Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

Health insurance rates could skyrocket as federal lawmakers debate the future of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

There's a unique school in Louisiana that aims to train the next generation of filmmakers.

We'll introduce you to it.

We're digging into Louisiana's role in the American Revolution with an expert from LSU and an indigenous tribe from western Louisiana fights to preserve its heritage and culture.

We have a lot to talk about.

So let's get started.

Let's do it.

Hi everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Victor.

How much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, the State we're In.

But first, the federal government is beginning to reopen after the longest shutdown in U.S.

history.

Despite the progress, health care costs remain in limbo for millions of Americans.

But the deal to fund the government does not include an extension for Affordable Care Act tax credits, which could cause health care premiums to more than double.

Here's more.

For millions of Americans, health insurance isn't just a benefit.

It's a lifeline for Mary Harrison and her family in Louisiana.

That lifeline comes through the Affordable Care Act.

Right now, the monthly premium for her son and husband is $178.58.

But without the extra ACA tax credits, that same plan could jump to nearly $400 a month in 2026, almost double what this family pays today.

How does that make you feel?

It makes me feel indifferent.

It makes me feel, like, I don't really know what we're going to do.

My husband being, almost 50 years old and my son's 16 just started driving.

Do you think there's a world in which your husband and son go out without medical insurance?

Is that a possibility?

It may have to be a possibility.

And I may just have to figure it out, because I don't even know where I would put an extra $300 in our budget.

Across Louisiana, families like the Harrisons are watching Washington closely.

The enhanced ACA tax credits will make coverage affordable, are set to expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress steps in.

If they vanish, millions of Americans could face premiums more than double what they pay now or lose their coverage entirely in 2026.

I don't really know what we're going to do right now.

The good thing is that through the marketplace open enrollment, we have, I believe, until December 15th to do it.

So, as of right now, I'm just going to count my blessings and I'm going to hold my breath.

For now, the safety net holds, but with deadlines approaching and prices climbing, all Mary can do is wait and hope the coverage her family depends on is still within reach.

What's happening in Louisiana is our citizens are suffering.

The increases are anywhere from 29 to 59%, so people can't afford that.

So in Louisiana you're going to see people going without insurance.

We're now Nolan is fighting for Louisiana families as CEO of Health Agents for America.

She helps them navigate a maze of insurance choices and takes their fight straight to Washington.

Pushing to keep coverage affordable.

Our citizens that are some of the poorest in the nation are struggling, and they're going to struggle into that.

Extended tax credit is extended.

It was extended in Covid and a lot of people said, well, that's it was a Band-Aid during Covid.

We don't need it anymore.

It just helps the rich.

Well, that's absolutely incorrect because what happened is the prices have increased every year, every year, every year.

So without that tax credit to help people purchase their insurance, they're not going to be able to afford it.

So it's not a Band-Aid anymore.

It's a necessity.

Ronnell is on the front lines, helping Mary and families across the state navigate their options.

Different plans, different deductibles, trying to keep cost manageable.

If the credits aren't renewed, there's a couple of options.

Number one would be a short term medical plan.

It's not an Affordable Care Act plan where it doesn't have maternity coverage.

And all the pieces and parts that the ACA has, but at least you can buy coverage.

So you could buy a plane that's $10,000 deductible.

But it's your decision and you decide that's what you want.

But at least you have coverage that will be one option.

The other option is are you working for an employer?

Can you get on your employer plan?

And then the third option would be if you're a husband and wife, do you have a company?

There's another proposal making waves on the Senate floor.

Senator Bill Cassidy proposed a pre funded flexible spending account, money families could access up front when they need it most.

The plan even has the backing of President Donald Trump.

We're going to be able to substitute out these enhanced premiums with something which doesn't go to the insurance company but goes to you, the patient.

And I don't consider it too complicated for the federal government to adapt to, which means we could even do it in 2026.

The clock is ticking.

By year's end, subsidies could vanish.

Louisiana could take the hardest hit in the nation, a new Urban Institute report warns marketplace enrollment could plummet 61%.

That's roughly 85,000 people, thousands of families facing life without coverage.

We don't want them to go without coverage.

That's going to be horrible because people are not going to have insurance.

They're going to go to the E.R., they're going to go to the E.R.

for everything.

The doctors and hospitals are going to be overwhelmed.

For the Harrisons, the fear isn't just the money.

It's losing stability.

Without coverage, a single urgent care visit or air trip could wipe out their savings.

I was hoping as soon as November 1st happened and the sticker shock got up to Washington.

They'd see.

But they're not there.

So if they're not there, we'll try to get hold of them.

They've got to see it.

Ronell and her team aren't giving up.

Every call they make, every moment they advocate, could mean the difference between a family getting the care they need or facing a crisis.

