Will serve as foundation for gambling barge: The last of three hulls that will serve as the foundation for Pinnacle Entertainment’s River Road casino barge has left Bollinger Shipyard in Amelia. The hulls had been delayed because of low water levels in the Mississippi River. Pinnacle officials say they took advantage of a small window of opportunity caused by melting snow up north that made the river rise. The $357 million casino resort is set to open in early 2012.
Supporters vow to fight: It was a combination ribbon-cutting and political rally at Southern University at New Orleans. Today’s ceremony dedicated a new $2.2 million information technology center on the campus. But it also was a forum for New Orleans politicians to rally against Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposal to combine SUNO with the nearby University of New Orleans. “This definitely sends a message that we will not go quietly into that good night,” said Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, according to The Times-Picayune. Jindal casts the move as one that will provide better higher education for New Orleans. One opponent today called it an attack on a part of the state where Jindal doesn’t fare well politically.
Infant mortality drops to new low: U.S. life expectancy has hit another all-time high, rising to about 78 years and 2 months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the estimate today. It’s for a baby born in 2009, and is based on nearly all the death certificates for that year. About 2.4 million people died in the United States in 2009—roughly 36,000 fewer than the year before. More good news: The infant mortality rate hit a record low of 6.42 deaths per 1,000 live births, a drop of nearly 3% from 2008.
