Episode Details

The state of Georgia recently promised nearly $2 billion in incentives to persuade Hyundai to open an electric vehicle plant there. But Georgia isn’t\ the only Southern state betting that EVs will usher in a manufacturing renaissance in the region. As the Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha reports, many Southern states are also preparing for the EV industry to lead to carloads of good jobs.

The New Orleans Opera is putting racial injustice front and center at an upcoming performance of “Blue.” This contemporary opera was created by Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori and Emmy-nominated librettist Tazewell Thompson. 

Timothy Douglas, the production’s stage director, talks about bringing this story to a Southern stage for the first time. 

In May, the nonprofit Unity of Greater New Orleans found that the city’s unhoused population had increased by more than 50 % since 2022. Now, an ambitious project – backed by federal funds and homeless service nonprofits – is in the works to close down homeless encampments and provide housing for residents in need. 

Mandy Chapman Semple, a managing partner at Clutch Consulting, the Texas-based group that has been hired to lead the project, joins us for more on the initiative. 

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

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