Louisiana Considered

The 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge is launching a new drug recovery program as part of an effort to provide supervised treatment for offenders grappling with substance abuse issues. Chief judge of the 19th Judicial District Court Donald R. Johnson and program coordinator Cheryl Wyatt tells us more about this new recovery-focused initiative is re-imagining traditional “drug court.” Eve...

Louisiana Republican John Kennedy just won a second term in the US Senate, and already he’s saying he will seriously consider a run for Governor in 2023. Today, Capital Access reporter Paul Braun tells us what a Kennedy campaign might look like.  The New Orleans Opera Association is gearing up to present Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. The opera is based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale...

The Louisiana School for the Deaf is not up to standards. Not only is enrollment declining, but over the summer, the superintendent of Louisiana’s schools for the deaf and visually impaired, Ernest Garrett III, was dismissed. And more recently, the director and principal of LSD, Heather Laine, was dismissed as well. Both for unclear reasons.   To learn more about this turmoil and turnover, we spea...

It’s been eight months since Mississippi’s largest hospital and the state’s biggest insurer parted ways, leaving many patients without access to affordable health care for specialized and critical needs. As the Gulf States Newsroom’s Shalina Chatlani reports, contract disputes between hospitals and insurers are common, but for this one, there’s still no solution in sight. Earlier this month, a fed...

In 1975, when prices at the grocery store and gas station were higher than anyone could remember, Baton Rouge musician Earnest Jackson wrote a song about inflation -- something Americans know quite a lot about these days. But despite his relative success in the local music scene, and the incredible success of many of his former bandmates, Jackson never quite got his big break. Nearly 50 years late...

Most of the results from yesterday’s elections are in, and it's time to break down the key results. Veteran political journalist from Talk Louisiana, Jim Engster, joins us for more on the biggest takeaways from last night. And while the polls have closed, they’ll soon reopen as the race for New Orleans Public Service Commissioner has gone to a runoff. The Advocate’s Sam Karlin joins us for more on...

From the Water Main at American Public Media, season 2 of the podcast In Deep takes listeners to Lake Charles, Louisiana to learn how residents are recovering from two hurricanes, an ice storm, and empty promises from the government.  Investigative reporter for APM Reports and podcast host Lauren Rosenthal tells us more about those forced to rebuild and relocate, as well as the volunteers who do a...

Short-term rentals — like those listed on Airbnb — have been a hot button issue in New Orleans for years. Now, the city is yet again gearing up to write new laws governing the controversial industry. To give us an update on where things stand, Louisiana Considered’s Managing Producer Alana Schreiber spoke with WWNO’s New Orleans Reporter Carly Berlin . In October, the University of New Orleans rel...

Midterm elections are less than a week away! The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate’s editorial page director columnist Stephanie Grace and WRKF Capital Access reporter Paul Braun tell us what to look out for – and give us crucial information on when and how to vote in Louisiana.  How does a rising sea level impact the lives of young people living on vulnerable land? The new documentary Hollow...

The midterm elections are coming up, and across the county, abortion feels like a central voting issue. But while many of the most visible pro-choice voices come form women, some are beginning to offer ideas for the role of men in reproductive health. Gabrielle Blair, award-winning creator of the Design Mom blog, tells us about her new book Ejaculate Responsibly. We learn how this provocatively-ti...

Once a year, an advocacy group rides bikes from New Orleans toward Angola Prison to highlight the 170 mile journey that families take to visit loved ones incarcerated in the country’s largest maximum security prison.  The Gulf States Newsroom’s Bobbi-Jeanne Misick pedaled along, talking to cyclists and learning more about the ride and who it supports. The New Orleans Film Society is rolling out th...

Today on Louisiana Considered, our coastal desk brings you a special episode all about how to celebrate Halloween sustainably!  One of the main challenges of Halloween is figuring out what to do with your leftover costume. Thankfully, the New Orleans nonprofit RicRack Inc. is finding creative solutions for clothing scraps of all kinds. WWNO’s Halle Parker spoke with RicRack’s Executive Director Li...

Early voting is officially underway, and in New Orleans, voters are considering constitutional amendments! Today we breakdown the ballot with The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate’s editorial page director and columnist, Stephanie Grace,   And while abortion rights are set to be a driving issue in the midterm elections, in Louisiana, there’s nothing on the ballot that would change the near-tot...

