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.

Medical research is at risk as the Trump administration cuts funding.

A new initiative aims to help military service members navigate the shift back to civilian life.

And Governor Jeff Landry has released his proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

We'll break it all down and I'll pull back the curtain on Dillard University's long running theater program.

You ready?

Yep.

Let's get started.

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, Louisiana's medical research programs face challenges after the Trump administration slashed funding for the National Institutes of Health.

The reductions could delay new breakthroughs in treatment from everything from Alzheimer's disease to cancer.

Leaders in Louisiana's medical research community are concerned that lifesaving progress in treating cancer, diabetes and other chronic illnesses may be at risk if the Trump administration moves forward with significant cuts to federal grants and NIH funding.

Doctor Robert Twilley, vice president for research and economic development at LSU, states that those funds are vital for state institutions like LSU, as the university has an impact on every parish in Louisiana.

Our funding, our health research here at LSU through both what we do here in Baton Rouge, which is here at the A&M campus and at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

And then we have NIH funding that's at the Health Science Center in New Orleans and the Health Science Center in Shreveport.

So we have four of our campuses that are really, you know, quite dependent on NIH to fund medical, research.

And that research goes right into our hospitals.

Those results go, you know, directly to patients that benefit from those new discoveries.

The proposal suggests reducing the indirect costs associated with NIH grants for Louisiana universities from as high as 53%, down to 15%.

This change would leave these institutions struggling to fill gaps amounting to tens of millions of dollars, potentially leading to staff reductions in their research departments.

We've always had an agreement that the federal government would pay those costs.

Now, they're not directly related to the what we call direct calls that go into the research through their light bills, utility bills and so, so, you know, who's who pays that?

Who pays for the research costs to at universities for our society to be healthy.

Just down the road from LSU's main campus in Baton Rouge lies Tulane University, whose experts echo Doctor Twillie sentiments.

Doctor Lee Hamm, dean of Tulane University School of Medicine, notes that Tulane receives over $130 million in NIH funding for its research efforts and the cuts would take about 30 million from their budget.

So, you know, we're really, alarmed is not, that's certainly not too strong a word.

Frightened might even be a more appropriate word.

Doctor Hamm argues that these cutbacks might cause facilities to lose an entire generation of research, potentially derailing students from pursuing a career in medical research.

You know, the research could continue for a while, but not for long.

I mean, because you have to make the cuts somewhere, you know, it also has the possibility of, and one of the most frightening things for me is that it would be it would tell young people, oh, I can't go into medical research because, you know, there's just not going to be funding for it.

Doctor Twillie adds that although these cuts can impact medical research, they can also impact the future of Louisiana's economy.

However, he's hopeful that the government can reach a mutual agreement to ensure the health and overall well-being of the country's most valuable resource.

The American people.

We're constantly looking for ways to improve ourselves, and I think that discussions like this help us define exactly what is our value to Louisiana, what's our value to the communities we have.

This is a time for us to have those discussions, to really look at what we can with what we've done, what what people appreciate, what what we can do better.

We feel very confident that we produce a, a product both in our students and our research and our extension and outreach.

That has a tremendous benefit.

And I welcome the discussion, around what that means to the people of Louisiana and the nation.

From hashtags to headlines.

Here's what's trending this week.

Well, it is a big parade weekend ahead of Fat Tuesday.

Lots going on.

That's right.

Karen, lazybones.

Let the good times roll in.

Things have been going very smoothly overall, but there have been a few Mardi Gras mishaps now in home.

Things got a little bit scary during the crew of Hercules parade.

Now, Karen, get this a rider's headdress caught on fire.

Oh my goodness.

And it looked like fireworks were set up on the float.

And that's what caused the incident.

Wow, that could have been serious.

All right, well, in New Orleans, a tractor carrying a float for the crew of King Arthur tipped over on an interstate overpass.

Now, the tractor was dangling, dangling on the edge, but the driver was able to get off safely.

Crew officials say the float was slightly damaged, but it was repaired in time for the parade.

Oh my goodness, what is going on?

I don't know.

Things are going smooth now.

It could be worse.

Now get this.

The crew of buckets has made some changes this year for their king.

It's none other than former LSU and NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.

How exciting.

Now the tradition of the throne.

It's too small for Shaq.

Seven foot one or so.

Work it out though.

Imagine, right?

They had to build a super sized throne and it was created.

It's the size of four feet wide and eight feet tall.

Now, if you are planning to hit the parade route this weekend, it looks like the weather is going to be perfect.

