Support for Louisiana, the state we're in is provided by.
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I know customers are counting on me.
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Together, together, together.
We power life.
Additional support provided by the Fred Bea 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.
And, you know, I think that's probably why 70% of people believe that that especially in cases of rape and incest, the choice should exist.
To abortion, exceptions stand a chance.
There's greater uncertainty in this forecast.
And the typical forecast.
Why a below average hurricane season.
Sounding alarms.
You get a chance to see a culture that's been thriving and is going on for far longer before you even touched it.
It's festival season moves into high gear.
His handicap is not a handicap.
He just walks around it.
The obstacles facing our next young hero.
We begin tonight with the future of a commonly used abortion pill.
At the center of a fierce legal battle before the Supreme Court.
That's right.
And Andre, the court is expected to make a decision before midnight tonight about mifepristone, which is part of a two part drug regimen that accounts for more than half of abortions in the U.S..
Some of the restrictions include blocking patients from receiving the drug by mail.
Here now is a look at some of the other news headlines making news around the state.
Money is talking in the 2023 Louisiana governor's race, with Attorney General Jeff Landry far surpassing the cash on hand of any other candidate.
Landry has amassed more than $6.3 million in on hand cash.
This is according to campaign finance reports published this week.
Landry was the first to announce his candidacy and received a controversial endorsement from the Republican Party.
State Treasurer John Schroeder is running second in terms of money with 2.4 million cash on hand.
Covington based LNG exploration has reached a tentative $3.1 million settlement with the feds over a 2017 Gulf of Mexico oil leak.
The settlement says the company does not admit liability in connection with the leak.
About 672,000 gallons of crude leaked from the site about 40 miles southeast of Venice.
Among the governor's final words in his State of the State address.
Exception says he wants added to the state's near-total abortion ban.
He's asking the legislature to include rape and incest as exceptions for abortion.
Here to discuss.
Tara Wicker, wife and mother of six, now a leader with Louisiana Right to Life.
And Mary Patricia Rea, wife and mother of two, recognized by the American Association of Political Consultants and is teaching Louisiana constitutional law today.
The politics, the science, the religion, the public opinion fueling this discussion.
And I want to begin with looking at these exceptions proposed by the governor.
Is there room at the table for these two exceptions, rape and incest?
Let me begin with you.
You know, I think that the the voice of the Louisiana citizens spoke.
They spoke loud and clear in terms of having a total ban on abortion.
We firmly believe that no matter the circumstances surrounding a person's conception, that every life has value in every every every human being should have the opportunity to live their position.
Well, recent polling on this issue by well-known Louisiana pollsters, one as recently as last month, indicates that 70% of Louisiana citizens agree that there should be exceptions as to an abortion ban in cases of rape and incest, which is just a 3% under the 73% of people that agree.
There should also be exceptions that currently exist to preserve the life and the health of the mother.
And I think Miss Wicker is 100% correct that Louisiana citizens value the dignity of every life in this state.
And I think that that public opinion actually reflects that.
They believe that a 13 year old who maybe is raped or has a pregnancy, that's a case of incest, they value her life and they agree that she should not be forced to carry her baby to term.
Now, let me ask you this.
As it stands now, the exceptions are rather limited to save the pregnant person's life.
The mother, if there's serious risk to her life.
Also, if the fetus is not expected to survive the pregnancy.
These are really the only exceptions that exist at this point in time.
Your thoughts on that?
Wicker.
Yeah, You know, those were the exceptions, obviously.
You know, when it first came out, we were of the opinion definitely in terms of the ability to save the life of the mother that's done under a doctor's care.
We believe that that was something that needed to be taken into consideration.
However, we know that there are circumstances that all the time will children that have disabilities.
One young man we know recently that was actually conceived in rape also was born with three holes in his heart.
And so, you know, everything was was leaning toward the, you know, the viability of this baby's survival.
And his mom made the decision that he had the right to live.
The holes were close up in his heart.
He had heart surgery at 19 and living viable.
