For the second straight week, Ruston knocked off a team from Ascension Parish. In the first round, they upset Dutchtown, 29-27. Hosting the Spartans in round two, they grinded out a 21-13 victory.

Back in 2016, East Ascension was a big underdog as they made the 240-mile trip up north to face Ruston in the playoffs. The long journey was well worth while as they captured a 38-14 victory.

Three years later, the fourth-seeded Spartans were back in Ruston, and once again, there was an upset. Unfortunately for East Ascension, they were on the wrong side of it this time around.

For the second straight week, Ruston knocked off a team from Ascension Parish. In the first round, they upset Dutchtown, 29-27. Hosting the Spartans in round two, they grinded out a 21-13 victory.

The winning formula against East Ascension was very similar to the one they used against Dutchtown. They got off to a hot start, they controlled the clock and they were tenacious against the pass.

To begin the game, Ruston took the lead when quarterback Jaden Procell threw a screen pass to Ketravion Hargrove, and he did the rest. Hargrove raced 69 yards for a score to give the Bearcats a 7-0 lead.

The Spartans responded late in the opening quarter. Ethan Bagwell broke loose for a 62-yard run that set them up inside the Ruston 5-yard line. Bagwell then finished off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

Hargrove then struck again for the Bearcats. He got loose for 51 yards to get Ruston down to the East Ascension 18. He eventually scored on a two-yard run to regain a 14-7 lead for the Bearcats early in the second quarter.

Ruston seemed to have control of the game, but then they fumbled a punt and East Ascension recovered at the Bearcat 47. It gave way to a 15-yard touchdown hookup between Cameron Jones and Jyrin Johnson.

The Bearcats were able to block the extra point, allowing them to maintain a 14-13 lead at the half.

East Ascension had a chance to take the lead at the start of the third quarter as Ruston muffed another punt.

However, the Bearcats got the ball back when Jones was sacked and stripped. Ruston recovered the fumble at their own 24.

To begin the fourth quarter, it appeared that East Ascension was about to hold Ruston to a punt as they were facing a third-and-22, but Dontre Griffin was able to convert on a draw.

The Spartans were also guilty of a face mask penalty on the playgiving the Bearcats the ball at the East Ascension 5-yard line. Griffin then powered his way into the end zone to extend the Ruston lead to 21-13.

With less than three minutes left in the game, the East Ascension defense forced the Bearcats into a fourth-and-one at their own 44-yard line. Griffin again picked up a first down. This conversion allowed Ruston to bleed the clock and clinch the victory.

After rushing for 126 yards against Dutchtown, East Ascension did a great job of containing Hargrove. He rushed for just 67 yards on 17 carries. Fifty-one of those yards came on one run.

But Griffin stepped up as a great second option for Ruston. He piled up 81 yards and a score on 16 carries.

Ruston possessed the ball for 27 minutes.

Jones was only able to complete eight of 19 passes for just 66 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked four times.

The loss prevented the Spartans from reaching the state quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons. They finished with an overall record of 9-3.

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Spartans season ends on the road at Ruston - Leesville Daily Leader

Google and the massive Ascension health system have been secretly working together on a project to store and analyze millions of patient medical records.

Ascension is transferring the personal and medical information of 50 million Ascension patients onto Google's cloud network. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the project Monday.

In return, Google gains access to the data, a source with knowledge of the matter told Business Insider. The source asked not to be identified because the information isn't public.

The partnership titled "Project Nightingale" involves Google helping Ascension move its data onto Google's Cloud services and adding collaboration and G-Suite tools followed by plans to build an electronic search tool for patient records, according to internal documents reviewed by Business Insider.

The project is controversial, as patients weren't notified that their health information would be made available to Google, the person said. Both Google and Ascension said the program followed US health privacy laws.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has opened an investigation into the partnership, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Roger Severino, director of the department's Office for Civil Rights, told The Journal the probe will look into ensuring federal laws that protect the privacy of patients' health information were fully implemented.

Meanwhile, US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Murkowski said they were concerned about whether the organizations were taking proper steps to protect patient privacy.

Google's Tariq Shaukat said the partnership is "a business arrangement to help a provider with the latest technology, similar to the work we do with dozens of other healthcare providers."

"These organizations, like Ascension, use Google to securely manage their patient data, under strict privacy and security standards," added Shaukat, who's president of industry products and solutions at Google Cloud.

Ascension is the second-largest health system in the US, spanning 21 states and 150 hospitals. In the year that ended June 30, it brought in about $25 billion in revenue.

The partnership between Ascension and Google began late last year and ramped up this past summer and fall, according to the documents.

As of this month, about 20 million patients' information has been uploaded to Google's Cloud services, with the remaining 30 million to be completed by February, the source said.

About 2,000 out of the roughly 40,000 doctors and nurses in Ascension's hospital network were aware of the partnership, as they had been asked to test the electronic search system, the source added.

Google's Mountain View, California, headquarters. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The project involves employees from different segments of Google and Ascension. Close to 150 Google employees from different organizations are able to access the data, internal documents show. Among those are employees from the Google Health, research, and Cloud teams.

The data collected in the Google-Ascension partnership contains name, contact information, diagnoses, and medication orders, according to internal documents. The Ascension data that Google employees have access to includes patients' names and other personal information, according to the documents.

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the law, known as HIPAA, that is meant to protect the privacy of patients' health information, health systems can share patient information with business partners.

That includes everything from the software companies providing the electronic health records to billing vendors. Patients are typically asked when they join a health system to sign papers acknowledging a health system's privacy practices covering the third parties the information would be shared with, Roger Cohen, a lawyer in Goodwin Partner's life-sciences practice, told Business Insider.

"What's different is it's Google," Cohen said.

When it comes to big tech players rather than traditional health IT companies, there are broader public perceptions about how the data will be used, he said. "It goes to in this area where you have to think not just about the law but public perception as well."

Ascension said in a release Monday that "all work related to Ascension's engagement with Google is HIPAA compliant and underpinned by a robust data security and protection effort and adherence to Ascension's strict requirements for data handling."

As part of the business associates agreement, Google employees do have access to identified patient data, a Google representative clarified. Ascension employees have raised concerns about how Google might use its access to patients' personal data on the electronic system, the source told Business Insider.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Murkowski, who have introduced legislation to protect patients' health data, have expressed concern over the partnership.

Klobuchar, who is running to win the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential nomination, said in a Tuesday statement that the Google-Ascension partnership "isn't the only one that raises serious privacy concerns," citing Google's recent acquisition of health-tracking device company FitBit. Murkowski added that protecting patients' privacy is "a high priority of mine."

