Louisiana Considered

It’s the end of the month, and that means it’s time to catch up with our neighbors in Acadiana. Founder and editor of The Current, Christiaan Mader, breaks down the latest news in the region, including how U.S. deportations are raising concerns in a Laotian refugee community in the area.

Following the jailbreak at the Orleans Parish Justice Center, law enforcement agencies across the state began pointing the finger at one another. Gov. Landry blamed the District Attorney’s Office for delays in the inmates' cases, DA Jason Williams blamed the sheriff's office for its slow response to requests for evidence needed to prosecute cases. And Sheriff Susan Hutson pointed to jail workers and those on the outside helping the inmates. 

So where does the accountability actually lie here, and how common is this kind of law enforcement infighting?

Mac Muir, leading expert on police accountability and the former Executive Director of the Community Police Review Agency (CPRA) in Oakland, California, joins us to share his thoughts. 

The Marigny Opera House is gearing up for a night of Italian music with a production of Verismo: Opera Tableaux. The upcoming performance also includes dance numbers and visual art for an immersive experience. 

Marigny Opera House executive director, Dave Hurlbert, and “Verismo” artistic director, Bogdan Mynka, tell us what to expect at this production. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. 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!

Two weeks ago, we hosted a Sea Change live event at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. We wanted to talk about the science behind the massive land loss crisis we are experiencing, what it means to live in a vanishing landscape, and importantly, what we can do about it. But this is New Orleans, so we also wanted to celebrate! Celebrate the culture and joy of living in this special place.

And while we can’t share food through the airwaves, we can share music. Join us for an incredible concert and conversation with musicians and scientists about the future of Louisiana’s coast. Last week we brought you the first part of the live event. Today, you'll hear the second.

This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and Eva Tesfaye. We’d like to thank the New Orleans Jazz Museum for hosting us for this great event and the Bywater Bakery for providing everyone with delicious food. And thank you to our amazing guests: Louis Michot, Tommy Michot, Cocoa Creppel, and Sam Bentley. Sea Change’s sound designer is Emily Jankowski, and our theme music is by Jon Batiste. Our executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun.

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Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. And to help others find our podcast, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sea Change is also supported by the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. Today she tells us about the political turmoil unfolding since the Orleans Parish jailbreak, including Sheriff Hutson halting her re-election campaign.

If you’ve ever looked at the vast spreads of prepared food at groceries, bakeries, café’s, and restaurants, and wondered where it all goes at the end of the day, the answer is usually – the garbage can.

But an app that just launched in Baton Rouge and New Orleans is trying to help that food find a home and reduce the environmental impact of food waste. Allie Denburg, associate director of Strategy and Operations for the “Too Good To Go,” app gives us the details.

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project is the largest in Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan. The $3 billion project would divert freshwater carrying sediment from the Mississippi River into Barataria Bay to build more land and stave off Louisiana’s land loss crisis.

But under Gov. Jeff Landry, the project has faced significant delays, and now it’s possible it might not move forward at all.

The Coastal Desk’s Eva Tesfaye spoke with Delaney Dryfoos, environmental reporter at The Lens, who has been following this closely t.

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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!

As Congress continues to debate deep cuts to Medicaid, a new report shows that the program has been central to providing health coverage for women of childbearing age. 

The Georgetown University study found that Medicaid covered nearly half of all births in rural America, and that Louisiana was among the states where women rely on Medicaid most.

To learn more, public health reporter Rosemary Westwood spoke with Joan Alker, one of the report’s authors and executive director of the Center for Children and Families at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.

Louisiana’s film industry has been drying up, and currently there’s nothing shooting in the state. Filmmaking has been down across the U.S. but there are also factors affecting Louisiana in particular, including a proposal to get rid of the film tax credit that incentivizes production here.

Miles Doleac, chair of digital filmmaking at Loyola University in New Orleans, as well as independent film director and working actor, helps us dissect the current state of the film industry.

Preservation Hall is known as one of New Orleans’ most iconic jazz venues. Bands play for thousands of students and music lovers each year – all in service of its mission to preserve and perpetuate jazz. 

Now, the Preservation Hall Foundation is planning to double the size of its efforts. It’s renovating a three-story, 7,000-square-foot building next door. Producer Matt Bloom met up with the Hall’s artistic director, Ben Jaffe to learn more about how he’s expanding the family business.

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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!

Ten inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Justice Center last Friday, the biggest jailbreak in state history. Three of the men were captured shortly after they fled, and one more was arrested last night. Local and state law enforcement officials all seem to be pointing blame at one another.

WWNO/WRKF reporter Matt Bloom has been covering the story and  joins to give us an update. 

