Inching lower: First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Oct. 22 declined from the previous week’s total. The state labor department figures released today show the initial claims fell to 3,231 from the previous week’s total of 3,423. The figure was lower than it was for the comparable week a year earlier, when there were 3,496 initial claims. The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, inched up to 3,404 from the previous week’s total of 3,402. Continued unemployment claims claimed for the week ending Oct. 22 totaled 41,225, down from 41,338 the previous week. The four-week moving average for such claims decreased to 41,491 from 41,837.
So long, Yukon: Treasurer John Kennedy has received permission from lawmakers to buy a new vehicle with state taxpayer dollars to replace his 10-year-old sport utility vehicle. Kennedy’s 2002 Yukon has more than 335,000 miles on it, so the treasurer is seeking a replacement. The Legislature’s joint budget committee agreed today without objection to let him buy another car for around $25,000. Statewide elected officials are allowed to buy vehicles on the state’s dime or receive a monthly car allowance. If they want a state-bought vehicle, they must first get legislative approval, under a 2005 law. The law was triggered by then-Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley’s purchase of a $40,000 Harley Davidson-edition pickup, loaded with a series of extras, at state expense. It was his second state vehicle in two years.
Done deal: State lawmakers today approved the sale of the Louisiana Superdome’s naming rights to carmaker Mercedes-Benz, in a deal worth up to $60 million that gets the state out of having to make any cash payments to the New Orleans Saints. The joint House and Senate budget committee agreed without objection to the naming rights sale, with lawmakers saying they were happy with the money-saving arrangement for the state. The deal between the Saints and Mercedes-Benz is for 10 years and is estimated to be worth $50 million to $60 million for the NFL team, according to Ron Forman, chairman of the state’s Superdome oversight board. The Saints didn’t wait for legislative approval for new signage. The Mercedes-Benz moniker was tagged onto the building after the deal was announced by team owners and the governor at the start of October. New Orleans’ domed stadium becomes the 22nd of 31 NFL stadiums with a naming rights deal.
