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Route canal

Looks like 3rd Street and portions of North Boulevard are now off limits to downtown parades. The Department of Public Works led the push to cross these roads off of parade routes because they are a little too narrow for comfort. Bruce Childers, organizer of the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade, says his floats will probably travel down Lafayette Street, circling the Shaw Center and 3rd Street, instead. “If the Downtown Development District approves of it, we’ll try that this year and see how it goes,” he says. “We’re just in the process of getting things straightened out.”

Great Scott!

Back To The Future star Christopher Lloyd was in town last month filming Race to Glory with Josh Kelly and Carrie Southworth. The actor was seen munching on burritos at On the Border restaurant and purchasing rolling papers and tobacco at Southdowns Liquor Store.

First Dearman’s, now Billy B’s has closed

Billy B’s, the retro soda fountain, burger and shake shack that operated out of the old Dearman’s pharmacy at Bocage Shopping Center for more than 50 years, has closed. Owner William “Billy” Wright III was planning on

closing that location on Dec. 31, the date his un-renewed lease runs out, but fire damage from a recent accident at neighboring TCBY hastened the closing. Wright says revenues at the restaurant were down 50%, and blames part of the problem on a lack of parking. He hopes to reopen Billy B’s at a new location in 2007.

Lil’ Bobby

LSU Football has scored a verbal commitment from

T-Bob Hebert, the son of former Saints QB Bobby Hebert. In this case the “T,” a Cajun prefix for little, doesn’t exactly fit the younger Hebert. He’s about 6’4” 280 lbs and unlike dad, doesn’t play quarterback, but blocks for them on the offensive line. Rivals.com ranks the senior at Greater Atlanta Christian the second-highest college prospect at the center position.

Show me the money

The race for East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff is officially underway, and the fund raising has begun. Attorney Scott Crawford of Crawford and Lewis

recently hosted a fund raiser at the City Club for Baker Police Chief Sid Gautreaux. Among the guests: Mayor Kip Holden and Metro Council members Wayne “Spider” Carter and Ulysses “Bones” Addison. (Read more about the sheriff’s race on Page 43.)

Playing your cards right

With his recent win at the IP Classic in Biloxi, Miss., Dave Gafford of Baton Rouge won $51,122 in cash and a $25,000 buy-in seat at the World Poker Tour. The next tour event is the Bellagio Five Diamond Classic on Dec. 14 in Las

Vegas. Gafford has played poker professionally for less than two years.

Tie optional

Speaking of the City Club, new general manager Pierre Legrand says significant changes to its traditional dress code and menu are afoot. The historically formal private club has nixed its “coat and tie required” rule, and business casual dress now is acceptable for lunch. A friendlier menu and expanded wine list are also on deck. “So many people want social things to do, but they don’t want or have time to plan a social life, and that’s what we do,” says Legrand, formerly with Baton Rouge Country Club. “We’re trying to appeal also to professionals in their mid-20s and 30s.”

Bones to pick

After weeks of controversy and an outpouring of support from the indie rock community, networking Web site MySpace has returned the unique URL “myspace.com/bones” to local sleaze-rock duo Bones. Without warning, MySpace had bumped the band from its longstanding Internet address in favor of the new FOX forensic investigation drama of the same name. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, the parent company of FOX, bought MySpace earlier this year. “Losing our URL was a complete surprise,” says Bones singer Michael Miller. “We logged on one day and found [actor] David Boreanaz staring back at us.” MySpace President Tom Anderson said, “Sorry about that!” in a statement after returning the URL. “As we grow in size, sometimes people make decisions I don’t know about. This was obviously the wrong decision. The Bones URL is yours once again.” The lesson: if you’re thinking of naming your new band Everybody Loves Raymond, don’t.

Model teachers

Two LSU professors were recently honored for their learning concept, “The Race, Hip-Hop, and Sports Learning Community.” Former associate professor of kinesiology Louis Harrison Jr., and associate professor of history Leonard Moore’s work garnered them one of only two Exemplary Models Awards given nationally in 2006. Their courses on black pop culture and the role of athletics in the African-American community, which cover potentially controversial subjects, are extremely popular at the university.

Bayou that studio

Linda Thurman and Marquetta Cheeks, owners of Emerald Bayou Studios in New Roads, have offered the city $250,000 for the old cottonseed-oil mill that houses their movie and television production company. The industry veterans plan to spend another $1.25 million developing the site. Emerald Bayou is a training ground for those in the film industry and has several projects underway, including a film version of the award-winning screenplay Tough Like Wearing Dreadlocks.

Where credit’s due

Most people prefer plastic, and now the Sonic drive-in on Perkins Road near College Drive, as well locations in Dutchtown and Baker, have equipped each car stall with credit/debit machines. It’s a minor fast-food improvement, but a welcomed one for anyone who has fumbled in the driver’s seat for a tip or exact change, or worse, waited while a carhop did the same. It was all downhill after the roller skates disappeared anyway. This is part of a test rollout in the Baton Rouge market, says Sonic operator Larry Tucker. Sonic locations nationwide will be similarly equipped by the end of the year.

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