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Bobby Jindal signs bill giving employees the right to have firearms in their automobiles "on company property".

Politicians in Louisiana are suddenly discovering a sudden, hitherto unnoticed, urge to retire from public life and become private citizens once again. This eureka moment for about 140 (and growing by the hour!) politicians just “happens” to coincide with the approach of the date when Louisiana’s new ethics laws will come into effect. Perhaps the politicians are nervous—and for good cause. A 1996-2007 study of all states with a population greater-than 2 million found Louisiana to be the most corrupt state, based on public official convictions. The average between the 35 states surveyed was just under 3 convictions per 100,000...

Gov. Bobby Jindal will have to repair his credibility after reneging on his promise to lawmakers not to veto a pay raise doubling their salaries, some of his key legislative leaders said Tuesday. Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, and House Speaker Pro Tem Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, said Jindal's sudden about-face on the pay raise will make it hard for some lawmakers to believe him in the future. "He needs to rebuild trust and do a better job of articulating his position," said Chaisson, who promised he will continue to work with the governor on key issues for...

Area lawmakers who opposed raising their pay praised Gov. Bobby Jindal’s veto of the volatile increase on Monday. But two Democratic lawmakers interviewed said Jindal broke his word and others said the veto may jeopardize his proposals in the Louisiana Legislature. “When someone gives you his word and takes it back, you lose a lot of respect,” said state Rep. Damon Baldone, D-Houma and a supporter of the increase. The legislation, Senate Bill 672, would have raised the pay package of rank-and-file lawmakers from about $38,000 per year to nearly $60,000. It was set to take effect today. But Jindal...

Fleeing from St. Charles Parish authorities, a River Ridge man drove a stolen Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office squad car into the Mississippi River early Sunday, according to both law enforcement agencies. David Mitchell Jr., 22, of River Ridge managed to get out of the car as it started to sink about 30 yards from the river bank, said Capt. Patrick Yoes of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office. A towboat operator dragged Mitchell aboard after he struggled in the current for some time. The incident started in Metairie at about 6:10 a.m., when a Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputy, after investigating...

BREAKING Bobby Jindal will veto the pay raise. The Governor announced his decision during an 11 a.m. press conference. WWL broke the story. UPDATE x2: Just got word from Steve Sabludowsky - the rally has been canceled. UPDATE: Jindal’s official press release Jun 30, 2008 Governor Jindal Vetoes Legislative Pay Raise Bill BATON ROUGE – At a press conference announcing his line item vetoes in the supplemental spending bill today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that he has vetoed the legislative pay raise bill to more than double legislators’ pay, SB 672. “I have opposed this pay raise at every turn...

Breaking News from Louisiana: BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Bobby Jindal announced today that he has vetoed the legislative pay raise. After days of saying he would not reject the unpopular measure, Jindal said this morning that he had rejected the measure. Lawmakers in the most recent session voted to raise their annual base salary from $16,800 to $37,500. Jindal has been criticized for his inability to stop the raise before it was passed and his refusal since then to veto the pay raise bill. He pledged during his gubernatorial campaign last year to prohibit an immediate legislative pay raise. The...

Yes, Mr. Jindal did make a blunder — and a big one — an unforgettable one. And then to say he could veto it, but he will not. To the general public, this is a slap in the face! When we see all the needs out there — Department of Social Services, the group homes, nursing homes — they are understaffed and underpaid. There is no money for the nursing-home workers, and they are working for a pittance. We wonder why there is such a large number of complaints. How are you going to get trained workers for the pay...

Gov. Bobby Jindal's legislative director has resigned after serving fewer than six months with the new administration, which is embroiled in a controversy over the Legislature's large pay raise. Tommy Williams, 65, said Sunday the decision to leave was his and that he left on good terms. He did not offer reasons for his departure, but said he plans to return to his career as a professional lobbyist. "I cannot tell you how much I've learned and what a great opportunity I had," Williams said. Williams' resignation comes at a moment of intensely strained relations between Jindal and the Legislature,...

