UL Lafayette student Mickey Shunick disappeared this weekend after a late-night bike ride home and family and friends are asking the community to help find her.

Shunick, 21, left from Ryan Street in the Saint Streets area about 2 a.m. Saturday morning and appeared to be following her normal route to her home on Governor Miro, near the corner of Ambassador and Congress streets. But she failed to arrive home in time for her brother’s graduation the following morning — something family and friends agreed was “atypical” behavior for Shunick. Friends and family immediately organized a flyer distribution and search for Shunick.

“Mickey doesn’t stay at other people’s houses, Mickey doesn’t have boyfriends, Mickey doesn’t have people that are mad at her,” said Brettly Wilson, who was the last person to see Shunick before she disappeared. “The usual suspects here aren’t really going on. She really would have just been going home, just a normal situation, taking the usual path.

“Everyone from the days leading up to it had heard her talking about [her brother’s graduation],” continued Wilson. “She was so excited about it, and it was completely out of the ordinary for her not only to not show up at home, but to not be at the graduation or be at her house before that. Something is clearly unusual with the circumstances.”

Though Shunick went missing Saturday morning, the Lafayette Police Department cannot launch an investigation until 48 hours after a person has gone missing, so the investigation did not start until Monday morning.

“I understand the utilitarian purpose of the 48-hour watch limit, but that is a good time to assess what that means for people who really are missing,” said Wilson. “I understand that they’re inundated with calls with a myriad of people thinking someone has gone missing and there being miscommunications, but 1 percent of infinity is still infinity. Treating this as if there’s been some miscommunication when it’s possible that something worse has happened to her — that’s felt by everyone here [at the Sunday morning search], and I feel like we’re all frustrated with that.

“We can’t reconcile the fact that proper procedure means that she might not be found as soon as possible. Not being able to look within 24 hours and running across campus police and other police while we’re out with flashlights, hearing them say they’ll keep their ear to the ground is infuriating. Just as her friend, it’s incredibly frustrating.”

Wilson and the rest of the search party has been canvassing Lafayette with flyers and continues to look for clues that may lead to Shunick’s discovery. Shunick was on a black bike with gold handlebars, wearing a striped pastel shirt, stonewashed jeans, gray shoes and sunglasses. She also had a silver bell on her bike along with multiple bike lights, which Wilson said could have easily fallen off. Shunick has blonde curly hair, is about 5-feet-1 and weighs 115 pounds.

“I don’t think you realize what a special person she is and how many people she has touched,” said Wilson, becoming visibly upset. “I think so many people can attest to what an incredible person Mickey is. She’s just an energetic, vibrant, active person. We just want her back. We want her safe.”

Wilson asked the community to pay attention around the Saint Streets and Congress, and to keep an eye out for Shunick’s bike at pawn shops. Wilson also emphasized reposting and sharing Shunick’s picture on social media websites to help spread the word. Facebook users can find updates on the “FIND MICKEY SHUNICK NOW” page.

If someone has information that could lead to Shunick’s discovery, they are asked to contact the Lafayette Police Department at (337) 291-8600; Shunick’s mother Nancy at (337) 277-2751; or Wilson at (337) 704-1320.

Did UL’s softball team deserve better than a No. 14 national seed? The Ragin’ Cajun faithful believes that, and it’s hard to argue with them after their dominant performance in the NCAA Regional round at Lamson Park.

The Cajuns ran their record to 52-4 with three easy wins in the regional, outscoring its opponents 23-5 and never trailing in three games  -- the first against out-manned Mississippi Valley State and the last two against a highly-regarded Stanford team from the softball-strong West Coast.

UL, now holding the nation’s best record heading into the NCAA Super Regional round, made things look surprisingly simple all weekend. Even in the regional-clinching 6-2 win over the Cardinal on Sunday, the Cajuns were rarely threatened and led 5-0 before Stanford managed a couple of sixth-inning runs off starter and senior Ashley Brignac.

On came freshman Jordan Wallace, who almost had a run-rule win over the Cardinal in the 9-3 winners’ bracket final on Saturday. Wallace retired the final four batters she faced, inducing two ground balls and a fly ball that Brianna Cherry gathered in center field for the clinching out to begin the celebration for the stadium-record 2,729 in attendance.

“This place is unbelievable,” Brignac said. “To know that we got another shot to play in front of these fans was very exciting. I thought Senior Day might have been our last day on that field, but to play again in the NCAA Tournament felt unbelievable.”

Only one of the 16 regionals drew anything close to the six-session total of 14,097 fans that came out to Lamson Park. Louisville was close, but those Cardinals had intense state rival Kentucky in their field … and once UK was out, Louisville’s Sunday crowd dipped to 1,000 less than the Cajuns as they fell to Michigan in that finale.

“This isn’t an easy place to play in,” said Stanford coach John Rittman, a statement that doesn’t get made about 99 percent of the softball facilities in the country. No one in the country packs them in like the Cajun program, and they’re not just in the park … they’re loud and boisterous in a sport where the word “crowd” is a misnomer at even the “name” schools.

Late in Sunday’s game, when the Cajuns held a commanding lead after home runs by Christi Orgeron and Sarah Draheim, fans sitting in the outfield began a “Ragin’” chant that drew a quick “Cajun” response from those in the grandstand. The cheers went back and forth for nearly half a minute … long enough to realize that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the country. No other program even has enough fans sitting in outfield seats to generate that kind of involvement.

“When they started doing that, from the infield to the outfield, it just gave you chills,” Brignac said after running her season record to 23-3. “We had amazing support. They packed the house.”

That packed house turned out to be the final home appearance. The 14^th-seeded Cajuns are matched against third-seeded Arizona State for next weekend’s Super Regional, and ASU's winning of the "if necessary" game 4-0 over Syracuse late Sunday night means the Cajuns will head for Tempe for the super regional round.

Even with UL on the road, it’s not a typical #3 vs. #14 matchup. In fact, UL already holds a 9-2 win over the defending national champion Sun Devils in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., in mid-March. Obviously, that’s more than two months ago and both teams are very different now, but the Cajuns still haven’t lost to a team outside of Sun Belt Conference play this season (an astounding 28-0).

Sunday’s win followed the pattern that had been in place most of the season. The Cajuns got two runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Orgeron that plated Katie Smith – who had three straight three-hit games in the regional – and a Cherry sacrifice fly that score Nerissa Myers.

Two innings later, Orgeron – who struggled in the Sun Belt Tournament and in the regional’s first two games – blasted her 22^nd home run of the year for a 3-0 lead. Orgeron also added a sacrifice fly in the sixth that plated Natalie Fernandez with the game’s final run, giving the senior three RBI on Sunday and a nation-leading 94 this year. Only four players in NCAA history have ever had 100 or more RBI in a season – Orgeron with 101 last year, and three Arizona players.

“The greatest thing about this team is that I never feel the pressure that I have to hit,” Orgeron said. “Some teams have one hitter that they rely on, and if they don’t get the big swings or the big hit, they are going to lose. That’s not this team. This is a team. This is one through nine.”

“They have speed at the top of the lineup, power in the middle of the lineup and speed at the bottom of the lineup,” Rittman said. “That’s a very good team we lost to this weekend.”

The Lamson Park faithful would agree.

UL’s softball team knows that amount well.

The Ragin’ Cajuns, thanks to two more of those swings on Saturday, are on their way to Championship Sunday in the NCAA Softball Regional Tournament at Lamson Park.

Nerissa Myers and Matte Haack both had grand-slam homers in Saturday’s opening game of the three-day event, providing all the runs the Cajuns needed in a 9-3 victory over second-seeded Stanford for their second win of the event.

The win puts UL (51-4) into Sunday’s play as the unbeaten team, and whoever survives Saturday’s other two elimination games will have to beat the Cajuns twice in order to advance to next weekend’s Super Regional round.

Myers cleared the bases in the second inning for an early 4-0 lead off Cardinal pitcher Teagan Gerhart (31-12), and two innings later Haack also got into grand-slam action with a bases-loaded homer that made it 8-0 at the time.

The Cajuns now have 12 grand slams as a team this year, part of their 70 the team has this season, and those two took much of the life out of the Cardinal (39-18) even though Stanford avoided a run-rule loss on Jenna Rich’s three-run homer in the fifth.

That was all the runs that Cajun freshman Jordan Wallace allowed, though, as she improved to 26-1 and helped UL go to 51-4 this year – and to within one win of advancing.

“I was happy that the team had my back,” Wallace said of the home-run attack. “I knew this game would be a fight, but I knew that they were here and ready to play.”

Other than the three-run homer, Stanford only advanced one other runner as far as third base off the freshman.

“She’s 26-1 so she’s not really a freshman any more,” said Stanford coach John Rittman, “although this is a bigger stage than she’s pitched on all year, pitching in her first regional. She did a good job today of keeping us off balance and getting the big out, because we had some opportunities.”

The opportunity is there for the Cajuns with Saturday’s win. They’ll face whoever comes out of Saturday’s Stanford-Baylor finale and will be the unbeaten team going to Sunday’s final day. That means the Cajuns can wrap it up in the 1 p.m. game, or can win a second “if-necessary” game … either one will send them to the NCAA’s softball Sweet 16.

It’s a sure bet that another huge crowd will be on hand at Lamson Park Sunday. After Friday’s two games drew a nation-leading 4,732 fans (the next-highest mark was the 3,836 drawn in Tuscaloosa, Ala., at the Alabama regional), another 2,476 were on hand for UL’s opening-game win Saturday.

“Our fan base came out and was really excited and created a great environment and set a tone for us,” said UL co-head coach Michael Lotief. “And I thought our kids came out and responded… they came out and answered the challenge.”

That’s why so many Cajun staffers and fans had big grins on their faces Friday, when the renovated and expanded Lamson Park hosted day one of its NCAA Regional Tournament play.

Many of those smiles, obviously, were due to UL’s workmanlike 8-0 dispatching of heavy-underdog Mississippi Valley State in the Cajuns’ opening game. But many – players, coaches and fans alike – were happy that for the first time since 2002, UL didn’t have to go on the road to begin its quest to reach the Women’s College World Series.

