Capital City News

The first elected officials for the new City of St. George were sworn in July 1 in modest ceremonies at Grace Life Fellowship Church.  It was an historic day for the people of St. George, some of whom had worked for as long as 13 years to give the people of the area their independence […]

What has been called the most important election in the history of St. George will be on the ballot statewide on Saturday, April 18. It is a constitutional amendment to create the new St. George Community School System. In the early 1990’s, some lawmakers representing East Baton Rouge Parish began a movement to create new […]

By Woody Jenkins Editor St. George Leader Dishonesty led the Louisiana Legislature to adopt a Congressional reapportionment plan that took away Baton Rouge’s seat in Congress and left Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in a very precarious position. A Stolen Congressional Seat.  We in the Baton Rouge area had our Congressional seat stolen from […]

After 13 years of trials and tribulations, the people of the new City of St. George are only one step away from putting into place the city government they have worked so hard to create. On Saturday, March 29, the voters elected Dustin Yates as Mayor of the City of St. George along with City […]

Voters in the City of St. George and throughout East Baton Rouge Parish will face a new proposed tax on the ballot on Saturday, May 3. District Attorney Hillar Moore is a proposing a 4-mil property tax to fund the operations of his office. Moore described his current funding situation as a crisis, due to […]

All four proposed amendments to the Louisiana Constitution went down to defeat March 29 by a landslide.  The most important was Amendment No. 2, which was heralded by Gov. Jeff Landry as “fiscal reform.”  Actually, the 115-page constitutional amendment, the longest in state history, was a hodge-podge of good and bad. Shall We Amend La. […]

The Rotary Club of St. George sponsored a candidates forum on Tuesday, March 11 that turned into a spirited debate. Here are highlights, gleaned from the remarks of the two candidates for Mayor, five candidates for two At-Large City Council seats, and four candidates for the Council seat from District 4. This report lists the […]

During the St. George candidates forum on Tuesday, March 11, candidates explained their position on the proposed City Charter.  Here are some of their comments: • Mayoral candidate Jim Morgan said, “I’m a big No! The City Manager is a key issue. He will have immense power. The Mayor of Dallas makes half as much […]

By Woody Jenkins, editor St. George Leader  On March 29, four constitutional amendments will be considered by voters statewide. Amendment No. 2 has a poison pill: It removes constitutional protection against property taxes for most church property and all nonprofit organizations.  If Amendment No. 2 passes, property tax exemptions for churches and nonprofit organizations will […]

When I entered the City Council race, I approached the proposed Home Rule Charter for St. George with an open mind.  Like many of you, I recalled the early incorporation efforts led by folks like Chris Rials, who pitched a public-private partnership model like Sandy Springs, GA, or our neighbors in the City of Central.  […]