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, the governor's inauguration is Monday, January eight.

We'll take you behind the scenes as they prepare for the big day.

And we'll introduce you to our governor elect, Jeff Landry.

All that and much more as we unveil our new look at the state we're in.

Let's do this.

I, for one, am cursing fear.

And I'm Karen LeBlanc.

Today, Louisiana, the state we're in, debuts a new set and a format with weekly segments that balance the news you need to know with happy headlines and cultural stories across Louisiana.

We'll also bring you the buzz on social media and word on the street, what people are talking about across the Louisiana and our what's trending report.

Louisiana, the state we're in, is one of the longest running news magazines in the United States.

And we're proud of that distinction and our evolution over the years to stay in touch with you, our viewers, bringing Louisiana news and information you care about.

And the big story today is about the big change about to happen in our government.

Attorney General Jeff Landry will be sworn in as Louisiana's 57th governor on January 8th.

Though the inauguration will certainly be a career highlight.

Landrieu's ascent in the political world began decades earlier.

I took a deep dive into Landrieu's past as we prepare for a new chapter in Louisiana politics.

I'm Jeff Landry.

People say that Louisiana's blessed with an abundance of natural resources, but I believe our greatest natural resource is its people.

Attorney General Jeff Landry's bid for governor was highly anticipated after Senator John Kennedy declined to enter the race in early 2023.

Landry was the first Republican to announce his candidacy.

He formally launched his campaign with a seven minute long Twitter video detailing a few of the goals on his political agenda, including crime and education.

I am not running for governor.

We are running for governor.

We need to work together as a team.

This election is not about me.

It's about you.

The rest of his campaign strategy largely relied on television and radio ads, positioning him as a seasoned Louisiana politician eager to take on the role despite only participating in one televised debate.

He was victorious, beating out four other Republicans and one Democrat.

He took 51.6% of the vote, which eliminated the need for a runoff, something that hadn't been achieved since the Jindal administration in 2012.

Tonight's election says that our state is united and it's a wake up call.

It's a message that everyone should hear loud and clear that we, the people of this state, are going to expect more out of our government from here on out.

Though the landslide victory surprised some, it was born out of years of public service.

Starting during his early life in Saint Martin Parish, Landry was born in Saint Martinville in 1972 to working class parents, Al and Edna Landry.

He credits them with pushing him to appreciate hard work and the community of rural Louisiana values he put to action by joining the National Guard.

Right after high school, he served for 11 years, winning several titles in the process, including the Army Achievement Medal and the Louisiana War Cross.

From there, Landry jumped into several different fields, working a stint in law enforcement and then getting a law degree.

That's where political analyst Jim Inkster says his career really began.

He has a background that is pleasing as far as when you look at it.

It's not a cookie cutter resumé.

So he learned the wheels of power at the Capitol at an early stage in life.

And from there, he he went on ultimately to run for the state Senate himself.

And in 2007, just 16 short years ago, he lost to Troy a by 568 votes.

So his foray into electoral politics as far as the legislature was not successful.

But he went on from there and was elected to Congress.

During that time, Landry served on several committees, including the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Small Business.

Much of Landrieu's congressional career is defined by staunch Republican values and environmental policies.

During his time in office, he supported legislation that opposed the Affordable Care Act, and he sponsored a pro-life bill.

Though Landry has a track record of casting bipartisan votes, he was also named one of the top five most conservative congressmen.

He's a conservative, there is no doubt.

And he was elected in 2010.

His seat that he won opened up when Charlie Miller saw the incumbent, challenged David Vitter and lost.

But but Jeff Landry won that seat.

And of course, that was when Barack Obama was president of the United States.

And he opposed President Obama, but so did the other members of the Republican delegation.

There's no doubt as to where he stands on the political issues of the day.

Landry's congressional tenure ended in 2013 after his district was redrawn, but three years later, Landrieu took another political office.

Louisiana's attorney general beating out incumbent Buddy Caldwell.

Landry stint as attorney general is possibly his most controversial role.

His career is defined by lawsuits opposing the COVID 19 vaccine mandate, ushering in restrictions for children's library books and efforts to dodge the opioid crisis.

And he often opposed Governor Edward's policies.

But will the past be Prolog?

The question now is, as governor, he'll probably look at things a different way.