And a select few – notably, the Cajun athletic staff – were smiling most of all after their weeks of planning bore fruit in a first day that went off without a hitch. The Cajuns’ game drew 2,628, a park record, and there were no major logistical problems … an accomplishment, considering the NCAA and its on-site staffers are micro-managers when it comes to their events.

“The Cajun nation was out in full force,” said Cajun co-head coach Stefni Lotief. “It was good to see a sea of red out there.”

The Cajun staff even pulled off the task of clearing the stands after Friday’s first game and getting the stadium ready to re-open minutes later for the record crowd to come in a half-hour later. For the most part, they also did it while still showing the Cajun hospitality that we that are from here take for granted.

“We don’t get treated this well most places,” said umpire Laura Nesterak before the event started, referring to the small touches – snacks and other amenities, and an attendant to take care of their needs -- that made the crew’s first day more enjoyable.

For most folks at Lamson Park, though, the most important thing was the host team’s outcome, and even though the Cajuns were heavily favored, the Delta Devilettes kept the game scoreless until the third inning when Nerissa Myers’ well-placed double over the third-base bag scored speed-demon Natalie Fernandez with the game’s first run. Brianna Cherry added a sacrifice fly later in that inning, and two innings later home runs by Matte Haack and Paige Cormier broke the game open.

Senior pitcher Ashley Brignac didn’t need that much offense as she sat down 18 of the 20 Valley hitters she faced. After a ground-ball single in the first inning and a walk in the second, she retired the last 13 batters she faced, and didn’t have to go out to pitch the seventh when Cormier’s RBI single plated Cherry for the run-rule win in the sixth.

Things figure to be much tougher against second-seeded Stanford on Saturday. The Cardinal knocked off Baylor in an old-fashioned 1-0 game to open the tournament, and the winner of Saturday’s 1 p.m. UL-Stanford game takes a big advantage into championship Sunday and needs only one win to advance to the Super Regionals.

Ashley Brignac was brilliant, as usual, and the UL bats came alive late in Game 2 of the NCAA Softball Regional at Lamson Park in an 8-0 run-rule victory over heavy underdog Mississippi Valley State Friday evening.

A Lamson Park-record crowd of 2,628 saw Brignac face only two batters over the minimum in her six innings. She allowed a single to Alexandria Robertson in the first inning and issued a two-out walk to Rachelle Harris in the second, and other than that the SWAC champ Delta Devilettes (34-18) didn’t manage a base runner.

Brignac (22-3) also fanned nine through the first five innings, striking out the side in the fifth in the middle of a stretch of 13 straight batters retired.

The Cajuns (50-4) actually gave Brignac all the support the senior needed in the second inning with a pair of runs, but the home-run bats came out in a five-run fifth inning. UL catcher Matte Haack poked a one-out two-run homer over the left field wall, her eighth of the year, to make it 4-0.

Later in that same inning, Paige Cormier took a pitch from losing pitcher Alicia Lorenz (19-9) over the left-field wall for a three-run shot. Then, fittingly, Cormier ended the abbreviated game with an RBI single with two outs in the sixth that scored Brianna Cherry from second base.

Nerissa Myers had an RBI double and Cherry a sacrifice fly in the third for the Cajuns’ first two runs, part of an attack that generated 12 hits.

The top-seeded Cajuns move into Saturday’s winner’s bracket final against Stanford, a 1-0 victor over Baylor in Friday’s tournament opener. That game is set for 1 p.m., and a limited number of general admission (outfield-seating) tickets were still available as of Friday evening.

Baylor and Mississippi Valley play an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and the winner of that game turns around and faces the UL-Stanford loser at 6 p.m. The eventual survivors move to championship Sunday with the finals at 1 p.m. and the if-necessary game at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The opening game of the Lafayette Regional at UL’s Lamson Park was a throwback to the way softball was played a couple of decades ago – low-scoring and pitcher-dominated.

Stanford’s only run of the game came on a pair of hits sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning, and that turned into the deciding run as the Cardinals took a 1-0 victory over Baylor in Friday’s opening game.

The host Ragin’ Cajuns, the regional’s top seed, face fourth-seeded Mississippi Valley State in the Friday nightcap scheduled for 6 p.m., and most UL fans will be expecting a lot more scoring – especially since the Cajuns took a 21-0 win over MVSU’s Delta Devilettes earlier this season. But MVSU, the SWAC champion to earn its NCAA automatic berth, is a different team now and has its pitching staff healthy – something that wasn’t the case in the earlier game.

In Friday’s opener, Stanford’s Hanna Winter had an infield single to lead off the fifth, Leah White sacrificed her to second and Cassandra Roulund’s two-out single up the middle plated the game’s only run. That supported the pitching of Stanford’s Teagan Gerhart (31-11), who scattered six singles and was only threated once.

That Bear threat came in the fifth inning when Kelsi Kettler singled, was sacrificed to second and Sydney Wilson was hit by a pitch. Wth one out, Kathy Shelton singled to right and pinch runner Shelbi Redfearn was held at third base. However, Wilson didn’t stop and was trapped between second and third, and during that rundown Redfearn attempted to score and was thrown out at the plate.

The Bears only managed one baserunner on a walk after that in falling into the loser’s bracket to face the UL-MVSU loser at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Stanford will face the UL-MVSU winner in Saturday’s opening game at 1 p.m.

“We’re trying to run a professional operation and can’t have any distractions this weekend,’” Tom Millikin, general manager for Kevin Plank’s Sagamore Farm, the owner of Tiger Walk, wrote on Twitter. “We spoke with Kent and wished him well.” ...

A spokesman for the New York State Racing and Wagering Board said the board is “conducting an investigation into the matter.”

In a phone interview with Daily Racing Form on Friday afternoon, Desormeaux admitted he had “a little too much wine with dinner last night” but said he had stopped drinking by 8:30 p.m., knowing that he would have to take a Breathalyzer test in order to ride Friday.

“I guess my body doesn’t deal with it the way your body does,” Desormeaux said from New York.

Read the DRF story here.

The Baltimore Sun noted that Desormeaux was picked up by Sagamore, owned by Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank, after his Kentucky Derby mount, Dullahan, was taken out of consideration for Saturday's race. The Sun reported:

This is not the first time Desormeaux has had trouble with alcohol. He conducted a radio interview while allegedly drunk in 2010, then was suspended for a race day when he failed a Breathalyzer in Canada. He said then that he would seek counseling for an alcohol problem.

Last year, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after intentionally hitting a police officer with his car.

A New York racing rule implemented in late April states that the “presence of .05 percent or more alcohol in the blood by weight per volume … shall constitute alcoholic impairment and be a violation.”

The Deux Bayous Cultural District in the small St. Martin Parish town of Arnaudville was among eight Louisiana organizations honored this week for their promotion and preservation of arts and culture. Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne was on hand at the Capitol Park Museum Wednesday to bestow the award on organizers of what’s become known as "the NuNu-Arnaudville Experiment," a rural art initiative begun in 2005 that is a participant in the Mayor’s Institute on City Design Creative Placemaking study under the umbrella of the National Endowment for the Arts in concert with the United States Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation.

It sounds complicated but it’s really about a small town in Cajun Country redefining — and celebrating — itself as a nexus of arts and culture

Straddling the confluence of the bayous Teche and Courtableau — hence the name of the cultural district — Arnaudville has undergone a cultural renaissance over the last several years, earning a cultural district distinction from the state in 2008, which allows for the sale of art that is exempt from the state sales tax. (Downtown Lafayette is also a state-designated cultural district.)

But Arnaudville may also be called Phoenix on the Bayou. A fire tore through NuNu’s Town Market — the district's locus of activity operated by artist George Marks — in July 2010. But the artists in Arnaudville banded together and rebuilt, and the Deux Bayous Cultural District is thriving, host to exhibits, symposia, art classes and cultural conclaves.

Bravo, gang! Read more about NuNu’s battle back from the blaze in our Sept. 8, 2010 cover story, “Rising from the Ashes.”

Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer’s long-shot bid for the White House came to an ignominious end Thursday night when Americans Elect, the bipartisan group that hoped to field a serious third-party candidate on ballots in all 50 states this fall, announced it was throwing in the proverbial towel.

Americans Elect tried — and failed spectacularly — to mount a decidedly 21st century campaign: use an on-line nominating process in which contenders for the ticket would be nominated based on clicks. Roemer fared the best among the field of declared candidates, garnering nearly 6,300 clicks. Unfortunately that’s 3,700 short of the 10,000 threshold the group required for nominating a presidential candidate.

Roemer initially tried to run as a Republican but failed to get any traction with the party. His central message — that the huge sums of corporate and millionaire money flowing into the electoral process has a corrupting influence on American politics — never seemed to resonate with a party built on huge sums of corporate and millionaire money. He was unable to generate enough support within the GOP to participate in any of the debates hosted over the last several months and turned to Americans Elect early this spring.

Backed by some big-money donors, virtually all of whom were anonymous, AE hoped to offer a centrist alternative to Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. But, despite polls suggesting Americans are hungry for an alternative to the Democratic and Republican parties, Americans Elect failed to ignite sufficient interest. “As of this week, no candidate achieved the national support threshold required to enter the Americans Elect online convention in June,” the group announced in a statement released Thursday night. “The primary process for the Americans Elect nomination has come to an end.”

Read more here.

The waiting is the hardest part. In what appears to be a case of using snarky filler copy — words inserted as a place holder until the real copy comes in — and then forgetting to replace or delete them before going to press, The Rayne Independent, a weekly newspaper in the small Acadia Parish town, is one of the most famous weeklies in Louisiana today. (See image below. If you're easily offended, ignore image below.)

