Undeterred: Woody Jenkins says he’ll appeal a ruling Monday by a three-judge panel of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal that upholds dismissal of his lawsuit challenging the annexation of the Mall of Louisiana by the city of Baton Rouge. The former legislator and conservative activist says he’ll either ask for a rehearing before the appeals court or appeal directly to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Monday’s ruling upheld a lower court ruling that Jenkins does not have legal standing to sue the city-parish because he lives in the city of Baton Rouge and is unaffected by the annexation.
Help wanted: U.S. employers advertised the most jobs in 14 years in January, and more workers quit—both signs of a steadily strengthening job market, The Associated Press reports. The Labor Department says in a report released this morning that job openings rose 2.5% to nearly 5 million, the most since January 2001. The number of people quitting their jobs increased 3% to 2.8 million, the most in more than six years. More quits are generally a sign of confidence in the economy, because people typically leave their jobs when they have another one lined up, often at higher pay, or are optimistic they can find a new position.
Not trickling down: Natural gas producers have struggled for the past months as warmer temperatures and massive production eroded prices. But Bloomberg reports the same price-slide hasn’t benefited consumers yet, according to an analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retail natural gas prices are insulated from swings in spot-market rates due to a combination of regulation, hedging by distributing companies and seasonal demand for the gas, the EIA found. The benchmark futures price for natural gas, set at Louisiana’s Henry Hub, has fallen from more than $4 at the end of last year to under $3 currently. Read the full story.
