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”

The legislature passed a series of bills aimed at strengthening elections in Louisiana. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Pineville-based utility company CLECO has notified the Public Service Commission that its for sale. Sean Richardson has more.

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Wanna bet that Jeff Landry will be re-elected governor in 2027? That’s not such a good idea, because it will now be against the law. Outlawing wagering on election outcomes is just one of several election-related bills passed by the legislature this past session. Joel Watson with the Secretary of State’s Office says another one assesses attorney’s fees and court costs for knowingly providing false information on a notice of candidacy.

Cut 3 (14) “…qualify for office.”

Watson says another bill on the governor’s desk calls for a procedural election audit by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor every four years.

Cut 4 (14) “…in the state.”

Watson says another bill closes a loophole that currently allows foreign funding of election contests and ballot measures.

Cut 5 (14) “…here in Louisiana.”

Another bill that the legislature passed requires legislative approval of election-related consent decrees, so that groups cannot force changes to election procedures through lawsuits.

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Cleco has begun the process of finding a new owner, notifying the Louisiana Public Service Commission as required. This move was expected, as Cleco’s 2016 private equity buyout included plans for a future sale. Pineville Representative Mike Johnson says the announcement didn’t come as a surprise.

Cut 6 (09) “…was an investment.”

Johnson emphasized that the process is in its early stages, and a sale is unlikely before December 2026. Any buyer must keep Cleco’s headquarters in Pineville and not increase its rates.

Cut 7 (12) “…across Louisiana.”

Johnson reaffirmed support for local jobs and services, urging the PSC to require job protections, and says it’s critical to the local economy.

Cut 8 (09) “…for our folks.”

Cleco serves 300-thousand customers across 24 parishes and remains under regulatory oversight.

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Louisiana lawmakers approved a 53-billion dollar budget and only one lawmaker voted against it. Oil City Representative Danny McCormick voted no. The Republican from Caddo Parish explained his decision during an interview on KEEL Radio in Shreveport…

Cut 9 (13)  …concern of mine.”

McCormick says state spending only increased by one-percent which is less than inflation and that’s good. But he says using an additional one-point-six billion dollars in federal money to pay for Medicaid is not a good idea, when you consider the federal government is trillions of dollars in debt…

Cut 10 (06) “…federal money.”

McCormick says he’s also disappointed the Legislature did not fund the LA Gator Program, the state’s new voucher program, to the amount Governor Jeff Landry was seeking. McCormick says politics got involved…

Cut 11 (09) “…harms families.”

The Louisiana Legislature appropriated 43-million dollars to the LA Gator Scholarship program, Governor Landry was seeking 93-million dollars. The program provides taxpayer dollars to families to help pay for private school tuition and other school expenses.

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You can add another name to the list of Republican primary challengers for Bill Cassidy’s U.S. Senate seat. New Iberia State Senator Blake Miguez has announced that he is entering the race. The 43-year-old has been in the legislature since 2015, first as a state representative and, since last year, as a state senator. Miguez joins State Treasurer John Fleming in challenging Cassidy for his seat. Pearson Cross, who teaches political science at ULM, says that could create some headwinds for Cassidy’s re-election bid next year.

Cut 12 (12) “…race against him.”

Cross says while Fleming is more conservative than Cassidy, that’s nothing compared to Miguez – and that could come into play in the newly-closed U.S. Senate primary.

Cut 13 (14)  “…very interesting primary.”

In Miguez’s campaign announcement video, he hammered Cassidy for his vote to convict then-former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Cross says that will be a theme that will play out over and over again in the run-up to the primary.

Cut 14 (13) “…the Republican party.”

Cross says with two prominent Republican challengers, he believes the likely outcome will be a runoff between Cassidy and either Fleming or Miguez – or possibly some other prominent Republican who subsequently enters the race. The primary is next April.

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LSU is 2-and-0 in the College World Series and one win away from the C-W-S championship series after beating UCLA nine to five today. Before the game was suspended last night because of severe weather, LSU fell behind 3 to nothing in the first inning. The Tigers responded with four runs in the bottom of the first inning, capped off by a three-run home run by Jared Jones…

Cut 15 (07) “…on the board.”

Anthony Eyanson pitched the first three innings of the game. When the game resumed this morning at 10 AM in the fourth inning, Casan Evans pitched into the eighth inning allowing just two runs and striking out five…

Cut 16 (08) “…team win.”

LSU will play again tomorrow against the winner of tonight’s game between UCLA and Arkansas.