The small town of Lexington, Miss. has fewer than 10 police officers. That makes it one of the smallest to ever be investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation began after residents said police harassed them and violated their civil rights.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Michael McEwen and the Gulf States Newsroom’s Kat Stromquist join us to share what they have learned while covering this story.

An exhibition at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center in Baton Rouge invites viewers to explore the journey of Black hair through the lens of contemporary art. The exhibit, “Protective Styles: Narratives on Black Hair within Contemporary Art,” includes works ranging from melancholy to celebratory created by artists from across the United States.

John Alleyne, artist and professor at Southern University, curated the exhibit. He joins us to discuss what’s on display and how attendees are reacting.

The New Orleans Catholic Archdiocese has spent years shielding itself from dozens of lawsuits pertaining to sexual abuse allegations. The Guardian’s Ramon Vargas and survivor Aaron Hebert join us to explain how the archdiocese is dodging accountability and what that means for victims.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

University of Iowa basketball phenom Caitlin Clark is nearing the end of her collegiate career, and closing in on the all-time NCAA scoring record. That record currently belongs to LSU’s “Pistol Pete” Maravich, who scored 3,667 points in just 3 years before leaving for the NBA in 1970. 

New York Times sports reporter and Louisiana native Jere Longman tells us more about Clark’s journey to take Maravich’s record and what this means for women’s collegiate sports.

This spring, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans will screen “Rosenwald,” a documentary on the Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald who teamed up with Booker T. Washington to open more than 5,000 schools for Black children in the early 20th century. These screenings coincide with the museum’s exhibit on Rosenwald Schools, in which photographer Andrew Feiler traveled throughout the South, documenting the Rosenwald schools that are still standing today — and sharing the stories behind them.

In December, we spoke with Feiler about his photography project and combining his artwork with activism. Today, we give that story a second listen.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our assistant producer is Aubry Procell and our engineer is Garrett Pittman. 

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About an hour north of Jackson, Miss. the Justice Department is investigating a small town’s police force. The allegations? Unlawful stops, retaliation, racist roadblocks and excessive force. As the Gulf States Newsroom’s Kat Stromquist reports, residents still worry they won’t see change.

Property taxes are the basic means by which our government has money to operate, but many residents often don’t completely understand how they work. Thankfully, the Bureau of Governmental Research is on a mission to better inform Orleans Parish voters on how these  taxes impact them. 

BGR’s President and CEO Rebecca Mowbray tells us what residents can learn from the organization’s recently-released property tax dashboard. 

The end of Mardi Gras means the beginning of Lent, and even if you don’t observe the holiday, the days following Fat Tuesday are often marked by at least a few days without drinking — or maybe, just indulging a little less.

But there was a time when alcohol was illegal throughout the country — although the ban on booze was largely ignored in south Louisiana. 

Back in December, WRKF’s Adam Vos spoke about prohibition history with Sam Hyde, professor of history and director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. Today, we give that conversation a second listen.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. 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 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2022, the Library of Congress announced that the short film titled “Mardi Gras Carnival” has been added to the National Film Registry. The film, which captures about two minutes of the Krewe of Rex rolling through New Orleans in 1898, is this year’s oldest inductee.

But this film was actually long thought to be lost. Until Mackenzie Roberts Beasley, an audiovisual researcher and archivist for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, tracked it down in a trail that led her all the way to Amsterdam. She joins us for more about this film and the piece of history it exposes.

The 1997 documentary, “Testimony of a Big Chief” tells the story of the late Allison “Tootie” Montana, who led the Yellow Pocahontas Black Masking Indians for 50 years. This film was thought long-lost following the chaos of Katrina, until producers stumbled across an old DVD copy of it last fall. 

Director Will Horton and Tootie Montana’s son, Darryl Montana, tell us more about this film and what it means to see it again all these years later.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. 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 12:00 and 7:00 pm. 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Louisiana Considered, we celebrate Lundi Gras by learning how South Asian communities are starting their own Mardi Gras traditions. We also look back at some of our favorite carnival stories. Professor Emeritus of Francophone Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Barry Ancelet, tells us about Mardi Gras traditions in more rural parts of Louisiana. Then, we hear about the history of Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama. 

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 discuss Gov. Jeff Landry’s latest moves, including sending Louisiana’s National Guard to the U.S. southern border and supporting a controversial proposal to sell Louisiana Blue Cross Blue Shield to a for-profit company.