You know, hopefully, prayerfully, we won't have a pandemic.

But governors and attorneys general are often different.

They have to make different decisions because they serve different constituencies.

One issue Landry and the governor did agree on was abortion, but he wasn't without criticism during his campaign.

Mr. Landry, your opponent on stage, John Schroeder, launched $1,000,000 campaign, a television advertising campaign, implying that you are tied to cronyism and corruption.

We want to give you an opportunity to address those accusations tonight.

You have one minute.

Yeah.

Look what you see on TV, unfortunately, does does in those types of attacks, does nothing to focus on the issues that are plaguing the state.

Ultimately, Landrieu's victory ushers in a new era in Louisiana politics.

A Republican head of state will shift a bipartisan capital into a Republican supermajority, something Louisiana hasn't seen in a long time.

Regardless of expectations and opinions, only time will define Landrieu's legacy as governor.

From hashtags to headlines, here's what people are talking about this week.

And social media was buzzing the entire state of Louisiana was talking about this.

LSU football coach Brian Kelly fired his defensive coaching staff.

Now to non-football fan like me, this comes as a shock.

But to people like you that keep up with the game.

It made sense.

It made a lot of sense.

He didn't look at LSU's offense ranked number one in the country.

Defense way at the bottom.

I felt like Coach Kelly had to do something.

Now, in a public statement, he did say it was a difficult decision to fire his coaching staff, the defensive coaching staff, that is, and that he did it in the best interests of his student athletes.

It will be interesting to see who he hires as replacements for his defensive coaching staff while that shakes out.

Yes.

And football was all about the buzz this week.

I mean, we had bowl games, we had playoff games.

And Louisiana made an appearance in the Rose Bowl at the Rose Bowl Parade.

I absolutely love this topic because I love looking at the floats are absolutely beautiful and I can't fathom the creativity and how much time it would have taken to add all those and it does take a lot of time.

Louisiana volunteers fly into Pasadena, California, and they decorate this by hand, one by one, those roses.

And it won the award for best showmanship.

And I mean, that's not surprising at all, especially because the theme was Mardi Gras.

But speaking of Mardi Gras, 12th Night is among us officially, which means we can finally safely eat king cake.

Now, some people do think that it's bad luck to eat king cake before 12th Night.

And you would bring bad luck not only to you, but the people around you.

So if you did eat king cake over the holidays, that's on you.

Yeah, well, it's not on me because I ate a lot of red velvet cake.

Okay, so, like a good person.

Is that your.

Okay, so that's my go to holiday dessert.

But I got to tell you, I am crazy for King cake, and I'm super excited about this.

You know, growing up, we had two choices, basically cream cheese cake and regular cake.

And there's so many flavors.

There's a lot that you can choose from.

But I'm just glad that we can finally eat it safely without any bad luck.

Well, that is definitely some good news.

And speaking of good news, we are debuting a new segment, Good News, a Louisiana.

And this week I met up with former WNBA all star player Alina Beard.

She is a Shreveport native who is playing it forward with a foundation in her hometown that empowers young women to reach their full potential.

Alina Beard is playing it forward in her hometown of Shreveport.

After a successful 15 year career with the WNBA and 2019, I played my last game in the WNBA and I had five months to spend figuring out what I was doing between retiring from the WNBA and transitioning to the venture capital space.

And I chose to spend those five months back here in Shreveport, Louisiana, where I stayed with my family, my mom and my dad.

My family was there.

We spent five months here just really listening to the community.

I met up with Alina at Woodlawn Leadership Academy, one of five area schools working with the 318 Foundation, which offers programs and classes during the school day.

Marie Tucker is the program coordinator and a mentor to these participating young ladies.

So I make sure that they have the curriculum that we use to teach the program of vision.

But also outside of that, I'm just any support that I can.

So 318 Foundation offers three pillar programs which are through Money Vision, which is our in-school mentorship program for girls nine through 12th grade and the 318 action, which is a leadership program where we take girls outside of school to the community for leadership opportunities and experiences.

And then three, winning sports is for elite athletes that may not have the exposure or or the opportunities to get to the next level.

Marie travels to all participating schools, working with the lead teacher at each location.

She says the foundation has given her direction at a crossroads in her life.

Growing up, I played a basketball and she was a sponsor of my team.

