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.

Louisiana is near the top in the nation for the number of flu cases.

We'll look at what's causing the spike.

Ice hockey is heating up in Louisiana with teams in Monroe and Baton Rouge.

Packing the rinks.

And we'll sit down with East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards to talk about the state of the capital city.

Plus 100 years of history.

A look back at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum's former life as a railroad depot.

Let's get started.

Let's go.

Hi everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Johnny Adkins and much more on our top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana The State we're In.

But first, as we move into 2026, flu activity in Louisiana is notable for being among the highest in the nation.

I went out looking for an explanation of what makes this year's flu season different, and how to help prevent the spread.

The U.S.

is facing one of the most severe flu seasons in recent memory, and the CDC is placing Louisiana among the top five states in the country for flu activity, with levels now officially classified as very high.

We see that a, a smaller percentage of our population, particularly in Louisiana, has actually been vaccinated as compared to prior years.

Doctor William Keith Kellum is the Chief Medical Officer at Baton Rouge General, and he sees the total flu patients and ER visits especially high this year.

This flu season is different in particular because, the vaccine that was created, shows three different strains, influenza B and then two types of influenza A, which are our most common, influenza viruses, or what we typically know is as the flu that spreads throughout the population, Doctors across the state are warning that this could be the worst flu season in Louisiana in the last 20 years.

You're a medical doctor.

What do you think about the flu season this year in Louisiana?

It's been tough.

It's been real tough partly a lot of folks have not gotten vaccinated.

The vaccine is not foolproof, but it tends to decrease the severity of the symptoms.

So if you've not been vaccinated and you've not had the flu, consider getting your flu shot.

Louisiana.

Hospitals are heavily impacted by the virus.

As now, roughly 1 in 7 emergency room visits is for flu-like symptoms.

Every year, you know, the influenza virus, it it does mutate.

It does it does change itself.

And so there is the potential that in those mutations they can become more contagious.

This year we believe, one of the variants of influenza A, is potentially a bit more contagious than others, but also possibly due to it not being covered by current vaccination.

Health officials say this season's virus is more contagious than usual, which reduces the vaccine's ability to prevent infection or reduce symptoms.

I guess I got my vaccine in September and I guess that's the best time.

But also, what about people who haven't gotten the vaccine yet?

I would still encourage them to get their vaccine.

We're not out of the window yet.

You know, we see our typical spike in our flu season from December to about April or May.

And so anybody that hasn't been vaccinated, thinking about it, and they've had a conversation with their primary care physician, I would encourage them to do so.

It's been a tough rocking and rolling.

Knock you on your heels.

Put you in bed flu season.

Knock on wood.

So far I've been vaccinated.

I've been exposed to it.

But so far, I've not gotten the flu.

What do you think is different about this year?

Just that there's more of it and especially in Louisiana.

Are you worried about getting the flu?

No.

I█m trying to be very cautious and not to get it.

I do wear masks, and I take plenty of vitamins.

Currently, children are the age group most heavily impacted by this flu season in Louisiana with higher infection rates.

We've had a few families that were hit by the flu.

Thankfully that happened over the Christmas holidays.

Erin Reynolds is the head of school at La Printaniere Montessori, and has been dealing with this year's epidemic.

If the child is feeling sick?

Possibly cold or the flu?

What do you recommend the parent do?

We're always looking for the children to for the parents to look for the signs from the children's stuffy noses.

Just kind of not acting as they normally do, a little more lethargic.

Did you get a flu shot this year?

Yes, It hurt more than I thought it would, and I did not like it.

Cause after it, like, where it was, that just felt weird.

Louisiana schools are also now targeting the cleaning of high touch surfaces such as desks, doorknobs, and classroom supplies.

At school we're washing hands a lot.

We do a lot of lessons on washing and blowing noses.

We're wiping down, high touch surfaces a lot more.

Just to kind of keep it, keep our students healthy and at school.

While Louisiana requires certain immunizations like MMR and polio for school entry.

The flu vaccine is more restricted due to major shifts in public health policy.

My son, attends a larger school.

He's an eighth grader.

And just before the holidays, almost the entire sixth grade was out with the flu.

