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 Zigler Foundation and the Zigler 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.

While lawmakers work to streamline the state's tax system, popular programs like film tax credits could be on the chopping block.

Key players in the health world came together to look at ways to fix Louisiana's poor health outcomes.

And I'm taking you to the small town of Ferriday to check out the area's big roll and blues and rockabilly music, and can the Saints new interim coach keep the black and gold in the running for a spot in the postseason?

Let's get started.

Let's do it.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Karen LeBlanc, and I'm Dorothea Wilson.

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

But first, Governor Jeff Landry's proposed overhaul of Louisiana's tax system is hitting roadblocks this week, two bills that would boost the state's economy by adding new taxes on certain services faced tough opposition.

Some lawmakers are concerned that adding sales tax to more than 40 services will add hardship to already struggling small businesses, and those services include things like online dating, car washes, pet grooming and certain home improvements.

Supporters say the added taxes would help offset the governor's plan to establish a flat 3% individual income tax rate.

Critics are concerned the plan will mostly benefit large corporations.

Another part of the governor's plan would eliminate or reduce Louisiana's popular film tax credits.

Governor Jeff Landry wants to end the program to help offset his proposed tax cuts.

Some lawmakers have proposed ways to keep the incentives by implementing a lower cap or replacing the credits with direct grants.

Here's a look at the debate and what's at stake for Louisiana's film industry.

The 2023 Disney movie Haunted Mansion was filmed in New Orleans, starring the Garden District and several French Quarter locales.

It's one of the latest in a long list of film and TV credits dating back more than a century, when cameras rolled on the first movie set in Louisiana.

Tarzan of the apes, filmed in 1917, in Morgan City.

To date, Louisiana has set the scene for more than 3000 film projects.

These were talking points made in a recent legislative committee meeting discussing the fate of the Louisiana motion picture Investor Tax Credit Hour.

In 2002, Steve Scalise and Cedric Richmond, a bipartisan effort, put together a credit program to allow for productions to stay within the United States and try to get them to come to the state of Louisiana.

Louisiana was one of the first states to create a film tax credit program, which is now up for debate as lawmakers decide whether to nix the 20 plus year program.

Some see the film industry as an ambassador to Louisiana and a boost to tourism.

The movie industry doesn't just provide jobs but gets our brand out, and that leads to people coming to our.

It's essentially advertising on a giant silver screen.

The film tax credit is part of a large packet of tax credits, incentives and rebates targeted for elimination.

June 30th of 2025.

The film industry supports tax reform, but warned not to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater because the program is a proven economic driver.

It's $180 million of a credit that needs to be certified over two years.

As I mentioned to you, and that actually equates to 360 million in Louisiana local payroll.

And if you look at it, $60 million in sales comes right on top of that.

So you're giving $180 million to Louisiana residents, and you're getting a massive economic impact.

That's a 6 to 1 benefit to the state of Louisiana.

But like, again, I think that maybe 10,000 jobs in Louisiana, are dependent upon the industry success here.

The proposed elimination of the film tax credit comes less than a year after lawmakers voted to extend it through 2031.

Under the previous administration of then-Governor John Bel Edwards.

Some argue this is bad optics for business development.

What do you think happens to the industry if the credit goes away?

We'll look just like any industry.

We want stability and predictability.

And obviously if you make any major change to an industry, we know that there is going to be course correction.

There's going to be default.

And we feel that some of that will come with this.

If we don't see this this credit continue.

What's being proposed is to entirely rip the Band-Aid off.

I think that we all would support things like lowering the corporate income tax, which that's ridiculously high in Louisiana.

I think we all would support, you know, lowering personal income tax to make it more attractive here.

And they're thinking that by pulling away some of these incentives that they're just going to kind of rip off the Band-Aid.

But the truth is, with something like this, an industry that's kind of like based around incentives, when there's so much competition out there, it's almost like you're ripping the heart out of the industry.

The timing of the film tax credits.

Sunset comes as Louisiana's production industry builds momentum, with 18 higher education institutions offering digital media and production training.