And so we just believe that at the end of the day, every human being has and deserves the right to be able to live.
Okay, maybe, Patricia.
You know, I think that taking these cases one at a time, actually does have some value.
And I celebrate that young man's story along with everyone else.
I think it's a it's a great story.
You know, the story started with a choice.
The law now removes that choice.
And that's the only thing that would change in that circumstance is that the choice wouldn't be available.
So, again, you know, I think that's probably why 70% of people believe that that that especially in cases of rape and incest, the choice should exist.
You know, I just I want to respond to that because I hear that often.
And, you know, the difficulty I think that I have in being able to absorb that is at what point do we make the decision that the ability to be able to kill another human being within another human being is a right?
And so I struggle with that.
We struggle with that because at some point in time, to me, it becomes I'm maybe pro-life, but I'm selective.
And so I have a determination of whether your life is valuable or whether your life is valuable.
And at what point do you draw that line.
You know, and the difficulty for me, especially as an African-American woman, at one point in history, it was determined until, you know, constitutional law change that African-Americans were not even considered a four person, just the very fact of our own personhood.
So it goes to a direct passion for me as a mother, as an African-American woman, that we have select, you know, we can select when we value and don't value a person's life.
So that's kind of the difficulty that I really see around this issue.
And it is a it is a difficult issue.
And I think it's important to recognize that.
And I think, you know, with great respect for differing opinions, we don't decide that that question and we shouldn't decide that question because in the story that kind of generated this conversation that we're having, we didn't the mother of the child did.
And I think it's important to recognize that for 50 years that protected women and children, especially women and children with former experience or that come from a legacy of oppression, answering a legacy of oppression like slavery with more oppression, I think is un-American.
It's definitely unconstitutional.
And it's my my Christian Catholic faith informs me that it's the wrong thing to do.
And to answer your question more directly.
Is there room at the table for this conversation?
I think there is.
And I think we've got, you know, two, two really intelligent folks sitting here talking about it right now and that it's very important that the conversation continue and that it it include facts, science, medical truths, religious viewpoints and political viewpoints, because all of those actually are important to the discussion.
Well, it's great to see both of you.
I appreciate you both being here today.
We're out of time, but maybe we can come back and talk again, though.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
We appreciate so much.
Really appreciate the opportunity.
Based on the development of El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean.
Early forecasts predict a slightly below average hurricane season.
Now, this forecast was met with concern from weather experts nationwide.
So Louisiana State climatologist Dr. Barry Kime joins us to weigh in and give us your reaction first to the concerns.
So obviously, the concern is we're predicting a below normal season.
We don't want people to relax.
And that's the concern.
Yes, that's the concern.
We're there.
They're forecasting 13 named storms.
Keep in mind, 14 is an average season.
Okay.
So we're slightly below the long term average Of those 13, we expect six to become hurricanes.
This is a tropical meteorology group now, six to become hurricanes.
Seven is a long term average.
We expect of those two to become major hurricanes.
Three is the long term average.
So across the board, we're running slightly below normal in terms of the forecast.
But there's greater uncertainty in this forecast than the typical forecast from from this group.
And why is that?
And it has to do with El Nino, where we've been in a La Nina for the last couple of years.
The pendulum now goes in these colder than normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific.
You know, La Nina, the pendulum is drifting in the other direction.
We're in normal conditions now.
By the time we get into the heart of hurricane season, we expect those sea surface temperatures to be above normal.
Now, the big question is how much above normal will they be?
How potent will this El Nino be as a result?
And that's going to influence just what kind of a season that we have here.
And how much certainty do they have that it will swing to the degree they forecast?
I mean, there is some uncertainty.
I mean, there is some forecast ability there.
But, you know, I mean, there's a lot a lot of things going on or a lot of moving parts involved here.
So, you know, we don't know everything about how the weather works, how the ocean works.
So so again, there is some uncertainty there.
The big question is just how strong will this El Nino be in the heart of Hurricane season?
