Plans to replace the Affordable Care Act are dominating conversations in Washington. Jeff Palermo has more on the proposal…
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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…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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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.
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.
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.
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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.
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%.
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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.
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.
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.
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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.
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…
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…
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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.
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.
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.
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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
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…