Support for Louisiana, the state we're in is provided by.

Every day I go to work for Entergy.

I know customers are counting on me.

So Entergy is investing millions of dollars to keep the lights on and installing new technology.

To prevent outages before they.

Happen.

Together, together, together.

We power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth Zigler Foundation and the Zigler 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.

This program is made possible in part by Frank's Restaurant, a place known for the gathering of friends, family and colleagues where deals are signed over a handshake and a biscuit.

For information on catering menus and locations, go to Frank's restaurant L.A. dot com.

You know, when the fire at Tiger Island started, we had a standing order no matter what.

We saved the town of Maryville, The town it got within 3200 feet of Maryville.

Wildfires continue to scorch Louisiana.

Is the end in sight?

I mean, I think at some point we just have to come to terms with ourselves and say, are we satisfied with our roads?

And we say no.

Is Louisiana's infrastructure up to par.

Without investing in education?

We will not be able to grow the economy to create the jobs we need to sustain our tax base.

Candidate for Governor Shawn Wilson shares his views on coffee with the candidates.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Kara St. Cyr.

And I'm Karen LeBlanc.

Louisiana is making headlines around the nation for its raging wildfires, scorching thousands of acres, a state wide to date.

More than 70 square miles have burned.

And efforts to contain the fires continue.

That's right.

Unprecedented heat and drought conditions have turned Louisiana into a tinderbox.

This weekend, Governor John Bel Edwards is asking Louisianians not to barbecue outdoors as part of the statewide burn ban.

And now here's the latest on this developing story.

We're in times that are unprecedented.

I've been in this business a very long time, and I've never seen anything like this.

Some of our teams were faced with Saturday a fire line that was six miles long.

Flames that were 300 feet tall.

Governor John Bel Edwards surveys the scorched earth in Beauregard Parish from a helicopter above.

The Tiger Island wildfire is the largest in Louisiana's history and forced nearby residents in the town of Marysville to evacuate.

You know, when the fire at Tiger Island started, we had a standing order.

No matter what we save the town of Marysville, the town it got within 3200 feet of Marysville.

A bird's eye view reveals a 32,000 acre expanse of charred land.

We're still very much in the the effort here.

These fires are not all contained and they're not all control, and they're literally hundreds and hundreds of hotspots that are still smoldering, small fires that at any moment with these winds and the return of these red flag conditions can flare up and pose additional challenges for to life and property.

In Vernon Parish, similar scenes unfold from the wildfires, which prompted evacuations there.

To put this in perspective, my entire Office of Foresters, 150 fire personnel.

We have over 1200 people now fighting fires.

So everyone coming together is augmented our firefighting capacity by ten fold.

We continue to fight these fires.

We will continue to fight these fires until they are extinguished.

Meanwhile, law enforcement is busy enforcing the statewide burn ban, which remains in effect.

This weekend, this Labor Day.

We know that that typically involves a lot of cookouts and barbecues, especially with the return of football and with the season opening.

And I'm asking that people not engage in and barbecuing and so forth outside where a fire can start.

Recent rainfall wasn't enough to cool the smoldering hot spots and put out the flames with more heat and dry conditions in the forecast.

Louisiana remains on high alert.

We still have a very severe drought in Louisiana and a little bit of the precipitation that we've had, especially in southwest Louisiana.

It's gone now.

Unlike California, Louisiana isn't accustomed nor equipped to deal with wildfires of this magnitude.

The governor and the Agriculture and forestry commissioner plan to call on lawmakers for more funding for staff and equipment to deal with future and certain wildfire outbreaks.

This is probably the new normal.

And not that this will happen to this degree every year, but it's going to happen to some degree more frequently than it has in the past.

FEMA has approved Louisiana's request for a fire management assistance grant declaration to help with wild firefighting efforts for the Tiger Island Fire and the Guard Parish.

A new sub variant of the COVID 19 virus is quickly becoming the dominant strain in the U.S. 85 is a derivative of the American variant, while the new strain is not an immediate public health risk.

It does have the ability to evade antibodies created by the COVID 19 vaccine.

Here to join us and talk about this is Dr. Joseph Kanter, which I'm sure all of you remember.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Oh, thanks.

Care.

It's great to be with you.

All right.

So let's talk about this new variant now.

