Ashley Westerman

A widespread fear of crime remains among the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish. That’s according to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s latest City Stats report released Monday.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation released its annual City Stats report Monday. The survey, which looks at over 70 indicators, revealed some surprising answers this year.

A bill aiming to reduce the sentences of marijuana possession in Louisiana advanced Tuesday in the Senate.

Facility planning officials say the construction of University Medical Center in New Orleans is on time and on budget.

A bill that would allow gun buyers and sellers to circumvent any federal firearm ban if a gun is manufactured in-state has advanced in the Senate.

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center says the reasons why the hospital agreed to take over Earl K. Long charity hospital’s patient load begin with Hurricane Katrina.

OLOL Vice President of Mission Coletta Barrett said immediately post-Katrina there were 325 residents, fellows, medical students that showed up at Our Lady of the Lake looking for a place to practice. She and Vice President of Operations Stephanie Mason tell WRKF’s Ashley Westerman that from that point forward, OLOL decided to assume an active role in solidifying the pipeline of physicians for Louisiana.

Taking over EKL, they said, is a step in that direction. 

A law seeking to criminalize the release of any information about concealed handgun permit holders was advanced in the Senate on Tuesday.

A bill seeking to expand the state's ban on texting-while-driving to include posting statuses on social networks has advanced in the legislature.

Despite the threat of rain, proponents of state-funded supports that allow developmentally disabled individuals to live at home – rather than in institutions or group homes – rallied at the state capitol Wednesday.

Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge closed its doors for good last month. The cooperative endeavor agreement between the hospital, the state and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for the take-over and eventual shutdown of EKL was reached more than two years ago.

Erica Barham, Kimberly Burkett and Lauren Richard are all former Registered Nurse Supervisors in the EKL Emergency Room. Mental Health Emergency Room Extension Supervisor Amy Germain also used to work there.

They tell WRKF’s Ashley Westerman the transition was bungled and even on closing day, critical questions about how patients would get care and follow-up remained unanswered.