College basketball is back at the top of sports’ fans’ minds. The annual March Madness tournament kicked off this week. Two Louisiana men's teams — McNeese State and Grambling State — will compete. LSU will participate in the women’s tournament.

Beyond what happens on the court, another question has dominated as of late: How much should college athletes be paid? 

Jamira Mitchell is a Baton Rouge-based career and technical education teacher at University View Academy, a K-12 virtual school and host of the podcast the NIL Spot. It’s a place for parents, student-athletes and coaches to understand the ins and outs of “Name, Image and Likeness” rights in high school and college sports. Mitchell joins Louisiana Considered for more. 

And an effort to legalize some forms of gambling is underway in Louisiana’s neighbor, Alabama. A plan has once again hit stiff opposition in the state’s legislature.

Joseph King, reporter with the Gulf States Newsroom, looks to neighboring states that have taken the leap, including Louisiana, to find out more.

Marriage, madness and murder are in the mix as the New Orleans Opera Association closes its 81st season with Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Katrina Galka, award-winning soprano, takes center stage as Lucia. She joins us to discuss her role and performance.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. 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.

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