Ascension Catholic held the lead the rest of the way, eventually claiming a 77-60 win over the Eagles.

After battling to a 30-30 tie at halftime, Ascension Catholic came out of the locker room determined in the second half Tuesday night at St. John.

Ascension Catholic's J'Mond Tapp snagged a steal, then coasted for a wide-open dunk to open the scoring in the third quarter. He then followed with a three-point play, giving the Bulldogs the spark they needed.

Ascension Catholic held the lead the rest of the way, eventually claiming a 77-60 win over the Eagles.

Bulldogs head coach Kylon Green said his team came out flat, but was able to gel after the half.

"We had two emotional games back to back," he said. "They were kind of on a high horse after the Donaldsonville game. Coming back, we're in another heated rivalry in a hostile environment. We showed our youth at times, but we were able to turn it on in the second half."

Eagles head coach Franky Hebert said his team gave the visiting Bulldogs a window of opportunity to separate themselves.

"I thought we started out really well," he said. "I thought we were executing the game plan well. We kind of became a little too relaxed defensively toward the end of the first quarter and into the second. As soon as we picked it up, we went into halftime tied. Defensively, we kind of lost it for a two-minute period in the third. Against a good program, a good team like that, you can't lose it for two minutes."

St. John led through the first quarter. Connor Barbee, who led the Eagles with 22 points, hit two 3-pointers in the first. His second shot fell at the buzzer from beyond half court.

In the second quarter, Ascension Catholic's Demarco Harry, who finished with a game-high 28 points, began to heat up. He opened the second with a 3-pointer, then gave the Bulldogs their first lead by completing a three-point play.

The Eagles took back the lead later in the second, and went to the break tied after a pair of free throws by Galvin Martin.

The Bulldogs built their lead through the third quarter. Dorian Barber, who finished with 13 points, hit three of his four 3-pointers in the third. Jack Abadie also contributed a 3-pointer during the quarter. At the buzzer, Demarco Harry tacked on a three, giving the Bulldogs a 56-43 lead going into the fourth.

The final quarter started with more of the same as Barber sank a three, prompting a timeout.

Demontray Harry, who finished with 12 points, followed by adding three free throws after getting fouled while attempting a three.

The Eagles hit four 3-pointers of their own in the fourth quarter, as they tried to battle back into the game.

Ascension Catholic's Khai Prean scored ten points for the Bulldogs, while Tapp finished with nine. Abadie recorded five.

"We had a lot of depth tonight," Green said. We practice hard. I was happy to see some aggressiveness on defense from guys who came off the bench. They came in and took some shots we like them to take. We always have faith in those guys making those shots."

Martin finished with 15 for St. John. Chris Holmes scored ten, while Cobie Lockett had six. Jacob Schlatre added four, Isaiah Jones two, and Joseph Schlatre one.

"We're playing hard right now," Hebert said. "I think we're finally putting the pieces together. Last year I think we peaked kind of early. This year, I think we're peaking at the right time. I know this game doesn't show it, but we're playing better as a team. We're coming together, and I think this is the right time to do it."

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Second half surge lifts Ascension Catholic over St. John - Weekly Citizen

ST AMANT, La. (WVLA/WGMB) An elementary school about 40 minutes from Baton Rouge is closed on Tuesday after a fire damaged one classroom.

That classroom in Lake Elementary School is considered a total loss.

Parents from the school received this message from the principal:

Dear Lake Lions,

This evening, there was a fire at Lake Elementary School that was contained to one classroom. The cause is not yet determined, but we are very fortunate that early assessments indicate only Classroom 119 in the fifth grade hall was impacted.

Out of an abundance of caution, we are going to cancel school at Lake Elementary School on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. Students and staff attending the BETA Convention tomorrow can still depart from the Lake Elementary parking lot. There will be no access to the building.

We are expecting to resume normal operations on Wednesday, but a final decision will be made after a thorough assessment is completed.

Special thank you to the St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department for their quick response and actions to protect our campus.

Sincerely,

Jeremy MusePrincipal

Ascension Schools provided an update on whether classes will resume on Wednesday at Lake Elementary.

We are expecting to resume normal operations on Wed., but a final decision will be made after a thorough assessment is completed.

Special thank you to the St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department for their quick response & actions to protect our campus.

Jeremy MusePrincipal (3/3)

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School in Ascension Parish closed on Tuesday out of an abundance of caution - BRProud.com

Deanna Watson, Wichita Falls Times Record News Published 6:26 a.m. CT Jan. 25, 2020

According to tradition, Jesus went "up" to heaven which may not be up, exactly, as much as it's beyond and what he went there to do was to finish what he had begun with us here on earth.

The Very Rev. John D. Payne: By ascending bodily into heaven, Christ showed us that our human nature is good, not bad.(Photo: Contributed)

It was not enough that through Jesus God was born into the body of this world; that was just his Christmas gift to us. His ascension gift was that through him the body of the world was borne back to God.

By presenting his own crucified, risen body to be seated at the right hand of God, Jesus imported human nature into those holy precincts for the first time. He paved the way for us, so that when we arrive there later everyone will not be quite so shocked by us.

The ascended Christ restored the goodness of creation, and ours in particular. By ascending bodily into heaven, he showed us that our human nature is good, not bad; that it's good enough for Jesus, good enough for heaven, good enough for God. By putting on human nature and keeping it on through the resurrection, Jesus has not only brought God to us; he has also brought us to God!

There is another way to look at Acts 1:1-11. The ascension of Christ is the day the present Lord became absent, which may be one reason why Ascension Day is the most neglected feast. Who wants to celebrate being left behind? Who wants to mark the day that Jesus went out of this world, never to be seen again?

This may be, however, the one compelling reason why we do go to church. Because we have sensed God's absence in that hollow, empty place in our hearts and because this thing has not discouraged us from coming. We come to seek the presence we have been missing.

Absence is an entirely underrated thing. Absence is not nothing, after all. something: a heightened awareness, a sharpened appetite, a finer perception. When someone important to me is absent from me, I become clearer than ever what that person means to me. Details that get lost in our togetherness are recalled in our apartness, and their sudden clarity has the power to pry my heart open.

There's something else that happens during an absence. If the relationship is strong and true, the absent one has a way of becoming present. There can be no sense of absence where there has been no sense of presence. You can't miss what you have never known, which makes our sense of God's absence the very best proof that we knew God once, and that we may know him again. It is our sense of God's absence, after all, that brings us to church in search of God's presence.

The angels in the ascension story remind Jesus' friends that if they want to see him again, it's no use looking up. Better that they should look around, at each other, at the world, at ordinary people in their ordinary lives, because this is where they are most likely to find him.

We also hear the angels' admonishment to stop looking up and to start looking around. Don't feast your eyes on some romanticized version of the church in the past, or on some idealized vision of a perfect church in the future.

What we must do is look around us at the church as it is, a company of saints and sinners who hold out empty cups to be filled with bread, with wine, with the abiding presence of the absent Lord.

The Very Rev. John D. Payne is the Rector Emeritus of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Wichita Falls.

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Going to church fills an empty place in our hearts - Times Record News

The US Air Force Installation Contracting Agency has awarded a contract to Fluor to repair the Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield runway.

The task order contract is worth about $170m and was awarded to the companys Fluor AMEC II entity under the Air Force Contract Augmentation Program IV (AFCAP IV).

Fluor said that the cost-plus, fixed-fee task order will run for up to 28 months.

