Louisiana Considered

A resident of the Carrollton neighborhood in New Orleans was gardening in her backyard when she came across an unusual engraved stone. After reaching out to anthropology departments at the University of New Orleans and Tulane, they discovered the relic was a 2,000-year-old headstone for a Roman sailor. The headstone went missing from a museum in Italy during World War II. 

Ryan Gray, professor of anthropology at UNO, tells us more about this incredible discovery and what they know about the headstone’s journey across the Atlantic.

The shine from the Saints' first victory of the season lasted a week, after a defeat by the New England Patriots brought them to one win and five losses this year.

Writer and columnist for The Times-Picayune/The Advocate, Jeff Duncan, tells us what he thinks the Saints will need to do to turn the season around.

Earlier this month, a New Orleans local appeared on the popular TV quiz show, Jeopardy. Writer and former managing editor of 64 Parishes magazine, Chris Turner-Neal, went up against a four-day winner who was vying for a spot in the tournament of champions. Their back-and-forth battle up until the final question brought viewers one of the most nail-biting games in recent memory. 

Chris joins us to discuss his road to the Alex Trebek Theater and how he feels about his performance.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production support from Garrett Pittman 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, 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!

Louisiana’s GUMBO broadband program has been expanding internet access in rural areas for three years now. But because the state program relies on federal funding, recent changes to federal spending are impacting the initiative.

Camden Doherty has been covering the GUMBO broadband program for The Current. He joins us for more.

One of Louisiana’s largest hospital systems has been studying how to prevent sepsis infections, a persistent problem in health care settings that can even lead to death. And now, they’re seeing dramatic results.

Dr. Christopher Thomas, vice president and chief quality officer of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, joins us with more. 

It’s no secret that smoking e-cigarettes, or vapes, has seen increased popularity among teens in recent years. Last month, East Baton Rouge officials passed a new vaping law. The goal is to keep kids from starting to vape while still allowing adults to have the option to do so. 

Report for America corps member Alex Cox has the story. 

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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.

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!

On Saturday, New Orleans’ city council president, Helena Moreno, won the election to become the city’s next mayor. She did so without forcing a runoff, having secured more than 50% of the primary vote.

The Times-Picayune/The Advocate's editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace, joins us to break down this race and the other elections on the ballot.

Last April, former LSU wide receiver and NFL prospect Kyren Lacy died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police car chase in Texas. The incident came days before Lacy was due in court after being charged with negligent homicide following a fatal car accident in December. 

Now, the investigation into the initial crash is under scrutiny after state police and Lacy’s lawyer both released new dashcam footage earlier this month. 

WRKF’s Mel Bridges has been covering this story and joins us for an update.

If you're an educator who has ever wished for enhanced lab equipment, additional support, or innovative ideas for your classroom, then you may be in luck.

STEM Library Lab offers science and technology learning equipment to students and teachers throughout the New Orleans area.

Founder and director Todd Wackerman and 6th-grade teacher at TH Harris Middle in Jefferson Parish, Cheka Pedescleaux, join us for more on the library’s free resources.

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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. 

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!

It’s been a long road to election day here in New Orleans, but we’re in the home stretch. On October 11, anyone who didn’t vote early will cast their ballots in several races, including for the city’s next mayor. 

Verite News reporter Katie Jane Fernelius, WWNO education reporter Aubri Juhasz and the coastal desk’s Eva Tesfaye join us to share what the candidates are saying about key issues.  

Southern University has gotten off to a rough start this fall. Since August, the campus has shut down four times due to threats of violence. More recently, the Historically Black University had a power outage that sent everyone home. 

Dr. Melanie Smith Johnson has been an associate professor of political science at Southern for 23 years. She spoke with WRKF’s Alex Cox about how the school is remaining hopeful. 

As Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, thousands of incarcerated people remained in the parish jail.

Twenty years later, we consider the legacy of that event. In the second report in a series, the Gulf States Newsroom's Kat Stromquist speaks with corrections officials about how Katrina changed their thinking — and how they care for people in lockups during storms now.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

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!

For the last two weeks, on Louisiana Considered, we've brought you interviews with the top candidates to be mayor of New Orleans. Today, we bring you the final conversation. 

The Times-Picayune/Editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace spoke with City Council President Helena Moreno. The two discussed restoring collaboration between the council and the mayor’s office, the city’s budget problems and some creative solutions.

Arthur Hardy’s name is synonymous with Mardi Gras. He began writing and publishing the Mardi Gras Guide in the 1970s, informing people about what parades were coming up and how to see as many as possible in one night. 

For nearly 50 years, Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guides have been an indispensable tool. And now, he’s announced his retirement from its creation after the 2026 Carnival season.