At the core of the project is a patient search tool. According to a user guide for testers of the tool that was provided by a source, users can type in patient names to find matches, get an overview of a patient's information, view notes and lab reports, and get a view of patient results over time. The information in the user guide does not contain Ascension patient information, the document noted.

Here's what it looks like:

User manual

The search gives users the ability to search through patients within Ascension, pulling up an overview of their health record with the ability to get a closer look at vitals or labs. Patient Search user manual

Much like Google Search, the forms are meant to correct for what medical providers are searching for.

Patient Search user manual

The reports can also provide a view of a patient's lab results over time.

Patient Search user manual

Over the past year, Google has gotten deeper into healthcare,hiring Dr. David Feinbergto head up the Google Health division.

Feinberg's team is now responsible for coordinating health initiatives across Google, ranging from the company's search engine and map products, to its Android smartphone operating system, to more futuristic offerings in areas like artificial intelligence.

In hisspeech at a conference in October, Feinberg said one of his first main goals for the team would be to oversee how health-related web searches came up and to work to improve that with the Google Search team.

Healthcarecosts are rising for consumers, andnumerous players want control over the dollars flowing in and out. From the perspective of the fast-moving technology industry, change is slow going, leaving entrepreneurs and companies alike thinking, "There has to be an easier way."

Tech powerhouses like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are increasingly focused on expanding in US healthcare. They've pursued strategies like selling software and computing services and offering hardware and have even shown some signs they'll get into the business of providing healthcare.

And as health systems have been amassing more information, there's an emerging race to see which company might benefit from storing that data on their respective clouds and what other platforms or tools might sway healthcare companies to work with them.

According to Business Insider Intelligence, healthcare companies were projected to spend $11.4 billion on cloud computing this year. Amazon as of 2017 had about 46% of the cloud infrastructure market, while Microsoft had about 11%.

Amazon and Google have been landing major deals as well. In July,the health information technology giant Cernersaid it had made Amazon Web Services its preferred cloud provider as it moved its business from being hosted on its own data centers to the cloud. The Minnesota-basedMayo Clinic in September signed Google as its cloud and artificial-intelligence partner.

This story was published on November 11 and has been updated with comments from US Senators Lisa Murkowski and Amy Klobuchar.

Excerpt from:

Inside Google and Ascension cloud and AI partnership: details - Business Insider

After news broke about a health data partnership between Google and Ascension Health,sparking potential privacy concerns,the tech giant and health system released statements defending the project.

Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported Google was collecting personal health information on millions of Americans as part of a partnership with Ascension,one of the largest Catholichealth systems in the U.S.

In a blog released this week, Google said the partnership is aimed at supporting the health system "with technology that helps them to deliver better care to patients across the United States."

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"Its understandable that people want to ask questions about our work with Ascension. Were proud of the important work were doing as a cloud technology partner for healthcare companies," wrote Tariq Shaukat, president of industry products and solutions and Google Cloud, in the blog post.

"Modernizing the healthcare industry is a critically important task, with the ultimate result, not just digital transformation, but also improving patient outcomes and saving lives," he said.

RELATED:Heating up competition with Apple in the smartwatch space, Google acquires Fitbit for $2.1B

In July, Google offered hints about the project during its second-quarter earnings call, saying Google Clouds AI and ML solutions are helping healthcare organizations like Ascension improve the healthcare experience and outcomes.But upon revealing what it dubbed "Project Nightingale" this week, Google reiterated the project shouldn't be seen as anything unusual.

For instance, Google has a "Business Associate Agreement (BAA)"with Ascension, which governs access to protected health information for the purpose of helping providers support patient care. All of Google's work withAscension adheres to industrywide regulations, including HIPAA,Shaukat wrote.

Ascension's data are de-identified and cannot be used for any other purpose other than providing services under that agreement, and patient data cannot be combined with Google consumer data, he said.

RELATED:David Feinberg offers a peek behind the curtain at Google Health

For its part, Ascension released a statement saying it is working with Google to "optimize the health and wellness of individuals and communities, and deliver a comprehensive portfolio of digital capabilities."

That includes modernizing Ascensions infrastructure by transitioning to the Google Cloud Platform, transitioning to Google's G Suite tools and exploring artificial intelligence applications that will have the potential to support improvements in clinical quality.

As the healthcare environment continues to rapidly evolve, we must transform to better meet the needs and expectations of those we serve as well as our own caregivers and healthcare providers. Doing that will require the programmatic integration of new care models delivered through the digital platforms, applications and services that are part of the everyday experience of those we serve, said Eduardo Conrado, Ascension's executivevice president of strategy and innovations, in a statement.

However, tech giants have faced increasing data privacy scrutinythat has only intensified as they wade into the healthcare space. Last year, Facebook sparked alarm afterCNBC reportedthe company asked several major U.S. hospitals to share anonymized data about patients for a research project in which it would match those data with user data to help hospitals figure out which patients might need special care.

As CNBC reported, the project never made it out of the planning stage. But it served as an example of the privacy concerns social media giants have to consider as they tiptoe into healthcare.

Google has made its interest in the health space well known. Last year, itbrought on Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System CEODavid Feinberg to serve in a new executive leadership role. Earlier this month,Google announced it is acquiring wearables company Fitbit for $2.1 billion."Our work with Ascension is exactly thata business arrangement to help a provider with the latest technology, similar to the work we do withdozens of other healthcare providers," Shaukat said. "These organizations, like Ascension, use Google to securely manage their patient data, under strict privacy and security standards. They are the stewards of the data, and we provide services on their behalf."

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Google, Ascension defend their health 'data transformation' partnership - FierceHealthcare

Google is collecting personal health records of millions of Americans who receive medical care from Ascension HealthWisconsin's second-largest health provider according to a Wall Street Journalreport.

The St. Louis-based Ascensionoperates 23 hospitals and over 110 clinics in Wisconsin, according to the Catholic nonprofit's website. Its areas of careinclude much ofthe east and central parts of the state from Eagle River to Racine.

Data collection for Project Nightingale, as the effort has been code-named, began last year and accelerated over the summer, according to the Journal. It includeslab results, hospitalization records and doctor diagnoses, as well as personal identifiers.

Neither patients or doctors had been notified of the data-sharing, the Journal reported.

Patient advocate Debby Deutsch wrote in an email to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin on Monday that even if data analytics and artificial intelligence can helpimprove health care, "you don't need patient contact info and social security numbers to achieve that."

"Patients are right to be enraged with this violation of their protected health information," wrote Deutsch, who works at Patient Care PartnersLLC in Madison.

