Part of a whole: Gully, Phelps & McKey Commercial Realtors is joining the Coldwell Banker Commercial network and is rebranding as Coldwell Banker Commercial One. The local firm, which has roots in Baton Rouge dating to the 1940s, split its residential and commercial divisions apart in the mid-2000s, with the residential side aligning with Coldwell Banker. “It’s just a great branding opportunity for us,” says David Trusty, director of commercial real estate for the firm. “It also gives us an opportunity to compete for more national business and it gives us amazing resources.” The new Coldwell Banker One will continue to specialize in all commercial property types, including office sales and leasing, retail, warehouses, industrial, land and development, the company says in a press release. The firm, which has 10 commercial brokers, will remain at its Bluebonnet Boulevard location.
Free speech: The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana is chastising state police because a trooper ticketed a driver who gave him the middle finger. President Marjorie Esman says the ticket alleged public intimidation, a felony, The Associated Press reports. In a letter faxed to the Louisiana State Police on Monday, she says giving the ticket was illegal retaliation for protected free speech. Her letter also noted that a prosecutor refused to charge the driver. State police spokesman Doug Cain says the agency is looking into the matter. Esman says the issue arose Dec. 28, when a driver on I-20 raised his middle finger while passing a parked trooper. She says the trooper pulled him over and ticketed him.
On the rise: The Congressional Budget Office warns that health insurance premiums for many customers on the Affordable Care Act individual insurance markets could rise 20% next year if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to stop billions of dollars of payments to health insurers. Reuters reports the CBO found that terminating the payments would mean that 5% of Americans would live in areas that do not have an insurer in the individual market in 2018. The agency, however, estimates that more insurers would participate by 2020 because they will have observed how the markets work without the payments and most people would be able to purchase insurance. Read more.
