Viewpoint: Year’s top stories to be continued

Oftentimes, the bright side of many of the year’s top political stories is that they are behind us, and the bad memories will fade with time, writes LaPolitics columnist John Maginnis. Yet all the major news of Louisiana politics in 2010, for better or worse, have a to-be-continued attached. One would hope the worst of the BP oil spill is behind us. But while the comeback of the coastal marshes and fisheries looks promising, the payback might be a letdown. The lone flickering bright spot of the gulf disaster was a national focus on the long-term plight of Louisiana’s eroding coast. The hope was that the attention would grow to national resolve to fund massive coastal restoration projects, courtesy of federal fines on BP, estimated as high as $20 billion. Support was building in Washington for returning as much as 85% to the affected coastal states. And everyone knew Louisiana was hit hardest of all. Didn’t they? To read the full column, click here.