GET DAILY REPORT FREE
Publisher: Louisiana Legislature will get more 'red' in 2020
Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, often complains about the Legislature and the resistance he gets, especially from the the Republican House. He might...
JR Ball: Baton Rouge embracing the spirit of independence
For the better part of three-plus years, the dominant political battle in East Baton Rouge Parish has been the fight over the proposed city...
Riegel: What's in an economic ranking?
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration has had plenty to crow about lately in the categories of economic development and the state’s overall economic health.
The...
Publisher: Ascension Parish politics a bit like Russia
Last year in this column I expressed my belief that Ascension Parish might be leading the way and showing Baton Rouge how it’s done...
JR Ball: Council stunt widens Baton Rouge divide
So … what have we learned from the latest Baton Rouge controversy to spin out of control? Despite all the lament and vows to...
Publisher: The government we all pay for
We all pay for government everyday and often question if we are getting our money’s worth. Is our government well run? In our most...
Riegel: Will Baton Rouge learn from Amoroso’s death?
The recent death of Metro Councilman Buddy Amoroso in a bicycling accident in St. Francisville hit home.
Like the late councilman, I, too, am a...
Alford: They said it (legislative edition)
The Legislature held forth from Baton Rouge for five consecutive months this calendar year, from Feb. 19 to June 24. Throughout the Memorial Day...
Riegel: A beacon of light in Baton Rouge
While the immigration debate was raging on Capitol Hill last month, nearly 100 people gathered at Light House Coffee on Lee Drive to observe...
Publisher: Supreme Court sets union members free
In 1973, 23% of public- and private-sector employees belonged to a union. Forty-five years later, just 6.5% of private-sector employees are union members, but...
Riegel: An entertaining downtown Baton Rouge debate
Metro Councilman Lamont Cole says his recently defeated ordinance that would have allowed bars and restaurants to stay open until 4 a.m. was borne...
Publisher: Two bridges reveal traffic problem: politics
A week doesn’t go by that I don’t hear a conversation about traffic all over town or the need for a “new” bridge. But...
Riegel: What Baton Rouge can learn from Cincinnati
“Why Cincinnati?” a member of Baton Rouge’s business community asked me in late May, when I mentioned I was going on BRAC’s Canvas Benchmarking...
Riegel: Another Baton Rouge land use controversy
Local land use controversies often speak to larger issues about the way things roll in a city, state or region.
Such is the case with...
Riegel: Saga of a star-crossed downtown library project
Sometimes, fate just has it out for someone or—in the case of the downtown branch library—something.
Multiple times over the past dozen years the stars...
Riegel: The hard truth about Louisiana’s coastal crisis
Earlier this month, researchers at Tulane University released a report that made headlines in national newspapers and waves in coastal engineering circles.
But most people...
Riegel: Living in an era of digital distractions
My Twitter feed recently sent me a “rare family photograph of Kim Kardashian West and clan.” I didn’t want to click on it but...
Riegel: Questions raised by the Baton Rouge Zoo debate
(Editor's Note: This column has been updated from an earlier version to include new information since its original publication.)
The debate over moving BREC’s Baton...
Riegel: Once again, Louisiana is dead last
On the same late February day that economic development officials from across Louisiana were gathering at L’Auberge Casino for the third annual Statewide Economic...
Riegel: DPW reorganization revisted
In 2014, former Mayor Kip Holden’s administration decided the citizens of Baton Rouge would be better served if the Department of Public Works was...