We first saw a photo of the blurb on Facebook yesterday. It has now been picked up by Gambit and the website Deadspin, and will no doubt be floating through the blogosphere in short order. As best we can ascertain the photo was posted to Instagram by the online editor of the Crowley Post-Signal, which is owned by Louisiana State Newspapers, parent company of the Rayne Acadian-Tribune, another weekly newspaper. We’ve yet to confirm the words actually appeared in print in The Rayne Independent, although the evidence says yes.

But we also must emphasize our empathy with The Independent, not because we share a name but because we know what it’s like being a scrappy little weekly trying to compete for readers and ad revenue. And we’ve flirted with a similar snafu ourselves on Mondays when we go to press although — knock on wood — it hasn’t bitten us in the arse yet. And that ain’t no bulls**t.

Cooper has committed to finding a fix for the overcrowding problem, according to the dailies, which may include using some of the $30 million in bonds that was slated for Thibodaux Tech High School. And if Youngsville were to move forward with plans to break away from LPSS, it would take a two-thirds vote of the Legislature next year and voter approval of a Constitutional Amendment.

As Red Stick Forward writer Slater McKay notes in a column published on The Political Desk website, “if the Legislature accelerates these breakaway districts to the point of having an overabundance of local school districts that are surprisingly homogenous by choice, there’s a good chance the federal government will step in to remind us (once again) of the difference between Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education.”

“Lafayette’s distinct culinary identity as the capital of Cajun country, its spicy, sausage-laden roots and a new generation of locals devoted to preserving their heritage while putting a fresh spin on tradition have made it an incredibly satisfying place to eat,” wrote Senior Editor Paula Disbrowe in the Southern Living story.

The New Fly Lafayette Club launched last year as a way of thanking flyers for choosing the Lafayette Regional Airport as their departure and arrival airport. Members of The New Fly Lafayette Club enter to win rewards from the club’s sponsors, including free meals, services, Fly Lafayette Club merchandise, gift certificates and free parking. Winners are chosen each month from the members who utilize the airport.

“Stay tuned as more sponsors are announced for the 2012 campaign,” Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission Executive Director Gerald Breaux said in announcing this year’s program. “It is an impressive lineup.”

For more information, contact LCVC at (337) 232-3737 or visit the EatLafayette website here.

For a Top 50 Privately Held Companies nomination form, which must be returned to both Turk and Erin Zaunbrecher at erinz@inbox.com, click here.

No serious promises were made at the committee meeting Thursday about funding, but the mood was decidedly friendly, with legislators teasing Street.

State Sen. Eric LaFleur, joked that the state Senate has a better atmosphere than the House.

“It’s the House that cut your budget ... I want you to know that the Senate’s going to put your money back,” said LaFleur, D-Ville Platte.

The dome on the Republican Party in Louisiana is showing a fissure as the tit-for-tat over budget priorities between Gov. Bobby Jindal and state Treasurer John Kennedy gains momentum.

The spat got a head of steam earlier this week when Kennedy released an open letter to the Jindal administration accusing it of using scare tactics in an effort to bring pressure on lawmakers to restore nearly $270 million in cuts made to next fiscal year’s budget: “[P] please stop scaring our healthcare and higher education communities over the changes made to HB 1 by a majority vote of the Louisiana House of Representatives. It is not necessary to make the draconian reductions to the healthcare and higher education budgets you and your staff have suggested in order to achieve the fiscally responsible goals of the House.”

Kennedy’s letter ticked off a 10-point plan to reduce state spending through various means including cutting the state payroll, collecting outstanding debts, trimming consulting contracts and reorganizing departments.

Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater responded with an open letter of his own to Kennedy answering the treasurer’s plan point-by-point and jabbing at Kennedy in the preamble: “We appreciate your input, but with all due respect, the numbers that you continue to use to support your case are not based in reality and the ideas you continue to advocate for will not work.”

The bon mot wrapped in tongue-in-cheek irony came from Jindal flack Kyle Plotkin, who said in a statement, “John Kennedy has a long history of using numbers that don’t add up and proposing the same-old, same-old half-baked gimmicks. There’s nothing new here. These gimmicks haven’t worked before, and they aren’t going to work now. He’s just one confused politician.”

It’s that last sentence in Plotkin’s invective that is designed to sting Kennedy the most: The “one confused politician” was used repeatedly and to great effect against him in a series of political ads in 2008 when he ran against U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. Kennedy’s spokesman during that 2004 U.S. Senate campaign was — you guessed it — Kyle Plotkin.

Read Kennedy’s open letter here.

For more on the spat including Rainwater’s response, click here.

House and Senate committees Wednesday advanced bills designed to further restrict abortions in Louisiana.

The House Heath & Welfare Committee approved Senate Bill 708, which requires women seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours between examination and procedure — the current required waiting time in two hours — and to see and ultrasound and hear the heartbeat of the fetus unless they specifically object. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, a Baton Rouge Democrat. The Advocate reports that one opponent of the bill who spoke before the committee characterized it as more hurdles placed between women and constitutional rights to health care. The bill received unanimous approval and moves to the full House for debate.

That House committee’s Senate counterpart, meanwhile, gave a 3-2 thumbs-up to SB 593 sponsored by Senate President John Alario. The bill would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks. It moves to the full Senate.

Read more here.

The Endowment for Humanities’ Humanist of the Year Award winner and recent Treme star, White and his seven-piece band will bring some New Orleans-style jazz to close out the AcA's  inaugural jazz season.

Tickets are $18-$45 and can be purchased here, at The Box Office at 101 W Vermilion St, or by calling  (337) 233-7060. An AcA membership discount is available for all performances and workshops. Ticketing fees may apply.

Creole String Beans at DTA!

With the fine weather of late, don't miss Creole String Beans at Downtown Alive! Friday, at Parc Sans Souci.

The band's song selection consists of a repertoire that ranges from Fats Domino and Bobby Charles to Duke Ellington and NRBQ. Called "the best tasting band in New Orleans" by Chef John Besh, The Creole String Beans have defined a new era in 21st Century "Y'at Rock" on stages from the New Orleans Jazz Fest to back-o-town dives. Check out the band here.

Storytellers back at Cite

Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St., offers up Jim Phillips who will present The Spinner’s Web,
Storyteller’s Night, Saturday 7 p.m. with Barry Ancelet, storyteller and folklorist;
Mitchell Reed, storyteller and musician with BeauSoleil; Sally O.
Donlon, storyteller and educator; Danny Barnhill storyteller with his
own "chorus."

In celebration of The Bicentennial of Louisiana Statehood. The Spinner’s Web,
Storyteller’s Night will pit storyteller against storyteller to explain how the world and humanity works – or to tell completely meaningless stories that are very funny – or to celebrate the Louisiana Purchase and its restoration of hope for the future of our
children.

Tickets are available online at www.citedesarts.org or make reservations by calling (337) 291-1122. First come, first served.

Spinner's Web is also a dinner theatre event: Order an organic meal from Conscious Cuisine. Menu for ordering a meal is online. Pay via PayPal at www.citedesarts.org. Your nutrient rich and delicious food will be ready an hour before the storytelling begins.

 T Coon Touchet induction Saturday

Acadian Museum at the museum and cafe in Erath will induct T Coon Touchet of New Iberia as a Living Legend, 4 p.m. Saturday. Touchet played steel guitar on The Back Door, considered by many the most popular Cajun song written by D.L. Menard. Two others who played on the classic record 50 years ago will also be on hand: Menard and Joe Lopez of New Iberia.

SRO crowd means 2nd showing of T-Galop

Tuesday evening, Casa Azu, 232 ML King Dr. in Grand Coteau hosted a screening of the documentary T-Galop to a standing-room-only crowd. T-Galop will be shown again on Tuesday, May 22 at 7 p.m., at Casa Azul Gifts to accommodate those who were turned away. The screening will be followed by a Q & A session with director Connie Castille.

T-Galop, A Louisiana Horse Story, was written and directed by Connie Castille. The documentary explores the horse culture here in the great state of Louisiana. Creole cowboys and Cajun jockeys, Cotton Knights and Mardi Gras revelers reveal the long history and blend between Creoles and Cajuns and the horses they love. This equine love affair began more than 250 years ago on the first ranches of South Louisiana. Creoles and Cajuns are some of America’s first cowboys. Not only essential to work, horses were often the focus of French Louisiana’s renowned joie de vivre.

A trailer of this film can be seen here.

Good news for NuNu's

Louisiana’s Culture Connection Celebration 2012 honored the national recognition of Arnaudville’s Deux Bayous Cultural District, a participant in the prestigious Mayor’s Institute on City Design Creative Placemaking study.

The Deux Bayous Cultural District is one of eight Louisiana organizations and programs to receive commendation from Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne at the 2012 celebration.

The Deux Bayous Cultural District serves to promote the arts by providing sale tax exemptions for the purchase of original art. The district also encourages restoration by making some properties eligible for state historic tax credits.

The Deux Bayous Cultural District resulted from strong public sector support and responsive government leadership. The district is a factor in the “NuNu-Arnaudville Experiment,” a rural art initiative begun in 2005. That national recognition comes in the shape of example on how a small rural community is redefining itself.

Creative Placemaking is a White Paper of The Mayors’ Institute on City Design, a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation. The “NuNu-Arnaudville Experiment” is one of several case studies within the Creative Placemaking report.

There’s more to Ernie K-Doe than his 1961 No. 1 song, Mother-in-Law, and you can read about it in Ben Sandmel’s Ernie K-Doe: The R&B emperor of New Orleans.

“It’s such a rich scene with his history and his riches-to-rags story. He had a No. 1 record and then he lost everything. He was living on the street for while,” says Sandmel. “It’s a real saga.”

You can find out more tonight, 7-9, at Casa Azul in Grand Coteau with a book signing by the author and also have an opportunity to hear music by Yvette Landry.

Sandmel says he first became interested in K-Doe while listening to his radio show on WWOZ in the 1980s. The singer would play his own songs and “then scream over them about what a genius he was,” Sandmel says. “It was way over the top. It was pretty entertaining,” he says. “So when he opened the lounge, I started going there and I just loved.”

That was in the mid-1990s and the lounge in question is K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge, 1500 N. Claiborne Ave., in New Orleans.

