March 2018

Hiring surge added 313K jobs in February

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers went on a hiring binge in February, adding 313,000 jobs, the most in any month since July 2016, and drawing hundreds of thousands of people into the job market.

At the same time, average wages rose 2.6 percent over the past 12 months, a slowdown from January’s accelerated pace, which had spooked investors because it raised fears of high inflation. Friday’s jobs report from the government revised down January’s year-over-year wage gain by one-tenth of a point to 2.8 percent.

Ferrari fastest, Mercedes churns out miles as F1 tests end

MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Ferrari ended Formula One preseason testing with the fastest times, while Mercedes ran the most laps over the eight days at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Kimi Raikkonen’s lap of 1 minute, 17.221 seconds on Friday came within 0.039 seconds of the unofficial track record set by Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel the previous day.

Both times were set on the fast “hypersoft” tires introduced this season. The track was also resurfaced in January, hindering comparisons to previous times. Times set in testing are not considered official.

Area students attend LTLA convention

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Diamond Dog bats pound Port Barre 17-6

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The Jennings Bulldogs continued to swing the sticks well Thursday night in their opener of the Jeff Davis Bank Classic held at Bulldog Park. The Diamond Dogs pounded out 17 hits en route to an 17-6 thrashing of the Port Barre Red Devils. Kamran Richard, Nick Zeman and Peyton Mitchell combined for 10 of the Dogs’ 18 knocks, while Richard finished a perfect day at the dish by going 4-for-4 with another 5 RBI game. The junior laced 3 base hits and launched a moonshot bomb into the night sky to finish his excellent night.

Lady Dogs pummel Washington-Marion

It was a rather chilly night as the Jennings Bulldogs faced off against the Washington-Marion Chargin’ Indians at the Bulldogs softball field on the campus of Jennings High School in a district 4-3A match-up.

It was defensive start for both teams, as the Lady Dogs didn’t put up any runs until about the second inning. Washington Marion quickly followed up Jennings’ offense and also tallied 2 runs on their side of the scoreboard.

La. cruises by Texas St. 80-54 into SBC semifinal

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Frank Bartley scored 23 points, Justin Miller added 14 off the bench and Louisiana cruised past Texas State 80-54 in the Sun Belt Conference quarterfinals on Friday, keeping its record-setting season alive.

Top-seeded Louisiana (27-5) will face Appalachian State or Texas-Arlington in a Saturday semifinal.

The Ragin’ Cajuns pushed their schoolrecord for wins to 27, continuing a pace that began in conference when they won a schoolrecord 16 Sun Belt games, 15 by double digits, and earned top seed to the tournament for the first time since 2004.

Hathaway netters split pair of matches

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WELSH – The Hathaway High School Tennis Team split a pair of matches against the Welsh Greyhounds on Thursday. The Lady Hornets claimed a 5-4 win over Welsh, while the Hornets fell by a count of 6-2 to the Hounds.

On the ladies courts, Skylar Henry picked up a 6-04 singles win for Hathaway, while Ellie LeBlanc notched a victory with a 6-1 triumph. Kenzee Granger fell by a score of 6-2, while Shelby Drone dropped a tough 6-3 decision.

Iota blisters Westminster 10-3 behind 11-hit attack

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IOTA – The Iota Bulldogs used a balanced effort Thursday night to snatch a 10-3 victory over Westminster Christian Academy in the Eunice High Tournament being held at several locations. The Bulldogs used three arms to scatter 7 hits and limit the Crusaders to only 3 runs, while the potent Bulldog offense pounded out 11 knocks to earn the 10-3 win. Will Doughty and Tristan Miller continued to carry the big lumber for the Bulldogs, as the duo combined for 4 hits and drove in 3 runs.

AP sources: Eagles trade Smith to Panthers for Worley

The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade wide receiver Torrey Smith to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Daryl Worley, according to two people familiar with the deal.

The trade reached on Friday won’t be officially announced until the NFL’s league year opens next Wednesday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the trade information.

Seahawks to release star cornerback Richard Sherman

The Seattle Seahawks are cutting ties with star cornerback Richard Sherman, who became one of the NFL’s premier cornerbacks during his seven seasons with the team.

The team informed Sherman on Friday he will be released, and Sherman confirmed the decision in a text message to The Associated Press. The move appeared to be building after he met with the team Wednesday. Sherman declined to comment after the meeting.