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Alford: Bold changes expected via redistricting
Lawmakers have tentatively targeted Feb. 1, 2022, as the start date for their special session on redistricting. The process that will bring us to...
JR Ball: Ida can’t blow away dedicated tax grab
Whether it's economic development districts or TIF deals, the Metro Council loves giving away our tax dollars to the politically-connected.
Riegel: The difficult realities of life in south Louisiana
Whether its hurricanes, our quality of life or our eroding coast, it's getting harder to ask our children to remain in Louisiana.
Publisher: Reflecting in year 40 for ‘Business Report’
Reflecting on reluctance to embrace change in Baton Rouge since Business Report began 40 years ago as well as endorsements for the upcoming election.
Alford: Election anxiety also follows Ida
As search-and-rescue operations connected to Hurricane Ida gave way to a long recovery process last week, there were still lingering questions about the fate...
Alford: Hurricane season, COVID-19 challenge political campaigns
With an active hurricane season underway and the Delta variant’s footprint growing in Louisiana, campaign professionals here are fighting a two-headed dragon this election cycle.
Alford: Picking the next lieutenant governor
House Ways and Means Chairman Stuart Bishop has become the first announced candidate for the 2023 race for lieutenant governor. “I’m running,” Bishop said...
Alford: Political variants emerging in Louisiana
The coronavirus has mutated—and so have the politics attached to the government response in Louisiana. Each wave of increased infections refreshes partisan arguments, sending...
JR Ball: Thank you, Dwight Hudson
Props to Dwight Hudson for inadvertently exposing the disaster that is the hodgepodge of government disfunction we have in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Riegel: Making a case for CATS
CATS has a tax renewal coming up; before deciding how to vote, take time to actually study what's happening at the agency.
Publisher: Mayor, council need real solution for drainage problem
Drainage is a significant problem in Baton Rouge and it won't be solved by taking money from Peter to put a bandaid on Paul.
Alford: Musical chairs may be the new norm for Legislature
There are three open seats in the Louisiana Legislature as lawmakers approach the middle of their term, and there are certainly more to come....
McCollister: Metro Council should reject Hudson’s tax swap plan
Metro Council member Dwight Hudson is proposing to grab $4 million of those tax dollars and effectively redirect them for drainage projects.
Alford: Devil is in the details during veto session
This week’s veto session will introduce arena politics to Capitoland, with divisive, headline-grabbing issues pitting two branches of government against each other in an...
Evans: Louisiana must pay attention to its eroding coast
Louisiana needs to pay attention to the fact that scores of small towns along the coast are in danger of extinction.
Alford: Veto session also part of Edwin Edwards’ legacy
An outsized figure in Louisiana politics, former Gov. Edwin Edwards, died Monday, just a few days before the legislative deadline for constitutionally required veto...
JR Ball: A freedom cry for college athletes rings out across the land
The good ol' days of everyone in Division I college sports getting rich except the athletes who put their bodies at risk are thankfully over.
Riegel: The beauty and effectiveness of citizen activists
It is refreshing to see ordinary people band together as activists and, through a shared dedication and vision, get things done.
Publisher: Is flooding in Baton Rouge a crime scene?
How can Baton Rouge come up with innovative ideas to prevent flooding when it's counting on old-school Fred Raiford for solutions. Also, saluting local litter advocates and concern about a CATS tax renewal.
Alford: Turnover trend continues at the state Capitol
Much like the state its members represent, the Louisiana Legislature is experiencing a troubling trend of outmigration. Last term, from 2016 through 2019, was...