“It was just this incredible scene of this veteran rhythm and blues singer and a lot of his colleagues singing in this tiny little place – a surreal atmosphere, kind of like a set from a Fellini movie – very friendly and hospitable place. But also a pretty strange place in a fascinating way, in a good way. Heard a lot of great music there.”

Sandmel, who also produces the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, had the singer as a guest. In 1999, he then joined K-Doe on a trip to Washington, D.C., for a Fourth of July concert for the National Park Service put on by Nick Spitzer and wrote about it for Gambit.

Because of the rich content derived while working on the article, the idea of a book about K-Doe came about. But Sandmel was in the throes of finishing his book Zydeco! and also touring/managing the Hackberry Ramblers.

“In 2001, not long before K-Doe died, I was sitting in the lounge one day and he said, ‘You really need to write a book about me,’ or something to that effect - kind of a royal edict, you know ,” says Sandmel. “So I said, ‘Yeah. Sounds interesting to me because I’d already been thinking about it.”

Plans were made to go through K-Doe’s old neighborhood with a videographer and the singer would reminisce about this and that. But while on tour with the Ramblers, Sandmel got the word the singer was in the hospital and then shortly thereafter he died.

“We didn’t get to do that, but that fall I started working on it,” says Sandmel. The author was putting together a book proposal on K-Doe, but admittedly it was on the back burner as he was also touring and making a documentary about the Ramblers. “And by ’05, right after the storm [Hurricane Katrina], the Ramblers’ .. we’d played our last show and it was obvious that wasn’t going on anymore.”

So Sandmel’s focus returned to the book, but wasn’t getting too far with publishers. As it happened this gave Sandmel more time to do more research and conduct more interviews with K-Doe’s contemporaries before they, too, were called home. In all, he spoke to more than 200 people for the book, including those who K-Doe toured with when “he was big on the national touring circuit,” such as Jerry Butler, Ben E. King, Herman of the Herman Hermits who’d covered “Mother in Law,” Carol Fran, Doe’s relatives and friends.

“I just went ahead and wrote it on spec – I had some doubts about that – but did it,” says Sandmel. The first draft was completed by 2008 and the next year the second draft was done. Historic New Orleans liked the book and the two reached an agreement. “They did a really beautiful job on it. It’s like an art book, coffee table book. It’s got about 150 photos in it. Besides the story, which I think is good, but it’s really a major visual book, too.”

Although it took 10 years to get the book written, Sandmel keep it all in perspective.

“In retrospect, it’s really good I did not get a book deal when I first started trying to because it would’ve been pretty much like a vignette, or a lengthy magazine article. It wouldn’t have really been a book,” says Sandmel. “So by not getting a deal when I first started to and just continuing to do the research, ultimately, it’s much better.

“If someone had said we’ll publish your book in 2002 or something, I would’ve had one-tenth of the material I have,” he says. “It would’ve been pretty thin. There were some frustrating phases in this process, but everything really worked out for the best.”

In his research, Sandmel learned about K-Doe’s connection to the Baton Rouge blues scene and who he modeled his style after.

“Besides being a part of the R&B scene in New Orleans with Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas and all those people, he was also part of the Baton Rouge Blues scene with Slim Harpo, Rafuel Neal, Buddy Guy before he moved to Chicago,” says Sandmel. “I didn’t realize he has such an extensive background in Gospel music. And his real idol as a singer was this gospel singer named Archie Brownlee with the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi.”

Along with book signings, Sandmel is also using Facebook to get the word out about his book, which was the primary reason he hooked up with the social media network.

“It took a while to build up all of those friends, so that in one click I can get the word out to 1,200 people,” he says. “I don’t know for sure how many of those people have gone out and bought the book, so I can’t really say.”

Sandmel is not selling the book himself it's handled by the publisher, The Historic New Orleans Collection, so he can’t speak to the sales numbers.

“I’m sure it can’t hurt. It’s a great way to get the word out without spending any money to a lot of people,” he says. “I’m not the most web savvy person in the world, but I figured Facebook I should absolutely do. I haven’t gone as far as Twitter yet.”

Sandmel is a New Orleans–based journalist, folklorist, drummer, and producer. His previous book is Zydeco! a collaborative with photographer Rick Olivier. Sanmel's articles about Louisiana music have appeared in national publications, including the Atlantic and Rolling Stone, and have been anthologized in such collections as Da Capo Best Music Writing 2000 and From Jubilee to Hip Hop: Readings in African American Music.

For more information, go here, here and here.

Spa Mizan, located at 319 Kaliste Saloom Road, is a full-service salon and spa, and StormGuard, 105 Board Road, specializes in keeping homes safe from hurricanes. In February, Spa Mizan was also named in the Salon Today 200 by Salon Today magazine. Salons were selected for their best business practices from applications submitted by the magazine’s readers.

Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration annually recognize small business leaders who make a significant impact and who exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit of Louisiana. The 2012 winners were honored in a private reception Tuesday at the Governor's Mansion.

“This year’s award winners exemplify the vital role served by Louisiana small business leaders and their enterprises,” LED Secretary Stephen Moret said in announcing the honors. “Across many industry sectors, Louisiana’s small businesses supply key goods and services that fuel our economy and have helped Louisiana outperform the South and the U.S. through the recent national recession and the current recovery. We salute these business leaders for the visionary role they play in job creation, innovation and entrepreneurial growth.”

A recent nationwide survey of small business owners established Louisiana as one of the five friendliest states for small business in the U.S., with Louisiana gaining an “A” overall and an “A+” for networking programs, licensing, regulations and zoning. Louisiana also ranked among the top six states for the economic health of its small businesses. Thumbtack.com conducted the survey in association with the Kauffman Foundation.

“This third-party survey validates the tremendous accomplishments that our state’s small businesses are achieving, and LED will continue to implement programs and provide assistance that assures continued success for Louisiana’s small businesses in the future,” Moret said.

In addition to the individual small business award winners, LED recognized 33 companies for their participation in the state’s Economic Gardening pilot program, an innovative experience that provides existing small businesses with market research tools to accelerate their growth. View all of the 2012 Small Business Award winners here.

The acquisition will also add Kansas Star Casino near Wichita, Kan.; Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque, Iowa; Diamond Jo Worth in Northwood, Iowa; and Amelia Belle Casino in Amelia. Boyd already owns Delta Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel in Vinton, Sam's Town Hotel and Casino in Shreveport and Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner.

“Acquiring Peninsula Gaming is a transformative transaction that fits perfectly into our growth strategy by expanding our company’s scale, diversifying our platform, strengthening our financial profile, and generating meaningful value for our shareholders,” Boyd President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Smith said in announcing the deal. “The Peninsula properties are a strong fit for us, as they are well-managed and operate in resilient markets in the Midwest and South. We anticipate this transaction will be immediately accretive to earnings and significantly increase our free cash flow.

“We are paying an attractive multiple for high-quality, high-margin assets,” Smith continued. “The properties operate in locations with limited gaming supply and stable tax and regulatory environments, resulting in attractive [interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization] margins. Their management teams have considerable knowledge of their markets, and have shown they are able to operate efficiently without compromising the guest experience.”

Boyd will fund the transaction with $200 million in cash and approximately $1.2 billion in debt at the Peninsula subsidiary. In addition, a note provided by the seller of approximately $144 million will be part of the consideration.

Including its Louisiana operations, Boyd (NYSE: BYD) owns a total of 17 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi, Illinois and Indiana.

	Photo Illustration

An ordinance to end Lafayette Consolidated Government’s contract with red-light camera/speed van operator Redflex was shot down by a 6-3 vote Tuesday night by the City-Parish Council, but amendments to the ordinance authorizing a new four-year contract with the company mean the expansion of the program will be modest than planned and the cameras will no longer snap photos of drivers’ faces. The council also voted to move oversight of the program from the Traffic & Transportation Department to the Police Department.

Tuesday’s sequence of votes, which included a handful of amendments, ended with the council deciding the program would be expanded for the time being to only four more intersections from the current 12; backers of the program were eyeing 17 additional intersections including state-administered city streets like Johnston Street as new cites for cameras.

The ordinance to end the SafeLight/SafeSpeed program was sponsored by Councilmen Jared Bellard, Andy Naquin and William Theriot — the only three councilmen to vote for the ordinance and against the amended ordinance authorizing a four-year extension. Naquin was also unsuccessful in an amendment to increase the yellow light time at intersections and Theriot failed to push through an amendment reducing the Redflex contract to two years.

View the Redflex portion of Tuesday’s council meeting on-line here.

Joey Durel, left, and Charlie Langlinais

Citing annexation lawsuits filed by the city of Broussard against the city of Lafayette as well as Broussard’s apparent breach of its wholesale water contract with the city-owned Lafayette Utilities System, City-Parish President Joey Durel told the council Tuesday he has directed his staff to explore a termination of all contractual and inter-governmental agreements with Broussard.

“Just like the other municipalities in Lafayette Parish, Broussard is the recipient of numerous and varied services from the city of Lafayette, all of which allow Broussard to provide to its citizens a level of services that it could not currently provide by itself,” Durel told the council. “However, unlike the other municipalities in Lafayette Parish, the administration of the city of Broussard has chosen to engage in an ongoing battle with the city of Lafayette, attempting to frustrate Lafayette’s growth and development in ways that are inconsistent with a mutually beneficial relationship.

“Essentially, the administration of the city of Broussard wants to declare itself to be an adversary of the city of Lafayette, all the while expecting the city of Lafayette to ignore the fact that it provides Broussard with the very services that have allowed Broussard to grow and prosper.”

Durel is referring specifically to Broussard Mayor Charlie Langlinais, who has been a burr under Durel’s saddle virtually since the Lafayette mayor took office in 2004. Now in his third and final term, Durel has clearly had enough. “I can no longer overlook the fact that the taxpayers of Lafayette are compelled to defend and pursue lawsuits and disputes with the same municipality that willingly accepts services from Lafayette at the same time,” Durel said. “This is not wise public policy.”

