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A Slidell man thought he was lucky when he won more than $1,800 on the Louisiana Lotto on July 4. But, 29-year-old Evan Bauer was even luckier three days later when he became a millionaire.

The Times-Picayune reports Bauer matched all six Lotto numbers to win Saturday's $1.7 million jackpot — the state's largest since 2009. After federal and state taxes were withheld, officials said Thursday he received a $1.2 million prize.

The winning numbers were: 3, 6, 9, 10, 14 and 25. His advice: "Pick your numbers and stick to them. Eventually, it will pay off!"

A 69-year-old New Orleans man has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of theft of government funds.

U.S Attorney Jim Letten's office says Robert P. McFarland entered the plea Thursday before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon.

Health care providers and patients who rely on Louisiana's Medicaid program are expected to learn Friday how the Jindal administration plans to slash $859 million in the program that takes care of the poor, elderly and disabled.

The cuts are tied to a congressional reduction in Louisiana's federal Medicaid financing rate.

The reductions will strip 11 percent of the funding from the $7.7 billion Medicaid budget that lawmakers passed for the fiscal year that began July 1.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services says its child abuse and neglect hotline has received 114,000 calls in its first year, and more than 50,000 of those calls reported suspected abuse or neglect.

The hotline is 1-855-4LA-KIDS. It's for both people required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect, and people in the general public.

Department Secretary Suzy Sonnier said Thursday that the toll-free number replaced a long list of parish and regional phone numbers. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by 41 trained child welfare specialists.

The U.S. Department of Labor says more north Louisiana child care businesses are paying workers a legal wage after a crackdown by the Wage and Hour Division. But it says a majority of such businesses in Bossier, Caddo, East Carroll, Lincoln and Ouachita parishes are still breaking the law.

A news release Thursday said 57 percent of the employers investigated this year were violating minimum-wage, overtime or record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act — compared to 81 percent last year.

In the absence of a cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS, drug treatment has at least helped lower the pandemic's toll.

Since 2003, much of the treatment dispensed in hard-hit countries has come in the form of generic versions of previously expensive drugs. The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, has paid for quite a bit of the medicine.

Population studies show that New Orleans, more than many American cities, needs to plan for housing Baby Boomers as they get older. A new study warns that blight could worsen as properties become abandoned.

One of the suspects in last week’s brazen gator burglary was arrested last night after a chase through the Central Business District, according to New Orleans police.

A police sergeant spotted 29-year-old Rodney Thornton pulling on the door handles of parked cars in the 900-block of Poeyfarre Street at about 9:45 p.m. last night. When the officer approached Thornton, Thornton broke and ran, leading police on a chase that ended with his apprehension in an empty lot.

Officers witnessed Thornton pull a gun from his waistband and drop it on the ground during the chase.

The Louisiana State Police and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are exploring the possibility of a joint training academy as a way to recruit new officers and reduce agency costs.

State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson said Wednesday that no date has been set for a possible class, according to The Times-Picayune.

Both agencies haven't held training academies because of the state's budget troubles.

State officials are looking at ways to beef up efforts to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in debts owed to agencies across Louisiana government.

Louisiana doesn't have a centralized collection agency that handles all state government debts.

Lawmakers authorized the creation of a two-year pilot program that would let the state sell or auction off long-term delinquent accounts to companies that believe they can collect some of the money owed.