Louisiana Considered

The Lemon Tree Mound is a sacred place for the Atakapa/Ishak-Chawasha tribe. And it's disappearing under the rising waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In this episode, we travel out into the bayous of South Louisiana to understand what this one small sacred place means for the Land Back Movement and climate justice, and why efforts to save our coast matter, even if they really mean only buying time. Cl...

Earlier this year, the 10-parish regional economic development nonprofit, GNO, Inc. celebrated its 20th anniversary. The organization has been working to make the area more attractive to businesses. President and CEO Michael Hecht tells us more about what the group has accomplished over the last two decades. Throughout the summer and fall, Elias Camacho, founder of the media company, The Rambler,...

If you’re a homeowner, you’re probably already familiar with the conditions imposed on insurance deductibles when disaster strikes. Cities and towns also have insurance for their losses when the weather gets destructive. Now, mayors along the Mississippi River are piloting a new insurance experiment to better help communities recover after disasters. Delaney Dryfoos, environmental reporter for the...

Grammy-award winning Cajun fiddler Louis Michot is headed to New Orleans for a solo performance. The member of the Lost Bayou Ramblers will combine his love of Louisiana French music with new boundary-pushing sounds in his latest work, Rêve du Troubadour .  He joins us for more on his upcoming performance and adding a modern spin to traditional Cajun music. 2024 was a memorable year for politics,...

A second group of Baton Rouge-area school bus workers, this time in Zachary, recently voted to join a union.  They include bus drivers, mechanics and other student transportation workers employed by one of the nation’s largest student transportation companies. The union, a local chapter of Amalgamated Transit Union, already represents some other local public transit workers. Charles Lussier , an e...

Earlier this week, a nonprofit watchdog filed a complaint asking Louisiana’s Attorney General to investigate whether a crisis pregnancy center in New Iberia broke state law. The pregnancy center allegedly posted clients’ personal information online, despite claiming that it follows federal health privacy laws. WWNO/WRKF broke the story, and reporter Rosemary Westwood joins us for more. About half...

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. Today on @LAConsidered, we break down the upset in the Baton Rouge mayor-president race, and why a parish that went blue in November elected a Republican one month later. The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) is gearing up for a star-st...

Sea levels are rising across the country, and different areas are coming up with creative solutions to address the issue.  Last week, we brought you the first part of the latest episode of Sea Change , where we learned how eastern and western cities are grappling with the issue. Today, in part two of the episode, we travel to the Gulf South to see how residents are gearing up for rising waters. In...

Baton Rouge voters will decide between the leadership of incumbent Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome or political newcomer Sid Edwards in this Saturday’s runoff election. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace joins us to discuss the final days of the race. The Symphony Chorus of New Orleans is preparing for holiday performances of Handel’s “Messiah”...

Sea level rise is this big, scary reality. We’re always hearing predictions from scientists that the oceans will swallow islands, flood major cities, and wipe out huge stretches of coastline. The longer we burn fossil fuels, the bigger the surge. It sounds apocalyptic on this huge, global scale. But also totally abstract – it’s hard to picture. What will it mean for the sea to rise two feet… 4 fee...

Louisiana’s legislature recently wrapped up its special session on tax reform. We’ve been reporting on the play-by-play as the House and Senate wrangle with proposals to adjust the income tax rate, expand the sales tax and make other changes.  The Advocate/Times-Picayune’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace tells us where things landed and how residents might be impacted. Food is on...

The Marigny Opera Ballet is gearing up to present two new contemporary dances that explore themes of time with the sounds of a New Orleans musical icon. Artistic director Diego de Lima and composer Ted Joyner of Generationals give us the details.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you live in New Orleans perhaps you’re spending the holiday going to the Fairgrounds Race Course for open...

It’s the last Monday of the month, and that means it’s time for an update on the news in Acadiana. Christiaan Mader, founder and editor of the Current, gives us the latest on changes to the region's education system and results of the recent elections.  While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported a decrease in sexually transmitted infections across the country, in Louisi...