RELATED:Ascension and OSMS to build new clinic and surgery center in Fox Crossing

RELATED:Marshfield Clinic nixes plan for Wausau hospital, to buy Ascension hospitals in Weston, Park Falls

An Ascension Wisconsin spokesperson declined to share the number of patients in the state whose data has been accessed.

Ascension released a statement Monday saying the health system and Google were working together on a health care "transformation." The statement said work relating to Ascension's engagement with Google was compliant with the 1996 Health InsurancePortability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and did not make reference to patients' data collection.

HIPAA allows for health systems' business associates, like Google, to obtain patients' private health information without their consent, as long as it's "to help the covered entity carry out its health care functions."

Ascension's statement outlined its Google collaboration in three parts:

According to the Journal report, the Nightingale project aims to identify treatment plans, tests ordoctor teams for patientsand help a health system generate more revenue from patients.

Google's analysis of large amounts of health data to detect trends in causes and outcomes may fall under the realm of population health, Deutsch said.

For example, if a certain type of cancer is prevalent in a given region or population segment, data analysis would help determine the common characteristics of the patients and what treatments might be most effective.

But patient contact information or personal identification is not needed to pull off such an analysis, Deutsch added.

And there is an added threat that the shared data could be compromised.

"There is no danger of accidental identity breaches if they don't have the data in the first place," she said.

Contact Madeline Heim at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @madeline_heim.

Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Subscribe to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin site today with one of our special offers and support local journalism.

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Without notice, Ascension Health may have shared Wisconsin patients' personal records with Google - Post-Crescent

GONZALES An Ernst and Young financial analyst told an Ascension panel that a 30-year deal to finance, build and run a $215 million regional sewer system carried "slightly asymmetrical" benefits for the ratepayers and private partners behind it, ensuring cost overruns are born by ratepayers but offering no clear way also to share any savings with those future customers.

But the panel, the Parish Council Utilities Committee, which has been trying to find a way to build a regional sewer system under state and federal regulatory pressure to clean up discharge into area waterways, forwarded the plan for a possible final vote before the full council next Thursday, charging the private backers to answer the main critiques raised by the analyst.

If approved next week by an outgoing council with at least six departing members, the sewer deal could lock the parish into a relationship with Ascension Sewer for a generation. The deal carries costly termination fees in the tens of millions of dollars.

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Ascension Sewer LLC, whose partners include Bernhard Capital Management and Ascension Wastewater Treatment, is seeking a long-term concession with parish government to build a new regional treatment plant along the Mississippi River. The system would consolidate sewer service for tens of thousands of homeowners and businesses in eastern Ascension.

Ascension Sewer is proposing to sink in $78 million in cash upfront plus seek out commercial and government debt to finance the initial construction of a system expected to link up 19,500 parish government and Ascension Wastewater customers to the new system in the first phase.

Under the deal, the parish also is expected to put nearly $16 million in taxpayer cash and $60 million of the financing relies on a state and federal low-interest loan that parish was awarded several years go.

The first batch of customers as many as 35,000 could eventually be connected currently have community sewage treatment discharge that ends up in the impaired Bayou Manchac or other smaller waterways. Parish officials say the system could eventually remove 2.3 million gallons per day of discharge from Manchac.

Ascension Sewer is proposing a starting rate of $57.90 per month with annual 4% increases for the first 10 years of the deal, ending at $82.41.

At the same time, the parish has put forward its own analysis of status quo growth in the parish government customer base, suggesting a $60 per month fee with regular 3% increases, well above current rates, would end up with a combined $27 million deficit at the end of 20 years that would require taxpayer support.

The Ernst and Young analyst suggested the deficit might actually be less than half as much, however, though that plan held many cost uncertainties.

Parish government officials also suggested that if the parish didn't reach a deal with AWT, Ascenison largest privcate sewer provider, the company would find a way to make a private deal to do the same thing on its own, leaving the parish without control over a large customer base.

The committee vote late Tuesday night was 4-1. Council members Teri Casso, Oliver Joseph, Aaron Lawler, Daniel "Doc" Satterlee supported the proposal, while Councilman Bill Dawson was opposed. Councilman Benny Johnson, another member of the panel, was absent.

Before the vote, Stephen Auton-Smith, the Ernst and Young analyst, said uncertainty in the construction cost of the proposed system, which he estimated was 5% to 10% designed, held the biggest risk for cost overruns of up to 20%.

He said that just a 10% increase in the construction cost could boost rates by up to $10 per month over the 4% percent annual increases Ascension Sewer is currently proposing.

But, Auton-Smith said the deal has been structured with concern for those costs rising. He explained that the deal is structured to ensure those and other cost overruns would be transferred to ratepayers, which he said isn't unreasonable given the project's state of development.

Yet he noted that aspects of the deal held the potential for Ascension Sewer LLC to earn savings later and boost its 8% rate of return without a clear method pass on any of those savings to ratepayers.

In addition, the deal, as currently written, doesn't outline a clear way for Ascension Sewer to tell parish government when cost-savings happen.

"Right now, as generally drafted, there's a general trend towards cost recovery in the event things go wrong and an asymmetry if things go well," Auton-Smith said.

Auton-Smith's report had also noted that Ascension Sewer's plans lack the details to determine how the initial $57.90 per month rate structure was derived and how changing costs or saving might affect rates.

The council committee called on Ascension Sewer provide more details about its construction plans, work with Ernst and Young or another third party to develop a rate-generating model, better outline how rates could be adjusted higher or lower, and make changes to the deal contract to require annual or quarterly reports to the parish. All of that must be brought that back to the full council by Nov. 21.

Most of the requirements were proposed by Dawson but, under an amendment from Satterlee, the panel chose not to pursue another proposed by him, that Ascension Sewer bring its design to the 30% level.

Instead the panel called on Ascension Sewer to review its agreement with the parish to protect against cost overruns in design and construction, including ensuring cost savings were invested back into the system.

Jeff Jenkins, a partner with Bernhard Capital, told the panel before its vote that, based on his experience with public systems, he felt the construction estimates were solid and wasn't in favor of addition design work. He promised Bernhard Capital would work with the parish and Ernst and Young on the other items.

"We feel pretty firm we're already there. We're willing to put our money where our mouth is," Jenkins said.

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Long-term sewer deal in Ascension inches toward final vote next week - The Advocate

(RTTNews) - Ascension said Monday that it is working with Google to optimize the health and wellness of individuals and communities. It aims to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of digital capabilities that enhance the experience of Ascension consumers, patients and clinical providers across the continuum of care.

Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google has partnered with one of the country's largest health-care systems to secretly collect and crunch the detailed personal health information of millions of Americans across 21 states. Neither doctors nor patients were made aware of the effort.

The Journal reported that Google began the effort last year with St. Louis-based Ascension, the second-largest health system in the U.S., with the data sharing accelerating since summer.

