Music central to tourism campaign

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana’s newest campaign to attract out-of-state tourists centers on the state’s rich musical heritage.

Jazz, zydeco, swamp pop and brass bands are featured in the series of 30-second TV commercials, print ads and online spots unveiled Wednesday by Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, the state’s top tourism official.

The ads were created by Trumpet, a New Orleans-based firm. Dardenne’s office says the ads will run in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Little Rock, Memphis, Atlanta and Chicago throughout the year.

The campaign can be viewed at www.LouisianaTravel.com/2013.

Family accused of buying, selling drugs

EUNICE — Authorities have arrested a family of three from Eunice for distributing and selling prescription drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Agency notified the Eunice Police Department in October of a drug operation involving family members Barry Bordelon, his wife Theresa Cortina Bordelon, and their son Barry Bordelon II.

During the joint investigation, officers learned that the family allegedly filled forged prescriptions for Carisoprodol 120 times, Alprazolam 60 times, and Hydrocodone 30 times at local pharmacies.

Lafayette Parish tax meeting slated

LAFAYETTE — City-Parish Council Chairman Brandon Shelvin has called a Monday meeting for a wide-ranging discussion of taxes in Lafayette Parish, a first step in what could evolve into a new tax proposal for city-parish government.

The Lafayette Parish School Board, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, the five smaller municipalities in the parish and several other local government entities that are supported by tax revenue have been invited to attend the meeting.

The meeting will be held in the council auditorium at the main city-parish government offices.

Mayor wants to appoint brother-in-law to city job

PORT ALLEN — Port Allen Mayor Demetric Slaughter told City Council members that she plans to appoint Ralph Slaughter, former president of the Southern University System, as her administration’s chief of staff.

Ralph Slaughter is the mayor’s brother-in-law.

But a majority of council members made it clear Wednesday they wouldn’t support creation of a chief of staff job.

Slaughter used an audit’s findings as grounds to fire city Chief Financial Officer Audrey McCain on Monday.

The mayor declared Ralph Slaughter’s appointment would be legal under state law because he’s not an immediate member of her family.

Whole Foods adds Louisiana stores

LAFAYETTE — Whole Foods Market will open a store in Lafayette next year.

Spokeswoman Kristina Bradford tells said the store, expected to open in 2014, will be a 36,200-square-foot facility in the development at the northeast corner of Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Settler’s Trace Boulevard.

The announcement came the same day Whole Foods said it would add a second store to New Orleans, bringing to five the number of locations it will have in the state once the new locations come online.

The second New Orleans store will be housed in the former Schwegmann’s on North Broad Street and Bienville Avenue in the Mid-City neighborhood.

Bradford said the location will be 25,000 square feet and is expected to open in late 2013.

From the Associated Press.