Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the date of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Signature Speaker Series, which will take place on Tuesday, May 2. Daily Report regrets this error.
At the podium: IBM Chief Diversity Officer Lindsay-Rae McIntyre is the keynote speaker for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s upcoming Signature Speaker Series event, which will take place on Tuesday, May 2, at LSU’s Cook Hotel and Conference Center. A pre-keynote panel featuring Jeff Cherry of Conscious Venture Lab, Maxine Crump of Dialogue on Race and ExxonMobil’s Douglas Fisher will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m., with the luncheon and the keynote address to conclude at 1:30 p.m. McIntyre’s presentation will focus on the importance of networks, ecosystems and community support to build inclusive work environments. Tickets cost $35 for BRAC investors and $45 for non-investors. Get complete details and register to attend.
Wheels in motion: Capital Area Transit System is purchasing more than two acres of land from LSU for a new hub in north Baton Rouge. WBRZ-TV reports the CATS board met on Tuesday to discuss the final paperwork for the purchase of the land, which is located near the intersection of Airline Highway and North Foster Drive. The land was appraised for roughly $283,000. And while some riders welcome the news of the planned hub, other riders have reservations. “I think it’s just more wasted money, for years they’ve been buying hubs, buying buses,” transit activist Frank Lanasa tells the news station. Read more.
Prepare for takeoff: American Airlines says it will begin nonstop flights from the Shreveport to Charlotte, North Carolina, beginning this fall. The Shreveport Times reports the flights will begin August 22. American already flies out of Shreveport Regional, with service to Dallas-Fort Worth. Charlotte is the most populous city in North Carolina with almost 800,000 residents. The service will be supported by funding from the Regional Air Service Alliance and the revenue generated from the city’s hotel/motel proposition.
