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 an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana.

Public Broadcasting.

With support from viewers like you, a Constitutional convention is possible in Louisiana.

What might lawmakers change?

A chat with Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson about the three S's, Saints, Super Bowl and the Superdome.

And New Orleans welcomes you back to the dewdrop in Louisiana's only wildlife hospital providing free care to Mother Nature.

Are you ready?

I'm ready.

Let's do this.

Hello, everyone.

I'm carrying the blog and I'm crossing here.

Much more on those top stories in a moment.

On this week's edition of Swg.

But first, at 72,000 words and 11 rewrites, Louisiana's constitution is the most complex state document in the country.

While lawmakers agree that the document needs to be simplified, there's some concern over what can be changed and how that may affect the future of Louisiana state government.

Political historians and research experts weigh in to explain what a constitutional overhaul means for the public.

This is the single most important, proudest moment of my life in 1973.

Lawmakers convened to revamp Louisiana State Constitution, which at the time was a giant, complex document that hadn't been updated since 1921.

What ensued was a lengthy process of revisions and debate drawn the attention of other states interested in doing the same thing.

The result was the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, a still complicated document with major changes focused on restructuring Louisiana's branches of government, tax codes and civil rights.

The Constitutional Convention was hailed as a success by the Edwards administration, but today's legislature is still perplexed by the intricacy of the document.

Louisiana ranks among the longest of all state constitutions, having 72,000 words in it in less than 50 years, the legislature has proposed over 300 amendments, of which 210 have been incorporated into the 1974 constitution.

Governor Jeff Landry says he wants to hold another constitutional convention and possibly punt the newest version to voters in time for election season.

But he hasn't given specifics on what he'd like to change.

I believe a new, uncomplicated constitution reflective of our own great nations is a bold but much needed step towards making our state great.

There's discussions about well, there are things in the Constitution right now that should be statutes.

Dr. Albert Samuels is a political science chair at Southern University, and he says the governor will most likely change certain provisions enshrined in the Constitution to state laws.

But that also implies that they can be changed a lot easier.

Samuels says this could pose a problem for some lawmakers.

You see, our Constitution is unique in the fact that it has provisions for seemingly small things like very localized aspects of the budget.

Tampering with this could create problems for certain districts and programs.

But at the same time, it could keep voters from deciding on overly complicated amendments that aren't relevant to them.

Why should voters in Bastrop, Louisiana, be voting on whether or not the city of Baker or the city's central can have its own school district?

Barry Erwin, the president and CEO of Council for a Better Louisiana, says one of the reasons our Constitution is so complicated is because of a pervasive lack of trust in our government.

What we do is put things in our Constitution to protect funding for X or Y or for the codes for education, for transportation, whatever it might be.

But we put these things in there to protect them because we don't want the legislature fooling with them.

We want it to be there.

Currently, any changes to the Constitution would require a two thirds vote from the legislature and a public election.

Changing the provisions to state law would eliminate the need for all of that.

Instead, the legislature could just repeal the statute with a majority vote from the House or Senate.

Erwin says it's unclear what the timeline for a constitutional convention would be.

I think people are trying to put it on the fast track, which is why you hear this talk about actually starting the convention.

In some ways, while this legislative session is technically still in session to kind of get a head start, plans for a constitutional convention have not been finalized.

But if a new document were drafted, it most likely appear on the November 5th ballot.

From hash tags to headlines, here's what's trending this week.

Well, it is March Madness.

We have two Louisiana basketball teams scoring big in the NCAA tournament.

First up, Grambling State.

They secured their first term it win in school history.

They beat Michigan State 88 to 81.

And this comes after Grambling claimed its first and WAC title in the program's 47 year history.

And also McNeese State Cowboys.

Right.

Unfortunately, they got knocked out of the first round.

Now, listen, if you are following March Madness or not, you know, it can be pretty frustrating if your partner is really into it and you're not because it takes a lot of time.

Always on the television, always talking about something that you're just like, yeah.

