“St. George Fire Protection District Chief Gerard Tarleton blasted the city-parish administration in an ‘open letter to our citizens’ Monday evening, accusing Baton Rouge officials of ‘tax mining’ and saying the annexation of the Mall of Louisiana would ‘inflict permanent damage’ on the department’s ability to serve residents.” – NOLA.com

“Petitions, counter-petitions and a letter accusing the city of ‘tax mining’ highlighted a full day of news Monday about the St. George incorporation effort.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Thinner asphalt for some paving projects. Fewer toll-free numbers across state agencies. Allowing pregnant women on Medicaid to use midwives instead of traditional, more expensive delivery rooms. Expanded rehabilitation programs for inmates. Those are among plans from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration to shrink spending across state government by $74 million in the upcoming budget year that begins July 1.” – AP

“A Senate vote to bypass a reluctant president and approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline appeared within reach. And that vote would have been like “manna from heaven,” as a former Democratic aide put it, for red-state Democrats such as Landrieu who are vulnerable to defeat in November. The Louisiana senator had even more at stake, given that a vote would have underscored her clout as chairwoman of the Energy Committee. The panel is all-important to the oil and gas industry in her state and Landrieu’s perch atop it is central to her appeal in this midterm election.” – RealClearPolitics

“The first beer sales for LSU football games in Tiger Stadium may be on tap in the future, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said at the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday afternoon.” – WWL-TV

“Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne has dropped his lawsuit that sought to force the pro-Medicaid expansion group MoveOn.org to remove a roadside billboard that uses Louisiana’s tourism slogan to criticize Gov. Bobby Jindal’s refusal to expand Medicaid.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“House Ways and Means Committee Oversight Subcommitee chairman Charles Boustany (R–LA) announced last week that there is “new evidence uncovered by the Committee that shows the IRS’s exam function may have been used for political purposes.” The committee found that nearly one in 10 donors to conservative causes were subject to audit.” – Heritage

“Last week, we told you how Reed used $14,000 of campaign money to pay his son to produce the 60-second anti-drug PSA. We showed long-time producer Bess Carrick the video, and then told her how much Walter Reed paid for it. Carrick said the video could have been shot with an iPhone and, at most, should have cost $700 to produce. One thing we we didn’t point out is that, at the last 20 seconds of the video, a website address is displayed for the DA’s office. It’s where you need to go to get more information on this anti-drug campaign. When you type it into any browser, www.22da.gov doesn’t exist.” – Fox8Live

“A normal school scene includes students walking to and from classes, buses waiting to take them home and teachers and administrators watching over them, but on March 28, 2014, the scene at Highland Elementary School was far from normal. ‘She was totally out of control. She was very violent,’ said East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux.” – WAFB

“Anyone under the age of 18 will be banned from using tanning beds in Louisiana, if Gov. Bobby Jindal agrees to a bill that received final legislative passage.” – Shreveport Times