Louisiana has been recognized as one of the toughest states on fighting Medicaid fraud. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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After last week’s heavy rain, we could see an uptick in the mosquito population. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law a measure to allow video poker machines to accept 100 dollar bills, up from the current law of only 20 dollars. Video Poker Lobbyist Alton Ashy says the main reason for the legislation is the convenience factor for patrons and businesses.

Cut 3 (10) “dollar bill”

Critics say upping the amount allowed into gambling machines would increase the chances for an addiction but Ashy says statistics do not back that opinion up.

Cut 4  (10)    “gaming”

Plaquemine Rep. Chad Brown brought forth this legislation so gamblers at truck stops do not have to break a 50 or 100 dollar bill if they want to bet more than 20 dollars at a video poker machine. Ashy says the only reason for this measure is so a patron is not required to ask a cashier for smaller bills.

Cut 5  (08)  “dollar bill”

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We can expect to see more mosquitos out and about after more than a week of continued rain. LSU AgCenter entomologist Kristen Healy says more rain equals more mosquitos, and different types of mosquitos at that. She says a lot of rainfall can lead to hatching of so-called flood water mosquitos.

Cut 6 (09) “for example”

But Healy says they also see the southern house mosquito, which is known to carry diseases like the West Nile virus. She says while we haven’t seen local transmission of the Zika virus yet, that’s also a possibility.

Cut 7 (11)  “as well”

Healy says unfortunately mosquitos will always be a concern in Louisiana, especially during the summer months when people spend more time outside. She recommends that everyone take steps to protect themselves from these pesky critters.

Cut 8 (10) “own mosquitos”

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The Trump Administration recognizes Louisiana as one of the toughest states on fighting Medicaid fraud. Chief of Staff with the Louisiana Department of Health Andrew Tuozzolo says they’re doing everything they can to prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud. The US Inspector General reviewed 225 cases of suspected fraud in Louisiana.

Cut 9 (09)  “the referrals”

Tuozzolo says they refer 200 to 400 cases to the state Inspector General’s Office every year, which limits the liability for taxpayers. He says they use state-of-the-art software with pattern matching algorithms to look for potentially fraudulent billing practices.

Cut 10 (10) “for that service”

Louisiana was one of only four states to pass this audit since 2014. Lawmakers have suggested Medicaid fraud was one culprit of the state’s budget problems. But Tuozzolo says there’s only around $50 million in fraudulent claims annually in a $10 billion program.

Cut 11 (09) “in the program”

The feds could not make any recommendations for Louisiana to improve fraud detection.

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Budget negotiations are going down to the wire at the State Capitol as the House and Senate seek an agreement over how much money to spend. Publisher of La-politcs-dot-com, Jeremy Alford says House Republican leaders do not want to spend all of the dollars that are available

Cut 12 (09) “do not”

If the state doesn’t spend all of its available resources, the governor and senate are worried cuts will be made to health services, colleges and child welfare programs. Lawmakers have until 6 PM to reach a budget deal, if not, the governor will call for a special session to begin at 6:30 PM. Alford says many legislators are ready to go home

Cut 13 (07) “tonight”

Alford says the Senate is willing not to spend 50-million dollars, which could be used if Louisiana hits another mid-year budget deficit next year. But the House wants to hold back much more than that and Alford says legislators also must pass a bill that finances construction projects

Cut 14 (11) “construction budget”

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A Louisiana congressman stands by statements he made on Facebook saying terrorists should be hunted down. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (26) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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A bill on its way to be signed by the governor would prevent a college from asking an applicant about their criminal history. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Congressman Clay Higgins stands by his controversial Facebook post saying all conceivable means must be taken to hunt down radical Islamic terrorists. He says in the post not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter. The Republican from St. Landry Parish says probable cause could result in search warrants that could lead to an arrest.

Cut 3 (13) “in jail”

The Facebook post goes so far to say “For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all.” Critics of Higgins’ post say the comments could be used as propaganda for radicals. Higgins says he’s even been asked why he would want to make the terrorists mad. He says they’re already mad.

Cut 4  (12)    make them”

Higgins says the US should air strike known terrorists training camps and detain suspects on terrorist watch lists. He says if he was in charge, he’d pick up all of them. He says we cannot take these threats lightly, and force must be used to protect U.S. citizens.

Cut 5  (13)  “in the head”

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With only two days left in the legislative session, lawmakers need to come to an agreement on a 28-billion dollar spending plan for next fiscal year. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the House does not want to spend all the money that’s been recognized by the Revenue Estimating Conference but the Senate does. He says it’s all about negotiations now.

Cut 6 (09) “side does”

Pinsonat says the biggest issues arise with the House’s budget as it would result in cuts to health care, state prisons and child welfare. He says negotiations are expected to be positive but nothing is predictable during a legislative session.

Cut 7 (10)  “fighting about”

Governor John Bel Edwards has voiced his disapproval of the House’s latest budget plan. But Pinsonat says that likely won’t affect what the House decides to do.

Cut 8 (08) “on spending”

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The Eunice Police Department says they’ve arrested a teenager in a bizarre series of criminal acts including a 7-year-old passerby being shot and injured. Chief Randy Fontenot says the first shooting happened around 8pm Tuesday when 17-year-old Jamie Ned allegedly shot at a car:

Cut 9 (10)  “shot him in the hip”

The child was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The shootings allegedly stem from an on-going dispute between two factions of people in Eunice. Fontenot says about 3 hours after the child was hit, they responded to a report of another shooting…:

Cut 10 (10) “the same shooter”

Ned has been booked with five counts attempted first-degree murder. Fontenot said they discovered that two victims in the second shooting were relatives of the 7-year-old. He believes it appears they tried to take the law into their own hands, and this may not be the end of it:

Cut 11 (10) “going on”

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Colleges would be prohibited from asking students about their criminal history when filling out an application under legislation heading to the governor’s desk. Executive Director of Operation Restoration Syrita Steib-Martin spent nine years in prison on a theft charge. Once released, she applied to the University of New Orleans where she checked the felon box on her application.

Cut 12 (09) “institution”

Martin says a few years later, she applied to UNO again with exact same information and was admitted because she did not check the box on her application. She says education plays a big factor in an individual’s success after being released from prison.

Cut 13 (09) “life over”

Martin worked with state representatives Vincent Pierre and Ted James on the legislation. A study finds that two-thirds of felons stopped filling out their application when asked about their criminal history. Martin says if that box was removed, the recidivism rate drops significantly.

Cut 14 (08) “Bachelor’s”

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