Across Louisiana, there work is hope in action.

But none of them are giving up on their clients.

I know Ronell won't.

I know her full Bulldog staff will not give up.

The state of Louisiana has joined a federal lawsuit against a tangible, whole Paris plant that exploded back in August.

Attorney General Lismore, along with the EPA, claimed Smitty's supply had a long list of violations of the Clean Water Act and similar laws even before the explosion and fire on August 22nd.

They also say the company's clean up plan was inadequate.

The explosion dumped millions of gallons of pollutants on the nearby community and into area waterways.

Smitty's has sued two other companies, claiming faulty equipment and negligence caused the disaster.

A first of its kind school in Louisiana hopes to develop the next generation of filmmakers.

The Louisiana Academy of Production will give students hands on experience in everything from lighting and sound design to script writing and filming.

Here's a preview of the program aimed at providing homegrown talent for Hollywood, South.

A new chapter in education is about to begin in Louisiana.

It's going to be a school for the innovators, the creators, the thinkers.

You know those the Imagineers, the creative writers.

So it is a specific type of, student that will walk into the door.

But when they walk into the door, they're going to find that place of home, that sense of self and the sense of belonging.

Come 2026, the Louisiana Academy of Production will open its doors in Baton Rouge, a charter high school focused on filmmaking.

Fallon Buckner Ward is the executive director.

Everything that's going to happen at Louisiana Academy production is integrated in film, so students are still required to take their core curriculum.

Students will receive their high school diploma, along with an additional industry grade certification that will pipeline them directly into workforce.

The Louisiana Academy of Production is not just teaching students how to handle cameras or edit footage.

It's teaching them how to tell stories, solve problems, collaborate creatively, and prepare for a professional career in media.

It helps to build those transformational skills with students, with teamwork and, working with others and being able to, you know, build those soft skills to be able to transition out into the real world.

Once they graduate, going into their junior year, they'll decide, do I want to go into post-production?

Do I want to go into technical?

Do I want to go into the crafts side which deals with, set design and makeup and costuming?

Do I want to go into the business of media?

Do I want to learn more a little bit about how to fund and finance my own film?

So in that freshman year, they'll receive a little bit of all four of those areas.

So then they'll be able to make a informed decision.

Okay, this is the area for me.

School leaders say the model is rare.

Across the nation, there are only a handful of other high schools that integrate career focused film education with a full academic curriculum.

And so when we launch August 2026, it'll be a labor of love of almost four years.

But we are a model after Roy Moore Film and Television Magnet High School, which is a film and production integrated high school that is located in Los Angeles, California.

We will be the fourth school of the models to launch.

There's one in LA, just one in New York City, one in New York State, and then they'll be Louisiana Academy of Production, located in Baton Rouge.

Louisiana has long been a hub for film and television production, drawing major projects from across the country.

The Academy aims to cultivate local talent, giving students a chance to stay and work right here in their community.

What impact could this school have on the Louisiana film industry?

Well, I think, you know, when you bring what we do know is that when film comes, they're bringing you the directors and the actors.

They're bringing, those people you're going to see on screen, but they're not necessarily bringing those below the line workers, those that workforce that works behind the scenes.

So what happens is now your training workforce that's already here.

So when the film comes to Louisiana, they have the opportunity to apply for those positions because people are not flying in, you know, to set up lights or to make sure that they're operating sound or, you know, it's.

So this is just a perfect opportunity for young people to get that experience and exposure very, very early.

From college bound students dreaming of film school to those ready to step directly into the industry.

The Louisiana Academy of Production seeks to equip the next generation with the tools, knowledge, and experience to succeed.

We have the film industry.

We have the infrastructure.

So why not bring this type of industry to Baton Rouge to be able to create a pipeline of workforce into high wage industry careers, and create that workforce to stay here and work here in Louisiana and making connections with different entities such as, you know, LPB, the local news stations, other production studios.

Those are vital and important as the city prepares for its newest school.

One thing is clear in Louisiana, the future of education may just be found behind the camera.

Well, you don't need to be a history buff to know that the nation is beginning to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

While the 13 colonies may have been the epicenter, Louisiana played an important role in the American Revolution.

Yeah, there was so much history here.

I spoke with LSU professor Doctor Andrew Schluter and Andrew Carnegie fellow, and Dorothy Stone, a Latin American Studies distinguished professor, for more.

Doctor slaughter, thank you so much for joining us.

It's a pleasure.

So I want to talk about Louisiana's role in the American Revolution.

Our nation soon going to celebrate 250 years of independence.

Louisiana sometimes gets overlooked.

How did we contribute to the war?

Well, yes.

That's exciting.

And, we do get overlooked in the national picture, that's for sure.

We were a British colony.

At least part of us Florida parishes were part of British West Florida.

