Fordham takes post at Paragon: Officials from Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville have announced today the appointment of Peter Fordham to the position of general manager. Fordham, a native of Great Britain, has more than 30 years of experience in the gaming and hospitality industry. Fordham’s background includes gaming operations, new property opening and expansion, sales and marketing, community relations and business development.
A chilling figure: Natural-gas futures dropped below the $3 threshold for the first time in more than two years today, as the market looks set to close out one of its most bearish years ever. Futures slid below $3 per million British thermal units shortly before 6 a.m. Central time, as a selloff that began Thursday continued overnight. The rout was fueled by two government reports that showed gas-fired heating demand remains weak, while production continues to climb. The slide below $3 marked first time the front-month contract dropped below that level since September 2009.
Louisiana stores safe for now: Florida will be hit the hardest by the closing of Sears and Kmart stores, losing 11, according to a preliminary list of 79 planned closures. Ohio, Michigan and Georgia are not far behind with six store closures. Tennessee, North Carolina and Minnesota are set to lose four stores each. A spokeswoman for Sears Holding Corp. said each store employs between 40 and 80 people. No Louisiana stores are among the planned closures. The 125-year-old retailer said on Tuesday it would close up to 120 stores to raise cash.
