Baton Rouge: Blog of New Orleans, Gambit

Gambit TV: Talking local media on Informed Sources

Gambit TV — Sat, 04 May 2013 10:59:00 -0500

Gambit editor Kevin Allman appeared on last night's Informed Sources on WYES-TV to discuss this week's tumult and realignment in the local media world with The Times-Picayune and The Advocate. The panel included host Larry Lorenz, producer Errol Laborde, reporter Dawn Ostrom and WWL-TV investigative reporter David Hammer.…

House committee strikes down bill banning discrimination of gay state workers

Alex Woodward — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:20:02 -0500

Louisiana's House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs failed to pass a bill which would "prohibit discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression."

Authored by State Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, who in 2011 introduced a bill to protect gay students from bullying, House Bill 85 would allow gay state employees who were discriminated against to appeal to the state Civil Service Commission. Current law allows discrimination appeals based on discrimination of political beliefs, sex or race and, provides for hearings and decisions in those cases.…

John Georges talks about his purchase of The Advocate

Kevin Allman — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:04:00 -0500

The Advocate, which moved into the New Orleans market from Baton Rouge earlier this year in response to The Times-Picayune going to a three-day-per-week production schedule, has been sold to New Orleans businessman and sometime-political candidate John Georges. The announcement of the "Georges Media Group" and its buy will be announced officially on Wednesday at a 10 a.m. press conference at The Advocate's Bluebonnet Road offices, which will be attended by Gov. Bobby Jindal and various politicos and dignitaries.…

Another budget stalemate?

Jeremy Alford — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:04:00 -0500

Over the past several weeks, conservative lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee have questioned if, not when, the budget will be passed during the ongoing session that adjourns June 6. That means, not long after Gov. Bobby Jindal has “parked” his controversial tax swap plan, his budget could be stalling.…

D.O.A.: The demise of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s tax plan

Jeremy Alford — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:30:00 -0500

It was as if Huey Long’s Capitol building had been overinflated and suddenly punctured, blowing back hair and rustling papers, letting waves of angst and uncertainty escape over the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, and ultimately restoring the proper pressure inside the limestone skyscraper. A number of lawmakers even gave Gov. Bobby Jindal a standing ovation for his dramatic retreat on the opening day of the annual legislative session April 8, when he declared his tax-swap plan politically untenable.…

Abramson bill gives hospital lease to Ochsner if Children's won't reopen

Charles Maldonado — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:26:00 -0500

State Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans, filed legislation today that would allow the state to lease New Orleans Adolescent Hospital (NOAH) to Ochsner Health Systems in June should Children's Hospital does not agree to reopen NOAH for child and adolescent mental health services.

The bill follows last week's dispute after the lawmaker announced to the New Orleans City Council that Children's signed a lease and agreed to reopen the hospital, which Children's denied.…

NOLA Media Group's Baton Rouge bureau head out after six months on the job

Kevin Allman — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:28:00 -0500

Carlos Sanchez, the managing editor of NOLA Media Group's new Baton Rouge bureau, has resigned after less than six months on the job, multiple sources within the company have told Gambit.

A memo co-signed by editor Jim Amoss and the director of state news and sports, James O'Byrne, went out to NOLA Media Group staffers in the last two hours, saying Sanchez was resigning for family reasons and returning to Texas, where he wrote about politics for the Austin American-Statesman and served as editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald for several years before being let go in a Trib-Herald companywide layoff in 2011.…

Jeff Parish officials to state leges: Cancel new toll referendum

Kevin Allman — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:41:00 -0500

Jefferson Parish Council Chairman Chris Roberts and Councilman-at-large Elton Lagasse have sent an open letter to state representatives, asking them to call off the special election in May that would have voters (again) determine the fate of the now-suspended tolls on the Crescent City Connection.

Roberts and Lagasse also announced that the council would act on a formal resolution requesting the state legislature to "save the cost of the election which would be incurred by the State of Louisiana."