The data involved in Project Nightingale encompasses lab results, doctor diagnoses and hospitalization records, among other categories, and amounts to a complete health history, including patient names and dates of birth.

At least 150 Google employees already have access to much of the data on tens of millions of patients, the report said.

Meanwhile, Ascension said that it will improve the experience of patients and consumers, as well as providers and associates, and advance its Mission of providing compassionate, personalized care to all, especially people living in poverty and those most vulnerable, through new capabilities.

Ascension said that the collaboration with Google will modernize Ascension's infrastructure by transitioning to the secure, reliable and intelligent Google Cloud Platform.

The collaboration will include transitioning to Google's G Suite productivity and collaboration tools. Using G Suite will enhance Ascension associates' ability to communicate and collaborate securely in real time, supporting interdisciplinary care and operations teams across Ascension sites of care.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Ascension Partners With Google On Healthcare Transformation - Nasdaq

GONZALES Officials running Ascension Parish's west bank water systems say they are prepared for subfreezing temperatures Tuesday night and early Wednesday but are asking residents to watch for water leaks and conserve water.

Low temperatures in Ascension are expected to be in the 20s overnight and into Wednesday morning, according to National Weather Service reports.

This week's big chill is draining water supplies in towns across South Louisiana, leaving a hospital and a nursing home in Ascension Parish dr

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The parish officials who operate two west bank water systems, Parish Utilities of Ascension and Ascension Consolidated Utilities District No. 1, are urging customers to protect exposed pipes and not to run faucets beyond a slow drip.

In early January 2018, another cold snap forced the parish to cut water service for several hours to the more than 3,200 customers on the PUA system, which serves the city of Donaldsonville, after a combination of leaks and running faucets overwhelmed the system.

The shutdown occurred due to low pressure and, once pressure was restored, the area remained under a boil water advisory until the system passed required water quality testing.

At the time, parish officials acknowledged that they did not have standard procedures to build extra water reserves ahead of cold weather, but since then have improved those procedures. The system, an old private water operation the parish bought in 2016, has also gotten added tracking systems and is in line for millions of dollars in other upgrades.

Parish officials said in a statement Tuesday that water towers are full and technical crews are on alert.

The boil water advisory for Donaldsonville residents was lifted Tuesday after Ascension Parish officials shut down the city water system last

Parish officials also urged residents to check on their neighbors, particularly the elderly and shut-ins.

Parish officials urged residents to watch for signs of water leaks, especially at the homes of neighbors who are away. Residents can report leaks by calling an emergency line at (225) 450-1078 or the Citizens Service Center at (225) 450-1200.

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Ascension: West bank water systems ready for frigid temperatures; conservation urged - The Advocate

GONZALES An Ascension Parish Council panel that for years has been investigating how to bring a consolidated, public sewer system to the eastern side of the parish will consider on Tuesday night whether to recommend a 30-year deal with a private partner to build and run the system.

Ascension Sewer LLC, which includes Bernhard Capital Partners and the parish's largest private sewer provider, Ascension Wastewater Treatment, is proposing a $215 million plan to eliminate dozens of community systems in Ascension Parish.

A new combined system would route the sewage of up to 19,500 customers in the first phase in Prairieville, Dutchtown, Geismar and the Gonzales area to a new treatment plant along the Mississippi River in the Geismar area and out of impaired bayous.

Another 2,800 Ascension Wastewater customers outside of Ascension, in East Baton Rouge, Iberville and Livingston parishes, would be part of the partnership and under the rate-setting authority of the Ascension Parish Council but not hooked into the consolidated system.

Ascension Sewer would design, build, operate and maintain the parish system for 30 years, earning an estimated return of 8% annually, potentially bringing the partners a few hundred million dollars in profit over the life of deal, according to a newly public Ernst & Young analysis.

Both the parish and Ascension Sewer would put up cash and debt to finance construction.

The plan proposes initial rates of $57.90 per month, a substantial increase for parish government's and Ascension Wastewater's customers, but on par, backers of the plan say, with rates in neighboring communities.

The Parish Council would be the rate-setting authority, but the deal lays out rates in the first 10 years. Rates would increase at 4% annually and reach $82.41 a month by year 10.

The deal also lays out several scenarios, such as slower than expected customer growth, under which the council could be asked for extra rate increases or end up in mediation if the two sides can't agree.

Under the deal, the Parish Council would face costly termination fees in the tens of millions of dollars or more to back out.

The Parish Council panel got a detailed explanation of the plan last month in a hearing shortly before the Oct. 12 primary, but Ernst & Young's analysis wasn't finished, putting off any vote on the plan.

Once the primary election votes were tallied, at least six of 11 council members were on the way out, including several members on the Council Utilities Committee shepherding the deal.

The incumbent for a seventh seat is headed to a runoff Saturday. The parish also will have a new parish president, President-elect Clint Cointment, with whom the private partners will have to negotiate.

Since the election, outgoing and incoming council members have offered mixed sentiments about whether the sitting council should act on a deal that would bind the parish for a generation.

Councilwoman Teri Casso, the chair of the full council, and Councilman Daniel "Doc" Satterlee, chairman of the Utilities Committee, have said they want to proceed.

Casso, who was reelected without opposition in August, said she would like the council to "finish strong" on a variety of matters, including the sewer plan. Satterlee, a two-term councilman who lost in the primary to Prairieville lawyer Corey Orgeron, agreed.

"I was elected to serve for four years, not three years and eight months, or 10 months, or whatever it is," Satterlee said.

Cointment has repeatedly declined to weigh in on the sewer plan while key details remained undisclosed but has said that once they are public, they should get a full airing before any vote.

Some councilmen-elect said they had already spoken with officials from Bernhard Capital but were still learning about the deal.

Chase Melancon, a councilman-elect from St. Amant, said the current council has done a lot work but, at the same time, the new council will be dealing with the plan, leaving him uncertain about a vote by the outgoing council.

Even before Ernst & Young's analysis became public, aspects of the plan not disclosed in the proposal's initial rollout have raised questions for some.

Officials with Bernhard Capital have said the addition of out-of-parish customers adds ratepayers, lowering the rate for all. They have simultaneously suggested the out-of-parish individual sewer systems wouldn't also present the kind of long-term regulatory concern that is helping drive the proposal to consolidate customers on similar treatment plants in Ascension.

Outgoing Councilman Bill Dawson, who has aired skepticism of that claim, told Bernhard officials last month that out-of-parish customers also would not be able to vote for any of the future Parish Council members who would set their monthly rates.

Currently, the state Public Service Commission sets their rates. Those customers have an elected representative on the state panel.

