Louisiana Considered

We are all affected by ocean conditions, and we're talking about huge things like global food security and human health, to fisheries we depend on, to the transport of a whopping 90% of the world's goods. So it's vitally important to understand ocean conditions.

What can the fascinating field of ocean forecasting tell us about the future for us on land and for life under the sea?

Want to learn even more? Click here to read the report "Forecasting the Ocean."

This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun, and Eva Tefaye conducted the interview. Our theme music is by John Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski. Sea Change's managing producer is Carlyle Calhoun.

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Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR podcast network and distributed by PRX. SEA change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It's also supported by the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Mereaux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

It’s Thursday, and time to catch up on the week in politics with Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist for the Times-Picayune/The Advocate. Today we hear about the latest rift between Mayor Cantrell and the city council – this time over trash pickup in the French Quarter. 

Downriver from NOLA, a small Mississippi River offshoot, dubbed Neptune Pass, formed in 2020. The Army Corps of Engineers are looking at closing the opening as it presents problems for navigation. But the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority and other coastal advocates argue it’s an opportunity for coastal restoration. 

Alex Kolker is an oceanographer, geologist and climatologist at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. He joins us to share his new research on how the pass is building land using sediment from the Mississippi River. 

Earlier today, Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the new pope. The Chicago native – who will now be known as Pope Leo XIV – is the first American pope in the Vatican’s history. 

Leading up to the selection, many had hopes for who the new pope might be, and what communities he might represent. 

Kathleen Dorsey Bellow, director of Xavier University’s Institute for Black Catholic Studies, spoke to us about Pope Francis’ legacy among Black Catholics and what she hopes to see for the future of the Catholic Church. And just a note, this conversation was recorded before the announcement of the new pope.

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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 is in the midst of a deadly and growing outbreak of whooping cough. So far, two babies have died, and pediatricians have been urging the public to check their vaccine status and get vaccinated. 

Public health reporter Rosemary Westwood speaks with state epidemiologist Theresa Sokol to get an update on the situation.

For 60 years, rodeo has been a tradition at the state’s most notorious prison, Angola. The event lets inmates show off their vocational and artistic skills – and even make money. But it can be brutal, with inmates participating in dangerous activities some view as dehumanizing or exploitative. 

In the latest episode of The Light Switch podcast, Louisiana Illuminator reporter Piper Hutchinson speaks with Andrew Hundley, co-founder of the Louisiana Parole Project, to learn about the rodeo and opportunities for inmates after they’re released.

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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!

A new city ordinance would shield sex workers from prosecution when they report crimes to the New Orleans police. But it  would not protect them when state police handle their cases. 

Verite News’ Safura Syed joins us to explain how the ordinance would work.

The banks of Bayou St. John will fill up with boats, vendors and music  when the 18th annual Bayou Boogaloo kicks off next weekend. Jared Zeller,  president of Friends of Bayou St. John, and the festival’s producer and founder, tells us what’s on deck.

This Friday, Project Lazarus, a New Orleans-based organization that helps people living with HIV and AIDS, will host their annual Guardian Angel Award Gala to honor their biggest supporters. As they prepare  for the yearly event, we take a look back at the history of HIV and AIDS in New Orleans and hear how the organization came to be. 

The organization’s executive director Ian Bicko, tells us more about Project Lazarus and what they offer today.

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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!

The 151st Kentucky Derby is Saturday, and  a jockey from Louisiana is going for a repeat win. Brian Hernandez Jr., a native of Lafayette, won last year’s derby riding Mystik Dan, following a win at the Kentucky Oaks – a race for female horses. At this year’s Derby, he’ll be riding Burnham Square. Right now, the horse has a 16-1 odds of winning.

Hernandez Jr. joins us to talk about his horse racing journey and how he’s preparing for the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” 

Earlier this week, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra announced its 2025-26 concert season. The orchestra will introduce audiences current and living composers as well as the classical favorites people have been familiar with for centuries. Music director Adam Johnson gives us a preview of the year ahead. 

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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!

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 how changes the federal Justice Department are filtering down at local U.S. attorneys offices. 

The federal government is currently debating cutting more than $800 billion in Medicaid funding. This is causing major concerns for people who rely on Medicaid, specifically people with disabilities.

This week, disability rights advocates from across the country are gathering in New Orleans to address these concerns and drum up support for Medicaid. 

