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MAKING THEIR MOVE

The century-old Creole restaurant famous for epic Friday lunches is open near the suburban Country Club of Louisiana, certainly a less exotic locale as the French Quarter home of the original. But third-generation owner JUSTIN GALATOIRE FREY expects brisk business (in December reservations were reportedly already tough to come by). Galatoires hometown faithful were miffed the beloved French Quarter Mothership had not yet opened while a new one had. Only time will tell if Galatoires will regret turning down a previous chance to locate in the red-hot Shaw Center for the Arts.

LSU basketball star Seimone Augustus

Remember four years ago when that friend of yours said Youve got to download the video of this girl dunking? Thats how most people who didnt follow Capitol High basketball were introduced to SEIMONE AUGUSTUS. And thats when expectations of a national championship for the LSU Lady Tigers really began. Her accolades are many, but when youre the reigning National Player of the Year, additional praise can go unsaid. Will she win a national championship?

Her resume is four pages long. She bagged 800s in math and writing on the SAT. Her GPA is 4.63. SOHYUN SALLY PARK has a future full of options thanks to her outstanding work at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. Shes far from alone. The school qualified 21 finalists for national merit scholarships this year alone, far more than any other single local school. The school keeps producing wunderkinds, future Bobby Jindals in every field from medicine to music. Among Parks brilliant over-achieving classmates this year: DANA THOMAS, NICOLETTE TAKU, ANDREW WRIGHT and DAVID SANGOKOYA. Of course, the big question: after they go off to college, will they return to Baton Rouge?

DR. TEDDY KNATT is the top doc of a new North Baton Rouge medical center, but someone with instant sway in medical politics. Greater Baton Rouge Surgical Hospital at Howell Place is the most significant private medical investment in North Baton Rouge in years, and has given Knatt, an orthopedic surgeon, along with his partners, a place at the bargaining table for how public money gets spent on health care, in particular Earl K. Long and its ultimate replacement.

After 19 years in the pulpit, Pastor RAYMOND JOHNSON has seen the congregation at Living Faith Christian Center grow rapidly in the last year. Parking for Sunday services is maxed out at the Winbourne Avenue church in North Baton Rouge. His growing flock will bring more clout. Next up: plans on the table for a $2 million expansion. Can we get an Amen?

MAYOR CHARLENE SMITH'S vision for growth, coupled with an independent public school district, has transformed sleepy Zachary into a boom town. Her reward? Dealing with growing pains usually reserved for big cities, and constant battles with the good ol boys on the City Council. If she survives local politics, could Smith follow in the footsteps of Tom Ed McHugh and Bobby Simpson, leveraging a North Baton Rouge voter base to make a run for mayor-president?

Mild-mannered and old-worldly (he doesnt have a computer on his desk), scientist WILLIAM HANSEL is helping cancer researchers develop treatment for reproductive organ cancers thanks to his career of knowledge about livestock hormone therapy. Now, Pennington Biomedical is on the brink of delving into clinical trials of a most promising treatment, in large measure thanks to Hansels work. This could be the year Pennington lands major corporate funding to continue that research.

One of Community Coffees most important markets, New Orleans, was nearly washed away with Hurricane Katrina. If that werent enough pressure, competition in the coffee market has never been stiffer. Welcome to the job MATT SAURAGE, Communitys 35-year-old CEO, who must navigate the venerable local company through these tough times.

HOPE VI Director Ladan Rastin

As HOPE VI tries to connect the dots of revitalization between downtown and LSU, Phase I of its plan is well under way in Old South Baton Rouge. As director for HOPE VI, 35-year-old Iranian-born, Paris-raised LADAN RASTIN is leading the effort in 2006. Most of the construction is near the new Carver Library on Thomas Delpit Drive. When completed the mixed-use development will offer 20 rental homes, eight for-sale homes and two office buildings to a variety of income levels from 10 to 80% of the Area Median Income. Will it be enough to bring the whole area back to prosperity?

The Baton Rouge Rotary Club has a strong reputation as a gathering of successful business leaders with a conscience who jump to help the community when it can. WARREN BIRKETT will become its president for 2006, the first African-American to hold the post in the chapters history. When considered along with the fact the mayor, chief of police and top parish education officials also are black, Birketts election is more evidence Baton Rouge has finally embraced African-Americans not only as peers, but as leaders.

On The Hot Seat

BILL PALMER was poised to take over at BREC, but then a series of divisive votes split the board, and they opted to conduct a national search for a permanent superintendent. Palmer may yet win the position, but hell have to show poise, patience and good leadership of an organization besieged by a power struggle, the seeds of which were planted in the decades-long iron-fisted rule of Gene Young.

