Columns
Blanco catches second wind
BATON ROUGE — Castration for sex offenders, human cloning, cockfighting, flag burning, computer-assisted hunting, an official state song. […]
Articles by Jeremy Alford
Columns
Abortion bills could produce another heated debate
BATON ROUGE — It has been 16 years since the Legislature took up the issue of abortion in a real way, and many people still remember what a circus it was. […]
Columns
Hurricane recovery could be overshadowed during regular session
BATON ROUGE — When six feet of Katrina’s water rushed down Bayou Savage along the eastern side of New Orleans, Pete Gerica rescued his elderly mother from the surge and strapped her to the top of a tree using a cable wire. […]
Columns
‘Hardball’ issue on oil royalties has difficult history, future
BATON ROUGE — President Harry S. Truman offered Louisiana a sweet deal in 1949, an arrangement that state officials are still trying to get the feds to duplicate even today. […]
Columns
Polls, surveys offer no better picture of recovery
BATON ROUGE — As Carnival season paraded through south Louisiana last month, briefly pushing aside the memories of those fateful days last fall with bags of throws and elaborate parties, a slew of special interest groups were releasing studies and polls and surveys that brought reality ringing back in a most sobering way.
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Columns
Richard Baker, a man with the plan
BATON ROUGE – Congressman Richard Baker, a Republican who has represented voters here most of his adult life, has been catapulted into the ranks of a political superstar in recent months due to a high-profile housing plan that bears his namesake. And while that proposal may be on life support, Baker plans to make the most of the momentum he has built. […]
Columns
Volatile issues defined session, more could follow
BATON ROUGE — Some folks around the State Capitol still remember when former Sen. J.E. Jumonville, a Ventress Democrat, ripped off one of his boots and threw it at the Senate clock in an effort to stop time and prolong debate. […]
Columns
Inside Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE — First there was a state-sponsored 30-member board to oversee hurricane recovery efforts. Then came another 19-member panel to regulate revamped building codes, and a slew of inspectors will need to be hired just to carry out its mandates. […]
Columns
A change is underway
BATON ROUGE — Whether you’re a good government egghead or a cynical crackpot, it’s difficult to find fault with making government more responsive, less bureaucratic and increasingly adept. […]