Of this, there can be no dispute: Gov. Bobby Jindal's honeymoon is over. The consensus at home is that Jindal lost his luster by declining to veto the Legislature's lavish pay raise. But Jindal is also playing to a national audience these days, and on that front, he's taking a different sort of hit. While Louisiana voters are up in arms over the revelation that Jindal is not above cutting political deals, the deal killer elsewhere in the country could be an unrelated bill that he signed last week, state Sen. Ben Nevers' "Louisiana Science Education Act." snip

Participants in a Federal Drug Administration (FDA) protocol at TCA Cellular Therapy utilizing stem cells to treat lower limb ischemia are experiencing increased mobility and decreased pain in lower legs. Lower limb ischemia is a condition where plaque build-up causes decreased circulation in the lower leg. Symptoms of the condition include intense pain and swelling. Study participants may have had different factors that contributed to their condition: a family history of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), history of smoking and other vascular conditions. Common among them however, were that more traditional treatments (utilizing stents and grafts) were ineffectual and that the...

BATON ROUGE -- In a sign that the public frustration about the legislative pay raise has spread to Gov. Bobby Jindal's base, a political novice and former Jindal supporter from Jefferson Parish has filed a recall petition against him. Ryan and Kourtney Fournier of Jefferson submitted paperwork to the secretary of state's office that allows them to attempt to collect the nearly 1 million signatures needed during the next 180 days to force a recall election of the governor. The papers were mailed Thursday and arrived Friday. Ryan Fournier, 32, said he is a registered Republican and was "a huge...

Officials in the Louisiana Secretary of State's office say a recall petition has been filed for Governor Bobby Jindal, making him the fifth elected official to face a recall attempt since the state legislature voted itself a payraise earlier this month. For a recall election to be called, the signatures of one-third of all registered voters in the state must be collected. That would be a total of 960,285 voters. Ryan Fournier of Jefferson submitted the recall petition. Other lawmakers facing recall attempts include House Speaker Jim Tucker (R-Terrytown), Rep. Steve Pugh (R-Ponchatoula), Rep. Joseph Lopinto (R-Metairie) and Rep. Franklin...

Gov. Bobby Jindal was back in the New York Times this week, with a picture, but for all the wrong reasons. The toxic pay raise controversy enveloping him has gone national and his political world has changed. Within days, Jindal went from being a legitimate vice-presidential prospect to having his character questioned in his first crisis of public confidence, without his having done a thing. Meanwhile, pay raise-supporting legislators, who thought the worst was over, are now seeing recall movements popping up around them. So far, drives are directed at three freshmen represenatives and Speaker of the House Jim Tucker,...

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's officials say over $150,000 in weapons has been seized from a Slidell home. Investigators say they learned of the massive weapons cache after a man called them to report over $70,000 in weapons was stolen from his home. That prompted authorities to secure a search warrant for the home, which turned up some 50 additional weapons, ranging from semi-automatic pistols to a .50 caliber semi-automatic bolt action sniper rifle. "When the deputies responded to take the burglarly report, they became suspicious at how he was reporting the crime," said St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain. "As...

In a sweeping proposal, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. has asked Congress to allow private companies to begin selling flood coverage in hopes of getting more people to buy it, reducing the burden on the federal treasury in times of disaster and avoiding disputes over the causes of hurricane damage. Although the proposal comes as floods are destroying towns across the Midwest where only about 17 percent of homes have flood insurance, the program has its roots in Hurricane Katrina's watery devastation and the ubiquitous flood versus wind disputes along the Gulf Coast. Nationwide, which does not do business in Louisiana,...

BATON ROUGE -- House Speaker Jim Tucker, one of the major proponents of raising lawmakers' base pay from $16,800 to $37,500 a year, was hit with a recall petition Wednesday, while three more House members quietly submitted statements declining the doubling of their salaries and at least two legislators urged Gov. Bobby Jindal to veto the measure that has outraged many voters. Tucker, who cannot run for re-election to his House seat in 2011 because of term limits, is the fourth lawmaker this week targeted for removal from office by unhappy constituents. Under the new law, Tucker's base legislative pay...

