GOP lawmakers express their concerns to state health officials over audits that show misspent dollars within the Medicaid program. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
Over a thousand students packed the lawn for UL Systems day to call attention to the needs of the 92,000 students studying at one of nine system colleges. U-L System President Jim Henderson celebrated the fact that this year’s event was certainly more upbeat than last year’s.

The Senate has gone home for the week and won’t be back until Monday.
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After failing for five months to recognizing additional revenues, the four member Revenue Estimating Conference adopted an income forecast that will give lawmakers an additional 110-million dollars in this year’s budget to spend and another 119-million dollars in next year’s budget.
House Speaker Taylor Barras “Yes” vote broke the gridlock, but he had previously blocked attempts to raise the forecast earlier this year because he was concerned the state may not collect as much money as projected. The House Speaker relented on Wednesday after hearing revenue projections from two different economists…
Cut 8 (09) “…we can get.”
Legislation in the House is bringing attention to law enforcement profiling of motorcycle riders. Many Representative Frank Howard says is sponsoring a bill that would add a 30 minute motorcyclist profiling awareness session to the training academy.
Cut 13 (08) “…over the state.”

House Republican lawmakers grilled state health officials about the growing Medicaid budget and whether the state is doing enough to prevent waste or misspending. Health Secretary Rebekah Gee says mistakes will be made with a large government program, but they are trying to control spending and pointed to the recent removal of 30-thousand people from Medicaid, because they made too much money…
Cut 4 (09) “…this program”

After failing for five months on recognizing additional revenues, the Revenue Estimating Conference adopted an income forecast that gives the state an additional 229 million dollars that it can spend between this fiscal year and next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne is glad the stalemate over revenue projections is over
Cut 9 (11) “…is gonna be”
The extra revenue can help fund teacher pay raises and the governor also wants to put more money towards colleges and public safety programs.

Democrat Charlie Greer of Natchitoches Parish is running for Agriculture Commissioner against incumbent Mike Strain, touting his 20 year career in the Ag Department, and time in law enforcement. Greer says if elected, he would push hard for the regulated production of industrial hemp, and hemp adjacent products to revitalize the state’s lagging Ag.
Cut 13 (10) “…in it.”
Greer also ran in 2015 and received 30 percent of the vote.

A 28-year-old Opelousas man is accused of stabbing his mother to death. St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Eddie Thibodeaux says Cody James Arceneaux and his mother were involved in an argument when the mother grabbed a knife…
Cut 11 (10) “…could stab her.”
When deputies arrived they found Arceneaux curled up on the floor with a bloody towel in his hands.

The House Appropriations Committee is hearing from every state agency as they put together a spending plan for next fiscal year. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds says the health department’s budget is set to grow to nearly 15-billion dollars and they need confidence the money will be spent wisely
Cut 5 (11) “…we have.”
It was revealed during the hearing that 16-hundred people making at least 100-thousand dollars a year were covered by Medicaid, which is way above the income threshold. But Health Secretary Rebekah Gee says an upgraded computer system should make sure ineligible residents are not receiving taxpayer funded health care
Cut 6 (11) “…very well”

Republican Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain will have an opponent in the October primary. Democrat Charlie Greer of Natchitoches Parish says he’s running against Strain again. Greer received 30-percent of the vote in 2015, when Strain was re-elected to a third term. Greer blames Strain for causing the series of delays when it comes to the legal dispensing of medical marijuana. Strain says he’s just following the law to ensure the product is safe, but Greer isn’t buying it…
cut 14 (11) “…in place”
Greer says if elected, he would also push hard for the regulated production of industrial hemp.

The National Transportation Safety Board says the three children from Avoyelles Parish that were ejected from their church van in a fiery crash on Florida Highway in January where wearing seat belts. The Center for Auto Safety says while seatbelts remain an indispensable safety tool, they are not infallible.

House Republican lawmakers grilled state health officials about the growing Medicaid budget and whether the state is doing enough to prevent waste or misspending. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds is concerned the health department’s budget is set to grow by another billion dollars
Cut 3 (12) “…L-D-H.”
It was revealed during the hearing that 16-hundred people making at least 100-thousand dollars a year were covered by Medicaid.
After failing for five months on recognizing additional revenues, the Revenue Estimating Conference adopted an income forecast that will give lawmakers an additional 110-million dollars in this year’s budget to spend and another 119-million dollars in next year’s budget. House Speaker Taylor Barras “Yes” vote broke the gridlock
Cut 7 (11) “…budget work.”
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An Opelousas man is arrested following the stabbing death of his mother. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
Democrat Charlie Greer of Natchitoches Parish is running for Agriculture Commissioner against incumbent Mike Strain, slamming his opponet for repeated delays in the release of medical marijuana. Greer says the delays have been unacceptable.
Cut 15 (09) “…put that”
Strain denies impeding medical cannabis progress.

