A Hospital in Lafayette has sent out lay off warnings to 770 employees ahead of potential budget cuts that would close the facility. Michael Farrar has the story.
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GOP House Caucus Chairman Lance Harris says it’s likely we’ll see a special session kick off May 18th. Matt Doyle has more.
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Two State Police Troopers and two former troopers are on the other side of the law as they’ve been arrested on allegations they received overtime pay for hours they never worked. Matt Doyle has more…
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University Hospital and Clinics in Lafayette has notified 770 employees that they could be laid off, and the facility shut down under proposed spending plans that slashes state funding for public-private partnership hospitals. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says they are not the only jobs at risk.
Cut 4 (09) “smaller locations”
Dardenne says the public-private system was created after Charity Hospitals were dismantled under the Jindal Administration, and focus on covering the underinsured.
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Dardenne says legislators need to find a budget solution sooner rather than later, as the indecision is stressing out the industry.
Cut 6 (10) “private sector”
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House GOP Chairman Lance Harris is defending the House backed budget that funds education, but slashes healthcare, ahead of a special session that is expected to start mid may. The budget has come under fire for threatening to eliminate public-private partnership hospitals and residency programs, but Harris says it’s just a first step in long budget process that he expects will carry over into a special session.
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The Alexandria Republican anticipates a May 18th special session being called by the governor to fill the 648 million dollar budget gap reflected in the House budget, but he says the legislature will likely not increase income taxes to replace expiring sales taxes.
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Harris says he sees two options for funding those healthcare priorities: keeping a piece of the expiring one cent sales tax, and eliminating sales tax deductions for certain industries in an anticipated special session.
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Two current and two former Troopers have been arrested on various charges as part of a six month investigation into payroll fraud. The four men allegedly claimed bogus hours and wrote fraudulent tickets as part of a highway safety program funded by district attorneys. State Police Colonel Kevin Reeves says it’s a disappointing day…
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State Police launched an internal investigation into the actions of these troopers after a New Orleans T-V station showed surveillance video that showed two Troopers filed for overtime pay for hours they didn’t work. Reeves says changes have been made to this ticket-writing program
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Trooper Daryl Thomas, a 23-year veter of State Police was booked into the East Baton Rouge Prison, along with former Trooper Byron Sims. Former trooper Jimmy Rogers faces 74 counts of injuring public records was taken into custody in Calcasieu Parish and Senior Trooper Wayne Taylor was processed in Rapides Parish. Reeves says this has been a long and unfortunate journey….
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Over 900 farmers and ranchers are receiving grants averaging 9900 dollars for disaster recovery efforts resulting from the 2016 floods. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says it’s long overdue.
Cut 13 (08) “devastating flood”
Strain says the grants will fill a reimbursement gap for farmers who’ve suffered damages that were uninsured.
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Strain says if you’ve applied, keep an eye on your mailbox, a letter should be on its way soon.
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The Restore Louisiana Task Force allocated 10 million dollars in total for the grants, as part of the 1.7 billion dollars in recovery money the state received for the floods.
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The Pelicans will look to even up their Western Conference semifinal series versus Golden State tonight when the two teams meet in Oakland at 9:30. The Warriors had an easy time of it in Game one. Coach Alvin Gentry says self-inflicted mistakes led to a 24-2 run in the second quarter that cost them the game
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Gentry says he doesn’t want any of his guys to feel extra pressure, just because they lost the first game of the series…
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Gentry says his team is still confident, but they’ll need to play at a high level to win tonight
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Its final exams week for the LSU Tigers and Coach Paul Mainieri says his team can use a break from the baseball diamond. The Bayou Bengals have lost six of their last eight and they are not ranked in any of the major polls. Coach Paul Mainieri says back-to-back weekends on the road took a lot out of his team…
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Mainieri says his team will return to practice today and they’ll have a couple of simulated games so their pitchers can get some work
Cut 20 (13) “live pitching”