Armando Contreras, president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy, and Ashley Volion, lecturer in Sociology at Tulane University, tell us more about the impacts of these proposed cuts.

On Friday, May 2, Loyola undergraduate student Damian Sandoval Chable – known professionally as Damian Ch – will make his Jazz Fest debut, the first time a Loyola student has played at the music event.  Damian, a native of Mexico, will perform his own brand of Latin hip hop at the Cultural Exchange Pavilion, which is honoring Mexico this year. 

Damian Ch joins us to talk about his musical journey and what to expect at his upcoming 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!

Court hearings wrapped up last week in a case brought by inmates working the farm line at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola —an agricultural work assignment, where incarcerated men are forced to work long hours, sometimes in the heat of the summer.

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Kat Stromquist has been in court following this story and joins us to share more details. 

As we await a ruling on whether the case will be certified as a class action lawsuit, we wanted to take a deeper look at the history of prison labor, something many have said is . rooted in racism and slavery.

Nina Mast, policy and economic analyst with Economic Policy Institute, evaluated the issue in a report titled “Forced prison labor in the “Land of the Free,” and joined us to share more. 

Urban flooding has long plagued the Treme neighborhood in New Orleans. Now residents are taking matters into their own hands. 

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Danny McArthur reports on how people living in Treme are figuring out and addressing the root causes of urban flooding.

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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!

Economists like to say nobody wins a trade war. The counter point is the American auto industry. Foreign carmakers have opened dozens of factories in the U.S. over the last 40 years, largely due to conflicts over trade.

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephen Bisaha shares some of that history and why it might not repeat itself with the current trade war.

For the eighth time, acclaimed painter and sculptor James Michalopoulos is the official poster artist for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. This time, he’s spotlighting the Crescent City’s Grammy Award-winning band, Tank and the Bangas, led by vocalist Tarriona “Tank” Ball. 

Michalopoulos joins us to discuss capturing the essence of a festival in his artwork.

LSU has  long offered an undergraduate nursing program, but in the past, students have had to complete their training elsewhere. But next fall, the university will offer a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, along with a Master of Public Health degree and an epidemiology program.

Jennifer Manning, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Nursing Programs at LSU, tells us more about this new program and how she hopes it will address the nationwide nursing shortage.

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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!

Xavier University of Louisiana is making history by becoming the first HBCU in the country to offer varsity rowing and form a coed crew team, . The sport is more popular in the northeast, and has long been predominantly white and male. Xavier’s team  is the latest example of rowing’s newfound popularity  and diversification. 

To learn more about the Xavier University crew team we’re joined by three of the captains, Kamryn Days, Nyla Archibold, and Victoria Duffey. 

Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral that’s found in most water. But it’s been added to public water to help prevent tooth decay since the 1940s. In recent years, it’s become politically controversial, with people like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claiming the mineral is a quote “industrial waste” with links to cancer, IQ loss and autism – despite no evidence.

Now, a bill to ban fluoride is headed for debate on the Louisiana Senate floor. It was written by Republican state senator Mike Fesi, who called fluoride a poison and falsely connected it to potentially causing autism.

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins spoke with Scott Tomar, associate dean at the College of Dentistry at the University of Illinois Chicago to unpack the truth about fluoride.

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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!

A bill that would crack down on restaurant reservation apps is making its way through the Louisiana Legislature and could soon pass in the House. The bill would ban certain apps from arranging reservations without explicit contracts with restaurants. 

Reporter Wesley Mueller discussed this with Greg LaRose, host of the new podcast, “Light Switch,” from the Louisiana Illuminator. 

This past Monday, athletes gathered for the 139th Boston Marathon, which also marked 50 years since Bob Hall became the first wheelchair user to complete the course, which soon ushered in a wave of wheelchair racing at marathons.

And this past weekend, another racer raised the bar.  Brian Marelo, 15, won first place in the wheelchair racing division of the Crescent City Classic. He joins us along with his mother Gwenn Marelo, board president of the Spina Bida Foundation of Louisiana, to talk about  his racing journey and opportunities for adaptive sports in the state.

The New Orleans’ Jazz and Heritage Festival is upon us, and this Saturday, hip hop legend and NOLA native Lil Wayne will take the main stage with The Roots for the first time at the festival. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Joseph King tells us why this is a big moment for hip hop artists at Jazz Fest.

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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!