When did the world's health leaders first notice this variation and was it expected?

Well, we know that COVID 19 mutates, mutates fairly quickly and it gets new variants.

That's what we've been dealing with the entire pandemic.

So the fact that we have a new variant on the horizon here now is not a surprise at all that five has been growing for the past few weeks.

It's about 20% and growing.

Of all the new cases out there right now, both nationally and here to our best estimate.

But I'll tell you this, even though it's growing and will likely grow further and become the dominant variant, we've been down this road many, many times before.

We're in a really different place, thankfully, than we were in months and years past with this outbreak.

And I don't think this is cause for over alarm.

Exactly.

So.

Let's talk a little bit about the differences between this variant and the last dominant variant, which was homegrown.

What makes them different?

You know, they're very similar.

This variant is a sub lineage of al-Muqrin.

It's an American type variant.

We've been dealing with Omicron variants for a little while now, so it's not that dissimilar from the variant we've had over the past 6 to 12 months or so.

It's all in the same family and the effects are pretty, pretty similar.

All right.

So the symptoms would be the same.

The the the fatigue, things like that.

And of course, lighter than previous variants of COVID 19.

There you know, the thing about COVID is it's a strange virus and it can cause a whole wide range of symptoms.

The ones you mentioned are the classic ones, but we see weird stuff, number of loss of taste, loss of smell.

Right.

COVID can do a lot of vague things.

This variant is no different than that.

So let's talk a little bit about the vaccine so this one can possibly evade antibodies created by a COVID 19 vaccine.

But is that going to be the case in every person that encounters it?

Not necessarily.

You know what primarily is different now as opposed to, let's say, in the beginning of the pandemic is this is not a novel virus.

It's not new anymore.

And we have so many more protections than we had back then.

About 95% of this state has either had COVID in the past been vaccinated or both.

And while that's not 100% protective, it is significant.

So we expect that the clinical outcomes on average are going to be much less severe than they were at earlier points of this pandemic.

I see on average, because people who are extremely vulnerable are still vulnerable.

I'm talking about people who are older and age, people who have that serious medical conditions, particularly immunosuppression.

Those people do need to be thinking about what extra precautions might be right for them.

So over the weekend, I did see a few people walking around with masks, and I'm not going to lie.

It took me back.

It was shocking to see after not seeing it for so long is masking something that we need to be doing regularly now.

The general public, everyone?

I don't think so, but there's a lot of room for individualized protections here.

And because it's easy to get a high quality mask.

Now, again, that wasn't the case in the beginning of the pandemic, but it's very easy to get it in 95 or 95, particularly people that either they themselves have serious conditions that put them at risk or live with people that do.

They might want to, and we should respect their choice to do so.

All right.

So is there anything else people should know about this new variant.

On the horizon within the next 1 to 2 months?

Will be a new updated booster that we expect will be a good match for this variant.

So I encourage everyone, talk to your trusted health care provider now and get a good game plan.

Not just for that booster but also for the flu vaccine that will be available soon.

Yes, the flu is around the corner.

All right.

Well, thank you so much for joining us.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

My pleasure.

The Louisiana section of the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state's infrastructure a D-plus in 2017.

Now, almost ten years later, engineers are saying not much has changed.

As part of our gubernatorial election special coverage, The Way Forward, Election 2023, I took a deeper look into the infrastructural issues plaguing our state infrastructure.

That's likely a word you've heard before.

It's defined as the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

That means roads, bridges, anything that makes society go round.

But many Louisiana drivers don't think our infrastructure is as efficient as it should be.

I went to a gas station to find out more.

What do you think of Louisiana's roads and bridges?

Out of school I went through, I gave it a 40%.

You give it a 40%?

Yeah.

Why do you give it a 40%?

Because a lot of a lot of roads, like different environments, like the point bombs still kind of have a lot of potholes as an example, like playing road.

Playing road is really, really bad.

Like over the years it got fixed, but it took like almost 15 years to get fixed.

So I just think we do need to improve on the street more and the traffic with the.

Flying merging and stuff like that, but most importantly, the potholes.

I'm tired of messing up my boat.

I'm tired of a college school that I'm a broken school.

I can't afford it.

These responses aren't far off.

These responses aren't far off.

Louisiana's roads and bridges are in dire need of improvement, as are a lot of our other public works systems.

