Governor-elect John Bel Edwards announced his transition committee for healthcare today and says expanding Medicare is one of his top priorities. State Treasurer John Kennedy estimates it will cost about 1.5 billion dollars to add 300-thousand new people to Medicaid and he hopes the state will negotiate some terms that other states have in place…:
cut 10 (06) “percent of it”
He suggests offering incentives to patients who quit smoking or lose weight — and require able-bodied recipients to take job training or get a job.

This afternoon, Edwards is expected to announce the appointment of Republican Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne as his incoming commissioner of administration — the governor’s chief budget officer. Dardenne crossed party lines to endorse Edwards in the runoff and there were some in the GOP who called him a traitor for doing so. Edwards has promised a bipartisan cabinet when he takes office on January 11th.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating four recent heroin overdoses in the parish that have resulted in two deaths. Captain Dawn Foret says an arrest warrant is out for 27-year-old Shantelle White in connection with the overdose death of 35-year-old Christy Hurst…:
CUT 5 (11) “overdose deaths”
She says investigators are also looking into the death of 28-year-old Terry Braud of Shriever who died of an apparent overdose Thursday.

Motorists continue to enjoy falling gas prices as we get further into December. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $1.83 according to GasBuddy.com.