As Louisiana attempts to move its economy towards higher growth, high-tech industries, how prepared is it to meet the challenge? Where is the state succeeding and where is there room for improvement? Louisiana Public Square goes on the road to Lafayette to explore, “Technology in Louisiana 2009,” airing Wednesday, November 25 at 7 p.m. on LPB.

Confirmed panelists for our taping at LITE in Lafayette:

• Curt Eysink, Executive Director, Louisiana Workforce Commission
• Joaquin Alvarado, Senior V.P. for Diversity and Innovation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Jacqueline Beauchamp, CEO and co-founder of Nergyzed Entertainment
• Anthony Greco, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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What technology areas do you think Louisiana should pursue as it moves its economy forward?

While Louisiana saw a drop in violent crime in 2008, two of the state’s cities were in the FBI’s top ten list for murders per capita. And nationally, Louisiana ranks first in the rate of women killed by men. What factors contribute to our state’s high incidence of crime? How can we combat this challenging problem? Watch, “Crime in Louisiana,” Wednesday, October 28th at 7 p.m. on Louisiana Public Square.

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iPod 56:52, 184.3 MB

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What concerns you most about crime in Louisiana?

Backgrounder:

Crime statistics in Louisiana reveal a disturbing pattern. The FBI’s national Uniform Crime Reports data tracks violent crime – murder, forcible rape, robbery, armed assault – and property crime – burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. While the country saw a 4% decline in overall crime from 2005 to 2007, Louisiana’s crime rate rose 12%. And despite an 8% drop in violent crime in the state last year, nationally, New Orleans ranked first in murders per capita. READ MORE

Panelists:

• Louisiana Attorney General, James D. “Buddy” Caldwell
• Cecile Guin, Ph.D., LCSW, director of LSU’s Office of Social Service Research and Development
• Kevin Harrison, Asst. Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
• Lt. Colonel Ralph Williams, Chief of Staff, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study, Louisiana’s healthcare costs total over $19 billion. Roughly 20% of the state’s population is uninsured. As Congress debates ways to expand healthcare coverage and control rising costs, what will current proposals mean to you?

Watch “Health Care Reform: A Louisiana Perspective,” on Louisiana Public Square, Wednesday, September 23rd at 7 p.m. on LPB.

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See current online results here. • See LSU results here.

Panelists:

• Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary, Alan Levine
• Donna Fraiche, a healthcare policy analyst with the Louisiana Health Care Commission
• David Sloane, AARP’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy
• Stewart T. Gordon, M.D., President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
  

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Get the full program:

iPod 58:58, 189.3 MB

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iPod 6:58, 22.1 MB

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Backgrounder:

As Congress debates ways to expand healthcare coverage and control rising costs, Louisianans should have a significant interest in the discussion. According to the Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services, Louisiana’s personal health expenditures total over $22 billion. Roughly 20% of the state’s population is uninsured. Poor health outcomes have placed the state either 49th or 50th in the United Health Foundation’s national health rankings for the last 17 years. The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana has indicated that “every study shows that insurance coverage improves access to care and leads to better health outcomes.” READ MORE

Links:

• http://www.gov.state.la.us/ – Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
• http://www.healthreform.gov/ – U.S. Department of Health & Human Services site with President’s plan details
• http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.3200 – Synopsis of HR3200
• http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2009press/prb090909.pdf – Senate Finance Committee Plan
• http://www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare Republican healthcare proposals
• http://www.aarp.org nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people 50 and over
• http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/twenty-six-lies-about-hr-3200/ Debunks myths about HR3200
• http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/obamas-health-care-speech/ Fact checks Obama’s address
• Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals – The Kaiser Family Foundation has prepared an interactive tool that compares the leading comprehensive reform proposals across a number of key characteristics and plan components.

The hallmark PBS programs NOW on PBS, Tavis Smiley and Nightly Business Report are collaborating to provide a much-needed in-depth look at health care reform in America, and the most recent government proposals to address the issue. The 90-minute special, called “PBS Special Report on Health Care Reform,” will air September 24.

LPB is partnering with Mississippi Public Broadcasting for an in-depth look at how procedures, policies and planning for hurricanes have changed in the last four years. In that time, three of the ten costliest hurricanes on record — Katrina, Rita and Gustav — struck Louisiana. Katrina made a second landfall in Mississippi, leaving behind unprecedented havoc and a harsh education in the discipline of disaster. What did these events teach us about coping with catastrophe? Airs Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 7 PM.

This program is underwritten by a Local Service Initiative Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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• See LSU results: Louisiana • Mississippi

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Information on recovery projects available on Web:
A new Internet database is now available to the general public and it details millions of dollars worth of recovery projects in the Baton Rouge region, many of them ongoing and dating back to Hurricane Katrina’s 2005 landfall. The Web site, Rebuild.Louisiana.gov is a tool that’s meant to help citizens keep track of more than $9 billion in rebuilding projects. All of these rebuilding efforts are related to hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, Ivan and Cindy.

