Rise in the fall: Initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending Oct. 10 increased to 2,635 from the previous week’s total of 2,341, according to new data released by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. The week marked the start of a new quarter for new claims, when some claimants regain their eligibility for benefits, typically resulting in an increase in initial claims, LWC says. Initial claims were above the comparable figure of 2,473 for the week ending Oct. 11, 2014. LWC has more details.
Big three: Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. this week declined by eight to 787. In Louisiana, the rig count rose by three to 68, the Houston-based firm says in its weekly report released today. In the U.S., 595 rigs were seeking oil and 192 explored for natural gas. A year ago, with oil prices about double the prices now, 1,918 rigs were active. Among major oil- and gas-producing states, New Mexico lost five rigs, Oklahoma and Texas each declined by two and Colorado and North Dakota each lost one. Wyoming gained two and California gained one. The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.
Last chance: The weeklong early voting period for Louisiana’s Oct. 24 election ends Saturday. The Secretary of State’s Office says there are more than 1,000 candidate races statewide. Besides governor, six other statewide jobs are near the top of the ballot: lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, agriculture commissioner and insurance commissioner. In addition, four constitutional amendments are proposed, and local propositions will be decided in 27 parishes. Early voting hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Secretary of State’s Office has a complete list of early voting locations.
