A federal court has thrown out Louisiana’s new congressional district map. Judges ruled last week in favor of a complaint that stated the 6th District was drawn with the racial makeup of voters as the main motivator. The district was set to become the state’s second majority-Black district.  To help us understand the ruling and what happens next, we’re joined by Piper Hutchinson, a reporter with the Louisiana Illuminator.  NPR’s Tiny Desk has a new series host and producer, Bobby Carter. A St. Louis native, Carter’s public radio journey started in the South at Jackson State University.  The Gulf States Newsroom’s Maya Miller recently sat down with Carter to talk about bridging the gap between music and news and his advice for young people hoping to become journalists. Louisiana has been dubbed the  "sportsman's paradise" for its regions that present world class hunting and fishing. A new state website hopes to also brand it as a paradise for bird watchers.  The state is located along one of the primary migration routes in North America, the Mississippi Flyway, and offers opportunities to see over 470 unique species.  For more insight, we’re joined by David Booth, president of the Louisiana Ornithological Society.   __ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Matt Bloom. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time to catch up on the week in politics with Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist with the Times Picayune/The Advocate. This week, we’ll be discussing the status of a potential constitutional convention in Baton Rouge this summer.  Protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continued this week on many college campuses, including some in South Louisiana.  Tulane University closed parts of campus and suspended several students after demonstrators set up an encampment on Monday.  Protests off campuses have been happening, too. New Orleans police arrested multiple people in Jackson Square when they refused to leave the park after hours. Drew Hawkins, reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom, and Matt Bloom, producer with Louisiana Considered, discuss their coverage. Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and Ochsner Health announced earlier this week that they will create the first historically Black college and university medical school in the Gulf South.  Reynold Verret, president of Xavier, joins the show to share more about the plan.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

A multi-year fight to form a new city out of an unincorporated suburban portion of southeastern East Baton Rouge Parish culminated last week with a Louisiana Supreme Court decision. Justices ruled in favor of the organizers working to incorporate the city of St. George.  The court ruled against objections by East Baton Rouge officials, which had claimed the incorporation was “unreasonable,” that St. George couldn’t provide city services with a balanced budget and that the loss of tax revenues would hurt the city-parish.  St. George organizers want to keep the area’s tax money within their own portion of the parish. The effort to incorporate sprouted from a desire to create a new breakaway school district more than a decade ago.  To talk us through what led to this and where the city of St. George will go from here, we speak with Lara Nicholson, Baton Rouge city hall reporter for The Advocate/Times Picayune. One of the most expensive parts of your water bill can be the sewage fees. That can be frustrating, especially when you don’t have a sewer. That’s the case for our latest Utility Bill of the Month. Stephan Bisaha, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, went to a New Orleans community garden that has been fighting for years to fix their bills. The Louisiana state legislature is considering multiple bills that would increase the number of political appointments the governor could make to various boards and commissions. The legislation would make an already-powerful governor even more powerful. One bill, if approved by voters, would let the governor appoint all state supreme court justices and would concurrently expand the state’s highest court by two seats, from seven to nine justices, making Louisiana’s supreme court among the largest state supreme courts in the nation.  To explain what this legislation could do and what the chances are these proposals will survive the legislative process, we speak with Barry Erwin, president and CEO of Council for a Better Louisiana. ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Abortion care is about to get even more difficult to access for people across the Gulf South when a new ban takes effect in Florida on May 1.  The ban outlaws nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is often before many people know they’re pregnant. Rosemary Westwood, WWNO/WRKF reproductive health reporter, has more on  how abortion access is about to get even more difficult. The busiest part of a highway is usually the cars driving on the road. But in one part of New Orleans, there’s a lot happening underneath the street. The new Backatown Plaza recently opened in the city’s Treme neighborhood, directly underneath the Claiborne Expressway. The space is now a community event center, designed to connect a neighborhood that was fractured by the expressway’s construction in the 1960’s.  Josie Abugov, reporter with Verite News, recently covered theplaza’s opening and joins us for more.  The second weekend of the 53rd annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival kicks off later this week and an iconic girl group, The Dixie Cups, are the focus of the festival’s official poster. The trios 1964 hit “Chapel of Love” knocked the Beatles out of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.  Kellie Talbot, the poster’s artist, joins us to talk about her work.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana is facing a Black infant and maternal mortality crisis.  Black infants in Louisiana are more than three times as likely to die from premature birth as white infants and Black mothers are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as their white counterparts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, . Legislation before the Legislature this session seeks to address this crisis. Advocate groups and survivors have been sharing their concerns at the Capitol as lawmakers hear proposed bills.   Frankie Robertson, a consultant with the Amandla Group, joins us for more on potential solutions. The legendary Dew Drop Inn has reopened its doors. The two-story music venue in New Orleans drew huge crowds in the 1950’s and 60’s, when it was a safe haven for Black performers during Jim Crow segregation.  Musical greats including Ray Charles, Etta James and Aretha Franklin performed and stayed at the Dew Drop in its heyday. Dew Drop closed down after Hurricane Katrina, when it suffered major damage. With the venue finally back open, reporter Matt Bloom takes us there to listen to some music. Passover wraps up Tuesday at sundown. The holiday celebrates Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt. This year, many Jews have grappled with how to celebrate the holiday amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. Last week, one Jewish community group in New Orleans held a “liberation Seder,” or ceremonial dinner outside on X street. Drew Hawkins, with the Gulf States Newsroom, was there and brings us a non-narrated piece. The New Orleans chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, a grassroots organization that advocates for Palestinian freedom, organized the event.  