Surrounding my condo entrance is a cedar fence. When Gov. Bobby Jindal was campaigning for election in 2007, I had no need to put up a sign to show my support and hope. A bumper sticker was already attached from his campaign four years earlier. The sign remained fresh, as the fence is covered by a patio and carport awning. This sign represented a feeling of hope and trust that Louisiana would finally elect a governor “of the people.” A leader who would live up to campaign promises and when it came time ... would do the right thing. I...

World’s Largest Reagan Statue To Be UnveiledJune 25, 2008 After four years and several setbacks, the world’s largest Ronald Reagan statue will be unveiled in Covington, Louisiana, this Friday. The statue was not Covington’s idea. “We had nothing to do with it,� said city council president Trey Blackall. A local oil tycoon, however, was interested in building a big Reagan tribute, and Covington volunteered itself as the site. “It’s a weird little story,� Trey conceded, “but when somebody offers something like this, you gladly accept it.�The big bronze Gipper, created by local sculptor Patrick Miller, stands nearly 15 feet tall...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that executing a Louisiana child rapist would be unconstitutional, concluding capital punishment is reserved for murderers. The ruling was a 5-4 decision.

Gov. Bobby Jindal admitted Tuesday that he blundered in allowing legislators to pass a bill that would more than double their base pay. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he said during a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion. However, Jindal said he still plans to allow the pay raise to become law. Vetoing the bill would give legislators a reason to reverse his initiatives, including changes to the state’s ethics laws, he said. “Everybody knows it would be in my own self-interest politically to veto this bill,” he said. “I’d probably be the most popular governor in modern polling history if...

The reformist image of Gov. Bobby Jindal, considered by Republicans a top potential vice-presidential choice, has recently taken a beating after Mr. Jindal refused to veto a sizable pay increase that Louisiana legislators voted for themselves this month. The increase would more than double the salary of the part-time legislators effective July 8, to $37,500 from $16,800, with considerably more money available once expenses are added in. It has touched a nerve in this impoverished state. Conservative talk-radio show hosts and bloggers have denounced it, newspaper editorials have inveighed against it — The Times-Picayune of New Orleans called the increase...

The Louisiana Legislature adjourns today. Gov. Bobby Jindal should mark the occasion by vetoing the session's most offensive and self-centered legislation: the 123-percent pay raise lawmakers gave themselves. It won't be easy for him. He's said repeatedly that he won't veto the measure, and if he does now, he will have misled lawmakers. But if he doesn't veto it, he will have misled voters, breaking an unambiguous promise he made on the campaign trail to "prohibit" raises such as this. Perhaps Gov. Jindal will do right by voters if a few more call him with their objections to the pay...

The Legislature completed its work Saturday on the nearly $30 billion state operating budget, sending Gov. Bobby Jindal a spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that maintains most state programs at current levels and plows new money into education, health care and legislators' pet projects. The House agreed unanimously to adopt the Senate's changes to House Bill 1 by Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, marking the third year in a row that lawmakers have adopted the budget without a House-Senate compromise committee. State general-fund spending will grow by more than $1 billion, or 12.4 percent, in the fiscal year that...

Pay increases part of government trend The Legislature's newly approved salary increase is but the highly visible tip of an iceberg of substantial pay raises for Louisiana public employees in the past year, building pressure on the state budget. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has shown some results in stemming government job growth, but he also has set an example of substantial salary increases for a few elite members of his team while refusing to stop the lawmakers' raise. When he took office in January, Jindal inherited a bulge in personnel costs for state workers as well as for a long...

Veto Heat on Jindal Pay raise becomes character issue The governor is trying to keep intense public opposition to the legislative pay raise directed at legislators, but, more and more, the volcanic controversy is turning into a test of character: his own. Speaker Jim Tucker dismissed the governor's latest demand that lawmakers suspend the pay raise they voted for themselves. With no further action expected from lawmakers before Monday's final adjournment, the issue, like the bill, lies with the governor. With editorial and public pressure mounting for a gubernatorial veto before the July 8 deadline, some Fourth Floor staffers, with...

