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• Jefferson murder rate sees decline

  October 10, 2012 8:05 AM

  HARVEY, La. (AP) - Jefferson Parish has seen a decline in homicides so far this year compared with 2011. The Advocate reports the sheriff's office released crimes statistics Tuesday that show a nearly 40 percent decrease in homicides in unincorporated Jefferson Parish so far in 2012 compared with 2011. By... more »

• US teen births: Miss. has highest rate, NH lowest

  April 10, 2012 9:20 AM

  NEW YORK (AP) - Teen births fell again in the United States in 2010 with the highest rate once more in Mississippi, according to a new government report. Nearly every state saw a decline in teen births from 2007 to 2010, with the biggest drop in Arizona at 29 percent.... more »

• Baton Rouge area's AIDS rate tops in nation

  March 15, 2012 8:57 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Baton Rouge metro area ranks No. 1 in the nation in its rate of AIDS cases after ranking second the past two years. That's according to 2010 data released Wednesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Baton Rouge has a rate... more »

• Allstate wants a rate increase

  January 23, 2012 11:09 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Allstate Corp. is asking to raise rates for 144,000 Louisiana homeowners who get their insurance coverage from two Allstate companies. According to the state insurance department, Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate wants an average 11.3 percent increase for 71,000 homeowners covered by Allstate Insurance Co. The company is... more »

• National Birth Rate Lower

  November 17, 2011 12:53 PM

  ATLANTA - Health officials say the national birth rate continues to drop. Declines were seen in most age groups and for all races, with the rates for teens and women in their early 20s at the lowest point since record-keeping began in the 1940s. U.S. births have been dropping since... more »

• Rate on 30-year mortgage hits 5.05 pct.

  February 10, 2011 10:12 AM

  NEW YORK (AP) - The average rate on the 30-year mortgage topped 5 percent this week for the first time since April. Higher rates could further hamper the struggling housing market ahead of the spring's prime home-buying season. Freddie Mac says the average rate rose to 5.05 percent from 4.81... more »

• Flood Maps for St. Martin Parish in Effect November 4

  October 21, 2010 5:45 PM

  ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. - St. Martin Parish property owners without flood insurance are encouraged to buy coverage now to get the best possible premiums before new flood insurance rate maps go into effect on November 4, 2010. The latest flood hazard maps, known as Digital Flood Insurance Rate... more »

• Louisiana Unemployment Rate

  September 24, 2010 5:54 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - With more people looking for jobs and temporary Census jobs ending, Louisiana finished August with 13,600 more non-farm jobs in August than a year ago - a drop in the overall growth from the previous month, state labor officials said Friday. In July, the state was... more »

• LA's Unemployment Rate Rose to 7.6 Percent

  September 21, 2010 10:56 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent in August from 7.2 percent in July. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says that Louisiana was one of 27 states that recorded an increase last month, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The agency says there were 8,600... more »

• Birth Rate Declines - Due to Recession?

  August 27, 2010 12:12 PM

  The U.S. birth rate has dropped for the second year in a row, and experts think the recession is a big reason. They believe the sluggish economy has led many people to put off having children. Births last year totaled a little over 4.1 million, down almost 2.7 percent from... more »

• LA Unemployment Rate Crept up to 7.2 Percent

  August 20, 2010 12:01 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New federal statistics show that Louisiana added more than 3,000 non-farm jobs last month, but the state's unemployment rate still crept up, from 7 percent in June to 7.2 percent in July. Despite the overall increase in non-agricultural employment, the number considered unemployed in the state... more »

• Allstate Companies Get Homeowner Rate Hikes

  August 18, 2010 11:22 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana homeowners who get their insurance coverage from five companies owned by Allstate Corp. will start paying higher rates in either November or December. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon recently approved rate increases ranging from 2.9 percent to 11.6 percent, depending upon which of the Allstate umbrella... more »

• Louisiana's Unemployment Rate Crept Up

  July 20, 2010 11:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's unemployment rate crept up in June to 7 percent despite the addition of 5,800 non-farm jobs. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that Louisiana had the fourth-largest non-farm employment increase among the states last month - behind Texas, Kentucky and Arkansas. At the... more »

