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.

A progress report on the Louisiana's quality of life shows room for improvement.

A Super Bowl champion aims to help Louisiana kids score high in literacy.

And it's harvest time for winter squash.

Learn why these home grown gourds thrive in Louisiana.

Let's get started.

Hello, everyone, I'm Karen LeBlanc.

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

But first, with college football kicking off this weekend.

LSU says it won't change its pre-game routine to accommodate a request from Governor Jeff Landry.

In April, the governor criticized the LSU women's basketball team for not being on the court when the anthem was played.

He then told University officials statewide to mandate athletes to be on the court or field for the anthem or risk losing their scholarships.

LSU officials say they are.

Pregame routine has been the same for decades.

Players remain in the locker room while the band plays a couple of songs, followed by the anthem before players take the field.

Now, LSU s first game is Sunday against the USC Trojans in Las Vegas.

As we get closer to the November election, Louisiana Secretary of State says she's confident the state won't have any issues related to voter fraud.

To be clear, I'm confident in the policies and procedures my office has in place to ensure the accuracy of our voter rolls and the integrity of our elections.

This week, Governor Landry signed an executive order requiring voter registration forms make it explicitly clear that it is illegal for non-citizens to vote.

It also requires the Office of Motor Vehicles to share data to help ensure non-citizens are not included on the voter rolls.

According to the Secretary of State's office, only 48 non-citizens have been removed from the voter rolls since 2022.

Officials were not able to say whether they actually voted in an election.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed a bundle of election related bills aimed at restricting voter registration drives, adding new rules for absentee voting and requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

Critics say those laws will make it harder for senior citizens and people with disabilities to vote.

Louisiana hunters can now sign up for a chance to manage Louisiana's growing black bear population.

Sign up for the state's black bear hunting lottery, opened this week and runs through September 25th.

A total of ten permits will be issued statewide, and lottery winners will be required to attend a bear hunting training course through the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Louisiana banned black bear hunting in 1988.

That was shortly before black bears were added to the Endangered Species Act.

Thanks to conservation efforts, the black bear population bounced back and they were removed from the endangered list in 2016.

Wildlife and fisheries officials say that the hunting season will help keep black bears from showing up in populated areas.

Hunters can learn more and sign up for the lottery on the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website.

Louisiana outdoors.com.

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

Now we're going to start things off on a bit of a somber note.

A lot of Louisianans are marking the 19th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

That's a storm that made landfall in Louisiana August 29th, 2005, near the Louisiana Mississippi border.

It ultimately resulted in around 1800 deaths and somewhere between 100 and $200 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Now, one name on Facebook said, quote, Louisiana ain't scared of Friday the 13th.

We're scared of August 29th.

And along with that meme was a list of all the storms that hit in or around that day.

Interesting to think about that one.

Well, getting a little lighter now.

The Southern Jaguars take to the field this weekend to open their season.

Southern Charm and juke box kicked things off earlier this week at the National Battle of the bands.

The 10th annual event in Houston featured bands from HBCUs across the country.

The Southern Tags open their season Saturday night in Lake Charles against McNeese, and we will all be watching and cheering on.

All right, so this next one feels like an Only in New Orleans story.

Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson is going viral for an unusual autograph request during the final day of training camp.

Well, fans got Benson's attention.

Then Gloria Lewis pulled off her wig and asked Benson to sign the tag.

Benson was a good sport and she initialed the hairpiece.

Now, after getting the autograph, Lewis did a little dance and then turned to the cameras to show off her newly signed wig and then users.

They were quick to point out there's no one quite as wild as Saints fans, and I will second that.

Well, staying in New Orleans, the city is showing off some upgrades as it prepares to host Super Bowl 59 in February.

Now they have new LEDs lighting up the city's iconic Crescent City connection.

Bridge crews installed about 1500 fully programable LEDs, letting the city light up the twin spans for various events.

New Orleans leaders are also focusing on a huge list of upgrades ahead of the big game, everything from fixing the streets and sidewalks to improving public safety.

New Orleans will host its 11th Super Bowl February 9th in the Superdome, and I'm sure fans will appreciate those upgrades.

A recent boost in third grade reading proficiency offers promise for Louisiana's low literacy rates, even as kindergarten readiness continues to decline.

Experts agree that reading lays the foundation for future success, which is why Super Bowl champion and former New England Patriots player Malcolm Mitchell spent time in Louisiana promoting his latest free book for young readers.

The first place Marlow explored was Louisiana.

His eyes were wide as he toured the haunted houses and foggy swamps.

Milo danced to the cheerful jazz bands and enjoyed yummy gumbo and crawfish that tickled his taste buds.

Super Bowl champion Malcolm Mitchell, former player for the New England Patriots, reads a page from his new book.

