Louisiana Considered

We just finished celebrating one of America’s most patriotic holidays a couple of weeks ago. Even though the holiday is more closely associated with the original 13 colonies, a significant chapter of the Revolutionary War took place in the Louisiana Territories. The 1779 Battle of Baton Rouge was an important turning point of the war, signifying the strength of the rebels and their alliance with Spain.

To learn more about the battle and the capture of Fort Bute, we’re joined by Sam Hyde, professor and director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. 

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On Monday, Gov. Jeff Landry announced Meta is planning to double in size its datacenter in Richland Parish. The data center is already garnering a lot of attention for concerns over environmental impact and increased electricity demand. 

Reporter Brooke Thorington was at yesterday’s press conference. She tells us more about what the expansion means for Louisiana. 

One of the most significant battlefields in American history could soon see its largest expansion in nearly a century. The American Battlefield Trust has launched a $1 million campaign to protect 40 acres connected to the Battle of New Orleans, wher...

Louisiana state Senator Larry Selders died suddenly last week after collapsing at his son’s football practice. The “gentle giant” leaves behind his wife, Dr. Kendra Michael and sons, Larry and Luke.

The Louisiana Illuminator senior reporter Julie O’Donoghue joins us for more on Selders, his advocacy for substance abuse treatment and mental health rehabilitation, and what happens to his empty senate seat. 

A Baton Rouge community refrigerator is aiming to keep access to fresh foods available all summer long. The fridge is located in the Garden District of Baton Rouge and hosted by the organ...

This is part 2 of our 3-part series about elements. Last time we met nitrogen, today, it’s partner in crime and in life – phosphorus.

WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich has gotten to know the main character of this story pretty well after reporting on the environment in South Florida for more than a dozen years. Bone Valley in Central Florida has quietly fed the world’s hunger for phosphorus, even as its waters, in particular the Everglades, suffer from the fallout.

In this episode, you'll meet fishing captains turned environmental crusaders, hear about Guano Wars fought...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to talk politics with The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s Stephanie Grace. Today, we hear about the latest on the indictment of Attorney General Liz Murrill and its political implications. 

State lawmakers passed a legislative package this past session to eliminate three judge positions  from Orleans Parish Criminal Court. Supporters say the move was to address population shifts and to cut costs. 

Since then, criminal justice groups have weighed in on the action. They warn about a judicial process slow-down, case backlogs, and public safety.

One...

The system for dealing with stormwater in New Orleans is hundreds of years old and isn’t getting any younger. The Sewerage and Water Board (SWBNO)’s maintenance budget is short, more than $20 million a year, and that gap is only going to get bigger as a tax to address it expires next year.

Public officials, experts and advocates all agree a stormwater fee is needed.

Coastal desk reporter Eva Tesfaye joins to explain what exactly a stormwater fee means for residents and what’s being considered. 

Economic developers are often touting the numbers...

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill was indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury on sixteen felony charges last week for allegedly intimidating elected officials in New Orleans. Her bond was set at $4000 and an arrest warrant was issued.

Less than a week later, the only thing that remains are the charges. Murrill successfully petitioned the Louisiana Supreme Court to have the bond and warrant removed — and the court indicated she had a good chance at getting the whole thing thrown out.

WWNO’s Mel Bridges joins us with the latest. 

This time of year...

Money is coming to Acadiana. Lawmakers recently approved funding to build the new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge in Lake Charles after state lawmakers gave the project priority status in the new state budget. Legislators also allocated millions to help the University of Louisiana-Lafayette with a budget deficit.  

Christiaan Mader, founder of the Current in Lafayette, tells us more about the influx of cash headed to the region. 

Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order that he said will protect Louisiana’s household utility customers from paying for the massive amou...

Louisiana teachers will get another stipend this coming school year. In previous years, the legislature added money to the state’s budget to cover them. This time, the funding will be deducted from what the state already planned to send to schools. 

WWNO and WRKF education reporter Aubri Juhasz joins us with the latest.

In March of last year, President Donald Trump announced that Hyundai, the Korean industrial giant, would invest nearly $6 billion to build a new steel plant near Donaldsonville, Louisiana. While the Trump administration touted the jobs thi...

Many Republican-led states have passed programs that will eventually give any parent, regardless of how much money they make, thousands of dollars a year to spend on private school, and in some places, homeschool expenses.

For the Gulf States Newsroom, Elise Gregg looked at an exception — Mississippi, where lawmakers, so far, have held the line.

Agrivoltaics is the practice of using land for both photovoltaics or solar panels to generate electricity, and for traditional agricultural purposes for growing things in the soil.

Researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette suggest these two la...

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has come under fire for taking on a case with his private law practice. This is typical among Louisiana’s top prosecutors, and Williams has been lending his name to cases for five years. But this case, which involves a New Orleans man who made a fortune investing in Raising Cane’s, has become high-profile.

Joey Cranney, a reporter with the Deep South Today Investigative Reporting Center, tells us more about why this case is garnering attention. 

It’s the last day of Pride Month, and throughout June, we’ve been b...

The primary season for Louisiana’s U.S. Senate race is finally behind us, and we know who the Republican and Democratic candidates in the fall election will be. The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace tells us how Republican Julia Letlow and Democrat Jamie Davis made it this far. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center released its annual Year in Hate and Extremism report in early June, counting more than 1200 hate and extremist antigovernment groups across the country — and 33 across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The report says the hard right is no longer...

For Haitians living in the Big Easy, many things remind them of home, from Second Line parades to the architecture to the food. Red beans and rice, boudin, jambalaya… all these iconic Louisiana dishes have connections to Haiti.

That’s because Haitian migrants profoundly shaped New Orleans culture. At the turn of the nineteenth century, enslaved people on the island of St Domingue broke free from their chains. Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, they snatched their freedom from the French. They renamed the country Ayiti, the Indigenous Taino name for the land.

This not only sparke...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to talk politics with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s Stephanie Grace. Today, we discuss the final stretch of the Senate primary runoff and how State Treasurer John Fleming has been catching up to the Trump-endorsed Julia Letlow in the polls. 

There’s a spit of land out in New Orleans East. Thousands drive past it every day and don’t give it much of a thought. But this marsh, which stands between Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf, offers the New Orleans Metro area protection from storms and floods. And...

The 2026 World Cup is in full swing, and for the first time in 50 years – and second time ever – the country of Haiti is making an appearance. Even though the team has already been mathematically eliminated, fans are  gathering to watch their country’s games at the local Haitian restaurant, Fritai. WWNO’s Mel Bridges attended one of those watch parties.

We are nearing the end of Pride Month, a time when cities are chalk full of parades, concerts and events that celebrate LGBTQ+ identities. But sometimes, these celebrations are also reminders of tragedies that impacted queer communities.

Toda...

10 years ago, Mother Jones investigator Shane Bauer went undercover at a private prison in Louisiana. Disguised as a prison guard, he observed the violence and neglect at Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. His report drew the attention of many, including President Obama, who stated the government would discontinue sending federal inmates to private prison, which was ultimately unfulfilled when President Trump took office.

10 years later, Winn is still operating. Now it serves as a processing and detention facility for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Bauer spoke with Louisiana Considered’s Alana Schreiber about how he’s ref...

If you live in South Louisiana, you probably saw the headlines last month raising alarm about the region’s vulnerability to climate change. Like this one in The Guardian: ‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level rise, study finds. 

WWNO and WRKF reporters Aubri Juhasz and Eva Tesfaye have been looking at the study, media coverage and how locals are responding. They sat down to talk about it with one another.

The sequel to the Oscar-nominated documentary “Time,” titled “Time II: Unfinished Business,” premiered Friday on Amazon Prime. It picks up whe...

In this three-part series, we’re giving some of the most misunderstood characters on the periodic table a fuller story. We dive into the fascinating double lives of these elements that are both the makers and unmakers of our world.

In part one, reporter Olga Loginova travels to Cape Cod to meet nitrogen. In this episode: we trudge through the marsh, avoid great white sharks, and find out how we harnessed the power of nitrogen, why that power turned against us, and what we can do about it.

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This episode was hosted by...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to talk politics with The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s Stephanie Grace. Today, we preview the upcoming elections for Public Service Commission and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

 Many South Louisianans awoke early Thursday morning to the sound of  loud claps of thunder and pouring rain. The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur drenched the region throughout the day. The storm is now headed out of our region.

Meteorologist Dan Holiday joins us to cover storm damage and what to expect in the coming days.

When Baton Rouge voters head to the polls later this month, they’ll have the opportunity to decide on the fate of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s funding. The library is asking voters to approve its dedicated property tax. 

Report for America corps member Alex Cox joins us for more on this story, and why the fate of the library is continually on the Baton Rouge ballot.

Louisiana is among at least eight states that give federal funds to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.

The Department of Children and Family Services spent over...

The driverless car company Waymo announced plans to expand in New Orleans last year. But so far, all of the cars have human drivers, so they aren’t currently autonomous. 

