The Thanh Report

Hear from kids who got away, a father who ran in alongside first responders, and Minnesota's top political leaders as we grapple with something all-too familiar: a school shooting. Get the latest on the perpetrator, and insight into what -- if anything -- may finally change.

Listen to live coverage from legendary station WWL Radio during Hurricane Katrina and then hear analysis from experts talking to WWL's Newell Normand on what it took -- and will still take -- to bring New Orleans back to the city it should be.

What does it take to book the Rolling Stones? A lot of patience and persistence according to Quint Davis. He’s the producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and has been pursuing the Rolling Stones for quite some time. Every year, over two weekends in the spring, the New Orleans Fairgrounds is transformed from a venue for horse racing to one of the biggest music festivals in the world...

It was a massive cargo ship striking a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore that caused the catastrophic bridge collapse which captured the attention of the nation. Video of that collision showed how quickly the bridge buckled after the cargo ship named Dali struck one of the bridge’s support beams. If stood upright, the Dali would almost reach the top of the Eiffel Tower. The Dali...

What’s your favorite Easter candy? Your answer may say a lot about where you live and what kind of candy and chocolate you ate during your childhood. Of course, Easter is a religious holiday for Christians, and along the Gulf South there seems to be quite a religious following for treats like the Gold Brick Egg, Heavenly Hash, and Pecan Egg. Those are a few of the Easter chocolates made by Elmer C...

You’ve heard of the Grand Ole Opry, but how about the Abita Spring Opry? There’s one stop light in the town of Abita Springs, Louisiana. It’s nestled in the piney woods about 40 minutes north of New Orleans. Abita Springs is probably best known for being the place where Abita Beer originated. But, for more than 20 years, it’s also been home to the Abita Springs Opry. Each year, the Abita Springs O...

Crawfish, culture and cash. It’s crawfish season in Louisiana, and normally the supply of the crustacean would be plentiful, but not this year. Heat and drought are being blamed for an abnormal crawfish season where crawfish farmers/producers are seeing fewer “mudbugs”, and consumers are seeing outrageous prices for the crawfish that are making it to market. Prices for live and boiled crawfish can...

The “Pirate Oncologist” and his personal journey with cancer. Dr. Jack Saux has been working to help cancer patients in Southeast Louisiana for more than 25 years. He knows how serious the issue is throughout the state. Louisiana is ranked 7th worst in the U.S. for cancer outcomes. It’s some heavy stuff for sure. To lighten things up, Dr. Saux has been dressing up as a pirate and other characters...

Faith vs. finances, a church in New Orleans is desperately trying to get itself off a list of closures and consolidation. There are only a few months left before more than a dozen Catholic churches in the greater New Orleans area will close their doors or be absorbed into another parish. Last year, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans announced the 13 parishes that will be affected. The A...

Nonprofit newsroom carves out niche in NOLA’s market. Whether it’s for print, radio, tv or digital, newsrooms across the nation are shrinking. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Times announced it would be laying off 20% of its newsroom and Sports Illustrated planned to cut a significant number of staff members, possibly all of them. Like any other sector of the economy, the news industry must mai...

The show must go on. When one of the biggest, if not the biggest parade of Mardi Gras rolls in New Orleans this year, there will be a mix of emotions. This year the “super” Krewe of Endymion will hold its first parade since the death of its founder, Ed Muniz. In this episode, I visit the Krewe’s den where many of its floats are housed to learn about how Muniz became one of the most influential fig...

King Cake fever is spreading across NOLA. With a shorter Mardi Gras season this year, people in New Orleans seem to be even more fixated on the parties, parades and everything else that comes with this unique celebration. That includes King Cake. With their blend of cinnamon, butter icing and a seemingly endless variety of fillings, King Cakes are must haves at any Carnival celebration. Many baker...

Louisiana political leadership is ruby red. Republican Jeff Landry was recently inaugurated as the 57th governor of Louisiana. Gov. Landry was preceded by John Bel Edwards, who was the lone Democratic governor in the Deep South. Republicans are now in firm control of state government, holding a super majority in both chambers of the Louisiana legislature. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ed Ch...