Letter under the jump.…

Zack Kopplin wins "Troublemaker of the Year" award

Kevin Allman — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:09:00 -0600

Zack Kopplin, the 19-year-old Rice University student and Louisiana native who's spent the last two years advocating for repeal of the Louisiana Science Education Act, was named the inaugural "Troublemaker of the Year" by a private foundation that seeks to honor people in their teens who stir up, well, trouble:

What kind of trouble? The good kind — when you are not afraid to speak your mind on important matters even when everyone around you disagrees, when you take a risk and bend social norms for a greater good, when you pick a direction and go for it, even if others tell you to turn around.…
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Report: La.'s poorest pay more than 10% of income in state, local taxes

Charles Maldonado — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:31:31 -0600

A national survey of state and local tax codes by Washington think tank the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) shows that Louisiana's poorest residents pay the highest levels of state and local taxes as a percent of income — more than twice the relative burden on the state's highest earners — due in large part to combined local and state sales taxes.

The ITEP study comes as the state's political leaders ponder a major tax code overhaul.…

Gambit TV: Clancy DuBos on Ray Nagin's indictment

Gambit TV — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:55:00 -0600

"I personally witnessed him at arm’s length, literally two or three weeks away up in Baton Rouge, two weeks after the storm. He just collapsed onto the ground and leaned up against the wall and said, ‘I did not sign up for this shit.’ And he said it again.…
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Independent Monthly in Lafayette: Edwin and Trina Edwards expecting a child

Kevin Allman — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:50:00 -0600

We haven't confirmed this ourselves, but Walter Pierce of Lafayette's Independent Monthly is reporting that former Gov. Edwin Edwards and his wife Trina Scott Edwards (of soon-to-be reality show fame) are expecting a child. Or, as The Ind puts it: "Ermahgerd!…

Jindal orders task force to examine school safety

Alex Woodward — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:00:00 -0600

In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Gov. Bobby Jindal has created a task force to review school safety procedures, from prekindergarten through university level campuses. The multi-agency group includes the departments of safety and corrections, education, health and hospitals, children and family services, and boards from state universities, to be co-chaired by State Police Superintendent Col. Michael Edmonson, and James LeBlanc, Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.…

New survey suggests Baton Rouge one of nation's worst cities for LGBT protection

Kevin Allman — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:31:00 -0600

Members of the Baton Rouge LGBT community are raising questions about the “2012 Municipal Equality Index,” a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

The HRC, the country’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, gathered data on more than 100 U.S. metro areas on their laws and policies regarding gays and lesbians, and presented each city with a score from 0 to 100.…

John LaBruzzo running for legislative seat again?

Clancy DuBos — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:57:00 -0600

When then-state Rep. John LaBruzzo of Metairie lost a hotly contested race against fellow state Rep. Nick Lorusso of Lakeview in the 2011 statewide elections, many concluded his political career was over, or at least in sidetracked for a while. LaBruzzo and Lorusso, both Republicans, were thrown into the same legislative district after the 2010 Census and redistricting.…

Closing Hainkel Home?

Jeremy Alford — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:17:00 -0600

After being chartered in 1891 and opened to the public four years later, the institution on the corner of Henry Clay Avenue and Patton Street in Uptown New Orleans quickly became the kind of place where baskets containing babies would be left on the doorstep in the dead of night.

Over time, it offered refuge to not only abandoned babies but also to individuals afflicted with terminal illnesses.…

Bobby 2.0

Editorial — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:08:00 -0600

"Stop being the stupid party.”

That was Gov. Bobby Jindal speaking to Politico’s Jonathan Martin last week about the future of the Republican Party after the Nov. 6 elections. If you want to see just how much the elections shook up the GOP, look no farther than Jindal’s attempt to disassociate himself from some of his party’s platforms — many of which he once heartily embraced.…

Marijuana reform rallies kick off tomorrow

Alex Woodward — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Legalize Louisiana, a campaign to reform marijuana laws in the state, organizes another round of statewide rallies Thursday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m.