More at our extended site:

Click Here!

The dropout rate in some Louisiana high schools is above 40 percent. Nearly 16 thousand students dropped out of school in 2007. Their unemployment rate may be as high as 30 percent. The price for society: lost tax revenue higher welfare costs and higher risk of incarceration. What can Louisiana do to improve its high school graduation rate? Watch “Louisiana’s Dropout Problem” on Louisiana Public Square. July 22 at 7 pm. VIEW ONLINE!
Add your voice via the comments area of this blog! Tell us what concerns YOU!

The current Legislative session adjourns near the end of June. What cuts were ultimately made to cover Louisiana’s $1.3 billion shortfall and how will they affect you and the state? Watch “Legislative Review 2009” on Louisiana Public Square, Wednesday, June 24th at 7 pm.

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iPod 57:29, 186.1MB

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iPod 5:56, 19.2 MB

or view streaming here.

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Click here for a replay of our live chat from 2:00pm on June 25th.

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Backgrounder:

The 2009 Legislative session began on Monday, April 27^th and will adjourn on Thursday, June 25^th. The focus of this session has been fiscal with most of the attention going to Governor Jindal’s proposed $26.7 billion Executive Budget. With the state facing a $1.3 billion revenue shortfall, the governor offset some of the income gap with federal stimulus money, but Higher Education and Healthcare still took big hits – $219 million and $413 million respectively.

While last year’s session may best be remembered as one where both chambers worked together on parallel paths, observers note that this session has been dominated by two distinctively different approaches to dealing with the governor’s budget. Read more.

Panel:

• Kirby Goidel, Director of Public Policy Research at the Manship School
• Rep. Kevin Pearson, (R), Slidell
• Mark Ballard, The Advocate Capitol Editor

Chat Panel:

• ULL Political Science Department Chair, Pearson Cross, Ph.D. (confirmed)
• President and CEO of Council for a Better Louisiana, Barry Erwin (confirmed)

Links:

• http://www.lpb.org/capitolbeat/ – LPB’s daily legislative video update!

Do you tweet, blog, or belong to a network? Millions of Americans already do and they are connecting, communicating and bringing change to the internet and society. Find out how new media is shaping our lives in Louisiana on “The Power of Social Networking”  on Louisiana Public Square.

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Get the program:

iPod 56:53, 180.1MB

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iPod 6:53, 23.1MB

or view streaming here.

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Click above for the archive of our live chat from 2:00pm on May 28th.

Backgrounder:

Social media refer to on-line tools used by people to connect to others electronically. Connections are made through the world wide web using social network sites (SNS) specifically created for this purpose. Popular sites include MySpace, Facebook and Friendster, which are free. The sites are supported by advertising embedded on the pages next to user-generated content, which can include text, pictures and video.

Social networks can be thought of as public or semi-public forums. They allow people to maintain or create relationships and meet on-line for conversation and collaboration. These relationships can be with one person, a few, or many people.

Click here for the full backgrounder.

Panel:

• Whitney Breaux, Blogger and Political Campaigner
• Sheryl Abshire, Ph.D.; Technology Coordinator for the Calcasieu Parish School District
• Andrew Schwarz, Ph.D.; Asst. Professor, LSU Dept. of Information Systems and Decision Sciences
• Michael Xenos, Ph.D.; Asst. Professor, LSU Manship School of Mass Comm. and Political Science Department

Chat Panel:

• Monica Ford, computer forensics examiner for the state Attorney General’s Office
• Alexandyr Kent,  Shreveport Times Online Producer

Links:

• http://pewinternet.org/ – Pew Internet & American Life Project which studies the social impact of the internet.
• http://patchworknation.csmonitor.com/about/ – Hosted by the Christian Science Monitor , site highlights how 11 different communities and cultures within the US – including one in Louisiana – experience different realities – and shape the whole.
• http://www.louisiana3feet.com/ – Louisiana cycling site featured in program that is incorporating online social networking to push for legislation in current session.
• http://www.netsmartz.org – Online safety site hosted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• http://www.staysafeonline.org – National Cyber Security Alliance.

With a $1.3 billion revenue shortfall in Louisiana’s general fund, the state could be facing drastic cuts in higher education and health services. But will federal stimulus money provide much-needed relief? Explore what’s in store in the upcoming regular session in the April edition of LPB’s award-winning public affairs show Louisiana Public Square. LPB President Beth Courtney and LSU Media Law Professor Craig Freeman are your hosts.

 The Louisiana Forestry Association underwrites Louisiana Public Square.  

 Capital Beat (Daily Legislative Update): Click here.

Go to Capitol Beat for Daily Video Updates on the Louisiana Legislature.

Session opens: Monday, April 27, 2009
Governor’s address at 1:00 PM

Watch more online: Legislative Coverage Site

View full program.

View the program: 

iPod   56:53, 180.1MB

or view streaming here. 

Click below for the archive of the LIVE CHAT from 2PM on Thursday, April 23.

