Heading up: Louisiana gained five rigs this week, while the number of rigs in the U.S. remained the same from last week. According to the weekly rig count provided by Houston-based Baker-Hughes, there were 73 rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in Louisiana this week, up from 68 last week. Those 73 rigs include 34 in the Gulf of Mexico and 30 on land. Across the country, the number stayed stagnant at 787, but it has dropped considerably since the first week in October when 809 rigs were operational. A year ago, when oil prices were about double what they are today, 1,595 rigs were active.
Pressing forward: Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration has gone to a federal appeals court in hopes of reviving his lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Education of illegally coercing states to use Common Core standards. The Associated Press reports an appeal was filed Thursday at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick issued her formal, final judgment rejecting the suit. Jindal, running for the GOP presidential nomination, sued the Education Department in August 2014. He accused President Barack Obama’s administration of manipulating $4.3 billion in federal grant money and policy waivers to pressure states to adopt the English and math standards developed by education officials in multiple states.
Going down: Unemployment insurance claims in Louisiana dropped for the week ending on Oct. 17 from the previous week, but are still about 300 more than the same week last year. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, 2,338 people made unemployment insurance claims that week, compared to 2,635 the week before and 2,024 during the same week last year. The four-week claims averages increased to 2,414 from the previous four-week average of 2,406. Claims in the accommodation and work services and manufacturing areas decreased, while claims in the mining sector, which includes oil and gas exploration, increased. LWC has the full numbers.
