Celebration: Baton Rouge Gallery, which opened its doors in 1966, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To celebrate the milestone, the center for contemporary art plans to publish series of videos throughout the year about the gallery’s history, its programs, partnership with BREC, artists membership and programs. The gallery launched the first video this week. It features interviews with the gallery’s founding artists and old still images of Baton Rouge from the time of its inception. The videos are meant to educate the public on the history of the gallery and its impact on the local artist community.
Horse play: LSU is one of 13 land-grant universities to participate in the multistate research project called NE-1041 “Environmental impacts on Equine Operations.” Researchers at the universities examined equine operations and developed educational programs about horse and environmental stewardships. The project led in the development of smarter pasture management and feed strategies for farmers. NE-1041 is partly funded through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. In a statement, Mark Rieger, dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and administrative advisor for NE-1041, says equine operations are an important part of environmental stewardship and sustainable farm practices that can increase safety for farmers.
Unexpected: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but remained below a level associated with a strong labor market, Reuters reports. Meanwhile another report released this morning shows announced job cuts by U.S.-based employers fell in March for a second straight month. Labor market strength, however, has not been accompanied by robust wage growth, making it unlikely the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates soon. The U.S. central bank is also keeping a cautious eye on international developments. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 276,000 for the week ended March 26, the Labor Department says. The prior week’s claims were unrevised. Read the full story.
