[StBernard] FW: Boasso Morning Briefing, 9-7-07

[Westley Annis]

Boasso Morning Briefing

Friday, September 07, 2007

 

 

 


CAMPAIGN NEWS

 

Bobby Jindal

Jindal to amend financial report     

By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON

Advocate Capitol News Bureau

Published: Sep 7, 2007 - Page: 1A

 

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal is planning to amend his most-recent campaign finance
report for the governor's race in response to an ethics complaint.

 

The Kenner Republican, who is making ethics a cornerstone of his campaign,
did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

 

His spokeswoman, Melissa Sellers, said Thursday that Jindal campaign
officials do not believe they violated state campaign disclosure laws.

 

"We will file an amendment out of an abundance of caution," she said.

 

Another gubernatorial candidate, state Sen. Walter Boasso, also is the
subject of an ethics complaint.

 

Republican Party of Louisiana State Central Committee member Scott Wilfong
of Baton Rouge contends Boasso, D-Arabi, failed to detail which media
outlets received money to air his TV commercials.

 

Wilfong confirmed that he filed the complaint Thursday but refused to
comment further on it. He said state ethics officials told him not to talk
about it.

 

Boasso did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Boasso's campaign spokesman Brian Welsh said the campaign has reported and
disclosed "every penny."

 

The election is Oct. 20.

 

The complaint on Jindal claimed he should have reported $118,264.76 in
mailers that the Louisiana Republican Party did on his behalf. The party
listed the expenditures in its own campaign finance report.

 

Republican Party chairman Roger Villere said he is not sure Jindal knew
about the mailers.

 

"If someone's looking on his, that's the wrong thing. He wouldn't be
responsible for reporting something we did," Villere said.

 

The state's acting ethics administrator, Kathleen Allen, said she could not
confirm that complaints have been filed against Jindal or Boasso.

 

Complaints are confidential unless a violation is found, she said.

 

Speaking generally, Allen said a candidate might have to report direct
mailers paid for by a political party if he or she helped coordinate the
content.

 

New Orleans public high schoolteacher Chris Stow-Serge said he filed the
complaint against Jindal after combing through the finance reports with
friends.

 

Stow-Serge said he is not supporting any particular gubernatorial candidate.
He said he was active with the College Democrats at Tulane University.

 

Stow-Serge said he has never before filed an ethics complaint.

 

He said he hopes Jindal is called out for the "hypocrisy of running a
campaign about ethics."

 

Jindal to amend report on in-kind contributions

Republicans spent $118,000 on mail

Friday, September 07, 2007

Times-Picayune

By Jan Moller

Capital bureau

 

BATON ROUGE -- U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal failed to report more than $118,000
worth of direct mail sent on his behalf by the state Republican Party,
according to a complaint filed last month with the state Board of Ethics.

 

The expenses, which are included on a campaign report filed by the party,
should also have been listed as an "in-kind" contribution to Jindal's
gubernatorial campaign, the complaint alleges.

 

Jindal's campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Sellers, said in an e-mail message
that the second-term congressman had been advised that matter was not a
violation, but that he would will file an amended disclosure just to be
certain.

 

"As soon as this was brought to our attention we consulted the ethics
administrator who told us that she did not think that it was necessary to
report it, but we will file an amendment out of an abundance of caution,"
Sellers said.

 

The complaint was filed Aug. 21 by Chris Stow-Serge, a 2007 Tulane
University graduate who is a first-year high school government teacher in
the New Orleans Recovery School District.

 

Stow-Serge, who is a past president of the Tulane College Democrats, said he
decided to file the complaint after he and some friends noticed a
discrepancy in the campaign finance reports filed by Jindal and the state
party.

 

After looking through the state ethics code, Stow-Serge thought there was
enough there to notify the authorities.

 

The Ethics Board refused to comment, citing a long-standing policy of not
discussing complaints on which the board has not taken action. Stow-Serge
said the complaint is scheduled to receive its first hearing in an executive
session by the board Sept. 13.

