Internet lost: BRLA.gov, the official website for East Baton Rouge Parish government, was unavailable mid-Friday morning. City-parish spokesman Mark Armstrong says internet service was lost early Friday and officials were working with Cox to resolve the issue.
Still historically low: Mortgage rates were mixed this week and barely changed after rising for the first time last week following six weeks of declines. Average rates for home loans remain historically low at less than 3%. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average for the 30-year mortgage eased to 2.86% from 2.87% last week. The benchmark rate, which reached a peak this year of 3.18% in April, stood at 2.99% a year ago. Read the full story.
Giraffe sanctuary: Phase one of a $30 million upgrade at the BREC zoo is now well underway, WBRZ-TV reports. One of the top projects is the giraffe exhibit, which could be finished later this year if construction goes as planned. The new sanctuary will include hydronic flooring that heats and cools and a feeding station where guests can get up close to animals. Read the full story. Read more about the efforts to improve the zoo from Daily Report.
On the delta front …
- Ochsner Health System has begun administering COVID-19 vaccine boosters. (The Daily Advertiser)
- More than 1 million doses of the vaccine were administered Thursday, new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows, marking the first time since early July that reported doses topped a million. (CNN)
- Oil prices were down for a seventh straight session on Friday, near three-month lows and heading for a weekly loss of over 6% as new lockdowns in countries facing surging cases of COVID-19 dampened the outlook for fuel demand. (CNBC)
