Pit stop: Just in time for Thanksgiving travel, gas prices around Baton Rouge have decreased by more than 8 cents per gallon over the past week. According to GasBuddy, the average price of unleaded gas in Louisiana has gone down 31 cents since Oct. 22. The state’s average is now $2.31 cents. The lowest prices in Baton Rouge can be found at Costco and Murphy USA, at $1.98 per gallon. Not far behind, some Walmart, Circle K, Shell and RaceTrac locations have fuel for $1.99.
Payouts: Four Gulf states are getting an additional $280 million in restoration grants from the BP oil spill of 2010. Louisiana is getting $161.4 million to restore two barrier islands and a headland in the Terrebonne Basin. The work will restore Timbalier and Trinity islands and the West Bell Headland. Florida is receiving $53 million for seven projects, nearly $49 million will go to eight Alabama projects and Texas will get $19 million for five projects. Read the full story.
Here’s the deal: CVS Health Corp said on Tuesday that it expects to close its $69 billion purchase of health insurer Aetna Inc. after the Thanksgiving holiday, Reuters reports. The pharmacy chain and benefits manager had previously expected the transaction to close by Nov. 22. CVS says in a filing it had received approval from 26 of the 28 state departments of insurance and was in the final stages of the approval process with the two remaining states. Read the full story.
