One weak week: 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 877. The Houston-based firm says 675 rigs were seeking oil and 202 explored for natural gas. A year ago, with oil prices nearly double the prices now, 1,914 rigs were active. Among major oil- and gas-producing states, Texas gained three rigs. Louisiana lost six rigs, New Mexico was down by two and Colorado, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania each decreased by one. Alaska, Arkansas, California, Kansas, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming were all unchanged. The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.
Down and up: Initial unemployment insurance claims filed in Louisiana for the week ending Aug. 22 decreased to 2,414 from the previous week’s total of 2,544. Initial claims, however, were above the comparable figure of 2,268 for the week ending Aug. 23, 2014. The Louisiana Workforce Commission says the construction sector saw the largest decrease in initial claims, followed by both wholesale trade and professional scientific and technical services. Initial claims for mining, which includes oil and gas exploration and extraction workers, increased from 81 to 85. Others working in the oil and gas support services are spread among various sectors. LWC has more details.
Opening soon: Toy and candy store Giggles is set to open Saturday in the Village at Willow Grove mixed-used development on Perkins Road, between Bluebonnet Boulevard and Siegen Lane. The 1,400-square-foot store—which joins other retailers in the development such as Bistro Byronz, Posh Boutique, Two Blondes, Fresh Kitchen and Evolve Studio—will be located at 8201 Village Plaza Court, Suite 1-B. “Our store features toys and gifts that encourage play, social interaction and old-fashioned fun,” says owner Emily Guidroz in a prepared statement. “While we carry some larger name brands, we seek out unique, high-quality toys that help foster creativity.” The store will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday. A larger grand opening event will be announced in the coming weeks, Guidroz says.
