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Superficially, nothing much changed Wednesday at Teche Regional Medical Center's Meditation Garden.

St. Mary Hospital Service District No. 2's board has been saying for months that a deal is imminent to put Ochsner Health System in charge of running Teche Regional. Officials Wednesday said the same thing. But this time, the word came from Gov. John Bel Edwards, key lawmakers, and Ochsner's president and CEO.

"I'm 100 percent confident (the deal) will be completed," said top Ochsner exec Warner Thomas at a gathering at the 167-bed Morgan City hospital.

That's reassurance for a hospital staff that has lived with uncertainty for months, and for a parish that no longer seems in danger of losing one of its two hospitals.

LifePoint Health of Nashville, Tennessee, has operated the hospital since taking over a 40-year lease with the district nearly 15 years ago. Last year, LifePoint announced that it was pulling out of its Louisiana operations.

The search for a successor focused quickly on Ochsner even as negotiations freeing LifePoint from the lease went on. The preliminary date to have new agreements in place passed on New Year's Eve with no new deals.

One of Wednesday's speakers, state Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin, said the uncertainty over Teche Regional's future happened during an economic downturn.

"The anxiety in our community is something we don't need right now," Jones said.

But after a meeting about the hospital, Jones called the governor to fill him in. A few days later, Jones said, Edwards' reply came: "We're going to get this thing."

"Without the governor stepping in," said state Sen. Bret Allain, R-Frankliin, "this would probably not be done and we'd be talking about closing the hospital, which none of us can imagine. A community is not a community without a hospital and the health care services."

"We haven't had a hospital close in Louisiana," Edwards told the audience. "We want to make sure that continues."

A 14-year-old boy was charged with terrorizing Tuesday after Morgan City Junior High School officials notified police about a threat made on social media, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—A male juvenile, 14, was arrested at 5:38 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of terrorizing.

Morgan City police received information about a threat being made Tuesday on social media involving a student at Morgan City Junior High School. The Morgan City Police Department was notified by school officials after the threat was brought to their attention, Blair said.

Detectives began their investigation and were able to identify the juvenile in question. Investigators learned the juvenile made threats on a social media account in recent days, Blair said. The juvenile was arrested and released pending court action.

Blair reported that officers responded to 36 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Trinity Harris, 19, of 11th Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging her with access device fraud less than $1,000. Harris was located at the police department and arrested on the warrant. She was jailed.

—Anna H. Collette, 39, of Kentucky Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:25 a.m. Tuesday on charges of turn signal violation and driving under suspension.

—Marcus Theon Gray, 34, of South Railroad Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:25 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with simple battery.

An officer observed a vehicle committing a turn signal violation in the area of Everett and Sixth streets. Collette, the driver, had a suspended driver’s license. Gray, a passenger, had a warrant for his arrest. Both Collette and Gray were jailed.

—Raven Piggott, 25, of Carol Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 4 p.m. Tuesday on warrants charging her with failure to appear to pay a fine, failure to appear to pay a probation fee and failure to appear for trial.

Piggott was located at the police department and arrested on city court warrants. She was jailed.

—John Quenton Lyons, 53, of Duke Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with contempt of court-restitution.

Lyons was located at St. Mary Parish jail and transported to the Morgan City Police Department on a warrant for City Court of Morgan City. He was jailed.

—Ruben Bias, 64, of Egle Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:53 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with theft.

An officer came into contact with Bias on Egle Street. Bias had an active warrant for his arrest, Blair said. He was jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that deputies responded to 24 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Colby E. Harry, 34, of Brocato Lane in Raceland, was arrested at 11:46 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of driving under suspension.

A deputy was stationary on U.S. 90 in Ricohoc when he observed a vehicle without a passenger headlight. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver of the vehicle as Harry. A background check revealed Harry was driving with a suspended license, Smith said. Harry was issued a summons to appear in court June 19.

—Derrick Genzal Rankins, 21, of Grandwood Street in Patterson, was arrested at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday on charges of no license plate light, possession of marijuana and obstruction of justice.

A deputy was patrolling the area of La. 182 in Berwick when he observed a vehicle without a license plate light. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, identified as Rankins. The deputy could smell a strong odor of suspected marijuana emitting from the vehicle.