Fluor Government Group president Tom DAgostino said: We are honoured to be selected to support the airforce and to be a part of its global mission.

Ascension Auxiliary Airfield is in a strategic location and the runway is the lifeline to the island. Fluor excels at projects like this where it delivers timely and cost-effective solutions in some of the most remote and difficult locations in the world.

Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island and is located south of the equator in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The island is part of the British Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha under the sovereignty of the British Crown.

The US Air Force established AFCAP to fulfil the Department of Defenses global mission during contingency events.

It provides additional capabilities to the airforce and other government agencies to offer support to the logistic requirements of its deployed forces through the use of civilian contractors.

In July 2015, Fluor and its joint venture partner AMEC Foster Wheeler were awarded a position by the Air Force Installation Contracting Agency on the AFCAP IV for six years.

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Fluor wins contract to repair Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield runway - Airforce Technology

Trends come and trends go and the medical field is no exception. As we start a new year, many health providers expect technology will play a larger role in healthcare throughout 2020 and the next decade.

A big reason for this is the amount of technology-driven tools that put patient care in their own hands. Devices like Fitbit, Apple Watch and Garmin watches can help with numerous health tasks from tracking your blood pressure and monitoring your heart rate to measuring your sleep quality and counting the number of calories in your meals.

Jason Whateley, D.O., physician, Ascension Medical Group has noticed how more patients are wearing technology gadgets as they engage in healthy activities. This allows them to see their progress and track results, making it easier for them to stay focused on achieving their goals, he said.

Wearable technology was number one under the American College of Sports Medicine Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2020, he said in an email. The convenience and ease of these devices is what attracts patients.

However, while these devices have made great strides in patients health, Whateley explained that they still have their limitations.

Patients need to realize results they are obtaining from these devices are much more limited compared to what a complete diagnostic test can provide. Working with a health care provider fills in the gaps that these home gadgets and applications are lacking, he said.

Beyond exercise-specific technology, people need to be aware of the role technology plays in their everyday lives, said Dr. Kurtis Kieleszewski, family medicine physicians, McLaren Macomb.

Technology in general has a detrimental impact on many of American's health because by being plugged in and staring at a screen, we're likely less active and engaging with one another less and less, he said.

Technology can also change the way patients interact with medical providers. Ascension Online Care is designed for patients in need of after-hours care. This service is much like a virtual urgent care clinic where patients receive one-on-one care using their smartphone, tablet or laptop to video chat with a physician who reviews their symptoms and provides the care they need in real time. A summary of their visit is also sent to their Ascension primary care doctor.

So as they track their progress, what activities are people choosing to participate in? There is definitely a trend toward High intensity interval training (HIIT), which is now listed second under the American College of Sports Medicine Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2020, said Whateley.

These programs focus on short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by a short rest period. The big appeal of these exercises is that they can be done at home with little or no equipment, he said.

Kieleszewski said he encourages his patients to move most days of the week.

However they can fit that in their busy schedules and whichever method(s) fit their budget, he said in an email. A blend of cardiovascular and resistance training is usually ideal for everyone to optimize their physical and mental health.

Despite the popularity of home gyms, dont expect joining a gym to fall out of favor. Whateley said those looking for access to more equipment, group sessions and strength training will continue their gym memberships.

For years, those struggling with mental health issues have faced an unwelcome stigma and an uphill road. New trends show that attitudes toward mental health continue to evolve, making it easier for people to seek out care if they need it.

Hopefully all matters relating to mental health will be valued and emphasized as they rightfully should be, said Kieleszewski.

He said the delay in patients seeking assistance and the sometimes limited resources for mental health patients to be evaluated and treated by specialists are challenges for many.

Mental health affects every facet of our daily lives and we as a society need to be more compassionate to those it affects, said Whateley. I believe this trend will continue to be a major focus in 2020 along with aiding those with addiction.

Failing to get a good nights rest may be depriving you of more than you think.

Not getting enough sleep has been attributed not only to our mood and focus but also to many chronic conditions such as diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease, said Whateley. As physicians we place a lot of focus on preventive medicine. Improving your sleep quality can aid in avoiding these diseases.

He shared these strategies from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention that can help you improve the quality of your sleep starting tonight:

Be consistent. Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning, including on weekends

Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing and at a comfortable temperature

Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers and smartphones, from the bedroom

Avoid large meals, caffeine and alcohol before bedtime

Get some exercise. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night

Consult your health care provider to rule out other underlying diseases that may be affecting your sleep

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Professionals share a roundup of what they expect to be 2020's top health trends - The Oakland Press

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Ascension Episcopal's Matt Remondet named Male Athlete of the Week.

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Lafayette Daily Advertiser Published 7:00 a.m. CT Jan. 23, 2020

Matt Remondet(Photo: Submitted Photo)

Ascension Episcopal split their two district games last week, with a loss to Delcambre and a win against Houma Christian.

In both of those games, one player who turned in consistent performances was Matt Remondet. Remondet a junior, scored 25 points and pulled in seven rebounds against Delcambreand finished with 15 points and nine rebounds against Houma Christian.

For his efforts Remondet has been named the Male Athlete of the Week.

After a successful sophomore season that saw him lead the Blue Gators in scoring and rebounding at 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game en route to garnering All-District honorable mention honors,Remondet has picked up right where he left off last season.

This year, Remondet is on par with what he did a year ago, averaging 14.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for a Blue Gators team that is 12-10 overall.

Remondet, who was an All-District football player at tight end, has a 3.7 GPA.

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Ascension Episcopal's Matt Remondet named Male Athlete of the Week - Daily Advertiser

AUSTIN (KXAN) An Austin man knew something was wrong when he fainted in the middle of a soccer game last year.

Hed been dealing with awful headaches and feeling off, but his tumble during soccer prompted him to check it out.

An MRI revealed the surprise culprit a tapeworm in his brain.

The man whose name hasnt been released was shocked.

Dr. Jordan Amadio, neurosurgeon at Ascension Seton, said the mans case was rare and truly extraordinary.

After a complex surgery, the man no longer has headaches and is back at work and feeling normal.

While he doesnt know where the tapeworm may have been contracted, he says he thinks it may have been the result of eating pork in Mexico.

Interestingly, a tapeworm had also been found in his sisters brain years earlier.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,the official term for a tapeworm infection is Taeniasis. The CDC says,Humans can become infected with these tapeworms by eating raw or undercooked beef or pork. People with taeniasis may not know they have a tapeworm infection because symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent.

If you believe you may have a tapeworm infection,the Mayo Clinic recommendsvisiting your doctor for various testing.

The Mayo Clinic says some infected people never even need treatment, and the tapeworm leaves the body on its own. Common treatments for ordinary cases include oral medication. Treatment for more invasive infections includes corticosteroid treatment and surgery.

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Tapeworm removed from Texas mans brain after months of headaches - Q13 News Seattle

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Detroit police said the incident happened due to a psychiatric patient at the hospital attempting to leave.

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Patients and staff at ahospital on Detroit's east sidebriefly thought they were in danger Friday afternoon after someone made shooting and bomb threats.

A psychiatric patient attempting to leave Ascension St. John called the Detroit police and made the threat against the hospital, according to authorities.

Police said the hospital was on lockdown, but was unsure for how long, or the exact time of when the call was made.

An investigation is ongoing.

