A map with a second majority-Black district gained approval by both Louisiana’s House and Senate this week. This comes after a federal judge ordered a new congressional map that more accurately reflects the state’s demographics. 

State politics reporter Molly Ryan and The Times Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace join us to discuss the session and what might happen next.

Closed primaries — where only members of that political party can vote — are common across the country.  But Louisiana abandoned this method in 1971 in favor of a jungle primary, where all candidates face one another on the same ballot and everyone votes regardless of party affiliation.

Now, Gov. Jeff Landry wants to return to a closed primary, citing simplicity and fairness. 

Robert Collins, professor of urban studies and public policy at Dillard University breaks down the key differences between the primary systems and discusses the potential political agendas attached to each. 

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.

After winning a substantial new contract from the Big Three automakers in November, the United Auto Workers are targeting a part of the country it’s long struggled to unionize  — the South. 

Today we hear part two of The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha’s conversation with Stephen Silvia about his book “The UAW’s Southern Gamble.” They discuss the UAW’s failed attempts to organize in Alabama and why things could be different this time around. 

It’s Carnival season, and usually, Mardi Gras and crawfish season go hand in hand. But this year, we’re seeing a big shortage of Louisiana’s favorite boiled shellfish.

Robert Stewart, with The Times Picayune/The Advocate,  tells us how the shortage is impacting farmers, suppliers, restaurants and consumers.

This weekend, farmers are gathering in Ville Platte for an inaugural conference on the future of agriculture in the face of climate change. “Louisiana Farmers Climate Convening” bills itself as a space where growers can talk about how climate change is impacting their businesses culturally and economically, and discuss potential solutions.

Lauren “LJ” Jones, from Shreveport Green and the Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition, and Leroy Conish, from River Road Farm in St. James Parish, tell us more.

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.

Roughly a third of workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama want to join the union, according to the United Auto Workers. 

This comes after the UAW won a substantial new contract from the Big Three Automakers in November. The UAW previously failed to unionize in Alabama after an initial attempt that began in 2011.

Stephen Silvia is the author of The UAW’s Southern Gamble. He spoke to Stephan Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom about why the Mercedes union campaign in Alabama failed and what it means for the UAW’s new southern push. 

Unframed, a multi-mural exhibit in downtown New Orleans is celebrating a milestone with its 10th installation, “Drum Major NOLA,” by New Orleans artist Keith Duncan.

Jessie Hayes, managing director of the Helis Foundation, the organization behind the project, tells us more about the city’s newest mural. 

The Nous Foundation and the Historic BK House & Gardens recently unveiled a new exhibit of contemporary art in New Orleans made primarily by Haitian artists. The exhibition, titled “Haiti-Louisiana: Tides of Freedom,” celebrates the cultural, linguistic and historic ties between the two nations. 

Scott Tilton, co-founder and director of the Nous Foundation, and Max Jean-Louis, a Haitian-born curator who helped bring this exhibition to life, tell us more about exploring the two countries’ connection through art.

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.

This episode of Louisiana Considered aired on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Here's what it featured:

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day, a time to remember the life and legacy of the civil rights icon. While King is largely remembered for his role in multiple de-segregation movements, what many don’t know is that many of his ideas and frameworks were largely inspired by the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott of 1953.

Back in 2010, the LSU Libraries’ T. Harry Williams Center created an oral history podcast, and in one episode, they explored the relationship between Baton Rouge activists and Dr. King. Today, we listen to that episode to hear first-person accounts from those who met with King throughout the Civil Rights movement. Then, Jennifer Abraham Cramer, Director, T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History and podcast host, tells us why this oral history project holds up, over a decade after its release.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman and Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:30 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. 

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out ourpitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out ourlistener 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.

Louisiana’s new governor, Jeff Landry, is wrapping up his first week in office. The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace tells us about the start of Landry’s term and his relationship with the state’s legislature.

New Orleans’ Saenger Theatre turns 97 years old next month. The theater, which originally opened in 1927, was just one of multiple Saenger Theatres throughout the South that offered patrons the experience of seeing vaudeville entertainment, motion pictures and later touring Broadway performances.

The Saenger’s general manager, David Skinner, tells us about the theater’s nearly century-old history, how it weathered the Great Depression and Hurricane Katrina, as well as the story of the two brothers who started it all. 

January is National Blood Donor Month and Ochsner Health is encouraging donations by offering pop-up drives throughout southeast Louisiana. 

Dr. Jennifer O’Brien, director of transfusion medicine at Ochsner Health, tells us how and where to donate and explains why we’re experiencing a critical shortage of donations from certain blood types.

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.

