BY DEANNA B. NARVESON | Staff writer Court of Appeal: In the battle for a seat on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal, a sitting judge on the 19th Judicial District Court will compete against an opponent who remains suspended from the bench. In a bombshell Aug. 6 order, a split Louisiana Supreme Court unceremoniously removed District Judge Eboni Johnson Rose from her seat in the 19th JDC, pending the outcome of a judicial investigation. Johnson Rose remains on an indefinite disqualification as she enters the final three weeks of her bid to become an appellate judge. She said she could not comment on the pending investigation Tuesday but maintained her run as a viable contender on the ballot. Read the full story from courts reporter Matt Bruce. Inside the DOTD: To eliminate a project backlog worth $19 billion over 20 years, while building four “megaprojects” and maintaining its current operations, the state transportation department would have to expand its yearly budget by as much as $1.2 billion. That is just one finding of an analysis of the state's Department of Transportation and Development done by Boston Consulting Group, a private company hired by the Legislature to review the agency. Read more. Good news: There's little reason to think that the upcoming crawfish season will be anything like the last one. According to Todd Fontenot, LSU AgCenter extension agent for crawfish production, the crustaceans and their hatchlings are starting to emerge from their holes, to a much more favorable environment than last year. Read more. | 