It's a free digital download for all Louisiana schoolchildren.

Malcolm is hoping to inspire a passion for reading.

Clap once and twice.

All right.

Malcolm visited Clanchy Marjory Elementary School for the Arts on his national book tour to share his motto.

To succeed, you must read.

And his latest book that pairs reading with the internet as a portal to knowledge and limitless opportunities.

Already within reach is a story about a kid named Milo who wants to learn and explore and be the best that he can be.

He reads every book in the library, and he needs to find another way to gather information.

At its core, this book is about the power of connectivity.

As a student and a football player at the University of Georgia.

Malcolm realized reading was a struggle, so he taught himself to read better and relied on reading as an antidote to adversity.

When multiple knee injuries and surgeries forced him to retire from professional football and find a new purpose and passion, football is over.

Before I left, I got myself one of these.

The.

And I felt empty inside.

And that taught me a valuable lesson that the value of my life isn't predicated on how fast I can run or how I can jump, but what I can do for others.

So I started to strive for communicating that message that I thought was valuable beyond the field.

And that's through education that you can sustain your life.

Our most powerful tool is our brain.

I feel that as much as you're feeling your body and it will do some amazing things for you.

And I think the most productive way to fuel your brain is through gathering information.

And that can be done through books and or using the internet.

Today, the former NFL player serves as a digital ambassador, promoting access for all to the internet and books.

Digital access is a source of pride at Clancy Missouri Elementary, where students are connected with technology.

We have a robust network.

We're able to provide continuous services to our teachers and our students.

We have an aging facility.

Issues.

Because of that, whenever things go wrong in terms of facilities, we have the option of doing a digital access to instruction for our students.

So the fact that we have all of that, in addition to all of the programing that we have for students being able to fill in vacancies for teachers with online programing is just a win win for us all.

So I definitely would give us a need for that.

As his football career was winding down, Malcolm created a foundation to provide age appropriate books, including several he wrote.

Hi, I'm Malcolm Mitchell, Super Bowl champion and author of my very favorite book, and The Whole Wide World.

I created to share The Magic Foundation in 2016 to inspire students to read.

At its core, the message is about hope.

Hope beyond the things that confine you to your community.

You may be trapped in a cycle, but hopefully reading a bit of information can help you understand how to get out of that cycle.

How to enrich your life.

How to empower your future.

School age.

Literacy rates in Louisiana are mixed, with some recent gains reported at the state's third grade reading level, according to the latest factbook by the Council for a Better Louisiana.

Programs such as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which gives free books to children from birth to age five, help provide access to books.

And it sports heroes like Malcolm that inspire kids to pick up those books and turn the page for a brighter future.

Through books, you can understand more that the world had to offer.

And through the internet, if you safely and intently, you could do the same thing.

Jefferson Parish Schools Superintendent Doctor James Gray says.

Teachers in the school district received a 5% pay raise this school year, funded by the district.

Also, two new public schools are under construction now.

For that free digital download of Malcolm Mitchell's new children's book, A World Within Reach.

Visit cox.com/read.

Education is just one area where Louisiana officials are working to improve our rankings.

The Council for a Better Louisiana recently released a new fact book highlighting where the state ranks on more than 30 metrics, from health to the economy.

I sat down with cable's president and CEO to look at where we're making progress and where we still have room for improvement.

I'm joined in studio by Barry Erwin.

He is president and CEO of Council for a Better Louisiana.

Also known as cable.

That's a nonpartisan public policy organization.

And you've released a new report called The Louisiana Fact Book, which is full of interesting statistics and indicators on the state of the state.

So before we get into the findings, first of all, let's talk about what was the idea behind creating The Louisiana Factbook.

There was a need for taking a look at some things that most people think are really important to the well-being of the state, and in this case, we have like 35 indicators and trying to see how we're doing on them in terms of progress.

So yes, we rank low in a lot of them.

We can do better in a lot of them.

But I think the point is we wanted to spotlight some of these things and say, like, are we improving?

Which ones are we making progress in?

Which ones do we need to really focus on and double down on to try and reverse trends that we don't like?

There are five major areas of focus.

Let's sort of break it down.

We'll start with education.

Well, you know, I think of all of them more of a bright spot in education than anywhere else.

We have ten indicators in the education piece.

I think the good news is that we're making progress on five of them.

A couple of them have stayed the same and a couple of them went down.

But I think the good news is, is in some of the areas where we've put a particular focus and one of them is early reading, third grade reading.

We're seeing good progress there.

Even after Covid, the progress for our kids there, we're seeing progress, too, for our economically disadvantaged kids across the board, grades three through eight.

We know we have a lot of those in our public schools, and we're seeing progress there.

So I think those are two of the ones that stand out.