The Ernst & Young financial analysis, which has become public ahead of the utility meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Gonzales, has added more questions for Dawson.

Ernst & Young detailed a variety of uncertainties in the plan that could either improve the partnership's profits or drive up costs. But the financial analysis found a pretax rate of return of 8% is not generally out of line, though valuable.

After the first three years of construction, Ascension Sewer's partners would earn a combined $267.6 million, after taxes, over the remaining 27 years. That's nearly as much as the future system's projected operating cost over the same period.

The analysis also found aspects of Ascension Sewer's financing plan assumes a more aggressive initial construction schedule and shorter-term construction financing than might otherwise be likely.

If those time frames were stretched out, the partnership could see a higher rate of return with no way to require disclosure of those savings or share them with ratepayers, Ernst & Young found.

Dawson said he will be asking the committee to have Ernst & Young further analyze the basis of Ascension Sewer's initial rate of $57.90 and call for more thorough sewer construction design plans, moves that could delay a final vote until next year.

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Read more from the original source:

Sewer deal for Ascension heads to key vote by departing Parish Council; sewer rates could increase - The Advocate

Editors note: Got something on your mind? Community Voices is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.

Rick Banks serves as political director/organizer for Black Leaders Organizing for Communities; Nate Gilliam serves as organizer for Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals; and Jack Hanson is the research and policy analyst for the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization.

When the news broke in April 2018 that Ascension Health intended to dramatically cut services at St. Joseph Hospital, the last remaining general hospital on Milwaukees North Side, community members mobilized to save the hospital. Our group, the St. Joes Accountability Coalition, or SJAC, was born out of that fight to maintain quality healthcare services in a desperately underserved, mostly black area of the city.

Since then, SJAC has made it its mission not only to ensure that the hospital stays open, but also to work with Ascension to make it the type of facility the community wants, needs and deserves.

Ascension says that a community benefits agreement is not needed for St. Joes and that such agreements do not apply to health systems. Ascension has instead focused its efforts on drumming up positive media attention for its latest community health needs assessment, or CHNA, and community health improvement plan, or CHIP.

But lets get real.

First, every nonprofit hospital in the country is required by federal law to conduct a CHNA every three years and to develop a CHIP based on the findings.Froedtert, Advocate Aurora and Pro Health are all complying with this requirement quietly, while Ascension is trying to spin its efforts as something innovative and unique.Quite simply, in conducting a CHNA and issuing a CHIP, Ascension is just complying with the law.

Second, in conducting this newest CHNA, Ascension broke with past practice and chose to designate the whole of Milwaukee County as the community served by St. Joes. But anyone who lives here knows that the neighborhoods around St. Joes face health challenges different from those in other parts of the county. Glossing over that difference or, worse, simply ignoring it undermines the credibility of the CHNA and CHIP.This could also easily lend itself to continued medical redlining, as we see Ascension choosing to invest in wealthier (and whiter) parts of southeast Wisconsin.

Finally, and most importantly, the CHNA and CHIP processes on their own do not hold hospitals accountable. SJAC would love to see the projects discussed in the latest Ascension CHIP brought to fruition, along with other needed programs and supports identified by the community, but not addressed in the CHIP. But the federal agencies tasked with implementing the CHNA and CHIP rules have little interest in and even less capacity for monitoring progress. There are no sanctions for a hospital that fails to implement the projects discussed in its CHIP; the rules require only that a hospital publish a CHIP, not that it make good on it. Thats a big problem.

This is exactly why we need a binding, enforceable community benefits agreement with St. Joes.

The community also has valuable information and insight to offer Ascension concerning the future of St. Joes.Over the summer, SJAC conducted nearly 600 conversations with residents as we canvassed the neighborhoods around St. Joes.On Oct. 1, SJAC convened a town hall to release the results of our survey. Ascension representatives declined to attend.

Our survey resultsshowed, very clearly, that community members want Ascension to operate an urgent care center in the neighborhood; to deliver healthcare without racial bias; to provide housing assistance and greater support for affordable housing; to hire locally and train people into living wage jobs with union rights; and to respect community voices.

As a tax-exempt nonprofit, Ascension is expected to serve a charitable purpose. The corporations mission statement says that Ascension is committed to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable.Were asking Ascension to use its considerable resources to do just that. Milwaukees North Side is vulnerable. Its social, economic and health needs are great.The path forward is clear. But Ascension needs to be fully accountable to our community.

We stand ready to collaborate with Ascension to plan the future of our hospital and build the future of our neighborhoods whenever Ascension is ready.

How to reach us: Email is highly effective. We can be reached at info@milwaukeenns.org. Our newsroom phone number is (414) 604-6397.

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OPINION: We need more than hope and promises. Ascension should sign a formal community benefits agreement. - Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

WSGW News file photo

Ascension Health Care is spending $50 million in its Northern Michigan Division.

Regional President Doctor Stephanie Duggan says $17.6 million will be spent updating Ascension St. Marys Emergency Department in Saginaw. An additional amount of money will provide a new medical complex at Ascension Standish Hospital. Ascension St. Joseph in Tawas City will also have facility improvements.

Duggan said a partnership joins St. Marys and Covenant Healthcare with Central Michigan Universitys College of Medicine. The program currently has 101 medical residents doing their clinical training in Saginaw. The goal is to get 150 residents studying in the city. Its an effort to keep these future doctors in the area to meet a looming doctor shortage.

More than 60% of nearly 9,800 people receiving medical care as St. Marys patients came from outside Saginaw County, including the Great Lakes Bay Region, the Thumb and northern Michigan.

St. Marys has had a number of firsts, over the years, including the FlightCare helicopter, the first Level II trauma center and the first open heart surgery.

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Ascension Health Invests In Area Medical Facilities - WSGW

DONALDSONVILLE Five proposed industrial expansions in Ascension Parish totaling $784 million in capital spending received a key nod Thursday for property tax exemptions over the next eight to 10 years.

The Parish Council voted on six incentive applications for the five projects seeking exemptions for a combined $17.3 million in property tax revenue, parish estimates say.

If the companies build the proposed expansions, they would bring 13 new jobs combined, pull in millions in sales tax collections on construction and still draw a combined $90.6 million in property tax revenue for all local governments over the next 30 years.

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All of the incentives through the Louisiana Industrial Tax Exemption program also were approved this week by the School Board, but still need backing from Sheriff Bobby Webre and the state.

The state program exempts most, and some cases all, local property tax collections on new industrial machinery and equipment. Edwards has changed the value and length of the exemptions through various modifications and altered the approval process as some advocates and local officials had found fault with the older method that didn't seek local input.

