Geaux green: Three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty last year and their families have been named the grand marshals of this year’s “The Wearin’ of the Green.” Parade organizers say Deputy Sheriff Bradford Allen Garafola, Officer Matthew Lane Gerald and Corporal Montrell Jackson and their families will be honored with special invocations and blessings from Bishop Robert Muench, Bishop of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and other dignitaries before the parade starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 18. Live coverage of the parade will start at 9:45 a.m. on WBRZ-TV. The families of the fallen officers, also will ride the parade route on the “Gene Hammett-Denis Coffey Memorial Float.” A procession of law enforcement officers will complement the recognition of the officers and their families. The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile and the Planter’s Peanut’s Nutmobile also will be featured in the parade.
Holding off: Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes last month as rising prices and a dwindling supply of available homes appeared to frustrate many potential buyers, The Associated Press reports. The National Association of Realtors says that its seasonally adjusted pending home sales index fell 2.8% to 106.4, the lowest level in a year. With hiring solid and the stock market at record highs, Americans are confident in the economy and are more interested in buying a home than at any time since the Great Recession, NAR says. But the price of a typical home jumped by more than double the pace of wage gains in January from a year earlier, and mortgage rates have risen in the past six months. That has slowed the pace of contract signings. Read the full story.
Expanding offerings: With the competition among mobile carriers heating up, AT&T has lowered the price of its unlimited-data plans by $10 less than two weeks after opening them up to all subscribers. The Wall Street Journal reports the unlimited plan for a single phone now costs $90 a month. AT&T also introduced an unlimited plan that limits connection speeds for $60 for one phone. Until recently, AT&T only offered unlimited data to customers who also paid for one of its television services. But days after main rival Verizon began offering unlimited data last month, AT&T opened its offer to all customers. Smaller rivals T-Mobile and Sprint have been taking market share from the two biggest U.S. carriers by pushing lower prices and plans without data caps. Read the full story.