The Louisiana section of the American Society of Civil Engineers graded Louisiana's infrastructure as a D in 2012 and a D-plus in 2017.

I am Kirk Lowery.

I am the President.

Louisiana President.

Louisiana Section President of American Society.

Civil Engineers.

Can you tell me why such a low score?

Well, the biggest I mean, the biggest culprit we have, honestly, is within our probably within our water systems, roads and bridges.

The report card grades Louisiana in 11 different areas.

Roads, bridges and water systems seem to have the lowest grade and the least improvements in the last ten years.

What exactly is wrong with the water systems?

You get outside the cities for the most part, and you you find that you have a lot of very old systems, meaning broken pipes, meaning of, you know, broken equipment, pumps.

The infrastructure report says that 20% of Louisiana's parishes struggle with water systems, meaning they may have to boil water before they drink it or the systems are so stressed that they can't even fulfill basic needs.

Our roads and bridges report is just as bleak.

They're functionally deficient.

They have deficiencies and they've done actually a good job of knocking the number down a little bit over the last five years.

Kirk says it all comes down to two issues old infrastructure and lack of funding.

Over half of our water systems are 50 years old or older, which makes it harder for them to function.

Meanwhile, our roads and bridges are in poor condition.

Louisiana roads cost drivers about $6.5 billion in repairs annually.

12% of our bridges are structurally deficient.

They don't have passing lanes on the bridge.

They have no pull over areas.

It's not so much a structural deficiency.

It's more of.

It's a little dangerous.

And the funding just isn't there to fix everything quickly.

In 2010, Louisiana faced a $10 billion backlog in projects just for the roads.

From research that's going on right now, from the people that are working on the report card, they're hearing that it's probably today around $18 billion of backlog for roads, not bridges, just roads.

If it keeps increasing, that monetary number keeps increasing that that's not a very good sign, that it's getting better.

Where does the funding for Louisiana's infrastructure come from?

Primarily, it comes from gasoline taxes that we all pay every time you fill up with gas.

In Louisiana, we have a 20 cent gasoline tax that we pay on top of, you know, the regular cost and on top of about $0.18 that goes to the federal government.

So we use that $0.20 to pay off for projects that have already been built that are already out there to pay off debt, but also about $0.16 of that we use really just for the maintenance, the operation for some expansion, whatever we can do to meet all those many road needs that everybody feels like we have.

So really the $0.16 is that's our budget.

It is $0.16 translates to about $650 million annually, which was sustainable in 1990 when it was implemented.

But it doesn't account for 2023 inflation costs.

It also doesn't factor in electric cars or fuel efficiency, which reduces the amount of money people pay at the pump.

Well, what's keeping Louisiana from increasing our gas tax?

Well, you know, I think a lot of it is political.

Obviously, we know that we need to do that.

Unfortunately, with with roads, I mean, there's not much you can do in terms of different kinds of efficiencies because road construction costs are what they are.

They're driven by markets.

I mean, I think at some point we just have to come to terms with ourselves and say, are we satisfied with our roads?

And we say no.

Then we need to figure out a way that we can feel comfortable enough politically to make that investment.

The gas tax isn't our only form of revenue.

The state also brings in money from the vehicle tax you pay every time you buy a car.

It generates about 300 million for the Transportation Trust fund, which does help a little.

We also get grants from the federal government here and there, but it's still not enough to cover the backlog or fund future projects.

The recent initiative doesn't have a set plan for fixing Louisiana's infrastructure, but they do suggest searching for more revenue, either from taxes or from reallocating funds.

But if we can have a plan presented to voters presented in the right way, you know, and hopefully, you know, convince folks that they understand what the need is and are willing to pay what it would cost in a reasonable kind of way to fix it, then that's kind of where we're kind of coming from with reset.

So if you're a voter at home and you're trying to make a decision about which candidate to go for, what should you be paying attention to whenever it comes to infrastructure?

We can agree or disagree on what the solutions are because there are a lot of different things to talk about.

We can fight about those when the time comes.

But the issue is, do they have a plan?

Do they have some ideas?

Are they committed to trying to do the things that are necessary to expand the infrastructure in these big projects that we need around the state as well as the maintenance and the overall, you know, safety of our roads?

So once again, voter, how do you think Louisiana's infrastructure should be fixed is up to you pick the candidate with your best interest at heart.

