Plans to replace the Affordable Care Act are dominating conversations in Washington. Jeff Palermo has more on the proposal…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Charges are expected to be filed against a Westminster Christian Academy student who hung a noose at the school’s baseball field. Halen Doughty has more…

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The sea level is rising on Louisiana’s western coast at a rate that’s four times higher than the global average. Emelie Gunn has more…

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Healthcare is the big issue in Washington. Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham of Richland Parish says federal lawmakers are heading in the right direction of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. He says they can’t leave Obamacare as it is because it’s driving up premiums and people are losing coverage.

Cut 4  (11) “fix it”

One of Governor John Bel Edwards’ biggest concerns with the replacement plan is losing Medicaid expansion. Abraham says most of the people on Medicaid are working people whose employers don’t offer insurance and who can’t afford it on their own. He says boosting the economy would resolve this.

Cut 5  (11)  “go with this”

Abraham says the bill is still in its early form with a long way to go, but he’s certain about some changes that are coming. He says rolling back the taxes created under Obamacare will be one of those changes. He says eliminating the individual and employer mandates is also a key goal for the GOP.

Cut 6 (11) “they can afford”

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Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says his biggest concern with the current Affordable Care Act is that it’s unaffordable. He says it’s the largest tax increase in US history. He says another issue is the limited access to physicians.

Cut 7 (11)  “their doctors”

Graves says in the House replacement bill, the individual mandate will be removed, and citizens will no longer be fined for not having coverage. He says he also hopes to see policies that prevent medication costs from skyrocketing. He says after Obamacare, some companies increased the cost of their drugs by 100%.

Cut 8 (10) “other countries”

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Arrests are anticipated in the case of a Westminster Christian Academy student who hung a noose at the school’s baseball field. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says three black boys were arguing with three white boys at the ball field last week when things escalated.

Cut 9 (10)  “a felony”

Both the victims and the suspect are refusing to speak without attorneys. Guidroz says the noose was hung on the batting cage at the field. He says all 6 of the boys are friends who play on the same baseball team, and the argument just got out of hand.

Cut 10 (09) “we are today”

Guidroz says fashioning a hangman’s noose is a felony that carries a penalty of a $5-thousand fine and at least a year in jail. He anticipates an arrest will be made soon, but he says they don’t want to hinder anyone’s future.

Cut 11 (11) “educational climb”

The school issued a statement saying it in no way condones the use of such racially insensitive language, behavior, or symbolism.

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Southeastern Louisiana University revamps its offerings for the summer semester by lowering tuition cost and adding high demanded courses. Director of Marketing and Admissions Mike Rivault says they wanted to have a wider variety of classes available for current students and students home for the summer from other universities.

Cut 12 (10) “have risen”

Rivault says the new course offerings include hybrid courses, which combine face-to-face and online instruction. He says the recommended course load for a student is 15 hours a semester and 30 hours a year but many students can’t…

Cut 13 (09) “as possible”

Rivault says with an anticipated net cost of less than 900-dollars for three-credit hour course, Southeastern’s summer semester will provide the highest education value with the lowest cost of four-year colleges in south Louisiana…

Cut 14 (10) “another university”

For more information visit southeastern.edu/summersmart.

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Rising sea levels are threatening the western side of Louisiana’s coast, according to a Tulane study. Co-author Torbjorn Tornqvist (Tor-bee-on Torn-quist) says they used data from the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority to determine how fast the sea level is rising.

Cut 15 (10) “the world”

Tornqvist says the reason the rate is so high in Louisiana is the coast is sinking. He says in some parts of the Mississippi River delta, sediment accumulation keeps up with the rising sea. But he says accretion is not occurring as quickly on the west side of the coast.

Cut 16 (11) “sea level rise”

Tornqvist says if nothing is done, more than 60-percent of the sites they track in the westernmost coast will go under water. He says significant coastal restoration is the only hope. But he says even those efforts might not be enough.

