Talk Louisiana

Senior Trooper Bryan Lee of Louisiana State Police on road conditions after a night of ice and historically low temperatures. Matt Bailey, founder of Fair Districts Louisiana on a redistricting summit slated at LSU’s Manship School this Friday. Author Martin Puchner on his book, “The Written World.” Puchner reveals how writing has inspired the rise and fall of empires and nations, the spark of phi...

Amir Husain, “The Sentient Machine, The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Ernest Gaines literary award winner Ladee Hubbard on her honor and the writing she does as a professor at Tulane. Peggy Sweeney McDonald on the 2018 Louisiana International Film Festival slated for April 19-22 in Baton Rouge.  

(ernestgainescenter.blogspot.com) Legendary Louisiana writer Ernest Gaines joins us on his 85th birthday and showcases his new book, “The Tragedy of Brady Sims.” Author James Swanson discusses his book, “Chasing King’s Killer, The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin.” The famous civil rights leader was born on this date 89 years ago.

(elbertguillory.com) Former State Senator Elbert Guillory, Republican from Opelousas, and East Baton Rouge Parish Democratic Party Chair Carolyn Hill on the status of minority voters in Louisiana and the controversy over President Trump’s remarks about Haiti and other countries. Guillory is heading minority outreach efforts for the Louisiana GOP. There are about 22-thousand minority Republicans in...

(EJ Ourso Business School, Louisiana State University / EJ Ourso Business School, Louisiana State University) LSU Economist Jim Richardson, head of the Revenue Estimating Conference, discusses the fiscal cliff that awaits the state on June 30th. Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, talks about legislative maneuvering that is ongoing as lawmakers weigh budget options. Texas Singer-s...

(LRN) EBR Councilman Matt Watson on his proposal to boost pay for police officers in the parish by way of an increased property tax. Journalists John Camp, Phil Oakley and Bob Courtney remember the deadly North Boulevard riot in Baton Rouge of Jan. 10, 1972.

(Sue Lincoln) LSU Mass Communication Professor Len Apcar and Michael Henderson, head of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, report on the friction between President Trump and the media as the president prepares to attack several journalistic outlets this week. Apcar is also a member of the WRKF Board of Directors. Also Dan Moldea, veteran investigative reporter, on the changing of media standards...

Ara Rubyan, Director of the Jewish Film Festival, discusses this week’s event at the Manship Theatre. Democratic blogger and journalist, Lamar White of Bayou Brief squares off with Republican consultant Ali Akbar, Chairman of the Louisiana Young GOP Federation, on Louisiana politics with Governor Edwards seeking re-election next year and President Trump’s declining approval ratings in Louisiana. T...

Matt Williams, WAFB morning show host and Crimestoppers reporter, on the most violent year in Baton Rouge and a look ahead to 2018. Penny Nance, President of Concerned Women for America on sexual harassment in the workplace and the legacy of Anita Hill. Dan Borne, public address announcer at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, on the 30th anniversary of the death of Pete Maravich.

EBR District Attorney Hillar Moore on the causes of an alarming spike in murders in Baton Rouge in 2017. The parish reported a record number of homicides last year. George and Roxanne Graham on Cajun cooking. George is the author of Acadiana Table, George Graham’s Stories of Cajun Creole Cooking.

Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, joins us to reflect on the top stories of 2017. Rudy Macklin, LSU’s career leading rebounder and second leading scorer, talks about the resurgent Tiger program under first year coach Will Wade and discusses physical fitness in Louisiana. Macklin has headed the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for 26 years.

Rannah Gray on Redstick Revelry, the annual New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Baton Rouge. Maxine Crump, President and CEO of Dialogue on Race, on the major story of 2017, sexual misconduct. Crump says sexual harassment is often accompanied by racism.  

Former LSU and New England Patriots quarterback Rohan Davey comments on the LSU loss to Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl and the national title game between Alabama and Georgia. Blue Cross Blue Shield Louisiana Economist Mike Bertaut recaps the impact of the tax bill passed by Congress on the Affordable Care Act...What is the future of Obamacare in 2018?

Film and music critic John Wirt details the best performances of 2017. Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders discusses her work 25 years after she was hired by President Clinton. Elders lasted on the job as surgeon general for only 15 months after talking openly about masturbation. She will talk about Baton Rouge and New Orleans ranking first and third in HIV cases in the United States.

  First we visit with David Faucheux of Lafayette, author of Across Two Novembers: A Year in the Life of a Blind Bibliophile.    Also Jeff Rossen, a fixture on The Today Show, on how we can improve our lives in ways we might not have thought of.   Charles Duhigg calls in to talk about his book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.   Post writer Sally Quinn, widow of Ben B...

Sixth District Congressional candidate Justin Dewitt talks about his race for 2018. Dewitt, a Democrat,  is challenging two-term Republican Garret Graves and is believed to be the first openly gay man to see a U.S. House in Louisiana. Pam Bordelon of the Advocate reflects on a year of parties she covered for the state’s largest newspaper in 2017.

Hydrologist and professional engineer Bob Jacobsen on Louisiana’s challenges with climate change and the continuing battle to stop coastal erosion. Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Ballard on a new poll showing Gov. John Bel Edwards with a 65-percent approval rating. What does this mean for his re-election chances, and Louisiana’s congressional delegation voted for the Trump tax plan with the ex...

State Representative Chris Broadwater, Republican from Hammond, discusses his decision to resign from the Louisiana House midway through his second term in office. Congressman Garret Graves, Republican from Baton Rouge, assesses the impact of the sweeping tax bill passed by Congress this week.

Actor Louis Herthum, Baton Rouge native, on his continuing success with Westworld. Herthum has been a fixture in Hollywood since winning a role on Murder She Wrote more than a quarter century ago.   Also, writer Carol J. Adams responds to her New York Times editorial about the success of gun buy-back programs.  

Political Consultant Roy Fletcher discusses the impact of the Doug Jones victory in the Alabama U.S. Senate election,  the governor’s race in Louisiana for 2019, the continuing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller of the Trump campaign team and Senator John Kennedy making big news nationwide. Also, former LSU Linguistics program director Hugh Buckingham on the words banned by the Center...

Jacob Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, on his analysis of the offshore networks uncovered by the Panama Papers. Bernstein will also comment on the friction between the media and the White House and the mantra of fake news from President Trump.   Also, Pat Forbes, executive of the Office of Community Development, and Keith Cunningham, executive director of the Louisiana Housing Corpora...

  Conservative Commentator and Columnist Quin Hillyer, a native of New Orleans, and former Democratic State Representative Melissa Flournoy comment on the victory by Democrat Doug Jones over Roy Moore in this week’s U.S. Senate election in Alabama. Hillyer and Flournoy also discuss the status of the President’s tax plan and note the 75th birthday of former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco....

  DeLisa Brown, author of “My Soul Cried Out” talks about her writing odyssey which began after the death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge last year. Professor Clarence Nero of Baton Rouge Community College discusses his book, “Voices from the Bayou.” Students confront racism, police issues and a historic flood in the same year.   Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, analyzes the U...

  LSU Mass Communications Professor Bob Mann comments on the victory by Democrat Doug Jones in the U.S. Senate special election in Alabama. Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore by about 20-thousand votes in the election to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general. Mann will assess the significance of the outcome and also discuss the cancer diagnosis of former Gov. Kath...

EBR Metro Councilman Matt Watson on his proposal to secure pay raises for police officers in the parish.