According to a story [1] in the Savannah Morning News, first-time unemployment claims in Columbus and Albany rose during the month of October.  Columbus saw 197 new claims filed, an increase of 25.5%. In Albany, unemployment claims rose from 636 in September to 700 in October, an increase of 10.1%.  Statewide, over 41,000 workers filed first-time unemployment claims, an increase of 29.1% from September and an increase of 5.2% from the number of first-time claims filed in October of 2006.