On the record: Louisiana’s four announced gubernatorial candidates talked education accountability, funding and charters schools Tuesday at a forum in Shreveport sponsored by the Louisiana School Boards Association. Participants included U.S. Sen. David Vitter, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle—all Republicans—and Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards. During the forum, Vitter gave out his cell phone number, asking voters to text him their thoughts at (504) 256-2300, The Times of Shreveport reports. Read the full story, which includes video of the discussion.
By the numbers: The board of directors of Baton Rouge-based specialty chemical maker Albemarle Corp. has declared a quarterly dividend of 29 cents per common share, a 5% increase over the previous quarterly dividend of 27 cents. The dividend will be paid April 1 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 16. In a prepared release, Albemarle executives say the company has increased shareholder dividends for 21 consecutive years.
On the road: According to a new report by Carfax, which sells vehicle history reports to dealers and car buyers, Louisiana last year was home to an estimated 682,206 recalled vehicles that had yet to be repaired. That places the Bayou State at 27th among states for vehicles in need of recall fixes. California has the most, with more than 4.9 million vehicles, followed by Texas with more than 4.1 million. Nationwide, the figure exceeds more than 46 million vehicles. The Associated Press has a state-by-state breakdown.
