Louisiana Considered

Since ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have been scrambling in their fight over leadership. Stephanie Grace , The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, joins us to discuss why Louisiana’s Rep. Steve Scalise  fell short of enough votes to become House speaker – and what happens next. News of the conflict between Isra...

If you’re a regular Regional Transit Authority bus rider in New Orleans, there’s a good chance you've recently had to deal with long delays. That’s because RTA is functioning with fewer buses than it needs, and much of its fleet is old and needs updates and repairs. Reporter for Verite Bobbi-Jeanne Misick has been covering the bus shortage and joins us for more on how RTA representatives are respo...

For more than three months, residents in south Plaquemines Parish didn’t have safe drinking water. The cause? Intruding salt water from the Gulf of Mexico caused by two years of back-to-back drought. When news broke of approaching salt water in more populous areas further up the river, state and local officials took immediate action. Today, the Coastal Desk’s Halle Parker reports on the residents...

The results from Louisiana’s primary are in, and Attorney General Jeff Landry’s outright victory in the governor’s race isn’t the only election worth discussing. Politics reporter Molly Ryan joins us for a rundown of wins, losses and runoffs across the state.  A new WYES-TV documentary exposes the sex trafficking trade in Louisiana and identifies a growing team of unlikely warriors mobilized to fi...

Yesterday, the New Orleans city council held its first confirmation hearing for Anne Kirkpatrick, the nominee for the city’s next permanent police chief. Kirkpatrick, who is the city’s interim police superintendent, appeared before the city council government affairs committee to discuss her qualifications, recruitment plan and strategy for fighting crime. Missy Wilkinson, a reporter for the Times...

If you live in Louisiana, you’re likely aware that a saltwater wedge is slowly seeping into the Mississippi River – and threatening the drinking water supply of several communities in the far southeastern corner of the state. But it’s not just residents who face concerns: Saltwater can also adversely affect the state's plants, trees and wildlife. Heather Kirk-Ballard, assistant professor in Louisi...

Last month, the Biden administration sent a letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards, saying that the state of Louisiana has underfunded Southern University by more than one $1.1 billion over the last 30 years. Southern is just one of 15 Historically Black Colleges and Universities that the Biden administration says has been shortchanged. Piper Hutchinson, who covered this story for the Louisiana Illuminat...

Across the Gulf South, parents’ organizations have been leading efforts to ban books they say  are inappropriate for children and teens. But libraries and bookstores are pushing back, celebrating Banned Books Week. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins and Maya Miller report on efforts to celebrate the books that have been removed from the shelves. In June, nearly all of Louisiana’s 57 death row...

Today on Louisiana Considered, we hear the latest episode of our climate change podcast, Sea Change. Kemp's Ridleys are the most endangered sea turtle on the planet... can they lose their nickname of the "heartbreak turtle"? Today, we go on a journey to the remote Chandeleur islands to try to find the mysterious Kemp’s Ridley turtles, who, after 75 years, have been discovered on the shores of Loui...

Louisiana has roughly 29,000 producing oil and gas wells around the state, according to the Department of Natural Resources . But what happens to those wells when they stop producing? Or when a company goes bankrupt and owners just walk away?  In Louisiana, there are over 16,000 inactive wells and 4,600 are considered  “orphaned,” meaning they have been abandoned or turned over to the state. These...

In the spring of 2021, there were 2,500 teacher vacancies across Louisiana – and by the fall of 2022, the state still had more than 1,200 open positions. Across the state, districts have launched multiple efforts to increase teacher hiring – from bringing educators out of retirement to quick-turnaround teacher training programs. The Times-Picayune / New Orleans Advocate’s Jefferson Parish reporter...

In Louisiana, all eyes are on the saltwater wedge slowly moving up the Mississippi River, threatening the drinking water supplies for much of the southeastern part of the state. Salt water is unsafe to drink, but it  also poses an insidious risk to the region’s water infrastructure, where it could linger in lead pipes.  Federal, state and local officials are implementing several solutions to preve...

