At the end of July, journalists in Louisiana and Mississippi formed a union with the National Association of the Employees and Technicians – Communications Workers of America (NABET-CWA). Reporters from two nonprofit newsrooms, Verite in New Orleans, and Mississippi Today in Ridgeland, just north of Jackson, are now united in the Deep South Today Union. They’ve become the first two newsrooms in their respective states to successfully unionize.

For more on this historic union and what members hope to accomplish, we are joined by reporter for Mississippi Today, Molly Minta, and reporter for Verite, Michael Stein. 

Starting today, Louisiana students are heading back to school, and they’ll be coming back to classrooms changed by the last legislative session. Among the changes are the end of corporal punishment without parent permission and a new requirement that the words “In God We Trust” be displayed in every classroom. 

Education reporter Aubri Juhasz joins us for more on how these new bills will impact Louisiana classrooms. 

But first, the cost of tap water can change dramatically from state to state and city to city. In the latest installment of ‘Utility Bill of the Month,’ the Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha shares the story of one Alabama family who ended up paying nearly three times as much after moving just a few miles. 

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman and Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:30 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. 

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