Welcome to the New Year.

It’s been several months since either Ethan or I have posted here and the dust bunnies have started to overrun the place. When I first started the Baton Rougean, I had every intention of turning it into a major publication in our area. To me, a venue for hyperlocal news controlled by Baton Rougeans was something that we needed. And Ethan, who believed that we needed a comic focused on our community, brought us the wonderful BTR Toons. We worked really hard and had marginal success. I don’t mean to debase our success, because we really broke through to a fair amount of locals who became very loyal. And for that we’re extremely grateful.

And to those, I guess some sort of an explanation is in order. While I’d love to elaborate on some epic tale of where I’ve been for the last few months, the truth is actually quite mundane. Specifically: life. We both became busy in the final months of 2009. Ethan was recovering from a rough year and I was deep in my third semester of an engineering major, which to say the least isn’t exactly a walk in the park. It’s unfortunate, but c’est la vie, right?

But it’s a whole new year, and so we can look past any previous transgressions and towards another year replete with a local’s perspective of news, analysis, commentary, dining reviews, community features and of course the wonderful BTR Toons.

As we prepare for this year, it is my hope that we’ll be able to get the Baton Rougean into a loftier place in Baton Rouge news and become a more popular choice for local news consumption. I’d also like to increase community interaction (and sponsorships!) and maybe add a few members to the staff.

We invite you to join us in our endeavor and wish you a happy and well 2010!

I’m going to be honest. No one is going to get this but me. Hahaha. I think this is the real reason Jindal didn’t want to build a high speed train between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I mean, come on, we can’t have 12 story robots crashing around in our swampy homeland! Geez!
Also, drawing a chibi Jindal was just pure fun!

Not one of the lucky 92,000 to have tickets to the biggest college football game of the season? Have no fear, you can still get most of the game day experience by viewing the game for free in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, right across the street from Tiger Stadium. While the game is playing on the enormous high definition screens inside the PMAC, the LSU cheerleaders will be there to lead the crowd in the traditional chants and the LSU concession stands will be open to provide genuine stadium fare.

The PMAC opens at 6 PM and fans can enter through the southwest upper entrance, closest to Mike’s Habitat.

If you’re going to be on campus, be sure to checkout ESPN GameDay, broadcasting live from the LSU Parade Grounds beginning at 9 AM.

ESPN College GameDay, the popular college football sports program, will be broadcasting live from the LSU Parade Grounds beginning at 9 AM October 10. The program broadcasts live from college football’s number one game of the week, and will be in town for the sold out #4 LSU (5-0) vs #1 Florida (4-0) game in Tiger Stadium. The game will be broadcasted on CBS starting at 7 PM. In the sixteen seasons GameDay has broadcasted live from a college campus, LSU has hosted the program seven times. The last time GameDay was on campus was for last year’s highly anticipated Alabama game.

The GameDay set is open to the public, and fans can view the broadcast live on the Parade Grounds. Campus will be insane next week, so I’d recommend getting there as early as possible, even the night before, especially if you plan on catching the broadcast.

The Louisiana Department of Education announced today that Sherwood Middle School in Baton Rouge is one of the six schools in Louisiana to earn Blue Ribbon status. The US Department of Education bestows this honor based on academic improvement based on test scores for schools. The schools represented almost 2% of the 314 schools recognized across the nation.

You can read the full press release here →

Earlier this year, Dana Morrison of Sherwood Middle was one of the finalist for the LA Department of Education Teacher of the Year Award.

The Advocate is reporting that the parent firm to insurance company USAgencies has announced that it will move 56 jobs from Chicago and invest $1.2 million in an expansion of the Bon Carré Business Center, where it will relocate about 200 employees from the United Plaza on Essen Lane. These new employees will support about 200 retail locations in nine states, presumably in the Southwest.

We applaud the work of the City Government under the leadership of Mayor-President Kip Holden for their work in proving to the company that Baton Rouge is the ideal economic client for corporate expansion.

The Downtown Development District, a blueprint for the revitalization of downtown funded by the city government, received recognition by the International Downtown Association. The 2009 Award of Distinction in Downtown Leadership and Management was given to the DDD for their work on the formation and creation of measures for the Arts and Entertainment district, which was one of 77 projects considered for the award.

The Downtown Baton Rouge Arts & Entertainment District (the District) is the latest example of the Downtown Development District’s (DDD) successful and innovative approach to downtown leadership and management. Officially established in 2008, this 15 block, mixed-use residential area is anchored by historic neighborhoods and buildings, North Boulevard Town Square, Capitol Park and the majestic banks of the Mississippi Riverfront. With a growing number of restaurants, galleries, shops and live entertainment venues, the District brings together downtown visitors, workers, and residents for a variety of culturally inspired activities. You can view the proposal submitted at this link.

Since its inception in 1987, the DDD has worked tirelessly to transform downtown Baton Rouge, driving extensive community planning processes and providing services to support $2.36 billion of public and private projects. In the coming years it will continue building on these successes by further activating development, enhancing the pedestrian experience and implementing a comprehensive greening program. As the primary agency responsible for executing the Plan Baton Rouge II master plan, the DDD will continue playing a central role in shaping and energizing downtown.