And one other one there that I think is important.

Louisiana is not a highly educated state when it comes to degrees after high school, but we've been working on that quite a bit.

We've seen good progress there.

We're at about 50% with some post-secondary credential or degree higher than we've ever been.

So I think those are some of the bright spots actually in what we found.

Related but unrelated.

These essays, these education savings accounts.

Have you looked into what the effect of on that could be in terms of public education and funding and resources?

I think it's going to be a mixed bag in some ways for a lot of it.

one of the goals of the ESAs is to really provide financial support for folks to move their kids really out of the public schools into the private schools.

we're just, you know, putting our toe in the, in the water on this right now.

So it's going to be a while on that.

But I think the issue to watch as well is what happens to those resources.

Are we going to be moving resources out of the public schools and into the private schools?

What does that going to mean for the private I mean, for the public schools?

so that's definitely one that we're just getting started with.

But it's one that I think we all need to kind of pay a lot of attention to.

So let's move on to the economy.

That's another area of focus.

And one of the things that you really highlighted was, net domestic migration.

That's a big one.

And it really kind of coincides with another one on the list, which is our population in law.

So, you know, over the years we have been growing a little bit.

But in the last couple of years, our population has also actually gone down in real numbers.

And the reason for that is outmigration.

We have more people moving outside of the state than moving into it.

That is not the sign of a really healthy economy.

If you look around the South, you see the opposite trend.

You see, the South is being really the region in the country that's seeing the most growth.

And to be in the middle of a growth region, when you're seeing people actually moving out is really distressing.

Now, it's probably no surprise the largest, receiver of people from Louisiana is Texas.

So has cable unpacked some of the factors that are contributing to the outmigration?

I think a lot of it has to do with jobs, which is actually another one of our indicators in this section.

If you look back to 2014, we have about the same number of jobs, the same number of people employed as we had back then.

So we've seen some incremental growth and we saw it coming out of Covid.

But if you look at it broadly, it's been very flat.

Again, the South has been leading the country in terms of employment growth.

the growth of the rest of the country is much higher than ours as well.

And so when you don't have that job growth, and you have an outmigration, those are really issues that are pretty sticky and ones that we really need to put a big focus on.

What are your thoughts and findings in terms of energy?

Well, in terms of, energy in our state, one of the good things we know we're an oil and gas state, and that's been that way forever.

So it's that's no new news there.

But one of the things that we did find that is a positive is that, production of energy through renewables is actually growing in our state.

we have more in terms of renewables than people might think, given our oil and gas background in history.

So that's a very positive thing.

I think outside of the indicators, one of the things that we're beginning to see is a growing interest.

Obviously, we've talked about solar before, but also in wind power off our coast and off to the Gulf.

so we're going to have some of the first wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico at all of the Louisiana coast.

And so that's an encouraging sign as well.

And let's talk about the, state of our health here in Louisiana.

That's one where we just don't really fare that well.

I'll say there was one bit of good news in there in terms of the progress, is that in terms of one of the, indicators, we track heart disease and incidence of heart disease, in death, we actually made some improvement there.

That's the number one killer, in our state when it comes to, disease.

And so you want to see progress there, of course, but on the others, it's really somewhat discouraging.

Life expectancy is actually going down in our state.

I mean, you don't want to see that.

Now, some of that was out of Covid.

some of it has to do, though, with, you know, opioid opioid abuse and that type of thing.

those are not really good signs at all in terms of obesity.

Another issue, another area where we have an issue in terms of food deserts, food insecurity, another one of those things.

So the health indicators are really one of the ones that drag us down when we're looking around the country or people are looking at us in terms of quality of life.

one, we really need to focus on it.

So with all of this data in The Louisiana Factbook, what do you want to see happen in terms of public policy?

I'm assuming this data you're hoping gets to gets into the hands and minds of lawmakers, right?

Absolutely.

And that is the whole point.

Again, we weren't trying to just put out a list of things where people say we already know the outcomes.

We want to show that there are areas like, for instance, the education piece we talked about where when we really focus on things, when we put some sense of urgency into it, we can see progress.

And we also want to see the ones where we're going in the wrong direction.

And that's what we want to kind of highlight areas where we're making it, areas where we aren't, and applaud the things where we're making progress and we see the policies that are contributing to that.

and then build upon those and then say, hey, some of these others, we need to kind of, sharpen our pencil and come up with some new policies to try and deal with some of these things and make things better.

All right.

Well, Barry Irwin, give us the take away from the Louisiana fact.

But I think overall it's mixed.

We're not doing as well this year as we did last year.

That's discouraging.

We're doing about the same in terms of progress on indicators.

16 going up, 16 going down a couple that are about the same.

We really want them to be going all in the upper green light direction.

All right.

