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St. George prepares development plan
Officials balk at overhaul of school funding
Report suggests sweeping changes to system BY PATRICK WALL staff writer
sTAFF PHoTos By JAVIER GALLEGos
Doug Burgin, from left, Priscilla Head and Matthew Ducote work together to find out where new infrastructure could be built in st. George during a public community workshop at Highland Road Community Park on Thursday.
Homebuilders concerned about zoning changes BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD staff writer
St. George is making strides in painting a picture of what the new city will look like, hammering out a complete zoning overhaul while developing a master plan set to be approved later this year. St. George leadership said recent development changes, like the new zoning map, are aimed at laying a clear foundation for the master plan. Community members have said they want the plan to emphasize improvements to infrastructure. The city approved a complete overhaul of its zoning structure on April 28, which was originally outlined by the East Baton Rouge city-parish government. St. George officials took the 45 zoning districts it previously had and consolidated them into 16, a change that will have an impact on the future of development in the city limits. Zoning regulates how land can be used in a specific area and determines factors like what can be built on the
Louisiana’s decades-old system for funding public schools is “stagnant and outdated” and fails to send enough money to schools with the greatest needs, according to a new report that’s been presented privately to top state officials. Produced by national consultants and commissioned by Louisiana Kids Matter, an influential education advocacy group, the report includes potential sweeping changes to the funding system that the group says would better allocate money based on student needs and local resources. The changes would boost the dollar amount that schools receive for each student, and cost the state an additional $330 million. The people behind the report, which has not been Brumley publicly released, met privately last month with Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, members of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, state Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier and members of Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration. The meetings caused a stir, with Brumley calling one proposal “alarming” and saying a funding overhaul would be “unworkable” in the short term, according to emails obtained through a public records request.
ä see FUNDING, page 4A
ELECTION 2026
Abby Gillfillan, a principal planner with Lionheart, gives a presentation on urban development during a st. George public community workshop at Highland Road Community Park on Thursday. property and the size of buildings. Mayor Dustin Yates said the goal of the plan was to simplify zoning districts to make it easier for developers and residents to understand what they can and cannot do on parcels of property. “It was a heavy lift,” he said. “The objective at the end of the day was to
create something that was a little bit more simple and plain and then create that foundation.” St. George Planning and Development Director Bryant Dixon said at the April 28 City Council meeting the zoning changes are aimed at creating a clear,
La. Supreme Court race heats up Pair of northshore judges vie for votes
ä see ST. GEORGE, page 6A
BY JOHN SIMERMAN staff writer
that LIV’s Saudi Arabia owners were pulling funding from the controversial league, sending LIV into turmoil. The New Orleans tournament, which Landry announced last August with fireworks and fanfare, was canceled. LIV insists it still wants to host a tournament here later this year, though it may require a different contract with the state. The collapse of the deal has rankled Nungesser, whose office lost control of the state’s Major Events Incentive Fund around the time negotiations with LIV began in 2024. “We shouldn’t just be handing
The race for an open seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court has turned bitter as two northshore judges vie for Republican votes in a closed-party race to decide a district redrawn to a deeper red. First Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Blair Edwards of Tangipahoa Parish and 22nd Judicial DisBurris trict Judge Billy Burris of Washington Parish have flexed conservative poses while supporters tag their opponents as soft or compromised. Burris and Edwards are campaigning to serve out the remaining few years of a 10-year term left open Edwards last year when Will Crain stepped down from the court for a seat on the federal bench in New Orleans.
ä see LIV, page 4A
ä see JUDGES, page 6A
An inside look at LIV Golf’s collapsed New Orleans deal $22M initial offer, nondisclosures were key elements
BY SAM KARLIN staff writer
On a helicopter ride across New Orleans two years ago, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser sat beside an unusual passenger: retired professional Australian golfer Greg Norman, also known as “the Great White Shark.” The rainy flight took them over the sprawling oak-lined golf course at New Orleans City Park in a helicopter owned
WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 65 PAGE 12A
by Shane Guidry, a donor and themed” event to put on the top adviser to Gov. Jeff Landry. tournament. Norman, then CEO of LIV When the deal was anGolf, was looking for potential nounced, a key feature was a sites to host a new sum$7.2 million incentive package. But records mer tournament in New show Landry’s adminOrleans. As Nungesser saw it, Norman was istration offered far already sold as they more initially: $22.2 peered down from the million over the span helicopter. He was willof five years in hopes of luring the league ing to spend millions on for a multiyear tourthe event, he told Nungesser. He just needed Norman nament, according to Nungesser to promote it. a letter of intent obtained by In the ensuing months, the The Times-Picayune | The Adstate wound up offering mil- vocate. Of the $7.2 million that lions of dollars to the Saudi was ultimately approved, $2.2 Arabian-backed golf tour, in- million went to upgrading City cluding hosting fees, market- Park’s golf course. Last month, news emerged ing support and a “Mardi Gras
Classified .....................6C Deaths .........................9A Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3C-5C Living............................1C opinion .....................10A Commentary .............11A Metro ...........................8A sports ..........................1B
101sT yEAR, No. 315