The US Department of Health and Human Services reports, with 10 days before open enrollment ends, nearly 150,000 Louisianians have signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Eric Gill has more…
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Abita Brewing Co. in Abita Springs has fired back at Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial which essentially says craft beer is for snobs. Michelle Southern has that…:
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With 10 days before open enrollment ends, nearly 150,000 Louisianians have signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Billy Justice, Director of Marketing for Vantage HealthPlan in Monroe, feels people are getting more knowledgeable about the health care marketplace…
Last year, almost 102,000 residents purchased health care plans through the federal marketplace. Justice says almost all of the carriers increased their premiums this year and the biggest challenge facing returning consumers is going back to recalculate their subsidy…
CUT 4 (08) “paying each month”
With only a week and a half left, Justice encourages people who are in need of health insurance to check out the marketplace. He says the plans come from private insurance companies and there are plenty of options for residents who need to sign up…
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Abita Brewing Co. in Abita Springs has fired back at Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial which essentially says craft beer is for snobs. Other small brewers throughout the country are doing the same. The beer giant’s commercial shows people sniffing beer and saying brews shouldn’t be fussed over. Abita President David Blossman says they are proud to fuss over beer
Blossman says they like to use Louisiana produce in their beers such as strawberries and satsumas to highlight what is uniquely Louisiana. The Budweiser commercial says “let them sip their pumpkin peach ale” and Abita responded to that with a video on YouTube bragging about making just such a beer once on a small scale…:
CUT 7 (09) “to point that out”
In Abita’s video they say “We’re not a dog and pony show” — taking a jab at the popular Budweiser puppy/Clydesdale commercial. Blossman also says Budweiser suggests their beer is “brewed the hard way.” He says he has no idea what that means…:
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Noranda Alumina in St. James Parish is asking the state department of environmental quality for permission to release mercury into the air, after learning they may have been doing so without a permit since they began operations in 1959. D-E-Q spokesperson Greg Langley says the refinery could be fined for releasing mercury without a permit
Langley says D-E-Q doesn’t monitor for mercury releases on a regular basis, so it needs to be determined how much mercury may have been released and for how long, before a potential fine is handed down….
Langley says Noranda recently discovered that they were releasing mercury into the air. He says now the company is seeking a permit, so they can operate legally….
cut 11 (10) “those are factors”
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In an effort to reduce employee payroll in the face of budget cuts, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain is offering employees an early retirement incentive rather than layoff employees. This early retirement incentive is an effort to comply with budget cuts required to balance the state budget. Strain says his department has already seen two mid-year budget cuts…
Strain says a third budget cut is making the early retirement offers necessary. This plan is expected to result in continuing payroll savings and lessen layoffs next budget year. Strain says any further reduction in staff will make it difficult for his department to perform their constitutional job…
Strain says the department staff has been reduced from 1,006 in 2007 to under 540 today. He says this is their fourth layoff avoidance plan since he assumed office in 2008. Strain says despite the budget woes, they will continue to work to fulfill the critical mission of the agency…
cut 14 (08) “12 billion dollars”
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