Taking flight: Rolfe McCollister, founder and publisher of Business Report, has been sharing opinions in his editorial column for more than 34 years. And whether they agree with his views or not, most readers would probably acknowledge that they know where he stands on the issues. Now, the dialogue and debate can take place more often as McCollister has signed on to Twitter this week. You can follow him at @RHMcCollister. “This presidential election demonstrated that often the discussion and debate now takes place in real time,” says McCollister. “Twitter just looks like too much fun not to participate in that forum right here in our growing Capital City with a new mayor starting in January and another legislative session coming in the spring. I look forward to vibrant conversations in 2017.” You can also follow Business Report on Twitter at @brbizreport for the latest local business news.
Talking it out: New York Daily News writer and activist Shaun King will speak at LSU next month as part of the university’s Office of Multicultural Affairs’ 2017 MLK Commemorative Celebration Week. King is the keynote speaker of a MLK commemorative program called “Beyond the Movement: Where do we go from here?” The program is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the LSU Union Theater. King frequently reports on social justice and civil rights issues, using his writings to draw attention to the police shootings of black men such as 37-year-old Alton Sterling of Baton Rouge. Get the complete details.
Building a cabinet: President-elect Donald Trump has tapped campaign rival and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Associated Press reports. Trump’s transition team announced the decision this morning. Carson was among the 16 Republican candidates who challenged Trump for the Republican nomination. Carson has often recounted his childhood as the son of a single mother in inner-city Detroit in his books and motivational speeches. Carson has not said whether his family ever lived in federally funded housing or received Section 8 subsidies to help pay rent. But as a political figure he has criticized such public assistance programs for creating “dependency” on the government among low-income minorities. Read the full story.
