On the rolls: More than 148,500 Louisiana residents have enrolled for health insurance through the federal marketplace, as the sign-up deadline nears. The Associated Press reports the numbers exceed last year, when about 102,000 Louisianans signed up through the enrollment period. Of the people enrolled so far, more than one-third—about 52,000—are in the metropolitan New Orleans area. Most of those who have signed up are eligible for federal subsidies to help cover their costs, according to the federal health department. The insurance marketplace was created through President Barack Obama’s health overhaul. Enrollment began Nov. 15 and wraps up Feb. 15.
Bouncing back: Brent crude oil was on track for the biggest weekly rise since 2011 as fighting in Libya and stronger economic signals from the United States helped futures rebound from near six-year lows. As Reuters reports, prices have rallied nearly 20% over the past six sessions, but they remain roughly 50% below their peak from the middle of last year. No sustained recovery is expected in the near term amid rising global inventories and steady OPEC supply. But further falls in the U.S. oil-rig count, concerns over dented output from key Mediterranean oil producer Libya and stronger U.S. job figures are boosting prices. Read the full story.
In store special: Sprint’s latest plan for luring new subscribers is to occupy the remains of RadioShack. The long-struggling consumer electronics chain filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday. Part of its plan is for Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier, to open mini-shops in as many as 1,750 of RadioShack’s remaining stores. Overland Park, Kansas-based Sprint Corp. has been aggressively trying to draw subscribers from its bigger rivals, Verizon and AT&T. RadioShack, which was founded nearly a century ago, says in its Chapter 11 filing that it plans to sell 1,500 to 2,400 stores and is seeking to close the remainder of its 4,000 U.S. stores. The Associated Press has the full story.
