News roundup: Lafayette drilling firm cuts budget nearly in half … Baker Hughes to hand out 7,000 pink slips as oil patch layoffs mount … OPEC: Oil won’t sink to $20, but rebound will be slow

Trimming it back: Stone Energy of Lafayette has announced it will nearly halve its operating budget in 2015 from $875 million in 2014 to $450 million this year. The Advertiser reports the budget, auth…