Two of the tax break proposals, for two phases of expansions at Air Liquide's operations in Geismar off La. 30 worth a combined $278 million, also need support from the state Board of Commerce and Industry because the phases were proposed under older rules. The other applications, proposed under later rules, already have the board's backing.

The other projects, all of which would be in Geismar, are a $100 million expansion of Westlake Vinylspolyvinyl chloride and vinyl chloride monomer facilities, a $560 million ammonia plant for PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, and a $276 million expansion at the Huntsman and Rubicon joint venture.

The PCS Nitrogen plant straddles Ascension and Iberville parish lines. Ascension's share of the expansion is valued at $130 million. The council only considered a tax exemption for that part of the project.

The Huntsman-Rubicon project required two tax exemption applications.

The Parish Council, many of whose members do or have worked in industry, ratified the deals with little comment and no statements from the public on Thursday.

In many cases, the votes happened so quickly that Kate MacArthur, director of the parish economic development arm, wasn't even given a chance to finish her presentations to speak in support of each of the proposals. For several votes, a handful council members abstained because of their ties to industry. No application drew a "no" vote.

The applications skipped the normal review by the parish Finance Committee, which meets next week and typically makes recommendations to the full council, because MacArthur is expected to be out of town and the council is running out of full meetings before the end of the year.

In an interview, MacArthur said the batch of applications in one setting was a quirk of the schedule and not timed with year's end. The council will see major turnover next year after elections this fall. A new parish president will also take office. She said two more tax exemption requests are coming in early 2020.

MacArthur said the parish's local governments have backed other, more capital-intensive projects with larger proposed tax abatements, including more than $1 billion projects for expansions by Methanex and Shell.

Methanex, which got backing last year, decided earlier this year to go forward with up to a $1.4 billion methanol plant, MacArthur said. It will be the third in Ascension.

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Proposed industrial expansions in Ascension receive backing for tax exemptions from parish - The Advocate

SPANISH LAKEA person thrown from a boat Monday evening after it hit a stump in Spanish Lake in Ascension Parish has been taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, wildlife officials said.

The male's age wasn't immediately known.

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Adam Einck, spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said the male was missing for a time after the crash about 5:20 p.m. but an 18-year-old man riding with him had called for help.

Wildlife agents were able to find the male in the scenic swamp lake in the northwestern corner of eastern Ascension, Einck added.

Both boaters were taken back to a dock where an ambulance was waiting for the injured male to bring him to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

Einck said he didn't know what the boaters were doing on the lake.

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Injured boater, other man recovered from Spanish Lake area of Ascension Parish after crash - The Advocate

Sitting at 7-2 and practically a shoo-in for a playoff berth for the second consecutive season, the Baltimore Ravens look like one of the most complete teams in the entire NFL.

Things werent always this sunny this year.

The Ravens got off to a fast 2-0 start but quickly faltered against good teams, which dropped them back down to earth. Following Week 5, the Ravens sat at 3-2, and doubts were starting to creep in. It took overtime in Week 5 to beat a hapless Pittsburgh Steelers squad that needed to turn to their third-string quarterback after Baltimore knocked out backup Mason Rudolph.

In spite of a winning record, the thought of the schedule getting significantly tougher was a real worry for anyone looking closely at what Baltimore was doing. The Ravens were being questioned as pretenders, and many expected that tougher opposition would put them in their place. But quick thinking by general manager Eric DeCosta and great performances from new players have helped turn the team around and now have pundits questioning whether theres any team in the league capable of slowing them down.

For as much praise as the Ravens offense as gotten and rightfully so its the defensive turnaround that has sparked this team. The additions of linebackers L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes in Week 5, as well as the trade for cornerback Marcus Peters, have had immediate effects on the stat sheet.

Through the first five games of the season, Baltimores defense had given up an average of 370.2 yards and 24.6 points per game. In the subsequent four games all wins the Ravens have given up just 311.5 yards and 16.5 points per game, with a margin of victory of 18.25 points.

And its not like the competition has gotten any easier. Baltimores opponents through Week 5 now have a combined 19-27-1 record, while their last four opponents have included the best team in the AFC (New England Patriots) and one of the best in the NFC (Seattle Seahawks).

While improvements were expected as the new-look defense featuring five new starters and 10 new players jelled over the course of the year, the biggest difference has been the midseason additions. Combined, Bynes, Fort and Peters have 56 tackles and one sack. Peters has three interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. Theyve helped solidify troubled positions and allowed defensive coordinator Don Martindale to be more creative with his schemes and how he manufactures pressure.

The end result is a five-game winning streak and the improvement of a defense that was among the worst in the league but now sits at 14th in yards and points allowed. Not too shabby for two guys that were midseason free agents and a trade that cost a backup linebacker and fifth-round pick.

If the Ravens continue on their current pace and get a first-round bye in the playoffs, itd be easy to point to the offense as the difference. But in typical Baltimore fashion, the catalyst will have been a hot defense led by midseason roster changes.

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Ravens' midseason defensive additions are key to their ascension - Ravens Wire

Nick Fontenot, Special to The Advertiser Published 3:27 p.m. CT Nov. 12, 2019

Find out what they're listening to before the game, who they're excited to go up against this season, and more. Caitlin Jacob, Daily Advertiser

YOUNGSVILLE The 2019 season brought new challenges for Ascension Episcopal volleyball coach Jill Braun.

The Blue Gators graduated a veteran group of seniors who had been playing together and contributing since eighth grade. Gone are the likes of Addie Vidrine and Hannah Mattke to hold down the storied tradition of Ascension Volleyball.

More: New chapter begins for Ascension volleyball

But dont think Braun wasnt up for the challenge. In fact, as the Blue Gators prepare for their quarterfinal matchup against Pope John Paul II, Braun said the 2019 season has been one of her most rewarding.

I think part of the reason we coach is to step up to the challenge, Braun said. Its to see what we have and make the pieces that we have work to the best of our ability and form the best team possible. We embraced it and we were ready for the challenge.

Head Coach Jill Braun as the Ascension Blue Gators in the first round of the Spooktacular Volleyball Tournament at ESA. Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019.(Photo: SCOTT CLAUSE/THE ADVERTISER)

Ive been saying since the beginning of the season that this is a new chapter for Ascension volleyball.

The beginning as expected saw its share of bumps in the road, but the Blue Gators have found their stride at the right time, according to Braun. Ascension is led on the court by Abigail Hall, who had some experience hitting and setting last year for the Blue Gators. They also got a transfer from Dunham, Janai Stevens, who Braun said really meshed with the team immediately.

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This is a whole new crop of girls and I just really asked them to trust the process, Braun said. We just have a lot of new faces and new players on the floor together. I knew it would take a little bit longer to put the pieces together and I am really pleased with the progress they made throughout the season. Theyve really come together and theyre playing the best they have all season.

