Louisiana Considered

Today on Louisiana Considered, we celebrate Lundi Gras by learning how South Asian communities are starting their own Mardi Gras traditions. We also look back at some of our favorite carnival stories. Professor Emeritus of Francophone Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Barry Ancelet, tells us about Mardi Gras traditions in more rural parts of Louisiana. Then, we hear about the hi...

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace . Today, we discuss Gov. Jeff Landry’s latest moves, including sending Louisiana’s National Guard to the U.S. southern border and supporting a controversial proposal to sell Louisiana Blue Cross Blue Shield to a for-profit company. Mardi Gr...

Renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis will soon head the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music . This is a homecoming for the musician, composer and educator, who is a member of the famed musical Marsalis family. Marsalis joins us for more on how New Orleans influenced his early life and highlights the successes of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music over its 12-year history and shares his visions for...

Not all king cakes are created equal, and if you live in Louisiana, you probably have your own favorites. Maybe even a ranking of different bakeries. Aubri Juhasz introduces us to one New Orleans resident who has taken her king cake enthusiasm to a whole new level.  Mardi Gras season is in full swing, and many New Orleans krewes are gearing up for this weekend’s parades and balls. WYES-TV executiv...

Children in the Gulf South will miss out on a federal program that provides low-income families with extra cash for groceries over the summer. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Maya Miller reports on why Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama opted out of the program. Then she looks at other programs addressing childhood hunger in the region. Horses are a staple at Mardi Gras parades, but they don’t always h...

Some of the best distance runners in the country will gather in Orlando, Fla. this weekend to compete in the U.S. Marathon Olympic trials. Three top female and three top male finishers at most will punch their ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.  New Orleans resident Kir Selert Faraud, a self-described “word crafter,” is competing and joins us for more on her running journey.  In November, the city...

Gov. Jeff Landry has been in office for almost a month now, and The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace has been watching closely. She joins us now for more on his early priorities, including his push to expand death penalty methods. It began over a glass of sherry. Nick Mueller was sharing a copita with his close friend and colleague Stephen Ambrose when...

Last year, a group of conservative state legislators started the Louisiana Freedom Caucus . It’s modeled after the Congressional Freedom Caucus, which has, among other things, thrown the U.S. House speakership in turmoil. The Louisiana Illuminator reported last week that the Louisiana Freedom Caucus sent anti-LGBTQ text messages to voters on Election Day . Reporter Julie O’Donoghue joins us for mo...

One of the world’s largest human rights organizations has a new in-depth report on the effects of pollution in Louisiana’s chemical corridor, often referred to as “Cancer Alley.” The nearly 100-page report makes bold recommendations, calling on the state to protect residents’ health and asking federal regulators to pause operations at some facilities.  Antonia Juhasz is a senior researcher on foss...

Last week, the Louisiana Supreme Court heard arguments for and against incorporating St. George — a Baton Rouge community that's been fighting for years to become its own city. Now, there could be a final verdict in just a few weeks. Lara Nicholson has been covering this story for the Baton Rouge Advocate. She joins us for an update from the courtroom. Educator and activist Matthew Kincaid spent y...

Opioid overdoses are on the rise in the Gulf South, driven largely by an increase in fentanyl. At one school in Louisiana, medical students are learning how to use Narcan to prevent overdose deaths. As the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins reports, many of the students have been touched by the opioid crisis themselves. The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics may be months away, but already plenty of Loui...

Jackson, Miss. is known for its water — and not in a good way. Beyond the attention grabbing boil water notices, residents have had to deal with expensive water bills for years. For the latest utility bill of the month , Stephan Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom brings us the story of how one Jackson resident is fighting for accurate bills. Last April marked the 13th anniversary of the Deepwater...

The American Legislative Exchange Council , or ALEC, is a group of state legislators dedicated to conservative principles like limited government, free markets and federalism. One of the organization's main priorities is “school choice,” including allowing families to use public funds to pay for private schools. Andrew Handel , director of ALEC’s education and workforce development task force, exp...

Back in 2021, Mayor LaToya Cantrell aimed to bring the “ smart cities ” initiative to New Orleans, which would have introduced a new internet service provider to compete with Cox Communications and  equipped the city’s infrastructure (including everything from traffic signals to parking spaces) with data-collecting sensors and cameras. The effort was abandoned in 2022 after allegations, first repo...

On the night of Jan. 8, 1811, Charles Deslondes led the largest known uprising of enslaved people in American history.  More than 500 people participated in what’s now known as the German Coast uprising.   Despite the significance of the event, it was almost lost to history.  Rhae Lynn Barnes is an associate professor of history at Princeton University and has spent years researching the rebellion...

A map with a second majority-Black district gained approval by both Louisiana’s House and Senate this week. This comes after a federal judge ordered a new congressional map that more accurately reflects the state’s demographics.  State politics reporter Molly Ryan and The Times Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace join us to discuss the session and what might ha...

After winning a substantial new contract from the Big Three automakers in November, the United Auto Workers are targeting a part of the country it’s long struggled to unionize  — the South.  Today we hear part two of The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha’s conversation with Stephen Silvia about his book “ The UAW’s Southern Gamble .” They discuss the UAW’s failed attempts to organize in Alabam...

Roughly a third of workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama want to join the union, according to the United Auto Workers .  This comes after the UAW won a substantial new contract from the Big Three Automakers in November. The UAW previously failed to unionize in Alabama after an initial attempt that began in 2011. Stephen Silvia is the author of The UAW’s Southern Gamble . He spoke to Stephan...

This episode of Louisiana Considered aired on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Here's what it featured: Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day, a time to remember the life and legacy of the civil rights icon. While King is largely remembered for his role in multiple de-segregation movements, what many  don’t  know is that many of his ideas and frameworks were largely inspired by the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott...

Louisiana’s new governor, Jeff Landry, is wrapping up his first week in office. The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace tells us about the start of Landry’s term and his relationship with the state’s legislature. New Orleans’ Saenger Theatre turns 97 years old next month. The theater, which originally opened in 1927, was just one of multiple Saeng...

In November, the National Congress of American Indians convened for their 80th annual convention and marketplace in New Orleans. While the event is meant to unite and energize tribal leaders and professionals, many are frustrated with the lack of progress on state and federal recognition. Elder Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw joins us more...

Louisiana is sometimes referred to as America’s wetlands. The state’s abundant marshes are the source of a billion dollar fishing industry and a critical buffer against hurricanes.  Now, researchers are looking to turn the marshes’ muck into money by using it to offset planet-warming emissions. Halle Parker from the Coastal Desk tells us about the uncertainties of this form of carbon capture. Gram...

New Orleans voters approved a 20-year property tax to expand free early childhood education for low-to-moderate-income families in 2022. Since then, the number of available seats has more than doubled.  Reporter for Verite News Josie Abugov tells us more about the impacts of expanded access and what we can expect to see in 2024. A slew of new state laws took effect on Jan. 1, on issues ranging fro...

Musician and composer Charlie Rauh recently completed a first-of-its-kind artist’s residency at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine .   Rauh spent a month observing practitioners and their animal patients at LSU last summer. The result is Theoria , a 13-track album released last month that explores the human-animal relationship.  Jeff Landry officially became Louisiana’s governor today, after hi...

Sometimes, it can be hard to find the bright spots amid feelings of uncertainty about the future of our planet. But they're there. Today on  Sea Change , we're focusing entirely on solutions. Stories about the good. We hear about a landscape architect in China who's pushing his city to  become spongier  as part of the global push for cities to rip up their concrete. And whether recognizing a river...