And the Louisiana Academy of Production Charter School set to begin training high school students from underserved backgrounds for production jobs.

We're talking, you know, ninth graders through 12th graders learning skills that they'll be able to get a job right out of high school.

You know, again, sometimes this could be transformative.

Well, for some of these kids.

So when we're talking, you know, $60,000 jobs, like at 18, 19 years old.

Advocates of the film tax credits argue the program delivers results and that there are win win ways to modify the program, such as making film tax credits applicable to severance tax liability, thereby encouraging more drilling and more film and TV production.

The film program delivers a lot of the results that I think tax reform that we're all looking for.

Lights, camera action and economic development.

Will lawmakers rewrite the script for Louisiana's film industry, killing off the program or keeping it in another form?

That's the plot point.

As House bills number one and two make their way through the legislative process.

In our follow up file this week, a plan that would restore Social Security benefits to thousands of public employees in Louisiana has advanced in Congress.

House lawmakers approved the Social Security Fairness Act and would reverse the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset those limits.

Social security benefits for public employees with pensions.

The bipartisan legislation was spearheaded by Congressman Garret Graves and Virginia Democrat Representative Abigail Spanberger.

Now, if approved by the Senate, the bill would restore benefits for nearly 3 million public employees nationwide, including 90,000 here in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, Louisiana schools will not be required to display the Ten Commandments in public schools, at least for now.

This week, a federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional.

In the ruling, the judge said it unfairly forces kids to participate in a religious exercise.

A group of families and educators sued, claiming the law violated students right to freedom of religion.

Attorney General Liz Mural has appealed the ruling.

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

Seven Louisiana natives are in the running for the Grammys.

That's right.

Karen and there is no surprise there because we are always well represented.

That's right.

So let's go through the list.

First up, we have New Orleans artists, Lucky Day, nominated for Best Traditional R&B performance and best R&B album, and Tank and the Bangas up for Best Spoken Word Poetry album.

Tank hosted the popular digital series ritual here on LPB.

Now we've got four Louisiana artists nominated for Best Regional Roots Album.

They are Sean Ardoin and Creole Rock and soul Big chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles, New Breed Brass Band with Trombone Shorty, The Rumble featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr and none other than, of course, John Batiste.

No surprise there he is a Grammy favorite and he is nominated for his Best Song Written for Visual Media and Best Music Film, and got a new album that just came out and you've been listening to it.

Oh, I love it.

Beethoven maybe spelled balloons.

Karen.

Oh, great work.

Gotta hear that.

All right, well, speaking of greatness, coming from Louisiana, huge congratulations to Southern University's Women's soccer team.

They won their first ever Swac championship in a match against Texas Southern.

And the five five California native Alyssa Romero, was named the Swac tournament MVP.

They advance to the NCAA Division one championship while they'll take on Mississippi State in the first round.

Right.

We are cheering them on all right, so here's some tasty news for you.

A Lafayette cake artist is working her magic on a new Harry Potter themed baking show.

Kayla Giddings is one of 17 contestants on Harry Potter Wizards of Baking, so they're going to make these spellbinding edible show and are inspired by the movies.

Now getting set.

She's a huge Harry Potter fan, and she passed that on to her 11 year old daughter.

And she's been on quite a few other cooking shows.

And I'm told her cakes are really hyper realistic.

So check for the eyes.

For the tummy.

I love that.

And speaking of tricks in the tummy and all great things, Louisiana state leaders are bringing together the biggest minds in the medical world.

They hope to reverse Louisiana's poor health ratings at the very first ever healthy State summit.

Officials from numerous hospitals and health agencies came together to brainstorm solutions.

Let's take a look.

According to a recent study done by the United Health Foundation.

Louisiana has been ranked as the least healthy state in the country for the second consecutive year.

This comes as cancer mortality rates have skyrocketed Diabetes cases have increased, and the overall state of health in Louisiana is at a record low.

