Moving on: Louisiana students would be able to carry bulletproof backpacks if House lawmakers support a proposal by Sen. Mike Walsworth, R-West Monroe, that easily passed the state Senate Monday. The Associated Press reports Louisiana law currently bans wearing or possessing body armor on school property. Walsworth says the backpacks cost between $100 and $200, and could offer some protection to students. The bill now heads to the House. Read the full story.
Trade talk: President Xi Jinping promised today to cut China’s auto tariffs and improve intellectual property protection in possible concessions aimed at defusing a worsening dispute with the United States over trade and technology that investors worry could set back the global economic recovery. Speaking at a business conference, Xi made no direct mention of his American counterpart, Donald Trump, or the trade dispute. The Associated Press has the full story.
New record: U.S. natural gas production reached record levels last year, FuelFix.com reports, citing U.S. Department of Energy data. The energy department says gross withdrawals reached 90.9 billion cubic feet per day in 2017, the agency’s highest volume on record. Marketed natural gas production, which does not include gas vented, flared, used for re-pressuring or removed during processing, also reached record levels. Louisiana’s gross withdrawals increased from 4.8 billion cubic feet per day to 5.8 billion cubic feet per day, marking the largest annual gain of any state. Read the full story.