More: Warren De La Salle lockdown lifted after bomb threat 'not deemed credible'

More: Richmond school district shuts down in ransomware cyberattack

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Lockdown lifted at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit after threats - Detroit Free Press

Baton Rouge-based private equity firm Bernhard Capital Partners announced today it is making a major investment in Ascension Wastewater Treatment, the largest private provider of sewer services in that parish, with more than 16,000 households.

The firm declines to say how much it is investing in the company, but BCP principal Jeff Jenkins describes the deal as a significant investment a partnership.

The announcement comes as BCPs plans to partner with Ascension Parish on the development of a new parishwide sewer system are up in the air.

On Dec. 20, the Ascension Parish Council voted to defer until at least late January a vote on a 30-year contract with a BCP-created company, Ascension Sewer, that planned to invest some $225 million developing a new parishwide system. The dealwhich would be done in partnership with Ascension Wastewater Treatmentwould effectively consolidate the splintered wastewater treatment delivery systems that have proved problematic for the rapidly growing Ascension.

BCP worked with the outgoing parish administration on the deal for a year and pushed it as a way to not only upgrade the aging system but address looming environmental issues that could ultimately force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to get involved.

But members of the incoming parish administration and council began questioning the terms of the deal, which they say lacked key specifics and stood to benefit Ascension Sewer at the expense of parish ratepayers. If approved, residential ratepayers would see their monthly sewer bill increase nearly $60, while commercial customers would see an even bigger rate increase.

Jenkins says the deal with the parish is not dead and BCP is optimistic it will ultimately go forward. But he acknowledges that if the new administration chooses to renegotiate the terms of the deal, it may no longer make sense for the BCP investors who are behind Ascension Sewer.

In the meantime, the firms investment in Ascension Wastewater Treatment, which Jenkins says would have happened under the deal with the parish anyway, makes sense for BCP.

We are focused on building more investments in municipal-type regulated utilities, he says. We like the regulated utility business.

While that may be, BCP has had trouble getting established in the utilities sector. In late 2018, Lafayette rejected a deal that would have given a BCP-owned company management of the Lafayette Utility System.

Though the Ascension and Lafayette deals hit snags for very different reasons, both underscore the challenges the private equity firm continues to face as it attempts to move into the space.

Jenkins acknowledges the deals are complex and take a lot of work and effort to put together. But he believes the country is at a tipping point, where more private-sector partners will be needed to invest in aging utility infrastructure.

Communities need capital but people dont want to raise taxes and the feds are not going to have an infrastructure bill, he says. So we think there is going to be a lot of opportunity to do these types of projects.

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Bernhard Capital investing in Ascension sewer company - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

Workshop open to Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce members only

Friday, January 03, 2020 7:46 a.m. EST by Jim Measel

COLDWATER - (WTVB) - The Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce and Ascension Michigan at Work will be hosting a workshop for Chamber members only next Thursday, January ninth that shows the importance of wellness in the workplace.

The workshop at the Chamber office on South Division starts at 12:00 noon and space is limited to 16 registrants.

The workshop is designed to show how creating a positive company culture focused on well being can create cohesiveness in a company.

There are still a few spots left. Chamber members can register on line at http://www.coldwaterchamber.com.

Jim Measel

Jim Measel is a Detroit native and a proud 1975 Redford Thurston High School graduate. He first came to WTVB in 1991 and has nearly 40 years of broadcasting experience in news and sports. Besides covering local high school sports, Jim has also covered Western Michigan University basketball and hockey as well as Hillsdale College football games. Some professional stops include working at radio stations in Indiana, Charlotte and Lansing as well as the Michigan Radio Network. He has also earned Associated Press awards for news coverage and sports play-by-play. Jim's favorite career highlights include interviewing such figures as Gordie Howe, Sparky Anderson, Tom Izzo, Bo Schembechler, Isiah Thomas, Vice-President Mike Pence, Lee Greenwood and Regis Philbin. When he is not working, Jim enjoys watching the Chicago Cubs and can rest in peace as they won the World Series. He also hopes the Lions will be able to get a chance to win a superbowl.

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BUSINESS BEAT: Chamber and Ascension Michigan hosting wellness workshop - WTVB News

Hayden June was the first baby in Oshkosh born on New Years Day at Ascension Mercy Hospital.(Photo: Courtesy of Ascension Mercy Hospital.)

OSHKOSH Born at 1:42 a.m. on New Years Day, Hayden June Knickelbein rang in 2020 as the first baby born in Oshkosh this year.

She was born at Ascension Mercy Hospital to parents Amanda and Bryce. Hayden is their second child and first daughter.

Later on New Year'safternoon, Aurora Medical Center deliveredits first baby, also a girl named Gillyann Grace who was born at 2:20 p.m. to mom Kaitlyn Gilles of Oshkosh.

She weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounce and was 19 inches long, and has three older siblings.

Gillyann Grace was the first baby born at Aurora Medical Center on New Years.(Photo: Courtesy of Aurora Medical Center.)

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Oshkosh area's first baby of 2020 born at 1:42 a.m. in Ascension Mercy Hospital - Oshkosh Northwestern

District Attorney Ricky Babin has told about 20 Assumption Parish criminal defendants that the judge overseeing their cases has disclosed a personal relationship with a top deputy in the parish Sheriffs Office and that disclosure could benefit their cases.

A draft of the letter Babins office sent to the defendants and their lawyers says Judge Jessie LeBlanc of the 23rd Judicial District disclosed a relationship with Chief Criminal Deputy Bruce Prejean when she recused herself from signing a warrant for an arrest in a narcotics case.

We have no information as to the nature of the personal relationship which would require recusal, nor do we have any information on the length or duration of the personal relationship, the letter adds.

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LeBlanc gives a much narrower explanation. She told WBRZ, which first reported the issue, that she recused herself because she once gave a job reference to an undercover sheriffs agent who is Prejeans close relative.

After 16 years as Assumption Parish sheriff, Mike Waguespack retired suddenly Wednesday, saying he has accepted a job with a private firm.

"I felt it necessary to clarify that my recusal in this matter stems from the fact that my prior employment recommendation for the undercover agent would be a conflict at future stages of the proceedings," she wrote.

Tyler Cavalier, a spokesman for Babin, said Monday night that prosecutors are still trying to determine the extent of the affected cases and suggested there could be more. The defendants who have been sent the letters include some facing murder charges.

The letter says that LeBlanc has never previously disclosed such a relationship with Prejean to Babin's office, and she has not recused herself from any other matter involving the Sheriff's Office since she became judge.

LeBlanc said that she was not told about Babin's letter in advance, has never received a copy of it and only learned on Dec. 27 about the letter and what it says that she disclosed to sheriff's deputies.

Under the law, judges review arrest warrants and determine if detectives have gathered enough information to have probable cause for an arrest. LeBlanc added she doesn't ever recall seeing an undercover agent's name on other narcotics warrants but this one did have one when it arrived on her desk in November.

"I felt it would be prudent to have another judge consider the warrant due to my concern regarding the unusual circumstance of identifying an undercover officer by name," her statement said.

LeBlanc is a native of Ascension Parish and lists her home in Gonzales but is one of five judges serving in a three-parish judicial district that covers Assumption, Ascension and St. James parishes. Her primary office is in Napoleonville and has counted on her personal ties in Assumption as part of her electoral base.

She did not return a phone call and text message for comment Monday evening.