Rory Michelen, a New Orleans resident and membership manager for the group, and Marlana Fireman, a student at the University of New Orleans and member, tell us more about the action. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the week in politics. Stephanie Grace, the Times Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, talks about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to back more military aid to Ukraine. That decision rattled several House Republicans this week. They’ve since called for his removal.  Johnson also visited Columbia University in New York City this week to meet with Jewish students and leaders as anti-war protests there continue — and spread to other U.S. college campuses.  State leaders decided again this year not to give teachers a permanent pay raise, opting for a one-time stipend instead. Many agree that educators are underpaid, but they point to Louisiana’s looming deficit as a reason to delay. As costs rise and wages stagnate, Aubri Juhasz, WWNO/WRKF education reporter, spoke with teachers who are struggling to stay in the profession. When disasters like hurricanes, floods and wildfires strike, an army of recovery workers usually descend on the affected area. They remove the debris, and typically move from one disaster to the next.  Some workers are lured by higher than minimum wage pay, overtime and provided transportation. But an investigation by Futuro Investigates, The Center for Public Integrity, and Columbia Journalism Investigationsfound workers, who are largely Latino, face significant health risks. Maria Ines Zamudio, with the Center for Public Integrity, is lead reporter on the podcast, Toxic Labor, from Latino USA, and joins the show. _____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

All week, we’re hearing from public school teachers in Louisiana about how they’re feeling as living costs rise and wages stagnate.Yesterday we heard from a teacher who’s thinking of leaving the profession after only a year in the classroom because of low pay. On today’s show, Aubri Juhasz, WWNO/WRKF education reporter, brings us the story of another teacher facing a tough decision. In 2021, ecologists discovered that a group of whales residing exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico was a unique species of whale. The Rice’s whale is now considered to be critically endangered, with a population possibly under 100 individuals. As we observe the 14th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the subsequent oil spill, ecologists are concerned how that environmental catastrophe affected this population of whales, and they’re working to further protect it. Dan Moss is a senior government relations representative with Defenders of Wildlife. He joins the show. The American Lung Association released its annual “State of the Air” report on Wednesday. It takes a look at air quality and how it affects health, and ranks metro areas nationwide. Eric Weinzettle, a representative of the American Lung Association, shares more on how air quality is looking in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Two tornadoes touched down in the city of Slidell, north of New Orleans, earlier this month. The severe weather damaged hundreds of buildings in the area. Thankfully, nobody was killed.  But recovery efforts are expected to be ongoing for the next several months. Gov. Jeff Landry issued an emergency declaration after visiting the area last week.  Greg Cromer, Slidel’s mayor, joins the show to share more on the city’s ongoing recovery efforts.  Louisiana loses teachers every year. Some go to neighboring states. While others leave teaching completely. And a big part of the problem is pay. Teachers in Louisiana make about $13,000 less a year than the national average. And regionally, they still make several thousand dollars less.  All week, we’re hearing from public school teachers. Aubri Juhasz, WWNO/WRKF education reporter, interviewed several teachers about the difficult decisions they’re faced with, including whether to stay in the classroom. The 2024 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, also known as Jazz Fest, kicks off this week.  The Rolling Stones tops the list of headliners. And foodies will get some satisfaction too. Several vendors are offering a wide array of dishes featuring crawfish.  We caught up with two of them Sonya DiCarlo of Clesi’s Seafood Restaurant & Catering and John Caluda of Caluda’s King Cakes Cottage Catering.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

There’s a lot of uncertainty around whether a popular food assistance program will serve Louisiana families this summer. Gov. Jeff Landry rejected $71 million in federal aid earlier this year to help feed children when schools are closed. Khalil Gillon, a reporter at Verite News, has been covering the fallout from Landry’s decision to decline federal funding and shares the latest.  The Gulf South is getting hundreds of millions of dollars from settlements with some of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers and distributors. It’s part of a plan to help mitigate damage caused by the opioid crisis. And some are calling for more of the funds to be used for harm reduction to help people and their families. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins recently sat down with Maia Szalavitz, author of Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction. Land loss is an issue that most Louisianans are familiar with. But how often do you take stock of exactly what’s changed? Virginia Hanusik is an artist who has dedicated her career to capturing the changing coastline. Her photography explores the relationship between landscape, culture and human-built infrastructure. She joins us to discuss her new book, Into the Quiet and the Light: Water, Life, and Land Loss in South Louisiana. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Today, we bring you the conclusion of part two of Sea Change’s special series All Gassed Up.  Hosts Carlyle Calhoun and Halle Parker head to Germany, one of the world’s leaders in green energy. But they discover the country is also playing a huge role in the expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas on the Gulf Coast. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Ryan Vasquez. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with Stephanie Grace, The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist. We’ll get the latest on efforts to hold a constitutional convention in Baton Rouge this summer. Plus, a new leader takes top role in the state’s Democratic Party.  A former New Orleans police chief is calling on President Biden to support changing how marijuana is classified in the United States. Ronal Serpas is one of 32 law-enforcement leaders who signed a letter to the president in support of moving marijuana to a less serious category of controlled substance law. The Gulf States Newsroom's Kat Stromquist spoke to the former head of the NOPD about what it would mean for criminal justice.  Over 50% of Louisiana’s adults have experienced some form of intimate partner violence–including knife attacks, choking, or other physical threats.  Louisiana women are three times more likely than men to experience severe or fatal forms of IPV.  A new report puts a price tag on the costs of intimate partner violence to everyone in Louisiana; and the economic cost is surprising. Anita Raj, Executive Director of the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University, joins the show to share more.  __ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, is widely seen as the most conservative federal appeals court in the nation. It handles cases from Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. As voting rights legislation meanders through the courts, the 5th Circuit has had a lot to say about the constitutionality of voting rights law. Madeleine Greenberg is a senior case coordinator with Democracy Docket, a progressive-leaning platform examining voting rights and elections in the courts; she wrote an article examining a rise in voting rights cases before the 5th Circuit and joins us for more.  Your local government is only as open and accessible as its digital presence — at least that’s the way things seem to work in the 21st century.  The city-parish of Baton Rouge has been recognized for its digital government accessibility. The Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence recognized the MyBR app for giving people access to an open government. The recognition came as part of Bloomberg’s Sunshine Week, an initiative promoting open government and transparency. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome joins the show to tell us about how citizens can use the MyBR app to interact with their government.  LSU recently got a major boost to its efforts to research clean energy production in the state. The school won $160 million dollars through a grant from the National Science Foundation. The money will go towards new sustainability research and job training for students over the coming decade. Halle Parker, Coastal Desk reporter, spoke with Dr. Robert Twilley, LSU’s Vice President of research and economic development, about the historically large grant and what it means for the state. ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Sanctuary cities have become targets of Republican lawmakers across the country. Now Louisiana’s legislature is considering a measure that would ban parishes and cities from adopting their own policies.  Bobbi-Jeanne Misick, reporter at Verite News, has been tracking the proposal since it was introduced and joins us for more. Edward “Kidd” Jordan, NOLA jazz saxophonist, and Alvin Batiste, jazz clarinetist, are being remembered in a special tribute concert on April 20 at the University of New Orleans Performance Recital Hall.  Stephanie Jordan, vocalist, and Rachel Jordan, violinist, join Louisiana Considered to discuss the legacy of their late father and uncle. The Musaica Chamber Ensemble closes its 18th season, “Heart and Soul,”with a piano quintet and a world premiere quartet for oboe and strings.  Bruce Owen, Musaica violist and president, joins the show with the details.  The Musaica Chamber Ensemble performs its final concert of the season on Monday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the UNO Performing Arts Center Recital Hall. ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Students in the Baton Rouge area are missing school — and a lot of it.  More than 50,000 students across the area’s school districts had more than five unexcused absences last school year. That’s according to the latest research from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, which analyzed local attendance rates. Jake Polansky, the chamber’s manager of economic and policy research, joins the show to share takeaways and potential solutions.  A new report from the Louisiana Department of Health shows Black women who are pregnant continue to die at much higher rates than white pregnant women in the state.  The report covers maternal deaths in 2020. It found Black women were 2.5 times more likely to die than their white counterparts. Rosemary Westwood, WWNO/WRKF reproductive health reporter, spoke with Dr. Veronica Gillispie- Bell, who led the research.  The LSU Museum of Art will host a unique exhibition of quilts inspired by planetary science. The fiber artwork exhibition, “Fierce Planets: Word from the Studio Art Quilt Associates,” draws from the research of renowned planetary physicist Dr. Sabine Stanley and her book "What's Hidden Inside Planets."  The exhibition is curated by Michelle Schulte. We hear from both of them. 

Today we bring you the first part of “All Gassed Up, Part 2: The German Connection,” from Sea Change. Why is the U.S. exporting liquefied natural gas to Europe? Hosts Halle Parker and Carlyle Calhoun head to Germany to find out and learn what that means for the future of our climate. This crawfish season has been a rough one. Farmers and fishermen are catching a tiny percentage of what they normally would, while consumers are paying high prices. WWNO and WRKF reporter Eva Tesfaye and Maya Miller, of the Gulf States Newsroom, talked to crawfish farmers and fisherman about how they’re navigating one of the worst seasons they’ve ever seen ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Ryan Vasquez. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The University of Connecticut took home the NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament this week. South Carolina won the women’s championship. This year, twelve teams from the Gulf South made it to the so-called Big Dance, including the Grambling State men’s team and LSU’s women’s team. Smaller schools in the region were eliminated right away, but getting a shot at the championship can still make a huge difference beyond the basketball court. Joseph King, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, explains why. Festival season is upon New Orleans. That means music, food and lots of tourists. Last year, the city saw over 17.5 million visitors and the city projects tourism numbers this year to continue their steady recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  What made New Orleans’ economy so tourist-heavy in the first place?  Laine Kaplan-Levenson, host of the  podcast TriPod, took a look at that question back in 2016. We listen back to the episode today.  With today’s global supply chain, subsistence agriculture might seem like a thing of the past. That’s not entirely the case, according to Helen Regis, a cultural anthropologist at LSU and author of Bayou Harvest: Subsistence Practice in Coastal Louisiana. Regis has spent years observing farming and food preparation along the Gulf Coast, where she’s gained insights into hunting, fishing, gardening, and more. ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with Stephanie Grace, The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist. This week, we cover lawmakers’ efforts to reform home insurance industry regulations.  One big proposal would eliminate the 3-year rule, a Katrina era law that stops insurance companies generally from raising deductibles or not renewing homeowner policies that have been in effect for more than 3 years. It’s part of the “free market” changes Tim Temple, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner,  wants to make to stabilize the state’s underwriting environment and make it more hospitable for companies to do business. Dr. Walter Lane, chair of economics and finance at the University of New Orleans, joins the show to discuss the implications.  Senate Bill 108 would make it difficult for an entity from outside Louisiana to use land for a proposed transmission line that would move electrical power across Louisiana unless it dropped what it calls “a majority” of the electricity or steam power in Louisiana.  It would also block similar future projects in the state. What is Louisiana’s energy landscape and who controls it? Why would the legislature be trying to stop an energy project that could deliver cheaper energy to the state?   Logan Atkinson Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, joins the show to answer those questions.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by [host]. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The 41st annual French Quarter Festival kicks off in two days. The neighborhood festival in New Orleans continues to evolve with added programming and music stages.  