Latest news with #Harkins
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rabun County man accused of trying to abduct woman with crossbow, deputies say
The Brief A man in Rabun County is accused of trying to force a woman into his truck with a crossbow. Officials say Jack Thomas Harkins was identified after someone posted the story on two Lake Rabun Facebook pages. He is in custody at the Rabun County Detention Center. RABUN COUNTY, Ga. - A Rabun County man is in custody after officials say he tried to force a woman into his truck with a crossbow. Jack Thomas Harkins, 34, is facing a charge of aggravated assault. What we know According to the Rabun County Sheriff's Office, they began an investigation after someone posted a warning to the Lake Rabun Homeowners and Lake Rabun Association's Facebook pages. The post said that a woman was walking her dog on Bear Gap Road in the vicinity of Minnehaha Falls Trail on the morning of May 26 when she was approached by a man. The man reportedly pointed a crossbow at the woman and ordered her to get in his truck. The woman fled and reported the incident to law enforcement. Deputies and agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say they eventually identified Harkins as the suspect. What's next Harkins was booked into the Rabun County Detention Center. The case remains under investigation. The Source Information for this story was taken from a release by the Rabun County Sheriff's Office.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Severe asthma patients in New Mexico could face additional health care hurdles
A recent insurance policy change in five states may mean patients with severe asthma could face additional delays, including in New Mexico. (Getty Images) A recent policy change by the largest private insurer in New Mexico could result in patients with severe asthma facing additional delays for care. So says Dr. Michelle Harkins, a pulmonary critical care doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital, in response to a new policy rolled out earlier this month by Blue Cross Blue Shield that mandates asthma patients on a class of injectable drugs self-administer those drugs at home unless their doctors receive prior approval from the insurance company. 'Delaying care by constantly doing prior authorizations is always concerning, not just for asthma, but for the many other specialty medications,' Harkins said. 'We want to be able to provide the appropriate care to the right patient in a timely fashion to improve their quality of life.' The change — which was effective immediately — applied only to patients in New Mexico, Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Montana, where Health Care Service Corporation operates Blue Cross Blue Shield, and excludes patients on Medicare, the public health insurance for people 65 and older or Medicaid, which insures low-income people and families, the company said. The company's officials declined an interview with Source NM. 'Health Care Service Corporation is committed to expanding access to quality, cost-effective physical and behavioral health care. We updated medical policies for some medications that are FDA-approved for self-administration,' Business Manager Amanda Douglas said in a written statement. 'Our policy revision was made with the interests of our members in mind — promoting access to treatment that is convenient and effective.' Douglas further wrote that patients can contact the company with questions using the number on their member ID or log in to the website Blue Access. The policy change applies to four medications all in a class of complex drugs called biologics that are expensive to produce and in high demand for treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and other inflammatory conditions. A year of treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars for monthly or semi-monthly injections. Asthma, a chronic lung disease characterized by inflammation and hyper-reactive airways that can cause shortness of breath, coughs, wheezing and chest tightness, affects about 25 million adults and children nationwide. New Mexico's asthma rate is about equal to national levels, according to Deyonne Sandoval, a coordinator and evaluator for the state Department of Health's Environmental Public Health Tracking program. 'Asthma is a complex, highly prevalent costly health condition that affects people in New Mexico statewide,' Sandoval told Source, noting that in 2023, 9.7% of New Mexico adults — about 162,000 people — reported having asthma, and an estimated 1 in 13 children is diagnosed with asthma in the state. Numbers aren't broken down by severity, Sandoval said. A variety of factors can cause asthma, including: genetics, allergies and exposure to certain types of chemicals or other elements that can prompt asthma over time at home or in workplaces. 'In New Mexico, adults and children living in households making less than $25,000 tend to have a high prevalence and poorly controlled asthma,' Sandoval said. National health research attributes high prevalence of asthma to lower-quality housing, which can harbor more triggers, such as mold, poor ventilation and various allergens. The New Mexico Department of Health recommends anyone diagnosed with asthma to immediately work with a doctor to explore medications, reduce potential triggers and create an asthma management plan. The insurance changes target medications for patients with very severe asthma, Harkins said. Patients manage asthma with a variety of medications, depending on the severity, with some medicine used as-needed, daily medication or other long-acting medications to open up airways. But even then, that may not be enough. 