GONZALESThe Ascension Parish Council is poised to consider a contested 30-year contract Friday night that would consolidate sewer service i

Prosecutors said Tuesday that Babin made a required disclosure to the defendants after being informed about LeBlanc's recusal by the Sheriff's Office and that the office was his source of the information about the judge's comments.

In the statement Monday night, Sheriff Leland Falcon said that his staffers initially informed him that the judge had declined to sign the warrant and, "as obligated by law," "immediately conferred" with Babin and "accurately and thoroughly advised him of Judge LeBlanc's disclosure."

Falcon, in the prepared statement and then in an interview Tuesday, said that he also spoke with LeBlanc personally and he is certain the reason that she gave him for her recusal was her relationship with Bruce Prejean and not the undercover agent.

"It was a very clear conversation," Falcon said.

His statement added that LeBlanc "did not elaborate on that relationship."

But Falcon said that he has also spoken with Prejean, a longtime deputy in the Sheriff's Office who predates the sheriff's tenure and served a few months as interim sheriff before Falcon was sworn in.

Falcon said Prejean told him that he and LeBlanc had a close, platonic friendship that dates back to her time as the hearing officer for the 23rd Judicial District Court before she became a judge.

Falcon said he wouldn't see that kind of friendship as necessarily creating a reason for LeBlanc to recuse herself. Falcon said he has not taken action against Prejean at this point, waiting to find out more information, but Falcon said he believed he was obligated to report the judge's recusal to Babin because of what LeBlanc told him.

"I have worked closely with the District Attorney's Office and other members of the judiciary to specifically provide all information I possessed as it relates to this important issue," Falcon wrote.

The new Assumption Parish Sheriff, Leland Falcon, will be sworn in Wednesday, earlier than originally planned, following the resignation of fo

When asked, Falcon also added that it is not uncommon for undercover agents to put their names on arrest warrants, saying some do and some don't. He said that after seeing LeBlanc's statement to the media, his deputies were able to find another warrant that she had signed previously that had the agent's name on it.

LeBlanc's telling of her conversation with Falcon contradicts what the sheriff says happened. LeBlanc says that Falcon inquired with her after she had asked a detective to present the warrant to another judge. She says she told the sheriff her potential conflict stemmed from the undercover agent.

"I explained to Sheriff Falcon that I voluntarily recused myself from signing the warrant because I have known this particular agent since before his career in law enforcement ever began," she wrote. "Moreover, I provided a recommendation and character reference for the undercover agent when he was applying for employment outside the field of law enforcement."

She added that her recommendation of the undercover agent was "clearly an opinion regarding his credibility and character" and that she asked the arrest warrant be considered by another judge.

GONZALES The two-person race for the Division D seat in the 23rd Judicial District is coming down to a debate over which candidate has the ri

A Republican, Leblanc has been judge since she won a special election in March 2012 against Republican lawyer Matt Pryor to replace Judge Jane Triche-Milazzo. She was departing for the federal bench in New Orleans with three years left on her term. LeBlanc was reelected to a full, six-year term in 2014 without drawing an opponent.

LeBlanc was previously the judicial administrator for the 23rd Judicial District Court and, before that, was an assistant district attorney under former District Attorney Tony Falterman when Babin was also an assistant district attorney. For a time, Babin was Falterman's top assistant district attorney while LeBlanc was in the office.

GONZALES Jessie LeBlanc did not lose a precinct in Ascension Parish, and districtwide lost one precinct and tied in another in a Saturday el

Despite those connections earlier in her career, LeBlanc has issued several tough rulings against Babin's prosecutors in Ascension and St. James parishes that have rankled staffers in his office.

A state appellate court panel this week reinstated a five-count malfeasance in office indictment against a top official in the St. James Paris

Among them, she found in April 2017 that Assistant District Attorney Bruce Mohon committed prosecutorial misconduct in connection with corruption cases brought against now-outgoing St. James Parish President Timmy Roussel and his top aide, Blaise Gravois.

The ruling applied to Gravois' case only. LeBlanc threw out his charges, though an appellate panel later reinstated them but upheld the misconduct finding.

Prosecutors later accused her of bias. She withdrew from the case but disputed the bias claims.

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DA: Judge recused herself due to relationship with Assumption chief deputy; judge disputes claim - The Advocate

Dont take too seriously any speculations about what the next decade will hold. Be ready for another wave of astounding, unforeseen events. Who in 2000 could have foreseen 9/11 or the economic crisis of 2008? Or the election of our first African-American president? Who in 2010 could have predicted the rise of political populism and the ascension of Donald Trump, Brexit or the aggressive foreign policies of China and Russia? Or the general breakdown in recent years of the post-WWII order that led to the avoidance of another global conflict and created conditions for the stunning rise in global living standards? (Over 1 billion people have emerged from dire poverty in the new millennium; thats 137,000 people a day.) Or that billions of people would possess handheld devices that are virtually supercomputers? Or that Hong Kong would be rocked by pro-democracy demonstrations for months on end, which could, in the goodness of time, have profound repercussions in China itself?

Nonetheless, despite the futures impenetrable fog, the itch to predict is irresistible. So here goes, in a few categories.

Healthcare will experience enormous Uber/Lyft-like upheavals, providing entrepreneurs with an astounding array of opportunities. The fundamental problem in this immense sector is the lack of free markets. The system has been dominated by third partiesinsurers, government and employers. In what other industry, for instance, would government feel compelled, as the Trump administration has begun to do, to require providers to post prices?!?

The prime propellant for radical change is the rapid rise of high-deductible company insurance plans. The amounts of money people are paying out-of-pocket for medical expenses is fast approaching the size of the U.S. travel industry. Services providing price comparisons for various tests and procedures are coming, big-time. So are metrics that will enable patients to compare outcomes at various clinics and hospitals. Free markets will do what governments have never been able to do with their top-down, regulatory initiatives: provide more and better healthcare at less cost.

Previously, there was no competitive advantage in adopting innovations such as telemedicine, electronic records and warranties for procedures. This burgeoning consumerism will also lead to faster adoption of breakthroughs. Such market-oriented pressures will see most general hospitals evolve into specialized treatment centers or disappear altogether. The political fallout from this will be immense.

In addition, expect big breakthroughs in cures (especially for Alzheimers), in cheap, personal and convenient delivery systems and in sweeping changes in how pharmaceuticals are manufactured.

Current thinking about tax and monetary policies will be obliterated. No sane person would posit that constantly changing weights and measures, such as the number of inches in a foot, the number of minutes in an hour, the number of ounces in a pound or the size of a gallon would stimulate the marketplace. Yet thats exactly what central banks do with money, which is supposed to measure value. Unstable currencies hinder progress, because they inhibit investment, the key to higher standards of living; instability makes people concerned about preserving what they have, so they put their money into hard assets like gold, silver, land or houseswhich is exactly what happened during the run up to 2008, after the U.S. deliberately weakened the dollar.

Heres a prediction no one else will make: By 2030 countries will be adopting the gold standard, the method for monetary soundness that has worked for 4,000 years.

Another economic idiocy that will go by the boards is the idea that taxes dont much effect economic performance. Taxes are a price and burden. A light burden lets commerce flourish.

As unlikely as it may seem with every candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination advocating higher levies on more and more things and activities, a growing number of governments in coming years will move in the opposite direction, reducing tax rates to generate growth and, yes, more revenue.

