December 7, 2017

Audit: $718K spent in Louisiana on dead Medicaid patients

The Louisiana Department of Health improperly paid $718,000 over four years for Medicaid patients who had died, according to an audit released Monday.

Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera's office released a report that says the department spent the money between July 2013 and August 2017 for 712 deceased Medicaid patients, payments spanning the administrations of Govs. Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards.

About $638,000 involved payments made to managed-care companies that oversee services for nearly 1.5 million Louisiana Medicaid patients. Another $80,000 was paid to health care providers who submitted claims for services to deceased Medicaid patients.

The numbers have improved sizably from a previous October 2013 audit that identified $1.85 million in payments over a less-than-two-year period during the Jindal administration for more than 1,700 Medicaid recipients who had died.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/politics/article_4bb5da16-d941-11e7-9c43-0f27f070530d.html

December 7, 2017

Too restrictive, unequal access: Advisory panel hears concerns about state voting laws

An advisory panel that is examining hurdles people face when they want to vote in Louisiana spent several hours at the State Capitol on Wednesday discussing the state's registration requirements, locations of polling places and ways to aid disadvantaged communities.

The Louisiana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held its second meeting Wednesday as part of an effort to evaluate the state's voting laws and report back to the federal bipartisan advisory commission.

Members heard from several advocates for making voting more accessible and easier, as well as the Louisiana secretary of state's office.

"This is a tremendous opportunity," said First Assistant Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin. "There's no such thing as a perfect election because we are all human and we all make mistakes, but we do the best job possible."

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_f4c65f54-da0e-11e7-96cf-072a64042690.html

December 7, 2017

Congressman seeks pledge med school will stay in Shreveport

U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham wants any deal renegotiating management of north Louisiana's safety-net hospitals to include promises LSU will maintain its medical school in the region.

The Republican congressman from northeast Louisiana sent Gov. John Bel Edwards a letter Wednesday requesting the language be included in any contracts for a new company to manage the hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe.

Abraham graduated from the LSU medical school in Shreveport.

Edwards has repeatedly pledged support for keeping the school in Shreveport and reiterated that Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_e50294ca-daf4-11e7-908e-8f8f0ee94367.html

December 7, 2017

Mayor-elect Cantrell fights bid by Jeff Landry's office to recuse Orleans judges in credit card

Mayor-elect Cantrell fights bid by Jeff Landry's office to recuse Orleans judges in credit card probe

An attorney for New Orleans Mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell is fighting a bid by Attorney General Jeff Landry's office to recuse all 12 judges of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court from its investigation into her credit-card activity as a councilwoman.

Cantrell has hired a legal heavy hitter, attorney Billy Gibbens, a former federal prosecutor who has defended several high-profile criminal defendants and government targets.

Gibbens recently filed an opposition to Landry's motion, which asks for the entire court to back away from the matter and let the Louisiana Supreme Court appoint a special ad hoc judge to take it over, according to an order that Judge Laurie White signed Monday.

State prosecutors claim none of the dozen judges at Criminal District Court can fairly oversee the investigation, nevermind any criminal case that might erupt from it. They are expected to spell out their argument Friday morning at a hearing set by White, the court's chief judge.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/courts/article_00749ada-dae3-11e7-b8ed-6b5d7da514d2.html

December 7, 2017

Study: LSU pays men substantially more than women of same rank, in some cases $20K-plus

Male LSU faculty earn substantially more — $20,000 to $30,000 in some cases depending on the college where they work — than females of the same rank, according to the early findings of a study that compares salaries of the flagship’s nearly 1,300 faculty members.

Christine Cheng, an assistant accounting professor who analyzed the numbers, cautioned that while the wage gaps are startling, the study is still in its preliminary stages.

Male professors, for instance, at the LSU Law Center annually make $28,947 on average more than female professors, according to the University Council on Gender Equity study.

“The numbers are correct,” Cheng said, adding that more work needs to be done to put these figures into context.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_ce260b98-da1c-11e7-b395-b32d1b0039c4.html

December 7, 2017

Louisiana Medicaid program running under-budget this year

Louisiana's Medicaid program is spending at a slower pace than expected this budget year and could leave the state with a surplus in six months if expenditures remain on their current path.

The latest forecast released this week shows the $12.5 billion government-financed health program may spend as much as $650 million less than projected for the budget year that began July 1.

Most of that amount will be unused federal spending authority — not dollars that can be allocated to other state government programs and services. But the Department of Health says about $30 million of the amount, if the trends remain on track, would be a state general fund surplus that could be spent elsewhere in state government.