Well, thank you so much for coming on as always.

Cable is such a great partner to LPB and a great source of valuable information in terms of public policy.

again, thank you.

And, we will stay in touch with cable.

Thanks so much.

Appreciate it.

And our final harvest of the month report.

We are looking ahead to the fall harvest.

Louisiana farmers have spent the summer planting and preparing a rich bounty of winter squash.

Produce like pumpkins and other gourds are used as decorations and components in our meals.

But winter squash played a much more important role in the founding of our country.

Our digital team takes us to Opelousas to see how the gourds are grown.

Hi friends, I'm Krystal Bessey with the Louisiana Farm to School program.

This month's Louisiana Harvest of the month was so vital to the early settlers of our country that they may not have survived without it during those harsh New England winters.

Today, their every part of our autumn celebrations it's winter squash, the indigenous people of that time taught us all that we know and love about pumpkins, squash and gourds.

This is Cheniere Farms, where they're going to squash our curiosity on how this crop is grown, harvested, and prepared into a cornucopia of treats.

Winter squash and summer squash are members of the Carpeta family, also known as the gourd family, which includes other crops such as cucumber, melons, and Milton.

There are many common varieties of the cucumber family that grow in Louisiana, like Hubbard, Acorn, delicata, to butternut, and spaghetti varieties, and their looks are as different as their names.

The name squash came from a Native American word called as good as squash, which translates to mean eaten raw or uncooked.

We're here at Cheniere Farms in Opelousas, Louisiana, and I'm here with Betty and John Cheniere.

They're the owners of the farm.

Thank you for being here.

Thanks for having us.

Thanks for being here.

I would love to know how you got into farming.

Well, we actually we had three boys, and we want them to know how to grow their own food.

And we started growing our own food.

I'll be growing my own food from my parents.

We, you know, we we want to know where the food is coming from.

And we know where we grow, which, where we eat.

Yes.

And it's been a blessing for us to do that.

And we got a little bit bigger than we expand to is the farmers market.

But the best thing you could ever happen to us, and we've been there for, what, 27 years now?

If I wow, that's great blessing.

And we met so many wonderful people out there.

That's great.

Would you say that you're growing a sustainable way or how do you how do you manage your crops on your farm?

Yeah, we grow on sustainable.

We trade good natural way.

We we don't try to use, you know, harsh chemicals, you know, and here in south Louisiana we got to use some type of chemical but be very, very mild.

Yeah.

Because we are in the field when we harvest and we, you know, we eat, right?

Because, yeah, I've attended to people I don't have to going buy vitamins that is eat leaves.

And I got all the bodies that I need.

Yeah.

The nutrition, you know.

Right.

Well, this is great to hear.

I can't wait to go out into the field and see some of these squash you're talking about.

Yes.

Of course.

Let's take a look.

Hi, I'm Judy, my hand from Louisiana State University, and I can't wait to tell you what I know about how good winter squash is for you and how to cook the squash, the seeds and the flowers.

These squash that are in front of me are rich in vitamin A, potassium and vitamin C that you need every day to stay strong and healthy.

And in addition to that, the seeds.

The flowers are good for your digestive system because they have healthy dietary fiber.

So butternut squash is one of my favorites.

One of the things that I do is soften it up a little bit in the microwave oven and then cut it in half, and then what I do is dice it.

so I have some, butternut squash here that I'm just going to dice toss with a little bit of olive oil and put it in the oven at about 400 degrees in a single layer, and roast for about 25 to 30 minutes.

And this is the end result right here.

So notice that it has some yellow caramelization on it.

So tell me, where can we find your products?

every Saturday we had red steak farmers market in Baton Rouge in Baton Rouge.

Okay.

A great market to go to.

We are diverse of five and, vegetables, fruits.

All right.

So once they purchase your your fruits, your squash at the farmer's market, how do how can someone store that the best way?

Well, it's one good thing about when I squash, they hold up for three, four, even five months.

I've had them.

Hola.

Yeah.

Put them in a cool, dry place.

You can put them in a fruit basket on your board or on your table.

You can put them in a utility room.

Just a cool, dry place, you know, kind of like in bananas.

And they're beautiful on display.

You can leave them there for a couple months.

Exactly.

It's a double.

It's a double.

It's a win win thing.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Well John and Betty thank you so much for having us out at Cheniere Farm today.

This is a great time to learn about winter squash.

And you've taught us so much.

Good, good.

I'm glad.

Yeah, you were able to come.

And don't forget to check out PBS's full length harvest of the month reports at LPB Dawgs Harvest.

And while you're there, be sure to watch some of our other award winning digital first series.

Well, that's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LPB app.

You can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Karen LeBlanc.

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 lights.

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 by Visit Baton Rouge.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.