Louisiana Considered

Protests against President Trump’s immigration policies and deportations are happening across the country. Over the weekend, raids from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers sparked massive protests in Los Angeles. President Trump called in the National Guard, and later, the Marines.

There have also been protests in New Orleans, with demonstrators demanding the release of people detained in local ICE raids, as well as people held in Louisiana, like Mahmoud Khalil.

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins has covered a couple of recent protests in the city. He joins us to discuss them.

Last week, Le Petit Theatre debuted “Ain’t Misbehavin: The Fats Waller Musical Show.” The musical review of the iconic jazz musician takes viewers into 1920s Harlem with an all-local cast.

Cast member and musician Rahim Glaspy joins us to talk about the musical tribute performance.

“Too Many Notes,” a classical concert performance from New Resonance Orchestra and Musical Arts Society of New Orleans, kicks off with two performances this weekend. It features the world premiere of New Orleans composer Tucker Fuller’s piano concerto with soloist Brian Hsu and Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony. 

Fuller joins us alongside New Resonance Orchestra founder and music director, Francis Scully. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. 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, 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!

At the end of June, LSU president William Tate IV will step down and become president of Rutgers University in New Jersey. While LSU looks for a new leader, Matt Lee, vice president for agriculture, will serve in the interim. 

In addition to his new role, Lee is also the dean of LSU’s college of agriculture and oversees research at the AgCenter. He has also worked as a public health expert, specializing in rural crime and community development. He joins us to talk about his career and goals in this new position. 

According to a new report, Louisiana children rank near last in the country in overall well-being, despite some notable gains in education. 

Louisiana fell a spot from last year to 49th out of 50 states on the Kids Count Data Book, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It considers how children are doing in four main categories: economics, education, health and family. 

Teresa Falgoust, director of data and research for Agenda for Children, Louisiana’s member of the KIDS COUNT network, joins us to break down these findings. 

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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!

Last weekend, Dillard University hosted a memorial service to honor the lives of 19 Black New Orleanians, whose skulls were unlawfully taken to Leipzig, Germany in the 1880s. The memorial also drew attention to the history of racist pseudoscience in an effort of repatriation alongside the University of Leipzig.

Dr. Eva Baham, retired Dillard University professor and chair of Dillard’s Cultural Repatriation Committee, helped lead the patriation efforts working with the University of Leipzig, and joins us for more on this story.

It’s a big week for baseball in Louisiana. On Saturday, the LSU Tigers will play their first game of the Super Regionals in Baton Rouge. But last Friday, LSU Shreveport Pilots made history when they became the first college baseball team ever to win every game of their season. The Pilots went 59-0, capping off their perfect season by winning the NAIA championship and giving their school their first national title in any sport. 

Head baseball coach Brad Neffendorf joins us to discuss the thrilling end to a historic season. 

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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!

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. Today we dive into Gov. Landry’s agenda for the current legislative session and the bills he’s hoping to get passed. 

Nottoway, a massive plantation mansion in Iberville Parish, recently burned down. The 53,000-square-foot home, located in White Castle on the edge of the Mississippi River, had been turned into a hotel and wedding venue. 

Enslaved people built the property and worked on the sugar cane plantation it sat on. It held over 150 enslaved people in 1860, according to National Park Service records.  

Jo and Joy Banner, founders of the Descendants Project, tell us about what the loss of the plantation means for descendants of people enslaved in the area.

At the current legislative session, lawmakers are debating a series of bills on ethics, targeting things like campaign finance and financial transparency. 

This week on “The Light Switch” podcast from the Louisiana Illuminator, reporter Julie O'Donoghue speaks with Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council, to discuss these proposals. 

Note: This conversation was recorded before the House approved HB 674, legislation that would revise state ethics laws.

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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!

Nearly two dozen violence prevention organizations in Louisiana stand to lose millions in federal funding as a result of recent Department of Justice grant cuts. These organizations include youth programs, substance abuse support, victim advocates, trauma care and more. 

Josie Alexander, senior Louisiana strategist at Equal Justice USA tells us how these organizations interface with violence prevention and what these cuts could mean.

According to The Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative, most of the sediment that’s on its way to help rebuild the Mississippi River Delta is actually getting lost before it reaches the Gulf. Mead Allison, co-lead of the research organization tells us what these findings mean for the river delta.

Tulane University recently announced it’s been recognized as a top producer of students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program –a federal government international exchange program. It’s the third consecutive year that Tulane has had this honor. 

Laila Hlass, associate provost for International Affairs, Tulane University, 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.

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!

A bill recently advanced in the state Legislature that would give a $10,000 tax break to property owners who install a fortified roof. This comes after a recent study found that houses with fortified roofs in coastal Alabama were nearly 75% less likely to file insurance claims after hurricanes.