Hardy joins us for more on his long career as one of the keepers of Carnival’s keys.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production support from Garrett Pittman 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, 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!

President Trump has been sending the National Guard throughout the US, with the latest deployment being to Portland, Oregon, before it was blocked by a judge. 

But in Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry is welcoming the idea of federal troops. Roughly one week ago, he announced that he'd asked President Trump to send the National Guard to New Orleans, Shreveport and Baton Rouge. 

Capital Access reporter Brooke Thorington spoke with East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards about his view of troops coming to the capital city, and how he hopes they would help address problems of crime, traffic and blight. 

As electric vehicles make their way into the marketplace, consumers are asking questions about the practicality of these cars for all of our needs. Especially when it comes to hauling, towing and long-distance road trips. 

Travis Pittman, private EV charging consultant and a contributor to Louisiana Clean Fuels, tells us about a recent case study he did comparing EVs to standard gasoline cars.

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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.

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!

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend. The three-day Cajun and Zydeco music festival in Lafayette’s Girard Park is an authentic celebration of Acadiana’s vibrant traditions, complete with food, art and performances by local musicians. 

Festival founder and Acadiana folklorist Barry Ancelet and Cajun singer-songwriter Zachary Richard tell us more about the festival’s history and what to expect this year. 

The City of Baton Rouge is redesigning its website and is asking residents to help by taking and submitting pictures that help capture the beauty, culture and character of the area.  

Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ office launched the photo campaign, ImaginEBR, with the help of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Edwards’ press secretary, Falon Brown, joins us with more. 

United States Space Command is relocating from Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama. But that doesn’t guarantee all of its employees will move with it.

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha tells us about recruitment to the southern space belt. 

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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. 

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!

The primary election in the New Orleans mayor’s race is just over a week away, and here on Louisiana Considered, we’re bringing you conversations with the top 3 candidates. 

Today, we’ll hear from state Senator Royce Duplessis (D-LA). He spoke to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace about the tactics behind his campaign, his plans if elected and why he believes his lack of city council experience is an asset. 

Solitary confinement is the subject of a new book co-written by incarcerated journalists and outside experts. It argues that the practice — which has been used in Louisiana — hurts mental health and doesn't make prisons safer.

A mobile museum paired to the book arrives in New Orleans by bus later this month. The Gulf States Newsroom's Kat Stromquist spoke with co-author and incarcerated writer Christopher Blackwell about the book, “Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement.”

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

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!

If you’ve had trouble getting a COVID shot lately, you’re not alone. People in Louisiana are running into a new obstacle when it comes to getting themselves or their kids vaccinated: confusion about who can get the shot and whether they need a prescription.

As the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins reports, pharmacies are creating their own rules — and they aren’t consistent.

The Port of New Orleans is moving forward with its plan to build a grain transfer facility on the Mississippi River in the Lower Ninth Ward.

The facility will unload organic grain imported by the company Sunrise Foods. Norfolk Southern is also reactivating train tracks in the neighborhood to transport the grain. 

Last week, protestors gathered in front of the Sanchez Community Center, where the Port was holding an informational community meeting about the project. The coastal desk’s Eva Tesfaye tells us more. 

A key ingredient of New Orleans' cultural identity is its food. And for locals, food is much more than sustenance. It's a cornerstone of the community, with recipes and stories passed down through generations.

Charity Qalutaq Blanchett found this to be true when she first arrived in New Orleans, and was reminded of the relationship between food, land and people in her home state of Alaska. She founded the non-profit Dipping Spoon Foundation in 2019, which helps empower the next generation of indigenous youth to become culinary rock stars and food systems leaders through cultural identity.

She joins us for more on her organization and finding community in New Orleans as a Black and Yup’ik woman. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

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!

Early voting is underway in the New Orleans mayor's race primary. For the next two weeks on Louisiana Considered, we'll be bringing you interviews with the top three candidates. 

Up first, The Times-Picayune/Editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace spoke with city councilmember Oliver Thomas. He discussed his long political career, successes and failures of previous administrations and what he's learned from his time in prison 15 years ago after pleading guilty to bribery charges.

In 1837, the children of Frédéric Frey, a German-born New Orleans merchant and financier, sat down for a portrait with French portrait painter Jacques Amans. Curiously, an enslaved Afro-Creole teenager named Bélizaire was included.

However, for roughly a century of the painting’s history, Bélizaire wasn’t there. He’d been painted over, removed from the Frey family portrait. And only recently, that modification was removed to restore Bélizaire to the painting. Now, this piece of Louisiana history is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Baton Rouge-based art and antique collector Jeremy Simien tells us more about the complex history of the nearly 200-year-old painting.

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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.

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!