Work it: First-time claims for jobless benefits fell 6.2% in Louisiana last week. The Louisiana Workforce Commission reports 3,097 initial claims from the newly jobless for the week ending March 10. That’s a drop from 3,302 the previous week. The four-week moving average of claims—considered a less volatile measure of jobless claims—dropped to 3,018 from 3,029. For the comparable week ending March 12, 2011, Louisiana recorded 3,231 initial claims. Last week, those still looking for work filed for an additional 36,518 weeks of benefits—down from 37,773 the previous week. For the comparable week of 2011, the state received claims for an additional 44,607 weeks of payments.
Up and down: The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the United States is up by 11 this week to 1,984, but Louisiana lost six rigs on the week. Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. reports that 1,317 rigs were exploring for oil and 663 for natural gas. Four were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago this week Baker Hughes reported 1,720 active rigs. Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Oklahoma gained 12, Colorado four, and Alaska and North Dakota one each. Texas dropped three, Arkansas two, and Wyoming one. California, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and West Virginia were unchanged. The rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.
The afterlife: What happens to your Facebook page after you die? Lawmakers and attorneys in at least two states are considering proposals that would require social networks to let family members access the account of a deceased person. The issue is growing increasingly important as people record more thoughts and experiences online and more disputes break out over that material. Oklahoma was the first state to take action, passing a law last year. Now Nebraska and Oregon are considering similar measures. Facebook already has a system to report deaths. When the site learns that a member has died, it puts that person’s account in a memorialized state. But the legislation would go beyond that practice by making the site contents part of a person’s digital estate.
