YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER LAROSE, LA thelafourchegazette.com
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Data shows impact of skyrocketing drug prices on Louisianans
BATON ROUGE, La. — AARP Louisiana this week released new state data and an infographic illustrating the impact of high prescription drug W for Louisiana resprices idents, specifically those living with cancer, prediabetes or diabetes, and heart disease. AARP unveiled the infographic at the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) annual conference as part of AARP’s nationwide Stop Rx Greed campaign to lower drug prices for all Americans. “While prescription drug prices continue skyrocketing, Americans are being forced to choose between filling life-saving medications or paying rent and buying food,” said AARP State Director Denise Bottcher. “So far in 2019, 29 states have passed 46 new laws to rein in drug prices. It’s critical that state and federal lawmakers continue this momentum to stop Rx greed.”
SERVING: MATHEWS • GHEENS • LOCKPORT • VALENTINE • LAROSE CUT OFF • GALLIANO • GOLDEN MEADOW • LEEVILLE • GRAND ISLE
Lockport rejects latest budget proposal
The town’s budget is about $885,000 finance committee, comprised of two per year. For years, the town has pulled council members, the mayor and town about $60,000 a year out of its reserves to clerk. The committee comes at the advice Lockport is going back to the drawing supplement its tax revenue. of a state legislative auditor who has disboard to come up with a budget for the Reinhardt has sought to stop the cussed the issue with Reinhardt and some fiscal year that’s already underway. town from pulling from its reserves. The of the council members. Mayor Ed Reinhardt pulled his latest council has largely agreed with him, but See Lockport Page 3-A budget proposal at Tuesday Y night’s town wants to take a longer look before instatmeeting after the council still had linger- ing serious cuts. ing concerns over some of the proposed “We’re not going to get it done in one cuts. t year,” Councilman Stephen Baudoin said, The town’s budget year began July 1. adding that the town also needs to generWithout an approved budget, the •town ate more revenue. V S MATHEWS GHEENS • LOCKPORT • VALENTINE • LAROSE can only operate on 50 percent of last The town’s main source income is C • GALLIANO • GOLDEN MEADOW • ofLEEVILLE • GRAND ISLE year’s budget. through sales tax. One percent is asThis was the fourth budget proposal sessed for the general fund, 0.3 percent is of the year from Reinhardt. The others dedicated to police and 0.7 percent is dedwere rejected by the council. icated to the sewer system. Council members said they were frusMany members said the two-hour distrated that they could not review the pro- cussion was productive and answered posed budget and ask questions before it many of their questions over the budget, was published and called to a public but were still wary of approving it. hearing. Some suggested the council re-form a By Julia Arenstam Daily Comet Staff Writer
Candidates split on constitutional convention idea By MELINDA DESLATTE Associated Press
See Data Page 3-A
MEETINGS MONDAY, AUG. 26
LAF. FIRE DIST. #3 Board of Commissioners 6:30 p.m. Fire Centra 17462 W. Main - Cut Off
LOCKPORT AM. LEGION Post 83 7:00 p.m. 921 Veterans St. TUESDAY, AUG. 27
LAFOURCHE PARISH COUNCIL 5:00 p.m. Mathews Govt. Complex 4876 Hwy. 1 - Mathews LAFOURCHE LODGE 7:30 p.m. 6542 W. Main - Cut Off
WED., AUGUST 28
LAFOURCHE PORT COMMISSION 10:30 a.m. Committee Meetings Fourchon Office 180 A.O. Rappelet Road
INSIDE
Arrests........................5-A Calendar of Events....2-A
Classifieds..................4-A Horoscopes.................5-A
Lottery.........................2-A News In Brief...............5-A Obituaries....................4-A
Public Notices.............5-A
Worship Directory........6-A
VOLUME 30 NUMBER 52
NLLD
According to their recent newsletter, the North Lafourche Levee District completed the Valentine Return Structure, a critical component of the Lockport to Larose Valentine Return Levee Project in October. The return levee is now being constructed from Bayou L’Bleu to LA Hwy. 1, intersecting at the five foot contour line along Bayou Lafourche. This return levee will eventually intersect with the Lockport to Larose Hurricane Protection Levee providing additional flood controls within the system.
Grower: 5,000 in Louisiana medical marijuana program so far By MELINDA DESLATTE Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Two weeks after Louisiana patients began receiving medical marijuana, the program is humming along without supply disruption and with thousands of people receiving the drug for medical use, regulatory officials and the head of one growing operation said Monday. John Davis, president of GB Sciences Louisiana, one of two state-sanctioned medical marijuana growers, said Louisiana has about 5,000 cannabis patients so far. Louisiana became the first Deep South state to dispense medical mari-
juana on Aug. 6, four years after state lawmakers agreed to give patients access to medicinal-grade pot. Nine medical marijuana pharmacies have been permitted to dispense the products, with the first cannabis available in a flavored liquid tincture, a bottle containing a dropper to use. “The feedback that we’re getting from patients is really overwhelming, with patients who were having epileptic seizures of 18 a day now down to two,” Davis told a panel of state regulators who meet regularly to update the public on the medical marijuana program. Concerns that patients could face interruptions in supply since only one of the state’s two growers has a product in pharmacies haven’t panned out in the early days of the program. “It appears the supply chain is working perfectly, or as well as it can be,” Davis said. “We’re able to satisfy the demands that are out there.” Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, whose department oversees the medical marijuana program, urged: “We don’t want to run out” now that people are taking the drug to ease pain and other medical conditions. See Growers Page 3-A
~~NEW LISTING~~
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — While efforts to rewrite Louisiana’s constitution stalled with state lawmakers, advocates for a constitutional convention are trying to make new inroads for the movement, seeing opportunity with legislative term limits and statewide elections this fall. The push may face an important roadblock, however. Two of the three major candidates for governor, Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards and Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, are lukewarm at best to the idea. Only Republican contender Eddie Rispone is a full-throated backer of a constitutional convention. And such a large effort likely would need a governor’s support to get off the ground. The conservative Pelican Institute for Public Policy hosted an event Tuesday seeking to bolster arguments for a constitutional rewrite. The House rejected proposals starting a process for a constitutional convention in 2017 and 2018. See Candidates Page 3-A
Volunteers needed for Elmer’s Island beach cleanup
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in partnership with Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Nicholls State University and the Grand Isle Music Fest, are asking for volunteers for their upcoming beach cleanup at Elmer’s Island on Saturday, September 21. The event, beginning at 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., is being held in coordiSee Volunteers Page 3-A
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