 

 

Jindal, R-Kenner, has made government ethics and competence central themes
in his second campaign to become the state's chief executive.

 

Chris Sommers, a compliance officer with the ethics board, said candidates
are required to disclose expenditures made on their behalf by third parties.
But the board does not cross-tabulate to make sure that expenses listed on
one report are also cited as a contribution by the recipient.

 

"We don't cross-reference it. Someone would have to file a complaint
indicating that," Sommers said.

 

An "in-kind" campaign contribution can be anything of value, other than
cash, that's provided to a candidate. Typically, such contributions involve
donations of meeting space, catering services, office space or
transportation for candidates.

 

The complaint against Jindal cites six expenditures by the state GOP on
behalf of the Jindal campaign to Majority Strategies, a Ponte Vedra, Fla.,
firm specializing in direct mail, between June 4 and June 28. The expenses,
totaling $118,264.76, are listed on a campaign finance report that the state
party filed on July 25.

 

But the same expenses do not show up as a contribution on Jindal's campaign
finance filing of July 23, which covers the same reporting period, nor do
they appear on an amended report Jindal filed Aug. 10.

 

Jindal's campaign report does list seven payments to Majority Strategies for
printing expenses totaling $44,332.37.

 

James Quinn, executive director of the Republican Party of Louisiana, said
he had not seen the complaint and declined to comment. He said the state
party never notified the Jindal campaign that it had to disclose the mailing
expenses as a contribution.

 

. . . . . . .

 

Jan Moller can be reached at jmoller at timespicayune.com or (225) 342-5207. 

 

BIG "I" Applauds House Committee For Reviewing Natural Disaster Legislation

New York agent testifies on need for national solution  

Insurance News.net (From a news release)

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 6, 2007- The Independent Insurance Agents &
Brokers of America (the Big "I"), the nation's largest insurance
association, testified today before a joint hearing of the House Committee
on Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, and
the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored
Enterprises to discuss H.R. 3355 , the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2007.

 

Steve Spiro, an independent agent and President of Spiro Risk Management
Inc., in Valley Stream, New York, testified on the importance of natural
disaster legislation.  On behalf of the Big "I", the only producer trade
association testifying at the hearing, he thanked Reps. Ron Klein (D-Fla.)
and Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) for introducing the Homeowners' Defense Act,
intended to address the growing problem of natural disasters risks.  

 

Spiro expressed the Big "I"'s belief that the bill deserves serious
consideration and that these proposals could potentially be a part of a
comprehensive solution to the problem of natural catastrophe insurance.  He
pointed out that the key to the success of any solution is how the private
market will react and whether it will result in increased coverage.

 

"We strongly believe our industry must come together with policymakers to
find a common solution that will encourage participation in at-risk
markets," said Spiro.  "We believe the Homeowners Defense Act of 2007
provides a number of provisions that could have a positive impact on the
availability and affordability of natural disaster insurance.  However,
there are important questions associated with these provisions that must be
answered."  

 

Spiro pointed out that one strength of the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2007
lies in its attempt to have a plan in place to encourage greater
availability of reinsurance for the private markets. Spiro stressed that the
goals of the legislation are consistent with the Big "I"'s long-standing
principle that the best solution is for a program to be in place before the
events happen and assistance from the government should be limited.

 

"Any solutions should have a clear, well-structured mechanism that
encourages the private sector to handle as much of the risk as possible, and
only trigger federal involvement as a last resort upon private marketplace
failure." said Spiro.  "We believe that it is important to have such a
structure in place to protect both consumers and taxpayers living in all
areas across the country."

 

Finally, Spiro reiterated the Big "I"'s desire for the insurance industry to
come to a consensus to find a solution to the catastrophe insurance
availability crisis.  He also praised the Committee along with Rep's Klein
and Mahoney, as well as Rep. Ginny Browne-Waite (R-Fla.) and Rep. Bobby
Jindal (R-La.) for taking the lead, bringing forward proposals and working
together to find the answer.