The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s Blake Paterson tells us why the cars are not yet autonomous, and when that process might begin.

June is Pride Month, and on Louisiana Considered, we are looking back at some of the state’s key players in the LGBTQ rights movement. One of those figures is Stormé DeLarverie, a New Orleans-born activist and drag king performer often credited with playing...

A second New Orleans district judge has recused himself from presiding over the case of former Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who was accused of misconduct in a bombshell indictment unleashed days before she was set to leave office. Matt Bruce has been reporting on this for The Times-Picayune | The Advocate. He joins us for more.

The nonprofit organization 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge is celebrating the success of its flagship mentorship program, “Project Excel,” which mentors Black boys in grades 6 through 12 and helps them develop essential life skills and improve academic performance. To l...

Earlier this month, the organizations EverythingALS and Vision 2030 announced a partnership with the Allen Institute to accelerate research into the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS. The disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition where patients lose the ability to walk, use their hands, talk and eventually breathe. But the new investment will be geared towards finding using AI-powered technology to look for a cure at the cellular level. 

Tech entrepreneur and founder of EverythingALS, Indu Navar, and ALS patient living in Covington, Louisiana, Tim Fulham, join us for more on...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to talk politics with The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s Stephanie Grace. Today, we hear why New Orleans is gaining access to unspent Katrina money from FEMA. We also learn about Mayor Moreno’s recent win: bringing the Sewerage and Water Board under more city control. 

A sports medicine physician has opened one of the world’s first clinics and treatment centers specifically for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome at the Fascia Institute. Also known as EDS, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome affects the body’s connective tissues, often categorized by loose skin, unstable join...

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais has set off a wave of redistricting across the Gulf South.

Elise Gregg from the Gulf States Newsroom reports on how smaller communities in the South are being affected by new state voting maps that mostly favor Republican candidates.

Student researchers at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette have made a finding that could change the way scientists interpret information about climate change in both the fossil record as well as the modern ecosystem. And they made that discovery simply using oak leaves collected from the un...

A New Orleans immigration court is set to increase the number of hearings judges oversee each day dramatically. This is due to the Trump administration’s push to accelerate deportation decisions. 

Bobbi Jeanne Misick has been covering this for Verite News. She joins us for more on the so-called “mega” hearings. 

The André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice, located on historic Bayou Road in New Orleans, is gearing up for some exciting summer projects. Named for Civil War hero and freedom fighter André Cailloux, the center serves as a multidisciplinary arts and cultural h...

In May, University of New Orleans president Kathy Johnson announced she will be leaving her position at the end of June. This comes after she helped the university navigate its financial crisis and return to the LSU system. She’s accepted a role as the executive vice president and provost of Saint Louis University. 

WWNO and WRKF education reporter Aubri Juhasz tells us what this means for the institution.

Baton Rouge’s district attorney is scrutinizing companies that monitor ankle devices used by courts and law enforcement agencies to track offenders, after a local rapper was a...

Want to feel better? Get unstuck? Be inspired? Remake the world? Then this episode is for you. We talk with Katherine Wilkinson, author of the book Climate Wayfinding, and Colette Pichon Battle, lawyer and co-founder of Taproot Earth, about finding our way through the climate crisis.

To read more about Climate Wayfinding, or order a copy of the book, click here.

This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and Eva Tesfaye. Eva conducted the interview. Sound design by Kurt Kohnen, and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

Sea Change is a WWNO...

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s Stephanie Grace. Today, we discuss the two candidates still in the race vying for Bill Cassidy’s Senate seat. 

Last week, a ruling came down in the case of the notorious farm line at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. A federal judge ruled that while men forced to work on the farm line are subject to dangerous and harsh conditions, the court cannot force the state to fix the problem. 

The ruling follows nearly three year...

Lawmakers in Baton Rouge wrapped up the regular session this week without money in the budget to give teachers another one-time stipend, as they’ve done for the past three years. Instead, Gov. Jeff Landry is asking lawmakers to pull the money needed from existing school funding. 

WWNO and WRKF’s education reporter Aubri Juhasz joins us for more on this topic. 

Summer is right around the corner, and that means it’s mosquito season in our part of Louisiana. They’re an annoyance, of course, but they’re also a public health concern because mosquitoes a...

After 12 weeks, Louisiana’s regular legislative session officially wrapped on Monday night. Capitol Access Reporter Brooke Thorington gives us the latest, including the new congressional voting map, teacher pay raises and environmental legislation. 