Upon conducting a search, suspected marijuana was found inside the vehicle. After questioning Rankins, he admitted that he ingested marijuana before being pulled over, Smith said. Rankins was jailed with bail set at $2,250.

—Rena Kathleen Wilson, 40, of Nini Lane in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:27 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Wilson was located at her home and advised of the warrant. Wilson was jailed with no bail set.

—Kamiah Kayron Riley, 18, of Hickory Street in Patterson, was arrested at 5:19 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana less than 14 grams, possession of promethazine hydrochloride and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a minor.

—Joseph Anthony Singleton Jr., 19, of Jason Street in Patterson, was arrested at 5:19 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana less than 14 grams, possession of promethazine hydrochloride and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a minor.

—A male juvenile, 16, was arrested at 5:19 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Narcotics detectives were traveling West on La. 182 in Berwick when they observed a vehicle cross over the yellow line. Detectives conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, and they observed the male juvenile shoving something in his shoe, Smith said.

Detectives smelled a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. Detectives received consent to search the vehicle from the driver, identified as Singleton. During the search, marijuana, promethazine hydrochloride, a vape with burnt marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found, the sheriff said. Riley and Singleton were issued summonses to appear in court June 19. The male juvenile was released to his mother pending juvenile court action.

Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrest:

—Brennan Tabor, 31, of 3rd Street in Berwick, was arrested at 9:08 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of disturbing the peace. Tabor posted $176 bail.

Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported no arrests.

Despite lower premiums, the number of people enrolled in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s individual exchange in Louisiana fell sharply in 2019, reaching its lowest point since taking effect, as people migrated to other forms of insurance such as Medicaid through an expansion of that program through the ACA, as well as an improving economy that has given more people access to insurance through an employer.
But those using the individual exchanges and gaining coverage from the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act again found the insurance under attack Tuesday, with the Trump administration telling a New Orleans appeals court that the health law should be thrown out entirely. While the Trump administration has taken several steps to undermine the Affordable Care Act, the move was the most dramatic effort yet to end former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.
The Affordable Care Act has had a significant effect on Louisiana’s health care landscape, mainly through the expansion of Medicaid as an option for states under the ACA that Gov. John Bel Edwards acted on.
Edwards said Tuesday eliminating the ACA “is not the answer.” More than 500,000 people are enrolled in the Medicaid expansion, which is threatened by the move to toss the ACA, Edwards noted. Nearly 850,000 people with pre-existing conditions in Louisiana “face uncertainty” amid talk of ending ACA, the Louisiana Department of Health said.
The expansion of Medicaid, a health insurance program for the poor, in turn, has affected enrollment in the individual exchange, which has served as a safety net, providing federal subsidies to about 90 percent of those enrolled in Louisiana to help pay for their health coverage.
Enrollment in the individual exchange in the state fell by 15 percent for 2019 to 92,948. That was the lowest number enrolled in the state since the exchanges took effect in 2014, figures from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services show.
The numbers represent the third straight year enrollment in the Affordable Care Act exchange here has fallen since peaking in 2016 at 214,000. Nationally, enrollment fell slightly to 11.4 million for 2019 plans.
Frank Opelka, deputy commissioner for life, health and annuity, said Medicaid expansion is a “well-known core driver of population loss from the ACA individual market.” For instance, in states like Louisiana and Virginia that expanded Medicaid more recently, Opelka said the ACA individual market populations fell more quickly than states with more stable Medicaid populations.
A growing economy also appears to be having an effect on the individual exchange, which offers insurance to people who don’t receive it through work, Medicaid, Medicare or other means. As more people find work, they are usually eligible for employer-sponsored health insurance.