This bill moves forward while a different insurance bill, written by state Senator Royce Duplesis, died in committee. Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington spoke to Duplesis about what comes next. 

A new series from Verite News tells the story of slavery in New Orleans. Titled, “Devil’s Bargain,” the essays recount how the slave trade came to the city, sustained the economy and left a terrible legacy. Verite News’ editor-in-chief Terry Baquet and former managing editor Tim Morris tell us more.

The Essence Festival of Culture is one month away, but boots were on the ground last week as executives visited in advance of the “party with a purpose.” 

Michele Ghee, Chief Content Officer at Essence Ventures, gives us a sneak peak of this year's festival.  

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. 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, 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!

Hurricane season is upon us, and the National Hurricane Center is predicting an above-average season. Preparations are starting, but cuts to both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency might impact hurricane forecasting and response. 

The Coastal Desk’s Eva Tesfaye tells us what these changes will mean for hurricane response. 

The new novel “Blood Moon Over Bohemia,” offers a fictionalized account of a true story about the forced removal of a diverse community living in Plaquemines Parish in the 1920s. Written by New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist Susan D. Mustafa and District Attorney Charles J. Ballay, the novel follows the lives of two families—one Black and one white—as they struggle to fight the corrupt New Orleans politicians who steal their land.

The authors join us for more on their collaborative process and how their story relates to issues of forced migration today. 

The nonpartisan advocacy group Leaders for a Better Louisiana is calling on state lawmakers to restore funding that was cut from a tutoring program that is believed to have played a major role in recent historic improvements in education. Last week, the Senate Finance Committee added back funding for the tutoring, but the funding reallocation still needs to pass the House and Senate.

Better Louisiana Chief Policy Officer Barry Erwin joins us with more on the high-dosage tutoring program and its impact. now.

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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 use of chemical fertilizers has been growing for decades, and despite growing environmental concerns, politicians are adding more protections for these fertilizers than ever.

Today on Louisiana Considered, we hear the second part of the latest episode of Sea Change, “The True Cost of Fertilizer.” Investigative reporter Garrett Hazelwood explores the policies in place that will not only protect chemical fertilizers, but potentially expand the industry.

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This episode was produced in collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network, an independent, nonprofit news organization. We also had support from the Mississippi River Basin Ag and Water Desk.

This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and reported by Garrett Hazelwood and Eric Schmid. This episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Additional help from Carlyle Calhoun, Eva Tesfaye, Ryan Vasquez, Ted Ross, and Brent Cunningham. The episode was fact-checked by Naomi Barr. Sea Change's executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX.

When we think of fertilizer, most of us probably picture cow manure. But some farms have been switching to a chemical formula that causes radioactive waste.

Today on Louisiana Considered, we hear the first part of the latest episode of Sea Change, “The True Cost of Fertilizer.” Investigative reporter Garrett Hazelwood looks into the environmental impacts of chemical formula and why there isn’t much effort to stop the damage. 

Federal funding has played a major role in fighting the HIV epidemic in the US — especially in hard-hit places like Alabama. But DOGE cuts and policy changes under the Trump administration threaten to undue that progress. 

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins spoke to HIV survivors and advocates in Birmingham, Alabama to see how they’re feeling about these cuts.

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This episode was produced in collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network, an independent, nonprofit news organization. We also had support from the Mississippi River Basin Ag and Water Desk.

This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and reported by Garrett Hazelwood and Eric Schmid. This episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Additional help from Carlyle Calhoun, Eva Tesfaye, Ryan Vasquez, Ted Ross, and Brent Cunningham. The episode was fact-checked by Naomi Barr. Sea Change's executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX.

Thanks to a new executive order from Gov. Jeff Landry, Louisiana colleges can now pay student athletes directly for name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. The order prohibits the use of state-allocated funds and will remain in effect until federal NIL legislation is enacted. 

The order after President Donald Trump halted plans to create a college sports commission. 

Maddy Hudak, deputy editor for Tulane for Sports Illustrated, tells us more about this order and its suspected impacts.

About a year ago, the University of New Orleans said it would take steps to eliminate a $15 million deficit brought on by decades of low enrollment and other issues. And by the end of this semester, the budget was balanced, but not without its costs. There’s been layoffs, furloughs, the loss of some degree programs and the closing of Milneburg Hall, which needed significant repairs. 

UNO President Kathy Johnson has been at the helm. She joined WWNO’s Bob Pavlovich to explain how they balanced the budget and what comes next for the institution.

One in three high school students report poor mental health, with half of teen girls saying they feel persistently sad or hopeless. 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and one Louisiana organization is providing support for families facing emotional and mental health challenges. They’re also working  to make sure adults are aware of the struggles and warning signs in our youth.

Rashain Carriere-Williams, executive director of Boys Town Louisiana, 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.

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!