Mardi Gras is known as “the greatest free show on earth.” But some Carnival krewes once struggled for recognition and participation, including one of the city’s most famous organizations, The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club. 

Zulu President Elroy James joins us for more on the organization’s history, their charitable work and why krewe members throw coconuts on Mardi Gras day. 

“Superhot: The Spicy World of Pepper People” is a new Hulu docuseries that chases so-called “chili heads” around the country as they hunt for the spiciest pepper. One of the stops is Lafayette, Louisiana, where Troy “Primo” Primeaux promotes his 7 Pot Primo as one of the hottest peppers in the world.

Primo joins us for more on his creation, the world of chili pepper eating and the new Hulu series.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. 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 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis will soon head the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. This is a homecoming for the musician, composer and educator, who is a member of the famed musical Marsalis family.

Marsalis joins us for more on how New Orleans influenced his early life and highlights the successes of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music over its 12-year history and shares his visions for the future of the institution as its new artistic director. 

Everybody has a story to tell, but not everyone has the confidence, training or even the right words to tell it. 

That's where the Arts Council of Baton Rouge comes in. Their creative writing workshop encourages storytellers — specifically those 55 years old and up — to put pen to paper. 

Pam Bordelon, participant, editor and facilitator tells us more about the workshop and the anthology of short stories recently published by participants.

Mardi Gras season is in full swing, and parades and balls aren’t always accessible to everyone, especially for those with disabilities and the elderly. 

Thankfully, at St. Margaret's at Mercy nursing home in New Orleans, if you can’t go to the Mardi Gras, they bring the Mardi Gras to you. 

Louisiana Considered producer Alana Schreiber attended the home’s annual Mardi Gras ball last year. Today, we give that story a second listen.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. 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 12:00 and 7:00 pm. 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not all king cakes are created equal, and if you live in Louisiana, you probably have your own favorites. Maybe even a ranking of different bakeries. Aubri Juhasz introduces us to one New Orleans resident who has taken her king cake enthusiasm to a whole new level. 

Mardi Gras season is in full swing, and many New Orleans krewes are gearing up for this weekend’s parades and balls.

WYES-TV executive producer and host Peggy Scott Laborde has covered the Krewe of Rex and the meeting of the courts of Rex and Comus for several years. She joins us for a sneak peek at upcoming festivities.

In 2022, over 1,000 tons of Mardi Gras waste went into landfills in less than two weeks. And that was just in New Orleans. Beads, cups and other toxic throws not only contribute to flooding by clogging storm drains, but also pollute Louisiana’s lakes, rivers and bayous.

Thankfully, there are groups dedicated to a more sustainable Mardi Gras.  Brett Davis, founder of Grounds Krewe, joins us for more on his work to reduce waste during Carnival season.

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 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children in the Gulf South will miss out on a federal program that provides low-income families with extra cash for groceries over the summer. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Maya Miller reports on why Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama opted out of the program. Then she looks at other programs addressing childhood hunger in the region.

Horses are a staple at Mardi Gras parades, but they don’t always have a place to go at the end of Carnival season. Thankfully, the Humane Society of Louisiana has a program to help these horses get adopted. 

HSLA board member Rena Sweeney tells us more about adoption efforts and the importance of finding these animals a home.

Louisiana has one of the highest cervical cancer death rates in the country, with rates higher in predominantly African American communities in both urban and rural areas. Recently, a research team from the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center in New Orleans was awarded a $1.5 million grant to address barriers to cervical cancer prevention. 

Dr. Michael Hagensee, principal investigator for the grant, tells us more about expanding care in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the best distance runners in the country will gather in Orlando, Fla. this weekend to compete in the U.S. Marathon Olympic trials. Three top female and three top male finishers at most will punch their ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

New Orleans resident Kir Selert Faraud, a self-described “word crafter,” is competing and joins us for more on her running journey. 

In November, the city of Lafayette elected its first female mayor-president when Democrat-turned-Republican Monique Blanco Boulet defeated Republican incumbent Josh Guillory in a runoff election. While Boulet boasts an impressive resume — and is well known as the daughter of Louisiana’s first female governor, Kathleen Blanco — many were surprised by her victory, which was the first defeat of an incumbent mayor-president in Lafayette since the 1990s.

For more on her historic win and what she hopes to accomplish in office, Andrew Capps, local government reporter for Lafayette’s nonprofit newsroom the Current, sat down with the mayor-president for more.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our assistant producer is Aubry Procell and our engineer is Garrett Pittman. 

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 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!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.