The Blue Gators switched to a 5-1 offensive set early in the season and Kira Braun, an eighth-grader and Jills daughter, emerged as the 5-1 setter. Ascension has a mixture of girls who just waited their turn behind such a talented group of graduating seniors.

We play an eighth-grader, three sophomores, one junior and a few seniors, Braun said. I would say we are a mixed group.

More: Acadiana Preps volleyball playoff scoreboard

Braun said she feels good about Thursdays quarterfinal matchup with Pope John Paul II and their talented senior, Ansley Tullis. Braun said when the Blue Gators play with intensity, they can compete with anyone.

Pope John Paul has always been a strong, well-coached program, Braun said. Ansley Tullis, for the last two years, has been an outstanding player. You never go in taking them lightly.

We just have to play our game. If we serve tough and cut down the errors while playing with a lot of intensity. I feel like we are competitive against whoever is on the other side of the net. With the way my team is playing right now, I am confident our best effort will be taking the floor Thursday.

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Ascension Episcopal volleyball rises to the challenge ahead of state quarterfinals - Daily Advertiser

OSHKOSH An investigation is underway after two explosive devices were located at Ascension NE Wisconsin Mercy Campus located near 9th Avenue and Oakwood Road in the City of Oshkosh.

According to police, on Wednesday, Nov. 6at approximately 2:19 a.m., the Oshkosh Police Department was informed that an explosive device had been located in an individuals property. Upon further investigation, police located a second explosive device in the same persons property.

This individual is a 39-year-old man from Oshkosh. He is not an employee of Ascension NE Wisconsin Mercy Campus.

No threats were mentioned during this incident.

The Brown and Outagamie County Bomb Squad responded to this location to safely remove the devices. A search of the mans car and Oshkosh home were conducted and no other explosive devices were located.

The 39-year-old man has been detained and the investigation is ongoing.

No one was injured during this incident and the public is not in danger.

If anybody has any information regarding this incident, they are encouraged to contact Detective Hinke at the Oshkosh Police Department at 920-236-5703.

If you have information about this incident, but wish to remain anonymous, please contact the Winnebago County Crime Stoppers at (920) 231-8477; or add the free P3 App to your Apple or Android phone and add a tip, or go to http://www.winnebagocrimestoppers.org to submit a text tip. If your tip leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

44.012941-88.600488

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2 explosive devices located at Ascension NE Wisconsin Mercy Campus in Oshkosh - WITI FOX 6 Milwaukee

Ascension Parish Assessor M.J. 'Mert' Smiley, left, presents a check for $500 to Brent Gautreau, commander ofGonzales Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3693, to contribute to building a new facility to replace the one razed after August 2016 flooding.

Members of Gonzales Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3693 recently heard from Ascension Parish Assessor M.J. Mert Smiley, who discussed property tax exemptions available for qualifying disabled veterans and donated $500 toward replacing the post hall razed after August 2016 flooding.

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Veterans with a 50% disability rating qualify for a freeze on the assessed value of their homes during reassessments. Veterans with 100% service-connected disability ratings are eligible a doubling of their homestead exemption from $75,000 to $150,000.

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Gonzales VFW gets tax-saving tips, rebuilding donation from Ascension Parish assessor - The Advocate

GONZALESA game-changing interception return for a touchdown is nothing new for East Ascension coach Darnell Lee, particularly when his Spartans are playing Ascension Parish rival St. Amant.

Plays like that helped the winning team in two of the last three years, and it did again Friday night when Jyren Esters 84-yard touchdown return of a Cole Poirrier pass sparked East Ascension to a 34-7 win over St. Amant.

Esters return came in the final minute of the first half, and lifted the Spartans to a 10-7 lead at the break. East Ascension (8-2, 4-1 in District 5-5A) added two more touchdowns in the first three minutes of the third quarter, and let its defense do the rest.

In a big rivalry game like this, momentum swings are important, Lee said. We got that one right before the half, and it really had us in great shape. Our defense kept us in the game and gave us opportunities.

St. Amant (5-5, 2-3) gained 112 yards on the night, and only managed two first downs in the second half. The Gators came into the contest rated No. 33 in the latest Class 5A power rankings, and saw their hopes of making the LHSAA playoffs take a hit.

East Ascension, which was third in the power rankings, put the game away in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Spartans took the kickoff to start the quarter, and four plays later Cameron Jones found Hobart Grayson open at midfield, and he sprinted to the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown.

After the ensuing kickoff, St. Amant quarterback Cole Poirrier fumbled as he was sacked by EA lineman Masey Lewis. Demarcus Ester recovered at the SA 5, setting up Jones 3-yard touchdown pass to Jyrin Johnson.

Jones completed 8 of 23 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 14 times for 76 yards. Defensively, Lewis had three sacks, and linebacker Jerrell Boykins had a sack and two tackles for loss.

Poirrier had several passes dropped, and finished 13 of 27 for 108 yards with an interception.

(East Ascension) is a very good football team. We were up 7-3 and that interception took the wind out of our sails, St. Amant coach David Oliver said. They got over the top of us on their first possession (of the third quarter) and then we fumbled on first down. That was pretty much the game right there.

The first quarter was highlighted by St. Amants defensive stop at midfield. East Ascension failed to convert on 4th-and-3 at the SA 47, but the Gators couldnt take advantage. After St. Amant picked up a first down, Poirriers 47-yard field goal try came up short.

East Ascension put up the games first points on Alex Phelps 37-yard field goal early in the second quarter. St. Amant responded with a 7-play, 75-yard drive. Poirrier completed three passes for 59 yards helping set up a 1-yard TD run by Reggie Sims.

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Jyren Ester's pick-6 sparks East Ascension to win over St. Amant - The Advocate

ST. CHARLES PARISH - A man from Ascension Parish is charged in an unrelated case of police officer impersonation on interstates in the suburbs of New Orleans.

Peyton Oubre, 23, of Prairieville, was arrested for impersonating a police officer after an incident Saturday.

Sheriff's deputies in St. Charles said Oubre chased a vehicle from Jefferson Parish until a crash on I-310. Oubre was driving an Audi equipped with emergency lights, deputies said.

Investigators said Oubre confessed to giving chase because the other vehicle was being operated in a reckless manner. Oubre said he worked for the "government" but did not specify what agency, the sheriff's office said.

"When questioned about what government or where he worked specifically he was unable to provide specifics," the sheriff's office told WWL radio in New Orleans.

Oubre had a gun and handcuffs in his vehicle, deputies said, but there is no record of him being employed by any law enforcement or governmental agencies.

