News

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing further into record heights after a report showed the U.S. job market looks stronger than Wall Street expected. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% Thursday and was on track to set an all-time high for the fourth time in five days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 334 points, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. The reaction was bigger in the bond market, where Treasury yields jumped. The strong data on U.S. jobs pushed traders to erase bets that the Federal Reserve could cut its main interest rate at its next meeting later this month.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has discovered an interstellar comet that's wandered into our backyard. The space agency spotted the object with the sky-surveying Atlas telescope in Chile earlier this week, and has confirmed it was a comet from another star system. It's only the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system. This newest visitor is 416 million miles from the sun, out near Jupiter. The comet will make its closest approach to the sun in October, venturing no closer than Mars and posing no threat to Earth. Astronomers around the world are monitoring the comet to determine its size and shape.

La. Gov. Jeff Landry recently signedabillthatwouldsignificantly reform regulations of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to enhance transparency and fairness concerning compensation and reimbursement practices.

WELSH — Two town employees here will see a bump in pay after the Welsh Board of Aldermen held a public hearing to determine a pay increase for the chief of police and to set the salary for the new clerk.

ELTON — A decision could not be reached this week concerning upgrades and maintenance funding for the town’s park. Mayor Mike Pierrotti and the council are torn as to future plans for the public facility, which includes two baseball fields, a pavilion and a play area, all situated on land the town leases from the Catholic church.

— Louisiana officials expressed concern on Monday about a project to build a new Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge, which will now be delayed another few months.

WELSH — Junior high school students are invited to participate in fun and educational classes hosted by a parish church.

— Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation on Monday intended to address the state's insurance crisis and the reorganization of the state Department of Transportation and Development.