Reaping rewards: The 21st-century economy has been a two-decade series of punches in the gut. A mild recession was followed by a weak recovery followed by a financial crisis followed by another weak recovery followed by a pandemic-induced collapse. But strange as it may seem, New York Times senior economics writer Neil Irwin says he is starting to get optimistic. Irwin recently compiled 17 reasons things might be looking up, starting with the fact that, historically, crises have spurred innovation and Americans may soon start to reap the delayed rewards of the technological advances from the past 30 years. See the list.
Combining forces: The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Baton Rouge and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana on Tuesday announced they have merged to become the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana, effective today. Pat R. Van Burkleo, who has headed Boys & Girls Club of Greater Baton Rouge for the past 30 years, has been named president and CEO of the new organization. Get more information about BGCMLA. Â
Impostor websites: Officials are warning Louisiana residents about impostor third-party websites that overcharge for vehicle registration services and gather personal data and credit card information. The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles says in a news release today that the websites aren’t affiliated with any state government agency and are owned by for-profit companies. Some private, unofficial websites collect and store personal information and charge unnecessary fees, the release says. Read the full story. Â