In November, the National Congress of American Indians convened for their 80th annual convention and marketplace in New Orleans. While the event is meant to unite and energize tribal leaders and professionals, many are frustrated with the lack of progress on state and federal recognition.

Elder Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw joins us more about the ongoing fight for recognition for her tribe and others. 

Earlier this month, Pacific Legal Foundation filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Do No Harm, an association of medical professionals, to stop the state’s consideration of race in appointments to the state medical board. Plaintiffs argue the racial mandate, which passed in 2018, is unlawful and discriminatory. 

Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, the board chair of the organization and former professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, tells us more about the lawsuit.

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.

Louisiana is sometimes referred to as America’s wetlands. The state’s abundant marshes are the source of a billion dollar fishing industry and a critical buffer against hurricanes. 

Now, researchers are looking to turn the marshes’ muck into money by using it to offset planet-warming emissions. Halle Parker from the Coastal Desk tells us about the uncertainties of this form of carbon capture.

Grambling State University, in north Louisiana, is one of eight HBCUs and tribal colleges and universities in the X to receive a recent grant from the Aspen Institute. The $75,000 grant will be used to help support student parents and other nontraditional students, including reopening the campus’s child development center, which closed in 2009 due to a lack of funding.

Carol Alexander-Lewis is a consultant for Grambling and administrator of the school’s new child development center. She has more than 20 years of experience in education as an adjunct professor, program director, consultant and speaker. She joins us to talk about what this grant means for Grambling and other HBCUs.

For centuries, Freemasons, Odd Fellows and other fraternal organizations have worked alongside the benevolent and mutual aid societies that are an important part of the social, cultural and civic life in New Orleans. 

Earlier this month, The Historic New Orleans Collection opened an exhibit exploring the sometimes-hidden history of these organizations. Jari Honora, a genealogist and the family historian The Historic New Orleans Collection, tells us more.

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.

New Orleans voters approved a 20-year property tax to expand free early childhood education for low-to-moderate-income families in 2022. Since then, the number of available seats has more than doubled. 

Reporter for Verite News Josie Abugov tells us more about the impacts of expanded access and what we can expect to see in 2024.

A slew of new state laws took effect on Jan. 1, on issues ranging from gender-affirming care to fertility preservation and traffic stops. Reporter for the Louisiana Illuminator Greg LaRose tells us which ones are most likely to impact Louisianans. 

Multidisciplinary artist José Torres-Tama has a new photography exhibit, “Documenting the Undocumented.” He joins us for more on the exhibition, which tells the story of New Orleans’ undocumented Latin American workers who helped rebuild the city after Hurricanes Katrina and Ida.

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.

Musician and composer Charlie Rauh recently completed a first-of-its-kind artist’s residency at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.  

Rauh spent a month observing practitioners and their animal patients at LSU last summer. The result is Theoria, a 13-track album released last month that explores the human-animal relationship. 

Jeff Landry officially became Louisiana’s governor today, after his inauguration was pushed up to Sunday due to weather concerns. In light of the transition of power, we look back at the state’s political history and bring you the story of Louisiana’s — and the nation’s — first Black lieutenant governor.

Oscar Dunn became the first African American to be elected lieutenant governor of any state during Reconstruction in 1868. He served as acting governor on two separate occasions when then-Gov. Henry Clay Warmoth had to leave the state to recuperate from foot injuries. 

Back in 2018, the TriPod team looked into the story of Oscar Dunn. At a time when our nation was tearing down old monuments of defamed political leaders, Laine Kaplan Levenson explored the monument that was supposed to be erected of Dunn in Louisiana in the late 1800s, but never came to be.

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.

Sometimes, it can be hard to find the bright spots amid feelings of uncertainty about the future of our planet. But they're there. Today on Sea Change, we're focusing entirely on solutions. Stories about the good.

We hear about a landscape architect in China who's pushing his city to become spongier as part of the global push for cities to rip up their concrete. And whether recognizing a river or forest's legal right to exist could help save our world. We also hear from two experts about how you can start taking small steps in your own life to help tackle climate change as soon as tomorrow. Because what we do matters.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are 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. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

The report “Making cities 'spongy' could help fight flooding — by steering the water underground” by John Ruwitch was originally broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition on October 3, 2023, and is used with the permission of NPR.

Hear more about climate solutions from climate reporter Caleigh Wells and Friends of the L.A. River CEO Candice Dickens-Russell on KCRW’s “The Anti-Dread Climate Podcast.”

This episode was hosted by Halle Parker and Carlyle Calhoun. Our managing producer is Carlyle Calhoun. Editing help was provided by Rosemary Westwood. Our sound designer is Maddie Zampanti.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.