Emily Madero, festival president and CEO, joins us for a look at what’s new.  The total solar eclipse on April 8 inspired a lot of people to travel to try to get the best view. Many WWNO and WRKF staff members made the journey northwest to reach the path of totality. While others stayed put right here in Louisiana, where visibility was pretty good too.  Garrett Hazelwood, Aubri Juhasz, Paul Maassen and Drew Hawkins shared their observations and feelings about the cosmic event.  Parsons Dance, an internationally acclaimed American dance company, closes this year’s season for the New Orleans Ballet Association with a special tribute to Allen Toussaint, the beloved NOLA musician. David Parsons, artistic director and Reginald Toussaint, percussionist and son of Allen Toussaint, join the show to discuss the performance.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisianans didn’t experience complete darkness on April 8 during the total eclipse. But that didn’t stop the excitement leading up to the last total solar eclipse to cross the US for the next 20 years. Watchers in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette witnessed up to 87% coverage. The Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge was one of many gathering points today to view the sight. Marion Mayfield, museum communications manager, joined the program to discuss preparations. Plus, Aaron Ryan, LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy research associate joined the show alongside Caroline Davis, student researcher, to discuss their eclipse observations. They were part of a team that led several experiments during the eclipse in Texas. A puppet show produced by a group of climate activists that tries to bring some joy to the impact of climate change on the Gulf Coast begins performances this month in New Orleans. Halle Parker, Coastal Desk reporter, followed the making of the show ahead of its showcase at the 10th Giant Puppet Festival in New Orleans. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out ourpitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out ourlistener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Today we bring you part one of the second episode of “All Gassed Up,” a special series from Sea Change. We go to Cameron Parish to discover a massive expansion of liquified natural gas, or LNG, and learn what that means for the people living near them. And who is all this gas for anyway? In this year's legislative sessions, Southern lawmakers have considered dozens of bills dealing with prisons and criminal justice. But families affected by the justice system say weighing in can be a challenge.  Kat Stromquist, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, reports on a Mississippi program that aims to turn formerly incarcerated people -- and their loved ones -- into lobbyists. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Ryan Vasquez. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with Stephanie Grace, The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist. This week, we chat about Gov. Jeff Landry’s call for scholarships to be stripped from athletes who miss the national anthem. Plus, an update on the legislative session. Three of New Orleans’ independent banks have sought approval to make the switch from a “mutual” bank operation to a stock-owned bank model. They include Fidelity Bank, Fifth District Savings Bank and Mutual Savings and Loan. Amanda Heitz, assistant professor of finance at Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business, explains what this means for the community’s financial health. People of color have been fighting for equal representation in the arts in the United States for centuries. Juliane Braun, professor at Auburn University, shares more about new research on performers of color in southeast Louisiana. She’ll present her work at the Hermann-Grima House in New Orleans on April 10. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Fertility treatments in Alabama are in limbo. Last month, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children. Soon after, the state passed a law meant to protect in vitro fertilization, commonly called IVF.   Drew Hawkins, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, brings us the stories of several families who worry the protections may not hold.   Carbon sequestration is gaining attention as a potential solutions to help combat climate change. Louisiana has been touted as having ideal geology for pumping carbon dioxide deep into the ground, where it's less likely to contribute to global warming. But there’s a potential problem standing in the way — thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells.  Nicholas Kusnetz, reporter for Inside Climate News, explains how abandoned wells create a so-called “swiss cheese” effect. And new research shows they may limit the effectiveness of carbon sequestration.  New Orleanians will cast ballots this fall on whether to add a “Workers’ Bill of Rights” to the city charter, following a City Council vote last month.  These rights would include access to fair wages, paid leave and health care, as well as the right to organize a workplace union. The election will take place on November 5, 2024 — the same day as the presidential election. Labor rights advocates and some council members hope it helps address what they see as a lack of protections for local workers.  Britain Forsyth, Louisiana legislative coordinator for Step Up Louisiana, and Kenny Arbuthnot, a Dollar General store worker, join the show to discuss their efforts.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Prisoners in Louisiana often get inadequate medical care. Gov. Jeff Landry recently signed policies that limit the release of the state’s sickest patients. So, what does that mean for those patients and the healthcare system that cares for them?  Richard A. Webster, investigative reporter for Verite News, has been digging into that question. He joins the show to discuss his recent reporting.  April is National Poetry Month and New Orleans based award-winning multi-disciplinary artist José Torres-Tama is kicking things off with the second annual Poetry Without Borders Verse & Music Festival.  Torres-Tama and Jennifer Pagen, a poet and performer, discuss their lives as African and Latin American wordsmiths, and give us a preview of the upcoming festival.  A year after a deadly tornado tore through Rolling Fork, Miss., residents are still struggling to rebuild.  Danny McArthur, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, has more on the barriers keeping people in one mobile home community from rebuilding their lives. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has changed to how disaster aid is given out. The move could offer survivors of natural disasters a simpler and more streamlined process to get help. Frank Matranga, the director of individual assistance for FEMA’s Office of Response & Recovery, joins the show with more details. A new law that went into effect in January requires private insurers to cover doula services for pregnancies in Louisiana. Numerous studies have shown that pregnancy doulas — non-medical professionals who support and advocate for pregnant patients before, during and after they deliver their babies — improve maternal health outcomes. But until this year, they have been out of reach for many expecting Louisiana mothers. Alena Maschke, health reporter for The Times Picayune/The Advocate, tells us more. We could soon have more research on the Gulf of Mexico. That’s thanks to a new ship currently being built in Houma. It’s part of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. Eva Tesfaye, Coastal Desk reporter, tells us how the ship could fill gaps in research in the understudied region. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Today we bring you part one of the first episode of “All Gassed Up,” a special series from Sea Change. We go to Cameron Parish to discover a massive expansion of liquified natural gas, or LNG, and learn what that means for the Gulf Coast. It’s been a busy week at the legislature for reproductive rights. For a rundown of a few key bills, we’re joined by Rosemary Westwood, WWNO/WRKF reproductive health reporter. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with Stephanie Grace, The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist. We’ll recap what’s happened in the busy few weeks since the legislature gaveled into session. More than 10,000 cargo ships sail through the port of New Orleans each year. It’s one of the country’s largest. So, how does the port ensure safety of the Crescent City Connection bridges, and other major infrastructure along the Mississippi River? It’s a question on the minds of many residents after a ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore earlier this week. We reached out to Sabarethinam Kameshwar, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at LSU to talk about river safety. Changes are coming in the buying and selling of houses this year, particularly around realtor commissions. It’s all due to a recent class-action settlementbetween the National Association of Realtors and home sellers. The news is adding to the volatility of an already unpredictable housing market. To give us a little clarity on where we are in the process, we invited Arthur Sterbcow, Louisiana real estate analyst, to join the show. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by [host]. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The home insurance crisis has hit many households in Southeast Louisiana. Some homeowners are paying premiums double what they were just a few years ago.  Carlyle Calhoun and Halle Parker, hosts of our podcast Sea Change, recently hosted a live panel in front of an audience at The Broadside in New Orleans. They asked insurance and housing experts about potential solutions to the issue.  Melissa Campbell, one of the stars of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, joins the show to talk about her starring role. The musical is currently playing at the Le Petit Theatre through April 7. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana voters made their choice for Republican and Democratic presidential nominees over the weekend. Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden easily won their respective races during Saturday’s primaries.  Voters also weighed in on local and regional issues, including the closely-watched Caddo Parish sheriff’s race. Brian Brox, associate professor of political science at Tulane University, joins us to discuss the results.  A community farm that's been in New Orleans’ City Park for more than a decade would be displaced under a  redevelopment proposal from park leadership.  But supporters of Grow Dat Youth Farm are fighting back. Verite News’ Drew Costley brings us the latest.  And for March’s Utility Bill of the Month, The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha takes us back to Jackson, Mississippi.  Residents have dealt with more than a decade of inaccurate — and in some cases missing — water bills. The city is trying to fix the troubled system and make sure everyone pays what they actually owe. But some residents say their new bills still have problems. ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

In St. Bernard Parish, after years of decline, volunteers have started to restore part of Bayou Bienvenue’s marsh. And the project relies on an unlikely hero: glass bottles. Halle Parker, WWNO/WRKF Coastal Desk reporter, has the story.  The International Downtown Association released a report comparing Baton Rouge with similar small-to-mid-sized cities. It found Baton Rouge’s downtown saw 7% job growth over the past 5 years. Other Louisiana cities saw a decline during that same period. To go over the data and to tell us what it says about the city’s health, Whitney Hoffman Sayal, executive director of Baton Rouge’s Downtown Development District, joins the show. Renee Chatelain left her job as president and CEO of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge earlier this year. Chatelain held the role for eight years, where she promoted arts and culture in the state’s capitol. She joins the show to look forward at what the future holds for the city’s art scene.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

College basketball is back at the top of sports’ fans’ minds. The annual March Madness tournament kicked off this week. Two Louisiana men's teams — McNeese State and Grambling State — will compete. LSU will participate in the women’s tournament. Beyond what happens on the court, another question has dominated as of late: How much should college athletes be paid?  Jamira Mitchell is a Baton Rouge-based career and technical education teacher at University View Academy, a K-12 virtual school and host of the podcast the NIL Spot. It’s a place for parents, student-athletes and coaches to understand the ins and outs of “Name, Image and Likeness” rights in high school and college sports. Mitchell joins Louisiana Considered for more.  And an effort to legalize some forms of gambling is underway in Louisiana’s neighbor, Alabama. A plan has once again hit stiff opposition in the state’s legislature. Joseph King, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, looks to neighboring states that have taken the leap, including Louisiana, to find out more. Marriage, madness and murder are in the mix as the New Orleans Opera Association closes its 81st season with Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Katrina Galka, award-winning soprano, takes center stage as Lucia. She joins us to discuss her role and performance. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

A group of self-described “non-Black voters” is suing Louisiana over the state’s new congressional maps. The suit alleges a new second majority-Black district violates racial gerrymandering laws.  The lawsuit is expected to go to court in early April, and could result in another shakeup in the state’s long running legal battle. Jared Evans, senior policy counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, joins Louisiana Considered to discuss what’s at stake. The NAACP has advocated for the creation of a second majority-Black district for years. Gov. Jeff Landry signed the map into law earlier this year.  Ouachita Parish, in north Louisiana, is home to an ancient archeological site that’s older than the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge. The collection of 11 man-made mounds connected by an oval-shaped ridge is known as “Watson Brake.” Diana Greenlee, archaeologist and professor at the University of Louisiana Monroe, joins the show and tells us more about the ancient structures.  A team of researchers at Louisiana State University recently made waves in the world of quantum physics. Omar Magana-Loaiza, LSU associate professor of physics, is a part of the LSU quantum photonics group, which published their research in the journal Nature Physics. He joins the show to explain what the research means for the production of everyday medical and household products.  ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana is one of just nine states that still require students to pass exit exams in order to graduate. Briefly last year, there was an appeals process for students.  