Newell Normand

Joe Giarrusso, New Orleans City Councilmember, joins Newell to talk about what came out of the criminal justice committee meeting at City Hall with Sheriff Hutson and Chief Kirkpatrick in attendance.

This hour, Newell is joined by Matt Wolfe, Vice President of Communications at GNO Inc., to talk about the progress of House Bill 687, which grants the Port of New Orleans authority to construct the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor, House Bill 431, concerning insurance reform, and House Bill 615, which aimed to establish comprehensive regulations for large-scale solar power generation facilities in Louisiana. Then, Jerry Bologna, President & CEO of JEDCO, joins the show to talk about the Jefferson Parish Passport, which was designed to celebrate the Jefferson Parish Bicentennial by encouraging residents and visitors to spend local and experience the vast array of business offerings available in the parish.

Jerry Bologna, President & CEO of JEDCO, joins Newell to discuss the Jefferson Parish Passport, which was designed to celebrate the Jefferson Parish Bicentennial by encouraging residents and visitors to spend local and experience the vast array of business offerings available in the parish. Also, Bologna talks about a series of community-driven and business-focused initiatives.

This hour, Newell addresses Sheriff Susan Hutson's current public posture in the aftermath of the Orleans Justice Center jailbreak. Then, Louisiana State Representative Laurie Schlegel joins the show to discuss House Bill 77, which would overhaul the scholarship amounts that students get from TOPS.

Louisiana college students would get bigger state-funded TOPS scholarships under a new bill proposed this legislative session with one major exception. House Bill 77 would overhaul the scholarship amounts that students get from TOPS, Louisiana’s program for high-achieving students who attend any of the state’s public colleges and universities. It aims to bring scholarship amounts more in line with rising college costs and standardize rates across schools, said the bill’s co-authors, Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, and Rep. Christopher Turner, R-Ruston. Rep. Schlegel joins Newell to discuss the bill.

Newell addresses Sheriff Susan Hutson's current public posture in the aftermath of the Orleans Justice Center jailbreak.

On today's show, Newell explains how the progressive ideology led to the emboldening of the 10 Orleans Parish jail escapees by removing the element of fear.

Newell also speaks with,

Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue, co-founder of Bayou Mama Bears and former Orleans prosecutor, about the mismanagement, the prior releases, and the criminal histories of the OPSO escapees,

Kay Ussin, Executive Director of Mission Rebirth, about providing supportive wraparound services to support individuals who are impacted by the justice system or living in underserved communities,

Attorney General Liz Murrill about the Orleans Parish jailbreak,

Daniel Flannery, Professor & Director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention at Case Western Reserve University, about the possible factors leading to the decline of drug overdoses,

and Dr. Skip Gallagher, UNO Professor & NOPD Watchdog, about a Washington Post article alleging that the New Orleans police secretly relied on facial recognition technology to scan city streets in search of suspects.

According to a Washington Post article by Doug MacMillan, for two years, New Orleans police secretly relied on facial recognition technology to scan city streets in search of suspects, a surveillance method without a known precedent in any major American city that may violate municipal guardrails around use of the technology. UNO Professor & NOPD Watchdog Dr. Skip Gallagher said, "This was being used almost exclusively in the 8th District (French Quarter). I've talked to multiple officers in other Districts and they had no part in this and, for the most part, had no idea that this existed." Skip spoke to Doug MacMillan, who wrote the piece, and he said he went to great lengths to speak to any of the city council members, and none would speak to him. Dr. Gallagher joins Newell to talk about it.

After hitting staggering heights, U.S. overdose deaths fell sharply in 2024. The opioid crisis in the U.S. shows signs of improvement, with a significant drop in fentanyl overdose deaths in 2024. Daniel Flannery, professor & director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention at Case Western Reserve University, joins Newell to talk about possible factors leading to the decline of overdoses.