After failing for five months on recognizing additional revenues, the Revenue Estimating Conference adopted an income forecast. The extra revenue recognized can help the state pay for raises for teachers and the governor also wants to put more money towards colleges and public safety programs. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne is glad the stalemate over revenue projections is over with

Cut 9 (11) “…is gonna be”

An Opelousas man is in jail suspected of stabbing his mother to death.  Detectives arrested 28 year old Cody James Arceneaux on Monday after receiving 911 calls from a witness inside the home and from the suspect.  Deputy Chief Eddie Thibodeaux says by the time deputies arrived, they found the suspect curled up on the floor holding his hands in a bloody towel, but were too late to help the victim.

Cut 12 (05) “…we got there.”

The victim has been identified as Vicky Granger.

GOP lawmakers express their concerns to state health officials over audits that show misspent dollars within the Medicaid program. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Democrat Charlie Greer of Natchitoches Parish is running for Agriculture Commissioner against incumbent Mike Strain, touting his 20 year career in the Ag Department, and time in law enforcement.

Greer says if elected, he would push hard for the regulated production of industrial hemp, and hemp adjacent products to revitalize the state’s lagging Ag.

Cut 13 (10) “…in it.”

Greer ran for the office in 2015, finishing with 30 percent of the vote.

House Republican lawmakers grilled state health officials about the growing Medicaid budget and whether the state is doing enough to prevent waste or misspending. It was revealed during the hearing that 16-hundred people making at least 100-thousand dollars a year were covered by Medicaid, which is way above the income threshold.
Health Secretary Rebekah Gee says mistakes will be made with a large government program, but they are trying to control spending and pointed to the recent removal of 30-thousand people from Medicaid, because they made too much money…
Cut 4 (09) “…this program”
The House Appropriations Committee is hearing from every state agency as they put together a spending plan for next fiscal year. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds says they need confidence that money is spent wisely.
Cut 5 (11) “…we have.”
__________________________________
After failing for five months on recognizing additional revenues, the Revenue Estimating Conference adopted an income forecast that will give lawmakers an additional 110-million dollars in this year’s budget to spend and another 119-million dollars in next year’s budget. Governor John Bel Edwards says the action by the R-E-C that Louisiana has an improving economy and budget surpluses.
Cut 8 (10) “…opinion on that.”
House Speaker Taylor Barras “Yes” vote broke the gridlock.
An Opelousas man is in jail suspected of stabbing his mother to death. Deputy Chief Eddie Thibodeaux says Arceneaux claims his mother tried grab the knife to stab him, slicing the suspect in the process. He then regained the kitchen knife and began to attack her.
Cut 11 (10) “…could stab her.”
Detectives arrested 28 year old Cody James Arceneaux on Monday.

After failing for five months on recognizing additional revenues, the Revenue Estimating Conference adopted an income forecast that will give lawmakers an additional 110-million dollars in this year’s budget to spend and another 119-million dollars in next year’s budget. House Speaker Taylor Barras “Yes” vote broke the gridlock

Cut 7 (11) “…budget work.”

An Opelousas man is in jail suspected of stabbing his mother to death.  Detectives arrested 28-year-old Cody James Arceneaux on Monday after receiving 911 calls from a witness inside the home and from the suspect.  Deputy Chief Eddie Thibodeaux says an argument quickly escalated into violence.

Cut 10 (07) “…out of control.”

The victim has been identified as Vicky Granger.

House Republican lawmakers grilled state health officials about the growing Medicaid budget and whether the state is doing enough to prevent waste or misspending. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds is concerned the health department’s budget is set to grow by another billion dollars

Cut 3 (12) “…L-D-H.”

It was revealed during the hearing that 16-hundred people making at least 100-thousand dollars a year were covered by Medicaid, which is way above the income threshold. But Health Secretary Rebekah Gee says an upgraded computer system should make sure ineligible residents are not receiving taxpayer funded health care

Cut 6 (11) “…very well”