• Statewide Rate Of Infant Deaths

  July 9, 2010 12:37 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Accidental suffocation is the leading cause of all injury-related deaths of infants 1 month to 12 months of age in Louisiana, and the Department of Health and Hospitals is educating parents and caregivers on the best ways to keep babies safe. According to the latest figures, 53... more »

• Tour Sheds Light on Louisiana's High HIV-AIDS Rate

  July 3, 2010 5:11 PM

  ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - It's not something people like to talk about, but Louisiana has one of the highest HIV-AIDS rates in the country, and the problem particularly plagues the black community. "This is something that needs to be discussed at every dinner table, every school, every church," Dr. David... more »

• Payrolls Drop by 125K, Jobless Rate Falls

  July 2, 2010 8:43 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A wave of census layoffs cut the nation's payrolls in June for the first time in six months, while private employers added a modest number of jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent, its lowest level in almost a year. The Labor Department says employers cut... more »

• Louisiana's unemployment rate rose to 6.9 percent in May

  June 18, 2010 12:21 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's unemployment rate rose to 6.9 percent in May. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday, at the same time, the state added 11,100 jobs last month, one of the best numbers on a percentage basis in the United States. The April unemployment rate... more »

• Increased LEAP Failure Rate in Both 4th & 8th Grades

  May 26, 2010 4:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - More of Louisiana's public school students failed the state's high-stakes LEAP test this spring than they did a year earlier, according to the latest results released Wednesday by the state education department. Seventy-three percent of Louisiana's fourth- and eighth-graders passed the test, which is required... more »

• Louisiana's Unemployment Rate Dropped

  April 16, 2010 11:21 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent in March. The federal Labor Department says Louisiana was among 17 states, as well as the District of Columbia, that saw seasonally adjusted jobless rates drop from February to March. Louisiana's jobless rate for February was 7.3 percent.... more »

• LUS Again Moves Toward Rate Hike

  January 18, 2010 4:46 PM

  LUS customers may soon see an increase on their utility bills. This week, the city-parish council will hear the rate hike proposal for the second time. The proposal was denied last month, because council members insisted the proposal lacked a reason for funding. Director Terry Huval says it's... more »

• LUS Closer To Imposing Rate Hikes For Lafayette Parish Residents

  January 7, 2010 6:12 PM

  LUS officials are closer to raising rates. Today, parish officials and LUS board members toured the facilities that will be affected by the increase. At this time, they're suggesting a 7% hike to parish residents. The ordinance won’t go before the LPUA and City-Parish Council until January 19 th ,... more »

• State Farm Asks For Homeowners Insurance Rate Increase

  January 7, 2010 4:24 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., Louisiana's largest homeowners insurer, has asked for a rate hike that will average 19.1 percent statewide. The Louisiana Department of Insurance will consider the request, which could generate $67.6 million, or an average of about $229 per policyholder. The... more »

• LUS Moves Forward With Rate Hikes

  December 1, 2009 6:05 PM

  LUS Director Terry Huval makes another pitch for utility rate hikes before the city-parish council at the meeting on Tuesday night. Huval told the council increases would be used to fund improvements for water, electric and sewer systems. He's says it's an opportune time to raise rates, because fuel prices... more »

• LUS Rate Hike Hearing

  November 17, 2009 11:39 PM

  LUS Director Terry Huval made his pitch to increase utility rates at a public hearing Tuesday. With low fuel prices, Huval says it's an opportune time to raise rates. "No one, including myself wants these rates to go up, but we have to do what we have to do," Huval... more »

• Louisiana graduation rate falls

  October 19, 2009 8:46 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A new report says Louisiana suffered the biggest drop in its public high school graduation rate of any state in the Southern region over a five-year period. The study says 13 of 16 Southern states reviewed showed graduation gains between 2002 and 2006, a big... more »

• Cleco bills expected to shrink by year's end services

  October 15, 2009 7:52 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Electricity customers with Cleco Power LLC are expected to see their utility bills drop by the end of the year. That's when the company's Rodemacher 3 power plant goes on line, a petroleum coke-fired generator in central Louisiana that will offer a cheaper... more »

• LUS expected to increase utility rates

  October 5, 2009 9:27 AM

  LAFAYTTE, La. (AP) - A rate increase has been proposed for the Lafayette Utilities System but so far, city-parish council members aren't on board with the idea. Lafayette Utilities System Director Terry Huval said he expected the proposed increase to meet some resistance from some council members. But, he says,... more »