An invasive fish species thought to be eradicated has been discovered in Port Sulphur. Sean Richardson has more.
Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”
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Come August 1st, kratom will be illegal in Louisiana. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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In an unanimous vote, Louisiana lawmakers passed a new law criminalizing grooming of minors to enable sexual abuse. Colleen Crain has more.
Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”
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Tilapia, a hardy invasive fish, has reemerged in canals near Port Sulphur, two decades after escaping a pond during Hurricane Katrina. LDWF Deputy Assistant Secretary of Fisheries Chris Schieble says they thought Tilapia was eradicated in 2009 through a costly rotenone treatment, and recent findings of juvenile tilapia suggest some survived.
Cut 4 (12) “…many are there.”
Schieble says the fish pose a major ecological threat if they spread into nearby estuaries, where they could displace native species.
Cut 5 (10) “…habitat competition.”
The discovery has renewed concern over invasive species management and the potential long-term consequences of introducing non-native fish into the wild. Schieble encourages anyone that catches tilapia to not release it back into the water.
Cut 6 (09) “…you got it.”
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Come August 1st, Kratom will be illegal in Louisiana. Last week, Governor Landry signed Senate Bill 154 into law, making the possession, sale and distribution of kratom illegal in the state. Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain was on hand when Landry signed the bill. He witnessed first-hand the impact of kratom in his community.
Cut 7 (10) “…and were hallucinating.”
Sheriff McCain testified before the Senate Judiciary “B” Committee about his experience facing the impacts of kratom in his community – and he came face-to-face with powerful lobbyists within the kratom industry.
Cut 8 (12) “…it in Louisiana.”
McCain says with kratom being readily available at places like smoke shops and gas stations, people were getting their hands on it – at times with tragic results
Cut 9 (13) “…of our community.”
The bill passed in the House 89-to-5 and in the Senate 26-to-11. Landry signed it into law last Tuesday.
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Governor Jeff Landry has signed a bill criminalizing grooming, the act of building trust with minors to enable sexual abuse. Marrero Senator Patrick Connick says his legislation was inspired by his daughter, Sarah Gioe, and her husband, Tim Gioe, who was abused by a priest as a child.
Cut 10 (12) “…this bill passed.”
The new law allows authorities to intervene even if abuse hasn’t yet occurred, targeting manipulative behaviors by adults at least four years older than the child. Connick says authorities had to wait till molestation occurred before taking action.
Cut 11 (09) “…then and stopped.”
Connick says now its time for enforcement against sexual predators that attempt to groom children and to educate parents
Cut 12 (07) “…to be involved.”
The law takes effect August 1.
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The addition of State Senator Blake Miguez in the U.S. Senate race is bad news for Senator Bill Cassidy. That’s the opinion of LSU-Shreveport Assistant Political Science Professor Jeffrey Sadow, who says Republican primary voters now have another alternative to Cassidy and State Treasurer John Fleming.
Cut 13 (10) “…have another choice.”
Sadow says Miguez’s entry in the U.S. Senate race greatly increases Cassidy’s vulnerability.
Cut 14 (08) “…chances of re-election.”
Sadow says while Miguez is certainly the most conservative among the three most prominent candidates who are seeking the Republican nomination, he does start out at a disadvantage.
Cut 15 (14) “…in national government.”
Miguez will have several months to garner some name recognition for himself. The primary election is next April.
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LSU is in the semifinal round of the College World Series after beating UCLA, nine-to-five. Freshman right-hander Casan Evans was the winning pitcher. He took the mound in the fourth inning after the game was halted on Monday night because of severe weather. Evans pitched four and one-third innings and held the Bruins to two runs on four hits, no walks and five strikeouts. Coach Jay Johnson knew he would get a great performance from Evans.
Cut 16 (15) “…has it.”
LSU needs one more victory to advance to the best-of-three championship series of the College World Series. The Tigers were one win away from winning the Baton Rouge Regional Championship and lost to Little Rock. Johnson says his team learned from that experience.
Cut 17 (13) “…that team.”
It was disappointing LSU could not finish the game on Monday after lightning stopped the game after the third inning. But Johnson did not allow it to bother him.
Cut 18 (11) “…make it a thing”