Just like, the original 13 colonies were British colonies.

We had patriots here.

There's some very well known patriots, Oliver Pollock, who helped to supply George Washington's army.

Robert Morris, a founding father, owned a plantation in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Pollock owned the plantation that's now Magnolia mount plantation.

James Willing, who conducted a raid down the Mississippi River from Pittsburgh on a boat called the Rattle Trap.

He owned a plantation in the area which is now College Drive.

So we had patriots here.

We became an important supply route.

The Atlantic ports were blockaded by the Royal Navy of Britain.

So New Orleans as a neutral port.

Spain didn't enter the war until June 1779.

Became an important supply road.

Oliver Pollock could live in New Orleans and finance and purchase guns and gunpowder and ship them up the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, to Fort Pitt, to supply Washington at Fort Valley Forge.

We were in a strategic location.

Oh, very, very.

Yes.

All because Spain was neutral at that point.

Spain was no friend of the British.

They were helping us largely, probably because they hated the British.

So, the British had had, built forts in East Baton Rouge Parish.

They had fort near Richmond and Baton Rouge.

It had Fort Bute, just downstream from Baton Rouge and another fort at Natchez.

I want to talk about when Spain entered the war.

They were helping the Americans from Louisiana.

How did that work?

The Spanish governors in New Orleans, they turned a blind eye to, Pollock's operations.

He was, raising money, buying supplies, shipping them up the up the Mississippi and the Ohio to Fort Pitt.

And they condoned that.

Then when Spain entered the war in June of 1779, Galvez thought he had better attack the British before they attacked him.

So first he marched his army, which included a lot of Louisiana militia.

Up the Mississippi River.

Took Fort Butte and by a man check lady to Fort New Richmond at Baton Rouge, and demanded the surrender of Fort Pandya at Natchez as well as well, after that he assembled an even bigger army the next year, 1780, and took mobile and then the next year he took Pensacola.

I want to talk about his army and his diverse army.

How was it so diverse?

What did he do so differently?

He had, I think it was 520 Spanish troops.

140 militiamen from New Orleans, 80 of whom were free black militiamen.

And then he had about a couple of dozen enslaved Louisianans who were throwing his cannons, his his his cannonballs, his gunpowder up the Mississippi River to East Baton Rouge Parish.

Along the way, during the march, I think took something like 11 days to get from New Orleans to by Man Shack.

He picked up all kinds of militia band along the way.

People of German descent, Spanish to French descent, indigenous allies.

And so the time he got to Fort Beauty and something like, 1500 men.

And he was quite pivotal in the war, and so were the free black militias.

Can you talk more about the important role that they played?

Yes, certainly.

Well, after the Battle of Baton Rouge, when he takes Fort Richmond, he actually, awards, them bonuses on top of their militia pay, the free black militia, and he awards medals to Simon Calvert, their captain, and all of his, lieutenants.

So they must have played a pivotal role in that, in that battle.

The reason there were so many free black militia was because you're Spanish times the number of free blacks in Louisiana and Louisiana grew very quickly.

Spanish law was much more, favorable towards freeing enslaved people than either French or British law.

So by 1777 or something like, these remember these, 18,000 people living in Louisiana, Spanish Louisiana.

Half of them are enslaved and there's about 500.

Leave it as the free blacks were called the next year.

He knows he needs to assemble an even bigger army to take mobile in Pensacola.

That's where the British are really dug in with all their troops and naval support.

And, he, he knows he needs to recruit more enslaved Louisianans to participate in the fighting.

So he starts offering, freedom.

If they fight, they will get their freedom.

After the battles, those those promises were largely retaken, unfortunately.

Why do you think this part of history is so often overlooked?

I think it's just simply a more complicated, part of the war than what happened along the Atlantic coast.

Possibly.

So do you have any closing thoughts on this subject?

Well, I think, nationally, we should celebrate Louisiana's role more.

We were partially a British colony as well.

We fought, the diverse Louisiana and SA, for freedom.

And I guess if I think anything about it, it's that diversity and freedom go together.

One requires the other.

And Louisiana is who fought in a revolution for all kinds of motives.

Probably.

We're a diverse bunch.

And what a great time to highlight Louisiana as our nation's about to celebrate 250 years of independence.

Yes.

For sure.

Well, thank you so much for joining us.

PBS and LPB will kick off our celebration of America's 250th anniversary with the premiere of a new Ken Burns docu series titled The American Revolution that airs Sunday night at seven with a new episode every night through Friday.

Sure, that'll be tremendous.

Now you can explore more at lpb.org/american Revolution.

And in the spring, LPB education will debut a collection of teaching resources called Louisiana's Hidden History Spanish Louisiana and the American Revolution.

Now, these lessons will be freely available to teachers and families nationwide through PBS Learning Media.