The campaign held several rallies earlier this year from New Orleans to Shreveport. It aims for "an active movement creating health and justice in Louisiana" and advocates the industrial hemp business, decriminalization for personal use, and taxing and regulating commercial use in the state.…

Henry Rollins brings "Capitalized" to Baton Rouge tonight

Kevin Allman — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:21:00 -0500

Muscled rabblerouser Henry Rollins is on a 50-state tour of U.S. capitals in advance of the November presidential election, and tonight the Black Flag frontman and SoCal punk elder statesman will be stopping at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge.

DIG Baton Rouge got an interesting interview with Rollins about why he's touring right now:

When someone says, “Oh, this safety net is making America into a nanny state” — then again, if you think you’re such a rugged individualist, then you won’t be using my road, a public road.…
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The Advocate kicks off New Orleans edition with reception at Rock 'n' Bowl

Kevin Allman — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:54:00 -0500

With the Lagniappe Brass Band blaring a welcome, The Advocate made its New Orleans debut today with a dash of local style at a morning reception at Rock 'n' Bowl. This morning's Advocate New Orleans edition was stacked on tables, each front page bearing a sticker that said "Enjoy today's paper on us!" and offering subscription information for the paper's official rollout Oct. 1.…

Newspaper war! NOLA Media Group goes into Advocate territory

Kevin Allman — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:47:46 -0500

In response to the cutbacks at The Times-Picayune, the Advocate of Baton Rouge has opened a bureau and will begin printing a New Orleans edition Monday. Now — en garde, y'all! — the T-P strikes back, announcing it will expand its Baton Rouge bureau and begin distributing a Red Stick version of the T-P, as well as create a Baton Rouge-focused landing page for NOLA.com:

A customized Baton Rouge version of the NOLA.com website and a Baton Rouge edition of The Times-Picayune, as well as targeted home delivery in the Baton Rouge metro area will be in place by the end of the year, said Ricky Mathews, NOLA Media Group president.…
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The state of customer care at The Times-Picayune

Kevin Allman — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:05:33 -0500

"Easy Pay" (credit card and checking account autodebit) subscribers to The Times-Picayune got a letter today from director of circulation Philip H. Ehrhardt, explaining the paper's new price point when it goes to thrice-weekly publication starting Oct. 1. It's going from $18.95 per week to $16.95 for what's being called an "enhanced" paper.…

The Advocate publisher on the paper's plans to move into New Orleans

Kevin Allman — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:02:00 -0500

Two weeks before The Advocate begins an advertising blitz to let New Orleanians know the Baton Rouge paper is coming to town, the paper has already received between 800 and 1,000 new subscribers in the New Orleans metro area, according to publisher David Manship — and he's expecting more readers to sign up as they hear about the plan.

"We definitely need more than 1,000," he told Gambit this morning.…

David Manship: "We think New Orleans and its citizens deserve a quality newspaper printed each and every day, and we intend to provide one"

Kevin Allman — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:32:00 -0500

David Manship, publisher of the Baton Rouge-based newspaper The Advocate, has released an official letter to newspaper readers in New Orleans, introducing himself, his newspaper — and its plans to begin delivering a daily paper in New Orleans beginning Oct. 1.

Good Afternoon, as the Publisher of The Advocate in Baton Rouge, my family has been providing a daily newspaper to the citizens of Louisiana since the early 1900s.…
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Here comes The Advocate: Baton Rouge paper pushing New Orleans subscriptions

Kevin Allman — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:19:30 -0500

If you want a daily, delivered paper in New Orleans after Oct. 1, The Advocate is working to make that happen. The Baton Rouge newspaper, which had already announced its intention to move into the New Orleans market, is now taking orders for Crescent City subscribers:

Good news, New Orleans!

The Advocate New Orleans Edition will be available October 1st.…
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