By JEREMY ALFORD
& MITCH RABALAIS
In fiscal sessions of the Louisiana Legislature, like the one that convenes April 8, members of the Senate are typically in a holding pattern during the opening weeks since the annual budget bill and most all tax proposals must originate in the House.
Senate Finance Chairman Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte, said that since there’s no agreement yet on the Revenue Estimating Conference in terms of the money that can be spent during the session, panel is largely on pause, watching and waiting to see what happens.
“I’m assuming at some point the speaker has a change of heart,” LaFleur said of House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, the holdout vote on the REC.
LaFleur added that the Legislature is likely to see more gaming bills this session, particularly those focused on establishing sports betting and collecting the generated revenues.
“A lot of people will be trying to grab that money,” he said.
Video poker bills, however, are expected to be light, if not non-existent.
“We won’t be filing any gaming bills,” said Alton Ashy of Advanced Strategies, a lobbyist for the Louisiana Video Gaming Association, “at least not for video poker.”
As expected, Senate Education Chairman Blade Morrish, R-Jennings, said that his committee’s major issue to consider will be Gov. John Bel Edwards’ teacher pay raise proposal. Morrish expects the proposed $1,000 salary increase for teachers and $500 for support personnel to encounter little opposition.
“It’s not nearly enough, but it’s the best we can do,” he said.
Morrish told LaPolitics that he is also considering introducing legislation that would change the TOPS program in order to free up more money for early childhood education, a glaring need he has noticed during his tenure as chairman of the education committee.
Judiciary C Chair Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge; Health and Welfare Chair Fred Mills, R-Parks; and Labor and Industrial Relations Chair Neil Riser, R-Columbia, all admitted that they have not seen many bills come forward yet, but that is expected in a fiscal session when members are limited to five bills.
Riser said that he does expect the Edwards Administration to reintroduce its bills on equal pay and the minimum wage, while Mills said that his committee will be looking at prescription benefits and freestanding emergency rooms.
Newbies brace for first session
Eleven new legislators have been elected since the term’s seventh special session adjourned June 24, including freshman Sen. Bob Hengens, who claimed his promotion after serving in the House and navigating it’s wild political terrain.
Of the 10 remaining districts in this count, seven have already been filled and three others will be filtered through runoffs on March 30.
If you have already familiarized yourself with their campaigns and issues, the seven fresh faces belong to Wayne McMahen (R-HD10), Stuart Moss (R-HD33), Mary DuBuisson (R-HD90), Chris Turner (R-HD12), Ed Larvadain III (D-HD26), Mike Johnson (R-HD27) and Ryan Bourriaque (R-HD47).
These newbies, of course, won’t be pacing Memorial Hall alone. Three more reps will be selected by voters in two weeks, just in time for the session, via the following March 30 races:
HD17: Rodney McFarland Sr. (D/34 percent in the primary) versus Pat Moore (D/49 percent in the primary)
HD18: Tammi G. Fabre (R/23 percent) versus Jeremy S. LaCombe (D/43 percent)
HD62: Roy Daryl Adams (I/31 percent ) versus Dennis Aucoin (R/45 percent)
This is a heck of a time to jump onto the Capitol carousel, not that the contenders had anything directly to do with the resignations of their predecessors. Nevertheless, in just seven months, almost to the day, they’ll all be standing for re-election.
For now, many are still trying to figure out their committee roles, and there are plenty of assignments to go around.

Political History: Elaine Edwards gets Gridiron laughs
This week, elected officials, staff, journalists and other members of the Capitoland chattering class will make the trek to Baton Rouge’s American Legion Hall for the annual Gridiron Show. While the funny sketches and humorous songs preformed by the reporters are all meant in good fun, there was a time when the jokes about politicos were a little more biting.
In 1978, then-Gov. Edwin Edwards was plagued by reports of corruption in his administration and the publication of "Just Takin Orders," a book by former gopher Clyde Vidrine. While the author was far from a reliable source and the manuscript had many glaring errors, much of the colorful information contained in the book provided the material for that year’s edition of Gridiron.
Writing about the show in "The Last Hayride," LaPolitics founder John Maginnis said, “There was no lack of bad taste that night on the part of the reporters as they reenacted the spicier tales from the book. The governor sat through the show poker faced as usual, but his wife appeared far less amused.”
According to Maginnis, when Edwin Edwards was called on-stage for the traditional gubernatorial rebuttal, he shocked everybody by pulling out a copy of Vidrine’s book and asking the first lady to join him.
With the audience sitting in stunned silence, the normally shy and diminutive Elaine Edwards strode to the mic and started reading from a particularly salacious passage that involved Vidrine’s recollections of one night when her husband allegedly took multiple women into his hotel room for sexual liaisons.
“Well, of course, that’s untrue,” she said. “Anyone who knows my husband knows he would have been asleep after the first one.”
The governor stood next to his wife, beaming with delight.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Alford and Rabalais on Twitter via @LaPoliticsNow.