Tiger Stadium’s 100th birthday is just three  days away. Over the last two months, we’ve been bringing you stories all about the historic venue. But gameday at LSU wouldn’t be what it is without the Golden Band from Tigerland. Originally founded by two students in 1893, the band now has 325 members. And their world famous music was even nominated for a Grammy back in 2023. As we wrap up our Tiger...

It’s Thursday,and that means it’s time to catch up on the week in politics with Stephanie Grace, editorial director and a columnist for the Times Picayune/The Advocate. Today we discuss what’s on the ballot for the Dec. 7 elections.  Many of us look for things to do the morning of Thanksgiving, especially if there’s a huge meal in the offing. Besides shopping, have you considered Human Horse Racin...

Lawmakers are busy in Baton Rouge, attempting to rewrite large portions of Louisiana’s tax code. It’s the biggest wide-ranging tax reform effort that we’ve seen in years. And many Louisianans are left asking, how will these tax reforms impact me? And who will be impacted the most?  Greg Albrecht , an economist at Louisiana State University has released his analysis of these tax policy changes, and...

Earlier this year, Cancer Alley activists in Louisiana celebrated a big victory: they stopped a major grain elevator project to the west of New Orleans. But now, another community is trying to get another grain project stopped further down the Mississippi.  WWNO’s Eva Tesfaye tells us about pushback to the latest grain proposal, this time in the majority Black neighborhood of the Lower Ninth Ward....

NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams will step down at the beginning of December after leading the almost all-charter school system for two years. WWNO and WRKF’s education reporter Aubri Juhasz tells us more about her abrupt departure. Photographer Eric McVicker is out with a new book that captures the wildlife, landscapes and waterways of the Bayou State. Dubbed, "Louisiana: Our...

Hollywood has been cold on climate change, mostly relegating the issue to documentaries. But today, we hear more about how the silver screen is starting to tackle the hottest topic of our time. We hear from David Sirota, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind “Don’t Look Up” about creating a climate movie that gets people’s attention. --- Thanks for listening to Sea Change. This episode was hoste...

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on the week in politics with The Times Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. We look ahead at New Orleans’ next mayoral race. We discuss big names who are considering running for New Orleans mayor, including two current city council members.   Monday was Veterans Day, and this week on Louisiana Considered, we a...

On Nov. 16, 1972,  police officers shot and killed two Southern University students, Denver Smith and Leonard Brown, during a peaceful college protest. The shooting and its ripple effects are the subject of a new investigative podcast called Bitter Jaguar.  It’s written, produced and hosted by Gulf States Newsroom reporter Drew Hawkins and stems from an investigation from the LSU Cold Case Project...

The dock worker strike that shut down ports along the South and east coast last month only lasted a few days, but it set off panic buying across the U.S., with shoppers worried store shelves would go empty. Stephan Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom reports there’s one panic-buying staple that people can keep off their shopping list. New Orleans funk icon and co-founder of The Meters, Leo Nocentel...

Abortion was a major issue during the election, and in many states, the future of reproductive rights was directly on the ballot. WWNO and WRKF’s reproductive health reporter, Rosemary Westwood, tells us how Trump’s election will impact abortion access going forward.  Today is Veteran’s Day, and we’re marking the occasion with a lesson on Black military history in the South.  The book, “Segregated...

When Donald Trump won the election, many Democrats across the country were left asking themselves, what went wrong? Was it the candidate and the lack of a proper primary? Did their message about  the fate of democracy not  resonate with Americans? Or was it the fact that many see a drastic change as the only way to solve  inflation?  Robert Mann is a former professor at LSU’s Manship School of mas...

The election is over, and Gov. Landry’s special tax session has just begun. The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stepahnie Grace gives us the latest on this special session and what Landry is proposing.  The New Orleans Opera is presenting Raehann Bryce-Davis in concert, singing her debut the new biblically-themed Opera, Samson and Delilah.  The leading lady,...