The Magic Formula, a recent book by Forbes.com contributor Nathan Lewis, demonstrates conclusively that throughout recorded history economies that have low tax regimes and sound currencies end up doing better than those that dontalways. This book will become the bible for a new generation of policymakers.

The way governments engage in regulation will dramatically change. Since the 1960s, the U.S. has experienced an unrelenting tsunami of rules spurred by the spurious notion that precise rules can be written to cover every conceivable contingency in life, thereby removing imperfect human judgment. The result has been a diminution, especially in government, of responsibility for actually getting things done.

Watch for this regime of suffocating rules to be replaced by one of simple principles or goals. It will be up to those affected to find the best ways to achieve a given task. If the results are found to be lacking, those in charge will suffer the consequences. No crying, But we followed the rules! Australia, for example, replaced hundreds of pages of nursing home regulations with a few pages of principles, and the outcome was excellent.

Expect dramatic changes in higher education, galvanized by the scandalous explosion in student debt. Unending increases in college sticker prices will cease, as people focus on the bloating of higher-ed bureaucracies and as institutions are forced to share some of the liability for loans to their students. This will help deal with another scandal: the pitiful graduation rate of students, even within six years. Purdue, under its president, Mitch Daniels, is a pioneer here: The total cost for a student at Purdue today is lower than it was in 2013, when Daniels took office.

Young people will feel less pressure to go to college after high school and instead will pursue good-paying jobs where shortages exist. The presence of online courses will enable them to pursue additional education when they want to.

Of course, there will be crises and challenges.

There will be plenty of issues to roil American politics. These will include things before us today, such as climate policies, identity politics, campus free speech, and coming to grips with how to better mainstream the growing numbers of released prisoners. The 2020 elections, despite a rather uninspiring beginning, will see the start of a profound debate about what kind of country we are to become. This isnt unprecedented. Weve had such soul of America events in the 1850s, the 1890s, the 1930s and, to a lesser extent, the 1970s.

Current concerns over privacy will pale in comparison to the worries coming as we realize the implications of the rise of the surveillance state. In China soon a persons every move in every place every day will be recorded and preserved forever. In freer countries people will still experience the increased recording of their everyday moves. A ripe market will arise for devices that can disrupt ubiquitous nano-cameras.

The world will watch to see if India, a diverse and multicultural state if there ever was one, can hold together in the face of rising Hindu nationalism. If this goes wrong, the ramifications will have international repercussions.

Drug lords will control a growing portion of Mexico unless we find grassroots ways to lessen drug use here in the U.S.

Despite growing use of windmills and solar energy, global consumption of fossil fuels will expand enormously as China, India and other developing countries see car and truck unit sales mushroom by the tens of millions. Electricity will still be generated predominantly by fossil fuelsunless massive high-tech breakthroughs arise. Which, in this ever-unpredictable world, cannot be ruled out.

Bottom line: Such crystal-balling will be quickly outdated by actual events.

Link:

Whatll Happen In The Next Decade? Here Are 9 Predictions For The 2020s - Forbes

GREENFIELD, WI Ascension Wisconsin announced plans to open a new health center in Greenfield. The health center will provide access to primary, specialty, hospital and emergency services.

The building where it will be located, 4935 S. 76th Street, is currently the home of a Barns and Noble bookstore. According to a Milwaukee Business Journal report, the bookstore will move out during the summer of 2020 when their lease on the property expires.

The new Ascension center will then move in. The project will create 50 to 70 new jobs. Construction is expected to begin in the spring, with a tentative opening of late summer 2021.

The 32,000-square-foot health center will house a small-scale hospital with emergency services and eight inpatient beds.

Ascension officials say the new hospital will operate 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. It will be staffed by emergency medicine physicians, experienced nurses and clinical specialists

The facility will be fully licensed, CMS-accredited and in-network with most commercial providers. Medicaid and Medicare also will be accepted. This is the second facility of its kind that will be owned and operated under Ascension Wisconsin and Emerus' joint venture

Ascension Wisconsin will establish a primary and specialty care clinic and outpatient diagnostic imaging facility within the health center. Cardiology and electrophysiology will be provided to complement primary care services and the imaging center will include MRI, CT, ultrasound, mammography and x-ray services.

Read the original:

Greenfield Barnes & Noble To Close, Health Center To Move In - Greenfield, WI Patch

Twins with different birthdays is a rare occurrence. Twins with different birth years even more so. But a woman in Indiana has done something almost unheard of she has given birth to twins born in different decades.

We are still in shock, Dawn Gilliam, mother to the twins, told ABC News Indianapolis affiliate station WRTV alongside her partner Jason Tello at Ascension St. Vincent Carmel Hospital.

The twins also werent due for another 7 weeks so their special birthday was a big surprise to the parents.

"We were surprised how big they were," Gilliam said. "We joked about it before knowing that we were in labor."

Joslyn Grace Guilen Tello was born at 11:37 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2019 weighing 4 pounds 11 ounces and 17.9 inches long while her brother, Jaxon DeWayne Mills Tello was born exactly 30 minutes later on the next day, Jan. 1, 2020, weighing 4 pounds 4 ounces and 18.1 inches long.

Joslyn and Jaxons birthdays were also notable to Ascension St. Vincent Carmel because Joslyn was the very last baby born there in 2019 and Jaxon was the very first baby born there in 2020.

Joslyn, Jaxon, Jason and Dawn are all doing well.

Originally posted here:

A woman in Indiana has done something almost unheard of she has given birth to twins born in different decades. - WCJB

GONZALESThe Ascension Parish Council is poised to consider a contested 30-year contract Friday night that would consolidate sewer service in the Dutchtown, Prairieville and Gonzales areas, after a state appellate panel threw out a lower court order that had previouslyblocked any action until next year.

But the Gonzales lawyer who filed the original suit that led to the lower court order said he has already filed another suit to block action. He added that he expects other suits could follow from other plaintiffs.

Jean-Paul Robert's latest suit, known as a temporary restraining order, was pending early Thursday evening, he said, and mirrors what he filed Monday over the lack of adequate public access to the documents behind the deal.

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"It's not gonna be just Sean Dardeau this time. It's gonna be an avalanche," said Robert, who is representing Dardeau, a Geismar-area car salesman fighting council action on the sewer contract.

GONZALES Hours from a final vote Monday by the Ascension Parish Council on a 30-year deal to bring regional sewer service to Ascension Paris

A special meeting of the Parish Council was called Thursday evening for Friday at 6 p.m. and also, for Friday at 7 p.m., a meeting of a special parish utilities district, which is also composed of the council members. The bodies are expected to cast a series votes allowing the sewer proposal to go forward.

Several councilmen leaving another meeting Thursday night said they are prepared to vote Friday if the court doesn't block them again. Some said they would be supporting the deal.

Councilman Daniel "Doc" Satterlee, an outgoing, two-term member who has championed a sewer fix for years but has faced intense criticism over the Ascension Sewer deal, said the proposed agreement is the product of years of work and investigations of other ideas, including having the parish go it alone, that don't work financially without access to the existing private customer base in the parish.

"I think the contract has been worked on and worked on and worked on, so I feel comfortable with it,"added William Daniel, the parish infrastructure director."I think most of the council does. It's just a matter of being able to have a hearing and having people show up to vote."

The deal with Ascension Sewer LLC, a consortium of Bernhard Capital Partners and Ascension Wastewater Treatment, would involve buildingone new regional plant in the Geismar areato replace dozens of small, neighborhood-sized treatment plants in eastern Ascension.