Now, speaking of weather, we're less than 100 days away from the start of hurricane season, and a lot of people are paying attention to one storm even before it happens.

The National Hurricane Center put out its list of 2025 storm names.

And here they are.

I'm Drea Barry Shantell and down the list just a little bit is guess who Hurricane Karen okay.

And so let me just say right now about Hurricane Karen, I am still getting over all this social memes about Karen and now a hurricane named after me.

Say, that is quite an honor.

I still am combating the stereotypes about getting people fired.

Okay.

Oh that's lovely and thank you guys.

But I will say I do look very good as a hurricane.

I think you do.

Don't blow us away, though, Karen, I know some great news here.

According to a new survey, PBS is the most trusted public institution for the 22nd year in a row, according to the YouGov poll public broadcaster and even ranked higher than the court system and Congress.

That's right, and some of the highlights.

PBS has roll in alerts during public emergencies, as well as our educational resources for kids.

How about that, Kara?

It's such an honor and great to be trusted and recognized for the work that we do.

Good news.

And on to some more good news.

Louisiana is stepping up its support for military veterans with a new initiative called The Boot.

The nonprofit program recruits, retains, and returns military talent to Louisiana through outreach programs and support services.

Here's a look at how the boot seeks to fulfill the governor's goal, known as Come Home, Louisiana, a campaign promise and an administration priority.

Lamar Narcisse served in the U.S. Army as a biomedical equipment specialist.

He was living in Colorado and wanted to return home to Louisiana, but struggled to find a job that matched his qualifications until he discovered The Boot, a new nonprofit organization that helps military veterans find civilian jobs in Louisiana.

I thought it would be easy to find my career path being that I have a master's degree in human resources, but I quickly found out that it's not just about what you know and about who you know as well as that.

Right?

And so that's where the boot came in to connect me with those employer resources that they have and that they can tap into to be able to show that you are valued.

Your your experiences in the military are valued.

Your education is valued.

You're valued as a person.

So with that being said, was I scared?

Absolutely.

Lamar works for the boot as a success manager, a kind of case manager and job matchmaker for veterans seeking work in Louisiana.

Not only do I have the, the human resources experience, right, or the background, but I also have the the eye of the transitioning service member to understand what they need in certain situations and what that encompasses.

The boot is a nonprofit 501 C3, the brainchild of Andrew Ward, a veteran of the Louisiana National Guard.

Andrews served on Governor Jeff Landry's military affairs transition team.

He wanted to make sure that we could really kind of bolster Louisiana's economic workforce.

And so I went back to my military background and knew that the transition process coming out of service career into that civilian life was tough.

And so I asked him if I could put together a plan, and I couldn't take care of everyone, but we could maybe take care of those servicemembers that are coming out.

The boot began operations in August 2024, funded through the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs.

So right now, we have about 261,000 veterans in the single museum.

What are we as a state trying to do to keep them here?

And it's not just getting a job.

It's finding the right neighborhood.

It's finding the right schools is finding the right job for the spouse.

How can we make the state the most inviting place for you to set down your flag and to make roots here, and essentially build our tax bases, strengthen our communities, make our place a better, you know, better to live.

Thousands of Louisiana veterans leave the state for military service and don't return.

The boot aims to reverse that trend by bringing them home and into Louisiana's workforce.

The majority, like over 80% of those people that serve here, leave the state, and in most cases, because they don't feel connected or they don't feel like they have a network here to access post military success, then Armstrong is the CEO of The Boot.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and points to a recent study that says military transition into civilian life is more difficult than a divorce.

It's one of the most jarring, and not very accessible experiences in the American experience because so few people go through it.

The boot launched a public information campaign and a series of statewide community experiences, events to connect with military veterans creatively.

I got to ask you, what does an alligator skull have to do with job placement?

Well, this alligator skull, it comes from one of the Louisiana community engagement experiences that we gave to our candidates in the Lafayette region.

So the candidates actually went on a gator hunt.

We're expediting their ability to connect and network in the state, which is so important in Louisiana.

Secondarily, we're looking at opportunities for them to leverage internship and apprenticeships that are created through the military.

We help them find a company to host them, as opposed to them individually knocking on doors and figuring out who can use their tools or their skills and ability.

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that veterans have a $3 billion economic impact in Louisiana.

One of the things that often gets lost is just what an economic powerhouse veterans are in every state.

The boots veteran recruitment arm extends nationwide, working with transition assistance programs at military bases around the country.

But we only have so many resources.

And so as we start looking at what were we doing as a department to help?

The 22 year old, who did a four year enlistment and now saying, do I stay here or do I go?

