Top honors: The Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce has been named the Louisiana State Small Chamber of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. An out-of-state panel of judges scored chambers based on organizational, community and professional development. Criteria included programs that make the chamber a stronger organization, key roles in positive community participation, and distinguished professional and community leadership through excellence in chamber management. Learn more about the award at the chamber’s website here.
The down low: First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Sept. 1 were the lowest since November 2008. However, the state labor department says that’s partly because Hurricane Isaac closed state offices starting Aug. 28. Figures released today show initial claims fell to 2,345 from 2,956. That’s below 3,878 for the comparable week a year earlier and the lowest since 2,282 on Nov. 29, 2008. The four-week moving average, a less volatile measurement, fell to 2,738 from 2,955 the previous week.
The song is over: Gov. Bobby Jindal’s top coastal adviser says a dead whale has been reported washed ashore on Fourchon beach. Garrett Graves says the state is sending workers to examine the whale, which washed up southwest of New Orleans. The size and species of the whale are not yet known. Graves says the whale was found in an area where tar balls and mats of weathered oil have been washing ashore from waters churned by Hurricane Isaac, resulting in the closure of a small portion of coastal waters to commercial fishing. Tissue samples are to be taken from the whale to determine whether its demise was in any way connected to the oil, he says.
