Opioid overdoses are on the rise in the Gulf South, driven largely by an increase in fentanyl. At one school in Louisiana, medical students are learning how to use Narcan to prevent overdose deaths. As the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins reports, many of the students have been touched by the opioid crisis themselves.

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics may be months away, but already plenty of Louisianans – both LSU athletes and Bayou State natives – hope to compete on the world’s biggest stage.

Scott Rabalais covers LSU sports for the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate and will be going to the 2024 Olympics to follow Louisiana’s top competitors. He tells us the athletes to look out for.

While athletes’ 2024 Olympic journeys end in Paris, for some, they start in Louisiana. In December, Lafayette hosted trials for boxing. And in March, the city of West Monroe will host trials for table tennis.

Alana Cooper serves as the president and CEO of Discover Monroe-West Monroe and chairman of the Louisiana Travel Association Board. She joins us for more on the upcoming table tennis event and the impact it could have on the city’s economy. 

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our assistant producer is Aubry Procell and our engineer is Garrett Pittman. 

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

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