 

"The Big "I" is committed to an open dialogue with all interested parties in
the public and private sectors to address these important issues that
consumers face.  We stand ready to assist your efforts in any way we can,"
said Spiro.

 

Founded in 1896, IIABA (the Big "I") is the nation's oldest and largest
national association of independent insurance agents and brokers,
representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their
employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a
choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents
and brokers offer all lines of insurance-property, casualty, life, and
health-as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web
address: www.independentagent.com.

 

Jindal outlines crime, safety reform plans

Alexandria Town Talk

By Abbey Brown

abrown at thetowntalk.com

(318) 487-6387

 

PINEVILLE -- Gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal spoke Thursday at Kees
Park about his Crime and Safety Reform plan, saying the message he intends
to send would-be criminals is: "This will be a bad place for you to break
the law."

 

"Crime is not just a problem in the city of New Orleans," the U.S.
congressman said while flanked by area law enforcement officers. "Crime is a
problem that impacts each and every one of us. Louisiana is the second most
violent state in the country."

 

            

Jindal said his reform plan -- the third policy plan in his Fresh Start for
Louisiana Agenda -- will focus on:

 

# Cracking down on gangs and drug dealers.

 

# Giving law enforcement and prosecutors every tool possible to keep the
state safe.

 

# Aggressively linking law enforcement efforts with community efforts.

 

# Toughening laws to stop repeat offenders.

 

# And protecting children from violent crimes and sexual predators.

 

"We are going to do everything we can to prevent crime," Jindal said to the
packed room at the Kees Park Community Center. "But if crime is committed,
(offenders) are going to regret they did it in our state. ... And the ACLU
may not like what I have to say, but I really don't care."

 

Jindal said "fast and aggressive" action is needed to help reduce crime. But
he said he knows the local officials have front-line responsibility for
stopping crime, and he doesn't plan to take that away.

 

Jindal said he just wants to ensure those on the local level are provided
with all the necessary tools.

 

"As your governor, I will set the tone, and I will provide local officials
with every tool they need to fight crime, and to make real changes," he
said.

 

The crowd cheered throughout his speech, and many lined up afterwards to
shake his hand or say a few words.

 

"I am really impressed to hear about all the hard work he's done in talking
to law enforcement about what's needed," Catherine Eppler of Pineville said
of Jindal. "I'm a parent, and what he said regarding perpetrators of crimes
against children is really relevant to me. Overall, I was impressed."

 

A number of law enforcement officers were on hand to give their endorsement
of Jindal. The Louisiana Sheriff's Association and Fraternal Order of Police
also have endorsed him for governor.

 

"During the storm, he came out boots on the ground," LSA Executive Director
Hal Turner said after the program. "He met with law enforcement, constantly
asking what we needed. And it didn't stop with the storm."

 

When Jindal decided to run for governor, he contacted Turner and other law
enforcement officers, asking what they thought needed to be done differently
to make this a safer place to live, Turner said.

 

"No one had done that before," he laughed. "We are used to being told what
someone thinks we should be doing to make things better. But he asked us,
and we can tell he sincerely cared. We are confident in his abilities to
lead and make a difference."

 

John Georges

 

Georges signs to run

Governor hopeful leaves GOP

By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON & MARSHA SHULER

Advocate Capitol News Bureau

Published: Sep 7, 2007 - Page: 1A

 

New Orleans businessman John Georges signed up to run for governor Thursday
after switching political parties.

 

Georges waited until the final day of qualifying to walk into the Secretary
of State's Office to officially put his name on the Oct. 20 ballot.

 

Earlier in the day, he changed his voter registration from Republican to
Independent. On the ballot, he will appear as "no party" because independent
is not a recognized party in Louisiana.

