All week, we’re hearing from public school teachers in Louisiana about how they’re feeling as living costs rise and wages stagnate.Yesterday we heard from a teacher who’s thinking of leaving the profession after only a year in the classroom because of low pay.

On today’s show, Aubri Juhasz, WWNO/WRKF education reporter, brings us the story of another teacher facing a tough decision.

In 2021, ecologists discovered that a group of whales residing exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico was a unique species of whale.

The Rice’s whale is now considered to be critically endangered, with a population possibly under 100 individuals. As we observe the 14th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the subsequent oil spill, ecologists are concerned how that environmental catastrophe affected this population of whales, and they’re working to further protect it.

Dan Moss is a senior government relations representative with Defenders of Wildlife. He joins the show.

The American Lung Association released its annual “State of the Air” report on Wednesday. It takes a look at air quality and how it affects health, and ranks metro areas nationwide.

Eric Weinzettle, a representative of the American Lung Association, shares more on how air quality is looking in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.

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

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