Many say its put-up or get-out time for LSU Mens Basketball Coach JOHN BRADY. Last year when expectations were high the team flamed out with a 14-point loss to Alabama-Birmingham in the playoffs. Athletic Director Skip Bertman kept his finger off the firing trigger, although he did decline to extend Bradys contract. With a talent-rich group thats been playing together since before they had pimples, the basketball team will be expected to enjoy great success this year, or Bradys nine-year run may be coming to an end.

Katrina and Rita were the kind of disasters that reveal just how generous Americans can be, with people everywhere shelling out millions in donations to help. But for KEN HINRICHS, whose United Way agency operates to fund the many agencies whose job it is to help save Baton Rougeans from falling between the cracks of social assistance, the flow of donations suddenly dried up, and he has to fight for every dollar. Hinrichs and his volunteer fund-raisers will have to post a banner year to keep local agencies from having to cut back on services.

After a year as news director for WBRZ Channel 2, CHUCK BARK and the Channel 2 team still trails WAFB Channel 9 in the ratings. With 14 years experience as news director in Mobile, Ala., Bark was brought to Baton Rouges ABC affiliate to replace Russ Kilgore. WBRZ executives like to point out that their TV audience may be smaller, but it includes more of the coveted affluent 25- to 50-year-olds. Bark and Co. will have to attract more of the masses if they want to close the ratings gap in 2006.

THE (NEARLY) FAMOUS

KENNETH BROWN may be the well-appointed posterboy for modern interior design, but the host of HGTVs reDesign is a proud Baton Rougean. As a graduate of Parkview Baptist and LSU, he also wants more. This year, Brown plans to publish a book filled with his interior design insights on top of shooting the second season of his popular cable series. reDesign shows Brown working hands-on with homeowners to recast their interiors in the mold of his tasteful but bold aesthetic. Often Browns work intersects the clean, classic West Coast lines of his adopted Los Angeles with the Southern charm of his Louisiana home. Last year reDesign became HGTVs second most popular series.

Ben Labat, The Terms' lead singer

One year ago, Baton Rouge natives Dane and Starr Andreeff and veteran producer Greg Ladanyi (Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Brown) established Maple Jam Records for the sole purpose of launching the music career of The Terms, a band that is rapidly approaching its moment of truth. (Band members are BEN LABAT, CLYDE HARGROVE, BLAKE OLIVER, SCOTT LASSEIGNE and GREG CHLARTANO.) Slick debut album Smalltown Computer Crash will be re-released nationwide in January. 2006 will be the year THE TERMS find out if they can take the local hype and Ladanyis guidance and turn them into mass appeal.

Who can match the resiliency of ED BUGGS? The long-time local media personality has endured a roller coaster of a career. Now, hes rolling again thanks to his own cable TV show in 70 cities, although his high-profile WIBR radio show disappeared in late 2005 when the station scrapped its line-up of local talkers. Buggs is arguably one of the citys most recognized and long-lasting local media figures, professional and personal dings aside. But he always seems to pull himself back. Has Buggs found the recipe for permanent success?

THE CREATIVE CLASS

Comedic spitfire JAMIE WAX recently returned to Baton Rouge after two years in Los Angeles. His barrel is full of projects, a few of which should debut later this year. The character comedian is mum on details of upcoming film and radio work but does say that he and actress Amy Brassett are writing a two-person stage show with each performing about 50 characters. Wax also has us on the hook for a series of television specials he says will deal with an issue that is very much on the conscience of the country.

For AMY V. COOPER, the ambition has been undaunted, and the through-line simple. Go from McKinley High to LSU to New Yorks Parsons School of Design to Elle Dcor to photographing U2, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears and Madonna. But this year will be her judgment card. The veteran rock photographer plans to go completely freelance as an artist and pursue more fashion photography, which is only natural for the Baton Rouge ex-pat who has had magazine tears for wallpaper since she was 13. Look for Coopers photography to cover the walls of a new generation of fashion-conscious teens in 2006.

As interim executive director for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, KATHERINE SCHERER is leading the search to replace the departed Genny Nadler Thomas. But in Baton Rouge tradition, our money is on Scherer to move up and win the job herself and assume responsibility for education programs and events, including FestForAll and the monthly Baton Rouge Arts Market downtown. If someone else is appointed, Scherer will remain the arts & cultural programs director and as chair of the Louisiana Public Art Coalition, her vision and artistic input will be worth watching in 2006.

Danny McGlynn is known as the rejuvenator, a successful attorney with an appetite for buying crumbling buildings with character and turning them into hip urban spaces. But the man with much of the aesthetic vision is DENNIS HARGRODER, who envisions the designs of those trendy lofts, shops and restaurants.

