On the water: Commercial fishermen once again are harvesting Gulf seafood off the coasts of Elmer’s and Grand Terre islands, an area that had been closed due to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Courier reports the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reopened state waters surrounding the islands—some of the areas most significantly contaminated by oil—near Grand Isle on Wednesday. For coastal fisherman, the wait has been long and much anticipated. “It’s a very big deal,” Dean Blanchard, owner of Dean Blanchard Seafood in Grand Isle, says. “That’s been one of our primary fishing grounds for the last 50 years.” Read the full story.
Smokestack lightning: The Federal Reserve announced this morning that factory production rose 1.1% last month, up from a 0.4% increase in October. Manufacturing output has risen 4.8% over the past 12 months and is now above the previous high set just before the downturn began in December 2007. Total industrial production in November grew 1.1%, rising in part as utilities dealt with additional demand because of colder-than-usual weather. Mining production slid 0.1% last month. The Associated Press reports the ongoing improvement points to a U.S. manufacturing base that has been insulated from a turbulent global economy. Read the full story.
Dollars and sense: The U.S. Mint says production costs for all four major coin types declined in fiscal year 2014 due to the falling price of copper, one of the primary metals used to make coins. In its new biannual report, the Mint estimates it saved $29 million this year due to lower copper prices. But as The Washington Post reports, the Mint continues to lose money on pennies and nickels. It now costs $1.62 to make a dollar of nickels, and $1.66 to make a dollar of pennies. By contrast, it costs only 36 cents to make a dollar of quarters, and 40 cents for a buck of dimes. Paper dollar bills are even cheaper to produce. Read the full story.
