No surprises yet: Making his first public appearance in New Orleans since he was hit with a sweeping federal bribery indictment last month, former Mayor Ray Nagin appeared at federal court this afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the 21 charges he faces. The Times-Picayune reports that Nagin, dressed in a dark suit and accompanied by his lawyer, Robert Jenkins, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan. Like virtually everyone facing federal white-collar crime charges, Nagin will remain free until his trial, which is set for April 29. The full story is here.
That’s how the light gets in: The Public Affairs Research Council today launched Sunshine Headquarters, a new online source of information on public records, open meetings and campaign finance disclosures. The new site “aims to equip citizens with more tools and information on Louisiana sunshine laws than ever before in one user-friendly location,” PAR says. You can check it out here. PAR is a private, nonprofit public policy research organization focused on efficiency, transparency and accountability in Louisiana government.
Right to work: A judge ruled today that Port Allen Mayor Demetric “Deedy” Slaughter had no authority to fire the city’s chief financial officer, and ordered she give the CFO her job back, WBRZ-TV reports. Judge Alvin Batiste ruled Audrey McCain was a department head, so that the Port Allen mayor did not have the authority to fire her without council approval. Read more here.
