Ripple in still water: The Coast Guard says workers are using boom to contain a 17-mile-long sheen on the Mississippi River near Fort Adams in Wilkinson County, Miss., about 65 miles north of Baton Rouge. No environmental damage has been reported, and the river remains open to shipping. The Coast Guard says the substance—spotted by a Coast Guard patrol on Wednesday—is believed to be a petroleum-based product. Details on the quantity of substance in the water were not available. However, the Coast Guard identified the responsible party as El Toro Production Co. of Natchez, Miss.
Everybody rise: Louisiana Supreme Court justices are in the process of figuring out who will succeed Chief Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball when she retires next year, The Times-Picayune reports. According to an order released Wednesday, justices will file briefs interpreting how the Louisiana Constitution addresses the issue of chief justice succession on Feb. 1, the day after Kimball retires. Read the full story here.
Help on hand: The Labor Department reports this morning that weekly unemployment benefit applications rose by 6,000 last week, to a seasonally adjusted 386,000, an increase from an upwardly revised 380,000 the week previous. The four-week average—a less volatile measure—rose for the third straight week to 382,000; that’s the highest in six weeks. Weekly applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs. When they drop below 375,000, it typically suggests hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate. Applications fell steadily during the fall and winter but have since leveled off.
