Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

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

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

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

More money is coming to the state's fortified roofs program.

We'll explain.

And a fleet of ships is headed up the Mississippi River to celebrate America.

250 plus and good news for the state's economy.

More jobs are coming to Louisiana, and we'll meet our final young hero, Marley Stanley.

Let's get started.

Let's get to it.

Hi, everyone.

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

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

But first, a bill to redraw Louisiana's congressional districts is nearing final approval.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 121 Thursday night.

After nearly seven hours of debate.

The map was amended several times, but still eliminates one of the state's two majority black districts.

Senator Jay Morris, who authored the bill, insists the maps were not drawn to reduce black voting power, but instead to limit Democratic districts.

Critics of the map disagree, saying the intent is clear one district compresses black voter power into a single district, while at the same time saying, we're not using race.

But if you look at that district, they have black people compact in one district.

That's called packing, which is clearly using race for the opposite effect.

Because the map was amended in the House, it goes back to the Senate for a final vote to sign off on those changes before going to Governor Jeff Landry for his signature.

Even if the governor signs the bill, the new maps are expected to face more litigation not only from Democratic groups but also the plaintiffs in the original Calais case, who argue lawmakers again used race to create the new districts.

Meanwhile, Governor Jeff Landry is urging lawmakers to come up with a new plan to fund the pay raises for teachers.

I want the people of Louisiana to know at this legislation, I are not going to kick the can down the road anymore.

It's been too frustrating.

The era of patchwork stipends and year to year uncertainty is over.

Teachers and support staff have received temporary stipends for the past three years.

Lawmakers and the governor did not include funding for the pay bumps in this year's budget.

The governor's new task force will look at ways to shift existing funding for K-12 education to make those raises permanent, starting next year.

A proposed constitutional amendment that would have dissolved three teacher retirement funds to cover the cost of the raises was overwhelmingly rejected by voters earlier this month.

State lawmakers have rejected several bills that would have given local governments more authority over carbon capture and sequestration projects.

Also known as keys in their communities, is a process that stores carbon dioxide deep underground to help reduce emissions.

Opponents of the project say local communities should have more say over whether they move forward, citing safety and environmental concerns.

Supporters argue the technology is safe and warn that additional local restrictions could hurt economic development and investment in the state.

Lawmakers could revisit the issue during next year's legislative session.

Meanwhile, state leaders are expanding Louisiana's fortified roofs program.

Governor Jeff Landry signed a bill more than doubling the funding for the popular program.

Here's a look at how it all works.

Since the program was launched in 2023, more than 4900 Louisiana homeowners have taken advantage of of this and have received grants and installed fortified roofs.

This week, Governor Jeff Landry and Commissioner of Insurance Tim Temple signed a bill into law, increasing funding for the state's fortified roofs program.

An additional $50 million, enough for about 5000 additional fortified roofs.

As a coastal state, Louisiana is vulnerable to hurricanes, making it more expensive for property insurers to do business.

We can't prevent hurricanes, but we can build smarter and we can build more resilient to better withstand hurricanes.

At Wednesday's press conference, the changes were explained, saying the stronger roofs will drive down insurance costs for everyone.

When homeowners put a fortified roof on their homes, and when a critical mass of those homes in a geographical area are all fortified.

Insurance rates.

Property insurance rates dropped.

In addition to the new funding, the state has expanded the program, opening up the grants to new parishes that are most affected by severe weather and Louisiana.

The hurricanes, the tornadoes and the strong winds can do major damage to the roofs of anyone's home.

This means more families, particularly those in high risk areas, will now have access to this program and the protection that it provides to offset skyrocketing insurance premiums for homeowners.

The state launched the Fortified Roofs program.

Eligible homeowners can receive $10,000 in grant money to help cover those costs.

When I became commissioner, we started we did a lottery system.

And if you become an award, then you have to meet all those qualifications.

You get three bids from roofers.

You select that roofer and then once they put that roof on, the department sends the money to the roofing company.

But Tim Temple encourages residents to get the fortified roof regardless of government grants.

It is more expensive.

