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Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Nonprofit sues La. on behalf of foster youth; Jewish leaders push back against death penalty method

Sara Lewis/Jews Against Gassing
Members of Jews Against Gassing on the steps of the State Capitol, Monday, honor Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Resistance to nitrogen hypoxia for executions
Louisiana’s death penalty law got a big rewrite earlier this year as part of the state’s special session. Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill that adds electrocution and nitrogen hypoxia to the list of state-approved methods for carrying out capital punishment.

Now, the latter method is getting some pushback late in the legislative session. Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers are hoping to remove the use of nitrogen gas as an execution method. Notable supporters include some prominent leaders in Louisiana’s Jewish community.

Sara Lewis is chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, and she is on the steering committee for Jews Against Gassing. She joined the show to discuss her group’s efforts.

Efforts to keep AFPs out of healthcare
Alternative funding plans, or AFPs, are a growing tool used by health insurance coverage providers nationwide. The plans have been causing some consternation for policyholders who thought they were covered by their health insurance, but discovered they weren’t for certain chronic health conditions.

Ashley Castello is executive director of the Louisiana Hemophilia Foundation, and she joined the show to share more about AFPs and how they can impact you.

Lawsuit: Louisiana's child welfare system is failing children
A national nonprofit has filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services on behalf of 4,000 foster children in the state. It claims the state’s child welfare system is failing its most vulnerable children. Alleged failures include too few social workers and placements for children.

To tell us more about the situation, including what the lawsuit claims and how DCFS is responding we heard from Andrea Gallo, a reporter with The Advocate/Times Picayune who has been covering the story.


Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. 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 12:00 and 7:00 pm. 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!

Adam is responsible for coordinating WRKF's programming and making sure everything you hear on the radio runs smoothly. He is Newscast Editor for the WRKF/WWNO Newsroom. Adam is also the Baton Rouge-based host for Louisiana Considered, our daily regional news program, and is frequently the local voice afternoons on All Things Considered.