The price of US crude oil has fallen to its lowest in four months and this creates a negative impact on economies in Louisiana. The current price for a barrel of US crude is just $45, down from $61 a barrel on June 10th. LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott says the drop has caused job loss in communities heavily tied to oil and gas, like Lafayette and Houma…:
CUT 6 (08) “them at all”
He says rig work has dropped by nearly half of what they were a year ago. But he feels supply will go down heading into the fall which should cause the price of oil to start going back up.

Fire investigators believe a house fire which resulted in the death of a 58-year-old man in Baton Rouge Monday night was started by a child playing with a lighter. The man has been identified as Martin Osigwe (Aus-Sig-We) and the coroner determined he died of carbon monoxide toxicity. Authorities say four other people in the home escaped the blaze.

The Colorado State University forecast team puts out its updated forecast for the 2015 hurricane season and it looks the same as the one released at the start of the season. The report is still predicting eight named storms, much less than an average season. A strong El Nino in the Pacific Ocean is one reason they cite.

The Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office says a woman was killed this morning after being hit by a Kansas City Southern Freight train near the Lincoln Parish line. Sheriff John Ballance says engineers sounded the horn multiple times to alert the woman to move away from the tracks…:
CUT 11 (10) “struck her”
He says they believe the woman was killed instantly and the accident is under investigation.