Thrown out: A federal judge on Wednesday threw out some of the convictions of two men found guilty of bilking Louisiana’s movie production tax credit program, but refused to grant a new trial on others. The Associated Press report that U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman upheld conspiracy and fraud charges against New Orleans lawyer Michael Arata and film producer Peter Hoffman and refused to grant a new trial for Hoffman’s wife, producer Susan Hoffman, who was convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud and mail fraud. The three were convicted in April. Authorities have said the trio used fraudulent documents to obtain more than $1 million in tax credits for renovations they say they planned for a dilapidated mansion just outside the French Quarter in 2007, but never did. They alleged that Arata purchased the credits at a discount from his partners and sold them at a profit to others.
More money: After some discussion, the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council on Wednesday voted 7-4 to pay the incoming mayor at $175,000 static annually. Councilman Joel Boé, who had recommended in the past few weeks that his fellow members set the pay at $225,000, came out with a motion to set the salary at $175,000. He says the mayor’s starting salary was set in 1999 at $106,923, which when factoring in with 48% inflation equivalent to $176,000 in today’s market. Councilman John Delgado then offered a motion to set it at $150,000. The council voted down Delgado’s motion before passing Boé’s.The council also axed paying the next mayor for accumulation sick and vacation pay. The salary will go into effect when the new mayor takes over for current Mayor Kip Holden, who is term-limited, in 2017.
New option: GLO Airlines, a New Orleans-based regional airline company, will reinstate intrastate nonstop flights Monday between New Orleans and Shreveport for the first time since 2004. The company will offer four direct flights daily between New Orleans and Shreveport during the week and two flights on Saturday and Sunday. “Business travelers can take advantage of these new nonstop routes before completing 4Q, and leisure travelers can spend more time with family and friends during the holidays. Both travelers will benefit from earning more time at their destination—instead of stuck in traffic or waiting on a connecting flight at the airport,” the company says in a news release. The flights created five direct and indirect jobs in Shreveport, GLO says. The company also offers nonstop flights from New Orleans to Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas.
