Louisiana Considered

It’s been nearly three years since landmark settlements were reached between states and major opioid producers. Since then, roughly $100 million has been dispersed to combat addiction, but it's unclear how much of that money has been spent so far.    The Current’s Alena Mashke joins us for more on the lack of spending transparency.  From Star Wars to Jurassic Park, Hollywood movies and TV shows ha...

It’s been a chaotic year in state politics. To recap 2025 and look ahead at 2026, we spoke with The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace . Walt Handelsman , Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for The Advocate | The Times-Picayune, is set to retire after four decades in the business. He joins us on today’s show to discuss his career and...

Student attendance dropped in New Orleans-area schools last week as immigration sweeps ramped up across the region. Many parents are keeping their students home in fear of raids from border patrol. Aubri Juhasz speaks with some of the families about how they’re handling the situation. Over the weekend, Australia’s Jewish community faced the country’s largest mass shooting in 30 years, when two gun...

In early December, federal agents arrived in New Orleans prepared to arrest thousands of undocumented individuals in an operation dubbed “Catahoula Crunch.” In some cases, agents are arresting parents and taking them from their children. Now, eldest children are often left looking after their younger siblings. Jack Brook , from the Associated Press, has been reporting this story. He joins us today...

All this year, we’ve been checking in with Christiaan Mader, founder of the Current in Lafayette, Louisiana, for updates on the Acadiana region. He joins us now to reflect on some of the biggest stories from the past year and look to what’s ahead.  On December 20th, Tulane will face off against Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. If Tulane wins, they’ll go to the Sugar Bowl for the first tim...

The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council passed the city-parish’s 2026 budget Tuesday. This budget season was marked by an attempt to make up for a budget deficit. Ultimately, Mayor-President Sid Edwards proposed a budget that features near-across-the-board 11% cuts and a 33% reduction in staff.  Baton Rouge metro reporter and Report for America corps member Alex Cox joins us to break down the bu...

Plastics are everywhere. In the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and even running through our brains. While environmental concerns like pollution, toxic spills and trash islands make the problem feel insurmountable, a new book aims to break down the major issue into solvable problems.  “The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late" was written by Judith...

It's official: Tulane is headed to the college football playoff. The Green Wave punched their ticket in a Saturday 34 to 21 win against North Texas. Now, they’ll face Ole Miss, along with their new coach, Pete Golding, on December 20 in Oxford. Jeff Duncan, reporter for the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, spoke with WWNO’s Alana Schreiber for more on Tulane’s journey to the playoffs. The Blac...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection ramped up enforcement in the New Orleans area last week. Officials say the operation, known as “Catahoula Crunch,” aims to arrest 5,000 criminals who are in the country illegally. Reporter for The Times-Picayune/The Advocate, Lara Nicholson , joins us with an update.  The United Way of Southeast Louisiana is expanding its footprint of one-stop financial capabilit...

This is part 1 of a 2-part series exploring the future of farming seafood in the Gulf. Americans eat a lot of farmed seafood — but the vast majority of it comes from overseas. We just don’t farm fish on a big scale in U.S. waters. Now that might start to change. There are proposals to build massive fish farms in U.S. federal waters. And guess which coast is likely to be the first home for these ne...

Conditions at an ICE processing center in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, are reported to have deteriorated over the past year. There are multiple reports of overcrowding, and a lack of beds, hygiene products and medical care at the Evangeline Parish facility. Verite News’ Bobbie-Jeanne Misick joins us for more on these findings.  Often, the conversation around childcare revolves around the high costs of...

Louisiana’s surgeon general has been critical of vaccines. Now, Dr. Ralph Abraham has a new job as the second-in-command at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  WWNO and WRKF’s Rosemary Westwood has spent the year reporting on Abraham’s leadership at the Louisiana Department of Health. She joins us for more on his appointment and why some doctors have been critical.  The once-mundane p...