Cut 17 (11)  “in the future”

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The installation of a new offense is underway at LSU. Quarterback Danny Etling and the Tigers had their second practice of the spring yesterday and the starting signal caller says he has good feel for the basics of offensive coordinator’s Matt Canada’s offense

Cut 18 (16) “go a long”

The transfer from Purdue has been in several different offenses during his career and says Canada’s offense is easier to learn, because there is a system behind it.  Etling also calls the Tigers new O-C a good teacher…

Cut 19 (13)   “good relationship”

Etling says Canada preaches a quick tempo on offense and getting everyone involved…

Cut 20 (15)   “excited to do”

Louisiana is now seeing a cluster of mumps cases with students at LSU. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Energy producing areas of the state continue to see large decline in employment. Halen Doughty has more…

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The state Legislative Auditor’s Office launches an investigation into the travel spending of Louisiana State Police. The inquiry comes amid an ongoing investigation into the agency by the Governor’s Office. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera hopes this probe will lead to policy changes.

Cut 3 (09) “in the future”

LSP is under scrutiny after four troopers made stops in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon on their way to a training conference in San Diego. Reports also indicate at least one trooper may have received overtime pay while on the trip. Purpera says the goal is to uncover the truth.

cut 4  (09) “actually transpired”

LSP is conducting their own internal investigation into the side trips and possible overtime pay. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson hopes the findings of all these probes can be turned into new policy and accountability practices.

Cut 5  (09)  “welcome that”

The results from State Police’s own investigation are expected in the coming weeks. Edmonson is still at the helm of LSP, despite rumors he would step down amid ongoing investigations into his department by multiple agencies. The Superintendent says he has no plans to vacate his position.

Cut 6 (10) “State Police”

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There has been a large outbreak of mumps cases in Arkansas and we’re starting to see cases in Louisiana now. Medical Director of the state Immunization Program Dr. Frank Welch says they’ve been able to confirm at least six cases on the LSU campus. He says mumps is relatively mild but can cause some serious complications…

CUT 7 (10)  “kill people”

Welch says the U.S. used to see less than one thousand cases a year but there were over 5-thousand cases of the mumps in 2016. He says the disease is spread through saliva, so it’s important to wash your hands, cover your mouth when coughing and avoid sharing utensils.

Cut 8 (10) “health center”

LDH encourages everyone to receive two doses of the mumps vaccine which is 90-percent effective and the department has sent alerts to all doctors.  Welch says the outbreak in Arkansas is mostly in school aged children. He says even though the majority of mumps cases in Louisiana have been at LSU, they are also taking every measure to ensure young children are aware of the disease.

Cut 9 (11)  “hygiene”

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The Bureau of Labor and Statistics finds Louisiana’s unemployment rate has seen little change overall in the past year, but manufacturing and the oil and gas industry continue to see big losses. Houma lost 6,000 jobs over the year, and Lafayette lost 9,000. LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott says the loss rate in the Houma and Lafayette areas has slowed, but not enough.

Cut 10 (11) “too low”

However, other employment sectors like construction and education and health services saw tremendous gains. The Lake Charles area in particular saw an increase of 5,600 jobs over the year. Scott says the primary reason for that growth is the industrial expansion.

cut 11 (10) “96 billion”

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is just under 6-percent statewide. Baton Rouge lost 1,300 jobs over the year, but gained 4,100 in the past month. Scott says the Capitol City has a number of projects that are underway and even more that have recently been announced.

cut 12 (09) “growth path”

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Governor John Bel Edwards has sent a letter to congressional leaders urging the protection of Medicaid expansion. The governor’s communications director Richard Carbo says as the debate is underway in the nation’s capital to repeal and replace Obamacare, Edwards is standing behind the program he signed into law on his first day in office…

Cut 13 (10) “number one”

Carbo says with the money generated from the expansion, the state is able to avoid major cuts to TOPS, K-12 education and partner hospitals. He says their biggest concern with the proposed health care legislation is that thousands of Louisiana residents who were recently insured though Medicaid will lose that coverage.

cut 14 (11) “healthcare”

In the letter, Edwards acknowledged the expansion is not perfect, but changes can be made without harming the people who have been positively affected by their new healthcare. Carbo says in addition to saving lives, Medicaid expansion has been good for our economy and budget.

Cut 15 (09) “hear that” 

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