Louisiana Considered

Last summer, the State Library of Louisiana introduced the Check Out Louisiana Museums program. It grants free admission to a selection of museums in the state for library cardholders.  Six months later, the program has 24 participating library systems and 17 participating museums. And it’s passed a landmark — $100,000 worth in museum passes handed out to library cardholders for free. Kevin Calber...

Walk by any neighborhood park, and you’ll usually see some kids running around and playing. It’s supposed to be a place where they’re safe, but that’s not always true. At some parks, there’s a poison lurking in the soil:  lead.  Verite News, a partner news outlet of WWNO and WRKF, tested sites across New Orleans. As health reporter Halle Parker explains, most playgrounds in the city had unsafe lev...

A new law that took effect Feb. 1st requires a camera to be in place in special education classrooms in all Louisiana public schools.  It expands on an existing law that required cameras in special education classrooms, but only if parents requested them. The new law followed an audit that found most special ed classes did not have cameras installed. Safura Syed , a reporter for Verite News, has b...

Elyse Stevens earned a reputation as a New Orleans doctor who provided flexible care. She sought out patients who were experiencing homelessness, had histories of addiction, or other issues, and aimed to provide them with treatment plans. But in 2024, the treatment she had once been praised for was suddenly scrutinized by her supervisors. And Stevens eventually left the city of New Orleans, and he...

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, she tells us what went down at D.C. Mardi Gras and how the election year changed the tone of the event.  As we cocoon and try to keep warm in the winter months, our normal patterns of helping others typically drop off. And blood do...

A Louisiana organization that examines how public policy decisions impact the care, education and development of our youngest children has developed a new interactive online tool. The tool shows how funding decisions at the parish level affect early childhood resources for infants and toddlers. Mattilyn Karst Batson, policy & research director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, jo...

A documentary by a New Orleans-based filmmaker was recently selected for screening at the Olympic Winter Games Cultural Olympiad and will be screened multiple times during the upcoming competitions in Milan. The film, “Unseen Olympiad,” focuses on young athletes with big dreams and unites competitors across nations.  Filmmaker Casey Shaw tells us more about the film and its upcoming screenings. Th...

Louisiana’s parole rates have sunk to their lowest number in 20 years under Gov. Jeff Landry. This is perhaps the clearest example of the “tough on crime” agenda he campaigned on. Richard Webster has been reporting on the plummeting parole numbers for Verite News and ProPublica. He joins us for more.  A new exhibit at the West Baton Rouge Museum examines the lost burial grounds of enslaved people...

State legislative sessions are well underway in both Mississippi and Alabama. In Mississippi, education has been a major subject of multiple bills that have passed the House, while in Alabama, immigration and social media are dominating much of the conversation.  The Mississippi Free Press’ Heather Harrison and AL.com ’s Mike Cason join us to break down the sessions. Good fiction is often not too...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time for our week in Politics with The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace. Today, she joins us from Washington, D.C. to discuss Mardi Gras at the nation’s capital, and how Louisiana congresspeople missing their home state led to this new tradition. Gov. Jeff Landry is unveiling what he's billed as a framework to...

Earlier this month, an East Baton Rouge Parish judge denied the state of Louisiana’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit regarding gender affirming care. The plaintiffs — five minors and their parents — are challenging a 2023 law banning medical professionals from providing trans health care to minors.  Drew Costley, reporter for Verite News, tells what comes next. You’ve heard of spelling bees. But did y...

In recent months, New Orleans has been in the spotlight for law-enforcement reasons  — a federal immigration surge, a National Guard deployment. But what could that do to tourism, especially during Mardi Gras? The Gulf States Newsroom's Kat Stromquist reports. The Acadian Museum of South Louisiana is expanding. The museum, which is located in Erath, will open a new annex on Jefferson Island. There...

Sunday night, Louisianans prepared for a cold front, protecting their plants, pipes and pets from freezing temperatures.  Meteorologist Jennifer Narramore joins us for an update on the unusually cold and windy weather and when we should expect to see sunshine again. In 1996, the Krewe of Oshun was founded in New Orleans with the mission of including individuals of ordinary means in Mardi Gras.  No...

Earlier this month, federal immigration officers left Louisiana in droves and headed to Minneapolis. The abrupt pivot signals a wrapping up of the Louisiana deployment, dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” that began in December.  Jack Brook has been covering immigration for the Associated Press. He joins us from Minneapolis for more. Mardi Gras wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without the Black Masking Indians, Afri...

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 hear about President Trump’s recent endorsement of Rep. Julie Letlow (R-LA), who is running for Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seat.  Last week, the Supreme Court began to hear oral arguments in Chevron U.S.A. v. Plaquemines Parish. The ca...

The first numbers are out for the new Amtrak route between New Orleans and Mobile — the Mardi Gras service. It opened in August, and the numbers show the route has seen nearly double the ridership than was originally forecast. The response has been so strong that Amtrak just announced it added one more train car per round-trip, increasing capacity, which on some days is still not enough to meet de...

The outcome of a trial over Missouri’s abortion laws could have ripple impacts far beyond the state, where the judge is weighing the constitutionality of abortion restrictions. If more abortion clinics are opened in Missouri, that could cut down travel times for those who need care in the Gulf South and go out of state.  Anna Spoerre has been covering this case for the Missouri Independent. She jo...

Back in June, 22-year-old registered nurse Vilma Palacios had just accepted a position at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans when she was arrested by ICE agents. She then spent six months in a detention center, all while family members and immigration advocates called for her release, pointing to her community involvement, lack of a criminal record and commitment to nursing during a time of a nursing...

Thanks to a renewal, the Leah Chase School will operate in New Orleans for at least two more years. The school opened back in 2024 and is named after the legendary New Orleans chef, author and television personality.  WWNO’s education reporter Aubri Juhasz tells us about the growth of the city’s only non-charter school within the larger education landscape.  With New Orleans money woes of the past...

Since the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro nearly two weeks ago, the Trump administration has threatened Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Chile and Iran. The administration is also renewing its push to obtain Greenland against the wishes of fellow NATO nations. Trump appointed Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland to assist with that effort. To break it down for us, Capitol Access Re...

Yesterday, Helena Moreno was inaugurated as the 63rd mayor of New Orleans, and former Vice President Kamala Harris swore her in. The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace joins us to break down the event.  Le Petit Theatre is gearing up for a performance of Noel Coward’s supernatural black comedy, ‘Blithe Spirit.’   Le Petit Theatre’s artistic direc...

If you have the flu or know someone who does, you are not alone. According to the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisiana is among the states with the highest number of flu cases. Last week, state health officials confirmed the first pediatric death this year in the state from the flu.  Dr. Julio Figueroa, chief of infectious diseases at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, br...

The amazing science behind understanding mysterious but critical ocean currents. And specifically, understanding the current in our backyard, the Gulf’s Loop Current. We talk with scientists leading a huge multi-country research collaboration that is going to great lengths and depths to understand the especially unknown Loop Current. We talk about how currents connect us, how they are basically a...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s Stephanie Grace. Today, we look ahead at some 2026 congressional races and hear about the slew of challengers Sen. Bill Cassidy is already facing.  As 2025 came to a close, WRKF Report for America corps member and our East Baton Rouge metro reporter, Alex Cox , caught up with the parish’s...

It’s Jan. 6, and that means it’s Twelfth Night, the official kickoff to the Mardi Gras season. While the Krewe of Joan of Arc will be lining up in the French Quarter this evening for their carnival kick-off parade, another celebration of the patron saint of France is coming to the Marigny Opera House.  A reimagined opera-ballet production of Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Maid of Orleans’ brings the story of...