February Saw an Increase in Louisiana Jobs As Well as a Drop in Unemployment Rates

 February 2023 saw a good many jobs added in Louisiana as well as a drop in the unemployment rate. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commision there were 13,600 nonfarm jobs added making it 1.94 million nonfarm jobs across the state. This is up from the 1.93 million reported in January 2023 and 1.91 million reported in February 2022. In fact, the state has seen a monthly increase seven out of the eight past months.

In New Orleans there were 5,100 jobs added with 1,900 of those jobs in leisure and hospitality and 1,.600 in private education. Baton Rouge saw an increase of 2,300 with 1,800 of those jobs in civil engineering construction and 600 in health care, social assistance, professional, scientific and technical services. Lafayette saw an increase of 1,200 jobs with 400 in health services and 300 in goods producing. Lake Charles had 700 jobs added with 500 of those jobs being in private service jobs. The remaining areas reported were Houma-Thibodaux with 1,500, Shreveport-Bossier City with 1,000 and Hammond-Monroe-Alexandria with 800.

The civilian labor force in Louisiana was also up from 2.01 million in January 2023 to 2.03 million in February 2023. Along with this, the number of unemployed fell from 75,724 in January to 74,034 in February, making the unemployment rate for the state drip from 3.6% to 3.5%. For the metro areas, New Orleans went from 3.7% to 3.6%, Baton Rouge 3.2% to 3.1%, Lake Charles from 3.5% to 3.3%, Hammond dropped from 4.3% to 4.1% and Lafayette stayed the same.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.

City Park Rides Open Once Again

 The rides at Carousel Gardens in New Orleans City Park have now reopened. The Carousel Gardens Amusement Park includes rides, cafes, swings, slides and more which are fun for the whole family.

The most famous of the rides is the carousel which is now running on the weekend from 11am – 6pm and will return to weekday hours Memorial Day. The daily tickets can be purchased on a limited basis starting at $13 per admission and will include unlimited rides and entrance to Storyland. Season passes start at $85 and are good March to November, train tickets can be purchased starting at $5.50 with operation hours Wednesday to Friday 11am – 4:30pm.

“There’s a lot of history here, and our team is honored to be a part of that tradition. Every day we come to work and ask how we can make it a great experience for guests. We get to help make the memories, and we enjoy that opportunity,” says Waymon Morris, director of recreational services.

The Carousel Gardens Amusement Park is home to eighteen rides and two cafes. The area is a great place for the whole family and offers a little something for everyone. The carousel is one of the oldest carousels in the country and is known as the Flying Horses. If you are a Friends of City Park member, you will get a 20% discount on admissions and $10 off individual season passes.

Click Here For the Source of the information.

Developer Has the Go Ahead To Begin New Project on New Orleans Six Flags Property

 New Orleans Six Flags closed in 2005 after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and has sat vacant since then. Deals have tried to be reached between developers and New Orleans East in the past but have not gone through. It is finally approved for a private consortium to redevelop the property into a new project that will be put to public use.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration announced Tuesday that Bayou Phoenix, the development group led by Troy Henry, has agreed to partnership terms with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, which oversees the 227-acre site. Bayou Phoenix was chosen in October 2021 for the project. Cantrell said her administration would “not waver in our commitment to a development project that is transparent, accountable and in the best interest and of the utmost benefit of our community.”

They are hopeful that demolition of the roller coaster will begin as soon as 2023. Residents are elated by the news, but Bayou Phoenix will still hold a public forum. At the forum they will present the master plan to the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority. Once it has been approved by the authority’s board, Bayou Phoenix will sign a lease allowing them onto the site. Once the lease is signed, the 42-month redevelopment period begins. There will be benchmarks throughout the 42-month process.

“Probably the first thing is to drain the place, just to get the pump working there so you can drain the water that’s been on there for years. Probably chase a few alligators away,” said Troy Henry of Bayou Phoenix.

Once it is cleared of water, the engineers and architects can actually go onsite to see how they will clear the remaining structures. Bayou Phoenix is still in the process of securing agreements with operators and financiers.

“We don’t have commitment letters at this point in time, but we’ve got an overwhelming amount of financial interest. Nobody is going to just do this off the top of their heads, says Henry.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.

$4 Million Per Year Will Be Dedicated To Teacher Recruitment

 New Orleans (NOLA) Public School board approved for approximately $4 million a year to go to teacher retention and training. This funding is part of the “System Wide Needs Program” and was formed by the state Legislature in 2019. The approved spending plan will go from July 2023 to June 2026.

Hopefully this plan will help with NOLA public schools’ problem with declines in enrollment and teachers. The first part of the funding that is being released will help boost teacher growth. The $7 million released over three years will go to recruiting, training and placing teachers. This will hopefully help the system to reach their goal of 750 hires over the next three years. Without this funding there would be a lot of teacher programs that would go away.

The next part of the funding that will be released will be dedicated to specialized programs for students. Around $10 million over the next three years will go to partnerships that will provide an alternative school for middle school students – currently The Bridge run by Educators for Quality Alternatives – and programs targeting specific student populations. It will also include mental health and attendance support services for students with autism and career and technical training students.

They are also looking into using some of the funding to train a handful of teachers in the areas of English learner instruction, social-work services, crisis supports and trauma-informed practices. This process is already taking shape, as New School for New Orleans reported that 430 new teachers were hired in the system due to the current funding.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.