| BY CHAD CALDER | Staff writer |
Good morning and thanks for joining us. Here are some of today's top headlines. Help for high water bills: New Orleans officials are banking on new smart meters now being rolled out to eliminate the huge swings in water bills customers have been subjected to in recent years. But in the meantime, the City Council will take extra steps to aid the customers already battling the Sewerage & Water Board over egregiously high bills. Ben Myers has the story. Clear skies, dark houses: You've probably noticed them already: Power outages that occur with no wind or rain in sight. It's happening more often this year, and the City Council is looking into what can be done. James Finn has the details. Medical debt relief: Ochsner Health recently announced a deal to erase $59 million in unpaid medical bills for roughly 66,000 patients. Now the health care giant says it will roll the program out system-wide, wiping out the medical debts of roughly 193,000 patients owing about $366 million. Stephanie Riegel has this report. Check back for more news, entertainment and sports from The Times-Picayune. Chad | 