Gov. Bobby Jindal faces a politically prickly decision regarding a possible veto on the pay raise lawmakers voted for themselves. But candidate Bobby Jindal left behind some resolute guidance that the governor should now consult. In his "Action Plan" for government reform, candidate Jindal last fall vowed to "prohibit legislators from giving themselves pay raises that take effect before the subsequent election . . . so the public can decide who deserves that compensation." Senate Bill 672 would more than double lawmakers' salaries effective July 1. Even worse, lawmakers' pay would automatically rise every year to adjust for inflation. Without...

Louisiana: Indicted Lawmaker to Run for Re-electionBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 18, 2008 Representative William J. Jefferson, a Democrat facing trial on corruption charges, has announced that he will seek re-election to a 10th term. Mr. Jefferson made his announcement in a news release that emphasized his experience and portrayed him as someone who still wielded power in Congress despite the case against him. The last time he ran for re-election was in 2006. The corruption accusations were a persistent problem for him then, but he overcame the odds and won in a landslide. He has since been indicted,...

Is our Governor--Jindal the Spineless, the Bonehead or the Deceiver? It pains me to express such since two weeks ago I praised him effusively after a press conference. Now, the question is whether Dorothy should help him find a noggin, starch for his courage shirt or a light beam to honesty. Something is now sorely lacking in our Governor. Meanwhile, the honeymoon clock is screeching. The love affair with Bobby Jindal is officially dead. More importantly, the public needs answers, now, for Jindal to be effective in the future. It appears that certain legislators put a legislative gun to Jindal’s...

A poisonous cloud has been circling the Republican presidential nomination this season. First, it was "the Mormon question" raised against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, which was used as a political sledgehammer by one of his primary opponents. Now, it's religious writing from the youth of the still-young Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Can we please not go there again? Can we please not use religion against another candidate this cycle? As the media twitters about recently elected Jindal being considered as a possible choice for John McCain's vice presidential running mate, a buzzkill arrives. On the Left blogosphere, an article...

The people of Louisiana made it clear last week that they are adamantly opposed to a massive pay raise for lawmakers. But the Legislature didn't listen. Lawmakers did give up on the absurd idea of tripling their salary, but they voted instead to double it. Perhaps in their insular world that is what passes for sacrifice. In the real world, they still look greedy.

The Louisiana House of Representatives this afternoon approved higher pay for legislators. Prior to the final vote, the House unanimously approved an amendment that would lower the amount of a pay raise they seek and removed the language that would increase their wages in the future without having to vote again. Speaker of the House Jim Tucker proposed a salary increase to $37,500 from $16,800 with unvouchered expenses at $6,000 a year.

BATON ROUGE -- Senators took less than five minutes Tuesday to pass a pay raise for themselves and House members pegged at 30 percent of the pay of members of the U.S. Congress. With no votes to spare, the Senate approved, 20-16, Senate Bill 672 by Sen. Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans, sending it to the House for debate. House members cheered passage of the bill while watching the Senate proceedings on their desktop television monitors. Duplessis told reporters after the vote that Gov. Bobby Jindal will not veto the measure, although he may allow her bill to become law without...

BATON ROUGE -- An income-tax break that could be worth up to $1,000 a year for married couples is on its way to Gov. Bobby Jindal's desk for a signature after receiving final, unanimous passage in the Senate on Tuesday. Senate Bill 87 by Sen. B.L. "Buddy" Shaw, R-Shreveport, would roll back income-tax rates to 2002 levels starting Jan. 1 by repealing the Stelly Plan increase that voters approved that year as part of a swap that also removed the sales tax on food and residential utilities. The upper chamber voted 38-0 to accept changes made by the House that...

