleans City Council members for their use of taxpayer-financed credit cards following reports that Latoya Cantrell used a city credit card to pay for personal or political expenses. The Associated Press reports that Cantrell, a council member and mayoral candidate, paid the money back and defended the move, while her runoff opponent, Desiree Charbonnet, criticized the practice. State Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera’s office requested a list of credit cards assigned to council members, monthly statements for the cards and detailed receipts for transactions, according to AP.
Making the grade: The graduation rates of LSU athletes reached a milestone this year in the annual NCAA rankings of graduation success rate. The 90% graduation rate among Tiger athletes is a record-high for the university, as well as a 2% jump from last year and 21 points higher than a decade ago, according to LSU Athletics. Five sports had a perfect graduation score of 100%: men’s golf, men’s tennis, women’s golf, women’s tennis and volleyball. The football team scored a 78%, baseball scored a 95% and men’s basketball scored a 82%. See how other sports ranked.
