Louisiana Considered

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. 

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. She tells us about rising tension between Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the city council over the city's role collecting taxes  for other government entities.

A new report from the Newcomb Institute found that over 10% of Louisiana adults struggle with severe depression and/or anxiety and 9% have either attempted suicide or had suicidal thoughts. 

Dr. Anita Raj, executive director of the Newcomb Institute, tells us more about this study and how Louisianans can prioritize their mental health and seek treatment. 

Louisianans are told, it doesn’t matter where you live, you should have flood insurance. But many people cannot afford the National Flood Insurance Program’s premiums. Now, we’re not only seeing more people dropping coverage, but those who do purchase insurance are paying higher rates.

Reporter Elise Plunk of the Louisiana Illuminator tells us about the issues that arise when people drop their policies, and the Catch-22 that’s created for those who continue to buy insurance.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. 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 pm. 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!

Since President Trump has taken office, he’s made massive cuts to American foreign aid. According to USAID, over 10,000 American jobs have already been lost, and estimates suggest more than 100 thousand global jobs could be lost. These job cuts don’t just directly affect aid workers, but also everyday Americans whose incomes rely on some foreign investment.

For more on how the cuts to the program will impact Americans, including Louisiana farmers, we speak with a former humanitarian assistance expert at USAID who is choosing to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. 

In the lead up to the Super Bowl, there were numerous concerns about increased human trafficking, and the city saw increased patrolling, investigating, and intervening into suspicious activity. Before the game, we spoke with Brandi Bynum, acting unit chief for the Center for Countering Human Trafficking at the Department of Homeland Security, about what signs to look out for.

However some advocates for sex workers say this increased focus is misdirected. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Kat Stromquist tells why this increased concern can be potentially harmful to consensual sex workers.

Beginning Feb 12., lottery registration opens for the Louisiana Fortified Homes program, in which eligible homeowners can register for a chance to receive up to a $10,000 grant to help make their homes more resilient against natural disasters.

Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington spoke with John Ford, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Insurance, about the logistics and the specifics behind this program and how you can qualify. 

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. 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 night was the 59th Super Bowl. At the Superdome in New Orleans, we saw the Philadelphia Eagles dominate the Kansas City Chiefs, winning 40 to 22.  The Gulf States Newsroom’s sports and culture reporter Joseph King breaks down some memorable plays, big disappointments and an electrifying halftime show from Kendrick Lamar. 

There are rising concerns over drone safety in Louisiana, and we could soon see legislation to allow state law enforcement to better mitigate security risks posed by the technology. A special drone advisory committee recently made recommendations to lawmakers on how to mitigate the risks drones can pose.

Vice chair of the Louisiana Advanced Aviation and Drone Advisory Committee, George Rey Sr., tells us more. 

Last week was National News Literacy Week. It’s an effort to bring attention to today’s complicated information landscape—the way that all of us are constantly bombarded with not just bona fide information, but also opinion, conjecture, social media influencers, concealed marketing campaigns and more. 

Chair in media literacy at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, Len Apcar, spoke with WRKF’s Adam Vos for advice on how to discern fact from fiction.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. 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, 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 time for our Week in Politics with the Editorial Director and Columnist for the Times Picayune/The Advocate, Stephanie Grace. Today we discuss why Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La. ) decided to support Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services and why his vote was so significant. 

A Louisiana mother and a New York doctor have been indicted for allegedly providing abortion pills to a minor in Port Allen. This is the first case of a doctor being charged for mailing abortion medication into a state where abortions are banned in the wake of the overturning Roe v. Wade. 

Rosemary Westwood has been covering the story. She joined Louisiana Considered's Managing Producer Alana Schreiber with the latest.

Xavier University of Louisiana is celebrating 100  years in 2025. It has been a part of the City of New Orleans community for a third of the city’s existence, training many of the state’s doctors, pharmacists, and other professionals.

The university’s president, Dr. Reynold Verret, tells us more about the institution’s impact on  the city, and how students, faculty and alumni are celebrating.

Early voting has begun for a special election to fill a vacant seat representing Louisiana's 14th district. Three Democrats are campaigning to finish the term begun by Cleo Fields, another Democrat who won election to Congress in November.

On Tuesday, WRKF’s Capitol access reporter Brooke Thorington spoke with one of the candidates, Carolyn Hill. Today she speaks with one of her challengers, Quentin Anderson.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical 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!

The Archdiocese of New Orleans recently made headlines for firing leadership of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans. This was done in retaliation for refusing to divert as much as $16 million of the food bank’s money to help pay for settlements against the church regarding sex abuse claims. 

The Guardian reports the Archdiocese relied on public relations assistance provided by the Saints and the Pelicans, which helped them spin the narrative on the allegations.

Ramon Antonio Vargas has been covering this story for The Guardian. He joined us to share more details and talk about  how the teams are responding after emails were leaked. 

This weekend’s Super Bowl is attracting fans to New Orleans from Philadelphia, Kansas City and other parts of the country. As airlines add more direct flights, all that air travel will release tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. 