Students in New Orleans recently celebrated the end of the school year and all the milestones that come with it. This was Fateama Fulmore’s first full year as the city’s superintendent. She spoke with WWNO’s education reporter Aubri Juhasz for more on the biggest lessons she learned this year and her hopes for next. 

Louisiana Public Broadcasting is launching a new digi...

Shortly after his inauguration, Gov. Jeff Landry signed a package of tough-on-crime bills that drastically changed the state’s sentencing laws. Now, two years later, the governor is hoping to add even more beds to the state’s largest prison through a newly proposed corrections budget.

ProPublica and Verite News have spent more than two years investigating the impact of Landry’s policies on the criminal justice system and how expanding the state’s corrections budget would impact taxpayers.

Verite News reporter Richard Webster joins us with more.

Louisiana Republican State Sen. Jay Morris u...

Today we’re bringing you the second part of the latest Sea Change episode, Losing Paradise.

As Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are claimed by the rising Gulf, fishermen and oil companies disagree over who has the right to the drowned land. 

Oil companies say they still pay taxes on the drowned property and have a right to keep off trespassers. Meanwhile fishermen say these are public navigable waters.

Attempts to pass legislation that would bring clarity have failed, so host Carlyle Calhoun brings us to another battlefront - the courthouse.

Billions from...

Why are fishermen being arrested in Louisiana? An epic battle over "Sportsman's Paradise" is being waged on Louisiana's water. This is a story about public rights and private power colliding. As more and more of Louisiana’s coast disappears underwater, the state’s two most powerful and iconic forces – fishing and fossil fuels – are waging war over who owns the drowned land.

This episode was hosted and reported by Sea Change's executive producer, Carlyle Calhoun. The episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Additional help from Johanna Zorn, Drew Hawkins, Eva Tesfaye, and Michael McEwan. The episode was fact-che...

The new documentary “Steal This Story, Please!” tells the story of independent investigative journalist and co-founder of Democracy Now, Amy Goodman. Produced by Elsewhere Films, the documentary explores Goodman’s globe-trotting reporting, covering the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, tracking down oil executives in Nigeria and her advocacy for the release of a man she believes was wrongfully imprisoned in Louisiana. 

The film highlights her commitment to democracy and truth-telling, and is imbued with a strong sense of her Jewish identity and New York roots. 

Goodman joins us alongside one of the co-directors, Tia Lessin. Lessin...

The Louisiana legislative session is entering its final week. Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace, tells us what bills passed, which failed, and what efforts are underway to change voting in the party primary system. 

Another school year has come and gone. In Louisiana, reading scores are continuing to rise after a COVID drop. WWNO and WRKF’s education reporter Aubri Juhasz joins us to discuss some of the biggest stories from the last school year.

For years, Louisiana has had one of the highest rates of incarceration in the country. But f...

Louisiana lawmakers recently passed a bill eliminating New Orleans’ clerk of criminal court. The parish had been the only one with two clerks, one for criminal court and another for civil. Governor Jeff Landry signed the bill into law just days before Calvin Duncan, a formerly wrongfully incarcerated Black man, was set to take office, after being elected to the criminal court position in November. 

Calvin Duncan joins us for more on his fight to keep the job he was elected to serve. 

Last year, journalist Susan Saulny read the headline, “New Pope Has Creole Roots...

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. We discuss Governor Landry’s recent trip to Greenland and his less than warm welcome. We also hear what Senator Bill Cassidy has been up to in Congress following his primary defeat.

Youth sports continue to face a shortage of referees. Football typically has the greatest need. Low pay combined with often unpleasant interactions with parents is keeping potential officials – particularly young people – at bay.

Some states are enacting tou...

It’s the time of year when all eyes are on LSU Baseball, a team that’s won two College World Series championships in the last three years. 

But this year, it’s LSU softball that’s grabbing the spotlight, as the team heads to the Super Regional where they’ll aim to punch a ticket to the Women’s College World Series.

Scott Rabalais has been covering the team for The Times-Picayune/The Advocate and joins us now for more.

Recent financial data shows about 37% of Americans currently have less than $500 dollars in cash savin...

Roughly two weeks ago, the New Orleans-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling to ban the distribution of Mifepristone — one of two widely used drugs used for medication abortion — following telehealth appointments. 

The Supreme Court issued a temporary stay of the ruling before releasing a new decision to keep Mifepristone available while the case proceeds in lower courts. 

Rosemary Westwood, a New York Times fellow and former WWNO and WRKF public health reporter, joins us with the latest.

East Baton Rouge city-parish employees are set to receive an across-the-board raise...