Louisiana Considered

Last week, we brought you the first part of the latest episode of Sea Change, “ Bringing Back the Beach”. Reporter Eva Tesfaye explores the history of Lincoln Beach in New Orleans Beach to learn how segregated beaches led to the lack of public beaches today, and how modern social change movements like Black Lives Matter have inspired activists to campaign for Lincoln Beach’s reopening. Louisiana h...

The Democratic National Convention wraps up tonight, and plenty of Louisianans – from former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu to actor Wendell Pierce – have made appearances.  The Times Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace joins us to break down the DNC. Last week, the Louisiana Public Service Commission gave initial approval to the Southern Spirit transmission...

According to recent research by the Louisiana Illuminator, there’s a persistent pay gap between men and women at the state’s public institutions of higher education. The Illuminator reviewed salaries of  more than 7,700 full-time or equivalent instructional faculty at the public colleges and universities in Louisiana. Reporter Piper Hutchinson helps break down the study and explains some potential...

To mark  the upcoming 19th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s, the New Orleans Museum of Art will screen the documentary, Katrina Babies on Aug. 21. The documentary offers a close look at the aftermath of the storm and its impact on youth in New Orleans.  Filmmaker and director Edward Buckles, Jr. joins us for more on the legacy of his film and the storm.  2024 was expected to be one of the most h...

It feels like everyone knows someone who has come down with COVID this summer. And according to health officials, we’re experiencing a summer surge.  Louisiana infectious disease epidemiologist and associate professor emerita at Tulane University Dr. Susan Hassig tells us why time spent indoors avoiding the heat has led to an uptick in cases. She also explains why doctors and researchers are now l...

New Orleans is surrounded by water, but it’s hard to access. And for a city with increasingly sweltering summers, the lack of public beaches feels painfully ironic.  In the first part of the latest episode of Sea Change, the Coastal Desk’s Eva Tesfaye explores the uncomfortable history of Lincoln Beach, and how the segregation of beaches led to the lack of accessible beaches today. The 2024 Paris...

Next week, Democrats will gather in Chicago for a convention that will look pretty different from they were expecting a month ago. The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace is here to tell us about some local connections to the new Harris-Walz ticket and President Biden’s recent trip to New Orleans.  We’re entering the most active part of hurricane...

Louisiana’s network of oil and gas pipelines — some tens of thousands of miles long — is under scrutiny. Some residents want to know where those pipelines are — and what can be done to protect their communities if there’s a leak, the Gulf States Newsroom’s Danny McArthur reports.  Federally qualified health centers, or community health centers, are the health care safety net for low-income and und...

A new law in Louisiana gives police officers the power to order journalists and citizens to remain 25 feet from them at any time, creating a “buffer zone.” Critics say it’s law enforcement’s response to growing surveillance and scrutiny of police work by the public. Verite News and ProPublica reporter Richard Webster joins us to discuss the law. Another new law that was passed in this spring’s spe...

In the height of hurricane season, community organizers are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Danny McArthur reports on how people in New Orleans are banding together to help take care of each other before a storm hits. Alex Brock is a 17-year-old from Mt. Hermon, Louisiana, preparing for his junior year as a kicker for the Bowling Green High School footba...

The Paris Olympics isn’t the only place where athletes can earn medals this summer. New Orleans is hosting the annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games . It's a multi-day competition that brings together hundreds of veterans with disabilities from across the country.  Reporter Matt Bloom caught up with a few Louisiana competitors who say it’s about more than just the medals.  It's summertime,  kn...

For some communities in the Gulf South, hurricane season comes with a natural dread and fear that recovery can take years.  Danny McArthur of the Gulf States Newsroom traveled to Sulphur, Louisiana to learn how people are banding together to help take care of each other, not just after a storm, but before it as well. Roughly a year ago, the Army Corps of Engineers built a river sill to slow a salt...

A nine-year-old lawsuit alleges lack of proper medical care for inmates at Angola Prison. Months ago, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick issued an opinion ordering the state to fix its quote “callous and wanton disregard” for the health of those in custody. But in the months since, there’s very little to indicate that this failing prison healthcare system will change.  Reporter Richard Webster has be...

The Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane University closes its season with Pippin. Director and choreographer Diane Lala and actress Chase Kamata give us all the details behind the production of this timeless rock musical.  Beginning on Aug. 10, the 2024 Congrès Mundian Acadien will celebrate Acadian diaspora and history. Held in Nova Scotia, this event is not only a time to honor Acadian culture but al...

On Aug. 1, a slew of new laws passed by the state legislature in the spring will go into effect. Among them are sweeping changes to Louisiana’s absentee voting system, and many are worried this will make it tougher to vote by mail for November’s elections.  Times Picayune/The Advocate’s Megan Friedmann tells us more about these laws and why critics are concerned. Then, WWNO and WRKF’s Matt Bloom s...

The 2024 Paris Olympics have officially begun, and Louisiana is boasting plenty of Olympians this year, both LSU students and Bayou State natives.  But we also have no shortage of para-athletes gearing up for their own games beginning on Aug. 28. One of those athletes is Jillian Elwart , a paracanoe racer getting ready for her Paralympic debut. She is also a certified prosthetist at Shriners Child...

In the last few months, more than 15,000 Louisianans have been kicked off of food stamps. This comes after COVID-era work requirement waivers expired, with most Louisiana residents losing SNAP benefits in January.  Nick Chrastil , a reporter for The Lens NOLA, tells us why thousands more Louisianans are expected to lose their benefits due to a new state law.  On Sunday, President Biden announced t...

The push to unionize auto plants in the South appears to have lost momentum. This comes after a big loss in May when workers at a Mercedes factory rejected joining the United Auto Workers. Stephan Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom visited the UAW’s campaign in Montgomery, Alabama to learn why it’s so hard to unionize in the Deep South. Last week, the large core of the Artemis II moon rocket left...

In the last few weeks, Hurricane Beryl tore through the Caribbean, made landfall in Texas and continued northward. As it drowned Houston in floodwaters, leaving millions without power, some impacts were felt in west and southwest Louisiana. The Coastal Desk’s Eva Tesfaye talked with state climatologist Jay Grymes about what Hurricane Beryl can tell us about the rest of Louisiana’s hurricane season...

On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced that he will not seek re-election. This comes after weeks of calls for him to step down amid concerns about his age after a poor debate performance and concerns over his age. Shortly after his announcement, he endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination. Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Step...

Fishing has long been a dangerous and capricious industry, where luck – in harvests, weather, accidents – has almost as much to do with a captain’s success as his skill. The annual blessing, an old European tradition established in Bayou La Batre by a Catholic family of transplants from Louisiana, was a bulwark to ever-present risks. Shrimp boat captains would decorate their boats with festive fla...

It’s day two of qualifying for November elections and there are already candidates vying to represent Louisiana’s new majority-Black congressional district. The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace tells us who is entering this race. The National Alliance on Mental Illness in New Orleans is officially merging chapters with the St. Tammany Parish br...

The East Baton Rouge Parish school system remains without a permanent superintendent after board members delayed their vote on a final pick last week. On Monday night, another finalist dropped out of the running.  The process has drawn criticism from community groups and teacher unions. They argue the current interim superintendent Adam Smith should get the job. But he wasn’t even selected as a fi...

Terrance Winn loved sports, was a smart student and planned to go to college. And then at 16, he was arrested for murder, charged as an adult and sentenced to life in prison. 30 years later, Winn was released. He’s now a prison reform advocate and the director of a group that helps mentor kids and keep them out of jail. In the final installment of our series on gun violence in Shreveport, the Gulf...

July 15, marks the start of the PBS Short Film Festival. The festival is designed to increase the visibility of independent films, and for the 11th straight year in a row, a film nominated by Louisiana Public Broadcasting has made the list. This year's film, The Ballad of Rose Mae, is a musical drama by Baton Rouge filmmakers Gray Fagan and Bailey Wax. They join us now for more on their filmmaking...