Nerding out in NOLA. From Hollywood blockbusters to the t-shirts worn by kids, comic book heroes and science fiction are big business. At the recent Fan Expo New Orleans, people packed the city’s convention center to celebrate a culture that may have once been reserved for “nerds”. Since the time I was reading comics in the 80’s, that nerd culture has exploded into a bankable economy. In this epis...

A sobering moment puts a New Orleans Police Dept. homicide detective on the path of sobriety. The beginning of a new year is usually a time when people make a change in life or start a new chapter in it. A common New Year’s resolution is improved health, and that sometimes means reducing or cutting out alcohol or other “vices”. Maggie Darling started what she calls a sober journey three years ago....

Pay to play? It’s going to take big money for the Sugar Bowl and NOLA to remain in the College Football Playoff picture. The Sugar Bowl and the city of New Orleans have a long history of hosting one of the premier bowl games in NCAA College Football. But tradition alone won’t guarantee the Sugar Bowl a prominent place in future College Football Playoff games. The Sugar Bowl’s contract with the CFP...

The 12 Yats of Christmas, a holiday tradition that can only be from New Orleans. In the mid 1990’s, Benny Grunch and the Bunch gained local fame in New Orleans through their song, The 12 Yats of Christmas. It’s so specific to New Orleans that out-of-towners listening to it would likely be scratching their heads, while also laughing at the creative comedy in the holiday song. In this episode, I sit...

Becoming a minister in America’s largest maximum-security prison, Part 2. Alex was a juvenile when he was arrested and eventually convicted for his role in a murder. In part 1, Alex explained how he wasn’t the triggerman, but was convicted of being a principal to the murder because he refused to tell authorities about what took place. Alex was later sent to one what’s considered to be one of the m...

Becoming a minister in America’s largest maximum-security prison, Part 1. Louisiana State Penitentiary, (aka Angola) has long been considered to be one of the most dangerous prisons in the nation. Conditions in the prison and in the fields where inmates work have been said to be harsh and punishing. So, Angola would seem an unlikely place for someone to become a minister, but a prison seminary pro...

Why is HIV/AIDS so prevalent in The South? The number of people living with HIV is highest in the American South. Louisiana recently ranked 4th in the nation when it comes to rates of HIV. In New Orleans, there’s a place which has been helping people with HIV for decades. In its early days, the location of Project Lazarus was kept secret. It was a place where many AIDS patients saw their last days...

How do you settle a $40,000 utility bill? That’s something a chef/restaurant owner in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter is trying to figure out after a public dispute with what some call a local energy monopoly. Chef Eric Cook admits he got some privileged treatment after venting his frustration about his bill, but he says New Orleans is home to many blue-collar people who can barely afford to...

The Thanksgiving po’ boy is back in NOLA. November this year features five Wednesdays. That means New Orleanians and tourists alike will have five opportunities to get their hands on this unique “poor boy” sandwich. It’s available just one day a week, only during the Thanksgiving season and only at the world-famous Parkway Bakery in New Orleans. For more than a decade, Parkway’s Thanksgiving po’ b...

An unconventional campaign strategy leads to a resounding political victory. In recent elections in Louisiana, an incumbent member of the Jefferson Parish Council didn’t sweat the political endorsements his challenger racked up or the amount of money he was spending to unseat him. Councilman Scott Walker won by a large margin and did so in large part by ignoring some typical political assumptions....

The lore in Louisiana. In the spirit of Halloween, we explore some of the folklore to emerge from the Cajun community in the state. Cities like New Orleans have long been associated with mystery, murder and the macabre, but the bayous along South Louisiana have their own dark stories and creatures. One of the most identifiable stories is of the Rougarou. While most people think of a werewolf-like...

The big business of name, image and likeness at LSU. To say Louisiana State University embraces the changes to the rules governing NIL (name, image, likeness) in collegiate athletics would be a huge understatement. When a major shift took place in the summer of 2021 allowing college athletes to profit from their NIL, LSU expressed its support through an electronic billboard in New York City’s Time...