So those larger campuses, I think the spread is a little harder to contain and manage.

Some districts have partnered with health departments to host in-school vaccination clinics.

What do you recommend to other kids that might get the flu?

Might not.

Should they get a shot?

They should get a shot and just wash your hands and, like, cough into your elbow or something.

The new strain has mutated in a way that makes it highly resistant to this year's vaccine.

But medical professionals still urge vaccinations as it may reduce the medical risk.

If you get that shot, which is safe.

I didn't have a sore arm afterwards, but you're not going to have death from a vaccine preventable disease.

And I want my state to be healthy.

All right, Johnny, let's check out what's trending this week in New Orleans.

Helena moreno was sworn in as the city's 63rd mayor.

And Moreno is only the second woman to lead the city and the first Hispanic mayor in New Orleans history.

She was sworn in on Monday by former Vice President Kamala Harris, and her inauguration speech.

Moreno vowed to improve the city's finances, reduce crime and improve the infrastructure.

And she hit the ground running, signing 13 executive orders, which will cut costs and get road repairs moving faster.

And remember, former mayor LaToya Cantrell left office under federal indictment and controversy about her handling of the city's finances.

I will moving on if you want to keep Louisiana beautiful.

Registration is now open for Love the Boot Week.

That's right.

And the annual litter cleanup initiative is coming up in April.

Last year, almost 27,000 volunteers picked up 514 tons of trash across Louisiana.

That's a lot of trash.

That's more than 1 million pounds.

But at least for keeping Louisiana beautiful.

And by the way, this is Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser program, and he's hoping for an even bigger turnout this year.

And you can sign up to help that keep Louisiana beautiful.org.

Well, this next one is a very big event happening in Baton Rouge.

Runners from across the country are lacing up their shoes, hitting the streets for the Louisiana marathon.

That's right.

This event is the 15th anniversary.

Runners can take part in the marathon or the half marathon and a few other categories.

You can get this for kids under two.

They're actually going to be taking part in the diaper dash, which is little kids in diapers crawling to the finish line.

How adorable is that?

I got to see it to believe it.

Well, the race passes by several iconic landmarks, including the LSU campus.

And of course, there's going to be live music, great food, and huge crowds cheering on the runners.

Have you ever ran a marathon, Johnny?

No, I ran track in high school.

I haven't run much since.

Yeah, I'm not really a runner either.

Used to be.

But you know what?

We're going to be cheering on those runners this weekend.

Absolutely.

Well, sticking with sports, Louisiana is known for its football teams, but fans are starting to pack arenas for another sport.

Ice hockey skates are flying and pucks are zipping across the ice.

And Monroe and Baton Rouge, proving you don't need cold weather to enjoy hard hitting hockey.

For the sports fanatics of Louisiana, most dreams lie on the turf or the court.

Yet a small but dedicated group of fans have long dreamed of seeing hockey thrive in the South.

The Monroe moccasins returned for the 2024-25 season, continuing the legacy of the original team that played here in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

This season, they're not just back, they're winning, riding one of the longest streaks in the Federal Prospect hockey league.

Went right out.

Got season tickets.

Joined the Viper Club.

Come to every game and watch every game and, meet the guys.

Love the guys.

The crowd█s always hyped up.

For Monroe Moccasins head coach Russ Parent, this moment is personal.

He was once a player on the original team.

Now he's returned home to coach the next generation.

It's more of a community, you know, rather than a, professional sport, if you want to describe it that way.

So it's very engaging.

And people here, you know, they're here every night, they're here every game.

Friday night, Saturday night.

They're here.

The only time they're not is if they have to get up, go out of town.

That energy has translated into Record-setting attendance for teams in Baton Rouge and Monroe.

Proof that ice hockey, even in the Deep South, can draw a big crowds.

I didn't ever expect it to be this popular when I came down here, but it's awesome.

After a big goal or a big fight, this this place erupts, and, there's no better feeling than, being in the snake pit.

Yeah.

The Snake Pit is the heart of moccasins hockey.

The loudest section in the building where fans pack in tight and turn the arena into one of the toughest places to play.

So the Monroe moccasins is now a big part of our family.

