BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s office filed a lawsuit against an orthodontist who is accused of using “young patients as pawns to steal millions of dollars” by keeping children in braces for longer than medically necessary. According to Healey, Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah fraudulently submitted millions of dollars in false claims to MassHealth. In addition to keeping children in braces for too long, Rizkallah is also accused of deceptively billing for mouthguards. READ MORE: Third Stimulus Check: How Could The Economic Relief Package Put More Money In Your Pocket? Rizkallah owns and operates six orthodontist practices in Massachusetts that do businesses as “The Braces Place.” There are locations in Somerville, Boston, Lawrence, Lowell Framingham and Lynn. The investigation began with a patient complaint. Healey’s office alleges that Rizkallah, through two companies, instituted illegal policies and practices since November 2013. READ MORE: Massachusetts Gas Prices Up Again; March Could Be Most Expensive Month At The Pump For his MassHealth patients, who were mostly children, Rizkallah allegedly would often put braces only on their top teeth, even when there was no reason not to also put braces on the bottom teeth. Healey said this “significantly extended” treatment time and increased the amount of money collected from MassHealth. Rizkallah is also accused of billing MassHealth for custom-fitted mouth guards even when the patient didn’t request, need, or receive them. Mouth guards that were given to patients often were from retail stores with a value of $9.99. Staff members were ordered to cut the price off packaging before patients received the mouth guards, Healey alleges. Rizkallah would bill MassHealth $85-$95 for each mouth guard. In total, Rizkallah’s practices billed MassHealth more than $1 million for the mouth guards. MORE NEWS: Walsh Urges Boston Residents To Avoid St. Patrick's Day Gatherings “For years, this ...
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Massachusetts Gas Prices Up Again; March Could Be Most Expensive Month At The Pump
BOSTON (CBS) — Gas prices continue to go up in Massachusetts and around the country. AAA said Monday that the average gas price for the state is up eight cents from last week, climbing to $2.64 per gallon. The current price is a quarter higher than one month ago. It is eight cents below the national average. READ MORE: Boston University Student Charged With Fenway Park Break-In According to AAA, the increase is a “direct result of February’s winter storm that took 26 U.S. refineries offline.” Drivers shouldn’t expect immediate relief. The national average could rise over $2.80 in March. READ MORE: Third Stimulus Check: How Could The Economic Relief Package Put More Money In Your Pocket? “Barring hurricane season, March may bring the most expensive pump prices of 2021,” said Mary Maguire, AAA Northeast Director of Public and Government Affairs, said in a statement. “While the month is roaring in like a lion, by the end of it we could see some relief at the pump as refineries resume normal operations, especially if crude oil prices show signs of stability.” In Massachusetts, current gas prices are 18 cents higher than they were one year ago, according to AAA. MORE NEWS: Walsh Urges Boston Residents To Avoid St. Patrick's Day Gatherings ...
LA Facing $550M Revenue Shortfall On Sharp Declines In Transient, Parking Occupancy Taxes
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The city is expected to have a $550 million revenue shortfall by the end of the fiscal year even as revenues could rebound during the next fiscal year, officials said Monday. Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin said for the current fiscal year through June 30, General Fund revenues are projected to be 8.3% lower than the $6.14 billion that was budgeted. READ MORE: For 2nd Straight Year, San Diego Comic-Con Will Be Virtual While property tax revenues increased 6.1% and cannabis business taxes increased 79%, the revenues were offset by sharp declines in the transient occupancy tax on hotels and motels, the parking occupancy tax; and the telephone users tax, according to Galperin. Starting July 1, the date the next fiscal year begins, The General Fund is expected to increase 4.4% to $6.4 billion, and revenues from property tax, sales tax and the cannabis business tax are expected to increase, Galperin said. READ MORE: Trio Of 55-Gallon Drums Found Leaking Motor Oil In Redlands Citrus Grove Transient occupancy tax revenue, which fell 75% from its peak the previous fiscal year, is expected to increase but it likely won’t return to pre-COVID levels, he added. “With a $550 million revenue shortfall, the end of this fiscal year is going to be a tough one,” Galperin said. “Our ability to continue delivering the same level of services to Angelenos is imperiled by our financial situation. “But because COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more available, it is quite possible that the economy could begin to turn the corner sometime this summer, resulting in an uptick in city revenues during the next fiscal year. There is reason to be cautiously optimistic, but it will be a long road to full recovery.” MORE NEWS: Irv Cross, Former Rams Player And Broadcast Pioneer, Dies At 81 Visit the LA Controller’s interactive dashboard for more information on the revenue forecast. ...
George Floyd kin joins protest anthem album project
NEW YORK — Before a late night rehearsal in December, Terrence Floyd couldn’t remember the last time he squatted on a drum throne, sticks in hand and ready to perform. Surely, he said, it had not happened since his brother, George Floyd, died at the hands of police in Minneapolis last May, sparking a global reckoning over systemic racism and police brutality. Now, Terrence is lending a talent he honed as a youngster in a church band to help produce and promote a forthcoming album of protest anthems inspired by the Black Lives Matter demonstrations prompted in part by his brother’s death. “I want to pay my respects to my brother any way I can, whether it’s a march, whether it’s just talking to somebody about him, or whether it’s doing what I do and playing the drums,” Terrence told The Associated Press. “His heartbeat is not beating no more,” he said, “but I can beat for him.” The untitled project, set for release one year after George Floyd’s death, follows a long history of racial justice messages and protest slogans crossing over into American popular music and culture. In particular, music has been a vehicle for building awareness of grassroots movements, often carrying desperate pleas or enraged battle cries across the airwaves. Terrence was recruited for the project by the Rev. Kevin McCall, a New York City activist who said he believes an album of street-inspired protest anthems does not yet exist. “These protest chants that were created have been monumental,” said McCall. “It created a movement and not a moment.” Some songs make bold declarations, like the protest anthem album’s lead single, “No Justice No Peace.” The well-known protest refrain, popularized in the U.S. in the 1980s, is something that millennials grew up hearing before they joined the front lines of their generation’s civil rights movement, McCall said. McCall is featured on the track, along with his fiancée, singer Malikka Miller, and choir members from Brooklyn’s Grace ...
South Haven And Other Michigan Beaches Look To Hire Lifeguards To Stop Accidental Drownings
(CBS Detroit) – As the weather gets warmer, many Michiganders look to the beaches to blow off some steam. you’re looking at the summer of last year where crowds gathered along Lake Michigan. READ MORE: Hard Rock Hotels® Announces Development Plans For REVERB By Hard Rock™ Kalamazoo Some such as the city of south haven are now considering lifeguards for their beaches following three drownings over the last year. READ MORE: Stimulus Check Update: Some May See Even More Money From Potential Economic Relief Package Michigan officials warn to never get in the water if the tides or currents are strong. MORE NEWS: Digital Small Business Empowerment Fair Today © 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Related ...