THE POWERFUL

Hes the kind of cop who isnt afraid to cry when one of his men dies in the line of duty, or to roll up his sleeves and direct traffic around a traffic accident. Police Chief JEFF LEDUFF won many hearts in 2005 by showing passionate, hands-on leadership. But then came allegations that some of his men beat handcuffed suspects and innocent bystanders, while some of his men in the police union showed utter hubris by encouraging colleagues to commit fraud to get aid meant for Katrina victims. LeDuffs a natural crime figher, but this year he may be forced to get tough on his own officers.

Some say hes the most powerful man at City Hall. WALTER MONSOUR is Mayor Kip Holdens hard-ball playing chief administrative officer. He served a similar role when Pat Screen was mayor. Question is: Will such hardball politics come back to bite Monsour and the mayor in 2006?

He was no longer chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, nor was his company, the Shaw Group, still among the Fortune 500. But then $200 million in federal contracts came Shaws way after Katrina, and the ever-ambitious, emboldened JIM BERNHARD even picked a fight with General Electric in the takeover of Westinghouse. The Shaw Group chief has played giant slayer before, so dont count him out in 2006.

After an exhaustive, 10-month national search for a new director of the Department of Public Works, the dust settled in November when interim director William Daniel handed the reigns to PETE NEWKIRK. As a 24-year veteran who worked his way up the department ladder and served as right-hand man to former director Fred Raiford, you might say Newkirk was groomed for the position. But what type of director will Newkirk be? Developers might say DPW regulations are too strict, while many citizens fume that sprawl is out of control. That puts Newkirk under a microscope and in a position that wields a lot of influence on how Baton Rouge will grow and change in 2006. Heres a good place to start: synchronizing the traffic lights.

As if Louisiana didnt have enough corruption to deal with, now we get bribes and FEMA fraud in the wake of Katrina. The man in charge of cleaning up the mess is RICHARD CHENEVERT, head of the FBIs Hurricane Katrina Task Force, located at LSU. A squad of eight investigators are authorized to prosecute more than 300 violations, most involving bogus claims to FEMAs $2,000 debit cards and various Red Cross benefits. Chenevert estimates 2006 will bring more prosecutions than the criminal fall-out from Sept. 11. Even that did not involve the destruction and relocation of an entire city, he says.

State Sen. CLEO FIELDS has erected tall walls that conceal his spectacular new mansion just off Highland Road, which hell likely move into this year. The walls may hide his mansion from view, but its hard to conceal just how lucrative the lawand politicshas been for the controversial senator. (His neighbor? Shaw Group CEO Jim Bernhard). Now that hes term-limited, and with Edwin Edwards in prison, Fields will have to earn money the old- fashioned way: class action lawsuits.

A coach, powerful? Better believe it. Who else but LES MILES has 90,000 constituents turn out every week? But all year LSU football fans whispered deepening fears: Miles wins games, but the team looks awful. Then the Georgia Bulldogs pulled off the mask and painfully exposed abundant weaknesses. Worse still, whispers started flying about disgruntled and frustrated assistants. All this despite a 10-2 record. Regardless of the Peach Bowl outcome versus Miami, Miles has to prove that he can earn respect and win games with a team he builds, not simply by relying on the leftovers of Nick Saban. Oh, and protecting big halftime leads would be nice, too.

THE NEWSMAKERS

He was the rising star under Gov. Mike Foster, so much so Gov. Blanco kept him on as chief of staff. But then his stock, like just about everyone else connected with Blanco, dropped in Katrinas aftermath. Can ANDY KOPPLIN weather the storm as executive director of Blancos 26-member Louisiana Recovery Authority? The answer depends on Kopplins ability to win over Donald Powell, the man who will advise President Bush how much to spend on Louisiana recovery. By years end, well have a good idea about the future for Kopplin and the state.

Remember Elizabeth Smart, the young girl kidnapped in Utah? JAY SHELLEDY, the new faculty advisor for LSU student media, will never forget. While editor of the Salt Lake Tribune in 2003, two of Shelledys reporters sold fabricated stories about the Smart case to the National Enquirer behind his back. Shelledy resigned over the scandal. Last fall, he took a post at LSU overseeing The Daily Reveille, KLSU-FM, TigerTV and Legacy magazine. He hopes to foster a new generation of journalists that will close the credibility gap between the media and the public.

JEREMY JOHNSON brought something to Baton Rouge last August that towns like Austin and St. Louis had hosted for nearly a decade. He and two friends wanted to create something to bring the gay community of Baton Rouge together without deliberately stirring things up. They wanted something with a wide entertainment appeal, something artistic. The result was Q: The Baton Rouge Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. A healthy crowd turned out to see acclaimed documentary Paragraph 175 about gay Holocaust survivors and indie hit Adam and Steve. A handful of protesters turned out for the event, which Chase sponsored. As Q grows into its second year, you can bet more Q supporters and detractors will crop up in 2006. And will Chase sponsor it again?

