Health officials say at least 39-thousand people in Louisiana’s Medicaid program and prison system suffer from hepatitis C infection, which is why the state is working on a plan to purchase normally expensive hepatits C drugs at a lower a cost to treat the contagious and sometimes fatal liver disease….
cut 14 (09) “…as possible”
That’s Louisiana Health Secretary Rebekah Gee, who says the department of health’s goal is to treat over 10-thousand Medicaid-enrolles and prisoners by the end of 2020.

A Lake Charles Police officer was involved in a fatal shooting early this morning. The L-C P-D says the officer responded to a complaint that a man entered a store and threatened another individual with a gun. An officer arrived three minutes later and found the suspect and the officer involved shooting left the man with a gun dead. State Police is conducting an investigation.

The state has completed the purchase of a 515 acre track of land to resettle the residents Isle De Jean Charles community who will lose their homes on an island that will one day be covered by the Gulf of Mexico. The 11.7 million dollar land purchase outside of Schriever is the first step in relocation. State Office of Community Development executive director Pat Forbes says they hope to start construction on the new community later this year.
Cut 10 (12) “…preliminary master plan.”
The island in south Terrebonne Parish has lost 98 percent of it’s landmass since 1955.

State emergency planners are concerned about flooding along rivers with more rain in the forecast for tonight and into Saturday morning. Deputy director of GOHSEP Casey Tingle has this message for drivers who come across any flooded roadways…
cut 5 (09) “…flooded roads”