St. George Needs 1,500 More Signatures for Safety

Volunteers working to incorporate the proposed City of St. George and create a new independent school district for Southeast Baton Rouge announced a few days ago that they have more than the 17,045 signatures required to put the proposal on the election ballot for residents of St. George to decide.  However, they plan to work to get another 1,500 to 2,000 signatures as insurance in case some names are stricken as being duplicate or no longer currently registered to vote in the proposed city.  I believe the creation of St. George is by far the most important thing we can do to bring people back to this parish.  Offer people good public schools and low crime, and people will flood back!

Annexation Suit. Our suit challenging the legality of the purported annexation of portions of the Mall of Louisiana by the City of Baton Rouge is now before the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal.  District Judge Janice Clark ruled I do not have standing to file the suit.  However, Section 1.09 of the East Baton Rouge Plan of Government clearly says that “any citizen of the city” may file suit challenging an illegal annexation.  We are optimistic the appeals court will support our contention.  Then we can appear back before Judge Clark on the substance of our suit.  We have until Sept. 19 to file a brief with the the Court of Appeal.

Congressional Forum. Republican candidates for Congress from the Sixth District will participate in a Congressional Forum sponsored by the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish.  The event will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9 from 12 noon to 1:05 p.m. at Café Américain, 7521 Jefferson Hwy.  Lunch is $15.  Each candidate will have three minutes for an opening statement, three minutes to answers/questions, and one minute for closing.  The event is part of the monthly Ronald Reagan Newsmaker Luncheon held on the second Tuesday of each month.

Republican Endorsement. Candidates seeking the Republican endorsement for Congress will speak and answer questions at the Endorsement Meeting to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11 by the East Baton Rouge Republican Parish Executive Committee.  The party may endorse one or more candidates in the race.

Louisiana Family Forum will honor state senators and representatives who cast pro-family votes during the legislative session at its Annual Legislative Awards Banquet from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18 at Healing Place Church, 19202 Highland Road.

LSU J-School Hall of Fame. The LSU School of Journalism will induct four new members into the Journalism School Hall of Fame at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 at Juban’s Restaurant.  The honorees are Jersey Smith (LSU 1949), World War II vet and lifelong journalist and cartoonist; Donna Dees (LSU 1979), who worked for Russell Long and CBS; Mona Williams, (LSU 1975 and 1979), Vice President for Corporate Communications for Wal-Mart in Bentonville, and Ralph Izard, LSU faculty member and administrator.  For tickets, which are $50, go to www.lsufoundation.org.

Constitution Week. Former Gov. Edwin Edwards will speak on “The Making of the Constitution” during the Constitution Week Banquet Friday, Sept. 19 at the Baton Rouge Country Club.  The event is sponsored by the Louisiana Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.  The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and the black tie optional dinner is at 7. For information, email Hen-ry Grace at hgrace5366@aol.com.

Candidates Forum. The Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge will hold a candidates forum at 12 noon on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Café Américain, 7521 Jefferson Hwy.  Candidates for judgeships and school board seats will be invited, regardless of party affiliation.  The Chamber EBR is a small business-oriented chamber serving locally-owned businesses in the parish.  Membership is $75 a year.  For more information, go to www.ChamberEBR.com or go to Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge on Facebook.

Columbus Day Festa is always a big day in Baton Rouge. The Greater Baton Rouge American Italian Association will hold its annual Columbus Day Festa on Sunday, October 12, in the Belle Atrium from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  There will be great food and entertainment, and it’s all free!  Come, honor Christopher Columbus, and be Italian for a day!

Senate Candidates Debate. The three major candidates for the U.S. Senate from Louisiana this fall will debate the issues for the first time.  Sen. Mary Landrieu, Congressman Bill Cassidy, and Col. Robb Maness will appear at Centenary College in Shreveport for the debate, which will air live on LPB statewide from  7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14.  The event is sponsored by the Council for a Better Louisiana and the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce.

Red Pelican Awards. The East Baton Rouge Republican Women will hold the 2014 Red Pelican Awards Gala at the Old Governor’s Mansion from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22.  The honorees will be Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne for his work promoting Louisiana tourism; Secretary of State Tom Schedler for promoting fair and honest elections; Clerk of Court Doug Welborn for efficiency in running our parish’s elections; Kathryn Goppelt, Ascension Parish Republican chairman, for conservative community advocacy, and yours truly, Woody Jenkins, for creating conservative media in the Baton Rouge area. Please come!