We've stayed in contact here and there, so I called her and I said, Hey, I need some help, some guidance.

And we talked for about 30 minutes and she gave me all the help that I need.

It is all about making a choice, a choice to want better for yourself, better for your life, and it's your life.

And we're just here to help.

The 318 Foundation gets its name from SRI Sports Area Code.

The game of basketball has been that B heckle I've had through that.

I've had mentors, I've had supporters, I've had champions who kind of guided me and helped me navigate sort of just life in general.

And I attribute that to basketball, but more importantly, I attribute it to the city of Shreveport, because this is where I was born and raised.

Shreveport made me who I am, has really come on this day.

The students are collaborating in a creative writing activity.

You can kind of see the moments when a light bulb goes off and those are my favorite moments because it's like I'm doing something right.

The network that we offer them is something that they might not have access to, So just the access to the relationships and the people access combined with a solid work ethic.

Opened doors for Alina Beard as a high school basketball player at Southwest High in Shreveport.

If my parents didn't allow me to play in Santa Barbara, California, for two weeks my senior year, my junior year, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to attend Duke University.

It was where I was seen because there was there was access, there was exposure.

And that's what I want to create here for these young women.

As a college basketball player at Duke University, Elena earned three SCC Player of the Year honors in 2004.

She was the second pick in the WNBA draft, earning accolades as a two time defensive player of the year and a 2016 champion.

In 2023, Elena Beard was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and during the weekend long celebration, she volunteered to coach children in a basketball clinic.

For all of her achievements.

Elena doesn't define herself by her basketball career.

I understood that I was more than the game of basketball, and I want to make sure that I impress that upon the young women that we're working with.

So in summer of 2024, we're launching our programing around sports with the partner school here in Louisiana.

We're going to invite 48 young women from across the state and another 12 coaches so that we can start just really strengthening this ecosystem and building out sort of girl participation in sports.

We're starting with basketball for obvious reasons, but the goal every year is to add a new sport, right?

Giving them that access, giving them that exposure.

And I love that you said that sports was a small part of who you are.

And that's an important message, I think, to give to you.

Right.

That tend to idolize professional athletes.

Yeah.

No, I think sometimes you feel some youth feel like that's their only way out.

But at the end of the day, like it's not who you are.

And I didn't necessarily understand that until 2010.

Right.

I was maybe four or five years, six years into sort of my professional career, had a potential career ending injury where the doctor said, Elena, you have a 10% chance of returning to an elite level.

And in that moment, I was like, okay, I hear you, but I don't agree with you.

And but I became hyper focused on preparing for life after the game.

But that process helped me sort of reinvent myself and understand who I was and who I wanted to be.

He could play some games, have fun.

That evening, Elena invited us to the 318 Foundation holiday party where these young women were celebrating new friendships and successes, including three one, a college mentor, G.A.

Hicks, who graduated from Northwestern State University.

What is your wish for the young women who participate in the 318 Foundation?

I want them to know that this world is massive.

I want them to have the audacity to dream without limits.

I believe that with opportunity and privilege comes responsibility.

And so it's on me to pour back into this community, to be able to pour back into other young women every week when Louisiana speaks.

We plan to bring you interviews with newsmakers and important voices across the state.

Our first Louisiana Speaks interview is Richard Nelson, who generated buzz as the youngest gubernatorial candidate last fall.

Now, Nelson has been tapped by the incoming governor as the new secretary of Louisiana's Department of Revenue.

We sat down with Nelson to hear his plans for this important position.

All right.

So first off, I just want to say congratulations for being appointed the secretary of the Department of Revenue.

And I just want to know, was this a shock that this come as a surprise to you whenever you got this this appointment?

It wasn't a total shock.

I mean, I'd been in negotiations with or discussions with the governor elect when he assumes he got elected and he was looking to build a team.

And, you know, I've been in contact with him.

So it wasn't totally, you know, totally out of right field, but it was, you know, a pleasant surprise to some extent, too.

Yes.

How are you feeling?

Are you feeling confident about it?

Are you excited?

Yeah, you know, I'm excited.

I mean, I in my obviously, I ran against the governor like I was part of, you know, one of his opponents.

But you know, I made a platform of my campaign trying to make some big tax changes.

And so it was something that I've looked into a lot in my time in the legislature.

