A sunny forecast: States appear to be getting richer, and Fortune magazine counts Louisiana among the richest—at least in terms of its cash reserves, or “rainy day fund.” The Associated Press reports 15 states ran surpluses for fiscal year 2011, up from 10 the year before. States with the fattest reserve funds these days can largely thank the booming energy sector, which is being driven by oil and shale gas production. See where Louisiana ranks among them on a map of the states with the richest reserves here.
An entertaining morning: Marcus Lyle Brown, actor and founder of Believe Entertainment, will be the featured guest speaker at Creative Louisiana’s monthly meeting on Friday, Feb. 24. The event will be held at the Baton Rouge Little Theater, 7155 Florida Blvd., from 8:30-10 a.m. Brown—a New Iberia native—has appeared in more than 50 movies and TV shows, including Battleship, Treme and Monster’s Ball. He has also helped attract more than $50 million in business for Louisiana’s entertainment industry. The event is free, but registration is requested and can be done here. Learn more about Creative Louisiana at its website here.
Once you pop: Kellogg has popped up to buy the Pringles chip brand from Procter & Gamble for $2.7 billion after a similar deal with Diamond Foods was derailed by accounting problems and an executive shakeup at Diamond. The addition will help Kellogg with its goal of becoming as big globally in snacks as it is in cereal. The Pringles business will add to Kellogg’s stable of snack brands, which includes Keebler, Cheez-It and Special K Cracker Chips. Troubled snack food company Diamond Foods and P&G on Wednesday announced they called off their $1.5 billion deal for the Pringles brand. The Associated Press has the full story here.