Governor Bobby Jindal has been threatened with a government shutdown over the proposed legislative pay increase, sources tell THE DEAD PELICAN. Sources tell THE DEAD PELICAN that House Speaker Jim Tucker recently received a "heads up" from Jindal Chief of Staff Timmy Teepel that Jindal was going to veto the pay increase. Sources tell THE DEAD PELICAN that Tucker responded by telling Teepel that if the pay increase is vetoed, "Everything the governor wants will be dead on arrival in the house."

Every appointment that Gov. Bobby Jindal has made since he took office in January is in jeopardy because he has not forwarded their names for Senate confirmation. The appointments by Jindal for 437 jobs — including his top aides — will no longer be valid and they will have to stop working as of June 23, when the legislative session adjourns, according to the state law governing the confirmation process. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman state Sen. Bob Kostelka, R-Monroe, asked Jimmy Faircloth, the governor’s executive counsel, Wednesday to send the official list. As of 5 p.m. Friday, the...

Since 2005, the Louisiana Senate has taken time during the Regular Legislative Session "to recognize Louisiana's fallen heroes and the enormous sacrifice made by their families for this state and the nation." This year, the following service members are saluted: Sergeant Joseph A. Richard, III - Grand Prairie, United States Army Staff Sergeant Timothy Cole, Jr. - Alexandria, United States Army Staff Sergeant Jarred S. Fontenot - Port Barre, United States Army Corporal Chris LeBleu - Lake Charles, United States Marine Corps Seargeant First Class John Hennen - Vinton, United States Army National Guard Specialist Marisol Heredia - Baton Rouge,...

31-count indictment says they bilked charities for years Feds allege they took money aimed at black youth programs New Orleans 4th District Assessor Betty Jefferson, an elder sister of indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, conspired with other family members to plunder more than $600,000 in taxpayer money from three charities they founded and controlled that were supposed to help inner-city youths, alleges a 31-count federal indictment handed up Wednesday. Mose Jefferson, brother to the congressman and the assessor, also was charged Wednesday, as was Angela Coleman, Betty Jefferson's daughter. The latest round of charges adds to a growing federal docket...

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten announced this afternoon that 4th District Assessor Betty Jefferson, an elder sister of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, has been indicted on a host of fraud-related charges by a federal grand jury. Also indicted were Jefferson's daughter, Angela Coleman, and her brother, the previously indicted Mose Jefferson. The charges are the culmination of a probe into charities run by members of the Jefferson family and their allies. In a rare move, the FBI announced it was investigating the nonprofits after a 2006 Times-Picayune story revealed apparent self-dealing at them. The newspaper's report noted that former City Councilwoman...

Many in the great state of Texas have a lot to say about a proposed network of toll roads and railway lines known as the Trans-Texas Corridor. The Texas Department of Transportation received more than 27,000 public comments during a three-month comment period on a proposed corridor project called the TTC-69, said TxDOT spokesman Mark Cross. Transportation officials had 47 public hearings in February and March and accepted written comments through April 18 on the environmental and social impact of the corridor. Comments ranged from flat-out opposition to the corridor to suggestions about how to lessen its impact, Cross told...

During Archbishop Alfred Hughes' first pastoral visit to Our Lady of Good Counsel Church since announcing plans to shut down the 121-year-old Uptown Catholic institution, he tried to calm parishioners' nerves with a joke Saturday afternoon. After exchanging the traditional greeting of "Peace be with you . . . and also with you," Hughes got his broken microphone to work long enough to quip: "The priest made the sign of the cross and said, 'I think something's wrong with the microphone.' To which the congregation dutifully responded, 'And also with you.' " The parishioners at Out Lady of Good Counsel...

The two top Republican candidates from the spring election for the 6th U.S. Congressional District seat are considering another go at it this fall. Meanwhile, another potential GOP contender withdrew his name from consideration Tuesday. Former state Rep. Woody Jenkins and health industry consultant Laurinda Calongne, the two Republicans who made it to the second closed primary election for the 6th District seat in April, indicated Tuesday that they are strongly considering another run. Jenkins won the April runoff against Calongne. But Jenkins lost to Don Cazayoux, a Democratic state representative from New Roads, in the general election on May...