Hellenic heritage will be on full display when the Greek Festival returns for its 50th year. The host, New Orleans’ Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral is  celebrating its 160th anniversary. It’s  the oldest existing Orthodox community in the Americas. 

Maggie Maag, chair of the church’s Archives Committee, a conservation group also known as Keepers of the Faith, tells us more about the city’s Greek history and this year’s festival. 

“Kitten season” is in full swing, and it sounds much cuter than it is. It’s the time of year when kittens tend to be born at the highest rates, often overwhelming the capacity of animal shelters despite the best efforts of staff and volunteers.

Valerie Robinson, manager at Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter, joins us to discuss what we can do to help stray cats during this time of year. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. 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!

Louisiana lawmakers are asking Congress to bring back a federal program that helped schools buy food from local farms. It’s one of the cuts the Trump administration made to the Department of Agriculture. Education reporter Aubri Juhasz explains how one school district used the money and how cuts are impacting their current relationships with local farms.

A recent investigation into Steward Health Care, which ran a hospital in West Monroe, La., found that the hospital chain’s owners spent years squeezing profits out of the business, leading to a decline in the quality of care. The investigation found over 400 lawsuits involving more than 80 deaths and issues with  labor and delivery. All while owners spent millions – on a yacht, an apartment in Spain, and a prep school – instead of spending money on important hospital equipment and employee salaries.

Reporter Hannah Levintova investigated the now bankrupt for-profit hospital. She joins us now to discuss her findings published in Mother Jones. 

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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!

Today on Louisiana Considered, we bring you a special episode of the coastal podcast Sea Change. Live from the New Orleans Jazz Museum, we hear conversations and songs about the intersection between climate and culture from scientists, tribe leaders and musicians.

Hosts Carlyle Calhoun and Eva Tesfaye are joined by musician Louis Michot; his father and musician and scientist and coastal researcher, Tommy Michot; musician and former Chief of the Houma Nation, Cocoa Creppel; and Professor of Sedimentary Geology, Sam Bentley.

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Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. And to help others find our podcast, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sea Change is also supported by the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time for our week in politics with the Editorial Director and Columnist for the Times-Picayune/The Advocate, Stephanie Grace. Today we dig into the rumors that Sen. Chuck Schumer is trying to convince former Gov. John Bel Edwards to run for Senate.

Coastal stories are all over the news these days, with vanishing wetlands causing major concerns for the future of Louisiana’s coastline. On today’s episode of “The Light Switch” podcast, host Greg LaRose speaks with reporter Elise Plunk about the state’s environmental future. Then, Plunk speaks with Ehab Meselhe, professor in the Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering at Tulane University, about the overlap between environmental science and politics. 

President Donald Trump wants the U.S. to build more commercial ships by adding a new expense on Chinese ships trading with the U.S. All the while, the cost of his current tariffs are leading to fewer ships setting sail. 

Reporting from Mobile, Alabama’s waterfront, the Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha explains why the decline of American shipbuilding is a serious national security concern.

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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!

Last Thursday, Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the new pope. Now known as Pope Leo XIV, he’s the first American pope in the Vatican’s history.

Father Mark Mossa, Program Director for the Canizaro Center for Catholic Studies at  Loyola University of New Orleans, tells us more about what it means to have an American pope and how this could shape the Church’s future. 

The start of hurricane season is just weeks away, and it will be 20 years since Hurricane Katrina. And the man who led response efforts after the storm, Lt. General Russel Honoré (retired) wants to make sure you’re prepared. 

General Honoré joins us to reflect on Hurricane Katrina 20 years later and offer advice for this year’s season. 

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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!

Last week, Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new pope. Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, is the first American pope in the Vatican’s history. Although he was born and raised in Chicago, a local genealogist and historian quickly traced his family’s lineage to New Orleans. 

Jari Honora, family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, tells us more about what he discovered about the pope’s familial ties to the Crescent City.

Venture Global, the U.S.’s second largest producer of liquified natural gas, plans to build a second terminal in south Louisiana, this time in the sparsely populated Cameron Parish. The proposed terminal was recently granted a permit by the Department of Energy, its fifth LNG-related approval since President Trump took office. 

Verite News’ Tristan Baurick tells us how residents are responding to the news.

Scott Cowen has worn many hats. College football player, infantry officer, professor and president of Tulane University when Hurricane Katrina hit. He became a prominent voice for restoring the city’s infrastructure, reforming the public school system and enhancing Tulane’s athletic programs.

More  recently, he’s authored several books, including  “Lead and Succeed,” a leadership guide for recent graduates and early career professionals.  Cowen joins us to discuss his varied career and share his leadership advice for young people.

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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!