The Carolinas | Latest Medicaid cuts started Monday

SOUTH CAROLINA

CHARLESTON

Latest Medicaid cuts started Monday

Doctors and hospitals are getting less money for treating Medicaid patients.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reported the latest cuts in the Medicaid program took effect Monday.

Payments to doctors from the state and federally funded health care program for the poor and disabled is being cut by up to 7 percent.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control thinks the reductions will save the state $125 million.

It's the second reduction in three months. A 3 percent cut took effect in April.

Patients are now being required to pay $3.30 to visit a doctor. That's up $1 from the previous co-payment.

Doctors say they already lose money treating Medicaid patients and might have to stop doing so because of the reduced payments.

SUMMERVILLE

Smoking ban takes effect today

Put it out. Summerville's ban on smoking indoors in public places takes effect today.

The law fines violators and establishment owners between $10 and $25 per incident. It allows exceptions, such as private residences and tobacco stores. It "grandfathers" existing cigar bars. The ordinance was passed in January by a Town Council divided whether it was over-reaching and interfered with business owners' freedom to run their businesses.

The immediate impact won't be large; most town businesses already have become smoke-free.

Enforcing the law will be largely under the jurisdiction of an 83-officer police force that has been stretched because of budget cuts. Among the issues are just how far from a building is a "reasonable distance" to allow smoking, and how that will affect restaurants with outdoor seating. Officers will respond to complaints, officials said.

"We're going to handle it on a case by case basis," said Police Capt. Jon Rogers.

NORTH CHARLESTON

Boy, 12, dies in accident in S.C. shipping yard

Police say a boy has died after he was run over with a piece of construction equipment after breaking into a North Charleston shipping container facility with a friend.

Authorities say the boys were playing with top loaders just after midnight Monday when one boy fell from the equipment and landed under a top loader being driven by the other boy.

Investigators say the boys got into ConGlobal Industries through a locked fence.

Authorities have not released the names or ages of the boys.

NEWTON

Australian father of slain girl in court

The father of a disabled girl whose remains were found last year in western North Carolina is in court to face unrelated charges.

The Catawba County Clerk's office said Adam Baker was making a court appearance Monday on charges of identity theft and obtaining property by false pretenses. Prosecutors say Baker and his wife, Elisa, used someone else's identity to set up phone and utility services at their home.

Elisa Baker is in jail on charges including second-degree murder in the death of 10-year-old Zahra Baker. Adam Baker has not been charged in his daughter's death.

A native of Australia, Adam Baker has been barred from leaving the United States while the felony case continues.

NORTH CAROLINA

RALEIGH

GOP-penned redistricting maps delayed

The release of the Republican-drawn maps for North Carolina legislative district boundaries for the next decade is being delayed while legislators make changes.

The chairman of the House Redistricting Committee said the proposed boundaries for all 170 districts would not be released Monday as previously announced.

Rep. David Lewis of Dunn says they'll be made public today at the earliest.

Lewis says he and other redistricting leaders are reassessing lines after listening to speakers at last week's public hearing on congressional districts.

He says some of the comments applied to legislative districts as well.

The districts are adjusted every 10 years based on changing population patterns.

Maps for more than 30 legislative districts were released last month.

The legislature is expected to approve maps by the end of July.

RALEIGH

Lottery leaders claim record ticket sales

The chief of the N.C. Education Lottery attributes new scratch-offs, more daily drawings and a larger retail base to help generate record ticket sales and net profits for the state.

The lottery announced Monday it sold nearly $1.5 billion in tickets for the year ending June 30.

That's almost 3 percent higher than last year.

The lottery transferred $447 million to education initiatives - the highest amount in the lottery's five-year history.

Executive director Alice Garland said sales rallied in the second half of the year because of new instant games. The lottery also added more afternoon number drawings and now has more than 6,600 retailers.

The lottery has generated $6.4 billion in sales and more than $2 billion for education since tickets were first sold in March 2006, say lottery leaders.