An Australian woman in Franklinton faces voter fraud charges for allegedly illegally voting in the last two federal elections. Kace Kieschnick reports.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to make landfall in Southwest Louisiana tonight. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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A 51-year-old Australian woman is facing up to five years in prison for allegedly illegally voting in the 2022 and 2024 federal elections. Nataly Migliore (Mil-ee-yor-ay) is a legal permanent resident of Franklinton who allegedly registered to vote despite not being a U.S. citizen. Secretary of State Nancy Landry says she is just one of what of numerous noncitizens found in Louisiana’s voter registration.

Cut 3 (12) “…since the 1980s.”

Landry’s office found the alleged illegal voters by using the federal SAVE database. A new law signed by Governor Jeff Landry will require all future Secretaries of State to also utilize the database. Landry says the tool compares registered voter lists to federal databases to check citizenship status.

Cut 4 (11) “…citizen or not.”

Landry says there are open investigations into other cases of illegal voting thanks to the information found with the SAVE database. She says she expects more indictments similar to Migliore’s in the near future.

Cut 5 (11) “…our elections.”

The U-S Attorney’s office says Migliore lied about being a U-S Citizen and that false claim led to her being able to register to vote. Migliore faces two counts each of fraudulent voting and false statement.

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Senator Bill Cassidy is speaking out against the proposed deal with Iran to end the war and re-open the Strait of Hormuz. Cassidy says if it goes through, the deal makes the entire U.S.-led operation in vain.

Cut 6 (14) “…everyone failed.”

Cassidy says the deal strikes him as what he terms “JCPOA 2.0,” which was the deal that President Obama struck with Iran, which he also opposed. He says this deal will cost the U.S. and the American people dearly.

Cut 7 (08) “…billions of dollars.”

The Trump administration says the deal mean Iran will not procure or develop nuclear weapons.

Cassidy says furthermore, the U.S. just gave Iran a massive amount of ammunition for future negotiations that it cannot undo.

Cut 8 (10) “…in the future.”

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Tropical Storm Arthur, located off the Texas coast, is expected to bring flash flooding conditions to south and central Louisiana. The system was upgraded to a tropical storm this morning with sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. Andy Tingler with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says Arthur could bring eight or more inches of rain to some areas.

Cut 9 (07)  “…urban flooding.”

In the one o’ clock advisory, Arthur’s maximum sustained winds were 45 miles per hour, but the wind speeds are expected to drop as Arthur makes landfall. Tingler says the biggest threat from the disorganized storm is heavy rainfall in a short amount of time.

Cut 10 (08) “…not anticipated.” 

The center of the storm is currently over the Texas coast, moving towards Louisiana at around nine miles per hour. Tingler says Southwest and Central Louisiana  will be right in the path of the heaviest rain.

Cut 11 (11) “…into tomorrow.”

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Franklin Parish four-star running back Trey Martin will be a Tiger. Martin is the state’s top back in the 2027 class and is ranked as the number 14 tailback in the nation by 247Sports. Franklin Parish football coach Adrian Burnette says having Martin in the backfield is a coach’s dream.

Cut 12 (09) “…to have him.” 

Martin started his high school career at safety before taking over as the Patriots’ lead back when starter DJ Neal went down with injury. As a track sprinter, Martin posted a season-best time of 11.31 seconds in the 100 meters and a six-foot high jump mark. Burnette says he’s a special athlete.

Cut 13 (12) “…out of it.”

Martin chose LSU over offers from Florida and Ole Miss. Burnette says he’s quiet off the field, but he’s always around his teammates.

Cut 14 (14) “…fit him.”

Starting August 1st, suppliers which mix imported seafood with domestic seafood must clearly disclose that fact. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The National Hurricane Center has issued a Tropical Storm watch for the Louisiana coast from Morgan City westward. Jeff Palermo has more on what could be our first named storm of the season…

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Gas prices continue to fall throughout Louisiana. According to GasBuddy-dot-com, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded is now below $3.60 a gallon. That’s down more than 40 cents a gallon from its May 20th peak. Gas Buddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan says there’s one factor more than any other that’s impacting gasoline prices.

Cut 3 (09) “…move us forward.”

The deal De Haan is referring to is the one that President Trump says he reached with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get traffic flowing again. But De Haan cautions that even though Trump has said it’s a done deal, nothing has been signed as of yet.

Cut 4 (08) “…deal does unravel.”

De Haan says the pending deal with Iran has caused oil prices to fall below 80 dollars a barrel. He says what oil prices do from here, depends on whether the deal to end the war between the U-S and Iran can be finalized…

Cut 5 (09) “…right back up.”

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If your seafood dish, whether it be at a restaurant or from your grocer’s frozen food section, contains a mix of domestic and imported product, that will need to be clearly disclosed as of August 1st. This, after Governor Landry signs a bill cracking down on so-called “co-mingling” of seafood. The author, Lafitte Representative Timothy Kerner, says suppliers have been using this tactic for years to boost their profits.

Cut 6 (10) “…it that way.”

Representative Kerner says while the suppliers cash in, the local fishermen and the consumers are the ones who lose.

Cut 7 (07) “…catching the product.”

Kerner says what’s especially frustrating is that while many imported seafood slip past America’s ports with little to no inspection, local fishermen go to great lengths to abide by local laws to make sure their shrimp is safe for human consumption.

Cut 8 (10) “…the fishermen do.”

As of August 1st, violators face fines of 15-thousand dollars for a first offense, 25-thousand dollars for a second offense, and 50-thousand dollars for each subsequent offense.

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Six to ten inches or more of rain is possible this week for much of south and central Louisiana as a result of an approaching tropical disturbance expected to reach southwest Louisiana tomorrow night. Meteorologist Donald Jones with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says a tropical wave moving up the Texas coastline is main contributor for all of the rain and it’s moving slowly

Cut 9 (08)  “…Friday evening.”

Jones says there is the possibility this low pressure system could develop into a tropical storm before the center of the system reaches southwest Louisiana tomorrow night…

Cut 10 (08) “…act together.” 

A tropical storm watch extends from Sargent, Texas to Morgan City. That means tropical storm conditions are possible in the area in the next 24 to 36 hours. If the Gulf disturbance develops into a named storm, it will be called Tropical Storm Arthur. Forecasters give it a medium chance of developing into a named storm.

Jones says even if this system does develop into a tropical storm, it can produce significant flooding…

Cut 11 (09) “…lot of rainfall.”

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Cameron Jordan is returning for a 16th season as a Saint. After meeting with the front office today, Jordan  finalizing a one-year, incentive-heavy deal with the Saints. Sideline reporter Jeff Nowak says bringing back the former All-Pro is not just ceremonial.

Cut 12 (09) “…when we get to you.” 

After Jordan’s first offseason as a free agent, he decided to return to New Orleans. Nowak says it would have taken a significant role on a contending team or a lucrative offer to pull him away from the franchise that drafted him in 2011. Nowak says he’ll be in a position to produce.

Cut 13 (09) “…could get there.”

Jordan will join an edge rusher room with returning starters Chase Young and Carl Granderson. Nowak says the Saints also traded a fifth-round draft pick for 2023 seventh overall pick Tyree Wilson and signed six-year veteran Anfernee Jennings in free agency.

Cut 14 (08) “…be productive.”

Jordan has also announced this will be his last season in the NFL.