So I got to get on board with March Madness if you're not and you have.

All right.

So I'm sure a lot of people are talking about this on Twitter.

But, you know, they're also talking about this week is bro March.

So Bro Ma is a it's a bakery in New Orleans.

And they're very, very famous for their king cakes.

But you would think, you know, given that they have this rich tradition of the king cake and making it the special way that everybody in New Orleans appreciates, they would know that you can only eat king cake for a certain amount of time in the year, and that is from January six to after Ash Wednesday.

Any time before that or after that, it's bad luck.

But apparently they did that and they're getting flamed for it on Twitter, rightfully so.

Major faux pas.

And I want to know, like, how are they responding?

Okay.

So they responded.

They you know, they're taking it in stride.

They're taking all that criticism in stride.

They said they cannot believe that this happened.

They have no idea how.

Apparently, and that they won't let it happen again.

But I just want to know, have you ever eaten king cake on season?

BEYONCÉ Yeah, well, of course, if it's available, I'm going to eat me some king cake.

I mean, I don't really believe in that whole baggage.

I'm not buying into the who.

I'm not touching a piece of cake out of season.

You know, maybe they should have not consulted artificial intelligence and to know what to do with that.

And speaking of I, the World War Two Museum in New Orleans has launched a new exhibit using the likeness of veterans.

It's called Voices from the Front, and it opened this week.

And visitors can literally go up to these air figures and talk to them so they can ask them questions basically about anything.

And I think the people that actually sat down for this show, they sat down for like a thousand questions and really just sat and answered them.

And, you know, over time, the eyes is expected to learn from the answers that they gave and be able to actually have a conversation with people asking questions at the exhibit.

So it's just another fascinating example of how A.I.

is just really permeating all areas of life.

Wow.

So I really do think that's an interesting way to explain our history, that it's an interactive way to really understand history in a very personal way.

So I think this is this is going to do a lot for especially the young kids that come through on school.

Field trips are really a way to make history real for them.

We definitely have good news to share with you here in Louisiana.

The elusive school of Veterinary Medicine operates the only wildlife hospital in the state providing care to injured animals free of charge.

The small hospital has a huge job treating more than 1200 cases a year, from car collision injuries to animals trapped in tangled fishing lines.

A fundraising effort is underway to build a new, larger hospital to meet Mother Nature's demand for more medical care.

I am taking you on a tour of the wildlife hospital to share its recent success stories.

This bald eagle returns to her habitat after several weeks and treatment at the LSU school of Veterinary Medicines Wildlife Hospital.

A Good Samaritan found the eagle tangled in fishing line along a Houma waterway and brought her to the clinic.

When we released her, she knew exactly where she was going.

Headed back into the bayou because there's probably a male bald eagle wondering where she's been the last month.

We get about 20 eagles in and we usually get to release about 40% of them because their injuries are so bad.

So that still means we've been releasing anywhere from about four or five or six eagles a year.

The Eagles Road to Recovery started here at the LSU Vet Schools Wildlife Hospital Care.

Now we're actually in the heart of the wildlife hospital, Louisiana.

We take in about 1300 animals a year and this 300 square foot space is where we process all of the medicine and surgery of these animals.

So we're in much need of a bigger space and we're working on that.

On this day, the ward was full to capacity with other injured birds discovered by concerned citizens who brought them here for free care.

About 60% overall are birds.

We see mammals, we see reptiles.

And so it's it's a very busy veterinary wildlife hospital.

On the day we visited LSU, veterinary students were treating a red tailed hawk that students provide most of the medical care, including surgeries.

It's invaluable hands on training at the only vet school in the state and one of only three nationwide.

He has a fracture in his humerus that we actually have repaired surgically as well.

And when we surgically repair them, this is just like with us.

We put an interim veterinary steel pin in there.

We typically have about 20 to 25 in-house cases every day.

And we're getting two emergencies every day and two already came in this morning.

The wildlife hospital serves an average of 1200 patients a year, and most of the critically injured end up in this ward.

These are the incubators.