My uncle, when they first originally came here, he was Merlin the moccasin, the mascot.

And so it was a family thing.

And then once it started coming back, this year, and I really got involved with it with my friends because they got season passes.

So it's exciting because it's like the whole community gets together for two nights, maybe, and it just blows up the town of Monroe.

Tonight's matchup brings extra excitement.

The moccasins face off against the Baton Rouge Zydeco, one of the league's most popular teams, drawing more than 110,000 fans in their inaugural season and helping fuel hockey's southern resurgence.

How does it feel coaching a team that you were once on?

Well, that that was very surreal, coming back, seeing all these fans and I came to the games last, last year and, sat in the stands and never even then did I think I'd be part of this organization again.

I mean, I enjoyed sitting up in the stands and having a beer and a hot dog, but, once you get back into, it just comes back to you, you know, you feel like you're part of it.

Hockey and the South have had a complicated relationship.

Frozen lakes are rare, and most children grow up tossing a football or shooting hoops.

But Louisiana's hockey scene started small and gradually spread across the state.

Today, teams like the moccasins are bridging the gap, bringing speed, skill and a new kind of sporting passion to communities across the region.

So the team just went away, and now it's back.

How did that come to fruition?

it was the, the, the Western Professional Hockey League and I think it, started in 96 and it was, in existence for five years.

And, I think it started off with 8 to 10 teams and expanded to 18 teams all the way from Albuquerque, Corpus Christi, little Rock.

I mean, it was it was a pretty incredible league.

And, you know, we had teams in Alexandria and Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport and, I mean, Shreveport really built a dynasty, over there.

They won, I think at least 2 or 3 titles, in those years.

And Monroe joined in the second year, and that was, the 97, 98 year.

And we had a good following, good fan base.

But, you know, I think there was just a lot of just basically the structure of the league made it a little bit difficult for, for ownership.

But now, inside the Monroe Civic Center, the game is more than competition.

It's community, a shared experience that's redefining what sports fandom looks like in Louisiana.

The community.

it's one of a kind.

The people, whether it's in need, if you need anything, the community is always there, reaching out.

Whatever you need to make you feel like you're at home.

I hope that one day we have an NHL team in New Orleans.

Wouldn't that be something else that would be amazing, wouldn't it?

It would be amazing.

And and really, the perkin hockey group is looking into that too.

They're heading that up.

They're trying to make that a reality.

So whether that's in a year or two years, three years, look to see some pro hockey in New Orleans.

I would truly love that.

with packed stands, record-setting attendance and a winning streak to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Monroe is proof that even in the South, ice hockey can thrive.

Johnson and they score Our series Speaking to Mayors Across Louisiana continues this week in Baton Rouge.

City leaders are showing signs of optimism after dealing with historic budget cuts.

I sat down with Mayor President Edwards to talk about the progress his administration has made and the challenges he's facing in 2026.

Joining me now is the mayor president of East Baton Rouge Parish, Sid Edwards.

Thank you so much for joining us, mayor.

What an honor.

I'm very honored to be here with you this morning.

I know we're excited to have you here.

First time in our studio.

So 2025 was a year for you.

Your first year in office?

A lot of highs, some lows.

However, crime is down.

So I want to talk about some of the positives.

Well we were excited about what we did in 25.

Baton Rouge Police Department, the sheriff's department, some street teams, everyone working together.

We had a, you know, a great 25.

Not where we wanted to be.

I mean, 80, 90 murders is too much.

but we celebrated a little because we made we made a difference.

there's plenty of work to do still.

We I mean, we weren't fools.

We didn't think.

Hey, we fix crime.

How do you fix it when there's 90 murders?

very proud of 25.

And we're going to continue to work hard in 26 So you recently went to Detroit where you talked about blight, crime and their finances.

What did you learn coming back from that trip?

Man, they got it together.

You know, it wasn't that long ago.

Detroit went bankrupt, and the crime was at an all time high, and the blight was was terrible.

They had almost 50,000 blighted properties, compared to 6000 in East Baton Rouge Parish.

And, I wasn't sure I wanted to go, but I'm glad I went because I got to visually see what Detroit has done with their city.

And, it's a big win.