'Typically, when a patient is on full therapy and they're still having problems — needing the rescue inhaler several times a day, or they're waking up at night or their asthma is not well-controlled — then I may start to look at using a biologic,' Harkins said. Harkins established UNMH's severe adult asthma clinic; has assisted the state with its health study on the rate of disease in adults and children; and currently treats patients with asthma. Has the recent Blue Cross Blue Shield change on biologics affected you? Email reporter Danielle Prokop, or call or text (505) 226-2663. She said these drugs can be 'a game-changer' for people with severe asthma. Biologics already requires insurance companies permission to prescribe, so the new requirement adds additional red tape. Harkins said she and her office staff have to spend a significant amount of time justifying the use of biologics in current patients: printing out notices, submitting for review, potentially appealing a denial. 'Sometimes it'll take three or four times before the use of a drug is approved,' she said. Biologics not only require permission for initial prescription, they require renewal every year. Harkins said she understands these are expensive treatments, and that insurance companies want to ensure patients actually need them. 'But then to ask for yet another prior authorization on top of the prior authorization for medications is always a concern, because so much of our time in the clinic is spent justifying why this patient deserves this medication, why we think it's the best,' Harkins said. Side effects from biologics are often minor: rashes, dry eyes, joint pains or irritation at the injection site. But very rarely, this class of drugs can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening tightening of the airways that can lead to cardiovascular collapse. This rare, severe reaction usually happens at the beginning of treatments, so Harkins said she always starts new biologics patients on injections in the office. Since the treatments can last years, some patients subsequently opt to take them at home. 'For those patients that take their biologics at home, I have prescribed them an EpiPen, something to treat anaphylaxis, in case anything happens, they can self-administer,' she said. Harkins said the changes have not caused an impact for her yet, but she's had several patients undergoing the prior authorization process just to access the medication. She worries they'll face further delays in receiving care. 'These kinds of decisions take the decision-making between the doctor and the patient away,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Summer chaos in South Jersey: Higher penalties for those who incite brawls introduced in legislature
The Brief The N.J. State Legislature is considering three bills in response to large-scale, public fights that broke out at community events and the Jersey shore boardwalk. State Senator Paul Moriarty is the lead sponsor of the bills and said it would equip police officers with the tools they need to prevent incidents such as these from happening again and provide stiffer consequences. Two of the bills will be up for a full vote in the State Senate at the end of March. GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A set of bills in New Jersey are being considered to keep people safer in public. It's aimed at enhancing penalties for people who incite a brawl, holding parents accountable for the behavior of their children and equipping law enforcement with crowd control training. It's in response to a summer that saw several incidents of teens starting large-scale fights in public. What we know Democratic State Senator Paul Moriarity (N.J.-4th District) is the lead sponsor of the bills and says they're calling for tougher penalties for youth involved in large public brawls, a training program for local police departments to manage crowds, flash mobs and pop-up parties and accountability from parents for their children's behavior, which could mean jail time and fines. "It's so alarming when you see something like this that it closes these wonderful events down and deprives the community of an event that brings them together," said Sen. Moriarty. "These organized through social media meetups where people are taking over public events, causing melees, brawls and disturbances that are alarming. We need to have some kind of tools that we can use to detour this and let people know we mean business." The backstory Chief David Harkins of the Gloucester Township Police Department is a vocal supporter of the new bills and even testified before state lawmakers about the problem and how it impacted their annual community event last year in June. Gloucester Township Day, which is a decades-long tradition that raises money for college scholarships, was ambushed in the evening by hundreds of older teens and young adults who learned about the event via social media. Chief Harkins said the event ended with a few officer injuries and over a dozen arrests after reviewing officer-worn body camera footage. "It was horrific. They were the most disrespectful behavior. Fighting amongst themselves. Trying to surround officers," said Chief Harkins. "It was a night like no other that I've experienced in almost my 30 years as a police officer." Why you should care This year, Gloucester Township Day will end early before it gets dark at 6 p.m. as a precaution after last year's chaos. "We can't have community events. These are great events that are at the heart of our American lifestyle here to have community events, only to be ruined by this kind of lawlessness," said Chief Harkins. State Senator Moriarty said two of the bills implementing tougher penalties and police training are pending a full vote in the NJ Senate on March 24.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mississippi Senate passes its income tax cut plan