It's for those reasons that state officials decided to fight against our catastrophi by holding the inaugural Healthy Summit, putting the state's most brilliant minds in a room together to discuss the health of the state we're in We call their Healthy State init and it's really to be a catalyst and to be a collaborator with me throughout the state, to address some of the barriers to our state health rankings.

The goal of the summit is to cre a thriving Louisiana by providing resources and funding to quick start healt initiatives and projects to raise awareness of the growing health concerns in this state.

Deborah Grimes was one of the sp at the summit.

Being a 14 year breast cancer su she understands the importance o our state's health affairs in or She says it's critical that prop care be accessible to all.

Many rural areas across the stat have little to no access to heal resulting in people being taken their families way too soon.

And it's really simple.

We want to live in a state where everybody, regardless of t that they live in, regardless of their individual situation, has has the possibility to remov all the barriers to, being healt And we never want to see anybody premature, early.

Ashley Bailey is a director at Oxford Health.

She has a similar sentiment to D but her why focused on the next generati Bailey says if we get it right n our children won't have to suffe My personal experience on my own I am having challenges right now navigating the health care syste around a child who has ADHD, and it has been an experi.

And I would love to see this com full circle, where we can bring the right res so that these kids have the supp that they need to be successful.

It impacts not just the kids, but the families, the teachers who are helping to It's just the whole community that ends up being impacted by t Bailey added bad health affects and she's proud to be a part of a company of people that will influence change, providing a brighter and healthier future for Louisia It just gives me chills to know, that we're going to impact and c and we're already doing it, but it's gonna be a profound imp if we can continue to strengthen this initiative, Saints fans are putting away their paper bags after enduring a gruesome seven game losing streak.

This comes as interim head coach Darren Ramsey showed up and showed out, leading the team to a long awaited victory over the Atlanta Falcons last weekend.

Really hit the ground running with some well-received changes leading up to the win.

Sports correspondent Victor Howell sat down with Saints reporter Sarah Palczewski to look at what's next for the black and gold.

Finally, some good news.

With the black and gold.

They get a win for the first time in eight weeks.

And who better to talk about it with us than Sara Palczewski.

She's based out of Baton Rouge with NBC and Fox Weekly and GMB.

And is the Saints beat reporter.

Sarah, thanks for coming in.

Hey, we're finally talking good news.

It's finally fun to talk about the Saints again.

It's been a while.

It has been a while and look we know they beat Atlanta.

That's the big news.

But the bigger news is the fact that they made a coaching change mid-season, something the Saints are not known for doing.

But Dennis Allen was let go.

Darren Reggie comes in.

You're with the team.

What was what's the vibe been like after that move was made leading up to and then through finally getting a win, we kind of talked about it as a media group that you couldn't tell that the locker room wasn't fun until that coaching change, because once we made that change, it was a lot more lively.

Guys seem to be having a lot more fun.

The and the rearranging of the locker room by interim head coach Darren Rose.

He seemed to have a huge pay off the defensive line group, having fun with them, making their area a little club area and that wasn't noticeable.

We all thought that it was a fun locker room throughout the season, even when they were dominating in weeks one and two.

But it really was actually those players just seemed like they were punching the clock to get in and get out.

And now it just you can see the energy shift from Darren Rizzi in that locker room.

Guys are having fun again.

They're playing basketball again.

They're joking.

They're laughing.

They're actually hanging out in there.

Something that they weren't doing to start the season.

And I guess it shows you that sometimes the little things can mean a lot, because little things behind the scenes, like just rearranging players and where they're sitting.

And Rizzi, he's a unique guy.

And I know in is in his opening press conference, he talked about, hey, I'm a fighter.

I was Division two.

I was a walk on.

I had to, you know, free agent in the NFL.

I started in D2 working his way up.

So he's got a little spunk that looks like it carries over and influences his players.

I think one of the big things the players kind of keep saying about Rosie is he's authentically himself.

He hasn't changed since he took over as head coach, as interim head coach for the Saints, he's always been the same guy he's been since day one back in training camp, and that's something that really resonates with the players and his energy and type of.