And while the change was widely supported by educators, it quickly became a political issue. Gov. Jeff Landry killed the policy as soon as he took office. So now, Louisiana is once again the only state where students can’t appeal. And the kids most likely to miss out are recent immigrants. Earlier this year, Aubri Juhasz, WRKF/WWNO education reporter, spoke with teenagers stuck in the middle. To talk more about exit exams, Anne Hyslop, director of policy development for All4Ed, a nonprofit that focuses on improving high schools and making sure students succeed after they graduate, joins the show. She’s researched exit exams over the last decade. She also worked in the U.S. Department of Education under President Barack Obama. LGBTQ+ candidates have campaigned for seats in Louisiana’s state legislature for decades. And despite a growing number of out candidates winning office nationwide, the state’s residents have never elected one. Matt Bloom, producer for Louisiana Considered, wrote about this for the Advocate, a national magazine focused on LGBTQ issues.  ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Aubri Juhasz. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with Stephanie Grace, The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist. This week, she shares the latest on the start of the regular legislative session in Baton Rouge.  Under a law passed during the recent special session on crime, 17-year-olds can now be tried as adults in many criminal cases. Gov. Jeff Landry says the new rules will help make communities safer.  But many researchers say similar juvenile justice policies have actually led to more crime. One of those researchers is Anita Raj, executive director of Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute and the Nancy Reeves Dreux endowed chair. She’s also a parent, and wrote about child incarceration recently for the Louisiana Illuminator. Hunger in Louisiana has reached startling levels. Close to 20% of residents receive some type of public assistance to buy groceries or eat meals at school. Last month, the Landry administration turned down $71 million dollars in federal food assistance. The money was part of the summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, that’s mainly used to feed children when schools are closed. Natalie Jahroe, Second Harvest president and CEO, explains how the refusal affects local food banks.  ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana gives massive tax breaks to chemical manufacturers and the contentious program is facing renewed scrutiny.  Gov. Jeff Landry recently signed an executive order removing some job retention requirements from Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program, known as ITEP.  Proponents of the change say it will stabilize the incentive program. While critics argue it removes a level of accountability and unravels some of the reforms made to the program in 2016 under former Gov. John Bel Edwards.  Today, we dive deep into the program’s economic impacts.  Nick Messenger is an economist with the Ohio River Valley Institute, a non-partisan non-profit economics and energy policy research think tank. He recently released a report detailing the impacts ITEP has and hasn’t had. Greg Bowser, president of the Louisiana Chemical Association, represents the interests of more than 60 chemical manufacturing companies in Louisiana. He shares how businesses are benefiting. ___ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Faubourg Brewing, formerly Dixie Beer, has deep roots in New Orleans. Its new owner, a private equity firm, announced last fall that they would scale back operations locally due to crime and utility costs.  The decision left a lot of employees and beer fans scratching their heads, including Drew Hawkins, reporter at the Gulf States Newsroom. He recently published an investigation into the decision to close Faubourg for Antigravity Magazine and the Louisiana Illuminator. He joins Louisiana Considered to share his findings.  The PBS docuseries “Gospel” hosted by Harvard scholar, executive producer and writer Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes viewers on a journey that brings to life the rich history of Black spirituality through Sunday sermons and song. Gates talks with clergymen, scholars and singers about their connection to this African American art form of prayer and praise that also embraces elements of blues and jazz. New Orleans is known around the globe as the cradle of jazz. We caught up with singer Charmaine Neville, daughter of the late Charles Neville of the famed Neville Brothers to find out how gospel music informed her musical career. ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by [host]. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Beginning next year, Louisiana’s high school seniors will no longer have to complete the federal student aid form to graduate. The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted last week to scrap that requirement. Supporters of the move argued it put an undue burden on students and their families.  Aubri Juhasz, WWNO/WRKF education reporter, has been following this story from New Orleans and joins the show with more. Gov. Jeff Landry issued a disaster declaration for Louisina’s crawfish industry last week in response to the state’s record bad catch. Landry said his executive order will unlock federal aid for farmers, and that the shortage is not only affecting Louisiana’s economy but also the state’s “way of life.” Mike Strain, state agriculture and forestry commissioner, discusses why he was one of many voices calling for federal assistance and the details of the declaration. Many have played cornhole casually. It’s a backyard game that involves tossing a bean bag into a hole cut out of a board located several feet away. But did you know it’s also a serious sport?  And that the Shreveport-Bossier City area is hosting a major upcoming tournament? Frank Grees, founder of the American Cornhole Organization, tells us about the sport’s growth and April’s planned competition.  ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with Stephanie Grace, the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist. We discuss how the state’s new Republican supermajority functioned during the legislature’s recent special session on crime/ And we look ahead to the regular session which starts on March 11.  The loss of protective marsh along Louisiana’s coast continues. A $3 billion project to help slow things down broke ground last August. Halle Parker, coastal desk reporter, tells us how a lawsuit filed by Plaquemines Parish earlier this year against the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has brought the effort, known as the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, to a halt. While the sounds of brass bands, card readings and drumming waft through New Orleans’ Jackson Square, University of New Orleans archaeology students are inside Saint Louis Cathedral excavating. Contractors discovered that the 1849 cathedral foundation wasn’t the only one there during a recent renovation.  Ryan Gray, anthropology professor and New Orleans urban historical archaeologist, shares more on the ongoing dig.  _____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Today’s episode was produced by Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell. It was engineered by Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