You know, some say it's ten, 15, perhaps 20% more, but the thing that always want to remind people is once you get a certified fortified roof, there is a discount associated with that that you can get from your insurance company on average with a fortified roof.

Families are seeing a 22% reduction on the homeowner's insurance premium.

That savings can pay the extra cost for the fortified roof in just a few years.

It's going to cost more in the short term, but they are going to get that insurance discount in the long term on their wind deductible.

Richard Tilley is one of the owners of Parish Construction and Roofing, and explains the work they do when installing a fortified roof.

We're going to go all the way down to the decking, inspect the decking to make sure we don't have any rotten decking, warped decking, missing nail patterns or things of this nature, and therefore we can replace what's needed to get the foundation of the new roofing system to be installed.

Knowing the condition of a roof is not easy.

Homeowners can check from the ground looking for missing or cracked shingles, or they can inspect from the attic, checking for leaks or a musty odor.

And if there is a problem with your roof, it's generally months before you know that you know.

And so to to execute that part of of the building process or the reroofing process and do it in a manner that that is top notch is important.

The fortified roof is installed differently from a standard roof, preventing the two biggest causes of roofing damage shingles blowing off and water intrusion.

It's a thicker, heavier shingle.

So just by that definition, it's also going to be more impact resistance to hell.

Installation of the fortified roof is different.

First, installers create a sealed roof deck.

All plywood sheets are sealed with specialized four inch flashing tape.

It stops the water intrusion.

It's not gonna stop something from blowing off.

It's not going to stop some damage.

But for water getting in the home, which reduces the claim, which is the whole purpose of the fortified roof system.

Fortified roofs also have a tighter nailing pattern to prevent them from peeling away and hurricane force winds.

A fortified roof can prevent much of the damage by keeping the water out and keeping the singles attached to the home, and using ring shank nails, which feature raised ridges along the shaft that grip the wood like a screw, doubling the roof decks.

Resistance to winds.

So in the past, when they when they did roofing, they didn't use the underlayment and they used these kind of nails.

What was the problem?

A lot of leaks would happen and a result and some repairs that would cost a lot of money, and it would cause a lot of damage to the homeowner in the house with a fortified roof.

Odds are that your shingles will stay on and the contents will stay dry, so any possible damage or loss will be smaller.

So that's a savings to the insurance companies.

They're passing that savings on to us as consumers.

Through a reduction in premium Louisiana, homeowners can apply for the $10,000 state grant towards that fortified roof.

If they meet rules of eligibility.

It must be an existing home that is a primary residence, and it must carry an active insurance policy.

Louisiana has over 13,000 fortified roofs.

And remember, Johnny, our programs 30 months old.

We are the fastest growing state in the nation for fortified roofs.

Louisiana is now transitioning to a new baseline standard, mandating roof replacements with fortified roofing standards.

Registration for the next fortified roof lottery opens on Monday and runs through June 19th.

About 3000 homeowners will be selected from those applicants to receive the grants.

And this weekend, ships from around the world are lined up along the riverfront in New Orleans.

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of America.

The sale 250 event kicks off a series of stops for historic tall ships and modern military vessels.

I talked to tourism officials for more.

Joining me now is longtime New Orleans tourism official Mark Romig.

Mark, this is a great event.

Tell me something about the America 250.

Yeah, we are so excited to be one of the five ports that will be welcoming ships from around the world to help celebrate our America's independence.

The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

We have ships from Peru, Sweden, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and of course, the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard.

All here coming today and through the weekend for people to experience.

So what kind of things can the visitors see when they're out?

Just just checking things out all along the riverfront here in New Orleans, on the east Bank, from really pulling Avenue all the way to a failure.

They'll be ships docked.

They'll be opportunities for public free tours where people can queue in line and come on board the ships and speak with the sailors and kind of get a bird's eye view of how these operate.

There's opportunities for the sailors to while they're in town.

We have expect about 3000 sailors total from around the world being here in New Orleans next week, this week to experience the greatness of our city.

We've got fireworks on this Saturday night on the riverfront, and we have a seafood cookoff as well on Sunday, where we're matching the culinary specialist from each of the ships with a local chef and using some Louisiana seafood to come up with some great cuisine.

I've seen the ships there really tall.

