” Companies developing multibillion-dollar Gulf Coast plants to export cheap domestic natural gas or make things with it are encountering a harsh reality: There aren’t enough skilled hands to do all that building.” – FuelFix

“Baton Rouge police arrested one man and two juveniles on Monday in the burglary of the home of former LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman on Saturday.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Col. Rob Maness (USAF, Ret.; R-LA) said he will not vote to reelect Mitch McConnell as Republican Leader and that career politicians like McConnell and Sen. Mary Landrieu are failing the people they serve.” – RobManess.com

“State police say approximately 23 pounds of marijuana were found in a US Army Sergeant’s car.” – WBRZ

“Three of Louisiana’s most powerful lawmakers agreed Monday that changes need to be made to TOPS, Louisiana’s college scholarship program, before it becomes too expensive for the state to maintain. One of them said nothing will change as long as the family for whom the program is named has the governor’s ear.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“The bulk of my platform is focused on balancing the budget,” said Dietzel “on paying down the national debt, on the financial issues that are really going to cripple our generation, future generations, the students that are in college today that graduate and can’t find jobs.” – LSU Reveille

“Mayor Cedric Glover’s exodus because of term limits leaves the field wide open. State Rep. Patrick Williams was the first out of the gate last month to let it be known he’ll run for the mayor’s seat. Controversy already surrounds another wannabe, Melvin Slack, an evangelist who’s not counted by analysts as a serious contender.” – Shreveport Times

“Northwestern State University has become the latest institute of higher learning in Northwest Louisiana to announce plans to go tobacco-free on campus.” – KSLA-TV

“And that’s a problem. Though U.S. Sen. David Vitter has run interference, Cassidy has been unable to close the deal on the right. For Republicans running for Congress these days, it is not enough to be conservative. If you are not ultra-conservative, then you’re moderate, which is just a slippery slope away from closet liberal. This nagging distrust about his conservatism has created an opening on the right, into which have stepped two other Republican candidates, Rep. Paul Hollis of Covington and Rob Maness of Madisonville.” – John Maginnis/NOLA.com

“Expect a major push for tort reform during the upcoming legislative session, including changes that will allow juries to decide more lawsuits involving automobile accidents, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said Monday.” – Baton Rouge Advocate