City council ‘grounds’ Mayor Cantrell; truck parking problem; Lenten season reflections

03/13/25 • 24 min

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on the week in politics with The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. We learn how the New Orleans City Council is aiming to restrict the travel of Mayor LaToya Cantrell, and how she’s pushing back.

The recent severe weather and January’s heavy snowfall shed light on an ongoing problem: a lack of adequate parking for long-haul truck drivers.

The Louisiana Transportation Research Center is looking for solutions to the state’s truck parking problem. They’ve awarded a grant to Bethany Stich, professor of Planning and Urban Studies and director of the University of New Orleans Transportation Institute to study the issue. She joins us to discuss potential solutions to this issue.

The Lenten season, which follows Carnival's period of excess and indulgence, is observed by many Christians as a time for atonement, introspection, reflection, and repentance. But how does that last bit fit into our 21st century mindset?

Father John D Cunningham, vice president of Mission and Identity at Loyola University New Orleans, tells us how to think about lent in contemporary times.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

The recent severe weather and January’s heavy snowfall shed light on an ongoing problem: a lack of adequate parking for long-haul truck drivers.

Father John D Cunningham, vice president of Mission and Identity at Loyola University New Orleans, tells us how to think about lent in contemporary times.

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You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Previous Episode

How hospitals prepare for mass casualties; resources for kids in foster care; best plants for Louisiana weather

Shortly after the New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street, trauma teams at New Orleans hospitals stepped up to save lives at a moment’s notice. University Medical Center New Orleans, the only Level 1 trauma center in the area, addressed many of the casualties.

Dr. Alison Smith, trauma medical director at UMC , tells us how the city’s hospitals prepare for mass casualty emergencies.

When children are removed from families and put into foster care, they often have to leave with very few of their personal items, carrying their belongings in nothing more than a trash bag — a dehumanizing and sometimes traumatic experience.

Rob Scheer is founder of Comfort Cases, an international organization that supports hundreds of children who enter the foster care system each month in Louisiana. He tells us about the basic needs of children that are often overlooked, and an upcoming event to collect clothes, blankets, hygiene kits and more for kids in need.

As the weather warms, many are thinking about what kinds of plants to put in their gardens, but Louisiana weather isn’t the friendliest to all kinds of plants. We have to consider what plants are best equipped to survive heat, droughts and even hurricanes.

Author Christopher Brown and Tammany Baumgarten, a landscape horticulturist and president of the Louisiana Native Plant Society, tell us more about the best plants for South Louisiana's climate.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. We get production support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts.Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you!

Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Next Episode

Man remains on death row despite faulty bite mark evidence; LSU Lady Tigers gear up for March Madness

Nine prisoners are walking free after being convicted in part on faulty evidence presented by Mississippi dentist Michael West and his pathological partner Dr. Steven Hayne. Seven of those nine convictions involved bite mark evidence, and three of the recently-freed men had been on death row.
There is one inmate left who awaits execution based on evidence presented by the now defamed medical professionals, and state prosecutors aren’t budging about his guilt. All the while, Louisiana had been gearing up for its first nitrogen gas execution, which has since been temporarily barred by a federal judge.
Richard Webster, a reporter for Verite News and ProPublica has been following this closely, and joins us to share more.

The 2025 March Madness tournaments are just around the corner, and all eyes are on the LSU women’s basketball team. The Lady Tigers won the championship in 2023, and lost in the Elite Eight in 2024.

While this year’s squad will lack the familiar faces of Angel Reese and Haley Van Lith, fans will remember Flau’Jae Johnson, who has taken on a larger role with this year’s team. And of course, there’s the colorful coach Kim Mulkey and her unforgettable sideline jackets.

Reed Darcey, who covers the team for the Baton Rouge Advocate, joins us to look back at the regular season and offer tournament predictions.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Ryan Vasquez. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!