Managers wanted: L’Auberge Baton Rouge will open an employment center on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the LSU South Campus, 8000 GSRI Ave., Bldg. 3100. The casino and hotel is looking to initially fill about 90 management positions, and will hold a job fair at the employment center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on opening day for those positions. The other 900-plus jobs the casino and hotel development expects to create will be filled at a later date. Only those interested in management positions are encouraged to visit the center on opening day. Applications are also being accepted online here.
On the rise: First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Jan. 7 increased from the previous week’s total. The state labor department figures released today show the initial claims increased to 4,372 from the previous week’s total of 3,219. The figure was lower than it was for the comparable week a year earlier, when there were 6,503 initial claims. The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, increased to 3,707 from the previous week’s total of 3,640. Continued unemployment claims for the week ending Jan. 7 totaled 44,904, an increase from 43,247 the previous week. The four-week moving average for such claims increased to 43,419 from 42,749.
Battle brewing: The fees awarded to lawyers fighting BP discourages people from settling oil spill claims out of court, the Justice Department says. In a court filing Thursday, the Justice Department opposed U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier’s decision to set aside up to 6% of claims payments after Dec. 30 for trial lawyers affiliated with a steering committee helping people sue BP. Under the order, fees would be garnished from people and businesses settling their claims outside of court. The question of lawyers’ fees is contentious, with millions of dollars at stake. State attorneys general in Louisiana and Florida, as well as lawyers working to settle clients’ claims out of court, claim Barbier’s fee structure unfairly rewards trial lawyers. Read the full story from The Associated Press here.