 

Georges said the Louisiana Republican Party tried to convince him to run for
lieutenant governor, a claim denied by party spokesman Michael DiResto.

 

The 13 candidates who will vie to succeed Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco
include a state senator, a congressman, a real estate investor, a public
service commissioner and a retired hairdresser whose sole platform is to
free former Gov. Edwin Edwards from federal prison.

 

At least two of the candidates are millionaires. Another, U.S. Rep. Bobby
Jindal, lost to Blanco in the 2003 runoff.

 

Blanco announced earlier this year that she would not seek a second term.

 

Jindal, R-Kenner; state Sen. Walter Boasso, D-Arabi; and Public Service
Commissioner Foster Campbell, a Bossier Parish Democrat; submitted their
paperwork to run for governor earlier this week.

 

The phone lines at area radio stations lit up when a member of the
governor's security team stopped by the Secretary of State's Office at
lunchtime Thursday. A handful of Jindal's campaign staff swiftly showed up
in the lobby of the state office building off Essen Lane.

 

The governor's press secretary, Marie Centanni, said Blanco considered
coming by to see Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, who is on the mend from an
automobile accident. Blanco's security team swept the building in advance of
her visit before learning that Dardenne was not at work, Centanni said.

 

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin kept voters guessing throughout the day on
whether or not he would jump into the governor's race.

 

Nagin was coy in a live interview with a New Orleans radio station just
three hours before the 5 p.m. deadline for signing up for office.

 

In the end, Nagin did not make the trip to Baton Rouge to put his name on
the ballot.

 

Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom, who is seeking his eighth term, and
Attorney General Charles Foti, who is seeking his second, both face
opposition.

 

Republican Metro Councilman Wayne Carter of Zachary signed up Thursday to
run against Odom, a Democrat.

 

Carter said Louisiana citizens are ready for change.

 

"We are the change. We will bring ethics, experience and economic
development," he said.

 

The field of candidates running against Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon
got fractionally smaller Thursday when Vinny Mendoza of Kenner decided to
run for governor instead.

 

Mendoza, a Democrat, said he decided the insurance commissioner position
should be abolished because of high insurance rates.

 

As governor, he said, he would work to make Louisiana a safe place to live,
work and play.

 

But three other candidates signed up Thursday to run against Donelon. They
are Jim Crowley, a Democrat from Shreveport; and two fellow Republicans,
Robert Lansden of Covington and Jerilyn Schneider-Kneale of Slidell.

 

In other statewide races, State Treasurer John N. Kennedy automatically was
elected to a third term when no one qualified to run against him. Kennedy
last week bolted from the Democratic Party to become a Republican.

 

"I was prepared for opposition given my public stands on things," Kennedy
said. He had public disagreements with Blanco, Odom and Senate President Don
Hines of Bunkie.

 

"There's a lot of angst in Louisiana, a lot of disappointment, a lot of
disgust with state government that led people to want to change it and run
for office," Kennedy said.

 

Dardenne, a Republican, drew a second opponent Thursday, Independent Scott
Lewis of Baton Rouge.

 

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, a Democrat, will have to defeat four other
candidates to hold onto his job.

 

His opponents include country music singer Sammy Kershaw, a Republican who
lives in Duson; and state Rep. Gary Beard, R-Baton Rouge, who signed up
Thursday.

 

Beard said he wants to be a part of a "new era" of change coming to
Louisiana. He said his fiscal conservatism will help a new governor put the
state on the right track.

 

"We believe that the office of lieutenant governor is far more than the
emphasis on culture, recreation and tourism. It's the second-highest office
in our state. It's the first in line of succession to the office of
governor," Beard said.

 

General - Governor's Race

13 candidates for governor, but no Nagin

By Bill Barrow and Ed Anderson

Times-Picayune 

Capital bureau

 

BATON ROUGE -- Qualifying for statewide offices concluded Thursday with 13
candidates running for governor and another absent Democrat stealing the
spotlight.