You can go to some of the most remote corners of Louisiana and you still won’t have to look far to find a dollar store. In fact, the state has more than 650 Dollar Generals alone. A new report says the chains threaten small businesses and local economies. The Louisiana Workforce Commission shared a report last week with state legislators about the issue. Stephan Bisaha, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, joins Louisiana Considered to talk to us about the report and its recommendations. Also, we hear the biggest takeaways from a new poll published by the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC). The “Louisiana Child Care Parent Poll” takes the temperature of how the childcare system in the state is working for parents of children under the age of five.  Libbie Sonnier,  LPIC executive director, breaks down the findings. Sonnier says the state needs an additional investment of $115 million over the next eight years to meet current childcare needs. And the committee preparing New Orleans to host the Super Bowl is spearheading an effort to increase the diversity of the subcontractors and suppliers who work with the big event. They’re looking to open opportunities for local businesses led by minorities, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ community members. Chincie Mouton, director of community engagement for the New Orleans 2025 Super Bowl Host Committee, shares more about the program and how local businesses can get involved. __ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Today’s episode was produced by Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell. It was engineered by Garrett Pittman.  You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

On today’s Louisiana Considered, we hear how Baton Rouge Community College’s Port Allen branch is helping train truck drivers.  The school recently relaunched a course for students looking to get a commercial driver’s license, which is required to drive 18-wheelers and other large ground transport vehicles. The school hopes it can help address the state’s driver shortage.  Heather Guidry, BRCC’s dean of technical studies and adult education, spoke with WRKF’s Adam Vos about the program.  We also chat with Bobby Hjortsberg, captain of the Krewe of Freret, about his decision to ban plastic beads next Mardi Gras.  The krewe made headlines last week when it announced it would shift to more sustainable throws for the 2025 Carnival season. Hjortsberg says the move will help protect NOLA’s storm drains and “inject some sustainability” into Mardi Gras culture.  And we take a tour of a new immersive play in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood. The Nola Project theatre company and the New Orleans African American Museum have partnered to present Tony Award-winning dramatist George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum. Performances run through March 9.  ____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Today’s episode was produced by Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell. It was engineered by Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana’s new insurance commissioner has laid out his plans to address the state’s insurance crisis. Tim Temple, a former insurance industry executive, says his approach takes aim at what he calls the state’s “heavy-handed” regulations.   Sam Karlin, an investigative reporter at The Advocate/Times Picayune, explains Temple’s philosophy and the ongoing debate over how to bring rates down.  Later, Camille Farrah Lenain, a French-Algerian photographer based in New Orleans, walks us through her new exhibit “Sisters of the Hunt” at the NUNU Arts and Culture Collective in Arnaudville. Her work explores the lives of female hunters in rural France and Southern Louisiana through an exhibition that combines stunning photographs and immersive sound pieces. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producers are Matt Bloom and Alana Schrieber. Aubry Procell is our assistant producer. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out ourpitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out ourlistener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana’s historic special session on crime has concluded after a brisk two weeks. Many of Gov. Jeff Landry’s high-priority bills passed, including a proposal to expand death penalty execution methods. Molly Ryan, WWNO and WRKF’s state politics reporter joins us to talk more about the session’s conclusion. And we have a major education story out of New Orleans. The Orleans Parish School Board says it will directly run a school next year. It’s a big deal for the country’s only all-charter public school system. The board hasn’t operated a school since 2019 and the district has had mostly charters for much longer.Aubri Juhasz, WWNO and WRKF’s education reporter, has been covering the story and joins us. Plus, oysters are sly helpers in the fight to protect coasts from erosion and flooding that is caused by climate change. But oyster reefs on Alabama’s coast, like many others in the Gulf South, have taken a beating. In Louisiana, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana has been recycling oyster shells in an effort to rebuild the coastline for nearly a decade. Danny McArthur, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, takes us to a similar effort in Alabama to help rebuild the coastline there. ________ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Ryan Vasquez. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Matt Bloom produced today’s episode. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics. Lawmakers in the Louisiana House gave final approval to multiple controversial proposals Wednesday, including a measure that would treat 17-year-olds as adults in the state’s criminal justice system. We get the latest from Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate. Later, we discuss Lent with Father John D Cunningham, vice president of mission and identity at Loyola University New Orleans. The Lenten season that follows Carnival’s time of excess and indulgence is set aside for many Christians as a period of atonement, introspection, reflection and repentance. But how does that last bit fit into Louisianans’ 21st century mindset?  Plus, if you haven’t already registered to vote or updated your voting information for Louisiana’s upcoming presidential primary, the deadline is this Saturday, March 2. You must register online. Steve Raborn, board member of the Louisiana Registrar of Voters Association, walks us through what voters need to know.  _____ Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich.  Our managing producers are Alana Schreiber and Matt Bloom. Our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana lawmakers passed sweeping criminal justice reforms in 2017 aimed at reducing the state’s prison population. Now, lawmakers in Baton Rouge are considering bills that would undo those reforms. Proponents of the so-called tough-on-crime policies point to spikes in Louisiana’s crime rates since those reform laws went into effect.  But critics say the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame instead. While others say inadequate investment in the reforms prevented them from being successful. To talk through the reforms and proposals to repeal them, we’re joined by Barry Erwin, president and CEO of Council for A Better Louisiana, a non-partisan, non-profit group. We also hear from Greg LaRose, an editor with the Louisiana Illuminator. LaRose has written about many of the proposals, including a provision that proposes treating 17-year-olds as adults in Louisiana’s criminal justice system. It would walk-back reforms made in 2017, mostly referred to as “Raise The Age.” Later on the show, we hear how historic preservationists in Louisiana have adopted AI tools to help them do their work. Louisiana-based AI expert Margeaux Randolph, co-founder of Create Ventures, joins us.  Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Matt Bloom produced today’s show, with help from assistant producer Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