The measure passed the GOP-majority Senate 34-15, with four Democrats supporting it and four Republicans opposing it. It now heads to the House, whose leadership is advocating for its own plan, which would eventually eliminate the state individual income tax. The Senate plan amounts to a net tax cut of $326 million, a more modest sum than the $1.1 billion net cut passed by the House. The Senate would reduce the state's flat 4% income tax to 2.99% over four years, while the House would eliminate the income tax over more than a decade. Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, told reporters that the legislation was a responsible way to cut taxes while slightly increasing the gasoline tax to provide more revenue for infrastructure funding. 'I think we've put forward a really good plan that helps families at the grocery store by lowering the sales tax on groceries,' Harkins said. 'And it provides incentives and rewards work.' The Senate plan would reduce the state's 7% sales tax on grocery items, the highest in the nation, to 5% starting July 2025. Municipalities receive a portion of grocery tax revenue, and the Senate plan would make cities whole. The Senate bill would raise the state's 18.4-cents-a-gallon gasoline excise by three cents yearly over the next three years, eventually resulting in a 27.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax at completion. This is an effort to help the Mississippi Department of Transportation with a long-running shortfall of highway maintenance money. Most of the chamber's Democratic members opposed the plan over fears that the state could not afford to wipe out around half a billion dollars each year from its budget and still address some of the state's critical issues such as public education and health care. 'That's a lot of money, and we need that money for basic infrastructure,' Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory said. 'Everyone benefits from infrastructure.' Some Democratic members attempted to amend the bill to eliminate the grocery tax or change the tax structure to avoid increasing the gas tax. But the GOP-majority chamber on party-line votes defeated the amendments. Four Republican senators voted against the final measure because it raised the gasoline tax, something they viewed as going against the GOP's core ideology. Sen. Angela Burks Hill, a Republican from Picayune, told reporters the gas tax increase would hurt rural people the most because they have to drive further for work and to purchase groceries. 'I'm just trying to follow my party's platform of low taxes,' Hill said. Now that both chambers at the Capitol have passed separate tax proposals, the key question will be how much legislative leaders can compromise on a final package. House Speaker Jason White, a Republican from West, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves have said abolishing the income tax is their primary goal this session. White previously told Mississippi Today that he's willing to compromise with the Senate, but he wants a final tax cut that's substantive and meaningful. 'We're not interested in a small piece of a tax cut while not addressing other issues,' White said. Reeves has thrown cold water on the Senate's proposal because it doesn't entirely eliminate the income tax. If lawmakers can't agree on a proposal, he could call them into a special session to address taxes. Harkins, though, said he hopes lawmakers can 'build consensus' on a final package during the regular session. House and Senate leaders will likely debate the measure for the next month. The deadline for lawmakers to approve tax and appropriations bills is March 31. ___ This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. The Senate voted Monday evening to pass a tax cut that reduces the state income tax and the sales tax on groceries while raising the gasoline tax, setting up negotiations with the House. The measure passed the GOP-majority Senate 34-15, with four Democrats supporting it and four Republicans opposing it. It now heads to the House, whose leadership is advocating for its own plan, which would eventually eliminate the state individual income tax. The Senate plan amounts to a net tax cut of $326 million, a more modest sum than the $1.1 billion net cut passed by the House. The Senate would reduce the state's flat 4% income tax to 2.99% over four years, while the House would eliminate the income tax over more than a decade. Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, told reporters that the legislation was a responsible way to cut taxes while slightly increasing the gasoline tax to provide more revenue for infrastructure funding. 'I think we've put forward a really good plan that helps families at the grocery store by lowering the sales tax on groceries,' Harkins said. 'And it provides incentives and rewards work.' The Senate plan would reduce the state's 7% sales tax on grocery items, the highest in the nation, to 5% starting July 2025. Municipalities receive a portion of grocery tax revenue, and the Senate plan would make cities whole. The Senate bill would raise the state's 18.4-cents-a-gallon gasoline excise by three cents yearly over the next three years, eventually resulting in a 27.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax at completion. This is an effort to help the Mississippi Department of Transportation with a long-running shortfall of highway maintenance money. Most of the chamber's Democratic members opposed the plan over fears that the state could not afford to wipe out around half a billion dollars each year from its budget and still address some of the state's critical issues such as public education and health care. 'That's a lot of money, and we need that money for basic infrastructure,' Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory said. 