In the week ending March 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 229,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 226,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 223,750, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 221,500.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 4.45%, up from 4.44% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.91%, up from 3.90%.

Thursday, the Dow plunged 724.42 points (2.93%) to 23,957.89, the NASDAQ fell 178.61 points (2.43%) to 7,166.68, and the S&P 500 lost 68.24 points (2.52%) to finish at 2,643.69. The Russell 2000 closed 35.43 points (2.24%) lower at 1,543.87, and the Wilshire 5000 dropped 688.74 points (2.45%) to 27,476.91.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 18/32, bringing its yield down to 2.819%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 30/32, decreasing its yield to 3.067%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1775, American revolutionary Patrick Henry declared, “give me liberty, or give me death!” In 1806, explorers Lewis and Clark, reached the Pacific coast, and began their return journey to the east. In 1839, the first recorded printed use of “OK” [oll korrect] occurred in Boston’s Morning Post. In 1857, Elisha Otis installed the first modern passenger elevator in a public building. It was at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway in New York City. In 1858, Eleazer A. Gardner patented the cable streetcar. In 1868, the University of California was founded in Oakland, California. In 1903, the Wright brothers obtained an airplane patent. In 1912, the Dixie Cup was invented. In 1932, in the U.S., the Norris-LaGuardia Act established workers’ right to strike. In 1942, during World War II, the U.S. government began evacuating Japanese-Americans from West Coast homes to detention centers. In 1965, America’s first two-person space flight took off from Cape Kennedy with astronauts Virgil I. Grissom and John W. Young aboard. The craft was the Gemini 3. In 1972, the U.S. called a halt to the peace talks on Vietnam being held in Paris. In 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan first proposed development of technology to intercept enemy missiles. The proposal became known as the Strategic Defense Initiative and “Star Wars.” In 1983, Dr. Barney Clark died after 112 days with a permanent artificial heart. In 1990, former Exxon Valdez Captain Joseph Hazelwood was ordered to help clean up Prince William Sound and pay $50,000 in restitution for the 1989 oil spill. In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that term limits for state lawmakers were constitutional. In 1998, the movie “Titanic” won 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Severobaykalsk, Russia, a voter in Sunday’s national election decided to show he was bullish on Russia by dressing up as a bear. Russian government-controlled Sputnik News reported that the unnamed voter scared a few people with his loud roar, but that most people seemed amused. Other voters reportedly dressed in costume as well—one as a panda and one as a yeti.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a car dealership salesman who accompanied a man on the test drive said the man started driving erratically, so he told him to pull over. As the salesman tried to switch seats with the man, the driver allegedly pulled out a g.un and drove off, leaving the salesman stranded on the side of the road.

In Waterboro, Maine, an 83-year-old woman who changed her name to Jesus Christ began a letter-writing campaign 50 years ago “to spread a message of faith and peace,” she said. She recently sent a letter to Oprah Winfrey because she likes her. According to the Associated Press, Gayle King, one of the hosts of “CBS This Morning,” posted about the letter to Winfrey on Instagram, asking if it was the sign her best friend was looking for. Winfrey had said on “60 Minutes” that if God wanted her to run for president “wouldn’t God kinda tell me?”

In Marion County, Florida, a woman broke into a car at a dealership to sleep. While in there, she tossed a cigarette under the front seat, which caught the car on fire. A report from Orlando’s News 6 said deputies were called to the scene for a suspicious incident and found the woman in the car with the windshield shattered. After getting her out of the car, the woman claimed she couldn’t get out of the car, so she began to smash out the front windshield with her hands and feet.

In Eloy, Arizona, during the city’s “Day of the Dinosaurs” children’s activity in its Main Street Park, a woman dialed 911 and asked if there were dinosaurs in the park. The operator said there were and explained the event to the caller. The caller then asked, “Are they real?” according to an audio file provided to The Eloy Enterprise by the police department.

Have a great weekend, folks!