Louisiana Considered

Hurricane Isaias is officially behind us, and our neighbors along the Gulf Coast are picking up the pieces from this storm. But what can this hurricane tell us about the current state of tropical weather forecasting? 

Climatologist Jay Grymes joins us to discuss advancements in forecasting, what storm tracking reveals about potential damage and the state of weather communication and preparation. 

Overdetention is becoming a serious problem in U.S. prisons, particularly in Louisiana. The U.S. Justice Department has found Louisiana’s prison system regularly holds people who have served their full sentence longer than it should, releasing them later than their scheduled release date. The state’s corrections department is subject to at least one lawsuit from people who were overdetained.

Data shows more than 1,200 people were held beyond their release dates. Prior years have shown up to 2,000 people per year held behind bars too long.

Andrea Hagan, founder of Pattern Hunters LLC and an instructor in Criminology and Justice at Loyola University New Orleans, tells us more about this issue and what it reveals about the justice system. 

NOLA BugFest returns this Saturday, bringing together entomologists, educators, conservation organizations and community partners for a full day of free programming. Visitors of all ages can enjoy hands-on exhibits, educational demonstrations, games and crafts. 

Claudia Riegel, director of the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control Board, tells us more about the event and the importance of entomology education. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg. 

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you!

Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

As we mark Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re looking at the work of immigrant-led organizations across Louisiana. Union Migrante organizes and advocates for immigrant communities statewide, including during “Catahoula Crunch” — a period of heightened immigration enforcement that brought new attention to immigrant families’ experiences in Louisiana. 

Rachel Tayber and Sam Cabrera of Union Migrante join us to discuss what the organization has learned, what it’s seeing now and what comes next for immigrant families. 

NOLA Funk Fest returns to New Orleans this month, bringing together funk, soul and R&B. The festival will also preview the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience, a museum that will tell the story of Louisiana music and the people who continue to create it. 

Chris Beary, founder and organizer, joins us and tells us more about the festival, which runs from October 16-18. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Sara Henegan. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and Aubrey Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App, and wherever you get your podcasts. 

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Communities across Florida and Alabama are in cleanup mode in the wake of Hurricane Isaias. At least four people were killed. The storm has left a wide swath of damage, and so far, around 400,000 customers lost electricity in the immediate aftermath. 

NPR's Debbie Elliott details how the recovery is going in the Florida Panhandle town of Milton. 

When Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevot was elected last year and became the first American pope, very little was known about him.  He was an unlikely candidate. 

All Things Considered host Scott Detrow, who was in St. Peter’s Square that day, wrote down a question in his notebook: “Who is he?”

Shortly thereafter, reports revealed that Pope Leo XIV had deep ties to Louisiana — his Creole maternal grandparents were from New Orleans.

Detrow and Daniel Burke, NPR Senior Editor of Religion and Spirituality, spent more than a year on a quest to learn more about Prevost and recently published the biography, “American Pope: Leo XIV's Road From The South Side Of Chicago To Vatican City.” They join us with more.

Americans' use of GLP-1 medications has quadrupled since 2024. The latest studies suggest roughly 11% of adults are on some form of weight loss medication, like Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy.

But GLP-1s don’t work for everybody. And even when users lose weight, they might suffer from other health side effects.

Jolie Relle, a physician assistant who specializes in medical weight loss, tells us about the positives and negatives of GLP-1 use.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. 

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Isaias has been upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane and is set to make landfall overnight.  The storm is headed towards the Gulf Coast and likely to impact several states. Communities spanning from the Louisiana coast to the Florida panhandle are all on storm watch. 

Meteorologist Dan Holiday joins us with the latest.

A few months ago, a big storm came to Sesame Street. With extreme weather becoming more and more common, Sesame Workshop released a new TV special to show how monsters came together to get ready for a storm and rebuild in the aftermath. They also launched an initiative to help children and families prepare for and cope with natural disasters.

Longtime Sesame Street resident Grover joined us to share how kids can prepare for storms and cope with fear. He was joined by the Vice President of U.S. Educational Programs for Sesame Workshop, Rocio Galarza. 

Back in 2025, musician and composer Alune Wade released the album “New African Orleans” which explores cross-cultural jazz influences from New Orleans to his native Senegal and across West Africa. He’s also worked on a documentary and an upcoming exhibit to further explore this relationship.

Now, he’s teamed up with Rachel Breunlinn, director of the neighborhood story project and professor of anthropology at Louisiana State University New Orleans for their latest endeavor, a book that celebrates transatlantic jazz influences. They’ll celebrate the new book and their ongoing work with a concert at the Broadside this Sunday at 7 PM, called Un Affair de Famile. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg. 

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

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The midterm elections are heating up across the country. In Louisiana, the Nov. 3 ballot will have constitutional amendments, six congressional seats, a host of trial judges, appellate and one State Supreme Court race. The ballot also includes a Public Service Commission race and the U.S. Senate race to replace Bill Cassidy. 

Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist at the Times Picayune/The Advocate, joins us to break it all down.

The New Orleans Film Festival returns in just a few weeks for its 37th year. Screenings and events will take place across the city, and audiences are expected to exceed 25,000 people for screenings, panels and events. The Oscar-qualifying festival will feature works from as many as 350 filmmakers. 

The festival is also set to show two of the season’s most talked-about international films: La bola Negra from Spain and Wild Horse Nine, co-produced by the U.S., U.K. and Chile. 

New Orleans Film Festival executive director Dodd Loomis joins us today with more on the events.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg.

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

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

In 1985, St. Bernard Parish Pet Cemetery owner Dorothy Lou Thompson disappeared. Her body later turned up mysteriously in the Mississippi River, but initial investigations went cold. Decades later, a new witness came forward claiming that Dorothy’s ghost pushed him to talk. 

A new HBO docuseries “The Pet Cemetery Murders” dives into the story. Director Phillip Cairney joins us with more. 

Artificial intelligence seems to become more powerful and influential every day. The Institute for Ministry at Loyola University in New Orleans was recently awarded a grant to help explore the intersection of faith and spiritual practice and artificial intelligence, and how students can grapple with the rapidly expanding world of AI. 

Tracey Lamont, director of the Loyola Institute for Ministry and an assistant professor of religious education and young adult ministry at Loyola, joins us to discuss the project. 

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you!

Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Election Day is a month away, and the latest polls predict a blue wave in both the House and the Senate. Special education teacher, union member and DSA-backed candidate Lauren Jewett is one of the Democrats hoping to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Scalise for Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District. 

Jewett joins us to talk about what she’s learned from her previous campaigns, her political views, her platform and what she would bring to Congress. 

A day-long music event inspired by the removal of Confederate monuments is coming to New Orleans on Saturday (Oct. 10). The event, which is presented by the Shockoe Institute and Jazz Generations Initiative New Orleans, will feature scholars, activists and artists from across the country to discuss how music and collective action can inspire healing.

Leyla McCalla, local Grammy Award-winning artist and Artistic Director of The Shockoe Institute, joins us with more about the event. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Sara Henegan. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber, and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg. 

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App, and wherever you get your podcasts. 

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Last December, officers with Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement embarked on Operation Catahoula Crunch, arresting more than 350 Louisiana residents. While operations have scaled back, arrests targeting immigrant communities are back on the rise. 

The Lens reporter Delaney Nolan recently published a data analysis of who ICE is arresting and where. She joins us for more on her findings. 

“Dry Bones” is a new video series from The Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette that breathes new life into archival Louisiana roots music. Each episode brings contemporary musicians face-to-face with the center’s archival collection and ends with a studio performance inspired by the experience. 

Director of the Center for Louisiana Studies and Grammy-nominated musician and producer, Joshua Caffery, joins us with more.

A 1956 concert by Elvis Presley marked the young star’s return to his Mississippi home of Tupelo — and, it may be what put the city on the map.

Elise Gregg of the Gulf States Newsroom went to a recreation concert to hear what makes that homecoming so special, and why residents are still celebrating the occasion 70 years later.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. 

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

For the last several months, Gulf States Newsroom reporter Drew Hawkins has been investigating non-disclosure agreements that Louisiana politicians have been signing regarding data centers — in particular, the massive data center underway in Richland Parish.

Recently, he learned of ties between Meta, the company that owns the data center, and the owner of the media group that runs the Times-Picayune/The Advocate. Drew recently sat down with the owner, John Georges, to discuss his relationship to Meta, sponsored content for the center and where he sees AI changing the nature of journalism. He joins us with the latest.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno recently released her proposed 2027 city budget. Reports suggest the New Orleans Police Department will take a 2% cut in 2027 in the force's civilian ranks.

How will that affect the officer on the street?  And how does that affect efforts to hire more officers and professionals? Ronal Serpas, professor of Practice in the Criminology and Justice Department at Loyola University New Orleans, joins us with his take and what he’s learned from his 34-year career in law enforcement. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. 

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

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

 Country music legend and world-renowned philanthropist Dolly Parton passed away just over a month ago. Among the hundreds of commemorations across the world, New Orleans honored her by doing what the city does best: a second-line jazz funeral.

Louisiana Considered intern Ryann Goldberg joined in on the fun, speaking with some of the thousands of participants. 

The Capital Area Autism Network is releasing its latest analysis of activism, awareness and resource-building benefitting neurodivergence in Baton Rouge. The first-annual State of Neurodiversity in the capital area will discuss the report. 

Drew Walker, executive director of the Capital Area Autism Network, joins us with more on the event. 

Art markets are a cultural staple in south Louisiana, bringing together artisans, makers and community members. It returns to Baton Rouge in conjunction with the Red Stick Farmers Market on the first Saturday of every month. 

Baton Rouge Arts Market manager and owner of Jewel of Havana, Ana Andriacani, tells us more. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you!

Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!