Meetings

Beginning Monday, May 3, at 11:30 a.m., we will resume our weekly, in-person Press Club luncheon meetings at the Drusilla Seafood Restaurant. The cost will be $20 for Press Club members (join now if you haven’t already) and $25 for nonmembers. We look forward to seeing you. There will be social distancing, and masks will be required when not eating.

Mark your calendars for April 5 when the Press Club of Baton Rouge will host a candidate forum featuring the run-off candidates for the 2^nd Congressional District. The in-person meeting will start at 1:30 p.m. and be outdoors under the pavilion at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. Masks will be required. More details will be forthcoming.

Mark your calendars for two upcoming Press Club meetings. On March 15, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser will be the guest speaker at a virtual meeting via Zoom, which will start at noon. Contact the Press Club at [email protected] for a link to the meeting. The other meeting, which will be a candidate forum featuring the run-off candidates for the 2^nd Congressional District, will be April 5 at 1:30 p.m. outdoors under the pavilion at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. Masks will be required. More details on both meetings will be forthcoming.

State Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, will be the guest speaker at the Press Club of Baton Rouge’s virtual meeting via Zoom on Monday, Feb. 8, at noon. McFarland will discuss his gas tax proposal. A Zoom link will be sent to Press Club members and participants. Others who may be interested can send a request to [email protected]. Only members of the Press Club and the news media are allowed to ask questions during the question-and-answer portion of the program.

Adam Knapp, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, will be the guest speaker at the Press Club of Baton Rouge’s virtual meeting via Zoom on Monday, Jan. 11, from noon to 1 p.m. Knapp will discuss BRAC’s priorities for 2021. A Zoom link will be sent to Press Club members and participants. Others who may be interested can send a request to [email protected]. Only members of the Press Club and the news media are allowed to ask questions during the question-and-answer portion of the program.

Interim LSU President Tom Galligan will speak at the Dec. 7 meeting of the Press Club of Baton Rouge, which will be a virtual meeting via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Galligan will provide an update on university operations, including its COVID response and plans for the spring semester. A Zoom link will be sent to Press Club members and participants. Others who may be interested can send a request to [email protected]. Only members of the Press Club and the news media are allowed to ask questions during the question-and-answer portion of the program.

The Press Club of Baton Rouge will host an in-person forum on Monday, Nov. 30, for the two candidates in the runoff for the East Baton Rouge Parish mayor-president’s office, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and former state Rep. Steve Carter. The hour-long forum will start at 1:30 p.m. and will be outdoors under the pavilion at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, 4560 Essen Lane South, at the intersection with I-10. Masks will be required, and there will be social distancing. Parking is free at the Burden Conference Center near the pavilion.

Jim Engster, president of the Press Club, will moderate. Only members of the media and the Press Club will be allowed to ask questions. The election is Dec. 5 with early voting Nov. 20-28, excluding Sunday, Nov. 22, Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27.

Baton Rouge pollster and data analyst John Couvillon will speak at the Nov. 9 meeting of the Press Club of Baton Rouge, which will be a virtual meeting via Zoom starting at noon. Couvillon will discuss the recent election at the national, state and local level. A Zoom link will be sent to Press Club members and participants. Only members of the Press Club and the news media are allowed to ask questions during the question-and-answer portion of the program.

The Press Club of Baton Rouge will host an in-person forum for candidates running for U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seat at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12. The hour-long forum will be outdoors under the pavilion at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, 4560 Essen Lane South, at the intersection with I-10. Masks will be required, and there will be social distancing. Scheduled to take part are Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins; Antoine Pierce, a Baton Rouge businessman; and Peter Wenstrup, a teacher from New Orleans. All three are Democrats. Cassidy, a Republican from Baton Rouge, was invited, but has refused to appear. He objected that all 14 of his challengers weren’t invited.

The Press Club of Baton Rouge will host an in-person forum for candidates running for U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seat at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12. The hour-long forum will be outdoors under the pavilion at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, 4560 Essen Lane South, at the intersection with I-10. Masks will be required, and there will be social distancing. Scheduled to take part are Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins and Antoine Pierce, a Baton Rouge businessman. Cassidy was invited, but has refused to appear. He objected that all 14 of his challengers weren’t invited.