Durel is brother-in-law to Youngsville Mayor Wilson Viator, who has had his own share of spats with Langlinais over annexations in south Lafayette Parish as well as water — perhaps the most important infrastructure commodity for growing small towns. If Lafayette is successful in cutting off the LUS water supply to Broussard it could have a disastrous economic impact on the city of Broussard and stymie its future growth.

“The city of Broussard is not the city of Lafayette’s responsibility; we have no jurisdiction in there,” Durel said in closing his remarks to the council. “We were glad to help, as we do with other municipalities, but with this sort of unnatural relationship, I think it’s time for that relationship to come to an end.”

To hear Durel’s full remarks on the issue click here and go to about 15:45.

Louisiana faces a $211 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year (which ends June 30). One strategy being floated by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, involves doing nothing. He’s not  joking. Budget leaders are seriously considering carrying a deficit and addressing it next fiscal year — AND taking out 20-year loans for a list of unspecified road projects. Bear in mind that state revenue forecasters have predicted a $303 million revenue shortfall for next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Fannin’s do-nothing strategy apparently has some support. Viable solutions are being ignored or panned. Last week, the Appropriations Committee passed a pair of bills to cut consulting contracts by 10 percent and reduce government positions by 15,000 over the next three years. The Advocate, the Louisiana Press Association’s “Newspaper of the Year,” dedicated 131 words to House Bills 327 and 328. The Times-Picayune, a Pulitzer Prize winner, didn’t cover them at all.

State Treasurer John Kennedy made a rare appearance before the committee to support the bills, which are authored by Rep. Dee Richard, a Thibodaux independent. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater opposed the measures, arguing that they would stand in the way of Jindal’s future privatization plans, whatever those might be.

Next year’s budget already abolishes 6,371 state governmental positions, Rainwater said, adding that the goal of 15,000 reductions is based on outdated turnover rates. “The number of full-time employees in state government is already at their lowest levels in 20 years,” he said.

The treasurer countered with numbers from the Legislative Auditor’s Office. He also slammed several contracts, including one for $94,000 to teach students “social skills” through organized play and another for $43,000 that focuses on seatbelt use in the Hispanic communities of Rapides Parish.

Rainwater said you have to dig deeper to plumb the real value of contracts. He said there’s already a system in place for prioritizing and that the 10 percent goal wouldn’t be realized without impacting larger contracts for services like health care. As for smaller ones, Rainwater contends that if every contract under $50,000 were eliminated, it would reduce related costs by only 1 percent.

Rep. John Schroder, R-Covington, practically growled at Rainwater during the hearing. He complained that other areas of government spending have had to be reduced in recent years because of budget shortfalls. “Would it not be reasonable that some of these current contracts ought to get the same kind of attention?” Schroder asked.
Good question.

The Senate stopped similar bills last year, and it may do the same again. Even if Richard’s bills both pass, Jindal will surely veto them.

No doubt the governor, ever with one eye on his national ambitions, would prefer not to have to do that. After all, it would not look good on his resume if he were to veto bills intended to rein in spending.

No, he’d much prefer the House or Senate do his dirty work for him. All that would cost him is 20 years of debt that the rest of us will have to pay.

Louisiana state departments and cabinet agencies spend more than $5 million annually on press secretaries and media relations.

Is it political overkill or worth every penny?

By Jeremy Alford

The responsibilities of a Louisiana governmental press secretary extend far beyond fielding requests from reporters. Some duties aren’t in the job description, as Marsanne Golsby learned during her stint as former Gov. Mike Foster’s top media liaison.

In March 1999, Greenpeace activists were shadowing Foster’s every move and complaining about polluted waters along the Mississippi River, where chemical plants are as iconic as Mark Twain on a steamboat. During one protest at the Governor’s Mansion, Greenpeace reps had prepared and delivered a “toxic lunch” for Foster — a meal of pan-fried catfish harvested from an allegedly tainted bayou.

With television crews in tow, the activists insisted that the meal be brought to Foster. They wanted him to eat it in front of reporters. They prodded. They pleaded. Golsby stood between them and her boss.

“Foster told me to do whatever I wanted to do,” she recalls. “So I decided to pop the B.S. balloon. I stuck a fork in it.”

Literally. Golsby woofed down two mouthfuls of supposedly toxic fish while staring down the protestors. At the end of the day, the story was about Golsby — and how she didn’t grow a third eye — rather than Foster’s environmental policies.

Golsby, a former TV reporter in Baton Rouge, had to swallow much more than that as Foster’s press secretary for eight years. On more than one occasion, she found herself walking a fine line between a duty to give the public information and affording her boss political cover. “It was never about squashing a story,” she says. “It was more about giving us time to get the answers we needed. And sometimes it was about the spin.”

To get a press secretary to speak so candidly on the record, you typically have to wait until they leave the bright lights of public service. While many public information officers and media affairs professionals are drawn to their jobs by a sense of patriotism or wanting to get “close to the action,” they learn all too quickly that tap dancing and providing cover become just as important as writing press releases.

Which brings into question their real value to citizens, not to mention the role they play in influencing the media. To be sure, flacking for politicians has become a mini-industry in the public sector, a refuge for former reporters and campaign staffers, a training ground for managing crises by managing the flow of information. (“Flack” is part of the journalist vernacular, although reporters generally refrain from using the term in the presence of press secretaries — just as media aides toss around “hacks” to describe the press pool.) A department head without a flack nowadays is like a 4-year-old on the beach without sunscreen. And for that protection, our state officials often pay top dollar.

According to responses to two dozen public records requests filed over the past two months, Louisiana state departments and cabinet agencies will spend more than $4.4 million this year on 72 positions ranging from press secretary and public information officer to communications director and outreach coordinator. This includes departments run by statewide elected officials and all of the cabinet agencies in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive branch.

While the average salary of the communications professionals weighs in at $61,646, they range from $25,000 on the low end up to six figures. The highest paid among them is Michael DiResto, assistant commissioner for policy and communications for the Division of Administration. This year he’ll make $118,792.

When contacted for comment, DiResto referred to his job description, which contains a wide range of responsibilities that, in some respects, have little to do with managing requests from reporters — things like policy and research. DiResto, whose salary mirrors those of other assistant secretaries, also has an applicable background, having formerly served as the press aide to then-U.S. Rep. Richard Baker of Baton Rouge.

Only four other communications professionals pull down six-figure salaries for similar services. They are:  

• Amy David, deputy commissioner of public affairs for the Insurance Department, $117,811

• Jason Redmond, deputy state treasurer and communications director, $112,500

• René Greer, director of public affairs for the Department of Education, $110,999

• Lori Melancon, director of marketing and communications for Louisiana Economic Development, $103,768

When it comes to total spending on flacks’ salaries, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon leads the pack. He will shell out roughly $281,423 of taxpayers’ dollars this year to support David and three other public information officers. Donelon says his department supports 271 other employees as well, adding that it has shrunk over the past five years while maintaining a monthly $1 million surplus due largely to fees paid by the insurance industry.

Donelon said it takes a large public information team to prepare residents for hurricane season, publish information on laws as they change and to update his department’s website with relevant data. “What we regulate is very challenging, expensive and complicated,” he says. “It’s a part of everyone’s life.”

The State Police probably can lay claim to being unique among the state agencies with big public information needs. The agency requires a 13-person communications staff to cover every corner of the state, including most of the 12 troops. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has the next-largest team around. It includes seven public information officers and one marketing specialist. DWF Secretary Robert Barham says all of the positions are funded through self-generated revenues, such as hunting and fishing licenses, and that he couldn’t do his job without them.

Barham notes that each PIO specializes in a certain area — like fisheries, marketing, enforcement — and that all have been kept “extremely busy” in the wake of the BP oil spill, international trade fights, record flooding and devastating hurricanes. “There’s no department that has been more at the forefront of these historic events than we have,” he says.

Barham fiercely defended the positions when asked if he could maintain services with fewer hands. “I’m very comfortable that it’s a great value,” he says. “Could we cut some? Sure. But we wouldn’t have the expertise that we have now... That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

Author and LSU Professor Bob Mann is all too familiar with this landscape, as his résumé attests. He currently chairs LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication and directs the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs. Before that, he served as communications director for Gov. Kathleen Blanco and press secretary for then-U.S. Sen. John Breaux.

When he worked for Blanco, Mann says he would hold regular meetings with all of the communications professionals from the various cabinet agencies. “What was kind of frustrating to me was Wildlife and Fisheries and [the Department of Transportation and Development],” he recalls. “They had five, six, seven, eight people doing media relations and we had two people. We were drowning trying to deal with media requests coming in for the chief executive of the state and there they were. It seemed like a crazy allocation of resources for dealing with the press.”

Today, Jindal’s office spends $262,000 a year on four positions, including a communications director (Kyle Plotkin, $90,000), deputy communications director (Aaron Baer, $72,000), press secretary (Frank Collins, $65,000) and press assistant (Greg Dupuis, $35,000).

In many ways, Jindal’s team has rewritten the book on gubernatorial press relations. Jindal is tightly guarded, and one-on-one interviews are rarely granted — and never to reporters who might ask probing questions. Responses to press inquiries are terse and sometimes vague, and almost always reflect Team Jindal talking points.

Press conferences are oftentimes announced with only a hour or two to prepare and arrive. Press releases are often issued for the sole purpose of critiquing published reports. It’s akin to a D.C. management style that, at least at first, shook the Capitol press corps to its foundation. A few stories were written about this approach when Jindal took office in 2008, but now it’s just accepted as the status quo, while still drawing the quiet ire of reporters on the Capitol beat.

Plotkin provided information in a timely manner for this story and agreed to be interviewed, but he said he would only discuss the governor’s policies — not internal management.

Jindal’s setup stands in stark contrast to the media operation of Treasurer John Kennedy’s office. His press coverage is stuff of legend, largely because he and his team are skilled — and unapologetic — opportunists. They also respond quickly to reporters’ requests — and, unlike Jindal, their boss is almost always available either in person of via phone, and he is always quotable. If reporters need a unique angle on a story or a critical voice on just about anything, they know they can bring a herd of sacred cows to Kennedy, who is only too willing to slaughter them.

