Week in Review: Mobile Sports Betting Debuts, Tulane Going Solar …

NEW ORLEANS — On Friday, the front page of the city’s daily newspaper’s website looked like a casino homepage — complete with huge banner ads and articles on how to place bets — as mobile sports betting went live in New Orleans and in most parishes around the state. The Advocate and Times-Picayune announced a partnership with Caesars Sportsbook last fall to “better serve readers and players in Louisiana,” so it will be interesting to see how the paper covers the ups and downs, pros and cons of the industry’s expansion throughout the state. Also on Friday, It was also reported that Louisiana State University students received an email sent to their student email accounts promoting the new service, saying it’s “time to place your first bet.” A social media backlash ensued.

Here’s more on the debut of Louisiana mobile sports betting from the Center Square, which reports that the service will be available in the 55 state parishes that approved sports betting in November 2020. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chair Ronnie Johns signed licenses Wednesday for six online betting platforms, though he did not reveal which platforms will participate in the initial launch. “Our goal was to have it available before the Super Bowl, so we were able to beat that target,” Johns told the Daily Advertiser. “It will be ready for this weekend’s NFL conference championship games.”

And more of the week’s top business stories:

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Tulane University announced a 30-year plan for large-scale improvements to campus infrastructure and the construction of a solar generation facility that will produce 10% of the total electricity needs at the university’s Uptown campus. To get the job done, the school has partnered with Bernhard, a Metairie-based engineering and contracting firm with 100 years of energy and infrastructure project experience. Dubbed Project RISE (Renew, Innovate, Sustain, Engage), the improvement project aims to significantly reduce Tulane’s greenhouse gas emissions with the ultimate goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. A school spokesperson said the partnership will “address capital renewal, sustainability and energy optimization priorities across Tulane’s Uptown and downtown campuses.” Bernhard said the changes will result in “significant annual utility cost savings over the length of the agreement” and will bring one or more Tulane buildings to certified “net zero energy” status by 2025. …

More than $148 million for Louisiana teacher pay raises, $500 million toward construction of a new Mississippi River bridge at Baton Rouge, and a $550 million replenishment of the state’s pandemic-battered unemployment trust fund are part of the new state budget proposal outlined Monday by Gov. John Bel Edwards. Members of the Republican-dominated Legislature will get their first formal look at the Democratic governor’s spending plan at a committee hearing Tuesday. Introducing it at a news conference Monday, Edwards stressed that recurring costs, like his proposed increase in teacher pay of $1,500 per year, will be paid for with revenue that is forecast to be available annually thanks to an economy recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. He said the $1.1 billion in major infrastructure spending, including the money for the Baton Rouge bridge, $100 million for an Interstate 10 bridge at the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles and $500 million in water and sewerage projects statewide, will come from an operating budget surplus and from a federal pandemic relief bill, the American Rescue Plan, passed last year. (From the AP) …

The Crescent River Port Pilots and the New Orleans Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Associations announced that they have partnered to expand career opportunities in a high-paying sector of Louisiana’s maritime industry that often has been criticized for nepotism and lack of diversity. The Open Waters initiative aims to increase access to maritime industry job opportunities and broaden public awareness of the industry’s cultural and economic contributions. “Last legislative session, the river pilots pledged to make African Americans and other minorities aware of the increasing number of career opportunities in Louisiana’s maritime industry,” said Lee Jackson, CEO of Jackson Offshore Operators. “To keep pace with this industry, it is important to develop additional talent, and the pilots will lead the way.” Historically, Louisiana’s waterways and its workers have played a vital role in shaping business and cultural life from New Orleans to Shreveport. …

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NOMA, Poydras Home Partner For Aging Art Enrichment Pilot Program

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) will partner with Poydras Home to launch an art exploration pilot program specially designed...

Faubourg Brewing Company will launch a special edition 12-pack of premium lager and a commemorative poster in partnership with the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council to celebrate the legacy and heritage of the Mardi Gras Indians during the 2022 Carnival season. All proceeds will benefit the council, which is composed of chiefs from more than a dozen tribes that work together to support local education initiatives, youth development and the preservation of Mardi Gras Indian heritage. This special edition of Faubourg’s flagship beer — available in stores throughout the region — features new, Mardi Gras Indian-themed artwork. There will also be a limited-run commemorative poster for sale on the Faubourg Brewing website. “The New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians are woven into the very fabric of our city’s culture, heritage and community,” said Gayle Benson, owner of Faubourg Brewing Company, in a press release. “Their legacy and contributions have helped make Mardi Gras a cultural revolution that is unrivaled anywhere else in the world. Through this partnership, we are not only investing in preserving the history of the Mardi Gras Indians, but also ensuring this vital community element continues for generations to come.” …

Wolverine, the boot and clothing brand, has launched a new boot design in partnership with unCommon Construction, a New Orleans-based nonprofit that works with high school apprentices to build houses. Sales of the footwear will benefit high school students interested in pursuing careers in the skilled trades. The initiative is part of Wolverine’s Project Bootstrap program, which has celebrated and supported the skilled trades through a variety of efforts since 2014. “It’s imperative we reach students in more relevant ways so they can learn more about the skilled trades and consider them as a potential future path,” said Tom Kennedy, global brand president for Wolverine, in a press release. “Organizations like unCommon Construction introduce kids to the rich opportunities to be found in the trades that they aren’t learning about in school.” The new boot was designed with input from unCommon Construction apprentices after months spent wearing boots on the job, learning practical trade skills and building houses in New Orleans.

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