Louisiana Insider

We know that the Acadians were exiled from Nova Scotia, but why did so many settle in Louisiana? Was it because of the crawfish, the swamp, the alligators or the duck hunting? No, it was because of cattle and the Acadians' expertise at raising herds. Félix Martín Antonio Navarro, who from 1783 to 1788 was an official with the Spanish administration that governed Louisiana, convinced the king to allow land grants to Acadian settlers. Historian Robert Hicks, who has spent years studying Navarro, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the man he refers to as “Louisiana’s Greatest Humanitarian.”

Oh yes, we will also hear about a Catholic Priest whose 1955 book revived Navarro’s name as part of Louisiana history.

You would think if you were a former Secretary of States, insurance Commissioner, state senator and candidate for governor you could get good attention in a public hospital. That was not the case in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis when Jim Brown had to battle both a virus and a hospital staff that was still learning how to handle the onslaught of patients. Brown joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about learning to prepare for a health crisis.

Oh yes, we will also hear some good old fashion talk about current Louisiana politics.

Alecia Long, an LSU historian and author of the book “The Great Southern Babylon: Sex, Race and Respectability on New Orleans, 1865-1920,” joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the risqué side of early urban life. Oh yes, we will also hear about her latest book linking former Orleans Parish D. A. Jim Garrison's investigation of the Kennedy assassination as an alleged sex crime.

Ask Bob Marshall what the article was for which he won his Pulitzer Prize and he will politely respond, "which one?" Marshall has been on the winning side for two group Pulitzers each reporting on environmental issues for the Time-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.

Fortunately, on matters of ecological issues, Louisiana needs such aggressive watchdogs. The lush waterways and wetlands that make the state so wondrous are also vulnerable to being tested by nature.

Marshall joins Louisiana Life magazine Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about climate change in Louisiana including long-range predictions. (Hint: It’s not good.)

Oh yes, we will also hear about how far inland a new Louisiana coastline could be one day.

Most of us can go all day without worrying about what fuels our tractors need. If you are a farmer, though, you may have a lot to worry about, especially when a war can cause a diesel fuel shortage. (Also, fertilizer scarcity.)

Mike Deliberto, an economist for the LSU Agriculture School, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the status of Louisiana agriculture and what war can do to it. (Hint: It’s not good.)

Oh yes, we will also hear what the state’s top crops are and listen to a segment from a Ray Charles song about sweet potato pie.

Commercial radio in Louisiana reached a significant anniversary in 2022 as WWL in New Orleans celebrates its 100th year. The station, with its 50,000 watts of power, was designed to reach a national audience back in the days when radio stations were few. WWL’s news director Dave Cohen and Dominic Massa, executive vice president & COO at WYES New Orleans, who has written a book about local radio, join Executive Editor of Louisiana Life Errol Laborde along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the statewide evolution of the first electronic information medium. There are stories to tell.

Oh yes, we will also hear about early variety shows that preceded the coming of television.

In the 1700s, when New Orleans was a fledgling city, the French overseers faced many problems including a severe shortage of women. Arrangements were made to send women from France who were perceived as being problematic to Louisiana for a new life. Joan DeJean, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a native of Louisiana has conducted exhaustive research on who those women were brought to Louisiana, why were they sent, and what they accomplished in their new land. Some of the stories are heartbreaking others are inspirational.

DeJean joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about her latest book, “Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast.”

Oh yes, we will also hear about the legends of the casket girls.

If you're in Cajun Country around Mardi Gras time be careful when you cross the road, there might be some masked riders pursing chickens for a gumbo. Chance Henry joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the Courir de Mardi Gras tradition (he is a Capitaine), as well as Cajun Culture and Acadia Parish – for which he is the Police Jury President. Oh yes, we will also hear about a place where pirates and cowboys once gathered called Roberts Cove.

There are few phrases that can sound as sad as “Orphan train” yet between 1854 and 1928 for thousands of kids who had experienced the fragile immigrant life and the slums of the east coast, the Orphan trains were a chance to experience a new life on farm lands and in rural American towns. Martha Aubert, President of the Opelousas-based Louisiana Orphan Train Museum and board member James Douget joinErrol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss the plight of the kids many of whom settled in Louisiana.

Oh yes, we’ll also hear about some of the hardships and relocation success stories..

There is a place in Terrebonne Parish near the Gulf of Mexico known for its beautiful scenery, bountiful seafood and a population of indigenous people. It is also known for its fragile existence so near the water, as tested by Hurricane Ida. Ben Johnson, a producer for Louisiana Public Broadcasting, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss his documentary “The Plight of Pointe-Au-Chien,” a study of both the land and the native people who survive there.

Oh yes, we’ll also hear about some of the creative indigenous dishes served at the dinner table.