A lot of exciting things to learn from there.

I can't wait to watch it.

It'll be a lot of it there you can enjoy.

All right, let's bring it back now to our state.

Where?

Along the western edge of Louisiana, near the banks of Toledo Bend Reservoir, the Choctaw Apache tribe of Ibar gathers each year to celebrate its heritage.

The annual powwow brings together generations to honor their ancestors through dance, songs, food, and even craft.

And as Karen Lavoie reports, the tribe lost its land twice but never lost its identity.

Members of the Choctaw Apache tribe of Ibar sidestep in a circle, inviting the public to join in their friendship dance.

We're on the western banks of the Toledo Bend Reservoir, which, kind of took up some of our ancestral grounds, or was by the banks of the Sabine River until they, created a reservoir.

But contrary to popular belief, we don't just disperse.

We can't just was pushed up on the hill.

And, But we're still here.

The ancestral welcome dance is more than a ceremony.

It's a gesture of openness that tells the story of the tribe's beginnings.

The Choctaw Apache tribe of Ibar traces its roots to native peoples who once lived near the Spanish and colonial forts of the 1700s.

Most notably Los Dias, the former capital of Spanish Texas.

Their heritage blends the bloodlines of emancipated Apache slaves and Choctaw bands who settled the region.

My history class taught me that the Choctaws and the Apaches were enemies.

How is this a tribe?

Indians and all kind of settlers and stuff came through this area via the, El Camino Real.

That that's a big travel route.

And people, you know, Indians that were getting, going down to Florida to get taken to prison.

There they were.

They were escaping on the way.

And another name for this area around here is called the Hiding Place, because the Indians that escaped, they they used this as, you know, hiding place.

They built their houses in the woods and, and all the virgin pines and everything.

And, they could hide real well.

And that's where all the mix of the people.

El Camino Real, the Royal Road once linked a chain of Spanish missions, settlements and forts across the frontier.

Established in the early 1700s, it stretched from Mexico City through Texas and into Louisiana, a pathway that carried explorers, soldiers, and settlers who helped settle the region.

That was the trail of commerce, really, you know, so between, Los Dos and Natchitoches and, we're down to, to Mexico, the, Spanish Rock Apache slaves to sail at, at the forts.

So that's some of our lineages and some of the other native tribes that were here kind of mixed in with those twice.

The Choctaw Apache people lost their land first after the Louisiana Purchase and again in 1968 when Toledo Reservoir flooded their homeland back in the early 1800s.

This was no man's land, a wild border zone caught between Spain and the United States, where there was no law, no government.

The only ones that could stay were the natives and the outlaws.

Our communities were real distinct because the the white communities didn't mix with us.

You know, we were you know, they were, mislabeled Mexican or whatever, because we spoke like a, a Spanish dialect was, mixed with like a whole the taking words and all that sort of trade language.

And that's how they communicated.

And, unfortunately, we lost that language.

The powwow is a family reunion for tribal members, a show of pageantry dance, handmade, intricately beaded native dress, and indigenous crafts such as pine basketry using an ancestral technique called coiling.

Remember, when we do other types of baskets, it's called weaving a basket.

But when you use pine straw sweetgrass, these types of and and cordage it's coiling.

Indigenous foods were also on the powwow menu.

I'm in the kitchen with Joanne Spina.

She's a member of the Choctaw Apache tribe, cooking up a recipe that's been handed down for generations.

Right.

Tell me about these Indian tacos.

Well, we start off with our frybread.

And the way I make mine.

Everyone has a different recipe, but mine consist of self-raising flour and water.

And, we'll start it up and knead it, and then we'll, take a little balls and pinch it out and flatten it out and fry it like that till it's brown.

And then you can eat it plain as, fry bread or sometimes we'll put powdered sugar over it.

The famous Swahili tamale, which has a festival in its honor, was absent from the powwow.

But the Choctaw Apache tribe lays claim to the recipe made with pork that once roamed Farrell in the region.

Most known food way for the tribe and in the region is tamales.

And people automatically think, oh well, Mexican or Spanish, but tamales and all kinds of shuck breads.

We're actually, ubiquitous throughout the Americas, both North and South America, as far north as Canada.

And, the tamales that are made here are a fusion of native and Spanish influences.

In 1978, the state of Louisiana officially recognized the Choctaw Apache tribe of Ibar.

Today, they stand as the second largest Native American tribe in the state, keeping their culture alive, honoring their ancestors, and continuing the fight for federal recognition.

Carlito, from the Choctaw Apache tribe of Viborg to LA 64.

Of US.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB, any time.

Wherever you are with our LPB app, you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please take a moment to like us on Facebook, on zoom, and on Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Victor Hall.

Thanks so much for joining us.

And until next time.

That's the state where it.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power lights.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.

Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.