The 2022 assessment is about 75% finished, but Kirk Lowery says it's looking like more of the same.

So bottom line, our water systems, our roads, our bridges, they all need serious attention.

Absolutely.

And like you said, it won't happen overnight.

You know, and this is probably the perfect segue way to talk about this week's coffee with the candidate who happens to be the former secretary of a Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, who has obviously a lot of experience dealing with infrastructure.

Yes.

So all of this stuff, this isn't new to him.

He knows all about it.

Yeah.

So the great thing about these issues, Kyra, is that we're able to take a deep dive into them.

And all of this kind of leads up to the televised gubernatorial election here on LP September 28th.

So we're going to be able to get a deeper dive and hear more about what these candidates have to say in everything from taxes to roads to brain drain.

All right.

So I really can't wait to see what you have for us this week.

All right.

So in our latest episode of Coffee with the Candidates, I chat with Shawn Wilson, the only Democrat running for Louisiana governor that we might have at Frank's restaurant to talk about key voter issues ranging from Louisiana's insurance crisis to income taxes.

Shawn Wilson is the only Democrat in the Louisiana governor's race.

The former secretary of the State Department of Transportation and Development held the post for seven years.

He has 25 years of experience in state government and lives in Lafayette.

John, well, thank you so much for joining me here at Frank's Restaurant.

Now, before we get started.

Yes, how about a fresh cup of coffee?

Love one.

Thank you.

That would be phenomenal.

I hadn't had my morning cup yet, so this is perfect.

I'm sure you need a lot of coffee out there on the campaign trail.

Yes.

Wonderful.

Okay, so for our viewers, here are the ground rules.

Each of our candidates received these same five questions ahead of time.

Each of our candidates has 7 minutes to answer the five questions.

This time, I will be keeping time and reminding Sean of the time as we move along so we make sure we stay within our seven allotted minutes.

So are you ready?

You're ready to take a sip and we'll get started.

I don't want to use any of my 7 minutes drinking, so.

Okay.

So I am officially going to press start.

And here's our first question.

Louisiana is experiencing an insurance crisis as auto property and flood insurance rates continue to rise and some insurance companies quit writing policies here altogether.

How will you address the affordability and the accessibility of insurance for Louisianians?

Well, like most Louisianians, I'm disappointed that our insurance industry left many folks high and dry and decided to cut and run.

It's important for us to work collaboratively to address this issue.

We have to bring competition to the market.

The $45 million that the state allocated, it's not going to be sustainable for us to do that.

And I suspect that big insurance companies are going to come and ask us again next year for more than that 45 million.

We're going to have to work to ensure that there's competition in the market.

We're going to make sure that we hold insurance companies accountable, that citizens get what they actually deserve and what they pay for.

We know we're living in a high risk state, and every six months we have hurricane season.

No family should be left with the inability to maintain their homes or their quality of life.

Risk Point Risk Rating 2.0.

Needs more transparency.

We're going to have to work with Congress to ensure that we do that.

134% increase for some families.

Any family is just unacceptable.

And so we're going to have to work collaboratively.

We're going to have to work with our national partners, work with the insurance industry, and hold them accountable.

As governor, I'm going to pass laws to make sure that citizens get what they actually deserve from those insurance companies or they're not going to be welcomed here to work in this state.

We need to have a competitive market, and that's what we're going to work for.

With the state's temporary point four or five sales tax set to expire in mid 2025, declining gas taxes people pay at the pump, and other changing circumstances affecting our tax structure.

Some say Louisiana is headed toward a fiscal cliff.

What is your plan to create a sustainable tax base and competitive tax environments?

You know, citizens and businesses alike really need transparency.

They need some predictability.

They need to know that this state is making the right kinds of investments.

We're going to have to build jobs to build a tax base.

We're going to have to make sure that small businesses and large businesses are treated fairly and know what to expect in terms of what they're going to see.

Without investing in education, we will not be able to grow the economy to create the jobs we need to sustain our tax base.

The other thing that we need to do is not go back to what we saw in the Jindal years that we were giving away more than we were retaining and not investing in real priorities.

It's important for us to be able to attract people to the state, and the tax base is going to make sure that people know what to expect and know where their resources are going to pay for things like good schools, infrastructure, health care, education.