'Everyone benefits from infrastructure.' Some Democratic members attempted to amend the bill to eliminate the grocery tax or change the tax structure to avoid increasing the gas tax. But the GOP-majority chamber on party-line votes defeated the amendments. Four Republican senators voted against the final measure because it raised the gasoline tax, something they viewed as going against the GOP's core ideology. Sen. Angela Burks Hill, a Republican from Picayune, told reporters the gas tax increase would hurt rural people the most because they have to drive further for work and to purchase groceries. 'I'm just trying to follow my party's platform of low taxes,' Hill said. Now that both chambers at the Capitol have passed separate tax proposals, the key question will be how much legislative leaders can compromise on a final package. House Speaker Jason White, a Republican from West, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves have said abolishing the income tax is their primary goal this session. White previously told Mississippi Today that he's willing to compromise with the Senate, but he wants a final tax cut that's substantive and meaningful. 'We're not interested in a small piece of a tax cut while not addressing other issues,' White said. Reeves has thrown cold water on the Senate's proposal because it doesn't entirely eliminate the income tax. If lawmakers can't agree on a proposal, he could call them into a special session to address taxes. Harkins, though, said he hopes lawmakers can 'build consensus' on a final package during the regular session. House and Senate leaders will likely debate the measure for the next month. The deadline for lawmakers to approve tax and appropriations bills is March 31. ___ This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
25-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Mississippi Senate passes its income tax cut plan
The Senate voted Monday evening to pass a tax cut that reduces the state income tax and the sales tax on groceries while raising the gasoline tax, setting up negotiations with the House. The measure passed the GOP-majority Senate 34-15, with four Democrats supporting it and four Republicans opposing it. It now heads to the House, whose leadership is advocating for its own plan, which would eventually eliminate the state individual income tax. The Senate plan amounts to a net tax cut of $326 million, a more modest sum than the $1.1 billion net cut passed by the House. The Senate would reduce the state's flat 4% income tax to 2.99% over four years, while the House would eliminate the income tax over more than a decade. Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, told reporters that the legislation was a responsible way to cut taxes while slightly increasing the gasoline tax to provide more revenue for infrastructure funding. 'I think we've put forward a really good plan that helps families at the grocery store by lowering the sales tax on groceries,' Harkins said. 'And it provides incentives and rewards work.' The Senate plan would reduce the state's 7% sales tax on grocery items, the highest in the nation, to 5% starting July 2025. Municipalities receive a portion of grocery tax revenue, and the Senate plan would make cities whole. The Senate bill would raise the state's 18.4-cents-a-gallon gasoline excise by three cents yearly over the next three years, eventually resulting in a 27.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax at completion. This is an effort to help the Mississippi Department of Transportation with a long-running shortfall of highway maintenance money. Most of the chamber's Democratic members opposed the plan over fears that the state could not afford to wipe out around half a billion dollars each year from its budget and still address some of the state's critical issues such as public education and health care. 'That's a lot of money, and we need that money for basic infrastructure,' Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory said. 'Everyone benefits from infrastructure.' Some Democratic members attempted to amend the bill to eliminate the grocery tax or change the tax structure to avoid increasing the gas tax. But the GOP-majority chamber on party-line votes defeated the amendments. Four Republican senators voted against the final measure because it raised the gasoline tax, something they viewed as going against the GOP's core ideology. Sen. Angela Burks Hill, a Republican from Picayune, told reporters the gas tax increase would hurt rural people the most because they have to drive further for work and to purchase groceries. 'I'm just trying to follow my party's platform of low taxes,' Hill said. Now that both chambers at the Capitol have passed separate tax proposals, the key question will be how much legislative leaders can compromise on a final package. House Speaker Jason White, a Republican from West, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves have said abolishing the income tax is their primary goal this session. White previously told Mississippi Today that he's willing to compromise with the Senate, but he wants a final tax cut that's substantive and meaningful. 'We're not interested in a small piece of a tax cut while not addressing other issues,' White said. Reeves has thrown cold water on the Senate's proposal because it doesn't entirely eliminate the income tax. If lawmakers can't agree on a proposal, he could call them into a special session to address taxes. Harkins, though, said he hopes lawmakers can 'build consensus' on a final package during the regular session. House and Senate leaders will likely debate the measure for the next month. The deadline for lawmakers to approve tax and appropriations bills is March 31. ___