What's the history of these tall sails on these ships?

Most of these ships are replicas from the ships that were sailing back in the 1800s, and their use primarily as training ships for the naval cadets from each of these nations, many of them three four masts, full sales, and just a beautiful replicas of of the great tall ships that plied around the world, along with the gray hulls, as we call the military vessels like the amphibious carrier Kearsarge and the Farragut, the Mohawk, the US Coast Guard cutter that will be here.

They carry a lot of history, and, of course, a lot of meaning for our world and the commerce that we find on the seas.

Yeah.

I've also heard that the military vessels and ships like that will also be traveling.

Tell me about those.

That's correct.

We have representatives from the United Kingdom, the of the, the Netherlands, as well as the US Coast Guard.

We'll have their what we call gray hulls, our military vessels in, in the port.

So you'll have a wide array of ships to review and, and board the tall ships as well as the military vessels.

Yeah.

And the whole event is kicking off in New Orleans.

Why was New Orleans selected as the first city?

Well, I think for a couple of reasons.

One, we've always been a strategically important port for North America.

We are the gateway to North America.

And as a city that's over 300 years old, we have always played a role in welcoming people to this part of the world.

So I think in recognition of that, plus, we've hosted these tall ships and military vessels in the past.

It's a favorite cortical for sailors, and I think that also went into the decision making.

Wow.

And there's going to be five more ports where the ships are going to stop.

What are they?

Yeah, they start in New Orleans here with us.

And then they'll go up the East Coast and stop in Norfolk, then Baltimore, then New York, and we'll end in Boston.

They'll be joined by other ships along the East coast as well that maybe are not getting to us, but they'll join them up in the other ports.

But all told, it'll be a great way for our nation to come together and celebrate the freedom that we all enjoy as citizens.

Absolutely.

And if people are looking for more information, they're interested in attending or just seeing what it's all about, where can they go?

Yeah, we've got a great website.

It's called sail 250 New Orleans.

Com sail 250 New Orleans.

Com okay.

And for all of our viewers, if they want to head out there to New Orleans, where do they go?

They should go to New Orleans.

Com that website will provide them information about accommodations and restaurants and other attractions.

But, you know, New Orleans is a short drive away.

So we look forward to welcoming visitors here through the weekend.

Okay.

And the viewers can actually go on the ships.

They'll be able to walk around and look and get a little view of what it looks like.

That's correct.

These are free tours.

No tickets necessary.

Okay.

Anything else you want to add about the the whole idea of this America?

250 I think it's a proud point for the state of Louisiana to be able to host these, these vessels.

The port of New Orleans has done a magnificent job of of preparing the port to welcome.

We can't thank them enough.

And we deeply appreciate what the governor has done to help support.

All right, Mark, it sounds like a great event.

Thank you for joining us and filling us in on that information.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate it.

You'll have a great day.

A new report shows Louisiana's economy is gaining momentum, with the state adding nearly 23,000 jobs over the past year, according to leaders for a Better Louisiana.

Only two southern states saw stronger job growth in 2025.

The report also highlights improvements in population growth, unemployment and public safety.

I spoke with the group's chief policy officer to take a closer look at the numbers.

Joining me now is Barry Erwin, chief policy officer from leaders for a Better Louisiana.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Great to be here.

Well, leaders for a Better Louisiana recently released a report showing strong job growth, lower crime rates and more people moving into the state.

What does that say about our economy right now?

Well, I think it sends a very good signal right now.

I mean, you know, we've been hearing a lot of announcements over the last many months now about new investments in the state, companies coming in, jobs, that type of thing.

So it is creating some of these jobs.

I think hopefully this is just the beginning of that and that we'll see a further escalation, because not all of these things, I mean, some of them have broken ground, some have not.

A lot of them are very big construction jobs.

And that's going to create, you know, a lot of folks, you know, in that sector working on these projects.

So we're seeing the beginning.

It's kind of like it's ramping up right now.

And hopefully what we'll see is more growth as we go forward.

Yeah.

The report showing that nearly 23,000 jobs were added just last year.

Do you believe that growth is due to a lot of those industries coming in?