Authorities said this case is unrelated to other cases believed to be connected of impersonation in St. Charles and East Feliciana parishes.

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Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz

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Ascension man claiming to be with the 'government' arrested in bizarre police impersonation case - WBRZ

GONZALES Murphy Painter, a onetime chief sheriff's deputy in Ascension Parish and a recent candidate for parish president, accused the owner of a Gonzales news website of knowingly publishing misleadingly edited recorded comments so they sounded as if Painter was admitting to the criminal cover-up of child rapes while he was still in local law enforcement.

In a new defamation lawsuit, Painter adds that The Pelican Post and its editor, Wade Petite, published the comments and a companion story last monthto help Painter's political opponent, Clint Cointment, even after prosecutors had received the recording excerpt months earlier and declined to pursue a case against Painter.

The lawsuit asked a state district judge to order the Post and Petite to cease publishing the story and the recorded excerpts online.

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"The knowingly false statements made by Petite with actual malice in the Article and the edited Recording of Petitioner has caused and continues to cause immediate and irreparable harm to the reputation of the Petitioner," the lawsuit alleges.

The suit was filed Wednesday in 23rd Judicial District Court in Ascension Parish. Judge Alvin Turner Jr. has ordered a hearing 9:30 a.m. Nov. 18 to hear arguments on whether to issue a temporary order to take down the story and recordings while he considers imposing a permanent order.

The suit names The Pelican Post and Petite as defendants and, if Painter prevails, seeks legal costs. Painter and his attorney, Kim Segura Landry, did not return messages for comment Friday.

The Pelican Post published the comments and companion article on Oct. 18, six days after Painter had made it into the Nov. 16 runoff for Ascension Parish president against Cointment.

Petite and Cointment have denied any coordination in the publication of the article and comments; Petite has said he favored Cointment for parish president.

In a 49-second recording, a voice that is purportedly Painter's can be heard complaining that he spent years working for now-deceased Sheriff Harold Tridico in hopes of one day "taking over." Painter was Tridico's chief deputy for several years.

"The next week, whenever we find a friend of ours that raped five girls under the age of 12 years old, and yall want me to turn my head on that and look the other way," the voice says, before turning to other allegations.

With the recording's publication, District Attorney Ricky Babin convened the parish grand jury to investigate the allegations and announced he would call Painter before the jurors and seek a full copy of the recording to see if a possible rape suspect had escaped justice.

Painter withdrew from the race three days later after media began questioning him about the recording. Babin's office announced Tuesday no evidence was found of a cover-up.

In a prior interview and written statement with The Advocate, Painter refused to acknowledge the comments were his or that they accurately reflected what he may have said.

He also asserted that he was no longer chief deputy when the alleged incidents may have occurred, though, at the same time, he also contended he didn't know what the incidents were.

But neither the Post story nor the excerpted comments specify when or to whom the allegations pertain. Petite has previously declined to say to what the comments refer.

In the lawsuit, Painter says that he stepped down as Tridico's chief deputy on June 30, 1988, and alleged the rape allegations occurred in the 1990s "as evidenced by the prosecution filed in the criminal court records."

Painter has alleged the story was part of threat from Petite to defame him if he ran for parish president and that Petite knew Painter wasn't chief sheriff's deputy at the time of the alleged rapes.

Babin has said that Petite turned over the excerpted recording to his office on June 24. Babin added that he turned it over to Louisiana State Police, which declined to pursue the matter.

In claiming that the Post knowingly published false statements about him to aid Cointment, Painter is seeking to overcome the high legal bar that the U.S. Supreme Court has set for speech about elected officials and other public figures, known as the "actual malice" standard. Candidates for office are deemed public figures under this standard.

Mary Ellen Roy, a New Orleans-based First Amendment lawyer, said that under that standard, the plaintiffs have to prove a defendant knew what he was saying was false or acted with a reckless disregard of the truth.

"That doesn't mean he was just being reckless," Roy said. "It means that the defendant actually had serious doubts about the falsity of it."

In cases involving public figures, Roy added the defendant does not have to prove the truth, as a defense. Roy said the cases are rarely won because the plaintiff's burden of proof is difficult to meet and is higher than the typical standard used in civil cases.

In the Pelican Post's story, the publication contends the recordings stemmed from days of interviews in July 2017 with Painter about his defamation lawsuit against the state. That suit stemmed from his departure in leading the state Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. It was during these talks, the article reports, that Painter raised the allegations.

But Painter's suit against the Post alleges that Dustin Clouatre, a local insurance agent who dabbles in local politics, recorded him without his authorization during a Feb. 7, 2019, conversation about his run for parish president. Then Clouatre, the lawsuit alleges, edited Painter's responses to his questions.

In Louisiana, the law requires that only one party to a conversation have knowledge that it is being recorded, not both.

In a statement and interview, Clouatre didn't dispute that he had met with Painter sometime in early February but disputed that he is the source of the recording.

"I, in no way, shape or form, have anything to do with a recording of Murphy Painter. I believe Mr. Petite has made it clear that I wasnt his source," Clouatre said. "Murphy Painter has long accused everyone around him for his endless misfortunes with his extreme victim complex. Its time for him to look in a mirror."

Clouatre added that he would not have "just brushed" off allegations of a cover-up.

In interviews last month, Petite said he had hours of recorded interviews with Painter from 2015 and 2017 and that there were many occasions where he heard Painter's complaints about his time as chief deputy. Painter himself has previously acknowledged he participated in an interview with Petite about his defamation lawsuit in 2017.

But on Friday, Petite said that while he may have given the impression the recordings stemmed from 2017 interviews, he contended he never specified from which interview the recordings stemmed.

He refused to clarify the source and context of the recording. When asked if he disputed Painter's allegations that Clouatre made the recording, Petite said it wasn't Clouatre.

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Murphy Painter sues website, publisher to stop publication of recordings tied to cover-up claim - The Advocate

More than 850 children filled their bags with candy and took part in arts and crafts, had free hot dogs and drinks and played basketball for candy at the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office's Boo with the Badge Halloween event.

The Halloween party was at the Hickley M. Waguespack Center in Donaldsonville.

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Lt. Mike Brooks, manager ad coordinator of the substation and park at the center, said 850 to 1,000 children and adults lined up candy and to take part in other activities.

The volunteers packed 600 candy bags in advance and quickly ran out and had to fill more, he said.

Members of the Donaldsonville High School dance team helped children make masks for the evening.

"All the streets around the center were packed with children," Brooks said.

The Sheriff's Office also hosted a Boo with the Badge on Halloween night in Gonzales at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church fair.

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Ascension Sheriff's office hosts more than 850 children at Boo with the Badge Halloween event - The Advocate