How do you settle a $40,000 utility bill? That’s something a chef/restaurant owner in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter is trying to figure out after a public dispute with what some call a local energy monopoly. Chef Eric Cook admits he got some privileged treatment after venting his frustration about his bill, but he says New Orleans is home to many blue-collar people who can barely afford to keep their lights on. In this episode, Cook pulls back the curtain on why it’s so complicated in New Orleans to do something as simple as getting an accurate power bill. 

The Thanksgiving po’ boy is back in NOLA. November this year features five Wednesdays. That means New Orleanians and tourists alike will have five opportunities to get their hands on this unique “poor boy” sandwich. It’s available just one day a week, only during the Thanksgiving season and only at the world-famous Parkway Bakery in New Orleans. For more than a decade, Parkway’s Thanksgiving po’ boy has been satisfying appetites, but more recently, it’s been part of an effort to save lives. In this episode, we go inside the kitchen at Parkway Bakery to find out why this particular po’ boy consistently has people lining up early in the morning. 

An unconventional campaign strategy leads to a resounding political victory. In recent elections in Louisiana, an incumbent member of the Jefferson Parish Council didn’t sweat the political endorsements his challenger racked up or the amount of money he was spending to unseat him. Councilman Scott Walker won by a large margin and did so in large part by ignoring some typical political assumptions. Here's how he did it.

The lore in Louisiana. In the spirit of Halloween, we explore some of the folklore to emerge from the Cajun community in the state. Cities like New Orleans have long been associated with mystery, murder and the macabre, but the bayous along South Louisiana have their own dark stories and creatures. One of the most identifiable stories is of the Rougarou. While most people think of a werewolf-like monster when thinking of the Rougarou, a woman dedicated to preserving Cajun traditions and folklore says the Rougarou can take many forms. I visited her at her family’s home in Cut Off, Louisiana to learn more about the origins of the Rougarou and why the real monsters are often walking among us. 

The big business of name, image and likeness at LSU. To say Louisiana State University embraces the changes to the rules governing NIL (name, image, likeness) in collegiate athletics would be a huge understatement. When a major shift took place in the summer of 2021 allowing college athletes to profit from their NIL, LSU expressed its support through an electronic billboard in New York City’s Times Square. Since then, NIL and the money it produces has exploded. In this episode, I sat down with the woman overseeing NIL strategies at LSU. It’s a candid conversation about the potential for student athletes to make multimillion dollar endorsements and what that may mean for the future of college athletics. 

Saying goodbye to elections and the conspiracy theories surrounding them. As voters in Louisiana prepare to head to the polls for many races including one for the next governor, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin is preparing to step away from his post as the person who oversees elections across the state. Ahead of the October 14th primary elections, Ardoin decided not to run for another term. The persistent verbal attacks and what he calls lies that have been directed at him and his employees were major factors in that decision. In this episode, Ardoin opens up about the emotional toll election deniers have taken on his professional and personal life and what changes could be made to improve an election system that historically drew high marks. 

Help wanted, but so are skills. Adequate staffing remains a big challenge for New Orleans area employers post pandemic even with Louisiana experiencing its lowest level of unemployment in recent history. The state’s low unemployment rate gives job seekers more bargaining power. That’s according to one local staffing agency. In this episode, I visit with Adeeta Corporate Staffing, a “temp agency” that can attest to the impermanence of the current job market. 

Getting your message across. Now more than ever, we have more ways to control the amount and type of messaging that comes our way. We can fast forward or skip through commercials. We can subscribe to premium services to bypass ads altogether. With that as a backdrop, what’s it like for the people, companies and organizations trying to deliver their messages to you? In this episode, I visit two public relations firms in New Orleans. One is a boutique operation and has spent decades in political communications. The other is one of the largest public relations firms in the Gulf South handling accounts ranging from professional wrestling to Louisiana’s energy sector.   

A truly hairy business, a barber and his barber shop celebrate more than 50 years of cutting hair. Back in 1973, Sherwood Parker opened Parker’s Hair Styling & Barber Shop on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Terrytown, La. He’s still cutting hair 50 years later. Parker has managed to stick with a profession longer than many people have been alive. Many marriages don’t last as long as Parker has in the barer shop biz. In this episode, I visit the shop where Parker tells me about his longevity, why haircuts are so important, and his other career that sometimes required him to rescue people in emergencies.  

Golf course warriors, U.S. veterans in New Orleans and across the country are learning more about themselves as they learn the game of golf. Golf hasn’t always been viewed as the most accessible sport, but PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is seeking to change that. In collaboration with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, PGA Hope is introducing golf as a form of therapy to veterans and active-duty military who may suffer from PTSD and other service-related conditions. In this episode, I join a group as they practice at Bayou Oaks Golf Course in New Orleans. It’s a place where these veterans can laugh and enjoy their novice golf skills.