Or if they left.

What is back home for me?

How can we make them essentially get them back home?

They know they can do these things that I want them to do.

The governor wants them to do, to bring our sons and daughters back home.

As well.

We lianas Legislative session approaches in just a few months.

Governor Jeff Landry has unveiled his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Supporters say it's a bold step to address ongoing challenges like tax reform, but critics warn it may come at the cost of vital state programs.

Well, I am here with Melinda the Lott research director at PA now.

Melinda, it's always a pleasure to speak with you.

We are going to talk about this new proposed budget from the governor.

Now, some are saying that it's it's sort of a standstill budget.

Talk to us about that.

I think generally that's how it's being presented by, the Landrieu administration as largely a standstill year over year.

There are some changes, obviously.

But I would say the reason they call it a standstill is they don't have a ton of new state general fund money to spend.

That's the flexible tax and fee revenue that the state gets.

And they are keeping most agencies largely where they are, in the current year, that's what they would be proposed to get next year.

But there are some exceptions in education, economic development, juvenile justice, some of those kind of areas where those there will be places that get more funding or get less.

Okay.

And so what are some of the major changes that we'll see some of the things that are going to get more funding and those that aren't.

So the governor has placed a priority on increasing some funding in the Department of Economic Development for Marketing and Business recruitment efforts.

So that's an area of of a little bit of new spending.

There's some additional money in juvenile justice to try and, create more bed space for, youth offenders.

And then education is probably the piece that most people, will notice or will be talking about, which is the governor does not have money to continue the current $2,000 pay stipend that public school teachers have been getting, or the $1,000 pay stipend that school support workers have been getting.

Now, arguably that's because there's a constitutional amendment on the ballot in March that would provide funding for those stipends to become permanent.

But that's a big question mark.

Instead, he is proposing $50 million in new funding for, a voucher program known as La Gator.

It would expand a voucher program that we've had on the books for a while.

Essentially, it would let, parents use public tax dollars to pay for private school tuition and other private school expenses, some homeschool expenses, things that are outside of the public school system.

So that's sort of the area where he's proposed the most new funding.

And it wouldn't be financed.

Okay.

All right.

Now, something that, I've spent I've seen from critics and they're talking about, they didn't see the domestic violence shelter funding in the proposed budget.

But since then, I do believe that the governor has addressed that.

What are your thoughts on that?

What was going on there?

So, there has been like a flat funding formula of how, domestic violence programs and shelters have been funded.

And for the last couple of years, the legislature has inserted money above and beyond that funding formula.

And the governor did not propose to continue that, above and beyond funding, which I think is about $7 million a year.

But, domestic violence advocacy groups have used that funding to expand shelter beds.

You know, to help women who are in domestic violence situations.

And so there was a lot of pushback immediately when it was understood that the governor's budget didn't include that additional funding that had been given to them for the past couple of years.

So the governor has come out publicly and said he intends to find that funding in some sort of way and work with the legislature to make sure that it's maintained in the budget, long term.

So we will see.

I think lots of people will be watching for that one in particular.

Now, in your expert opinion and your expert understanding, I'll say it that way.

What's your overall analysis of this new budget?

I think the biggest thing about this year's budget discussion is the uncertainty around it.

Like we discussed, the governor's budget largely keeps a lot of agencies at a standstill.

Even though a lot of agencies have asked for additional funding for various things.

We don't know.

Several pieces of the funding picture writ large.

There is a constitutional amendment on the ballot on March 29th that, if it passed, would rewrite the budget and tax section of the Constitution, and inevitably it would give the legislature more money to spend.

Some of the changes that are included in that would give the legislature additional funding.

It would also provide money for teacher pay.

So that's a big question.

They just had a special session on taxes where they rewrote large sections of the tax system for the state.

They have estimated it as best they could for the income forecast for the state.

But it's going to take a little while for that to shake out and to know if those numbers are close to accurate, if they need to adjust the forecast, and then over.

And above all of this, there is a question about federal funding from Washington.

So Louisiana's budget, half of it is federally financed.

That includes the federal funding for the Medicaid program.

There are federal funds for disaster recovery.

There are federal funds that go through education.

We have federal funding all over our budget.

And obviously, the white House has ratcheted back some of the federal funding sources Congress is talking about.

Perhaps cutting some of the federal funding that is going to states.

So there's just a lot of uncertainty, none of which is necessarily the fault of, you know, anybody in Louisiana.

But there are lots of questions about what comes next.

And I think as the legislature tries to craft a budget.

They're going to have to work through all those different pieces and parts.

