New leadership: Gov. Jeff Landry has tapped Scott Ballard as the next chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Ballard, a Covington businessman, was appointed to the board last year. Landry also announced the appointment of New Orleans attorney Roderick “Rio” Alvendia to the board, replacing former chair Jimmie Woods. Read more from Louisiana Illuminator.
Picking up: U.S. hiring picked up unexpectedly in December as employers added a strong 256,000 jobs, another sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of high interest rates. Job growth rose 212,000 last month from November, the Labor Department reported Friday. Read more from The Associated Press.
Grounded: More than 2,000 flights were grounded on Friday by the winter storm making its way through the U.S. South. More than 590 of the flights pass through Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be required.