About 19,500 customers of parish government and Ascension Wastewater would fall under the agreement, including 2,800 Ascension Wastewater customers located outside Ascension Parish. The parish contract would give Ascension government control through the consortium over Ascension Wastewater's 16,500 customers and their rates.

Ascension Wastewater is the largest private sewer provider in the parish and relies heavily on these small sewer plants. The new regional plant would dump cleansed wastewater into the Mississippi River and avoid tightened regulatory restrictions on the discharges into polluted ditches and bayous left by the smaller sewer plants.

The Ascension Parish Council's leadership has finished negotiating a 30-year sewer concession and plans a binding vote Monday, over the object

But the customers would see an immediate rate increase if the deal is approved. Rates would start at $57.90 per month for residential customers and more for commercial customers, and the rates would increase by 4% per year for the first 10 years. The first phase of the system is expected to cost $215 million.

Parish officials have emphasized the cost of not acting. Ascension Wastewater is likely to cut its own deal with Bernhard Capital, depriving the parish of an important customer base, they say. Also, costs to run and upgrade the parish's existing systems would drive a $13 million to $27 million shortfall over the next 20 years at a starting rate of about $60 per month.

Following months of talks with the sitting Parish Council and their lawyers, newly elected council members and Parish President-elect Clint Cointment began raising concerns about the deal. He and others aired worries about the speed with which the final versions of the deal were being pushed through the council and about a number of provisions, including termination fees, that Cointment says could bankrupt the parish.

Earlier attempts at a final vote were halted so Cointment could try to negotiate with Ascension Sewer. While both sides suggested some progress was being made, Council Chairwoman Teri Casso cut off those talks Dec. 11 after, she said, the two sides became stuck on some details.

A recent estimate from financial analysts working for the parish says the termination fees could vary greatly, from $15 million near the end of the agreement to $187 million in year five. At that point, the consortium would have spent the most cash and taken out the most debt to build the new system but without much time to collect month sewer fees to start paying off the costs. The termination fees are designed to reimburse the consortium partners for their unreimbursed costs plus their rate of return.

Jeff Jenkins, co-founder of Bernhard Capital,has disputed fears about the termination fees, calling it a red herring. He said that even if either side did pull out and termination fees were due, the parish still would control the customers who could pay off those fees.

As part of the deal, both the council and its utilities district must vote to transfer the sewer assets of Ascension Wastewater to the district, which means the parish would then own them.

Under an agreement also up for a vote Friday, the consortium would pay Ascension Wastewater, an equity partner in Ascension Sewer that will draw profits from ratepayers, an undisclosed sum for that infrastructure. Ratepayers would cover almost all the costs of the partnership, which projects an 8% return on investment.

Meanwhile, an East Baton Rouge Parish city-parish attorney said the city-parish government is working on an agreement to link up about 1,100 to 1,400 of Ascension Wastewater's customers now in the Ascension Sewer deal to the city-parish system.

Ascension Sewer officials had earlier suggested those out-of-parish customers would help defray sewer rates for the deal in Ascension. But Jenkins said that if another agreement is reached with the city-parish for the East Baton Rouge customers, that agreement would be revenue neutral for the Ascension Sewer agreement.

The state Public Service Commission must also ratify the transfer of Ascension Wastewater's sewer assets.

The flurry of activity Thursday evening was prompted by an order midday Thursday from a three-judge panel on the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal.

The panel rejected Judge Jessie LeBlanc's order Monday enjoining the Parish Council from voting on Ascension Sewer until at least Jan. 7. Cointment and six new members of the 11-person council are expected to be inaugurated Jan. 6.

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Vote on Ascension Sewer deal back on for Friday night but suit to block vote pending - The Advocate

Rick Banks from Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, far left; Nate Gilliam, organizer for the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, center left; Melanie McCurtis of the Metcalfe Park Neighborhood Association, center right; and Jack Hansen. a research and policy analyst from Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization, far right, all spoke at a meeting Oct. 1 to discuss Ascension Wisconsin's St. Joseph campus.(Photo: Talis Shelbourne / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Three empty chairs at a community meeting epitomized the mistrust between the leaders of Ascension Wisconsin and the St. Joes Accountability Coalition.

The coalition, composed primarily of community leaders from Milwaukees north side, invited Ascension Wisconsin to that Oct. 1 meeting to press the health systemtosigna legal contractbinding it to a list of commitments. The commitmentsincluded keepingAscension St. Josephhospital openand providing an urgent care clinic, affordable housing assistance, local hiring, more employee training and living wages for all employees.

Ascension didnt show.

For one, Ascension Wisconsin officials said they were told they would not be allowedto speak at the event. For another, they said signing a contract was unnecessary because they have promised to keep the hospital open,already hire locally andprovide employee training.

The hospital, which employs about 800 people, is one of the neighborhood's largest employers.

The coalition wants the hospital to sign a community benefits agreement, known as a CBA, which is a contract between community groups and real estate developers or government entities.

Reggie Newson, Ascension Wisconsinsvice president of government and community services, said the health systemis proving its commitment to the community by expanding and adding services to St. Joseph.

For example, two certified nurse-midwives were just hired forthe hospital's new midwifery clinic and a third is being recruited. The hospital is also planning to hire a cardiac nurse practitioner and cardiologist.

But members of the coalition arent convinced, because they say there is no legal penalty if Ascension fails to follow through on its promises.

Nate Gilliam, an organizer with the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals, advisory board member of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Instituteand coalition spokesman,said the coalition just wants accountability.

Its good that theyre saying all these great things on paper and to the media," he said. "But if they are going to do that, they shouldnt have a problem with signing a CBA.

The lack of trust between the coalition and Ascension Wisconsin started 18 months ago, when hospital administrators citing losses of roughly $30 million a yearproposed cutting some of Ascension St. Joseph's surgical and medical units and other services, such as cardiology support.

RELATED: Ascension Wisconsin cutting services at St. Joseph hospital

The hospital, at 5000 W. Chambers St., serves a majority African American population on the city's north side, an area facingsteep socioeconomic disadvantages. Decades of limited access to health care havecontributed to higher rates of chronic disease. Higher rates of poverty means many residents rely on Medicaid for health insurance.

Residents interpreted Ascensions proposal as a precursor to closing the hospital and in an area where transportation is scarce feared they would have to go farther for health care.

The proposalwas criticized by Mayor Tom Barrett, several aldermen and community leaders, including George Hinton, CEO of the Social Development Commission and former president of Aurora Sinai Medical Center, who wrote an op-edin opposition.

Ascension dropped the proposal.

But that was 18 months ago.

Reggie Newson, Vice President of Government and Community Services, Chief Advocacy Officer, Ascension Wisconsin.(Photo: The Refinery Photo Studio)

Since then, Newsonsaid the hospital surveyed more than 1,000people by telephone and held five community listening sessions. The information was used to develop priorities for the hospital and corresponding programs, such as the midwifery program and heart and vascular community care center.

Similarly, members of the coalition conducted their own survey, knockingon hundreds of doors and collecting 584detailed responses.

When surveyed on non-clinical services, over 40% of residents said housing assistance, local hiring and living wages were their top priorities.From the coalition's survey onclinical services,61.6% said access to urgent care was most important to them.

Kevin Kluesner, Ascension St. Joseph's chief administrative officer, said he and others arewell aware of the health disparities and disadvantages within the community they serve.