Yeah, I think it's a big part of it for sure.

I mean, again, the announcements, like with the meta one, is really getting started up in north Louisiana, northeast Louisiana.

And as those kind of things happen that they just create those jobs.

As we know with a lot of these, the construction part is really the biggest part in terms of the employment.

There will be permanent jobs later as these things are constructed and they go online.

But in the beginning, the big part is construction and getting that ready.

So I think we're seeing a lot of that part right now.

The report also showing over 70,000 people moving into the state just last year.

Do you guys believe that number is going to continue to go up?

Probably for a couple of reasons.

Number one, I should say this is a really encouraging thing because we have suffered in that compared to other states where we've had a bigger outmigration.

But I think one of the things, again, with the construction, that is a very mobile part of the economy in terms of those construction jobs, particularly in the Gulf Coast area where we have these big projects here, but also in Texas, we don't just hire Louisiana workers here, they don't hire just Texas workers over there.

It's a mobile population that moves.

So what we're seeing is when some of these things are starting to begin construction, that workforce is moving around with it.

And so we're definitely seeing the benefits there.

And again, I think we're going to see that ramp up as some of this construction really gets underway.

And also what I think is interesting, a lot of the aerospace bills moving through the legislature right now, that sure should help as well.

Absolutely.

I think the good thing is that we're looking at these data centers, and we're focusing a lot on that because they're big and they're in the national news.

But the aerospace that's a burgeoning, I think, industry for us.

We've already got some things going on.

But there's more going on there.

Big steel plant, you know, down in the Donaldsonville area.

So these are big manufacturing jobs obviously for construction and that type of thing, but more permanent jobs too.

So I think both of those are really encouraging.

And the report also found homicide rates dropped nearly 60%.

That's got to be a good thing in order to attract families coming in.

Right.

Because you hear Louisiana, a lot of people think high crime rates.

Well, particularly for us, because we have always been so high in so many of those, you know, those crime, public safety issues.

I mean, they're going down around the country and we're seeing that.

But they are seem to be going down at a higher rate here.

Possibly it's because ours was kind of high to begin with.

But but certainly that's been kind of a black eye for us along with some other things.

And when you see that crime rate go down, that's got to be an encouraging thing too.

Is there something Louisiana could be doing that's different in order to keep these numbers growing even further?

Well, I think we've done some good things already.

To start with, we made some big tax policy changes not too long ago, a couple of years ago.

Those are going to, I think, be lasting in a way because they're making the state more competitive.

We're getting a good buzz out of that for bringing down some of these higher tax rates that we had.

So I think that kind of thing for sure.

I think the other thing is that as we begin to see some of these projects that we have coming in now, hopefully there will be some kind of spin out projects that go around it.

Maybe not as big as meta in some of these plants, the Hyundai plant, but then other supporting businesses that are actually going to support those industries.

So I think those are good signs that we have hopefully some good growth coming.

Continuing, I should say, you know, in the future.

Before we let you go.

Should we all be feeling optimistic right now?

I mean, I think so.

We've kind of been in a period where the South has been the most growing part of the region, part of the country, and we have been behind in that.

What we're seeing with these more recent numbers is that we are moving up and in some cases, actually exceeding the rest of the South in terms of some of the job growth and some of these numbers that we're seeing.

So, you know, fingers crossed.

But this is really a good sign.

All right.

Well, thank you so much for stopping in.

Absolutely.

This week we're meeting our final 2026 Louisiana young hero Stanley may leave face serious health challenges when she was younger, but she's using her struggles as motivation.

Check it out.

What I admire most about mainly is her determination, her spark, her compassion.

She gosh, this kid has such a huge heart for years.

2026 Louisiana Young Hero.

Mainly, Stanley suffered symptoms her mother described as a sort of nervous tic.

After several visits to her pediatrician and finally finding a second doctor, Maley was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 13.

In my mind, I'm thinking a seizure I've seen on TV, you know, someone convulsing or whatever.

I didn't know there were so many different types of seizures.

So she referred us to the neurologist and.

They did EEG and we didn't see.

And Rogers at that time, they just did the test.

Well, then I got the call like the next day and said it was abnormal.

