'''John Maurice LaPlante, Jr.''' (January 31, 1953 – April 14, 2007), was an [[United States|American]] political [[columnist]], news bureau director, and [[university]] [[professor]] based in [[Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]], who spent more than three decades covering state government and politics. | '''John Maurice LaPlante, Jr.''' (January 31, 1953 – April 14, 2007), was an [[United States|American]] political [[columnist]], news bureau director, and [[university]] [[professor]] based in [[Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]], who spent more than three decades covering state government and politics. |