Louisiana Insider

What’s new in Louisiana? That's a question that Louisiana Life magazine asks in every issue but especially its annual cover story entitled "La Nouvelle Louisiane." The magazine’s editorial staff probes the state to discover what’s new in many topics including architecture, visitor attractions, outdoor spaces, hotels bars, musicians and restaurants. Melanie Warner Spencer, the managing editor of Louisiana Life, joins the magazine's Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss great discoveries across the state.

Oh yes, we will also hear what a Lake Charles casino and a New Orleans basilica have in common.

In 2005, during the days of confusion after Hurricane Katrina broke New Orleans’s levees, the military needed someone to take charge. That happened once Russel Honoré, a Louisiana-born General with lots of swagger, stepped off the helicopter. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin would describe him as "that John Wayne type character." Honoré would be called again to defend a different city in 2021, after the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the general to conduct a security analysis. Honoré joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss his battlefield career and his latest battle for equitable energy policies.

Oh yes, we will also talk about his Green Army and how to go to battle.

Angela Gregory was one of Louisiana’s greatest artists and among the least known. She is distinguished for having chiseled a reputation in a field long dominated by men – sculpturing. From the streets of turn-of-the-century New Orleans, where she grew up, to the Parisian studio where she honed her craft, Angela Gregory’s story is that of a woman before her time. Beginning with her interest in art at an early age, a film produced for Louisiana Publish Broadcasting explores Gregory’s studies at Newcomb College in New Orleans and at the studio of Auguste Rodin’s chief sculptor Antoine Bourdelle in Paris.

“At a time when women struggled to be taken seriously, Gregory married her mathematics skills with her love for art and architecture to create beauty in what she called ‘the ultimate lasting pieces of art," said Dorothy Kendrick, the film’s producer and writer, .

Kendrick, along with art historians Susan Hymel and Elizabeth Weinstein, join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about Gregory’s career.

Oh yes, we will also hear about an exhibit and a documentary created to tell more of her story.

What exactly is the purpose of roux in a gumbo or stew? And how about those prepared roux mixes? Louisiana Life’s longtime food columnist and genius in the kitchen as well Stanley Dry ponders these question and others with Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot. They also talk top Louisiana seafood and meats.

Oh yes, we will also hear Dry reveal his favorite Louisiana-linked desserts.

It is the true Public Enemy Number One. In Louisiana, cancer takes many victims but there is an advance guard providing research and treatments.

Jasmyne Watts, a cancer support manager for the American Cancer Society, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the top cancers in Louisiana and what is being done to overcome them.

Oh yes, we will also hear about the importance of early diagnosis.

Natchitoches, Louisiana is known for its quaint architecture, plus one building that is hip and cutting edge. The building, which now houses the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Northwest Louisiana History Museum, is so much of a discussion in the architecture world that it was featured on “How Did They Build That?” – a globe-trotting series on the Smithsonian Channel. Crowley native/New Orleans and New York resident architect Victor “Trey” Trahan joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the ideas and problem-solving that allowed this building to rise.

Oh yes, we will also hear about the Louisiana Superdome, where Trahan is involved with the refurbishing.

Some of the state’s most interesting places were built for everyday people to do great things. There were the Rosenwald Schools built by a wealthy Southerner who, in the pre-Civil Rights days, wanted to provide settings for Black kids to have a better learning environment. A couple hundred were built in Louisiana each including classroom buildings and two houses for the teachers. Elsewhere, there were also churches and office buildings some deigned with an extra flourish, begging for re-use today. Brian Davis, the Executive Director for the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the Trust’s latest endangered building list each with a great history.

Oh yes, we will also hear about a building that Davis personally helped save. He lives in it now.

Back in the bad old days, when racial segregation was the law, there were music entertainment clubs throughout the state to accommodate a Black-only crowd. Known as the “Chitlin' Circuit,” some of the biggest names in rhythm and blues, including Ray Charles and James Brown, made the trek from place to place. The swankiest of all the stops was the cleverly named Dew Drop Inn, located in New Orleans on LaSalle Street. There were big name entertainers, including a few female impersonators, plus a bar, food and dancing; and even a hotel. After passage of the Civil Rights bill there were more options for Black people. Some of the old clubs lost their following and fell into disrepair. The good news is that the Dew Drop Inn is making a comeback. Developer Curtis Doucette joins Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his efforts to revive the Dew Drop and make it better than ever.

Oh yes, we also hear about Drag Queen master of ceremonies Patsy Vidalia and her unique presence.

Bill Caragan fought two military-related battles in two different decades – and he was successful with both. The first can in the 1990s when Caragan's Louisiana National Guard Unit prepared to be shipped to Iraq as part of the effort to liberate Kuwait in what would become known as Operation Desert Storm. The second was in recent years to promote a monument in honor of those who fought in Operation Desert Storm. The monument’s site in Washington, D.C. was recently dedicated and now under construction. Caragan joins Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the war and the evolution of a monument.

Oh yes, we will also hear about why being an artillery unit’s forward observer is one of the toughest jobs in the military.

Louisiana’s movie business is rebounding and Alfred Richard knows the scene from inside and out – as a fan and as a participant. Richard, whose movie comments are heard weekly on New Orleans stations WWL-TV Ch. 4 and periodically as a special guest on public television WYES Ch. 12’s "Steppin’ Out" program, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot for a fun talk about the movies.

Oh yes, we will also hear about his role as “Chocolate Thunder” as part of the “610 Stompers” dancing group, whose whole motto is “Ordinary Men; Extraordinary Moves.”