The new projections are a rare development in a program with 1.6 million enrollees that traditionally grows in price tag each year, and often requires new infusions of cash midyear — or cuts — to stay in balance.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_f0772a5a-dad1-11e7-8cc0-5313a8a48f3a.html

December 7, 2017

Gov. John Bel Edwards creates task force to look into sexual harassment in state government

Gov. John Bel Edwards is creating a task force to examine sexual harassment and discrimination in state government, following allegations that led to the resignation of one of Edwards' top aides.

The task force, which Edwards established by executive order on Wednesday, will submit a report to the governor by March 1. The panel will include seven human resources professionals from state government and the private sector, but names are still being finalized, Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said.

It is at least the fourth probe that has been launched into how Louisiana government handles harassment allegations, amid a growing national focus on sexual misconduct and news that Edward's deputy chief of staff Johnny Anderson resigned facing harassment allegations. Anderson has denied wrongdoing.

Separately, the state legislative auditor, at the request of State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, is looking into the issue, as well as various hiring practices.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_90f25692-dab6-11e7-ac20-33092e634838.html

December 7, 2017

Security plan approved for 10 Commandments

A subcommittee of the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission this morning approved plans for a different base for the 10 Commandments monument that was shattered the day it was originally installed by a man driving a Dodge Dart.

The new base will include bollards — or thick posts meant to block an advancing vehicle.

A new tablet bearing the 10 commandments has already been completed for installation when a secure base is in place. Several groups plan to sue over state advancement of religion when they day arrives.

A public hearing will be held on the base modification at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Old Supreme Courtroom. The full commission will meet at 11 a.m. Dec. 12 for final approval. Money was raised privately for the monument, not a sufficient defense against lawsuit says the ACLU and other opponents. The nonprofit established by Sen. Jason Rapert to pay for the monument paid the architect to design the added protection. A man charged with knocking the monument down did the same to a monument in Oklahoma. He's been committed to the State Hospital for treatment.

Read more: https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/12/05/security-plan-approved-for-10-commandments

December 7, 2017

University of Arkansas annnounces $10M Walton grant for training teachers in high-poverty schools

The University of Arkansas issued a news release this morning confirming a project I mentioned yesterday morning — a Walton Family Foundation grant to work with teachers in high-poverty schools.

The release says the foundation will spend $10.2 million over three years on the Arkansas Academy for Educational Equity. The project will be headed by education professors Tom Smith and Gary Ritter. I reported earlier they'd been meeting with Little Rock School Superintendent Michael Poore about the special needs for teachers in a high poverty urban district like Little Rock. The news release said the program will be for low-income schools across the state.

Smith and Ritter will hire about a dozen people who will provide training over the summer and mentoring during the school year to 150 to 200 licensed, early career teachers. They will target teachers who've been effective and who want to improve their work.

The idea was inspired by federal legislation that encouraged teacher training apart from traditional licensure programs, the release said.

Read more: https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/12/06/university-of-arkansas-annnounces-10-million-walton-grant-for-training-urban-teachers

December 7, 2017

Why Nudists Favorite Kitchen Aid is the Slow Cooker

This should make for a lively holiday party.

“Nudists, like most of us, love to cook,” begins the news release. “But, according to the majority of the American Association for Nude Recreation members, they have a major incentive to avoid hot splatters. So, they often pull out their slow cookers for delicious, splatter-free meals.”

It makes sense. You don’t want hot grease escaping the frying pan and burning your ... stomach.

The association shares a couple of recipes, and they sound pretty good.

So, strip off your clothes and grab that slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

• 2 pounds lean ground beef

• 1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup 2 percent milk

• 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)

• 1 jar (45 ounces) spaghetti sauce

• 1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the beef (yes, it goes in uncooked!) into a 6-quart slow cooker. Break up the beef with a fork and season as desired.

Stir in the onion, garlic, milk, wine, if desired, and sauce. Cover and cook on low for seven to eight hours or high for four to five hours (start making the spaghetti during the last half hour of the cook time). Spoon off any fat. Stir the beef mixture, breaking up any large pieces of beef. Season to taste. Serve with the spaghetti and cheese.

I don’t know if you’re expected to eat the whole thing or invite a bunch of naked people over for dinner. But this should make several servings.

More at http://www.swtimes.com/entertainmentlife/20171206/potluck-theres-right-way-to-freeze-thaw-pumpkin-pie-even-for-nudists