 

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was nowhere to be found at the secretary of
state's office on the final day of registration, spending much of his time
on talk shows in the city he's already been elected to run.

 

In declining to join the gubernatorial chase, Nagin placed himself alongside
two fellow Democrats -- incumbent Gov. Kathleen Blanco and former U.S. Sen.
John Breaux -- as high-profile prospects who left their marks on the race by
passing on it.

 

Otherwise, Jefferson Parish businessman John Georges kept his promise to run
for governor after having floated the idea of seeking a lower office. He
qualified for the top job Thursday as an independent. He announced initially
as a Republican, but had publicly explored running as a Democrat or sans
party label in hopes of boosting weak poll numbers.

 

Georges joins Democratic state Sen. Walter Boasso of Arabi and Democratic
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell of Elm Grove as the major
candidates chasing prohibitive front-runner Bobby Jindal, the Republican
congressman from Kenner.

 

Nine other long shots added their names to the list vying to succeed Blanco,
who announced in March that she would not seek a second term after enduring
myriad hardships since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

 

Georges explains decision

 

Georges, CEO of Imperial Trading Co., said he qualified as an independent
because of his ability to work with people of all political persuasions.
"Partisan politics have become too divisive in Louisiana, and I believe I
can most effectively govern without the added issue of a party label,"
Georges said.

 

But Georges also acknowledged frustration over his inability to peel
Republican support from Jindal, who carries the endorsement of the state
GOP's executive committee. Boasso cited the same concerns this year when he
left the GOP to run as a Democrat.

 

Nagin causes stir

 

Nagin used WWL radio as the forum finally to put to rest the speculation and
media chatter, which the mayor helped keep alive, about whether he might
enter a race that handicappers mark as Jindal's to win. The mere possibility
of a Nagin candidacy was enough to draw New Orleans television reporters and
live broadcast trucks to the capital, only to leave with no new footage of
the mayor.

 

In a statement issued Thursday night, Nagin did not explain his reasons for
not running but said, "My family is always my primary concern in considering
whether to seek any elected office."

 

He said he "will expect any candidate who wants to be taken seriously to
commit to the full recovery of New Orleans, this region and ultimately this
state." He urged voters to "hold the candidates accountable to the issues
that impact our lives and those of our children."

 

The mayor can still bank on his name being bounced about as a candidate for
the 2nd Congressional District seat, should indicted U.S. Rep. William
Jefferson, D-New Orleans, have to vacate the office. And Nagin retains the
option of endorsing Jindal, as he did four years ago, though a second
endorsement is seen as less likely given Jindal's silence during Nagin's own
re-election bid last year.

 

Nagin wasn't the only no-show who managed to create a stir Thursday. If only
for a moment, Blanco resurfaced as a potential candidate when a Louisiana
State Police officer walked into Secretary of State Jay Dardenne's office
and asked to perform the kind of security sweep that signals a visit by the
governor.

 

Blanco aides initially declined to comment on the officer's appearance.
Blanco never arrived, but the situation drew state Republican leaders and
several Jindal campaign operatives, including manager Timmy Teepel, to the
scene.

 

Marie Centanni, Blanco's press secretary, seemed amused by the hullabaloo
but insisted it was not planned. "It was a fluke," she said, explaining that
Blanco heard that Dardenne had returned to work as he continues to
recuperate from a car accident last month. "So her security advanced the
site as a possible stop that day. Of course, we discovered he was not at
work, so that was that."

 

Besides Georges, the other last-day qualifiers for governor were M.V.
"Vinny" Mendoza, a Kenner Democrat who had qualified Tuesday to run against
Republican Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon; Arthur "Jim" Nichols, an
independent from Donaldsonville who ran unsuccessfully for the job in the
past; Hardy Parkerson, a Democrat from Lake Charles; and Mary Volentine
Smith, a Democrat from Winnsboro.

