Louisiana joins South Dakota as the only two states in the country not experiencing an uptick in their economies.
The Associated Press reports that most of the nation’s counties and all but two states “enjoyed better conditions in March than in February,” also noting that first-time jobless claims have risen slightly in the Pelican state:
Post-Hurricane Katrina construction projects are winding down in Louisiana. The Mountain states have felt the effects of government job cuts more severely than elsewhere because of their small populations. And Iowa has suffered an increase in foreclosures.
The government reported last week that the overall economy’s growth slowed sharply to an annual rate of just 1.8 percent from January through March. That was down sharply from a 3.1 percent rate in the final three months of 2010.
Many economists think the slowdown will be temporary. Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight, thinks growth will rebound to nearly 3 percent in the current April-June quarter. He predicts it will strengthen further to around 3.5 percent in the second half of the year.
Despite overall drops in foreclosures and bankruptcies nationwide and an increase in hiring from private businesses, The Baton Rouge Business Report says U.S. unemployment rose slightly in March from 8.8 to 9 percent, even with the addition of 244,000 jobs last month:
Retailers, factories, financial companies, education, health care and even construction companies all added jobs. However, federal, state and local governments cut jobs.
The latest employment figures suggest businesses are confident in the economy’s returning strength, despite weak growth earlier this year.
... written by Frozen Pizza , May 06, 2011 - 05:23 pm
Glad you reminded me to be stressed. Without theind, I would not know how to think or feel. Thanks again!
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , May 08, 2011 - 01:35 am
South Dakota will soon enjoy an upheave, and Louisiana for those non-believers, whose favorite whipping boy is the Oil Industry, will remain at the bottom. Do you really think the Takee-Outee and Driv-Thru joints will support this state, economically.
... written by BoFred , May 09, 2011 - 05:58 pm
AND THIS IS WHY THE SCHOOL BOARD IS TRYING TO HURRY AND SHOVE A PROPERT TAX DOWN OUR THROATS! JUST SAY NO TO TAXES, SCHOOL BOARD OR NOT!!!!!
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David Calhoun and Elizabeth “EB” Brooks are the first two employees of Lafayette Central Park Inc., the nonprofit charged with turning Lafayette Consolidated Government’s 100-acre Johnston Street Horse Farm property into a passive public park. Calhoun was named executive director, and Brooks is director of planning and design.
At Thursday's State of the Economy luncheon, LEDA President and CEO Gregg Gothreaux said PXP has already quietly hired 180 people for its Broussard expansion.
There will soon be a whole lot of shakin’ going on at Benny’s Sportshack Supplement Depot, a new concept by Opelousas native Benny Nele. Located at 2002 Johnston St., the supplement shop, smoothie bar and café, featuring hot off the press paninis and wraps, plans to open in late May.
This year’s Cool Town issue is all about people who are not native to South Louisiana but made a conscious decision to be here, to be among us, to participate in our culture and contribute to it.
A shelved ordinance transferring $200,000 from a northside drainage project to a south Lafayette development may not break any laws, but it stinks to high heaven.
An effort to restore a shuttered dancehall and document other vacant or razed honky-tonks could serve as a model for saving an endangered species of entertainment.
Lafayette’s gene pool has been host to a long line of eccentric characters who have blurred the lines between crazy, genius, disturbed and curiously entertaining.
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