Making movies: Part of Interstate 49 in Shreveport will be shut down next week for filming of Battle: Los Angeles. The southbound lane of I-49 from Murphy Street to the ramp at Interstate 20 will be shut down starting Monday for the movie. The interstate will be used to stage firefights between movie Marines and aliens from outer space. The shutdown will start Monday morning and is to last until Sept. 28. City officials have outlined what traffic engineer Michael Erland called a very simple detour that motorists will use during that time. Battle: Los Angeles will shoot in Baton Rouge this fall. The movie is set for release Feb. 18, 2011.
Getting better: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke declared today that the U.S. economy is on the verge of a long-awaited recovery after enduring a brutal recession and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Economic activity in both the U.S. and around the world appears to be “leveling out,” and “the prospects for a return to growth in the near term appear good,” said Bernanke during a speech at an annual Fed conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The more upbeat assessment was consistent with the Fed’s observations earlier this month as it took a small step toward pulling back some emergency programs to revive the economy. Still, Bernanke stressed today that despite much progress in stabilizing financial markets and trying to bust through credit clogs, consumers and businesses are still having trouble getting loans. The situation is not back to normal, he says.