No doubt those two styles reflect the preferences (and perhaps the relative strengths and weaknesses) of the two men. Jindal avoids the press as much as possible and seems loath to face a pack of reporters. Kennedy welcomes the challenge — and the spotlight.

Jason Redmond, deputy state treasurer and communications director for Kennedy, serves as a gatekeeper and is a favorite among the press corps. He and his boss have a knack for inserting themselves in the debates of the day. As the budget debate heated up this legislative session and lawmakers complained about fund sweeps and possible cuts, Kennedy grabbed headlines by pointing out an increase in overall salary costs.

Redmond says the strategy echoes Kennedy’s willingness to work with reporters. “We often are described as an aggressive press operation, and I won’t dispute that a bit,” he says. “This is the information age, and information is power. But the speed and ease of access to that information by the public and the press is just as important as the information itself, and that’s what we strive to provide. At the end of the day, however, any degree of message crafting or execution is pointless without a good message and especially a good messenger with vision. And all the credit there has to go to one guy and one guy only: Treasurer John Kennedy.”

Obviously, every department and agency is different. That much was evident in the responses to the 24 public records requests filed in advance of this story. The lieutenant governor’s office provided all information over the phone within minutes of being asked. Flacks for the Department of Revenue demanded that a request be mailed or faxed, and then requested that all information be put in a certain context. The Department of Environmental Quality requested that a form be filled out on its website. Most all responded within two weeks time. Sooner in many cases.

Mann, a former print reporter before venturing into politics, says it’s understandable that reporters sometimes become frustrated with press secretaries. He says he can see it clearly in terms of the governor’s operations. “I think the problem is a lot of these people have never been journalists. They’ve never been on the other side,” Mann says.

Roy Fletcher, a Louisiana consultant who managed part of John McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign, suggests that hard-nosed flacks, the kind Jindal and others employ, are simply doing their job. And a good job at that. “When I hire a press secretary, I’m looking for someone with a unique skill. That would be the ability to get along with the press,” Fletcher says. “But when it comes to game time, they need to be able to push back and fight.”

Fletcher says veteran hacks and flacks share a relationship that’s best defined as, “You know what I’m doing and I know what you’re doing; you know what I’m flacking, so let’s do it.”   

As for the often-uneasy working relationships, reporters aren’t alone in their vexation, says Jacques Berry, the press secretary for Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne. After following Dardenne through the state Senate and the secretary of state’s office, Berry says it’s still difficult to figure out what will grab the media’s attention. Notably, he says he’s tired of seeing solid policy stories overlooked for sexier accounts of Capitol politics. “It’s a constant source of frustration seeing what’s not being covered out of this office,” Berry says.

Fletcher adds that some reporters arrive for an interview with their story already written. When the press secretary doesn’t respond as predicted in such cases, it creates an element in the story that helps no one. “They’ll go around the beanie pole to get me to say what I don’t want to say,” he says. “It ends up being a ‘gotcha’ game.”

That’s among the reasons many government press teams are finding ways to circumvent the mainstream media to get information out to their stakeholders. Our public records requests revealed that statewide departments and cabinet agencies will spend more than $640,000 this year on such operations.

The Treasury Department, for example, will spend $15,000 on video productions. The Department of Agriculture will put up roughly $100,000 publishing what it calls “Market Bulletins.” Outside players factor into this equation as well. Louisiana Economic Development has contracted with companies like Peter Mayer Advertising to help carry the load.

Despite having more than $5 million invested in press operations, flack teams seldom catch the watchful eye of legislative budget committees — despite a $211 million shortfall in the current budget year and a $303 million projected deficit for the next. Maybe that’s because leges have flacks, too, both for the campaigns and for their respective legislative bodies. The campaign aides are paid by individual candidates’ campaign war chests; the legislative media liaisons are paid by taxpayers.

The state Senate has communications officer Brenda Hodge, a former Baton Rouge TV reporter who earns $92,813 a year, plus two other employees who pull down a combined $68,000. The House has Public Information Officer Sheila McCant, who reaps an annual salary of $122,285 (more than any other press official reviewed for this story). Four other House communications employees collectively earn $156,872. Together, the House and Senate will spend $439,970 this year on salaries for media liaisons.

Hodge notes that legislative public information staffers do not fill the same role as their executive branch counterparts. “We do not promote any agenda,” she says. “We are non-partisan and serve individual [House and Senate] members with different philosophies and different priorities. … In the Senate my office is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of our audio-visual systems that allow for the Internet broadcast of our proceedings.”

One way or another, a lot of public information gets spun before it reaches the public.

Golsby, who was Foster’s press secretary, agrees with Mann that it’s an innocent part of the game — a game that has been played for centuries and will probably continue for generations.

“I’m sure Hamilton did the same thing for George Washington,” Mann says. “It’s a little naive to expect it to be any other way.”     

Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.

Who’s Flacking Whom?

Here’s a list of the press and communications aides for Louisiana’s executive branch — and the total spent on salaries within each agency or department.

Governor’s Office
• Kyle Plotkin, communications director, $90,000
• Aaron Baer, deputy communications director, $72,000
• Frank Collins, press secretary, $65,000
• Greg Dupuis, press assistant, $35,000
• Total $262,000

Lieutenant Governor’s Office
• Jacques Berry, communications director, $64,400
• Cami Geisman, deputy communications director, $52,000
• Total $116,400

Insurance Department
• Amy David, deputy commissioner of public affairs, $117,811
• Judy Wright, public information director, $76,752
• Laura Nola, public information officer, $45,531
• Lindsay Ruiz de Chavez, public information officer, $41,329
• Total $281,423

Secretary of State
• Sailor Jackson, press secretary, $84,999
• Brandee Patrick, public information officer, $48,422
• Total $133,421

Treasury
• Jason Redmond, deputy state treasurer and communications director, $112,500
• Amber King, press secretary, $65,000
• Total $177,500

Attorney General’s Office
• Amanda Larkins, director of communications, $80,000
• Laura Gerdes, public outreach coordinator, $50,000
• Total $130,000

Department of Agriculture
• Sam Irwin, press secretary, $60,000
• Laura Lindsay, public information director, $44,532
• Marilyn Mayeux, administrative coordinator, $45,401
• Total $149,933

Department of Revenue
• Byron Henderson, press secretary, $93,288
• Jeff Duhé, public information officer, $47,455
• Total $140,743

Department of Natural Resources
• Phyllis Darensbourg, public information director, $53,560
• Total $53,560

Division of Administration
• Michael DiResto, assistant commissioner for policy and communications, $118,792
• Christina Stephens, Disaster Recovery Unit/Office of Community Development press secretary, $94,370 (primarily funded by federal money)
• Angela Vanveckhoven, Disaster Recovery Unit/Office of Community Development deputy press secretary, $55,120 (primarily funded by federal money)
• Janice Lovett, Disaster Recovery Unit/Office of Community Development public information officer, $45,760 (primarily funded by federal money)
• Total $314,042

Department of Health and Hospitals
• Ken Pastorick, public information officer, $57,387
• Meghan Speakes, public information officer, $43,097
• Total $100,484

Department of Education
• René Greer, director of public affairs, $110,999
• Barry Landry, press secretary, $70,000
• Sarah Mulhearn, public information officer, $59,889
• Ileana Ledet, public information officer, $66,478
• Total $307,366

Department of Environmental Quality
• Rodney Mallett, press secretary, $74,526
• Jean Kelly, public information officer, $43,721
• Timothy Beckstrom, public information officer, $38,043
• Total $156,290

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
• Chuck Perrodin, CPRA public information officer, $66,999 (small amount underwritten by federal government)
• Jenny Pettis, NRDA public information officer, $50,596 (related to oil spill, primarily funded by BP money)
• Olivia Watkins, NRDA public information officer, $48,999 (related to oil spill, primarily funded by BP money)
• Total $116,594

Department of Transportation and Development
• John Annison, public information officer, $49,712
• Amber Leach, public information officer, $38,521
• Lauren Lee, public information officer, $41,600
• Jodi Conachen, public information officer, $86,999
• Total $216,832

Wildlife and Fisheries
• Laura Wooderson, Office of Fisheries public information officer, $46,800 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Ashley Wethey, Office of Fisheries marketing representative, $44,900 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Bo Boehringer, Office of Wildlife public information officer, $70,900 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Adam Einck, Enforcement Division public information officer, $43,400 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Ashley Roth, Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board public information officer, $50,800 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Marianne Burke, public information officer, $78,700 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Joel Courtney, public information officer, $52,300 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Gabe Giffin, public information officer, $25,300 (from self-generated department revenues)
• Total $413,100

Louisiana Economic Development
• Lori Melancon, director of marketing and communications, $103,768
• Gary Perilloux, press secretary, $72,508
• Total $176,276

Louisiana Workforce Commission
• Tiffany Dickerson, writer, $49,836
• Tom Guarisco, director of communications, $80,019
• Total $129,855

Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
• Veronica Mosgrove, executive management officer, $87,420
• Total $87,420

Corrections
• Pam Laborde, communications director, $77,677
• Total $77,677

Department of Children and Family Services  
• Trey Williams, director of communications and governmental affairs, $99,500
• Rene Repp, public information officer, $59,633
• Total $159,133

Department of Veterans Affairs
• Robin T. Keller, press secretary, $65,000
• Total $65,000

State Police  
• Capt. Doug Cain, public affairs commander, $70,706
• Lt. Julie Lewis, public affairs executive officer, $72,160
• Sgt. James Anderson, Region 2 public affairs supervisor, $65,264
• Sgt. Lenias Marie, Region 1 public affairs supervisor, $53,871
• Troop A TFC Russell Graham, public information officer, $45,500
• Troop B TFC Melissa Matey, public information officer, $43,135
• Troop C Tpr. Evan Harrell, public information officer, $42,004
• Troop E S/T Scott Moreau, public information officer, $56,200
• Troop I TFC Stephen Hammons, public information officer, $42,004
• Troop L TFC Nicholas Manale, public information officer, $45,500
• Troop F public information officer vacancy, $45,723 (based on average salary of existing public information officers by troop)
• Troop G public information officer vacancy, $45,723 (based on average salary of existing public information officers by troop)
• Troop D public information officer vacancy, $45,723 (based on average salary of existing public information officers by troop)
• Total $673,513

Inspector General
• No positions or salaries reported

House of Representatives
• Sheila McCant, public information officer, $122,285
• Nancy Johnson, public information specialist, $52,657
• Cory Stewart, public information specialist, $36,036
• Adraine Conrad, administrative assistant, $35,679
• Lauren Russell, public information specialist, $32,500
• Total $279,157

State Senate  
• Brenda Hodge, communication officer, $92,813
• Morgan Blanchard, communication specialist, $33,000
• Damien Heard, communication technician, $35,000
• Total $160,813

Rep. Jeff Landry’s Monday announcement — long expected — sets the stage for a classic mudslinger.

