New Orleans Public Radio

26/09/2025

The report ranked Louisiana among the least affordable states for higher education: 38th out of 50.

Only 15% of the state’s four-year schools and 40% of its community colleges were considered affordable in the most recent analysis, which used data from the 2022-23 school year.

The report ranked Louisiana among the least affordable states for higher education: 38th out of 50.

25/09/2025

In Louisiana, Walmart said its pharmacies aren’t administering COVID vaccines to anyone under 17 — even with a prescription — because of changing guidelines.

“It’s as clear as mud,” said Dr. Matthew Morvant, owner of Downtown Drugs, a family-owned independent pharmacy in Covington, Louisiana. “No one knows the correct information."

Unclear rules and inconsistent interpretations of federal and state COVID-19 vaccination rules leave families confused and vulnerable patients unprotected.

25/09/2025

Users can view data for the entire basin, zoom into smaller sub-basin regions, view original data sources, download map images with custom boundary lines and otherwise customize the data to communicate the state of drought in the basin.

Dozens of metrics are used to determine drought and that can make it complicated to measure and track. But it’s a bit easier now thanks to the new government dashboard, which tracks drought across the Mississippi River Basin.

24/09/2025

In an email to faculty and staff, UNO President Kathy Johnson said the latest figures are “lower than we’d hoped, yet understandable given the challenges we’ve experienced over the course of the past year.”

Roughly 5,300 full-time students are enrolled at the Gentilly campus — about 500 fewer than last year.

24/09/2025

On this week’s episode, we head down to coastal Mississippi.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the area.

Gulfport, in the heart of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, is home to a group of historic Black communities that found themselves at the center of it all.

Hurricane Katrina devastated Mississippi, destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Gulfport, in the heart of the state's Gulf Coast, is home to a group of historic Black communities that found themselves at the center of it all.

23/09/2025

Our latest episode of Sea Change brings you three stories exploring what it really takes to be ready for the next big storm. But at their core, these stories are about something deeper: the determination to keep living here on the Gulf Coast, and about the choices we’re making that will decide whether that’s possible.

Today, we bring you three stories exploring what it really takes to be ready for the next big storm. But at their core, these stories are about something deeper: the determination to keep living here on the Gulf Coast, and about the choices we’re making that will decide whether that’s possible.

23/09/2025

In response to FEMA’s uncertain future, the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative announced a new program to deliver assistance to its members “within 72 hours of a disaster event."

That aid could include food, water, hygiene supplies, and other immediate needs, according to Ethan Forhetz, a spokesperson from Convoy of Hope.

The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, a cooperative of more than 100 river communities between Minnesota and Louisiana, held its annual meeting this week in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. In response to FEMA’s uncertain future, the MRCTI, in partnership with Convoy of Hope, announced a ne...

22/09/2025

Woodside Energy’s $17.5 billion production and export facility, best known as “Louisiana LNG,” represents the largest foreign direct investment in state history.

22/09/2025

Louisiana schools have made some big strides in recent years. Math and reading scores are as high – or higher – than they were before the pandemic.

But there’s another data point that’s been harder to move: Attendance.

New data shows the rate fell last school year by 2 percentage points, but LDOE officials say there is still work to be done.

19/09/2025

Rising utility rates combined with extreme heat and older, less-efficient homes place a heavier “energy burden” — the ratio of income spent on energy costs — on seniors with lower, fixed incomes living in New Orleans.

As temperatures in New Orleans continue to increase because of climate change, air conditioners struggle to keep up, driving up utility bills.

18/09/2025

Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and reality star-turned-recovery advocate Zac Clark brought a blunt message to Louisiana State University students in Baton Rouge: opioid overdoses are a public health emergency that can be fought with simple tools and a little common sense.

Smith has partnered with Clark for the Ready to Rescue initiative, stopping at college campuses across the country for short talks and hands-on training.

18/09/2025

In an email to faculty and staff last week, UNO President Kathy Johnson said the latest figures are “lower than we’d hoped, yet understandable given the challenges we’ve experienced over the course of the past year.”

Roughly 5,300 full-time students are enrolled at the Gentilly campus — about 500 fewer than last year.