Two new laws were passed to address the opioid epidemic, but East Baton Rouge Parish coroner Dr. Beau Clark says more can still be done. Jeff Palermo has more…
______________________________________
The Edwards administration is very concerned about the Republican Senate healthcare bill, while others are encouraged. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”
______________________________________
LSU’s backs are against the wall again. Jeff Palermo reports the Tigers need to win tonight to force a third and deciding game of the CWS championship series…
__________________________________
Even after lawmakers passed two laws aimed at addressing the state’s opioid epidemic, experts say more can be done to solve the growing problem. East Baton Rouge Parish coroner Dr. Beau Clark says the new laws are phase one, which is to stop creating new addicts by limiting opioid prescriptions. But he says many people are already living with an addiction, and they need treatment.
Clark says the challenge with treating these people is that rehabs are not funded on the state level, which is why many addicts end up in prisons. He says addiction is an illness that belongs in a medical facility, not the judicial system. But he says that takes money.
In 2016, 34 people died of heroin overdoses in East Baton Rouge Parish, and there’s already been 20 overdose deaths in 2017. Clark says another key component to addressing the opioid epidemic is getting drug dealers off the streets. He says it will take law enforcement targeting drug cartels that bring heroin into the state.
________________________________________________________
A father and son have been cited for killing a Louisiana black bear in Iberia Parish. Adam Einck with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says agents found the bear shot to death in November of 2015. He says the bullet was pulled from the bear during a necropsy.
Einck says an extensive investigation followed resulting in the citation against 59-year-old Elie Dupre and his 15-year-old son. Both are from New Iberia. He says the charge of illegally killing a Louisiana black bear carries serious penalties.
Cut 8 (10) “ten thousand dollars”
The bear was a 9-year-old female that was part of a long term monitoring program and wore a tracking device. Einck says while this bear provided a lot of essential data to LDWF, it’s important to protect all Louisiana black bears because they are a protected species.
__________________________________________________________
The Republican Senate healthcare bill has the Edwards administration very concerned about the future of healthcare in Louisiana. State Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee says if passed as is, the bill would result in up to 500,000 Louisianans losing their insurance.
Cut 10 (11) “affordable care now”
Gee says this bill also does not address one of the biggest concerns that came after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, like the rising cost of health insurance. She says the Senate’s plan will actually drive up insurance costs even more.
Gee says this healthcare bill could also impact the state’s economy. She says it ties healthcare reimbursement to medical inflation. She says that could mean Louisiana’s budget would upswing up to a billion dollars from one year to the next.
Supporters of the bill say it will save federal dollars and lower insurance premiums for patients. Louisiana Family Forum President Gene Mills likes that the bill repeals the federal mandate to purchase insurance. He says it all comes down to making healthcare affordable for as many people as possible.
____________________________________________________________
A three-run fourth inning was the difference last night as Florida held on for a 4-3 victory over the LSU Tigers in Game 1 of the championship series of the CWS. LSU starting pitcher Russell Reynolds was excellent through three innings, but three consecutive walks in the 4th inning led to three Florida runs. LSU Coach Paul Mainieri wishes he took Reynolds out after the 3rd inning…
Despite the 3-0 deficit in the 4th inning, LSU battled back to close the gap to one run on two occasions, but couldn’t get over the hump. Mainieri says it was a great effort by his players…
LSU needs to win tonight to send the series to a third and deciding game. Mainieri says he’s still confident the Tigers can win their seventh national championship, because of the starting pitchers that are scheduled to throw in Games 2 and 3…