And we had a a donor actually donate the money so that we could purchase all of these.

We've had a number of critical care cages come in.

And for those critical care cages with cases, we've been able to actually run humidifiers nebulizers or oxygen to them to help manage them.

We have another one of our barred owls, and this is one of our critical care barred owls.

And what happened in a hit by car hit back the vast majority of these, unfortunately, the barred owls, because of the way that they hunt and they're good at going after carrion, they'll go after the things that have already been hit on the roadside.

Wildlife roadside injuries are common.

So the LSU vet school is compiling data to help identify hazardous highways and byways.

We can register that they were hit by a vehicle and we've taken that data and we've matched it up to the data for all accidents in East Baton Rouge Parish.

And we're we're basically modeling that and we're seeing that there are patterns where wildlife are more likely to be injured.

There appear to be more accidents for humans.

Our hope is to use that kind of data and share with the Department of Transportation so that they can make judgments on maybe they need to slow down or, you know, change traffic.

Not every patient returns to the wild.

Some are too injured to survive in their natural habitat.

So they have a home here serving as ambassadors for community outreach.

We can bring them out in front of 50 or 100 children and show them what these animals look like up close and as well give them an opportunity to see what happens when humans and wildlife interact.

Doesn't always work well for the wildlife just to kind of teach them a respect for why it's important to protect these animals.

Before this eagle took flight returning to her nest, she spent time in this L-shaped cage that enables large birds to fly full wingspan, exercising their way back to health.

Two eagles remain under care, one soon ready to return to the wild.

And another eagle is building his strength after suffering a catastrophic injury, this bird's second chance at life is made possible by charity, humanity and medical expertise.

A sort of Hippocratic oath to Mother Nature.

In this week's Louisiana speech, I chat with Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ms.. Benson is the first woman to be the majority shareholder of voting stock and both an NFL and an NBA franchise.

The New Orleans native shares her insight as a business cultural and philanthropic force in Louisiana.

Mrs. Benson, thank you so much for having us here in your gorgeous office, which is to be expected given all your interior design experience.

So let's talk about what we're all excited about right now, the Super Bowl coming to New Orleans in 2025.

How are plans shaping up?

my goodness.

We have been planning this for over a year ever since it was announced two years or three years ago.

And plans are in the making and we're very excited.

And every day is a new day and we just make better plans every day for the big event.

Can we give us a little hint at some of these plans?

Well, I'm going to be hosting a big party.

And so for the owners and some of the other people and we haven't really finalized the venue yet, but we're close, we have two that we're thinking about.

I know it's going to be fabulous.

Of course.

Now it's also the Super Dome's 50th anniversary in 2025.

50th anniversary.

That is quite a legacy.

What are we doing to acknowledge that?

Well, we're going to be completed our renovations, which is going to really be great.

And and, of course, the Superdome is going to be fabulous because we'll be finished with everything and then hopefully we'll be in it and we won't be just watching.

And so we were kind of hoping on that.

Well, I'm putting out good vibes for that.

Good.

The entire state of Louisiana is as well.

Now, I'd like to talk about I think this is really forward thinking, and that is that the Saints exclusive international marketing rights in France, this is the NFL's first venture into the country.

Can you tell us how this is shaping up, this partnership?

You know, we're still in the preliminary stages, meeting with a lot of people in France, developing a lot of relationships with them, with the ambassador in the council here.

So we are working in that direction, and I think it's going to be very good.

I think it makes perfect sense given how strong for integrity.

Yes.

Yes.

And, you know, it was because of the ambassador to France, the former ambassador to France, that we got to go into Notre Dame.

And then I brought all the people from New Orleans to go with the cathedral.

And so we've kind of work that in together.

So it's just kind of evolving.

It's becoming very successful for I think it's really a great opportunity for Louisiana to marry sports and culture together in a very meaningful way.

Yes.

And that's what they're doing.

And I mean, it's it it just makes perfect sense.

And they're loving it, which is great.

It will be interesting to to see who's more.

