More and more Louisiana homeowners are having their homeowners insurance policies cancelled. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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SNAP recipients in Louisiana began receiving food assistance benefits on their EBT cards this past weekend. Jeff Palermo reports on whether the state will be reimbursed for stepping up to the plate…
Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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A new report shows that last year, the number of Louisiana homeowners having their insurance policies cancelled by their insurance companies increased more than fivefold compared to 2018. Real Reform Louisiana Executive Director Ben Riggs says insurance companies are cancelling policies mainly for financial reasons, mostly south of the I-10 corridor.
Cut 3 (10) “…their profit margins.”
Riggs says that’s forcing those homeowners either to the more expensive Citizens Insurance, which is the homeowners insurance of last resort, or to smaller insurance companies which are often DemoTech-rated companies that are 30-percent more likely to go insolvent following a major storm.
Cut 4 (11) “…state like Louisiana.”
Riggs says DemoTech-rated companies represent one-third of all homeowners insurance premiums written in Louisiana. He says the phased-in repeal of the so-called “three-year rule” started at the beginning of this year, and that will exacerbate the issue.
Cut 5 (12) “…than three years.”
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Fire investigators are looking into the cause of a fire at a horse stable in Slidell over the weekend. Brian Macaluso with St. Tammany Parish Fire District One says the fire broke out at around three Saturday morning at Lewis Stables.
Cut 6 (10) “…to 130 horses.”
Macaluso says firefighters weren’t able to save all the horses in the barn.
Cut 7 (09) “…in the fire.”
(Firefighters saved 28 horses, but nine horses died.) Macaluso says the cause is still under investigation, and it could be anything from an electrical issue to arson.
Cut 8 (09) “…caused this fire.”
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The federal government shutdown has entered its second month and this is the 34th day, the second longest in U-S history. Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other. U-S House Speaker Mike Johnson from Bossier Parish says Senate Democrats have had multiple opportunities to vote for a funding bill that would re-open the government…
Cut 9 (06) “…this is happening.”
Democrats say they will not vote on a funding bill, unless it also contains Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Johnson has been criticized for keeping the House out of session during the month-long government shutdown. Even members of his own party have expressed concerns about that strategy. Johnson explained his reasoning during an appearance on KEEL radio…
Cut 10 (17) “…House floor.”
Johnson says the federal government shutdown is starting to affect every aspect of society…
Cut 11 (12) “…do that.”
If the shutdown lasts two more days, it will set a record for the longest in U-S history.
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State funds are being used to fund the SNAP program this month. Hundreds of thousands of low-income Louisiana residents were in jeopardy of not receiving any food assistance in November, because of the federal government shutdown. Governor Landry says Louisiana was able to fill the void, because it’s been fiscally responsible…
Cut 12 (12) “…right now.”
The Louisiana Legislature agreed to use 150 million from the state health department’s budget to pay for SNAP benefits this month. About 700-thousand Louisiana residents are receiving their cash assistance in phases, with a quarter of the recipient’s monthly amount being loaded onto their cards each week.
Landry says the state has enough money to pay for the SNAP program through November, but he’s hopeful there will be movement to end the government shutdown following the election results of gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey…
Cut 13 (15) “…in Louisiana.”
The Trump administration said today it will make partial patients to the 42-million Americans who are eligible for food stamps. It’s in response to two federal judges who ruled that it’s unlawful to freeze funding for the anti-hungry program.