It’s not Mardi Gras, but it’s definitely the season of festivals! Between a Tunica-Biloxi basket weaving summit, Dia de los Muertos, and of course, Halloween, there’s a lot to celebrate.  Historian Dr. Laura Kelley tells us more about how all of these fall celebrations are centered around the changing seasons and the harvest, and basket weaver Elizabeth Pierite Mora gives us some insight into the...

Voting on the Healthy Homes ordinance – a landmark housing proposal that proponents hope would hold landlords accountable for the wellbeing of their properties – has been stalled for the second time. This has caused an eruption of protests at New Orleans City Council, where renters claim living among rats, mold, and collapsing ceilings. WWNO’s New Orleans metro reporter Carly Berlin tells us why t...

Byram, Mississippi wants independence. It won that about a decade ago by successfully breaking off from Jackson. But the two cities are still tied together in one crucial way – Byram still relies on Jackson’s notoriously troubled water system. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Danny McArthur tells us more.  The Marigny Opera House is kicking off its 9th season with original works of contemporary dance ac...

After decades of exploration – or exploitation – Louisiana is covered with thousands of orphaned wells. Now, there are new efforts to plug up these sites, like a $12.7 million grant in Federal funding from the Bipartisan Jobs Act to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. WWNO’s Coastal reporter Kezia Setyawan spoke with Senior Advisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jim Guthrie, for more. Earli...

Midterm elections are fast approaching and early voting is just around the corner. The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate’s editorial page director and columnist, Stephanie Grace, joins us to break down the ballot and tell us what elections to pay attention to.  After two pandemic- and hurricane- related cancellations, Houma’s spookiest event returns in late October with the goal to raise aware...

Fall is officially upon us, and as the leaves start to change colors we decided to take a look at Louisiana’s forests and the industries behind them. Eric Gee, Executive Director of the Southern Forest Product Association, tells us about Louisiana’s pine products and the lumber trade.  But first, the New Orleans Pelicans started their season last night in Brooklyn, and leading them to victory was...

Nearly a dozen companies that wrote property and homeowners insurance policies have gone under since the devastating hurricane seasons of 2020 and 2021. This has led to a crisis in Louisiana’s insurance industry, and now lawmakers are paying attention. Capitol Access reporter Paul Braun tells us more about this mounting insurance crisis and how legislators are responding. October is Cybersecurity...

Last Spring, the New Orleans Public Library launched a new music streaming service. But unlike Spotify or iTunes, this website exclusively features artists in the Big Easy. NPR’s Scott Simon takes a deep dive into this newly-released project, Crescent City Sounds.   When the Kyiv City Ballet went on tour last February, dancers had no idea they’d be stuck abroad for 8 months due to the war. Now, th...

The 18th Annual Louisiana Book Festival is coming to Baton Rouge on Saturday, October 29th. Louisiana Center for the Book Assistant Director Robert Wilson tells us about the more than 200 authors headed to the fest – which ranges from Pulitzer Prize winners to the newest members of the state’s literary community. Title IX was signed into law just over 50 years ago, and now multiple institutions ar...

The committee to recall New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has raised more than $63,000 for the effort. But where exactly are all these contributions coming from? The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate’s editorial page director and columnist, Stephanie Grace, breaks down the funding from big Republican donors to smaller grassroots contributions. On Friday the New Orleans Pelicans will play again...

This week is Fire Prevention Week: a time to learn a bit more about fire safety. In honor of the week we encore a conversation with Louisiana Fire Marshal Ashley Rodrigue, who tells us what makes fire safety particularly relevant in October. In March of 2022, we interviewed Aidan Reilly of Farmlink, an organization that seeks to connect farms in abundance with communities in need. Today, we give t...

In a city sitting below sea level, New Orleans residents are well-aware that we’re sinking. But in New Orleans East, some areas are sinking far faster than others, forcing its residents to deal with fractured houses and precariously steep driveways.  WWNO’s Halle Parker digs into the multitude of causes that have led to an unstable land to live on in the Village de l’Est neighborhood of New Orlean...