It was scary for me, but for mainly in what she has told me, is it was almost like validation that diagnosis was just the start of Mali's journey.

It led to more doctor's visits and the search for knowledge and support.

The first medication that I was on, it was really hard for me.

It was not the right fit.

I was a zombie also, you know, just coming from a small town, it was hard because there was no education on it.

None of my peers really knew anything about seizures, especially whenever it doesn't look like I'm having a seizure.

You know, it's harder for them to accept that.

After finding the right prescription, Maley began to improve.

The lack of educational resources about epilepsy sparked her mission to find and then support others who suffer from similar conditions.

I am the Louisiana teen representative for the Epilepsy Foundation.

I tell my story at five kHz and even, you know, give presentations here at my school, in classrooms, in my community where I can.

And the truth is, is that I was doing that, you know, before I was given that title.

And, you know, I believe that that's what's important, not just to do something because of the title that you're given, you know, but because you want to do it.

I mean, 1 in 26 people are diagnosed with epilepsy, but 1 in 10 will have a seizure.

So, you know, it's a lot more common than people think, especially in schools.

Maley inspired leaders at her school to implement seizure based first aid at Pineville High School.

The school decides you're going to eventually deal with someone having a seizure, and it's a scary thing for anybody to deal with, but especially kids.

And taking the fear out of that by knowing what to do is, is really the fundamental thing she helped actually talk me through.

Like, what are some things we could do for the school?

And, you know, I've just been really proud of her, how she's taking it and tried to spread awareness of that.

Her school counselor shares that pride in Maley, encouraged by her desire to help others.

Maley is very driven not only in her grades and in her success, but she is driven to touch other people's lives.

Every interaction she has with somebody, every leadership role she has, it's because she has a heart for people.

There is such a kindness to Maley today.

You know, I can say that I'm into your seizure free.

But the truth is, is that not everybody will be able to have the chance to say that.

You know, there was a point where I wanted to give up.

The truth is, is that this is just a halt.

You know, you're going to get over it because, you know, like I said, I can sit here and say that I am.

I keep going, you know, for those who won't be able to say that, I want to tell adults if you're pessimistic about the future of of youth, if you look at the news or you look at TV shows and what high school is supposed to look like, just know that there's a lot more people like Maley than there are the people that you see in those examples.

You really need to be optimistic.

And I appreciate this young hero's recognition because it does highlight and needs to make people aware that we need to be proud and recognize that great things, and they don't always make the news.

So Maley definitely deserves this recognition.

Maley credits her mom with encouraging her to persevere no matter what challenges come her way.

My mom has pushed me to be my own today.

She was the one who actually, like, joined support groups first.

And you know, she was trying to get me to talk to people and all the things.

That was my mom's advice to me.

You know, that this this is a season, you know, that, like, this can be used to your ability, you know, like God has a plan for you.

She could have just dealt with this in silence, you know, but she has tried to get her story out there from whether it was Miss Louisiana's teen stage, you know, and she said, okay, I if I touch one person there and there were there were several people afterwards that came up to her and was very appreciative for her having that courage to step out.

So to be vulnerable and, you know, and tell her story and not worry about others judging her, maybe, and just more concern for getting the word out there.

Yeah, I'm I'm very proud because that took a lot of guts.

I am 1 in 54,000 individuals in Louisiana who have epilepsy.

But, you know, the truth is, is that my diagnosis doesn't define me, right.

You know, I'm not just epilepsy.

I mean, I'm a doctor and I'm a best friend and a girlfriend and a cousin and all the things.

So, you know, it's so important, you know, for others to know that they're not alone to.

I am Maley Stanley, and I'm a young hero.

She's using her struggles to motivate others.

Truly inspiring.

Yeah.

And I think educating kids and people about epileptic seizures is very, very valuable.

Yeah.

Congratulations to Maley.

Well, LPB Louisiana Young Heroes program is presented this year with the generous support of presenting sponsor, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library.

Title sponsor the William J. Dora family.

And with additional support from Community Coffee, Hotel Indigo and Demko.

And special thanks to Louisiana propane dealers, LSU football and McDonald's.

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 Atkinson.

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 Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.