A Legislative task force is taking up the question of whether the state should ditch the current jungle primary system and move to closed primaries for elections. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The fallout from the pandemic is not only being felt in the economy but also among women seeking OB/GYN care. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Algiers based Edna Karr High fights for its fifth consecutive football state championship tonight against Carencro. Matt Doyle spoke with Karr’s coach Brice Brown…
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A Legislative task force is studying whether Louisiana should move to a closed primary system and will submit its recommendations by the next regular session.
Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the current jungle primary system was implemented in 1975 to limit Democrat on Democrat attacks during statewide elections.
Under the jungle primary system candidates of all parties compete to head to a run-off. Under a closed primary candidates of the same party compete against each other for a spot in the general election, and no party/third party voters may not participate in the primary.
Pinsonat says one of the arguments in favor of moving to closed primaries is that it would end the state’s awkward, low-turnout December run-off elections.
The task force is being led by Republican Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt, with a change to a closed primary vocally supported by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Attorney General Jeff Landry, and Democratic Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields.
The question seems to come up just about every year but Pinsonat says a move to closed primaries is opposed by people who stand to lose from the shift.
The closed primary system was attempted for Congressional races in 2008 and 2010 but was rejected in 2012.
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Nine months into the pandemic some OB/GYN clinics are seeing an influx of patients, but it’s not what you think. Dr. Karli Boggs, Clinical Director at the LSU Clinic at Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge says they are overwhelmed.
Dr. Boggs says many of their new patients are women who lost health insurance along with the jobs, and now have Medicaid coverage. Boggs says the average wait to schedule a gynecological visit as opposed to obstetrics is three months or more.
Another alarming issue from the pandemic, Dr. Boggs says they are seeing more OB patients than usual that are experiencing domestic abuse.
Boggs says if you are a victim of domestic abuse to let your physician know, and they can assist you with resources, or local law enforcement.
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Edna Karr is gunning for their fifth high school football state championship in a row tonight as they take on Carencro for the Class 4A title at 6 PM in Natchitoches.
Cougars’ head coach Brice Brown says the secret to their success has been staff continuity.
Karr is coming off a dominant 35-13 win over Easton back on December 18th, their closest game of the playoffs. The Cougars clobbered Istrouma 70-19 in the second round back on December 4th.
Brown says his championship-winning teams all have one thing in common with this year’s group, they don’t quit.
Edna Karr is a New Orleans team based in Algiers.
Brown says his secondary came into the season full of fresh faces and inexperienced sophomores but has played up to the Karr standard.
Carencro, the 1st seed in Class 4A, has been even more dominant than Karr in this year’s playoffs, most recently coming off a 49-7 win over Neville.
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Former Governor Edwin Edwards turned down a COVID vaccine over the weekend when he was at LSU-Health Shreveport over the weekend for routine medical tests. Edwards biographer Leo Honeycutt says Edwards felt it would be better used on a healthcare worker at the moment.
Honeycutt says 93-year old Edwards has tested negative for COVID three times in the past two months but didn’t want to jump the line for a vaccine.
Currently, healthcare workers who work directly with COVID patients are being vaccinated first in Louisiana. Honeycutt says Edwards plans to get vaccinated when it’s his turn.
Edwards was hospitalized twice in November and diagnosed with double-pneumonia on his second visit.