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Kyren Lacy’s parents sue state police; potential changes to DCFS; new book on PBS Pinchback

P.B.S. Pinchback, former Governor of Louisiana
Library of Congress
P.B.S. Pinchback, former Governor of Louisiana

The parents of former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy have filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana State Police, alleging officers falsely implicated Lacy in a December 2024 fatal crash on Louisiana Highway 20. After the accident, Lacy’s draft stock plummeted, and months later, he took his own life.

Mel Bridges has been reporting this story for WWNO and WRKF. She joins us today with the latest.

Louisiana lawmakers are considering drastic changes to the state Department of Children and Family Services, including dismantling the department and moving its tasks to other state agencies. This follows years of criticism that DCFS has not properly followed up on cases that could have prevented child deaths.

Greg LaRose, editor of the Louisiana Illuminator, tells us more about these potential changes.

Pickney Benton Stewart Pinchback, otherwise known as PBS Pinchback, served as the 24th governor of Louisiana in 1872 and is commonly referred to as the first Black governor in the United States.

While his tenure as governor of Louisiana was brief — a mere 35 days — he remains one of the most prominent Black officeholders during the Reconstruction era.

Nicholas Patler, author of the new book, “Pinchback: America’s First Black Governor,” joins us for more on his life and legacy.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Karen Henderson is an award-winning journalist whose stories have aired nationally on NPR.
Alana Schreiber is the managing producer for the live daily news program, Louisiana Considered. She comes to WWNO from KUNC in Northern Colorado, where she worked as a radio producer for the daily news magazine, Colorado Edition. She has previously interned for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.