And remind us again, El Nino versus La Nina.
Okay, so a La Nina is colder than normal Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean really like right up against the bumping up against the south South American continent, rather.
So there's this large pool of cold water that forms in a la Nina.
And then it you know, for whatever reason, the drought conditions shift and it starts to warm up.
And right now, we're considered in what we would call neutral conditions.
So we're neither La Nina nor El Nino, but the temperatures are drifting in the warmer direction.
Eventually, we think we're going to be in an El Nino by the time the hurricane season gets.
Here and the temperatures in the Atlantic in the Gulf are warm.
They're warmer.
Then they will get warmer.
That is correct.
So when they make these forecast, there are two primary factors they look at.
One is the underlying sea surface temperatures.
They're running above normal.
So that's an indicator that we would have an above normal season.
However, you got to also factor in and so are we in La Nina or El Nino?
If we're if we're in a La Nina, we're on steroids.
So that means we have all the conditions.
Looking at a busier than normal season 2020, for example, 2021.
Right.
This year, we're looking at conditions where the sea surface temperatures are above normal, meaning a busier season.
But the El Nino mitigates that.
In fact, the vertical wind shear, which is associated with the El Nino conditions, that's that's a probably even more powerful factor than the sea surface temperatures, which is why I think when you put them together, you end up with a slightly below normal season.
The wind shear with maybe drier air coming in to a system that may maybe develop at one point is really the friend to reduce these storms.
Yeah, that's a that's a that's another piece.
But the wind shear itself, what it does is it shears off the top of the hurricanes and it basically keeps them from forming in the first place.
And the ones that do form aren't as strong as they would be otherwise.
And then what you're talking about is, you know, is this advocating this dry air off the continent into the storms as they approach the Gulf, and that also leads to their demise.
And one thing that, you know, people are aware of is that it really only takes one storm to hit in a certain area.
And then you have a terrible hurricane season.
That's right.
We've had years.
1992 was a great example of this.
All the indicators suggested a below normal season.
And guess what?
It was a below normal season.
But we had Hurricane Andrew that year, Right.
Category five, annihilate South Florida, and then it comes and pays a visit as a major hurricane even here in Louisiana.
So we always have to be on our guard.
13 named storms is still a lot of storms.
So just don't think that we're off the hook this season because that's definitely not the case.
All right.
We'll get back in touch with you and keep up with you during the course of the season.
It's always a pleasure.
Thank you so much.
Well, festival season is officially among us.
French Quarter Fest have just passed and Jazz Fest is just around the corner.
But in between both is a new one you may not have heard of yet.
For the love of the Culture Fest is in its very first year and it promises to bring all that good New Orleans music to the locals.
So make sure you take a look.
Oh, I'm the second chief of the Golden Eagles.
I've been medicine for the Golden Eagles since 1987, actually.
Yeah, third generation.
What's that been like being able to mask?
Oh, man.
You know, it has its ups and downs is.
I mean, it's cool.
Obviously.
It's cool to everybody else that looks at it.
But like anything else that is great.
It comes with a lot of responsibility.
It comes with a lot of pressure.
A lot of times where you just Oh, man, I just kidding.
I don't know, you know, But it's worth it in the end is definitely worth it.
In the end.
You don't get a rich culture like Joseph Boudreaux Jr's without putting in the work he's with.
The people in New Orleans will call the culture bearer.
He takes a year to make his masking suit.
He travels with his band to bring the sound of New Orleans all over the country and sometimes out of it.
I mean, you get a chance to see a culture that's been thriving.
It has been going on for far longer before you even touched it.
You know, we're well over 150 years now.
And then when you come along, you kind of look and see, okay, how can I leave my imprint on it?
Because when we in a culture we always taught to carry on, that's one of the first lessons you learn.
This carrier culture all make it better, you know, preserved for the youngsters that's coming up underneath you.
Yeah.
So for you, it's a legacy thing.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
But a vital part of keeping that legacy going is sustainability.
Every person's career needs it to thrive, to balance.