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View current results here.

Backgrounder:

 When the Louisiana Legislature convenes on Monday, April 27th it will be facing quite a different picture than it did a year ago when oil was over $100 a barrel and the state was projecting state revenues of $9.7 billion. Due to lower oil prices and declining sales and corporate income tax collections, the state is facing a $1.3 billion revenue shortfall. Since 2009 is an odd-numbered year, the focus of this session will primarily be fiscal with most of the attention going to Governor Jindal’s proposed $26.7 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2009 and ending on June 30, 2010. Proposed Cuts The two areas facing the largest cuts in the Governor’s proposed budget are Healthcare and Higher Education.

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• ULL Political Science Dept. Chair and political commentator, Pearson Cross
• Angèle Davis, Commissioner of Administration
• Sen. Eric LaFleur (D), Ville Platte, Member of Finance and Joint Budget Committees
• Rep. James W. “Jim” Tucker (R), Terrytown, Speaker of the House

• Kirby Goidel, Director of the LSU Public Policy Research lab
• Jas Sullivan, LSU Political Science Assistant Professor

The dropout rate in some Louisiana high schools is above 40 percent. Nearly 16 thousand students dropped out of school in 2007. Their unemployment rate may be as high as 30 percent. The price for society: lost tax revenue higher welfare costs and higher risk of incarceration. What can Louisiana do to improve its high school graduation rate? Watch “Louisiana’s Dropout Problem” on Louisiana Public Square. March 25 at 7 pm.

You can also continue the discussion about our state’s high school dropout problem during a live online chat, Thursday, March 26th from 2 – 3 p.m. Donna Nola-Ganey, Assistant Superintendent, Louisiana Department of Education; and Mr. Henry “Richey” Jackson, Director of the internationally recognized Bossier Truancy Center  will be answering your questions.

View the program:  iPod   58:51, 186.0 MB

View the backgrounder:  iPod   7:05 22.2 MB

View the chat archive: Click Here

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View current results here.

Backgrounder:

“The number one predictor of a child’s future success is whether he or she graduates from high school.”
Alma J. Powell, wife of Retired General Colin Powell and co-founder of America’s Promise Alliance

• Henry “Richey” Jackson, Director of the Bossier/Webster Parish Truancy Center
• Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan
• Louisiana Department of Social Services Secretary Kristy Nichols
• Louisiana’s State Superintendent of Education, Paul G. Pastorek

• Henry “Richey” Jackson, Director of the Bossier/Webster Parish Truancy Center
• Alison Neustrom, Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Office of Family Support
• Donna Nola-Ganey, Assistant Superintendent, Louisiana Department of Education

View a related clip:

Community Teams Tackling the Dropout Problem  

Windows Media • iPod   7:25, 30.4 MB

This video was produced for Louisiana’s Promise, and extension of America’s Promise Alliance – created by Colin and Alma Powell.  This video was shown at the Community Teams Tackling the Dropout Problem Summit that was held on October 28, 2008.  The trt is 7:30.  The video was designed to clarify the problem of dropouts in Louisiana and intended to stimulate discussion by the nearly 1,000 governmental, community and educational leaders who attended from every parish in the state.  It features remarks from Tim Barfield of the Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Robert Burgess – CEO of EATEL & Education’s Next Horizon Board Member, Judge Bob Downing – 1^st Circuit Court of Appeals, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek, and GED students Sean Saunders, Rodnique Holmes, Hayley Deville & Samona Brown.

At the end of 2008, Louisiana found itself with an increase in its employment figures and an improving unemployment rate.  But how long can the state remain insulated from the national recession? What effect will falling energy prices have on the state’s economy? Which industries provide the best hope for future job growth? Louisiana Public Square goes on the road to Monroe to look at what’s working and what challenges lay ahead on “Economic Development 2009.”  Aired Wednesday, February 25^th.

View the program: Windows Media • iPod   57:34, 252.2 MB

View the backgrounder: Windows Media • iPod   7:00, 29.3 MB

Panelists:

• Monroe Mayor James E. “Jamie” Mayo

• Louisiana Economic Development Secretary, Stephen Moret

• Dave Norris, Jr., Director of the Louisiana Tech Enterprise Center

• State Senator Francis Thompson (D) representing District 34 in Northeast Louisiana

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View current results here. 

Review the LIVE CHAT from 2Pm CT on Thursday, February 26, 2009.
 Click Here
 
Backgrounder:

During 2008, Louisiana had a net gain of 8,500 jobs, a 0.4 percent increase from 2007. For the same 12 month period the U.S. experienced a 1.4 percent decrease in jobs while the South saw a decrease of 0.4 percent.

All regions of Louisiana have seen job growth over the last year:

Southeast +1.6%

Central +1.3%

Capital +1.2%

Bayou +1.2 %

Southwest +1.2%

Northeast +0.9%

Acadiana +0.9%

Northwest +0.8%

Get the complete backgrounder (.pdf) here.