And there are some things.

I mean, the day I got back, we started digging into how can we replicate what they're doing?

And so you also made a significant impact on blighted property within the parish.

We, we're over 200 properties now that we've demolished.

There's some properties that have been put back in commerce, which is what we prefer.

We, we're not we're not about going take people's properties and knocking them down.

That's a concern some people have.

Oh, they're they're going to take our property and, you know, take it from us.

That's not what we're doing.

We have a process.

And, we want to protect people stuff.

But at the same time, we want to give people as much chance as they can to fix their property.

Clean it up, make it safe, and then we'll act if we have to.

But yeah, we made a big dent in it and I'm excited about it.

There's so much more to do.

And that's what we're working on.

How can we do it quicker and more efficiently?

Okay.

I want to talk about the budget.

Y'all did pass a budget at the end of 2025.

There were cuts made to some departments.

How do you guys move forward?

What's the impact to residents?

mean, any time you make the cuts, we made, it's going to affect some services and affect some people.

But the more we dug into it, it won't be as big.

right now, where it stands, some people are losing their jobs.

I'm going to say bittersweet.

That's the bitter part.

I don't want anyone to see anyone lose their jobs.

we're going to recover.

When you say it's not going to be as bad as you expected.

What do you mean by that?

The layoffs.

So we where we now, we definitely froze 200 positions.

So those were positions that weren't, you know, occupied.

But we froze those spots and we were anticipating a layoff of 200 people.

I think it could be half that.

Now that we're in it, but I don't I won't know the full numbers total around the beginning of February.

What about security at parades?

brought out was a deep dive into that.

That was a concern that we would have to, I hate to say, in the parades or, but we're in it right now.

And so for the first, 90 days of the year, any parade that's in the first 90 days.

And let's look, that's all our Mardi Gras stuff.

Yeah.

We're good.

We're going to be good.

You know, working with BPD and, working with our finance people.

Some people may not be funded at the level they were funded at, but they'll be funded to a point that their events and their parades can go on.

Is there a concern that there are not enough officers for our PD?

I read that a recruit class had gotten canceled in January.

It keeps me awake at night.

It's the biggest problem in Baton Rouge.

And our officers, the numbers are very low.

We're amongst the lowest paid, departments in the state of Louisiana.

It's a huge concern.

Our numbers are going down.

They're not going up.

So there is a threshold with these officers, with the retirement system and everything else.

It's called supers.

If we get below a certain number of officers, the city will be on the hook for millions upon millions of dollars.

So it not only behooves us to have a strong, robust police department to protect our citizens and to serve, but also from a financial deal.

I'm going to be bold.

I am going to, turn over every lease to try to compensate, these men and women, for what they're worth.

Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven't asked you?

I think, you know, we'll go back to the crime part with Baton Rouge.

When you dealing with violent crime in our city, there's all kinds of things that help with it.

Law enforcement helps with it.

Okay.

Our pastors help with it.

There are nonprofits that are on the street that work.

And one thing I want to tell the people about crime.

One bullet doesn't kill just one person.

There's their mother, their father, their cousins, their brothers, their aunts, their uncles.

It destroys a generation of people because this family has lost their loved one.

And this family will lose their loved one because we're going to find you.

Baton Rouge is talking.

They're talking to us, and they're letting us know they're tired.

Our citizens are tired of that mess.

So that's what I want to tell Baton Rouge before you pull the trigger.

If you're hopeless or you're angry or whatever, just think.

Don't try not to try not to do that, because think of all the other people you're affecting.

Well, I want to thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope you stop by again.

We will be back.

This was awesome.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you so much.

Louisiana Art and Science Museum is a big destination for field trips and families looking to check out loads of cool exhibits.

The building is right on the Mississippi River, and it dates back to the 1920s, when it was built to serve as the capital city's main train depot.

I toured the building to learn more about its history.

When steam was the most efficient source of power.

It's a nonprofit institution and a historic building preserving Louisiana heritage.

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Louisiana Arts and Science Museum is a place where you can explore the planets, witnessed real trains, and even see a mummy.

Karen Soniat is the president and executive director and leads the institution at the intersection of art, science and education.