Absolutely.

Well, again, thank you, as always, for coming in and shedding some light on these very important topics.

So thank you for all the work that you do.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Dillard University in New Orleans lays claim to the oldest theater program in the HBCU system.

This year, the curtain rises on the private university's 90th theater season with the world premiere of an original play written and performed by students and faculty.

I recently attended a dress rehearsal to learn how and why the respective theater program attracts and graduates talent, finding success on the stage and behind the scenes.

Did it never smell so sweet in the Blessed city?

And seeing its 1853, in New Orleans during the yellow fever epidemic, and these students and Dillard University's theater program are performing an original play written by the school's English teacher.

Fever recast voodoo queen Marie Laveau as a brave caregiver to those stricken with yellow fever.

I'm the island.

I'm a junior theater performance major.

Take one.

Mia plays Serafina, a slave girl who contracts yellow fever and is nursed back to health by Marie Laveau and her helpers.

Mia's onstage and backstage training is a cornerstone of the Dillard University Theater program.

I can go out to a job today, and I know what I'm doing, even if it's like behind the scenes, wood said.

Like said painting, lighting, costume or even on stage.

Me as teacher Christal Jackson, an accomplished actor and Grammy nominated artist, also shares the stage in the title role of Marie Laveau.

It creates a little bit of pressure because as much as they want to impress me as the instructor, I want to impress them.

What I want people to understand about Dillard's program in particular is that because it is the oldest theater program at an HBCU in the country, it's steeped in history, talent, and inexplicable knowledge that I don't think any other institution could offer.

Fever is part of Dillard University's 90th theater season, and it's a unique opportunity for students to debut and perform original work.

Dillard University English professor Carolyn Nora Whiston wrote the play.

I'm a playwright, so for the last 2 or 3 years I have been working on this piece in between my faculty duties.

Fever is taking a look at the worst epidemic of the 19th century, which actually happened right here in New Orleans.

So Marie Laveau, and even in her obituary in the New York Times, was extolled for nursing sick during yellow fever.

What were physicians doing?

And the go to medical treatment here in New Orleans was bloodletting.

Creole women here in New Orleans were using what they called fever teas, taking indigenous roots, which were much more effective.

Dillard University offers two distinct degree plans, one in performance and the other in theater technology.

The program was created in 1935 as part of the WPA program with President Roosevelt.

And this was during the Great Depression, where the government actually employed those that were common workers, but also artists that were musicians, actors, and so forth.

So that gives us the grounding and the roots of how powerful the program was.

This particular theater was built in 1989 by, wonderful president Dubois cook, which is the namesake of the building, as a matter of fact.

And it's probably, you know, one of the best proscenium arch, theaters in the state of Louisiana.

Raymond Rozelle, assistant professor of theater, is also a working actor.

He, too, has a role in fever and directs the play.

We have the state of the art, equipment as well.

It's, a facility.

We've got all the makings of, of great theater.

And through the years, it's it's been supporting the local theater as well as our own, productions here at Dillard.

Over the years, Dillard University's theater program has produced some famous name talent, including Garrett Morris, a comedian and one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980.

It's not only actors, as the common acronym of behind the scenes, we've had students to complete our program in stage management that are now equity stage managers.

We have students that have finished our program going to graduate school and that are Emmy Award winning scenic designers, production managers that run from the Emmys to the Grammys to major tours.

Equity stage managers.

Hi, I'm Carmi Turner.

I'm a junior theater technology major.

Take one.

Kamya plays the role of one of the Creole healers volunteering with Marie Laveau.

Here you really get to immerse yourself into what you want to do, whether it is acting or technology for the comfort of trying to kill stray animals running through the courtyard.

It was dress rehearsal the day we filmed a sneak peek of fever's two week run in February.

I'll be playing Anton Kambouris.

He's, He's a lamplighter, and he's very passionate.

He's in love.

Give me your favorite line.

My favorite line from Antoine.

It would have to be.

I'm not ready to die.

It's pretty powerful.

Antoine.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Fever is supported by a Sheri Marina memorial Grant, established in honor of the former chairperson of Dillards theater department.

The world premiere of fever also served as a tribute to the talent and the passion of many people who helped foster the legacy of the oldest HBCU degree granting theater program in the country.

I have the talent.

It's so impressive.

The actors, performers, singers, musicians, everything.

Yeah, what a beautiful tribute.

Yeah, right.

Yes, absolutely.

Check it out, I will.

All right.

Well, that is 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 that Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Karin 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 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 Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and viewers like you.

Thank you.