In the week ending August 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 282,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week’s revised level, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 275,500, an increase of 3,250 from the previous week’s revised average.                                                

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.89%, up from 3.84%, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.09%, up from 3.06%.

Major U.S. stock indices ended mostly higher after the head of the European Central Bank said it’s ready to give the region a bigger dose of stimulus should inflation fail to pick up, the Associated Press reports. The Dow closed 23.38 points (0.14%) higher at 16,374.76, the NASDAQ was down 16.48 points (0.35%) at 4,733.50, and the S&P 500 increased 2.16 points (0.11%) to 1,951.02. The Russell 2000 slipped nearly one point (0.08%) to 1,145.15, and the Wilshire 5000 gained 32.22 points (0.16%) to finish at 20,590.63.                                      

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares changed hands, with 1.8 advancing issues for every declining issue. On the NASDAQ, nearly 2.8 billion shares traded, with an even split between advancers and decliners.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was up 7/32, decreasing its yield to 2.160%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond increased 8/32, bringing its yield down to 2.941%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1609, English navigator Henry Hudson began exploring the island of Manhattan. In 1781, Los Angeles, California, was founded by Spanish settlers. The original name was “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula.” In 1833, Barney Flaherty answered an ad in “The New York Sun” and became the first newsboy/paperboy at the age of 10. In 1882, Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street electric power station began operations in New York City. It was the first display of a practical electrical lighting system. In 1886, Geronimo, and the Apache Indians he led, surrendered in Skeleton Canyon in Arizona to General Nelson Miles. In 1888, George Eastman registered the name “Kodak” and patented his roll-film camera. The camera took 100 exposures per roll. In 1951, the first live, coast-to-coast TV broadcast took place in the U.S. The event took place in San Francisco, California, from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference. In 1957, the Ford Motor Company began selling the Edsel. The car was so unpopular that it was taken off the market after only two years. In 1967, “Gilligan’s Island” aired for the last time on CBS-TV. It ran for 98 shows. In 1971, “The Lawrence Welk Show” was seen for the last time on ABC-TV. In 1998, Google was incorporated as a privately held company.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Orient, Maine, police say a 29-year-old man was driving with seven passengers who decided to take a group selfie. The driver leaned over to join the photo, ran off the road and into a tree. According to the local NBC News station, several passengers suffered injuries, including cuts, a fractured nose and neck and back injuries. The driver was cited for failing to maintain control of a motor vehicle due to being distracted.

In Acailandia, Brazil, two men on a motorcycle approached three women and demanded their cell phones. But, they didn’t realize the women had just left jiu-jitsu training and one was an MMA fighter. Realizing that the men were unarmed, MMA fighter Monique Bastos lifted the rear wheel of the motorcycle and sent them tumbling to the ground, according to MMAfighting.com. One man was able to get away, but Bastos put the other in a chokehold with her legs and held him until police arrived.

In Bradenton, Florida, a man was arrested after attacking his mom—with potato salad. According to The Smoking Gun, when the woman and her son sat down to dinner, they got into an argument and the son started pelting her with potato salad in the face. Allegedly he pushed her to the floor, and when she threatened to call 911, he fled the house on a bicycle. A police officer, who said the man seemed into.xicated, stopped him a few blocks from the home and arrested him. He is charged with a misde.meanor battery count and a probation violation.

In Winchester, Kentucky, a man hired a pros.ti.tute who stole his wallet and fled. He went after the woman and when he reached her apartment door, he started banging on it and yelling and saying he was a police officer. According to the local CBS News station, a concerned neighbor called police. When a real police officer showed up, the man told him to go away because he was a police officer. When the real police officer tried to get the man away from the door, the man charged at him, and the real officer tased the man. The man was charged with impersonating a peace officer, menacing, disorderly conduct and public into.xication.                    

In Denver, Colorado, two would-be robbers had a bad day. The local ABC News station reports that the two men first approached a couple on a train, and demanded money at gu.npoint. The couple didn’t have any money, so the suspects walked away. The men then approached a second couple, who pointed out that their g.un wasn’t loaded, so they couldn’t even shoot them. When the train stopped, the two men ran, and one of them loaded the g.un while he ran. When they approached another group of people, a fight ensued and the man with the g.un lost it in the fight and was shot. He was taken to the hospital, and the other man was arrested.