Tagged: economy

First-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Louisiana for the week ending June 30 decreased from the previous week's total.

State labor department figures released Friday show initial claims fell to 3,456 from the previous week's total of 3,633. The figure was lower than it was for the comparable week a year earlier, when there were 4,169 initial claims.

The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, decreased to 3,792 from the previous week's total of 3,972.

The city of Hammond's economy is on a 17-month roll. Sales tax receipts are up 7 percent compared to the first half of 2011. Mayor Mayson Foster says the numbers indicate not only a strong economy in Tangipahoa Parish, but also that people are staying in Hammond to make their purchases rather than going elsewhere.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Coming up, we'll meet a couple who didn't just worry when their daughters started coming home making disparaging comments about their own looks. They decided to surround the girls with positive messages that they, too, are beautiful. We'll meet them and hear what they did in just a few minutes.