Gov. Bobby Jindal probably could use a little downtime. In the four months since he was inaugurated, he's held two special sessions, talked lawmakers into reforming ethics laws, then got them to cut business taxes and now is in the midst of the regular legislative session. A weekend in Sedona is a perfect antidote to that frenzied pace. It's one of the loveliest places in a nation rich with natural wonders. And this time of year Northern Arizona should provide a cool respite from the mugginess of South Louisiana.

WASHINGTON -- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday continued to play down speculation that he's a serious contender to be John McCain's running mate as he prepared to join two others discussed for the GOP ticket for Memorial Day weekend barbecuing at McCain's Arizona ranch. As pundits debated whether he would be a good vice presidential candidate, with his age, 36, viewed as both a potential plus and negative, the McCain campaign and Jindal continued to insist the weekend won't be about narrowing down the field of choices. It's purely a social event, campaign officials said, although Deputy Republican National...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Three young men, including two who had been working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, have been arrested in the killing of two Louisiana State University graduate students late last year, authorities said Thursday. Michael Jermaine Lewis, 19, and Casey Gathers, 20, were arrested Thursday and were being booked on two counts each of first-degree murder, said Gary Durham, acting chief of the LSU police department. Devin Jamell Parker, 19, was arrested Wednesday on an unrelated robbery charge, also was being booked on the murder counts. Authorities refused to take questions after announcing the arrests...

Bobby Jindal was elected Governor in a landslide last year, riding into office on the hopes and aspirations of the vast majority of voters in this state. He campaigned as a fiscal and social conservative who would make major changes to state government. Sadly, after four months of his administration, the results have been mixed and somewhat disappointing. For example, today we learned that the Governor’s floor leader has introduced an amendment to Senate Bill 87 that would delay tax relief until July 1, 2009. This is the bill that would rollback personal income tax rates to the levels that...

Short film: Join recent college grad Rachael as she goes on a job interview in New Orleans that might actually kill her. Will she conspire to extort a federal official? Please watch the video and comment. "JOB INTERVIEWER Make a list. Name all the types of news stories someone might manufacture to push a client's scandal off the front page. RACHAEL My job interviewer had introduced himself on the phone as Frank McCoy, a partner at one of the world’s top public relations firms. What type of client? I asked. JOB INTERVIEWER That's not important. Make one up in your...

BATON ROUGE - Income tax bracket changes under the Stelly Plan approved by voters in 2002 would go away in 2009 under a bill pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal and some state lawmakers. Today, Jindal was joined by Senate President Joel Chaisson, Speaker of the House Jim Tucker, Rep. Hunter Greene and Sens. Rob Marionneaux and Buddy Shaw in calling for the elimination of the bracket changes, a move they said will give taxpayers savings in their paychecks at the first of next year. “This is another historic day for Louisiana," Jindal said. "For years, taxpayers all over our state...

BATON ROUGE - Income tax bracket changes under the Stelly Plan approved by voters in 2002 would go away in 2009 under a bill pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal and some state lawmakers. Today, Jindal was joined by Senate President Joel Chaisson, Speaker of the House Jim Tucker, Rep. Hunter Greene and Sens. Rob Marionneaux and Buddy Shaw in calling for the elimination of the bracket changes, a move they said will give taxpayers savings in their paychecks at the first of next year.

Apparently, Louisiana legislators have decided that everything wrong in the state has been fixed. The Senate finance committee has passed Senate Bill 672 to the floor of the Senate for debate. This bill sponsored by Senator Ann Duplessis (D, New Orleans) will raise the base pay for Louisiana legislators from $16,800 to a whopping $50,000 per year. This is a 300% increase in the base pay for a part-time legislative position. An additional $12,000 or so would be added on to cover expenses. This can only mean one thing. Louisiana is fully repaired from the damages of hurricanes Katrina and...