Truckgate was mercifully forgotten after Katrina and Rita shredded South Louisiana last year. But Insurance Commissioner ROBERT WOOLEY may miss the mild humiliation of being forced to return his state-bought luxury SUV if insurance companies go belly up under the weight of storm-related claims, putting Wooley right back in the hot seat againalthough presumably this time in one made of cloth rather than leather.

Few judges have made the police-beat news in the daily newspaper as many times as state district Judge DON JOHNSON. Hes had numerous scrapes with the law involving cars and alcohol, but somehow hes always escaped with his job, if not a sterling reputation. Red Shtick lampoons him in every issue with a commemorative wrecked car trophy for that weeks list of DUI offenders. Will the judge make it through 2006 without running afoul of the laws he swore to uphold?

With powerful Gene Young retired and out of the picture, it didnt take long for former Metro Councilman and shrewd politician DARRELL GLASPER to take a whack at the local park commission with a racial hatchet, effectively dividing the board, the agency and public opinion. Some who voted for more than $70 million in taxes for the park commission so it could improve decrepit parks and build new ones now are wondering why they voted to give so much money to a divisive, self-destructive group, not to mention one that already has run off Youngs replacement, Mark Thornton, a respected veteran park administrator who arrived in Baton Rouge after a national search.

THE RISK TAKERS

Chelsea's Cafe owner Dave Remmeter

Later this month, Chelseas owner DAVE REMMETER will pack up and move his beloved cafa staple for live music and fresh-cooked Creole and American dishesfrom its 17-year home on West State Street. The destination? The home of the former Old Colonels Club near the Perkins Road Overpass. As gentrification continues at the north gates of LSU, all eyes are on Remmeter to see if he will thrive in the Old Colonels Club building at the Perkins Road Overpass, especially after several restaurants have failed at that location since the early 90s. But other than a front row seat for the St. Patricks Day Parade, Remmeter says the new location will be perfect for Chelseas post-college crowd of artists, entrepreneurs and young professionals.

JIM TANNER picked the right time to become majority owner and operator of The Bluffs at Thompson Creek. Truth is the man who sold First Bank and bought Nick Sabans house for more than $2 million in the same year has to be considered a primetime player in Baton Rouge. As a catalyst for expansion at The Bluffs, Tanner will cut the ribbon on a glamorous new clubhouse in March. He plans to open a shopping village, town center and restored wedding chapel at his West Feliciana golf community by the end of the year.

If a Westdale Middle School student gets called into the principals office, at least she will have a plush leather chair to sit in while being disciplined. SHERRY BROCK and her assistant principal Wayne Talbot have decorated their work environment in tones that are more Pottery Barn than

public school. Brockwho lives just across the street and raves about the neighborhoodwas named 2005 Principal of the Year in East Baton Rouge Parish, with the renovated Westdale charted the second highest middle school scores in the parish. This year, she hopes to expand the schools special education program and elevate eighth grade LEAP scores to funnel her best and brightest to Baton Rouge High and McKinley.

New nonprofit Advance Baton Rouge wants to initiate lasting change in the local school system. Dont we all. But being a servant of the community also means serving those new to it. Last fall, Advance Director Sister JUDITH BRUN focused on helping to integrate displaced Orleans Parish students into the system. (She was formerly head of St. Josephs Academy.) That work dissipated last month, and Brun is primed in 2006 to rally the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, The Chamber and 100 Back Men to elicit advice, expertise and resources from national groups for the improvement of our public schools. You go, sister.

THE ADVERSARIES

Speculation about Sheriff Elmer Litchfields health became so rampant he held a press conference with his No. 2 man, GREG PHARES, in December to assure citizens hes still the sheriff in this here town and plans to remain so until 2008. Maybe he will, maybe he wont. But Phares certainly is already positioning himself to run. But so is Baker Police Chief SID GAUTREAUX. Its not a matter of if Phares and Gautreaux will run against each other, its a matter of when.

Used to be the light bill wasnt that much more than the cable or phone bill. But for Entergy Louisiana customers, those days are gone. Because Entergy relies so heavily on natural gas as a fuel source, its customers can only watch helplessly as their bills skyrocket. Entergy Louisiana President RENAE CONELY has had the tough PR job of assuaging storm-hit customers while also explaining why Entergy needs to up its rates even more. Thats where FOSTER CAMPBELL comes in. The feisty North Louisiana Public Service Commissioner never hesitates in holding a utilitys feet to the fire. Expect more sparks between the two in 2006.