If it's not going to make us safer, if it's not going to make us smarter, if it's not going to make us healthier, and it's not going to make us wealthier, we should not be doing it.

Those are the first four things that we have to focus on.

And taxes are going to be used to be able to sustain that and spend it on the right priorities for the state of Louisiana.

Louisiana has some of the highest incarceration recidivism rates in the nation.

How are you going to lower crime and improve public safety?

So as I travel, I know crime and public safety is job one.

That is the number one priority that citizens want the governor to work with.

And we will work with local law enforcement.

We will work with everyone in that community to make sure we get it right.

People have a right to be safe and we need to understand the value of what that public safety is.

We need to be investing in programs like reentry to make sure that the majority of folks that we arrest are going to get out one day.

And are they going to be better citizens when they get out than when they went in?

We need to make sure that we're investing in technology, that we're supporting local law enforcement, that these individuals who protect us in service have the resources to protect themselves and do their jobs effectively.

Investing in technology will go a long way.

Understanding data will go a long way.

And this is not going to be just in major cities.

This is in every community.

And it might show up differently.

So we need to attack these old problems in new ways.

We need to address fentanyl crises and other opioid epidemics and things like that to ensure that we're keeping people safe.

Investing in counseling, investing in resources, and making sure that we can be smart on crime.

We should always act before we arrest.

Because after you've arrested someone, the crime is already done and that doesn't make us safer.

Two questions ago, a little under 3 minutes.

Recent studies show that sea levels are rising faster than we can rebuild the coast.

It's a consequence of climate change.

Renewable energy sources such as wind and water and solar power could help combat climate change.

What is your stance on developing renewable energy sources in Louisiana?

Listen, we have to invest in renewables.

That's going to give us the greatest return on our investment.

In the timeframe that we have and those renewables are going to be essential for building a better economy.

Think about the wind industry, think about hydrogen, and think about the port infrastructure and the resources that we currently have.

Think about our workforce that no one can compete with us on.

Those are the types of jobs that are going to be transferrable to complement oil and gas, to ensure that we have balance in our market and that we can grow this economy because that is the way of the future.

And that's an opportunity for us to invest in both urban and rural communities to make that happen.

So listen, we lost about a football field just in the last hour when it took me to get from Lafayette to Baton Rouge.

We have to accept that we can do better.

We want to protect this shore.

We want to protect our state so that our children and grandchildren can hunt and fish and have the quality of life that we grew up with in Louisiana and that it not all falls into the Gulf of Mexico.

All right.

We have a minute and a half left.

Last question, citizen talk show that young people are moving out of Louisiana for better educational and business opportunities and quality of life.

How do you intend to stop this so-called brain drain and make Louisiana more attractive for younger generations?

Listen, I'm a product of public schools.

Public schools are going to be the way out if we fully invest in our universities, invest in elementary and secondary education, and then invest in our workforce to bring jobs here.

Clearly, people leave Louisiana not for the food, not for the fun, and not for the football.

They leave for better wages.

We should attract those jobs and ensure that our young people can stay here and invest and create business and start their own businesses and grow the businesses that are here by investing in education, investing in workforce training, and then investing in public safety and infrastructure.

Those are the things that are attractive.

When you look at our universities, our buildings are crumbling.

We need to make sure that our teaching and that we're building the institutions physically and academically to attract the talent, not just in Louisiana to but to bring people here to take advantage of this culture that we've created.

While Dunn and 630, you've finished under seven cheers.

Here's to that song.

Now, before we go, yes, I have one more question for you.

Okay.

Biscuits are beanies.

I love them both.

I like biscuits with a little figs, But I'm going to go with Banyas.

I haven't had been used in a while.

And there you go.

Awesome.

That's beautiful.

And as I mentioned, we will be hosting a televised gubernatorial debate on September 28th with the leading candidates and everybody.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB any time, wherever you are, with our LPB PBS app.

And you can watch 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 X and Instagram.

For everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Kara St.Cyr.

And I'm Karen LeBlanc.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

Every day I go to work for Entergy.

I know customers are counting on me.

So Entergy is investing millions of dollars to keep the lights on and installing new technology.

To prevent outages before they.

Happen.

Together, together.

Together.

We power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Zigler Foundation and the Zigler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

With support from viewers like you.