Plans to move violent youth offenders from Bridge City to Angola are on hold. Brooke Thorington has more.
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The CDC says Louisiana’s life expectancy dropped by three years between 2019 and 2020. The state is ranked 49th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Marsanne Golsby has more.
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After several insurance companies have left our state Louisiana Citizens, the state’s last-resort property insurer has doubled its number of customers. Kevin Gallagher reports what that may mean, as the height of storm season approaches…:
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Plans to move violent youth offenders from the Bridge City Center for Youth to Angola are on hold after attorneys representing Louisiana youth and their families filed a motion on the grounds that it violates a juvenile’s due process. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says it has merit because the US Supreme Court says you can’t treat juveniles the same as adults.
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A trial on the matter is scheduled for September 6th and 7th.
While the adult prison system’s purpose is also rehabilitation, it also includes retribution and public protection. However, Ciolino says today’s youth offender has become increasingly more violent.
Public safety came to the forefront after the most recent incident involving escapees from the Bridge City facility resulted in the shooting of a 59-year-old man who remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Judge Shelly Dick has ordered the state to submit a detailed plan on the proposed transfer to the court by September 2nd prior to the trial. Ciolino says the plan must demonstrate how they will keep youth offenders separate from the adult population and that those juveniles will continue to receive adequate rehabilitation services.
In addition to their detailed plan, the state has to provide the proposed list of juveniles to be transferred to Angola along with their guardian’s information to the court by Wednesday. Attorneys who filed the complaint have until Monday to interview juveniles who reside in the Bridge City facility.
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Louisiana ranks 49th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in life expectancy. That’s according to the latest CDC data which says Louisiana’s life expectancy in 2020 was 73 years, a decline of almost three years from 2019. Dr. Benjamin Springgate is Chief of Community and Population Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans and he says the pandemic played a significant role in a lower life expectancy…
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He says the increase is due to a combination of COVID deaths, poor health care, and drug deaths. He says the increase in drug deaths is tied to the opioid crisis and stressors caused by the COVID pandemic.
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Springgate recommends the state invest more in access to prevention treatment, which is far more cost-effective than jamming emergency rooms.
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It’s not all bad news though. Springgate says the expansion of access to insurance and health care means Louisiana is definitely making progress. He believes Louisiana is slowly moving in the right direction.
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State officials say fatal vehicle crashes caused by drunk drivers are the leading cause of highway deaths—and the problem appears to be getting worse. The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says drunken driving deaths were up eleven percent in 2020 compared to 2019. Spokesperson Mark Lambert says 40-percent of fatal accidents are caused by drunk drivers.
The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign is underway through Labor Day.
Lambert says the Commission pays for extra law enforcement patrols during peak driving times, such as Labor Day. They are specially trained to look for the signs of drunk drivers.
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As the state heads into the heart of hurricane season, the state-run last-resort property insurer, Louisiana Citizens, has doubled its number of properties covered in just two years. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says Citizens was covering 50-thousand before Hurricane Laura in 2020, But after Laura and Delta – followed by Hurricane Ida last year – another 50-thousand have had no choice but to go with Citizens. He says that’s about 100-thousand policies…:
Donelon says Citizens – like all other property insurers – needs re-insurance; basically their own insurance to cover the cost of claims. He says Citizens’ current re-insurance coverage is for 50-thousand policies…:
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Citizens has $150-million on-hand; ready to meet the possible demand of 2022 storm claims. Donelon says the bulwark insurer requested a line of credit from the state Bond Commission last week…:
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Donelon says Citizens’ customers needn’t fear they will not be covered if there is a disaster this year. By law, they WILL be. If necessary, assessments will be added to ALL property policies in the state, as they were after Katrina and Rita in 2005.
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Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was still not at practice Tuesday, but quarterback Jameis Winston and defensive end Marcus Davenport took part in team drills. Davenport is coming back after offseason shoulder surgery and having a part of his left pinkie amputated. Coach Dennis Allen says he’s pleased with Davenport’s progress, but there’s still more work…
Saints tight end Taysom Hill was back at practice yesterday after missing a few days with an injury. Allen says Hill is also progressing well…
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LSU Coach Brian Kelly is not ready to make a decision on starting quarterback. Kelly says Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier are neck-and-neck…
Kelly knows they’ll have to make a decision in the next few days with the season opener right around the corner on September fourth against Florida State….
On the defensive side of the football, sophomore defensive tackle Maason Smith is expected to have a big season. Kelly likes that Smith wants to get better…