On today’s Louisiana Considered, we take a deep look at the state’s community college transfer rates to 4-year institutions.  Louisiana lags behind the U.S. as a whole, according to new research from the Aspen Institute and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. We dig into the data and discuss what’s so challenging about making the jump with Tania LaViolet, one of the report authors. Plus, we hear from Nancee Sorenson, chancellor of Louisiana State University Eunice. The college enrolls more than 4,000 full and part-time students. It also has the highest transfer rate among all two-year schools in the state. And later, we chat with Torbjorn Tornquist, a geology professor at Tulane University, about a new study on dire wetland loss projections.  Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Aubri Juhasz. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Today’s episode was produced by Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell. And it was engineered by Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

A bill that would expand execution methods in Louisiana is making its way through the legislature this week, as part of Governor Jeff Landry's special session on crime. One of the key groups fighting the bill is the Capital Appeals Project. Politics reporter Molly Ryan spoke to executive director, Cecelia Kappel, for more. Plus, Charlotte Claiborne, executive director of the Bridge Center in Baton Rouge, joins us to discuss the organization’s recent 3rd anniversary. She shares an update on statewide mental health and the future of crisis receiving centers in Louisiana.  Later, the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana is celebrating Black History Month with a virtual presentation featuring New Orleans native and former Louisiana Poet Laureate Mona Lisa Saloy. Her books of poetry focus on Black Creole culture.  Saloy’s presentation, titled Some History of the 7th Ward, shines a spotlight on this historic Black neighborhood in New Orleans. It debuts Monday on the Louisiana Book festival’s YouTube and Facebook pages . Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Matt Bloom and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Newspapers have shaped the rich history of Louisiana for hundreds of years. On today’s Louisiana Considered, we’re joined by two experts at The Historic New Orleans Collection to discuss their upcoming event “Above the Fold: The History of Newspapers in Louisiana.” Plus, we’ll hear the story of a female newspaper publishing pioneer. Eliza Jane Nicholson was a small-town poet born in the 1840s in Mississippi who would go on to become the first female publisher of a major metropolitan newspaper, The Picayune in New Orleans. Later, Gulf South home energy bills have spiked this year. Stephan Bisaha, a reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, looks at who’s to blame when power bills go up. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our assistant producer is Matt Bloom and our engineer is Garrett Pittman.  You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics. State lawmakers kicked off a special session on crime this week. We get the latest from Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.  Later, we talk to Vincenzo Caronna, founder and CEO of Thrivvy. Caronna recently launched a new app that compares products from 30 local grocery stores across the greater New Orleans area. The app helps consumers find the lowest prices on their weekly shopping trips and save money. Plus, there’s a new French consul in town. The French Consulate General in Louisiana recently appointed Rodolphe Sambou to take over the post. We’ll hear what he’s been up to during his first few months in office.  Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Louisiana is infamous for its high incarceration rates. But that reputation didn’t happen overnight. A new book, "Prison Capital," explores the history of the issue, and efforts to push back on it over the past fifty years. Author Lydia Pelot-Hobbs joins the Gulf States Newsroom’s Kat Stromquist for more. Founded in 1784, the Prince Hall Masons is the oldest African American Masonic order. The organization also claims to be America's oldest civil rights organization, although their contributions have been largely unseen.  Kathe Hambrick, executive director of the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University and Ralph Slaughter, grand master of the Louisiana Prince Hall Masons, tell us more about these organizations ahead of their upcoming panel discussions on Black masonic history.  This Saturday, the organization Restore the Mississippi River Delta is presenting its sixth-annual “Cook-off for the Coast” event. Campaign director Simone Maloz tells us how this food festival aims to raise money and awareness for coastal restoration efforts.  Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Some farmers along the Gulf Coast are responding to the problems of climate change by implementing production methods that replenish soil nutrients instead of depleting them. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Danny McArthur spoke with one farmer about her efforts to turn an old peanut farm into an Indigenous food forest in Alabama. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, a person found incompetent to stand trial in the state remains in jail for nearly seven months on average before being admitted for mental health treatment. And while overcrowding in Louisiana’s only mental health facility has long been a problem, it’s grown worse in recent years.  Rebecca Holland is a former reporter for The Advocate who covered this story, and joins us for more. Two ballets comprise a new production premiering at the Marigny Opera House this weekend. “Agua Mole Pedra Dura — Brazilian Connections” displays how traditional Brazilian song and dance relate to contemporary ballet. Performances begin Feb. 23 and end March 3.  Composer, bandleader and guitarist Geovane Santos joins us to discuss his score for this production. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The small town of Lexington, Miss. has fewer than 10 police officers. That makes it one of the smallest to ever be investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation began after residents said police harassed them and violated their civil rights. Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Michael McEwen and the Gulf States Newsroom’s Kat Stromquist join us to share what they have learned while covering this story. An exhibition at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center in Baton Rouge invites viewers to explore the journey of Black hair through the lens of contemporary art. The exhibit, “Protective Styles: Narratives on Black Hair within Contemporary Art,” includes works ranging from melancholy to celebratory created by artists from across the United States. John Alleyne, artist and professor at Southern University, curated the exhibit. He joins us to discuss what’s on display and how attendees are reacting. The New Orleans Catholic Archdiocese has spent years shielding itself from dozens of lawsuits pertaining to sexual abuse allegations. The Guardian’s Ramon Vargas and survivor Aaron Hebert join us to explain how the archdiocese is dodging accountability and what that means for victims. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out ourpitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out ourlistener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!