The Department of Health and Hospitals says they plan to stop billing sexual assault victims for exams and tests. DHH spokeswoman Olivia Watkins says, under the plan, hospitals would be able to seek reimbursement for such expenses from the Crime Victim’s Reparation fund which receives fines associated with criminal cases…

cut 13 (11) “on a state level”

Watkins says they also plan to remove the requirement that survivors of sexual assault file a police report to qualify for that reimbursement.

The Gonzales Police Department says they are investigating the case of a man who was found dead in a vehicle in the Wal-Mart parking lot over the weekend. They believe 26-year-old Lucas Sanchez of Pascagoula, Mississippi went inside the store, purchased computer cleaner, and died from an overdose after huffing it inside his car. The man was discovered around 11:30 Saturday morning. Foul play is not suspected.

This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is urging parents to set rules for teens before they hit the road. Lt. Col John LeBlanc says according to a recent survey, only one in four parents had talked seriously with their teens about what it means to be a safe driver. He says if more parents got involved, the crash rate for teens would not be so high…

cut 7 (12) “or the back”

He says nobody has more of an impact on children than their parents.

An investment group has agreed to buy Pineville based Cleco for a reported $3.4 billion. Cleco Power President Darren O’Lages thinks this transaction came in at a price their shareholders will be happy with…

cut 4 (11) “supportive of it”

He says, other than no longer being a publicly traded company, it will be business as usual for Cleco under the new ownership.