Downward: First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending June 11 decreased from the previous week’s total, The Associated Press reports. The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims fell to 3,445 from the previous week’s total of 3,590. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,888. The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, increased to 3,335 from the previous week’s total of 3,216. Continued unemployment claims claimed for the week ending June 11 increased to 26,234 compared to 23,569 in the previous week. The four-week moving average for such claims increased to 24,147 from the previous week’s average of 23,286.
Mixed bag: While the number of rigs drilling for oil and gas nationally jumped by 10—buoyed by 13 new rigs drilling in Texas—Louisiana went in the opposite direction, losing one rig. According to the weekly rig count by Houston-based Baker Hughes, Louisiana had 46 rigs this week, down from 47 last week. The state gained one more rig working offshore, but lost two that had been drilling on land in south Louisiana. During the current slump in oil prices, the lowest total the state had came the week of May 13, when only 40 rigs were drilling for oil and gas. This week last year, the total in Louisiana was 69. Nationally, there were 424 rigs operating, up from 414 last week.
Top cats: In the upcoming issue of ESPN The Magazine, LSU’s superstar and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Leonard Fournette graces one of the issue’s four covers of the 2016 College Football preview issue, in which ESPN’s experts pick LSU as the top team in its football power index. The issue, which just hit stands, features scouting reports on each team and staff picks for the College Football Playoff. Florida State, Oklahoma, Clemson and Tennessee round out ESPN’s top five.
