Louisiana counts nearly 2,000 foster homes across the state. There are more than 4,000 children in the foster care system.

Right away, you can see the math doesn’t work unless every foster family doubles up on the number of children they take — and of course, that’s not feasible or even recommended in lots of cases.

This week, we’ll get the perspective of those involved in Louisiana’s foster care system to see if and how the gaps can be filled.

We’ll hear from a faith-based group that’s the state’s go-to for therapeutic foster care.

David Matlock, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, the state agency in charge of foster care, will also join us.

And we’ll learn how people who were once in the system now get a say in how it operates.

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, she discusses how rising crime and the recent jailbreak are impacting approval ratings for the city’s law enforcement officers. And she reviews approval ratings for the current mayoral candidates. 

Flag football’s upcoming debut at the 2028 LA Olympics has sparked a debate: should seasoned flag football players or NFL bigshots be the ones going for gold?

Recently, NFL team owners voted to allow the league’s best players to compete in the Olympic games, but practiced flag football players want their chance to try out as well, arguing that they play this version of the game better than the pros.

Darrell Doucette III, known as “Housh,” is quarterback of the U.S. Flag National Team and one of the top flag football players in the world. The New Orleans native joins us for more on his journey in the sport and what he hopes to see at Olympic try-outs. 

Starting a small business can be daunting, exciting, vexing and expensive. But in New Orleans, the not-for-profit group Propeller has been helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses since 2009.

Propeller has appointed a new CEO, Jessica Allen, who comes from within the ranks of the group’s team. She joins us for more on her plans to help grow the city’s small business economy.

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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!

Cyberattacks on big companies get plenty of attention, but small businesses are hit about four times as often. A New Orleans restaurant owner lost thousands after her Facebook was hacked. 

The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha shares why hackers are targeting small businesses. 

There’s been roughly $11 billion in cuts to university research funding since President Trump took office in January. Trump has cited widespread political bias, including antisemitism, as the reason for these cuts, saying universities have forfeited the right to taxpayer support. 

While institutions like Harvard and Johns Hopkins are temporarily self-funding their research, not every institution has the means to do this. 

Robert Twilley,  a professor and vice president at the Office of Research & Economic Development at Louisiana State University joins us to discuss how research funding cuts could impact schools like LSU.

Recent national analysis shows Louisiana is bucking a national trend related to state budgets. It’s called revenue volatility, and the report from The Pew Charitable Trusts shows Louisiana’s is actually lower than most of the nation.

Justin Theal, senior officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts tells us how this rating relates to the state’s budget.

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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!

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!