 

When Mendoza signed up to run for governor, he was automatically dropped
from the insurance race. A Dardenne aide said state law prohibits candidates
from seeking two offices and ties Mendoza to the last race for which he
enlisted.

 

Georges and Republicans provided the day's only other tension when Georges
said that GOP figures asked him to run for lieutenant governor, a claim that
a party spokesman dismissed.

 

"Nobody but John Georges could have been so crazy as to think it would be a
good idea for him to switch to the lieutenant governor's race at this late
hour," Michael DiResto said. "Nobody else would have dreamed that up. That
was his idea alone."

 

Candidate promises reform

 

As it is, the lieutenant governor tilt remains a five-candidate affair.
State Rep. Gary Beard, R-Baton Rouge, qualified Thursday to join Republican
country music singer Sammy Kershaw of Lafayette as the major roadblocks to
Democrat Mitch Landrieu's bid for a second term.

 

Beard promised to use Louisiana's second-highest office to grow the tourism
industry and usher in fiscal reforms. "This is a season of change in
Louisiana, and we'd like to be a part of it," said Beard, who was elected to
the House in 2001. Beard promised to help "the new administration" implement
"conservative" fiscal changes that he said are badly needed.

 

He criticized increases in state spending and debt in recent years, and said
he voted against the $30 billion budget that lawmakers approved in June for
fiscal 2008, which began July 1.

 

Legislative records show that Beard voted against raising the state spending
cap, a mostly party-line vote that Democrats, joined by a few Republicans,
ultimately won. But after the minority GOP Caucus lost that scrap, Beard
voted "yes" on the cap-busting budget as it left the House and traveled to
the Senate. When it returned from the Senate with only minor amendments,
Beard voted against concurring with the upper chamber's version.

 

For agriculture commissioner, East Baton Rouge Parish Councilman Wayne
"Spider" Carter, a Republican, closed out a four-man field. He is battling
state Rep. Michael Strain of Covington as the primary GOP challengers to
Democratic incumbent Bob Odom, who is seeking his eighth term.

 

No one signed up for attorney general Thursday, leaving a three-way contest
between Democrat Charles Foti, who is seeking a second term; Republican
lawyer Royal Alexander of Shreveport; and Democrat James "Buddy" Caldwell of
Tallulah, the veteran district attorney for East Carroll, Madison and Tensas
parishes.

 

Dardenne, a Baton Rouge Republican, picked up a last-minute opponent in the
secretary of state's race, bringing the number of his opponents to two.
Scott Lewis, an independent from Baton Rouge, who has run unsuccessfully for
the job in the past, showed up in the last hour of qualifying to make the
race.

 

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, who won the office last fall in a
special election, picked up three opponents on the last day to sign up, all
of them considerable underdogs.

 

Newly minted Republican Treasurer John Kennedy, twice elected as a Democrat,
emerged as the only statewide officeholder without opposition.

 

Bill Barrow can be reached at bbarrow at timespicayune.com or (225)342-5590. Ed
Anderson can be reached at eanderson at timespicayune.com or (225) 342-5810.

 

Shreveport forum called off after two candidates can't attend

KTBS Channel 3 (Shreveport)

Created: September 6, 2007 04:03 PM     Modified: September 6, 2007 04:03 PM

 

A gubernatorial candidate forum scheduled for next week in Shreveport has
been postponed after two of the candidates said they could not attend.

 

The forum was scheduled for Tuesday at LSU-Shreveport.

 

Candidates Walter Boasso and Bobby Jindal said they would not make it.
Foster Campbell and John Georges had planned to be there.

 

The forum was being sponsored by Shreveport's Committee of 100, KTBS, public
radio, local chambers of commerce and civic groups.

 

It could be rescheduled for October.

 


STATE AND LOCAL NEWS

 

La. Democratic Party director on leave after DWI arrest

Shreveport Times

September 7, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT

 

The Associated Press

 

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- The executive director of the state Democratic
Party has taken a leave of absence after his arrest on a count of
third-offense drunken driving.

