I was in New Orleans over the past few days, accompanying some students from the Rockefeller Center's Policy Research Shop who testified before the Housing and Human Needs Subcommittee of the City Council on poverty reduction strategies from other cities that might be adopted by New Orleans.

This was my fourth trip to New Orleans and my second since Hurricane Katrina.  Unlike the prior three trips, which were all associated with Econopalooza, I took some time on this trip to see the areas most damaged by the storm.  My guides were two professors from Loyal University New Orleans who have researched the local environment extensively.  A good summary of the tour and the associated research is here.

... is apparently Louisiana, as Governor Jindal receives high praise from the Times Picayune's editorial board.

The Legislature begins Monday a three-month regular session that provides a chance to continue pushing for reforms, this time on issues ranging from fiscal policy to workforce training.

Lawmakers need to make the most of the opportunity.

The session's centerpiece is Gov. Bobby Jindal's $30 billion inaugural budget. The details are still being worked out, as individual departments take their funding requests through the legislative hearing process. But the broad policies in the governor's first spending plan are encouraging.