He saidAscension Wisconsin's pushto expand services is proof the hospital isnt going anywhere.

RELATED: New Women, Infants, and Children office opens at Ascension St. Joseph through Milwaukee Health Department partnership

Thatcommitment is despite the hospital'shaving lost roughly $150million since the 2012 fiscal year. In the 2018 fiscal year, the most recent for which information is available,Ascension St. Joseph lost $31.6 million.

By comparison,Froedtert Hospital reported $134 million in profits for the 2018 fiscal year, according to information filed with the Wisconsin Hospital Association.Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center reported $166 million in profits in 2018.

Gilliam said that since the hospital is a non-profit venture, lost profits shouldn't matter. He also said that Ascension Wisconsin hasmore profitable locations across the state, that can offset the losses at St. Joseph.

Markasa Tucker, executive director of the African American Roundtable and supporter of the coalition, reads the response from Ascension on her phone.(Photo: Talis Shelbourne / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

The results from the coalition's survey mirrored what residents at the Oct. 1 community meeting described.

Charles Hawkins said he likes his primary care physicians, but said they keep leaving.

Another resident who lives blocks away from the hospital, Arkesia Jackson, said when her brother-in-law experienced a flare-up of his COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, she was thankful a community hospital was nearby.

"He ran inside the emergency and collapsed, car running," she said. "He is a patient at St. Joe's. They had all his records, they knew who he was, they knew what he was suffering from."

Newson said the goal isto provide consistent, quality care for all patients.

Gilliam acknowledged that details of what the coalition isasking for, such asracially equitable health care and helping with housing assistance, are somewhat vague. However, thats because its members said they want to sit down with Ascension and hammer out an agreement as long as Ascension commits to signing one.

Coalition members argue that other hospitalshave worked withcommunity groups on similarinitiatives.

Robert Silverman, a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Buffalo, said there are some rare examples of CBAs being used in the health care field.

For example, Yale University signed a CBA with the Community Organized for Responsible Development groupin 2006 regarding the construction of a new cancer center.

It still remains unlikely that Ascension, a national organization,would willingly set such a precedent for its hospitals.

Gilliam said he thinks it's important for hospitals to be accountable to the community.

I dont see why they see a community benefits agreement as adversarial off the top," Gilliam said. Whenever theyre ready to come to the table in earnest, well be there.Thats it."

But with the addition and expansion of several new programs, Kluesner said he's not sure what else hospital officials can do to prove they are serious about being a reliable anchor institution on the citys north side.

"We've signed 11 new providers. That's the best proof we could give of our commitment togrowing services here at St. Joseph. If people are wondering what are we doing at Ascension St. Joseph, I think that actions speak louder than words," he said.

Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 223-5261 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseerand Facebook at @talisseer.

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Trust issues plague the relationship between Ascension St. Joe's and the community it serves - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When a whistleblower revealed the details of Project Nightingale, a collaboration between Google and the Ascension health system, he or she also surfaced critical flaws in the ways that health care and tech work together.

As part of the deal, Ascension, a nonprofit Catholic hospital system that operates in 21 states, gave Google access to millions of patient records, including names and birth dates. The goal of Project Nightingale was to build new tools that help doctors extract key information from patients medical records and deliver more targeted medical treatments. It would also make it possible for doctors to spend more time with patients and less time combing through endless layers of electronic health data.

The problem was that the hospital system gave Google access to this mountain of data without the knowledge of doctors or patients. After the news broke, stories emerged questioning compliance with privacy laws and whether Google had plans to monetize the data it received. Lawmakers have voiced similar concerns.

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This isnt an isolated incident. There have been other hiccups over the years as tech and health care have increasingly gravitated towards one another. Think IBM Watson, Memorial Sloan Ketterings alliance with Paige.AI, and the fall of Outcome Health. These gaffes are exacerbating an already frayed trust between the public and the tech industry.

We must act now, before new regulatory barriers and other problems arise that set digital health back for years. We are calling on those working in our respective industries to change our ways. We must lead by example to fully realize the potential of health care technology partnerships to improve both the outcomes and experience for patients and clinicians.

The cultures of tech and health care are fundamentally different, so its easy to see why collaborations between the two run into trouble. Tech is about working fast, in secrecy, with a small set of designers and engineers. It aims to create buzz, sell a vision, and get a product to market as quickly as possible. It recognizes that even though a product may not be perfect right away, iterative work can make it better.

Health care moves at a more measured pace, mainly because patients lives are at stake. Developing a new medicine requires proving its efficacy and safety, which often takes decades and billions of dollars. It requires exposing the results and data to the scrutiny of peers and regulators. Its about putting patients first and developing something that works and is safe, even if it takes longer.

Despite these fundamental differences, there are opportunities for tech and health companies to develop tools that complement traditional medical care by guiding patients to the right treatment, detecting health problems earlier, and much more. Theres so much to gain if this is done well. And yet, we must overcome the friction that occurs when we work with one another.

This friction is understandable. Tech wants health care to move faster. Health care wants tech to slow down. Tech wants health care to buy its vision. Health care wants that vision backed up by evidence, not hype. This tension is stifling the progress of digital health. There have been too many examples of tech running roughshod over the principles of medicine. Startups like Theranos and uBiome, to name two, crashed and burned after misleading investors, regulators, and customers about their capabilities.

Tech within health care, as a result, has lost credibility with the public, and even companies playing by the rules will be met with skepticism. The resulting trust vacuum has the potential to create additional barriers to progress and stall projects even before they get off the ground.

On the health care side, there are countless examples of an industry that, unless pushed, has been slow to adopt innovations in digitization and information technology. Even with the widespread adoption of electronic health records (which required a governmental mandate to achieve), different health systems still cant effectively share data. As a result, health care is far behind other industries in integrating cutting-edge digital technologies.

We need to compromise. Health care needs to be more willing to partner effectively with tech and embrace a more iterative development style. Developing a digital tool in a rapid, iterative fashion requires a significant change in health cares culture. But thats a good thing. Health care could quickly learn what digital health tools work and get them into patients and clinicians hands.

Tech, on the other hand, needs to appreciate and respect the culture of health care and its mission to help patients achieve better health. Startups must generate evidence that their products improve outcomes. They and their financial backers need to be willing to invest in those studies. And, uncomfortable as it might be, tech companies must be open and honest about what theyre doing. Earning and keeping the publics trust has to be just as important as anything else they do.

The use of data in health care is fundamentally different than it is in other industries, such as retail. Most retail consumers accept that, by signing up for a frequent shopper card at their local supermarket or clothing store and receiving its associated discounts, they will be entered into a database and targeted with personalized ads.

But take this approach to medicine and its an entirely different story. Say a patient sees a doctor and during the visit provides him or her with personal information. If that information is later used to sell the patient new products, it would feel like a moral transgression to both patient and provider. This possibility is one reason for the public outrage over the Google-Ascension deal. After the news broke, Googles assurances that the data were being used only for good werent enough. The damage was done.

Patients arent just consumers. They trust their clinicians and the health care system with their lives. Tech companies need to treat this trust with respect. Tech needs to shed its stereotypical secrecy and be honest even to the point of overcommunicating if the goal is establishing trust. Tech cant confuse the vision for its products with the reality of what they are and what they have (and havent) proven. Tech companies must be upfront with health care providers about a products stage of development and what they hope to achieve. If tech needs to use patient data to make digital health tools, the parties involved have a moral and legal obligation to let patients know what is happening and why.