 

John Daniel "Danny" Ford, 31, who has held his position since spring 2006,
will "take a leave of absence as long as he needs to work on his problem and
these issues," state party chairman Chris Whittington said Thursday night.

 

Booking documents show that Baton Rouge police arrested Ford on Thursday and
cited him with third-offense DWI, crossing the center line, failing to
signal and reckless driving, and was released on $20,000 bond.

 

In a news release, Ford said he would use time away from the party job to
deal with his DWI citation and "this issue which needs my full attention

 

School report cards alarm state officials

By WILL SENTELL

Advocate Capitol News Bureau

Published: Sep 7, 2007 - Page: 1A

 

Scores on state report cards that public schools get every year set off
alarm bells Thursday among Louisiana education leaders.

 

"We have to figure out how we can work smarter," state Superintendent of
Education Paul Pastorek told reporters.

 

The figures show how public school students fared on key tests during the
school year that ended in May. The report is designed to improve student
performance.

 

The results show that:

 

    * 68 percent of schools showed little growth, no growth or outright
declines.

    * Schools experienced their worst performance since the state started
issuing the report cards in 1999.

    * After eight years of improvements, the overall score was essentially
unchanged at 85.2, up just 0.1 point from last year.

 

The tally covered 1,118 public schools.

 

Schools had been on target to meet a state goal of 100 by 2009. However,
this year's results make that unlikely.

 

Each year the state Department of Education gives  schools scores and growth
targets. Schools are then put into one of five categories based on how they
fared.

 

Since 1999 schools grew by an average of 3.3 points per year. The best
showing was a 7.9 point increase in 2000.

 

The growth target this year was 89.4, which means schools missed by 4.2
points. The state label this time is minimal growth.

 

"We really don't know if this is a trend or an anomaly," Pastorek said.

 

The maximum score for schools with grades kindergarten through eighth grade
is 379. For high schools it is 186.

 

Ollie Tyler, deputy state superintendent, said several steps are under way
to try to pinpoint problems and to find how to fix them.

 

Tyler said state school board members are meeting monthly with school
superintendents. State educators are also conferring with national experts,
analyzing data and studying the state curriculum.

 

Tests covered in the results include the LEAP exam, which  fourth-graders
and eighth-graders have to pass for promotion; iLEAP, for students in grades
3, 5, 6, 7 and 9; and the Graduation Exit Exam, which high-school students
have to pass to earn a diploma. Dropout and attendance rates are also
figured in.

 

This year's results did not include school districts that suffered major
damages because of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

 

State officials said 70 public schools were rated as academically
unacceptable, which means they scored less than 60. That list includes 23
schools in East  Baton Rouge Parish as well as the City of Baker School
District.

 

Leslie Jacobs of New Orleans, vice-president of the state Board of
Elementary and Secondary Education, repeated a frequent line that school
reform is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

"If we are running a marathon, it is time for a power bar," Jacobs said of
Thursday's results.

 

State Rep. Carla Dartez cited with hitting pedestrian on La. 182

By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON

Advocate Capitol News Bureau

Published: Sep 7, 2007 - Page: 1B

 

A Morgan City legislator received an improper lane usage citation Sunday
after hitting a pedestrian on La. 182 in Terrebonne Parish.

 

State Rep. Carla Dartez did poorly on a field sobriety test but passed a
Breathalyzer test, said Trooper Gilbert Dardar, public information officer
for Louisiana State Police Troop C.

 

The pedestrian, Shina Short, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for
a possible broken arm, he said.

 

Dartez, D-Morgan City, said in a telephone interview Thursday that she
insisted on taking the Breathalyzer test.

 

She registered a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.000 grams percent, Dardar
said.

 

The legal threshold for drunken driving in Louisiana is 0.08 grams percent.

 

Dartez, 41, said she was "very, very, very upset" during the field sobriety
test.