This place is amazing.

There's a lot of stuff to see.

There really is.

I mean, LASM has something for everyone, regardless of what your age is.

We are one of the few museums in the country that combines just art and science together, so we think we're pretty special.

We have everything from children's galleries.

Stem focused educational programing to beautiful art and exhibitions that feature some of our gorgeous, permanent collection, as well as other exhibitions that we put up for the public to enjoy.

The la LASM Museum was established in 1962, and it is now housed in the historic Illinois Central Railroad Passenger station, a building that dates back to 1925.

Tell me about the history of this museum.

This building is 100 years old.

This location as a train station goes back to the 1880s.

We were in the old governor's mansion at one time.

We were in the old state Capitol at one time.

Tracy Barhorst is a curator and public programs manager, and she works on the ever changing displays.

We try to find exhibitions that inspire people to become lifelong learners.

Basically, we're kind of Steam focused science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

So all of our exhibitions kind of try to highlight one or more of those ideas and kind of bring those to the general public.

The museum features art and science galleries, including a renowned ancient Egyptian mummy and other complex displays you won't see anywhere else.

So this is the crossroads and connections.

It's about the railways in Baton Rouge.

Yes.

So this building is celebrating its 100 year anniversary here in Baton Rouge.

And so this whole exhibition is all about the history of this amazing place.

All right, let's go check it out.

The very first Mike the Tiger actually arrived here at this train station.

And you can see from, these displays here, he actually used to be paper maché, and they would send him off, to different games.

And then the real flesh and blood.

Mike the tiger arrived.

Hey, this looks amazing.

This is a typewriter from 1920.

Yes.

So we have so many fun things to look at and see here that are 100 years old and even older.

One popular permanent exhibit features ancient artifacts and a 2300 year old mummy, all in a recreated tomb, and a Triceratops dinosaur skull that is authentic and believed to be 65 million years old.

This is a really big museum and I see all this artwork now.

These are Baton Rouge artists.

Yes.

So this is actually part of our Steam gallery.

We've been working with LMNOP Art, and they have curated a wonderful selection of high school art, usually with the talented program and seeing the creativity of these 16 and 17 year olds is just truly amazing.

The museum has many exhibits, interactive galleries and programs, specifically designed for children and families.

Museums are best when you can touch things.

Kayla Clark came with her son at the school, is offering a special hands on tour where the kids were learning about history and science.

What kind of things have y'all seen so far?

They're doing positive and negative protons, electrons with lemons and screws and light bulbs.

And I'm learning some things.

Have you ever been to a museum?

And, sir, I'm into the Knock Knock museum.

And how does this one compare to that?

Well, it's it's really fun.

There's a lot of choices to do.

I would want to do science again cause really interesting.

I like it a lot.

Another big attraction is the model trains, which educate and inform the public of railroading in Louisiana.

When the children come by, they'll see this glowing green button right over here.

And they would definitely want to push that.

And so when you push it, the train begins goes on for a couple of minutes.

So go ahead push that button.

Let's see what happens.

Button.

That's something you built yourself.

Absolutely.

This is a variation of what, say, kids and parents would have put together beginning in the 1940s.

Say, post-World War Two and continuing on through the 60s and then back again today.

These are some pretty amazing trains here on display.

Oh thank you Johnny.

Yes.

A lot of this is, is either from my train museum in Jackson, Louisiana, or personally owned by me or a couple of other people.

Whether you're a science geek, an art lover, or just someone who wants to see a dinosaur.

Louisiana Arts and Science Center could be the place for you in 2026.

The museum is a home to a public art, walking tours, hands on engineering workshop, planetarium shows, exhibitions, and more.

I would love to come back here because it's really fun and I recommend you should do it too.

And you can check out more of Louisiana railroad history, along with unique model trains at the Old Hickory Train Museum.

For more information, you can head to Greater B-r railroaders.com.

And a big congratulations for our win.

The wheels raffle winner, Michael Ryan.

Yeah, they just want a brand new Toyota Camry Lee hybrid from friends of LP, LPB.

A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this year's raffle a huge success.

Well, that's our show for this week.

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

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

I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Johnny Atkins.

And 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.