He's a huge accountability guy and during a losing streak, you need someone to keep you accountable and that really resonated with the players.

And on top of that, him being a special teams coordinator.

He has a relationship with pretty much everyone in that locker room.

And on top of that, even the players who don't play special teams said, I have a relationship with them too.

He always gives me a hug when I see him.

He's just one of those guys that the players really can follow behind and lead.

Let me ask about one of the guys who might have bought in right away and that's Alvin Kamara, because beginning of the season all the talk was about his house being listed.

Everybody thought he wanted to be traded.

He wanted out of New Orleans.

He's now signed a long term agreement has an outstanding game.

And most importantly for him and people like you I know will notice he now has a C on his chest.

Yeah.

And I think a huge part of that by and also it kind of says a lot about Camaro signing that contract extension during that losing streak, saying I'm going to be here and I'm going to be in and he be here for the long haul.

And him being awarded a captain by Reggie this past week really just was a long time coming, and shows he was a leader this whole time.

He's not a big rah rah rah guy.

He says that himself.

He doesn't talk a lot.

He just wants people to follow what he does.

He comes in and works hard, does his job, and he wants to be there for his teammates.

And that resonated with me.

He was one of the first guys to really buy into what Reggie was, telling them that they have to do to be able to dig themselves out of the hole they already put themselves in, and he was rewarded with that captain's ship.

And bridges said that once he was that was announced for the team, he got a huge round of applause.

People were very happy for him, and that's not a surprise, knowing how Kamara is and how respected he is among his teammates.

But when you talk about the instant reaction and the acceptance of the players to really his enthusiasm, do you think he's the kind of guy that could work his way into the full time position or do you think the Saints are going to ride him in his enthusiasm to try to dig out of a seven game skid and then and then look elsewhere?

It's tough to really know what this will do, just because making a mid-season coaching change doesn't happen.

The last time they did that and fired a coach was 1980.

Before that was 1996.

And so there is no real precedent to understand where the Saints will go.

It wouldn't surprise me if Reggie does get the Saints back on a win streak and somehow make it competitive near the end of the season, that he might be more considered.

I also wouldn't be surprised if they decide to go in a different direction and just kind of blow the whole thing up in a sense, and bring somebody fresh and new, and that hasn't been there before, that can maybe get them back on the right path and do something different.

And that's one of those phrases I know a lot of people say, as we wrap up, we talk about blowing it up.

You've already lost Lattimore because the trade huge salary cap.

But salary cap is a dark cloud over this team.

There are a lot of fan favorite players you might want to get used to seeing now, because you might not be seeing them in the black and gold in the future.

I think a lot of their older players are about, at the time of their contract, running out a couple of years.

I don't think the Saints can necessarily blow it up just because of how their salary cap situation is.

I don't think they're complete, completely resetting the bar, but I would expect that in a couple of years you will start to see some new faces in that.

Maybe the Saints start to shift away from signing their veteran players to longer term contracts like they have been.

All the Saints have Cleveland coming up.

And you know what?

If they keep winning, let's keep talking because it's nice to actually talk fun with the black and gold.

So I appreciate you joining us and good luck this weekend and the rest of the season with the Saints.

Absolutely.

Thanks for having me.

Absolutely.

All right.

Well, sending the Saints good karma with the new leadership.

And you know what, Karen?

If they win it out, they might possibly have a postseason.

So we're hoping for that.

All right.

Fingers crossed.

The Delta music Museum in downtown Ferriday draws international visitors to the small town of 3000 residents.

Faraday has an outsized reputation as the hometown of Jerry Lee Lewis and his cousins, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart.

I'm taking you on a tour of the museum, which is a featured stop along the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Well every morning.

I wake up, with the blue.

Y z Ealey is in his late 80s and still performs his signature Delta blues tunes that helped put Ferriday on the musical map in the 1950s.

Y z performed at Haney's Big House as the house band opening for big name acts traveling the Chitlin Trail, a performance circuit for black musicians.

we had an opportunity to be the opening act with guys like B.B.

