Last Wednesday, Jan. 25, served up a double dose of disappointing headlines on crucial hurricane-recovery issues. First the Bush administration announced it would not support the Baker Bill, then the White House said it will not fully comply with a House investigation and would not turn over internal documents related to the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina. (Gov. Blanco complied with the request last December.)
The dual developments prompted rebukes of the Bush administration from a surprising cross-section of top Louisiana Republicans. Congressman Charles Boustany Jr. told The Advocate he would continue to fight for the Baker Bill and called the Bush administration "short-sighted" in rejecting the plan. Regarding White House stonewalling on the release of Hurricane Katrina documents, Congressman Bobby Jindal said, "I think it is important for both state and federal governments to be completely forthcoming with the oversight committees, rather than worry about political implications, so we can be better prepared for next hurricane season." Sen. David Vitter was even more forceful, telling The Times-Picayune, "There is such a thing as valid executive privilege, but from what I have read, some of the withholding of information and some of the refusal to allow agency representatives to testify goes way beyond that." ' Scott Jordan
NOT GOING DUTCH
Congressman Charlie Melancon recently sent a letter to the editor of The Advocate explaining why he did not join a gaggle of Louisiana officials on a recent trip to the Netherlands to investigate the Dutch method of flood protection. Not only did taxpayers foot a large portion of the bill for travel, but there's no way the federal government would ever fund such a sophisticated project for Louisiana, especially when officials have been pulling teeth just to get a Category 5 levee system, Melancon writes. "I personally felt that with the current mindset in Washington the way it is, it was a bit like window-shopping at Neiman Marcus when you can only afford Wal-Mart. If you don't have the money, why even go to the store?" ' Jeremy Alford
DUREL RAMPS UP HORSE FARM PROPOSAL
City-Parish President Joey Durel has fast-tracked an appraisal of Lafayette Consolidated Government's 8-acre Youth Park, located adjacent the UL Lafayette campus, and hopes to know the park's value when he addresses the Save the Horse Farm group Thursday, Feb. 2, at 5:30 p.m.
Located on St. Julien Avenue close to Johnston Street, Youth Park is a key component in Durel's negotiations with UL President Ray Authement for the university's 100-acre horse farm on Johnston Street. Durel wants LCG to take possession of the horse farm as soon as possible and eventually convert it into a community park.
Durel's plan, which may also include donating a small portion of Girard Park, a cash payment (raised from the community) or other LCG assets, is being proposed as an alternative to the contentious land swap Authement negotiated with BRE-ARD LLC. As part of the initial proposal, the university would get attorney Jimmy Davidson's Girard Park Drive property, 4 acres and two home sites, for 36 acres of the horse farm (six would be donated back to the university after the sale), which are up for rezoning from residential to commercial.
Durel's address will take place in the Lagniappe Room of the UL Union on McKinley Street. A question-and-answer session will follow. ' Leslie Turk
WRITING OR CAMPAIGNING?
Tony Clayton, a special prosecutor in East Baton Rouge Parish, is releasing a tell-all book in mid-February, I've Been Watching You, on his infamous case involving Louisiana serial killer Derrick Todd Lee. Sentenced to death in late 2004, Lee is accused of murdering at least seven women from Baton Rouge to Acadiana. "There's a lot in the book that has never come out before," Clayton says, such as Lee's motives, details on the murder weapons and entries from
private diaries. The book is expected to grab more headlines for Clayton, who
is positioning himself for the soon-to-be vacated seat of Sen. Cleo Fields. "I'm
definitely going for that," Clayton says. "We need some fresh ideas in there." Fields, who is term-limited, represents an African-American district that includes portions of Louisiana State University and downtown Baton Rouge. Clayton's self-published book is co-written with local authors Susan D. Mustafa and Sue Israel. ' JA
ALTERNATIVE FUEL IN LOUISIANA?
For the first time in the state's history, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has issued orders for the production of coal seam natural gas, an
alternative fossil fuel that can be found inside buried forms of coal at depths between 2,000 to 5,000 feet. The development of this resource has long lagged behind similar efforts in other U.S. basins, since there has been no commercial industry in the region. Also known as coal bed methane, this alternative fuel
will be extracted from three sites in Caldwell Parish. Mark V. Petroleum Co.
of Monroe is being allowed to explore and produce coal seam natural gas, but
no actual permits have been issued to date. "More commercial ventures like this will be sought out in the near future," says DNR Secretary Scott Angelle. ' JA
JUNE 17 If anyone ever wonders why Saints fans hate Atlanta with a capital H, here's a good indication. Radio "professionals" at an Atlanta station created an entire segment around making fun of former Saints player Steve Gleason, who is now paralyzed by ALS. Listen, nobody's ever accused DJs of being rocket scientists. But how could someone think it is amusing to pretend to ask a man with a degenerative, fatal disease if he will be alive next week? The DJs have been fired, and are now whining about how gutless their former bosses are. Wow.
JUNE 18 Here's the latest from the Advocate on the fatal hit-and-run accident allegedly involving the president of the Livingston Parish School Board. He's accused by police of hitting a 21-year-old man on a highway early Sunday and driving away. The man died at a hospital later. On Monday, police seized the president's truck and towed it away. But he's available for board meetings: apparently a $500 bond is sufficient for this type of thing over in St. Helena Parish.
JUNE 18 Former broadcast journalist Griffin Scott has posted this plea on his blog for financial assistance from his readers. Scott, who says he was fired after he wrote something fairly innocuous (for Facebook) on his wall, is suing a media giant for his job back. He's framed himself as David going after a bloated media giant, and he's probably not far off.
JUNE 18 Here's a fairly absurd column posted on DIG Magazine about the completely absurd practice of naming killer storms. Tornadoes don't have names. Blizzards don't have names. But hurricanes do, and there's a big process to bestow them, Jacques Cormery writes. He's right about the crazy assemblage of names -- this year, there's everything from Tanya to Humberto -- and his idea that we don't waste good names on killer storms is a good one.
JUNE 17 Political columnist John Maginnis has some advice for Louisiana Republicans: grow up. After the schism that occurred in this past session - fiscal hawks teaming up with Democrats to spank the Republican "majority" and hand Gov. Jindal his, er, aspirations for continued solon control -- they need to figure out how to get along with each other, Maginnis writes.
JUNE 17 Here's the Picayune's obit story for Dorothy 'Miss Dot' Domilise, the lady who made poboys at the uptown restaurant that bears her name. Miss Dot moved to New Orleans during World War II, where she met and married her husband Sam. When she passed away Friday she was 90, and had spent more than 60 of those years working at the restaurant on Annunciation Street.
JUNE 17 This editorial in the Advocate speaks in favor of the consent decrees that have federal judges overseeing police operations and the sheriff's parish prison in New Orleans. Mayor Landrieu and Sheriff Gusman can't get along, so outside forces, like the Inspector General and the judges, are needed to make sure things run right, the editorial opines.
JUNE 18 Here's a post from Manny Schewitz on Forward Progressives that is good for a chuckle. Manny had an epiphany back in November, and is sharing it with us today: he believes that Fox "News" is killing the GOP by pandering to right wing nuts. Now, don't get it twisted: Manny's not broke up about it. He says he enjoys watching the downward spiral with a shot of whiskey and "a schadenfreude chaser."
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