Roundup: Louisiana jobs report / Cyclospora / GM gets smarter

Year-over-year growth: Louisiana’s job market showed year-over-year growth in June, adding 19,300 nonfarm jobs and lowering the unemployment rate to 4.4%, though total employment dipped by 800 jobs from May. Construction, manufacturing and professional services posted monthly gains, while losses in leisure and hospitality and other services offset some growth. The state reached record employment levels in Baton Rouge and Slidell, but labor force participation remained slightly lower at 58.7%. The Center Square has the full story.

20-plus cases in EBR: Louisiana has reported 100 cases of cyclosporiasis as of July 29, with East Baton Rouge Parish recording the highest number—more than 20 cases, six hospitalizations and no deaths. Health officials say cases are increasing but not as rapidly as in some other states, and they will continue providing weekly updates during the typical May-to-August cyclosporiasis season. The CDC advises washing hands and thoroughly cleaning, preparing and refrigerating fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of infection, and recommends anyone with symptoms contact a healthcare provider. WAFB has the full story.

In-vehicle AI assistant: General Motors plans to launch a new proprietary in-vehicle AI assistant later this year that it says is more deeply integrated with vehicle systems, OnStar intelligence and customer needs than Google’s Gemini AI. The assistant will support features such as predictive maintenance, vehicle telemetry and personalized commands like a “kids setting” that can adjust music, seating, climate and door locks. GM says the technology, developed with an unnamed large language model provider, is part of a broader AI strategy to make vehicle ownership simpler and provide capabilities beyond those of general-purpose AI assistants. CNBC has the full story.