Patient data is an incredibly valuable asset: It is the fuel for creating intelligent tools that could make health care better and cheaper. There are ways to manage this information safely and ethically. But that message must be explained more clearly going forward, and health and tech companies must do a better job respecting and alleviating the concerns people have even before they have them.

Tech and health companies should be as transparent as possible at all points. If they feel like they cant be, its time to ask, Why not? Stories like the Google-Ascension deal must prod us to redouble efforts toward transparency.

When health and tech companies decide to work together, we should commit to a digital health Hippocratic oath. Lets proactively tell patients, the broader public, and every employee within our own organizations what were doing and why. Lets say to everyone exactly how patient data will be used, how it will be protected, and how our work might benefit people in the long run. And lets promise, publicly, that the data wont be used for any other reason than to benefit patient care.

We dont pretend any of this is easy, but its essential that we persevere to optimize the marriage of health care and technology. Our patients and the public deserve nothing less.

Thomas M. Maddox, M.D., is a cardiologist, professor of medicine, and executive director of the Healthcare Innovation Lab at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and BJC HealthCare. Simon MacGibbon is the CEO and co-founder of Myia Health.

Continued here:

Tech and health care need their own 'Hippocratic oath' - STAT - STAT

ZACHARYThe Eagles didnt panic after surrendering their lead in the fourth quarter against the Patriots on Saturday afternoon.

Jai Williams sliced through the heart of the Patriots defense to pace the Eagles to a 27-22 win in the 18th annual Red Stick Bowl all-star football game at Zacharys Bronco Stadium.

The Patriots scratched back from a 21-10 halftime deficit and captured a one-point lead with four minutes to play on a 28-yard touchdown reception by Jack Johnson of Silliman.

But the Eagles responded by mounting a furious six-play scoring drive highlighted by a 32-yard reception from Catholic's Jackson Thomas to Derrick Varnado of Ascension Christian and also assisted by a personal foul infraction by the Patriots.

Williams touchdown run with 2:46 made the difference for the Eagles. The Ascension Catholic product finished with 58 yards on eight carries.

The Eagles' Javier Batiste of White Castle was named Most Valuable Player of the event that featured nearly 90 of the top players in the Baton Rouge area.

Batiste was an integral part of the games most electrifying play. Lining up at running back, Batiste took a lateral pass from quarterback Luke Lunsford of Denham Springs and found wide receiver Rodney White of East Feliciana sprinting down the right sideline for a 35-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a two-score lead late in the opening period.

Batiste also scored the games first TD on a 38-yard run and pulled in a 58-yard pass from Dunham quarterback Anthony Safford just before halftime.

It was a different atmosphere compared to a normal game, Batiste said. But we played hard and we were confident we could come back and get the lead after we let it slip away.

The Eagles launched a hurry-up offense and blitzed ahead with scores on their first two possessions. Behind quarterbacks Safford, Lunsford and Thomas, they appeared in control until relinquishing the lead in the fourth quarter.

Coach had us moving off the ball in practice and had us prepared. We thought that was the key to winning the game, Batiste said.

Eagles coach Ron LeJeune of East Iberville said he felt the flea-flicker play early on set the tone for most of the game.

Our coaches called a good game, especially on that double-pass play. The fans want to see the ball in the air, and we tried to make it as entertaining as possible, LeJeune said. We went back and forth at the end, but we finished strong. I was confident, but I was sweating at the same time.

Patriots coach Steven Thomas of Zachary said spotting the opposition two scores early put his squad at a disadvantage.

We just didnt start off well, but we turned it on after that, he said. We finally took the lead but just made a few errors at the end that cost us the game. We had a chance to win in the end, and thats all you can ask for.

Johnson, whose 28-yard catch gave the Patriots their only lead, was named best receiver for his team. He hauled in the pass from Walker's Ethan McMasters on a 50/50 jump ball between two defenders.

Coach just gave us a big pep talk at half time and that pumped us up, Johnson said. We had a lot of confidence in our offense and we never gave up, but things just didnt go our way. I had a blast and it was a fun experience.

Read more here:

Big plays by White Castle's Javier Batiste, Ascension Catholic's Jai Williams help Eagles win Red Stick Bowl - The Advocate

Ascension Parish government and the sheriff have agreed to renovate he parish jail's female wing, addressing the problem of sending female prisoners to north Louisiana jails because there's not enough room in Ascension's.

Under the new funding agreement, Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webreplans to add 16 more beds to the parish jail's 48-bed female wing.

The renovation, which the sheriff hopes to start in early spring, will convert the old facility, built on the parish's west bank in the mid-1970s, from individual cells into an open bay-style dorm, freeing up space for beds.

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"And hopefully, we can control that population for quite a while and not have to ship females out of parish," Webre said.

The dorm is expected to cost $670,000 to $680,000 to renovate and will include new plumbing.

Though the sheriff runs the jail, it is parish government, under state law, that owns the facility and has the responsibility to maintain it. The parish will pay $600,000 for the renovation and the Sheriff's Office will kick in $80,000.

Webre's office has already spent $40,000 toward that bill for architectural plans and other early costs, the agreement says.

Currently, female inmates who don't have a bed in the dorm are being housed in Madison Parish in northeastern Louisiana, costing Ascension a $24 per prisoner daily fee and complicating transportation costs to bring the inmates back and forth for court, Webre said.

The Ascension Parish jail has been routinely seeing about 55 to 58 female inmates per day, with most being held for nonviolent crimes, such as theft, drugs and bad checks, the sheriff said.

Webre was the jail's warden for 16 of his 34 years in the Sheriff's Office, from 1996 to 2011. He said that when he first began overseeing the jail in '96, its maximum population for female inmates was 16 and the dorm then was rarely full.

General population increases in Ascension have contributed to the rise in inmates but Webre said many of the female inmates end up in the jail because they continue to fail to show up for court dates. Judges won't recall bench warrants for their arrest and the inmates are held for court, Webre said.

"By far, this is my largest female population in my 34 years," he said.

Overall, the jail facility has a capacity of 572 inmates.

A $11.5 million expansion in 2008 doubled the jail's capacity to the current level,Webre said, and has left the Sheriff's Office in good shape for housing the male inmates.

Parish government financed its construction in 2007 and will continue to pay off that debt through 2027. The balance on the debt is expected to be $5.5 million by the end of this year, said Martin McConnell, parish spokesman.

Parish Council members and outgoing Parish President Kenny Matassa spoke in support of the funding agreement at the Parish Council meeting Thursday night. The agreement, which Webre said has been discussed for about a year, was approved without opposition.

"We appreciate the sheriff very much and his concerns for being able to secure those inmates here in our parish," Council Chair Teri Casso said.

Though Webre is pushing forward with the female dorm expansion, he said he has no plans to build a new juvenile facility unless it can be a multi-parish operation, to help defray its costs. The sheriff reserves six beds in St. Bernard Parish for the juvenile offenders at a cost of $200 per offender per day.

After new state standards took effect several years ago, the St. James and Assumption sheriff's offices closed multi-parish juvenile detention centers, citing the cost.

The Ascension Parish Council adopted a 1-mill, 20-year tax in 2013 in hopes of one day building a new facility after the St. James facility closed. The fund is being used to pay to house the juveniles out of parish.

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Why Bobby Webre is eyeing expansion of female dorm at Ascension jail - The Advocate