Governor Edwards plans to call a special session in February to tackle the fiscal cliff. Kelley Ray gets reaction form the head of the House Republican Delegation…
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A Report from the University of Kansas showed 7% decrease in the use of ambulances in cities that have the ride service Uber. Matt Doyle has more.
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Governor Edwards revealed his plan to help cover a one-billion-dollar deficit. It includes taxing services such as cable TV, but also reducing the state sales tax from five to four percent. Edwards plans on calling a special session in February to consider his tax proposals. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says the House Republican delegation is still discussing the best options to address the fiscal cliff…
Other recommendations from the governor include businesses paying higher sales taxes on utilities and changes to individual income tax brackets. Harris is non-committal on these plans, but they are worthy of discussion…
Harris says right now they know one-point-one billion dollars in tax revenues will be going away on July 1st, but the deficit could be lowered based on the tax reform package that Congress is set to approve…
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A university of Kansas finds Uber customers are increasingly using the ride service for trips to the emergency room, instead of an ambulance. Chief of Emergency Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, Dr. Keith Van Meter, sympathizes with a desire to save money, but warns there are some things an Uber can’t do.
Van Meter says sometimes people feel their illness is not that significant, and all they needs is an uber to get to the hospital, but that could be a mistake…
Despite some concerns Van Meter says that he sees some potential in the idea…
The study showed ambulance use has declined 7% in cities with Uber.
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Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director James Waskom says they plan to work towards having the state officially partner with the Cajun Navy for future disasters. He told the Baton Rouge Press Club they are working on legislation that would establish some type of credibility for the citizen groups…
Waskom says it would be beneficial for GOHSEP to know who these people are, and where they are being dispatched to rescue people during an emergency..:
The Cajun Navy groups comprise of private boat owners who assist in search and rescue efforts and are credited with saving thousands of citizens during the 2016 Louisiana floods and Hurricane Harvey. Waskom says they realize that these volunteers are not going away, so the state might as well team up with them…:
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A Shreveport man was arrested, and his wife is facing charges after Caddo Parish deputies responded to a call alleging child abuse against a six month old toddler. Seth Sepulvado was charged with child desertion and cruelty to juveniles, and Beia Sepulvado was charged with child desertion. Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says…
Chadwick says further investigation revealed that the couple had left their child alone for at least an hour while she was three months old…
Chadwick says Sepulvado was charged with cruelty after learning how the child got her bruises…
The child is now in protective services.
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The U-S House approves a one-point-five trillion dollar tax package that supporters say will provide tax relief for working families, but opponents say only the rich will see tax breaks. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana says on average, families will see over two-thousand dollars more in their paychecks every year…
Louisiana’s GOP Congressional delegation voted for the tax bill, while New Orleans Democrat Cedric Richmond voted against it. Richmond says this legislation will only give tax breaks to the top one-percent of income earners. Scalise disagrees and says the measure also simplifies the tax code…