WASHINGTON (AP) ? New claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week while the number of people continuing to seek aid rose sharply, the government said Thursday.

The Labor Department reported that initial applications for unemployment insurance dropped by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 467,000 for the week ending Jan. 3. Wall Street economists expected initial claims to increase to 540,000. The figure partly reflects seasonal volatility that occurs around the New Year's holiday.

The four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out fluctuations, fell by 27,000 to 525,750.

But the number of people continuing to claim jobless benefits jumped unexpectedly by 101,000 to 4.61 million. That was above
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? New claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week while the number of people continuing to seek aid rose sharply, the government said Thursday.

The Labor Department reported that initial applications for unemployment insurance dropped by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 467,000 for the week ending Jan. 3. Wall Street economists expected initial claims to increase to 540,000. The figure partly reflects seasonal volatility that occurs around the New Year's holiday.

The four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out fluctuations, fell by 27,000 to 525,750.

But the number of people continuing to claim jobless benefits jumped unexpectedly by 101,000 to 4.61 million. That was above
see more on NewsOK.com

One vehicle accident is reported this morning on Oklahoma City-area roads.

At 6:45 a.m., the accident site was on NW 23 at Purdue Avenue.
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A wheelchair-bound man was killed during a drive-by shooting in north Tulsa on Wednesday afternoon. 

Fire officials are trying to determine how an early morning Tulsa house fire started, but they do know the fire started in the bedroom of the home.

A multi-million dollar battle is brewing over the future of Tulsa's SemGroup. 

Tulsa Police are looking for a man who may have robbed two businesses overnight.

Tulsa Police say the security guard was not hurt and went to a nearby convenience store to call for help.