68 VENTURES BOWL: DELAWARE VS. UL l 7:30 P.M. l ESPN 1C THE
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
W e d n e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 17, 2025
Louisiana extends Medicaid contract
$2.00X
Ex-Marine’s N.O. attack plan foiled, FBI says New Iberia man charged with threats in interstate commerce BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
State Sens. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, left, and Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, share a word with each other during a Senate committee hearing at the State Capitol on Tuesday.
Officials, concerned about impact on patients and under pressure from legislators, add 90 days to agreement
A former U.S. Marine and New Iberia resident was arrested Friday as he drove to New Orleans with guns and a gas canister, allegedly to carry out a terrorist attack. Micah James Legnon, 28, of Leona Drive in New Iberia, was being held as of Tuesday afternoon in the Iberia Parish Jail. He is charged in federal court in Lafayette with threats in interstate commerce. Legnon is suspected of being associated with the Turtle Island Legnon Liberation Front, described by federal officials as “a far-left, pro-Palestine, antigovernment and anti-capitalist group.” Four members of that group were arrested recently in California for planning several New Year’s Eve terrorist attacks in the Los Angeles area, FBI Special Agent Paul Sellers wrote in a criminal complaint Friday against Legnon. Someone in a group chat in which Legnon, using the name Kateri the Witch, was allegedly involved shared a Facebook post showing masked Border Patrol agents arresting an individual on a rooftop.
ä See ATTACK, page 8A
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN
Staff writer
Louisiana leaders agreed to extend a massive Medicaid contract with UnitedHealthcare by 90 days under pressure from legislators who grilled them about their decision not to renew that contract just a few weeks before it was set to expire. Lawmakers said the abrupt change would cause chaos for patients, and that state officials had left them in the dark. “Can you see the frustration, though, with the Legislature, when it comes to the consideration that could have taken place four, five, six months prior to this, and not three weeks before?” state Sen. Patrick McMath asked Attorney General Liz Murrill during a tense exchange at the State Capitol on Tuesday. It is unclear whether UnitedHealthcare, whose contract was projected to be worth $4.2 billion for the 2026 calendar year, will agree to the extension, or whether the state, which has a pending lawsuit against the company, will keep the contract after the 90 days are up. The health care giant provides coverage to over 300,000 people as part of Louisiana’s Medicaid program. It is one of six companies with which
Social media age verification law unconstitutional, judge rules BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MATT BRUCE Staff writers
The state had planned to move Medicaid users covered by UnitedHealthcare to its other five Medicaid contractors, alarming legislators who said such a quick transition would be chaotic and could force some families to switch providers. They called a joint meeting of the Senate health and insurance com-
A federal judge has blocked Louisiana from enforcing a 2023 law requiring social media companies to verify the age of users, obtain parental consent and provide parental controls, saying it violates the First Amendment. Judge John deGravelles on Monday granted a motion for summary judgment sought by NetChoice — a trade association for social media companies like Nextdoor, Pinterest, Snapchat and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram — and granted a permanent injunction. The Secure Online Child Interaction and Age Limitation Act, passed in 2023, was designed to keep children safe from online predators and
ä See MEDICAID, page 8A
ä See AGE, page 8A
Attorney General Liz Murrill speaks alongside Department of Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein during Tuesday’s hearing. the state contracts for that program. Altogether, those companies provide health insurance to about 1.4 million Medicaid users. On Dec. 2, the Louisiana Department of Health sent UnitedHealthcare a letter saying it would not renew that company’s contract. That surprised lawmakers, who on Nov. 20 authorized the agency to extend the agreement.
Border Patrol leader Bovino seen in Chicago after La. sweeps BY POET WOLFE and ANDREA GALLO Staff writers
After more than two weeks overseeing a federal immigration crackdown in south Louisiana, video footage Tuesday showed Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino back in the Chicago area, a likely sign that Border Patrol enforcement is ramping down in New Orleans.
WEATHER HIGH 68 LOW 49 PAGE 10A
Bovino confirmed on social media Tuesday that he had returned to Chicago after he was seen with Border Patrol agents that morning detaining a person in Little Village, a predominantly Mexican neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. Earlier in the morning, a video circulated online showing multiple agents detaining a man outside a Walmart store in Cicero, a Chicago suburb. “We are in Chicag- ho ho ho!!!!!”
Bovino posted Tuesday afternoon on the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter. While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not confirmed that the immigration sweeps are winding down in Louisiana, the agency has historically stopped short of saying when its agents leave one of the locales where they are performing
Chief Patrol Agent of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Gregory Bovino, center, travels through Metairie and Kenner on Dec. 3. STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
ä See BOVINO, page 8A
Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................6A Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 170