By Walter Pierce

The wait is over: U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, announced Monday in Youngsville that he will challenge Congressman Charles Boustany this fall. And if recent history is a guide — recent history being Landry’s ugly primary election against Hunt Downer for his current seat nearly two years ago — this race will get nasty long before it’s decided.

The freshman congressman and Tea Party favorite took several swipes at the mainline Boustany during Monday’s announcement, linking him with the bogey-woman of the right: “[L]adies and gentlemen, Charles voted with Nancy Pelosi to increase his own pay,” Landry told a group of supporters, hanging the “career politician” albatross around Boustany’s neck.

Landry’s announcement at Sugar Mill Pond in Youngsville was one of the most anticlimactic events of the 2012 political season: Signs have been abundant for weeks that he would take on the moderate, establishment Boustany.

A reception scheduled for May 23 in River Ranch bills itself as “a reception benefitting the re-election of Congressman Jeff Landry, Louisiana, 3rd District.” Couples will pay $250 to attend, $1,000 to host and the handsome sum of $2,500 to serve as sponsors. Twenty-seven individuals and/or couples are signed on as sponsors while 18 are listed as hosts, meaning the fête has already netted Landry more than $85,000.

Landry’s announcement is born of necessity: After 2012 there will be no 3rd Congressional District to which Landry could be re-elected; the district was effectively eliminated during the 2011 redistricting session in the Legislature — absorbed into districts to the east and west including Boustany’s 7th Congressional District, which will expand eastward to take in New Iberia where Landry lives.

The new district for which Boustany will essentially be the incumbent will be called the 3rd Congressional District effective Jan. 1, 2013. But don’t tell the Landry camp that. On the congressman’s website, LandryForLouisiana.com, there is a page devoted to the 3rd Congressional District, but the congressman uses a map of the new 3rd, which doesn’t yet exist. The combined effect of the May 23 fundraiser in Lafayette and the deceptive image on Landry’s website is that Landry is seeking re-election to Boustany’s district. Weird, we know. Landry seems to be inventing a new reality: He’s the incumbent in southwest Louisiana and he wants another term representing the good people of Lafayette, Jennings and Lake Charles.

And there is growing evidence that he’s been campaigning inappropriately on Boustany’s turf for some time. Just this week, a non-partisan congressional watchdog group called out the rep for another apparent abuse of his federal franking privilege — a month after this newspaper published an exposé of Landry and a less egregious waste — but a waste nonetheless — of taxpayer money.

In a May 14 article posted by the Beltway political newspaper Roll Call, Craig Holman of Public Citizen accuses Landry of abusing the franking privilege by spending more than $30,000 in taxpayer funds in the third quarter of 2011 to finance a series of radio ads in Lafayette and Lake Charles alerting listeners to town hall meetings he attended with U.S. Sen. David Vitter. Lafayette and Lake Charles anchor the east and west ends of Boustany’s 7th Congressional District.

The congressional franking privilege allows members of the U.S. House of Representatives to be reimbursed for communications such as direct mail, radio and TV ads and newspaper inserts so long as those communications are not for re-election purposes and only if said communications are directed at that member of Congress’ constituents. In the “if it walks like a duck” department, Landry appears to have been skirting federal law to build name recognition in Boustany’s district: His communications in Boustany’s district are for “re-election” purposes and they’re not directed at his constituents.

Public Citizen contends that because the radio ads targeted voters in Boustany’s district, they constitute a franking violation. The Landry camp, of course, disputes the allegation — just as it did in our April 11 cover story, “Frankly Speaking,” which makes the case that a “Year End Report” Landry paid to insert into The Independent and The Daily Advertiser, which reach virtually none of Landry’s constituents, at the end of 2011 also constitutes a franking violation.

Boustany, who serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and is close to House Speaker John Boehner, says he will definitely seek a fifth term this fall, and he and Landry have already begun sniping at each other in press releases. Political junkies, yonder comes your fix.

C'est Bon

Each year the Louisiana State Bar Association selects an attorney and judge in each region of the state to receive its prestigious Crystal Gavel Award, which recognizes community service and volunteer work. This year the honor was bestowed on Lafayette attorney Glenn Armentor — in large part for his decades of work helping at-risk youths — in a ceremony Friday. One of 10 children, Armentor grew up poor and paid his way through law school by working offshore. He credits many adult mentors for helping him stay on the right path so that he could earn his law degree. In 2009 he introduced the Glenn Armentor $10,000 “Pay it Forward” Scholarship Program of Excellence, which awards hardworking underprivileged youths with $10,000 scholarships to UL Lafayette. Since that time, seven worthy students have received one of the scholarships, with a goal of increasing the offering to six or eight scholarships per year.

Pas Bon

Only in Louisiana will you find prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes wasting away in jail cells for upwards of 10 years with almost nonexistent rehabilitation services, while murderers, rapists and other prison lifers receive job skills training and even the chance for an undergraduate degree. More than half of the state’s prison population is housed in local prisons, as state-run prisons are reserved for “the worst of the worst,” according to The Times-Picayune’s must-read Sunday and Monday coverage on the state of Louisiana’s prison system. Whether those local prisons are owned by local law enforcement agencies or north Louisiana businessmen who have private prisons to thank for their vast wealth, 11,000 of the 15,000 prisoners unleashed from local prisons in Louisiana every year have had no form of educational or transitional training. Roughly 50 percent of them will be back within five years.

Couillon

Former N.P. Moss Middle School Principal Ken Douet is seeking more than $500,000 from the school system for what he claims is school board favoritism that prevented him from taking over as principal of the Early College Academy following Moss’s closure, but the erstwhile school administrator’s monetary demands have more than doubled since October of last year when Douet calculated that he was owed $195,422, according to a letter sent by Douet’s attorney to the school board and obtained by The Ind. Douet was principal of N.P. Moss when the north Lafayette middle school closed in 2011 due to consistently poor performance scores. A majority on the school board twice blocked Douet’s appointment last summer as principal of the Early College Academy, a promotion being pushed by former Superintendent Burnell Lemoine. Board members say they had no idea at the time of the votes that Douet and Lemoine were close friends. The board’s actions, according to board member Mark Cockerham, were to “stop rewarding principals of failing schools.”

A pair of Louisiana congressmen, both Republicans, are near the top of the heap among members of the U.S. House of Representatives for dispensing year-end bonuses to staff, according to a report by New Orleans television station WDSU.

Based on an investigation by congressional watchdog group LegiStorm, the station is reporting that Reps. Jeff Landry of New Iberia and Rodney Alexander of Monroe doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses to staff members at the end of 2011. While year-end bonuses to congressional staff are commonplace and all seven of Louisiana’s congressmen handed out cash, both Landry and Alexander, LegiStorm contends, lavished staffers in their respective offices with more than $100,000, placing them in the top 10 among all members of the House.

Landry, who on Monday announced he will run against Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, in the new 3rd Congressional District, declined an interview with the station although he did release a statement touting other acts of fiscal frugality during his first term in office. Because he is a deficit hawk. Because he says so.

Read the full story here.

If you happen to be downtown Saturday, here's a heads-up: You're not seeing ghosts of Confederate soldiers, you are not being shot at by them, and nor is your car being shelled by cannon fire.

It's Living History Days and it's all part of the Louisiana Bicentennial Celebration at the Alexandre Mouton House/Lafayette Museum, 1122 Lafayette St. Living History Days is free and open to the public and will take place Saturday and Sunday.

The Mouton Camp 778, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Pelican Battery Living History of Opelousas will literally set up camp on the grounds Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"They'll fire the guns and do all the stuff they do at encampments," says Phyllis Goff, curator of the Lafayette Museum. "It's very interesting. They put tents up and the guys that are dressed in their uniforms do their normal things like some will be outside of their tents cleaning their guns and others will be marching around."

Goff says the public is invited to ask questions of the soldiers about gear, lifestyle, etc., pertaining to the Civil War.

A lecture by Dr. William Arceneaux, "The Role of Governor Mouton and his son General Alfred Mouton, Hero of the Battle of Mansfield" is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.

Alexandre Mouton House/Lafayette Museum and the Lafayette Public Library are presenters of the Living History Days. Call 234-2208 for more information.

[Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Mike Stagg made two bids for city-parish president. The story has been modified to reflect the correction. We regret the error.]

An attorney for the Louisiana Board of Ethics is recommending the agency decline to waive fines levied against a pair of local candidates in last fall’s elections who failed to file campaign finance reports on time.

Mike Stagg, the newly minted co-communications director for the Louisiana Democratic Party who made an unsuccessful bid for Lafayette city-parish president in 2011 and for governor in 2003, is on the hook for the biggest fine — $4,840. Kelly J. Scott, an unsuccessful candidate in the state Senate District 24 election last October, is facing a $720 fine. Both men appealed the penalties, but board attorney Aneatra Boykin is recommending the board decline to waive them.