And I think it's really one of these things that really is a stumbling block for Louisiana as far as, you know, trying to keep people here in the state and trying to attract companies to come here.

I think those tax problems are one of the things holding us back.

And so I made that a big part of my campaign.

And I think the governor, like Landry, saw that and, you know, saw I had some expertise in that area.

And so he really put some confidence in me to to try and fix it.

So I do remember from your campaign, you did talk a lot about the state income tax and how you wanted to reform that going forward.

But what are your other goals whenever it comes to having this position?

What do you want to achieve?

Sure.

So I think, you know, the department revenue is responsible for collecting basically all the money that runs the state.

We have some challenges that are really pending.

We have a 0.45% state sales tax is about to roll off in 2025, which will cost us about half a billion dollars.

And so no matter what happens, we have to figure out how we're going to address that, you know, outside of these broader problems, You know, a few years ago when Governor Edwards took over, that was really one of the big issues that they had to deal with.

And so coming up next year, we're going to have face a similar a challenge to see how we're going to fix that.

I think there's some other things that are more the nuts and bolts of the department to make sure it's, I would say, more customer service friendly, you know, treating the citizens like customers versus, you know, defendants.

We don't really want that that mindset in the department.

And so I think it's really just a question of how do we best serve the citizens of the state?

You know, how do we put some policies in place to make us more competitive moving forward?

And, you know, how do we just make it work better for everybody?

So you mentioned this earlier.

Your name is going to be familiar to a lot of people, a lot of the electorate, because you did run for governor in this past governor's race.

Really, I saw there was not really a path.

And so I you know, I saw that, you know, governor like Landry was had had a good advantage.

And I think he and I shared a lot of the same ideas on especially on this tax and fiscal piece and what needs to be done.

And so I thought that would be the best thing for everybody if I didn't, you know, just run it into the ground, essentially, and I could see where the writing was going.

And so, you know, I thought based on the things that I stood for and the things that Governor Landry had worked for, I think we could have, you know, saw some common ground in that.

And I figured that'd be the best for everybody.

And you're also fairly young.

You're one of a few millennials that are holding this a political position in Louisiana.

And I'm just curious, how do you think your youth is going to be able to be an asset in this position that you're about to take on?

So, yeah, I'm 37.

I, you know, get a very a variety of ranges of how old people think I am based on it.

I tell people I look older in person, don't worry.

But I think in reality this is, you know, people my age are the ones that are leaving the state.

They are finding jobs everywhere else.

They're saying, I want to raise my family somewhere else because I think they have more opportunity.

So I think I can I can attest to that from personal experience.

I mean, I left after I graduated from law school at LSU.

I left and joined the Foreign Service.

The State Department moved around the world and then made the Constitution with my wife to move back because we wanted to raise our kids here.

And I think a lot of people are in that position where they've they've left or they're considering leaving, but they want more opportunity here.

So I really have firsthand knowledge of what that decision looks like, like what you need in order to keep people here.

And I think that's probably the biggest challenge our state is facing, is how do we keep people here, How do we attract people here?

And, you know, how do we make sure that Louisiana serves everybody?

And it's some place where we can raise our kids and, you know, not feel like we're sacrificing opportunity for them.

So really, it's like bringing a fresh start, a fresh perspective, basically.

Absolutely.

And I think, you know, being younger, you're not really, you know, tethered to the way things have always been done.

I mean, I don't think that that's a really good argument on continuing that forward.

I think we can all look at Louisiana and admit that the government has not really served anybody very well.

And so it's really in need of some big changes.

And I think, you know, being a little younger, I think, you know, leads me to that leads me to being a man of action and not saying, let's rest on what we've done for a long time.

Just for no reason but inertia.

And I think that that's something else I bring to the table.

Yeah.

So definitely an advantage for you.

So focusing on the fiscal cliff.

So is there anything else that you'd like to talk about, about your new position and the new administration?

Anything?

You know, I think one of the things Louisiana really needs is hope.

I think that's something that's been lacking for a long time that really people want to see things moving in the right direction.

And I think that that's something we're going to bring with the new administration is really this, like I said, a bias toward action to try and make things better and, you know, really make some of these big decisions that people have been kicking down, kicking the can down the road are really putting off.

I think maybe if we can just focus on making those big things so people can see that there's a future here.