Italy is prettier, right?

Is it Louisiana's interpretation or France?

Moving on.

So I would just like to ask you, you know, our viewers are so curious about what you do.

You do so many amazing things, not only in sports, in business, in philanthropy.

Any of the thoughts that you want to share with us on those areas.

They share three big areas.

And if you want, let's break them down.

You know, I enjoy every business that I'm involved in.

I enjoy the business part.

You know, I have dealerships and real estate and venture funds and in addition to sports and everything else I have.

But my most exciting part of any of these or the business is the business end.

And I'm just excited.

I enjoy the business part.

I mean, I enjoy going to the games, but I also like the bottom line.

I enjoy seeing it that that business savvy that you take also translates into your philanthropic works because you are a phenomenal community mobilizer and fundraiser and quite generous.

And that's very humbling for me to be able to do some of the things that I've done, especially renovating the cathedral.

I mean, that's a huge building that is.

And so I just feel that I'm just so blessed and humbled to be able to be part of that and have many people in my staff working on it.

Many of my friends and all the people on the outside and people are learning about it and and it's just been a blessing and it's been very nice.

And it's a gift to the state of Louisiana.

It is a cultural treasure as it is.

And we have the building of the Presbyterian next door.

So you've got all three of these beautiful buildings that we can't lose.

So it's just perfectly situated.

Well, 2025 is shaping up to be super exciting with the Super Bowl, the Superdome, 55 and 2024, which we are in.

Also quite exciting.

Any final thoughts before we go?

Well, we're just hoping that we can continue to do what we're doing and do it well.

And that's really all we can ask for that in good health and good health.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Benson, for having us.

Thank you very much.

The Dew Drop and Rain king of the black music scene back in the days of Jim Crow and the Great Depression.

The methodic sound of rhythm and blues permeated the walls, creating a cultural fabric so rich it seemed the music would never die.

But when the dew drop in closed nearly 50 years ago, the owners grandson never gave up hope that the doors would open up again.

Years later, that hope is now a reality.

Take a look at the newly renovated dewdrop in.

During the Great Depression, the music industry suffered.

Record sales dropped 90% between 1927 and 1931. Notable record industry labels were butchered and sold off to stay afloat.

But there was one shining beacon of hope.

In the midst of this national turmoil, jazz music.

The heart of the jazz craze pulsed through the city of New Orleans.

It was everywhere, but no other music venue compared to this place.

The Dew Drop Inn, nicknamed the Groove Room.

There was a barbershop, a restaurant, a hotel and an iconic nightclub all in one.

Until the doors closed 50 years ago.

But what if the music started again?

What if the bands came back?

That's a question Curtis said dare to ask.

I'm not one of those people who can go back and tell you about, you know, my parents and my grandparents told me about this place.

I had no idea about the Dew Drop in Doucet As a developer who had no interest in the Dew Drop in until a chance meeting with the owners grandson Kenneth Jackson.

I think he was kind of at the end of his rope, and I think he had gotten close to getting financed.

And last minute, it didn't work out for him.

In a last ditch effort, he reached out to me.

But after that meeting, said kept seeing signs of the dewdrop everywhere.

Friends mentioned it.

Business partners referenced it.

It was like a force pulling him in until he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He would reopen the doors to this legendary establishment.

The result was a 17 room hotel, complete with the bar and restaurant still intact.

This is the hotel, the main hotel area.

We're going to go to one of the available rooms right now with Piano Smith.

These are all of his pictures in the background.

Yes.

So some of the pictures of him, this one picture is Casanova with Tasso.

We did a lot of the recordings in the city at that time.

But there's also a narrative that talks about a portal moment for each of the artists.

The time that they spent at the Dew Drop in what was their contribution to the Dew Drop and how did it change them and what did they go on to do for the rest of their lives?

We capture that here.

And if you leave this room and go up the hallway, you'll find one of the most important rooms in the building.

FRANK Pennies grew from a tribute to the club's founder.

It's truly the best room in the house.