 

"I was not drinking. I was nervous. I had just hit a lady," she said.

 

Troopers took Dartez into custody because there were "signs of alcohol,"
Dardar said.

 

He did not know any specifics on what those signs were. An accident report
will not be available for several weeks, he said.

 

"She didn't do as well as you or me, not sober, would have done," Dardar
said.

 

The accident occurred about 7:45 p.m. Sunday on La. 182 in Gibson.

 

Dartez said she was on her way from Morgan City to Terrebonne Parish to pick
up an elderly constituent to watch the fireworks at the Louisiana Shrimp &
Petroleum Festival.

 

Dartez said she drove around a corner and heard a thump.

 

"I just didn't see her. It was dark," Dartez said.

 

State Police maintain that Dartez's car crossed onto the road's shoulder
where Short was walking.

 

Dartez said she returned to the accident scene Thursday afternoon and found
the skid marks do not cross the line on the shoulder, indicating to her that
Short stepped into her path.

 

Nobody answered phone calls to Short's home.

 

In 1998, Dartez was booked with first-offense DWI and other counts in East
Baton Rouge Parish.

 

Dartez has said she no longer drinks and drives.

 

Dartez said she did not drink Sunday before the accident. She said she plans
to give Short a gas card to pay the fuel expenses related to her medical
treatment.

 

Plants threaten Shreveport's drinking water, official says

Shreveport Times 

September 7, 2007

 

By Mike Hasten

mhasten at gannett.com

 

BATON ROUGE -- Shreveport needs state and federal help fighting a menace
that threatens its drinking water sources.

 

The problem with hydrilla and water hyacinths in Cross Lake is bigger than
the city can handle and is only going to get worse if a serious effort to
stop it is not implemented soon, Mike Strong, head of the city's Department
of Operational Services, told members of the state Wildlife and Fisheries
Commission on Thursday.

 

Besides those noxious plants, giant salvinia, "one of the world's most
invasive weeds," is prevalent in nearby Caddo Lake and could move into Cross
Lake, too, he said. Caddo Lake is the city's secondary water supply.

 

"This is an issue all over the state," Strong told the commission. "There
needs to be a plan, and it needs federal support."

 

The city has $400,000 to implement herbicide spraying in what Strong
classified as "attack zones" and to buy grass carp to eat the vegetation. He
hopes Louisiana will use some of its $5.5 million allocated for aquatic weed
eradication to help control the problem.

 

The plan also includes constructing a mesh fence at the juncture of the two
lakes to keep the carp in Cross Lake.

 

Shreveport doesn't want to overpopulate the lake with the carp, so it will
stock two per acre, Strong said.

 

One of Shreveport's largest water users is Barksdale Air Force Base, which
gets its water through a pipeline from the city's treatment plant, said
Commissioner Frederic Miller, of Shreveport.

 

Miller said he agrees with Strong that a "multijurisdictional approach"
should be taken to address the problem.

 

Strong is working with U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, of Shreveport, and Texas U.S.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, since Caddo Lake extends into that state, to get federal
assistance.

 

Cross Bayou, which flows out of Cross Lake, and Twelve-mile Bayou out of
Caddo Lake, flow into Red River, which has become a hot spot for fishing,
Miller said."If salvinia gets loose in that river, that fishing is going to
be in peril."

 

One of the biggest problems leading to the spread of the plant life is
boaters pick up plants in their boat motors and trailers then transfer them
to the next water body, Strong said.

 

During a recent fishing tournament on Cross Lake, "we turned away several
boats. They were loaded" with salvinia, he said.

 

Strong said the public should not be concerned about the herbicides being
sprayed on the plants in Cross Lake.

 

"We're meeting EPA critieria" and testing water drawn into the intakes to
the water treatment plant and testing it afterward. "We're not spraying near
the intake."

 

Shreveport also cautions property owners along the lake not to draw water if
the area has been sprayed because the herbicide could kill their grass.are
most likely to swarm.

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