Louisiana Considered WWNO/WRKF Newsroom

Louisiana’s 85-mile industrial corridor along the Mississippi River is one of the country’s largest hotspots for a cancer-causing chemical called ethylene oxide. The Environmental Protection Agency has found that much of the region is exposed to unsafe levels of the carcinogen, but a new study out of Johns Hopkins University found that in some areas, the exposure was even worse than estimated. The Coastal Desk’s Halle Parker sat down with the study’s authors, Ellis Robinson and Peter DeCarlo, to talk about their real-time air monitoring work and what it says about how well we know what’s in the air.On June 19, Governor Jeff Landry signed a bill into law that requires all Louisiana classrooms to display the 10 commandments, provoking a national debate over the separation of church and state. The bill has also resulted in lawsuits, with a handful of civil rights groups teaming up to target this law they believe violates the constitution. Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, one of the groups to file a lawsuit, tells us how this bill represents a rise in Christian nationalism. Then, we hear from Anna Gimilaro, a 4th grade teacher at Morris Jeff Community School in New Orleans, about how this bill may impact students in the classroom. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The Union of Concerned Scientists recently released a report highlighting the risks that flooding poses to infrastructure in the US. And Louisiana is no stranger to flooding-related disasters. The Coastal Desk’s Eva Tesfaye spoke with UCS’s policy director Rachel Cleetus to learn what this report tells us about heightened flooding risks to disadvantaged communities.The Historic New Orleans Collection recently unveiled a new exhibit featuring portraits of unidentified people. Called, “Unknown Sitters,” the exhibition showcases 26 portraits of unknown New Orleans area residents whose names have been lost or forgotten over time.Curator of Decorative Arts Lydia Blackmore tells us more about this exhibition and how audiences are creating their own stories and identities for the unknown subjects. The Baton Rouge Audubon Society is celebrating 50 years of preserving bird habitats and nature in the region. President Jane Patterson and wildlife photographer, naturalist and co-founder of the BR Audubon Society, CC Lockwood, tell us what the organization has accomplished in the last half century and how they’re marking the occasion. Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener 

In New Orleans, an estimated 23% of all undergraduate students are parents. They face more obstacles than your average student, having to consider things like childcare and economic stability while taking classes.The organization Generation Hope helps these parents make their way through school. And just this month, they celebrated the one-year anniversary of their New Orleans scholars program.Joining us for more on this organization and the support they offer is Nicole Lynn Lewis, founder and CEO, and Lindsey Cross, director of New Orleans programming. It’s a milestone year for the ESSENCE Festival of Culture. It’s celebrating its 30th anniversary. That celebration has a special meaning for New Orleans as the festival began in the city back in 1995. Hakeem Holmes, vice president of ESSENCE Festival of Culture joins us to share more about this year’s festivities. ___Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Today marks two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — triggering a Louisiana law that bans nearly all abortions. That’s had major implications for women’s health in the state. WWNO/WRKF public health reporter Rosemary Westwood has covered the fallout of the ban. She takes stock of where we’re at two years after the end of federally protected abortion rights. Director, filmmaker and activist Ruth Leitman’s new documentary, "No One Asked You," tells the story of Jackson Women's Health, the former clinic at the center of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization; and the Pink House Defenders, the group of volunteers who helped care for patients entering and exiting the clinic.The Gulf States Newsroom's Maya Miller sat down with Leitman to talk about the process of filming the documentary over seven years, her experience at The Pink House and more.Most know “40 acres and mule” as a promise of reparations — broken by the U.S. government — to formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. But that’s not the full story.In a recent investigation, reporters examined the largest collection of land titles from that program ever to be analyzed. Center for Public Integrity reporter April Simpson tells us how the team found that more than 1,200 newly freed men and women actually did receive land — only to have it  taken away. ___Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The Vietnamese word for water is nước. But nước also means “homeland.” In the first part of the latest episode of Sea Change, we learn how South Louisiana’s Vietnamese community is reimagining its complicated relationship with water in a place where everything about water is changing.The world of baseball saw two historic events this week: The passing of legendary player Willie Mays, and the first Major League game to be played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama — the very field where Mays started his career, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons. Alana Schreiber, executive producer of WWNO/WRKF’s Road to Rickwood podcast, attended Thursday night’s matchup between the Giants and the Cardinals. She shares her experience of the event, held in celebration of the legacy of Negro League baseball.___Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Ryan Vasquez. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Last week, Republican Rep. Garrett Graves of Baton Rouge announced his decision to not run for reelection this fall. Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist for The Advocate, joins us to discuss the implications of that decision for Louisiana and the nation.Road rage is a problem in every state, but Louisiana drivers tend to express their frustrations with guns more often than the national average, according to fresh statistics from the Gun Violence Archive. Carlie Kollath Wells, reporter for Axios New Orleans, joins us to break down the data.Last summer, we heard about a pilot program spearheaded by the University of New Orleans to make high school financial literacy classes more relevant to students. Now, the Dollars to Dreams program has completed its first school year.Jedidiah Collins, founder of Money Vehicle, and Chris Surprenant, professor of Ethics, Strategy and Public Policy and director of UNO’s Urban Entrepreneurship & Policy Institute, tell us what the Dollars to Dreams team has accomplished in its first year.Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!