The federal government narrowly avoided a shutdown this weekend after a resolution passed to keep agencies open until Nov. 17. While some members of Congress celebrated it as a victory, another potential shutdown still looms large.  Mark Ballard , with The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, tells us how a federal government shutdown would impact Louisianans.  In August, the Biden administration opened...

The primary election for Louisiana’s governor’s race is just over two weeks away, but that’s not the only race voters should be watching. The Times-Picayune / New Orleans Avdocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace, joins us for an update on the slew of elections taking place this fall.  New Orleans will soon have its first permanent civil rights museum . Lt. Governor Billy Nungess...

Election day is almost here. And there is more on the ballot than candidates running for office. Voters in many municipalities are also being asked to consider ballot measures related to local governance. In the city of New Orleans, voters will examine three propositions on their ballots.    Every election cycle, the New Orleans-based Bureau of Governmental Research takes a close look at ballot me...

Salt water from the Gulf of Mexico has been moving inland, up the drought-stricken Mississippi River – and it’s already contaminating the drinking water supplies in some southeastern Louisiana communities. Officials say they expect the saltwater wedge to reach more drinking water supplies upriver – including Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson parishes – by the mid- to late October. This week, Gov....

It’s been six months since a catastrophic tornado ripped across the lower Mississippi Delta into Alabama, killing at least 23 people and injuring dozens more. Communities caught in the path of the storm are still rebuilding, but as the Gulf States Newsroom’s Maya Miller reports, some residents fear they’re being left behind. Love and deception are in the air as the New Orleans Opera opens its 2023...

The Louisiana Public Service Commission and the New Orleans City Council argue Entergy, the region’s power company, owes $550 million in refunds to customers on top of the more $100 million  it’s already agreed to pay. These refunds stem from a long-running lawsuit that accuses Entergy of mismanaging the Grand Gulf nuclear plant in Mississippi.  Davante Lewis , public service commissioner for Loui...

Earlier this year, we told the story of how a change in the White House had the potential to turn the tide for Black communities fighting against more environmental pollution in one of the country's largest hotspots for toxic air — Louisiana's industrial corridor nicknamed Cancer Alley. The Environmental Protection Agency's new leader pledged to use all the tools in his toolbox to deliver "environ...

A few weeks ago, allegations surfaced that the Baton Rouge Police Department had been using a police warehouse as an unmonitored interrogation chamber. The facility – known within the department as the “Brave Cave,” was shut down in August. The scandal has led to one officer’s resignation, and the city’s street crimes unit has been disbanded. Earlier this week, a woman filed a lawsuit accusing BRP...

Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that Louisiana could no longer incarcerate teenagers at the notorious state penitentiary at Angola. Several dozen boys were being housed at a former death row facility on the prison grounds, which U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick ruled as cruel and unusual punishment. She gave the state until last Friday to move the boys to another facility – and the state’...

Over the weekend, crowds gathered in Birmingham, Ala., to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, a racist attack that killed four young Black girls. The weekend was packed full of events to honor the lives of the victims and educate the public on the significance and legacy of the tragedy.  The Gulf States Newsroom’s Maya Miller spent the weekend in Birm...

Louisiana just recorded its hottest summer ever as temperatures skyrocketed along the Gulf Coast. For agricultural workers, there’s little reprieve from the heat. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins brings us voices from farmers in rural Louisiana.   Last week, the East Baton Rouge Parish School System implemented a new plan to address its school bus driver shortage. But it only brought “ fres...

This summer has been the hottest New Orleans has ever measured. Public officials — including the mayor and the governor — have issued heat emergencies, warning people to take shelter during the hottest parts of the day. But those who work and live outside may not have that option.  A new report in The Guardian by journalist Delaney Nolan revealed a huge spike in emergency calls from unhoused peopl...

Most New Orleanians are well aware of the city’s police officer shortage — which has led to long wait times and financial consequences. The city is short roughly 500 officers, about a third of its ideal force, according to multiple reports.  The NOLA Coalition , an organization consisting of hundreds of local nonprofits, civic organizations and businesses, has been collecting data on the officer s...