Fallen ill: Mike VI, LSU’s live tiger mascot, has been diagnosed with rare form of cancer, the university announced this morning. Mike has spindle cell sarcoma, a malignant tumor derived from fibrous connective tissues of the bone. The tumor is in Mike’s face near his nose. On Thursday, May 12, he was sedated and brought to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine where he was examined. A treatment plan, which consists of a radiation therapy called Stereotactic radiotherapy, has been developed. The university says the treatment is not curative but should extend Mike’s life so that he can live comfortably for some time. With treatment, it is estimated that he can live between one to two years, as opposed to one to two months without treatment. “Currently, Mike’s attitude and demeanor are unchanged, and he does not appear to be in pain,” reads a news release from LSU. Mike’s treatment will be performed at Mary Bird Perkins–Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center, in conjunction with his veterinary team. LSU has more details.
Filling up: Prices at the pump are moving upward, but analysts still expect the average cost of gas be almost a dollar cheaper this coming holiday weekend compared to the 10-year Memorial Day average of $3.15 a gallon, The Advertiser reports. AAA in Louisiana estimates that some 38 million Americans will travel over the holiday weekend, about 700,000 more than last year. Among them, 89% are expected to travel via car. “Motorists will be filling up their tanks with the cheapest summer gasoline since 2005,” says Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for the consumer website GasBuddy.com. In Louisiana, the average price of gasoline is $2.05. Of the state’s three major metro areas, Baton Rouge has the lowest average at $2.03. Read the full story.
Looking better: Oil prices won’t top $100 a barrel, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and energy expert tells The Associated Press. Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of research firm IHS Inc. and author of two books on energy—including the Pulitzer-winning opus The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power—says he believes the worst of the oil sector’s collapse may be over and prices will continue to climb beyond the current $48 per barrel. “But unless there is some big surprise or disruption they wouldn’t go back to $100 a barrel,” he says. Today’s prices are not going to signal investment that will needed to meet demand by 2020, Yergin says, adding he expects the pace of bankruptcies in the oil and gas sector to slow with the price recovery. Nonetheless, debt-laden companies will continue to be vulnerable, he says. Read The AP’s full Q&A with Yergin.
