Spared: Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office won’t be laying off staff after all, The Associated Press reports. Earlier this month, some employees in the office had received layoff notifications. But on Tuesday, Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said a different approach has been taken to reduce costs to cope with a $703,000 cut for the budget year that began July 1. Seven vacant jobs won’t be filled. Contracts for legal and technology services are being reduced. And supplies and other expenses will be lessened instead of sending out pink slips. The governor’s office says existing staff will take on greater responsibilities, but services performed by the office won’t be reduced.
Black and blue: Cleanup was underway Tuesday on an oil spill caused by a leak from an abandoned pipeline in southeast Louisiana waters, The Associated Press reports. The Coast Guard says the leak happened in an abandoned pipeline near marshland along Lake Grand Ecaille. The area of coastal marshes and open water is about 60 miles southeast of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish. Hilcorp Energy of Houston owns the line. Spokesman Justin Furnace says in an email that the leak was stopped and contained and cleanup has begun. The company estimates that anywhere from 1,260 gallons to 4,200 gallons leaked. The leak was first reported Monday. Cleanup began despite storms that battered parts of Louisiana’s coast.
Lower demand: Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods fell in June by the largest amount in nearly two years, The Associated Press reports. Demand for durable goods dropped 4% in June, the biggest setback since an 18.4% drop in August 2014, the Commerce Department says. The report released this morning indicates manufacturing remains under stress from weak global demand and a strong dollar. June’s result was led by a 58.8% plunge in orders for commercial aircraft. Outside of transportation, orders were down 0.5%. The 4% decline in orders in June followed a 2.8% drop in May and a 3.2% rise in April.