Another board attorney, Tracy Barker, is recommending the board decline to waive a $2,500 late fee against Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins, who in an unrelated case is facing a ethics charge by the board for allegedly failing to disclose income he received from the Louisiana Teachers’ Retirement System.

The board is expected to make final determinations on the fines against Stagg, Scott and Cravins Friday in Baton Rouge.

Along with creating 106 jobs with an average starting salary of about $45,000, plus benefits, the project will retain 75 existing jobs and result in an estimated 164 indirect jobs in Iberia Parish and across Acadiana.  

According to a press release announcing the project, Metal Shark will produce the second generation of a 29-foot-long vessel that has a top speed in excess of 50 mph. The boats will be used for port, waterway and coastal security; for search and rescue missions; for drug interdiction cases; for immigration-related operations; for fisheries enforcement; and for defense readiness and law enforcement missions.

Metal Shark won a $192 million U.S. Coast Guard contract in November to build the Response Boat–Small, a type of watercraft adopted by the Coast Guard in response to its broader homeland security mission after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks.

Metal Shark says once the expansion is completed and full production is achieved, its facility will produce one boat every four or five days. The company also is building other boat classes for the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, local law enforcement agencies and foreign militaries.  

The state began working with Metal Shark on the project in early 2011 and will provide the company with the services of LED FastStart, the nation’s top-rated state workforce development program. Metal Shark also is expected to utilize Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption and Quality Jobs incentive programs.

Anyone interested in working for Metal Shark Boats should attend a job fair conducted by the company and LED FastStart this Friday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The job fair will take place at the New Iberia campus of South Louisiana Community College, 908 Ember Drive, in New Iberia. The company is hiring welders and fitters, marine mechanics, marine electricians, general shop hands, CNC operators and press brake operators.

Metal Shark is a subsidiary of Gravois Aluminum Boats. Its all-aluminum construction boats withstand extreme conditions, harsh environments and years of abuse. Metal Shark sells directly to qualified government and commercial organizations, and the company custom-builds all boats.

Part of the fed's School Improvement Grant program, the money will be directed toward an overhaul of campuses whose academic performance places them in the bottom 5 percent of schools in any given state.

“We’re in this for the long haul,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told the T-P Tuesday. “It’s so important to the country that we continue to focus on that bottom 5 percent of schools, where it’s simply not working for children and their families and the broader community.”

The T-P reports that Louisiana has received $89 million in total since Congress injected the grant program with stimulus funding in 2009.

Local school systems can apply for the extra cash, the T-P notes, but strings are attached. Districts have only a few options for a low performing school: replace the principal and in some cases most of the staff, convert it into a charter school or close the school altogether and make room for students at high performing schools.

If so, American Craft Beer Week, now under way, can take care of that for you and educate you at the same time.

Robert J. Guercio, co-owner/manager of Jefferson Street Greenroom says the week "is the only significant recurring craft beer event in the United States that I know of,"  and because of the inroads craft beers are making in the classic domestic market "you'll find craft beer is eating away at it in big chunks."

The Greenroom carries craft beer brewery products of La 31, Parish Brewery, Covington, Abita, NOLA Brewery.

"It's a really, really fast growing area of our particular industry - that being the pub industry," Guercio says. "And so we thought we would be remiss if we didn't even celebrate the impetus to the creation of our own business."

Guercio says the growth of craft beer breweries is similar to other local movements going on around the country.

"From my perspective, as shipping costs become more considerable and as people begin to recognize the advantage of buying products made locally - farm to table, go local, buy local - all of these movements are kind of coming together and it's driving start-up businesses in local, regional areas," he says, drolly adding, "and beer is a very heavy object to ship and so it makes a lot of sense for all of these regional breweries to pop up."

Tonight at the Greenroom is Growler Night, Wednesday is Flight Night, a Tapping Party Extraordinaire, featuring Amarillo Hopped Restoration Ale is Thursday night, Friday's Pint Night is sponsored by NOLA Brewery.

After all of the thirst-quenching, the education portion comes in Saturday with Brew Day, sponsored by home brewers including members of the Dead Yeast Society. It begins at 1 p.m.

"There's a lot of mystery behind how does it go from grain and the other ingredients to this great product that everybody enjoys," Guercio says "We open early so people can come and watch beer being made, how to do it. They can ask questions, talk to the other home brewer members and find out information on where to get their own kits.

"And five weeks from this Saturday [June 16], they can come back and sample the beers that they watched being made for free," he says.

Guercio says food will be served and he also encourages people to exercise common sense by having a designated driver or to make arrangements to get home.

By the way, locally produced beer isn't the only alcoholic beverage being crafted in Louisiana. Louisiana Spirits is currently in the process of building a new state-of-the-art distillery in Lacassine.

For more information on American Craft Beer Week, go here.

AT&T recovered this year, with a three-point increase to 69. It shares that score with T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 carrier by size. Verizon and Sprint are at 70 and 71, respectively.

Developed by the University of Michigan, the survey is now run by privately held ACSI, which surveyed some 6,000 households in the first quarter.

The satisfaction index does not typically translate to actual customer loyalty. For instance, the AP story points out that T-Mobile customers are far more likely to leave the carrier than AT&T’s are, despite that they have the same score. That may be due to the fact that T-Mobile is the only company among the Big 4 that doesn’t sell the iPhone.

The ACSI for the first time published a score for Apple Inc. as a phone manufacturer. At 83 points, it easily surpassed other manufacturers like Samsung Electronics Co., HTC Corp. and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.

Landry’s announcement is born of political necessity: His current 3^rd Congressional District is being eliminated due to Louisiana’s loss of one of its seven districts, and his hometown in Iberia Parish is being absorbed into Boustany’s 7^th CD. The new district in southwest Louisiana, which largely mirrors Boustany’s current district, will be called the 3^rd CD effective Jan. 1, 2013.

Boustany is serving his fourth term in Congress and has already announced his re-election bid. This should get interesting – and ugly – very soon.

Following is Landry's full announcement, a transcript of which was provided by his office:

I want to thank you all for being here tonight. I also want to thank my wife, Sharon, and our son, J.T., for being here.

We originally planned this event as just a simple meet and greet. However, I have come to a decision and I want to share it with all of you.

Two years ago I announced I would run for Congress – not because I needed a job, but because I felt we needed to return the government back to the people.

I have been a successful oil and gas small business owner.

It was not my lifelong dream to be a Congressman.

I ran when no one said I could win; but we won! Because we ran on principle. To fight for our jobs. To fight for a balanced budget amendment and stop uncontrollable spending. And to fight for our conservative family values.

If you think the way Washington runs is bad – I am here to tell you it is even worse than you thought.

Because there are some Republicans who claim they are conservative but vote like liberals. It happens – because they’re more interested in keeping their jobs than fighting for your jobs.

The only way to fix that is to send real Conservatives to Congress and not re-elect career politicians.

And it is why I am announcing right here tonight – right now – that I am running for re-election to the United States Congress.

Now let me tell you this – I am not your typical Congressman. If that is what you are looking for, that’s not me; that’s the other guy.

Now look, a lot people are going to try to tell you that there are no differences between me and the DC establishment candidate.

But there are big differences – big differences.

For one, I keep my promises. I promised I would decline Congressional healthcare and retirement benefits. And that is exactly what I did during my first week in office.

It is called leadership by example.

Another difference is that I am working to pass a law to strip pension from Members of Congress.

Why because it’s the right thing to do.

But Charles? Every single day, even while we are here tonight, he is racking up his special Congressional retirement which will be paid for on your backs. Oh and don’t forget that you are paying for his Congressional healthcare too.

I am also working to enact into law the elimination of pay for Members of Congress if we don’t get the federal budget under control.

Why – because as a oil and gas small business owner – I know if someone is not doing their job, they should not get paid.

Again leadership by example.

Again Charles won’t help!

Finally – and most importantly – this is where the rubber meets the road.

With our nation in debt, burdening our children and grandchildren with huge deficits and uncontrollable spending, I do not believe Congress should have gotten a pay raise.

But, ladies and gentlemen – Charles voted with Nancy Pelosi to increase his own pay.

That is right. When Democrats controlled Congress, under Nancy Pelosi, Charles voted with her allowing his pay to increase. Now, do you believe that was a Conservative vote?

I am proud to have led the fight our oil and gas jobs.

While others sent out press releases – I took action, holding a DRILLING=JOBS sign up at the President’s jobs speech.

I have worked to protect our fisheries industry, and I support our agricultural industries along with our other small businesses here in South Louisiana.

I will not back down in the fighting for our jobs – I will not compromise your principles for my job.

When other Congressman marched down to the White House to have the President lecture them on spending – I said no. And when the Debt Ceiling Deal came up, a Washington deal loaded with trillions of more debt onto the backs of our children without any end in sight and the disastrous Super Committee – I voted no.

Senator Vitter joined me in voting no and requested me to join him at his forums in Lake Charles and Lafayette explaining why this vote was, in and of itself, a disaster for our nation.

As a veteran, I believe in ensuring that those who have sacrificed for our country get the respect and support of a grateful nation. I have fought for our veterans, including for the clinics here – not with press releases or press stunts – but through real work to get the job done.

I support our troops who are in harm’s way. When the President attempted to threaten the pay of our military members as a negotiating tactic on the budget – I made it clear that I would reject and refuse my own pay if the President tried to touch theirs.

I have also stood up for pro-life and pro- family values. I have a perfect score with the Family Research Council.

It is only because of these issues that I would give up more precious time away from my home here in South Louisiana to battle the politicians in Washington.

I think people are tired of politicians who say one thing at home and do another thing in Washington.

People are tired of politicians who are more worried about their own future than the future of our jobs and our families here in South Louisiana.

People are tired of politics as usual.

If that is what you are looking for – I am not your guy.

But if you are looking for a consistent, common-sense, Cajun conservative – I need your vote, I need your help, and I need your support in this campaign.

I ask you to join me in this fight. Together, we can restore this nation.

God bless you all, God bless Louisiana, and God bless America.

Thank you