From our Coastal Desk, Eva Tesfaye speaks with Barclay Rogers who calculated an estimate of those emissions. He’s CEO of the carbon removal company Graphyte and a professor of climate solutions at Tulane University.

The city of New Orleans is anticipating a $9.3 million federal grant to help expand the city’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The ability for EV drivers to charge-up along their routes is one of the big sticking points for wider adoption of EVs.

Greg Nichols, deputy chief resilience officer and director of the New Orleans Office of Resilience & Sustainability, tells us more about what it will take for large scale EV adoption.

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

The Super Bowl is just days away, and this week New Orleans is abuzz with excitement. And even if you don’t have a ticket to the game, there are plenty of ways to join in on the fun. Our managing producer Alana Schreiber joined us  for more on this week’s Super Bowl activities and events.

The Angela King Gallery in the French Quarter is launching two new exhibits to attract visitors in town for the Super Bowl. One features eco-friendly abstract paintings, and the other puts life-like African clay sculptures on display. 

Artist Michelle Gagliano, sculptor Woodrow Nash and gallery owner Angela King tell us more about the exhibitions and the crowds they hope to attract ahead of the Super Bowl.

Early voting has begun for a special election to fill a vacant seat representing Louisiana's 14th district. Three Democratic hopefuls are campaigning to finish the term begun by Cleo Fields, a Democrat who won election to Congress in November. 

WRKF’s Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington spoke with one of the candidates, Carolyn Hill, to learn why she’s in the race. 

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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!

This August marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. To remember the event and the lives impacted, Verite News is launching the new series, “What Was Lost.” This collection of stories and personal essays is about things people lost to the storm, be it physical or emotional possessions. 

Terry Baquet, editor-in-chief of Verite News, and Drew Costley, lead editor on the series joined us to sharemore. 

Two new reality competition shows hosted by Baton Rouge locals are coming to the Fawesome Network. Celebrity chef Jay Ducote hosts a  food truck competition, and  local actress and singer LaTangela Fay hosts a family game show. And each series shines a spotlight on Baton Rouge talent, locations and culture. 

Ducote and Fay, joined us to share more. 

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

Flooding is the most common natural disaster — by far. As more and more towns are devastated by floods, people are facing the tough question of how to rebuild — or even if they can. In this episode, we travel to two towns to discover how one obscure federal policy designed to stop the cycle of flood damage is leading to opposite destinies.

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Thanks for listening to Sea Change. This episode was reported and hosted by me, Carlyle Calhoun. This episode was edited by Jack Rodolico with editing help from Eve Abrams. Additional help from Halle Parker, Eva Tesfaye, Ryan Vasquez, and Rosemary Westwood. This episode was fact-checked by Garrett Hazelwood. Carlyle Calhoun is the managing producer. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski, and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

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 and The Water Collaborative. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

It’s Day 2 of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s  confirmation hearing to be Health Secretary, and many are wondering how Republican Senator Bill Cassidy will vote.  The former emergency room doctor has concerns about the vaccine skeptic. Although Cassidy mostly votes along party lines, he did vote to impeach Trump on Jan. 6 charges. 

The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stepahnie Grace joined the show to share the latest. 

The new movie about the life of Bob Dylan, “A Complete Unknown,” is shedding a light on the folk music revival. But many don’t know how Louisiana musician Huddie Leadbetter, or Lead Belly, played a role in expanding the genre. 

While his framed portrait only makes a brief cameo in the film, Lead Belly was a big influence on folk artists like Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Although the common narrative insists he was “discovered” by white folklorists while locked up in Angola Prison, a new book is separating fact from fiction.  

Sheila Curran Bernard is the author of “Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly’s Truths from Jim Crow’s Lies.” She breaks down the myths of his career and how he expanded folk and blues music across the U.S. and Europe.

Poor sanitation is a longstanding issue in the Gulf South, especially in Alabama’s Black Belt where the soil is a problem for traditional septic systems. The state’s previous rules for funding water infrastructure made it difficult for residents to fix sanitation issues themselves. 

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Danny McArthur reports on the patchwork of people and groups trying to address the problem.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. 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 pm. 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 just over a week since President Donald Trump took office for the second time. One of his first orders of business was signing pardons to all individuals convicted of offenses related to storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, including some Louisianans. 

But the pardons were met with mixed reactions from the state’s politicians, with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy speaking out against it. 

Mark Ballard, Washington correspondent with The Advocate Capitol News Bureau, joins us to discuss their response. 

Ten years ago, New Orleans passed its smoke-free casinos ordinance. It might seem like the status quo, but many remember when restaurants, bars, and casinos allowed for smoking and separate sections.

Onjewel Smith, southern states strategist for Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, tells us more about this landmark ordinance and what it meant for workers’ rights. 

An event highlighting the historical cultural connections between Louisiana and Ghana will take place in Baton Rouge on Sunday. The West African nation is responsible for some of the integral elements of Louisiana culture, including dance, food and music. 

Musicians Andrew Wiseman and Jeremy Thomas tell us more about this upcoming event, “Roots of Our Own: A Legacy Project,” which will take place at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library main branch at Goodwood. 

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