Over the weekend, LSU announced that Lane Kiffin would take on the job of head football coach. This comes after a weekslong search following coach Brian Kelly's ouster earlier this season. Kiffin will come to LSU from Ole Miss, and the mid-season switch is already generating a strong reaction, with the New York Times dubbing the move an “all-time hypocrisy in college football.” Koki Riley covers L...

After New Yorkers elected democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as their new mayor, Louisiana’s Economic Development (LED) forum took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal that said, “In Louisiana, we value capitalism, not socialism.” Gov. Jeff Landry was also on Fox News to promote the campaign to attract New York-based businesses to the state.  Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington spo...

Last week, news broke that roughly 250 U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were headed to south Louisiana for an operation dubbed “The Swamp Sweep.”  As agents aim to arrest close to 5,000 undocumented people, fear and concern are growing within immigrant communities, and among educators and advocates.  To help us understand what’s ahead — and what rights people have — WWNO’s Sara Henegan sp...

You’ve probably heard of Ruby Bridges, the first grader who helped desegregate New Orleans’ public schools in 1960. But have you heard of the three other girls who desegregated another local elementary school that same morning? Aubri Juhasz takes us to that school — now a museum — where students are learning why the fight for equitable education isn’t over. The acting head of the Federal Emergency...

As AI technology gets bigger and bigger, so do data centers. Meta is building the largest data center in the world in a small Louisiana town. It’ll have a footprint nearly the size of Manhattan, and the construction has brought an onslaught of heavy traffic. An investigation from the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins found that trucks contracted to work at the Meta facility are causing delays an...

Over 4000 anthropologists have descended on New Orleans for the American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting. They’re here to share their latest research, professionally develop and do a little networking.  Their theme is Ghosts, thanks to New Orleans’ reputation as “the most haunted city in America.” Anthropologist and host of the podcast Sonic Anthropology Radio, Tom Miller , joins us w...

Roughly 250 agents are set to come to New Orleans for an immigration crackdown dubbed the “Swamp Sweep.” Agents are aiming to arrest 5,0000 undocumented people in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi.  Jack Brook reported this story for The Associated Press. He joins us with the latest.  Loyola University’s School of Music and Theatre Professions was recently recognized as a top music business scho...

Over the weekend, Thrive EBR, the tax rededication plan meant to help pull East Baton Rouge out of a $21 million deficit, failed on all three measures. This means the 2026 budget will include nearly 11% cuts to departments across the board and 33% cuts to staff, at the very least. Report for America Corps member Alex Cox tells us more about what this means for the parish.  Residents of New Orleans...

Over the weekend, New Orleans voters returned to the polls for the second time this fall. The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace joins us to break down the results of the elections, including city council runoffs, bond propositions and one race that captured national attention. The LSU women’s basketball team's season began earlier this month, and so far...

On November 15, New Orleans voters will go to the polls for the second time this fall. Earlier this week, we discussed the race for clerk of criminal court and the city council positions still at play. Today, we’ll discuss the propositions and amendments voters will consider.  For more, we’re joined by Katie Jane Fernelius from Verite News. After Brian Kelly was fired as head football coach at LSU...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time for our weekly politics review with the Times Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. She breaks down the upcoming New Orleans elections for clerk of criminal court and city council. On Tuesday, we observed Veterans Day and those who have served the United States during times of conflict. To continue our observation, we’re...

The Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court race on the ballot this Saturday will see voters choosing between incumbent Darren Lombard and challenger Calvin Duncan.  Lombard has been in the position since 2022, while Duncan began as an inmate counsel substitute, otherwise known as a jailhouse lawyer, following a wrongful conviction that led him to spend more than 28 years behind bars.  Writer and p...

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, many wondered: Is a city below sea level worth rebuilding? Answers to that question came in the form of music and dance collaboration, featuring the company Bodytraffic and The Preservation Hall Band.  Now, on the 20th anniversary of Katrina, the New Orleans Ballet Association is reviving the performance “Why New Orleans Matters.” We hear fro...