Inching up: The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but the trend remained consistent with solid labor market momentum that could keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates this year. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 277,000 for the week ended Aug. 15, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Department of Labor. Reuters has the full story.
DISH dust up: DISH subscribers will lose their access to WBRZ-TV on Friday, unless the satellite company and the local ABC affiliate station resolve a months-long impasse over their carriage agreement. The two sides have been negotiating since June over the amount DISH is willing to pay to resell WBRZ’s signal to satellite subscribers. The dispute is the latest of several between local stations and cable and satellite providers, which often are resolved at the eleventh hour.
One for the books: A fisherman on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain caught a 5-foot shark Thursday. According to WVUE-TV, the massive fish was caught near the mouth of Bayou Liberty/Bonfouca and was reeled in from a pontoon boat. The photo was posted to St. Tammany Parish’s Facebook page. The fisherman told parish officials that he has been fishing the spot for 26-years and had never seen a shark of this size.