So not only is it a full size suite, somewhat like having a living room here, but you also have these wonderful doors that lead to the stage.

So one could hang out in this room with a group of friends.

Wow.

And you can open these and get a great sense of the stage in the performance.

But the last and possibly the most symbolic place in the building is the barbershop.

When the dewdrop in first opened, it was a small shop nestled in between two buildings that grew into something no one could have imagined.

This room is where we tell all of our history from 1939, Really prior to 1939, when Frank came into the neighborhood, but definitely 1939 when the business started.

We talk about all of the great things that happened here from all of the people who performed the civil rights history, the LGBTQ history.

Is there anybody that's significant that's on this wall?

I mean, Well, that that is I mean, there's so many significant people on this wall.

I think the most significant person in my mind in this room is Frank Pandya himself.

Show us this picture we see here is Mr. Jackson Franklin, used grandson who was really a great steward of this building.

And, I mean, he held it together.

And I think he holds it together physically as best he could.

And spiritually, he kept it in the minds of people and in the hearts of people until the right time.

But to Kenneth Jackson, the original owner's grandson, this is more than just a renovation.

It's a second chance, a revival of his grandfather's legacy.

How do you feel walking in here looking at all of these changes?

It's like a dream come true.

Dream come true.

That's.

That's all I can say.

You know, I always knew that it was possible, but to see it actually happen is basically a dream come true.

There's not a better way I can put it.

All of the fixing up and repairs and everything's in good working order.

Does it feel the same?

It definitely feels the same.

Feels the same.

It looks very close to it.

I would say not exactly, but it's got that same atmosphere, that same feel.

You know, you've actually got to be in here when something is going on.

The dew drop in is back open and the community is rallying behind the effort.

But Jackson hopes this is the first and last reopening one.

No one will forget.

I just want it to be a success in all aspects, being just financially sound and structurally sound and ongoing.

It's my hope for if you want to know more about the history of the Dew Drop in Louisville, produced an Emmy Award winning digital first series called Safe Haven, Louisiana's Green Book, where we explored ten locations in the book, including the Dewdrop Inn.

You can find those episodes on LP, Dawg.

And we're going to announce APB 2020 for Louisiana Young Heroes.

And this is exciting.

Yeah, it's a big event that the community looks forward to every year, our way to honor our young citizens.

All right, so this year, these are six exceptional students and their role models in their communities, and they've excelled in the classrooms.

That's right.

And they've gone above and beyond to give of themselves through public service.

A lot of them have had to overcome adversity and inspired others with their deeds and their strength of character.

All right.

So you ready to meet him?

Let's do it.

All right.

Let's start with Donald, Troy Bishop, the third from Lafayette.

He is a sophomore at Ascension Episcopal School.

Morgan Daigle from Clifton, a junior at Northwood Lena High School and a Joslin from Gonzales, a freshman at Saint Emma High School.

Hudson Mobley of Metairie.

He is a junior at Haynes Academy.

Hunter Robertson of Denham Springs, a junior at Denham Springs High School.

And Lauren Swanson from Gonzalez, a senior at Ascension Christian High School.

They join the ranks of over 200 students who've been recognized by LPD since 1996 with a statewide honor.

Can you believe that?

Yeah.

Leaves Louisiana Young Heroes program is presented this year with the generous support of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library and the Gail and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation with additional support from Community Coffey, the U.S. Army, Baton Rouge Recruiting Battalion, Demko and Origin Hotel, Baton Rouge.

And we're certainly grateful for all of our sponsors.

Now, LP B will celebrate the achievements of Louisiana's young heroes on Young Hero Day in April.

Over the next few weeks, you will get to know more about each of these young heroes when we present their stories on Louisiana, the state we're in.

You can learn more at LP B Dawgs Heroes.

Well, that's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything, be any time, wherever you are with our LPI app.

You can catch LBB News and public Affairs shows as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Karen LeBlanc, and I'm kerosene cheer Until next time.

That's the state we're in support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforced using 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 an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And by visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.