Joseph says that culture bears needed to, especially in the form of compensation, which historically these celebrated individuals don't always get.
It comes along with it costs anything and always kind of breaks it down to women like anything that's worth having and looks pretty.
It comes at a cost, right?
So in 2020, the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans found that there was a wage discrepancy among the city's culture.
Bears, though it's hard to pinpoint exactly how many there are and what they do professionally.
It's agreed that a lot work in hospitality, bringing in lower incomes.
You know, is it cost to be pretty?
It cost to be able to come out on the street and represent the city and feed The second line is actually helping kind of take a little bit of that edge off with some of the culture bearers, you know, by helping them with jobs, helping them with funding and things of that nature.
So every little push that we the second line can do, it's, you know, a weight off of the cultures, but, you know, hopefully be the second line and other companies in non-profits can grow feed.
The second line is an organization that started to help people like Joseph back in 2020.
The goal is to keep the city afloat by supporting those that make it special, the latest method being a music festival for the love of the Culture Fest, takes local acts and makes them accessible to the community they love.
Plus they're compensated for their work.
It's an effort to Miss Williams that works.
Executive director says it's long overdue.
But I mean, Louisiana already has like several different culture fests in a way.
So what makes this one so different from the other ones?
This is a festival that's put on by the culture for the culture to actually display to the community.
And when you think about most festivals that are given throughout the city, they're really expensive.
The best thing about it is all proceeds that are made actually goes back into the culture, meaning it goes back.
And so the programs that we have at Feed the second line for our culture bears and what are those programs?
How are those supporting the community and keeping that culture alive in New Orleans?
So when you think about, you know, the things that the dedication and the time, what the culture bears do to display, you know, this tradition to the community, it's really expensive.
And so we want to put them in a position to where they're able to take those proceeds and money that they make and put that back.
And so whether they're doing their, you know, making their babydoll dress or whether they're creating their Indian food or even if they're just simply paying for their permits to actually be able to parade if they're in a social aid and pleasure club.
So being able to create a job opportunity and a safety net for the culture barrier so they can take that and put it back into themselves so they can do what they love to do and show out for the community.
All proceeds go back into Feed the second line to fund other projects.
Denise mentioned, for the love of the Culture Fest, is in its first year, but the goal is to make it a tradition for the love of the Culture Fest is happening on April 27th, the day before Jazz Fest.
So you still have time to get tickets.
And of course, kids get in free.
It's a mouthful, but it sounds like a.
Lot of fun.
It definitely seems like a lot.
You get this week's Young Hero.
Now, I do also have a young hero, and I'm so happy to introduce Nicholas Tarver.
He has dealt with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and vision impairment since birth, but it's how he tackles these hurdles that is truly inspirational.
His volunteer efforts have included serving as president of the Children of the American Revolution for Louisiana, working with wreaths across America and serving on the national board as chairman of the Tomb of the Unknown American Revolutionary Soldier, I am so pleased to introduce you to this week's young hero.
Come on, come on, come on.
And even though a lot of I have a lot of disabilities, I'm able to be successful and thrive in school and thrive in my life.
Looking at Nicholas Tarver, you can likely see the signs of his disability.
He walks with a cane and sometimes needs an aide to read and write.
He's also blind and epileptic.
There's nothing I read, but what most can't see is his sheer determination to live life to the fullest.
Allison just told me that you stayed outside of this hospital.
Read.
I did.
I was scared.
If I left that they would know that he was supposed to stay around and be with us.
So I spent the night a couple of nights at the hospital in the waiting room so that he would have company.
His handicap is not a handicap.
He just walks around it, his grades at school.
Awesome.
But nobody knows how many hours he puts in practicing and learning and reviewing everything.
So I guess I don't know what I could say I'm most proud of, except maybe it's just his attitude.
About life out here on his family's farm.
He's a rancher, an athlete, and a role model, a normal 17 year old.
But it was an uphill battle to get here.
My right arm and right legs can be tight.