King, Little Milton Larry Bergstom Big Joe Turner Etta James I'm honored to have had that privilege to be the opening act, the first big know band Today, Y, Z is playing in an exhibit that pays homage to his legacy at the Delta music Museum and Arcade Theater in downtown Faraday.

Hi, Karen, Nice to see you.

Welcome to the Delta Music Museum.

I think you're going to be really glad you came today.

This is a great little jewel that houses a lot of musical history that all happened in this tiny little town.

you are in the old Ferriday post office.

This old building was built in 1939 by the WPA and a local gentleman saved the building.

It was going to be torn down, and donated it to the state of Louisiana.

the secretary of state's office for the state of Louisiana operates this museum.

And we're just very fortunate that we get to honor our three famous cousins that are from this town.

Of course, Reverend Jimmy Swaggart, one of the first televangelist on television.

Mickey Gilley, Urban Cowboy, and, of course, the killer, Jerry Lee Lewis.

all born in the year 1935. learned to play in the Pentecostal church, and everybody knew them around town.

There's some other stuff I'd like to show you to here in addition to the lessons.

Let's take a walk.

During the 1950s, blues, gospel, and country music in the Delta region converged in a musical mash up known as rockabilly.

the museum honors these genres and musicians with ties to Louisiana.

Faraday's claim to fame begins with the birth of Jerry Lee Lewis, a piano.

singer and songwriter nicknamed the killer rock and roll's first great wild man.

He was a good old homegrown boy.

He always was introduced.

And that was part of what he would tell everybody.

Jerry Lee Lewis from Ferriday Louisiana.

That's what he always wanted.

And he got it.

Sherrie McMahon helped foster the museum in its infancy.

It's a tribute to her famous cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley.

it was like a vortex just met here.

And those mamas had you got pregnant with those babies that would never be anybody else like them in the world, But Jerry Lee, there'll never be another killer do hope people will come and see our the exhibits here of all the fabulous people.

Faraday is the unlikely wellspring of talent with local and regional ties.

Country singer Conway Twitty lived in nearby Tallulah.

An exhibit of his stage costumes, Awards and records stand alongside exhibits of living legend Irma Thomas.

Tributes to Frogman Henry from New Orleans, who was the opening act for the Beatles and Louisiana Hayride radio star Johnny Horton.

the principal genres of music that went into making early rock and roll and rockabilly music were gospel country music and rhythm and blues.

And all of that was in abundance right here in the central part of the Mississippi Delta.

people latched on to it.

There was just something in the soil, as they say.

Delta Blues is at the core of Ferriday musical legacy, fostered by Haney's Big House, which put on Sunday night shows.

Mr. Will Haney We loved him.

I grew up about three blocks from his juke joint I would hear the music from Mr. Will Haneys wafting in the window, and that's where Jerry Lee would sneak in, This is our replica of the famous, internationally famous Haneys big house It was the launching pad, for the greatest musical artist of the day.

This was a place where people like Ray Charles, B.B.

King, Little Richard They all played at Haney's big house because it was on what was known as the Chitlin Circuit.

the voice of the blues came from slavery The way of life was slavery.

The only in my point of view is to find a peace of mind, what it is seeing and and harmonize it gives me the privilege here to hold on to something that belonged to me and belonged to my race.

The old Arcade Theater stands next door to the museum, and on this day we find artist Grantham Molnar painting the murals of Ferriday musical roots.

The theater serves as a community gathering space for culture and arts events.

Admission is free and marketing is by word of mouth.

Yet somehow international tourists find their way to downtown Ferriday Many superfans of these celebrated musical greats.

What is it about Ferriday that breeds all this homegrown talent, these musical greats?

I don't know.

It just something in the delta, it drifted and flared up the river or down the river.

It just raised the whole panel.

For.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything.

LPB, any time, wherever you are, with our LPB app.

That's right.

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

I'm Karen LeBlanc.

And I'm Dorothea Wilson.

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 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 Zigler Foundation and the Zigler 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.