Power in numbers: A coalition of firefighters, teachers, law enforcement personnel, retirees and others is planning to gather together at the Capitol this afternoon to highlight the “severe impact of Gov. [Bobby] Jindal’s pension-slashing scheme on middle-class Louisiana workers.” Three retirement bills up for final Senate passage are expected to be heard this week. The bills would, among other things, establish a sliding scale of age eligibility for retirement, depending on years of service, along with a new two-tiered benefit structure. The employee contribution rate would also rise to 11% from the current 8%. The coalition says it will voice its opposition at 2:30 p.m. today on the first floor of the east entrance of the Capitol.
In our midst: The deadline to nominate volunteers for an Angel Award, which includes a $20,000 grant for each honoree’s charity of choice, is Friday, May 4. Presented by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, Angel Awards have provided more than $1 million to charities in the state and recognized the efforts of more than 100 individuals, ranging from teens to retirees in all walks of life. Learn more about the awards and make your nominations here.
Getting over it: State transportation officials are set to hold a news conference on the Huey P. Long Bridge today to announce a traffic switch this weekend to new lanes while the old lanes are demolished and rebuilt as part of the $1.2 billion bridge widening project, The Times-Picayune reports. The two temporary 10-foot-wide lanes in each direction will be a foot wider than the existing lanes, giving motorists a little more room on the notoriously narrow Depression-era span. When the project is completed next year, the bridge will have three 11-foot lanes in each direction, with an eight-foot outside shoulder and a two-foot inside shoulder. State transportation Secretary Sherri LeBas will discuss the traffic change—dubbed the “Big Switch”—this morning, followed by an inaugural trip over the new lanes with local officials. See an illustration of the lane changes here.
Today’s poll question: Which of the Jazz Fest headliners of the first weekend are you most excited to see perform?
