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“I’m now convinced there’s no louder sound in the world than the piercing scream of thousands of teenage girls when Justin Beiber [sic] walks on stage.” — Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who took sons Baylen and Bowen to see teen idol Justin Bieber’s concert at the New Orleans Arena Jan. 15. “They think we’re still underwater. Or under indictment.” — Mary Matalin, co-chair of the Super Bowl Host Committee, addressing members of the New Orleans media at a Jan. 16 luncheon. Matalin, along with husband and committee co-host James Carville and Mayor Mitch Landrieu, urged the local press to emphasize New Orleans’ recovery when speaking to other TV and print folks in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLVII. More than 5,000 members of the media from around the world are set to descend on New Orleans in the week before the big game. “New Orleans is not for everyone. If you’re intolerant of creative expression, the city will overwhelm you. … If you are the reclusive, solitary type, the city will open you up like a can of sardines or maybe a lotus flower. If you’re the type of person who gives up when adversity strikes, you won’t last through hurricane or football season.” — Former New Orleans Saint Steve Gleason, offering his take on the city in the official media guide to Super Bowl XLVII.
school safety signals Jindal annOUnCES ‘STUdY GROUP’ Lawmakers announced late last month that the state Homeland Security Committee would hold a Jan. 9 meeting to see if there were new security measures that could be added in Louisiana to head off a school shooting like the one in Newtown, Conn. The meeting was canceled the day after the announcement. Legislative leaders said there were scheduling conflicts with some of the invited guests. Within a week’s time, however, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration announced its own “study group” to recommend safety measures for schools and colleges. The legislative committee hearing was then rescheduled for Jan. 17. Shortly after the meeting was rescheduled — but before it happened — Jindal announced he would seek legislation in the coming session to improve gun safety in Louisiana by enabling the state to report an individual’s eligibility to purchase firearms based on mental health records to the federally administered National Instant Criminal Background Check System database. When the lege committee finally met last week, committee members heard from top law enforcement and education officials who all agreed that current plans in place at schools should be strengthened, and coordination between involved parties and first responders should be enhanced. Ideas included legislation requiring shooting drills at
schools and establishing a centralized hub for school safety activities within the Governor’s Office on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Officials also expressed an interest in working with Jindal’s task force to come up with recommendations for the next legislative session, which begins April 8, but no follow-up meeting has been scheduled. Capitol observers say the committee’s actions, and Jindal’s timing, are further evidence of how much the Legislature dances to the governor’s tune and defers to him in matters large and small. — JErEMy ALFOrd
Whose ‘life’ is it, anyway? ... dEPEndS On YOUR dEFiniTiOn Louisiana was named America’s “Most Pro-Life State” by Americans United for Life (AUL), a Washington d.C. anti-abortion group. In a statement, spokesperson Charmaine Yoest noted, “While the ‘Life List’ notes legislative accomplishments from the previous year, it also takes into account each state’s cumulative record in defending and protecting the lives of their citizens — from conception to natural death.” The group’s designation, however, runs counter to state life expectancy data for Louisiana. In 2006, the Harvard School of Public Health rated Louisiana No. 49 in life expectancy (behind Mississippi), while last year the financial news site 24/7 Wall St. named Louisiana No. 2 in a list of “States dying For Health Coverage.” Both rankings were issued before Gov. Bobby Jindal announced his intention to reject setting up a state health exchange under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. — KEVIN ALLMAN
Obama gun proposals MaYOR and POliCE ChiEF SUPPORT PRESidEnT’S MEaSURES New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and New Orleans Police department (NOPd) Chief Ronal Serpas support the proposed gun control measures unveiled last week by President Barack Obama — including a federal ban on assault weapons and universal background checks for gun sales. The background checks would apply to private and gun show sales. “reducing violent crime and murder and making New Orleans safe is the most important issue facing the city of New Orleans,” Landrieu said in a statement. “President Obama’s proposals are a step in the right direction toward combating gun violence in our city and across America.” Last Thursday, Landrieu traveled to Washington for the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual Winter Meeting, where gun violence reduction was a major topic of discussion. In a separate statement, released one hour after Landrieu’s, Serpas echoed the mayor. “This plan announced today would ban military-style assault weapons and
high capacity magazines,” Serpas wrote. “These types of weapons are specifically designed to kill mass numbers of people. I don’t know of any police chief in America who could object to that proposal.” Landrieu also called on the president and Congress to increase federal funding for local police departments, saying federal funding for NOPd has been cut by 50 percent since the 1990s. The department is now under a federal consent decree, which is expected to add $55 million in increased costs over the next five years, largely from local funds. The mayor has expressed his opposition to the decree based on the price tag, as a similar consent decree for Orleans Parish Prison also is expected to strain city coffers. — CHArLES MALdONAdO
bittersweet laurel T-P winS PRizE FOR SERiES bY TEaM iT MOSTlY laid OFF The Times-Picayune’s eight-part 2012 series about Louisiana’s prison culture, “Louisiana Incarcerated,” received the John Jay/HF Guggenheim Prize for Excellence in Criminal Justice reporting last week and will be honored next month at a ceremony in New york City, along with part-time New Orleanian and Treme creator David Simon for his contribution to criminal justice journalism. It’s a bittersweet victory for the T-P, which laid off nine of the 20 people involved with the story during its cutbacks last year — including managing editors Dan Shea and Peter Kovacs, graphics artist Ryan Smith, photographer Scott Threlkeld and reporter Jonathan Tilove (who is now at the Austin AmericanStatesman). reporter Cindy Chang, whose byline appeared on most of the stories, now covers immigration and ethnic issues for the Los Angeles Times. In an email, Shea told Gambit, “The work done by Cindy and her colleagues represents the best of what the Picayune used to be. It is tragic that while we were doing the final editing and designing to put the series in the paper, the secret meetings had begun to shift the emphasis of the newsroom to short online updates and sports and entertainment coverage. There are serious and talented journalists left at the Picayune, but they will face an uphill battle to try to do this type of work again.” In an email, Chang told Gambit that part of the prize money received by the team will be donated to dashThirtydash, the assistance fund for laid-off T-P employees. — KEVIN ALLMAN
Mind your P’s and Q’s MaYOR: bE niCE TO GOOdEll Speaking at a Jan. 16 lunch at House of Blues, Mayor Mitch Landrieu reminded New Orleans residents to “be gracious and wonderful hosts” when thousands of people visit New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII. “It’s our time to shine, it’s our time to tell our story. … It’s