I get around with my cane.
Sometimes I'm wheelchair get around basically with my action trike, cane, wheelchair.
It's any thing that I can.
He's actually a miracle, baby.
He was not supposed to survive the night.
And if he did survive 24 hours, it was going to be substantial mental disabilities.
So we were faced with that, which was, of course, for new parents.
Heartbreaking.
But as as we went through it, we realized that he was actually quite phenomenal.
Nicholas has cerebral palsy, which is a neurological disorder that affects muscles and motor skills.
Sometimes it creates counter issues like blindness and epilepsy.
It's a rare disease that affects only 2 to 3 babies.
Out of a thousand.
Took me a little longer to come to grips with what.
What that meant and and fully understand.
And so I would say I was probably two years easy to understand the the limits.
The room we put on on Nicholas.
His limitations make everyday life harder.
And my youngest son is 12 and he gets up at seven, I mean, 640 for us to be out of the door for 7:00 and Nicholas gets up at six, but Nicholas gets up at six and he can brush his teeth, wash his face, he dresses himself.
You know, he can do everything that he does.
It just may take him 45 minutes instead of ten like my youngest son does.
And yet here he is beating the odds.
Nicholas works around his limitations.
That were accepted for publication to the over 30 societies that submitted their.
Alison and Nicholas learned Braille.
He uses it to do his homework.
He writes essays, even speeches.
And have a voice in this great organization.
He's a part of several organizations that rely on his knowledge and expertise to function as president of the children of the American Revolution.
Nicholas was awarded by the lieutenant governor for his dedication to preserving history at Fort Jessup.
When I was state president.
So my project was by no means Lincoln.
And I wanted to, I guess, bring awareness to No Man's Land and for the people to be to know about no man's land and to have an idea of what no man's land is valued.
Lieutenant Governor gave me this award from, again, my outstanding work on No Man's land in my state project as president.
He's treasurer of the Future Farmers of America, where he proved that kids with disabilities can still make a difference in agriculture.
But why stop there?
He's also an athlete.
My brother plays basketball and baseball.
My sister does cheer and gymnastics, so it gives me something to do.
And my parents, they don't treat me any different.
Nicholas is a proud participant in the Gumbo games or games Uniting mind and body.
He's good too.
He'll beat anyone at the Javelin and shotput.
So everyone, mainly the non physical impairment.
People can play baseball, basketball, football, all these activities.
Well, when you have cerebral palsy, that's difficult and it can be doable, but it's probably not the best.
So I throw the javelin shot put in discus.
I've qualified and moved United junior Nationals, which will which was held in Denver, Colorado last year.
I was actually national champion and all three awesome.
And then I qualified in the javelin and shotput so far for this year's move, you're not in competition held in Hoover, Alabama.
That'll be in July of this year.
Nicholas is living a fulfilling life.
He's accomplished more than I can list.
He's happy.
His family is proud.
If there are young heroes worth celebrating.
Nicholas is definitely one of them.
Nicholas is also in for age.
He's participated in trash Bash to help reduce litter in his community.
And like I said earlier, he does participate in wreaths across America with his grandmother.
But what I didn't mention is that at first it was just one graveyard, two graveyards, and now they're up to five.
Yeah.
So he's just truly an amazing kid.
Does he not do?
He does.
So, yeah.
So we wish him the best.
He's definitely an impressive guy.
All right.
And so Louisiana leaves Young Heroes program is presented this year with the generous support of America health care across the Louisiana community.
Coffey East Baton Rouge Parish Library, the US Army, Baton Rouge Recruiting Battalion, Demicco, McDonald's and Hotel Indigo and everyone.
That is our show for this week.
Remember, you can watch any of our SWC segments or any broadcast right on our YouTube page at Louisiana Public Broadcasting slash videos.
And remember, if you're on the go, you can keep our PBS app handy.
You can catch LP 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, Twitter and Instagram for.
Everyone here at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Andre.
Mora and I'm CARE Saints here.
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 to gather together.
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.