Swearing in: Murphy Paul will be sworn in as Baton Rouge police chief at 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 8, in a ceremony open to the public. Paul is Mayor Sharon Weston Broome’s pick for the post formerly held by the now-retired Carl Dabadie Jr. Paul—a 23-year veteran of Louisiana State Police and a New Orleans native—was the only one of five finalists for the job who had not previously worked for the Baton Rouge Police Department.
Another election: Louisiana is gearing up for another round of elections. Qualifying starts today for the spring municipal elections and runs through 4:30 p.m. Friday. Elections will take place in 35 parishes, including in East Baton Rouge where a District judge bench is up for grabs. Spring primary elections will be held on Saturday, March 24, with general elections to follow on April 28. Get more information.
Going up: Gasoline prices are expected to creep higher for the second consecutive year, in part due to OPEC extending production cuts in November, USA Today reports. Though prices will rise, motorists will still be paying less than earlier this decade. The price of a gallon of self-serve regular gas will average $2.57 nationally in 2018, according to a GasBuddy.com forecast provided to USA Today. That would mark an 18-cent jump from 2017’s average of $2.39 and a 45-cent jump from 2016’s decade low of $2.12. Read more.