They can keep their families here, they can move here.

And I think that's going to really turn Louisiana around.

And I think having a new administration is going to be a really big opportunity.

One of the best opportunities we've ever had.

We really have a, you know, a super majority of Republicans in the both houses of the legislature.

We got a Republican governor.

So really, there's no excuse for not making big changes.

We really have all the pieces in place and now we really just have to execute it.

All right.

Well, I'm looking forward to see what you're doing.

No worries.

Thank you, Carrie.

That was a great interview.

Thank you.

When I interviewed Richard Nelson as a gubernatorial candidate on the series Coffee with the Candidates, I really got a sense that he is a rising star within the Republican Party.

And that'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

Absolutely.

On Monday, January eight, Louisiana's 57th governor takes the oath of office on the steps of the state capitol.

LBB will be airing the inauguration live and I will be hosting, along with my colleague Kyra, sincere and counsel for a better Louisiana president, Barry Erwin.

In advance of the event, I'm taking you behind the scenes for a look at Inauguration Day preparations and what organizers are calling one of the most elevated events in the history of Louisiana's inaugurations.

20 foot tall Leyland Cypress trees stand guard on each side of the state capitol.

Several more are going up with the assistance of a massive crane.

These decorative trees are part of the pomp and circumstance taking place Monday, January 8th, as the steps set the stage for Louisiana's 57th governor to take the oath of office.

We have one of most beautiful inaugurations and background in really in the country.

But Courson is the man with the plan.

He's in charge of designing and putting together the event.

It's his seventh inauguration over the years.

So what is the theme of the inauguration?

So it's come back home, Louisiana.

And of course, our governor is unbelievable at going out, promoting the state.

He's done a super job as a congressman as he moved on into the role as attorney general.

He's done a great job and now as governor.

I think that's what he's going to do.

I think he's going to work to bring people back.

Four years ago, Jeff Landry stood on these same steps to take the oath of office as Louisiana attorney general, as attorney general for the state of Louisiana.

Behind the scenes, just days before the inauguration, the grounds of the state capitol are buzzing with activity.

We've pretty much dedicate most of our staff towards making this event happen.

We have a group of carpenters, painters, electricians, operations people.

Billy Wilson is with the Office of State Buildings.

This is his eighth and final inauguration before he retires.

I think everything is kind of tapped to just a slightly higher level this time.

We're doing more articulation, all the details that we've done.

It's just going to be kind of a cut above the way we feel right now.

Organizers say the inauguration of Louisiana's 57th governor will be a more elevated experience than in past ceremonies for example, ten stories of fabric will hang on the exterior of the state capitol.

Gold down the middle and dark blue on the sides.

Well, it's going to be a lot of pageantry.

We got the military very heavily involved, as we've always done.

We've got some of the most gorgeous music that starts off the program with statewide elected officials that a lot of your viewers voted for, that they'll be coming down with their spouses, down the red carpet, being seated in this gold platform room that's still covered.

You then go to the governor and the first lady being introduced along with their son, JT And it is going to be a phenomenal start.

We end this ceremony in a very unique way.

With approximately 250 children with the most beautiful music and the background.

And then of course, what everyone watches for are those F-15 fighter jets flying over and we have the F-15 squadron that that comes over the Capitol grounds recently underwent a landscaping renovation in advance of Inauguration Day.

Behind me will be seating and along the sidewalks leading down the street.

400 American flags.

We'll have 818 wheeler, loads of shrubs and plants here.

It'll be phenomenal by the time it's over and people have no idea about the design work.

There's over 4000 chairs, so that creates a little bit of a sneak preview.

Like I said, it's going to be some things I've never done before.

So I hope I hope everybody enjoys it.

It sounds like a spectacle and more importantly, an important part of Louisiana's history.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

And thanks to help, you'll do a great, great job.

It rained in the morning.

We visited the inauguration scene, a concern that has organizers closely watching the weather forecast for January 8th.

We have all been soaked and now we've dried out.

But the weather, as the governor like just said a few minutes ago, his mom is looking down from heaven, smiling on us.

That's our show for this week.

We hope you've enjoyed our new look and our new format.

And remember, you can watch anything, be any time, wherever you are with our LBB 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 X and Instagram for every one that 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 reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, produce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together, we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred V 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.