A new agreement for Hepatitis C medications is paying off big for Louisiana Medicaid and Corrections patients. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

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Savoie’s Sausage announces plans to expand its production facility in St. Landry Parish. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut  2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”    

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A new Hepatitis C treatment agreement allows the Louisiana Department of Health to treat more Medicaid and Corrections patients in 75 days than in all of Fiscal Year 2019.

Office of Public Health Assistant Secretary Dr. Alex Billioux says the agreement with Asegua for “Subscription Model” access has resulted in 2,290 people getting treatment since July 15^th.

Cut 3 (09) “…folks.”

The “Subscription Model” plan runs through the next five years.

Hep C is the deadliest infectious disease in the nation, with tens of thousands dying from related complications every year. Billioux says that’s why getting unlimited access to the pill is so crucial.

Cut 4 (08) “…infection”

The CDC estimates 3.5 million Americans live with Hep C.

Billioux says Hep C kills more Americans than all other infectious diseases combined, but you might not be aware of how deadly it is because of how slowly symptoms progress.

Cut 5 (09) “…body”

The homeless, drug users, and those who live or work in non-sterile environments are most at risk for catching Hep C.

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Grambling State completes one of the institution’s largest fundraising campaigns, collecting more than $6.6 million over the course of three years. University Vice President of Advancement Marc Newman says the school saw a 150% increase in alumni participation with more than 5,700 gifts over the course of the campaign.

Cut 6 (10) “…to do that.”

Newman says the money will support scholarships and the institution’s programs.

Cut 7 (10) “…at growing that.”

Newman says basketball star Magic Johnson’s company, SodexoMAGIC, gave the largest unrestricted donation of the campaign.

Cut 8 (12) “…higher education in general.”

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Jennings Police arrest five people connected to a Friday night shooting that left 22-year-old Dakota Chaisson dead.  The incident happened at the Wade Event Center during a private party attended by 150 people.  Chief Danny Semmes says a motive in unclear.

Cut 9 (10) “…fled the scene.”

Semmes says there was a lack of cooperation from the public, making the case challenging, but after reviewing surveillance video and witness statements, the initial arrests were made yesterday.

Cut 10 (13) “…for three others.”

Police are still seeking Keghan Moore of Lake Charles and Dymond Brown of Welsh, both facing charges of second-degree murder, and Daren Zeno of Welsh as an accessory after the fact.  Semmes says it is unusual to have so many suspects.

Cut 11 (05) “…was planned out.”

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Savoie’s Sausage and Food Products announces a 12.7-million dollar expansion at its St. Landry Parish production facility. President Frederick Lafleur says construction will begin next month on a 41-thousand square foot facility on their existing property near Opelousas

Cut 12 (09) “more customers” 

Lafleur says the expansion will take about eight months to complete and it will allow them to nearly double their production.

Cut 13 (11) “…Louisiana.”

Savoie’s was founded in 1955. Lafleur says they started talking with the state last year about expanding and they received an incentive package that includes a performance-based, forgivable loan of 100-thousand dollars…

Cut 14 (11) “…in the future”

Lafleur says once construction is completed, he’ll hire six more workers. They currently have 100 employees. The project is also expected to generate an estimated 172 construction jobs.

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Louisiana is second in the nation and leads the southeast in credit card debt burden. Jeff Palermo spoke with an expert on what to do if you need help.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Governor John Bel Edwards is set to be sworn in for a second-term on January 13th, but there will not be an inugurual ball that night because of a football game. Don Molino has more…

cut  2 (30) “…I’m Don Molino”    

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You might want to watch your spending limit on gifts this year, according to CreditCards-dot-com Louisianians have the second highest credit card debt burden in the nation.  CreditCards-dot-com analyst Ted Rossman says the typical Louisiana household carries $8,364 in credit card debt.

Cut 3 (06) “…your income.”

The report says Lousiana’s median annual household income is just $48,000, which is the fourth-lowest in the country. Rossman says when you don’t make that much money and you build up debt on a credit card, it’s hard to absolve debt. He says if you have a high credit card balance, get a zero balance transfer credit card.

Cut 4 (06) “…tremendous savings.”

He says another way to get out of debt is to dedicate 15% of your monthly income to paying off your and there’s a good chance you’ll be debt-free in a year and a half.

Cut 5 (10) “…every month”

New Mexico ranked first, West Virginia third, followed by Arkansas and Mississippi.

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32-year-old Mark Ebarb, a Dutchtown High teacher has turned himself into after being indicted on charges of Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile.

23^rd District Court spokesperson Tyler Cavalier says an investigation uncovered evidence that Ebarb had been sharing inappropriate messages and pictures with students for several years.

Cut 6 (07) “time frame”

The Advocate reports that Ebarb is a former Ascension Parish teacher of the year, and was in contention for the statewide award for 2014-2015.

The investigation began after police received a complaint about Ebarb’s behavior back in October, and  Cavalier says so far it appears the contact was not widespread.

Cut 7 (10) “…this time.”

The investigation was handled by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Cavalier says a conviction would surely end Mr. Ebarb’s career, and carry a hefty sentence.

Cut 8 (09) “…predator”

Ebarb remains employed, but a spokesperson for the school system says they are reviewing their options at this time.

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LSU remains second in the latest college football rankings, right behind Ohio State. The final rankings will be unveiled on Sunday. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the Tigers can regain the top spot if LSU wins in the SEC Championship game and Ohio State doesn’t play well in the Big 10 title game…

Cut 9 (07) “…good debate.”

LSU faces Georgia in the SEC title game on Saturday, while Ohio State takes on Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game that night. If the top three doesn’t change when the new rankings come out on Sunday, then LSU will play defending national champion Clemson in the semi-finals. Higgins says that will be a tough game….

Cut 10 (08) “…great athletes”

If LSU is upset on Saturday, most college football analysts say the Tigers will still get into the four-team college football playoff. But Higgins says LSU does not want to back into the playoffs…

Cut 11 (09) “…this game.”

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Open enrollment for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will close on December 15th. C-M-S administrator Seema Verma says if you need to change your current health plan or find a new one, time is running out

Cut 12 (08) “price deductible” 

Verma says the average premium for a benchmark health plan on the federal exchange will go down four-percent in 2020. But the Advocate newspaper published an article in October that says rates in Louisiana will go up an average of 10-percent next year.

Verma says when choosing a policy through health-care-dot-gov, you’ll notice the different plans have star ratings next to them

Cut 13 (07) “…decision making.”