May 2006 Guest and Topics

May 31, 2006 Guest: Charles Melancon, Ron Richard Topic: Congressman Charles Melancon voiced support for more troops in Iraq; Ron Richard of the Tiger Athletic Foundation recalled his war experiences in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. May 30, 2006 Guest: Bruce Hamilton, Bill Richardson, Matt Deville Topic: Bill Richardson, LSU AgCenter Chancellor, discussed a bill to mandate ethanol at the pumps in Louisiana; Bruce Hamilton, Conservation Director for the Sierra Club, talked of the opening of hurricane season on June 1st; Matt Deville of Tiger Rag noted that LSU's baseball team is out of NCAA postseason play for the first time in 17 years. May 29, 2006 Guest: Jim Nickel, Jeremy Broussard Topic: Lobbyist Jim Nickel surveyed the Louisiana legislature session three weeks before the final gavel; Veteran Jeremy Broussard of New Orleans gave a Memorial Day assessment of the War in Iraq. May 25, 2006 Guest: Gloria Allred, Cholene Espinoza Topic: Gloria Allred, famed women's rights attorney, previewed her book, "Fight Back and Win;" Iraq veteran Cholene Espinoza recapped her relief work on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. May 24, 2006 Guest: Edward Jackson Topic: Southern University Chancellor Edward Jackson observed his 64th birthday on the air and talked of his eight years as leader of the nation's largest majority black university in America. May 23, 2006 Guest: Richard Stalder Topic: Corrections Secretary Richard Stalder recapped his 14 years at his post and lamented Louisiana's distinction of having the highest percentage of incarcerated inmates in America. May 22, 2006 Guest: Jay Dardenne Topic: State Senator Jay Dardenne reviewed the ongoing legislative session; Dr. Harold Brandt previewed three arthritis seminars hosted by the Baton Rouge Clinic. May 18, 2006 Guest: Julie Baxter Topic: WAFB anchor-reporter Julie Baxter discussed her career and reviewed the Louisiana political landscape. May 17, 2006 Guest: John Kennedy, Barry Weinstein, Scott Wilfong Topic: Louisiana Treasurer John Kennedy reviewed the state budget; Rabbi Barry Weinstein and political consultant Scott Wilfong debated anti-abortion legislation approved by the Louisiana Senate and advanced by a House committee. May 16, 2006 Guest: Joe Cook, Fred Dent Topic: Joe Cook, executive director of the Louisiana ACLU, and activist Fred Dent debated immigration and domestic spying issues. May 15, 2006 Guest: Robert Marionneaux, Eric Guirard Topic: Sen. Rob Marionneaux, D-Livonia, advocated his bill to regulate lawyer advertising; Attorney E. Eric Guirard voiced opposition to the bill. May 11, 2006 Guest: Sonja Ebron, Gus Weill Topic: BlackEnergy CEO Sonja Ebron discussed energy challenges in the United States; Gus Weill assessed the NSA policy of monitoring phone patterns of Americans. May 10, 2006 Guest: Stephanie Riegel Topic: New Orleans television journalist Stephanie Riegel discussed leaving her job at WWL-TV after Katrina and moving with her husband and three children to Baton Rouge. May 9, 2006 Guest: Arless Day, C.B. Forgotston, Richard White Topic: Baton Rouge native Arless Day discussed his career and the display of his works at the Brunner Gallery; Veteran State Capital watcher C.B. Forgotston assessed legislative performance midway through the regular session; Biographer Richard White of LSU analyzed the legacy of Huey Long, the focus of White's book, "Kingfish." May 8, 2006 Guest:  Jonathan Alter, Jim Brown Newsweek Senior Editor Jonathan Alter showcased his biography of FDR, Topic: "The Defining Moment;" Former Insurance Commissioner Jim Brown gave his impressions of the contemporary political landscape in Louisiana. May 4, 2006 Guest:  Kathy Scherer, Ben BagertKathy Scherer, interim executive director of the Arts Council of Greater Topic: Baton Rouge, previewed Fest for All; Veteran New Orleans politico Ben Bagert analyzed the mayoral runoff in the Crescent City between Ray Nagin and Mitch Landrieu. May 3, 2006 Guest: Peter Finney, Jeri Flynn, Mike Danna Topic: Veteran sportswriter Peter Finney reviewed 60 years of covering major events in Louisiana and elsewhere; Lawyer Jeri Flynn and Mike Danna of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation analyzed the controversy over immigrant workers in the United States. May 2, 2006 Guest: Ed Cullen Topic: Baton Rouge Advocate columnist and NPR commentator Ed Cullen previewed his collection of essays, "Letter in a Woodpile." May 1, 2006 Guest: Marion Johnson, Linda Lewis, Miriam Davey Topic: Marion Johnson and Linda Lewis extolled the virtues of Teach for America in Baton Rouge; Nature analyst Miriam Davey surveyed the controversy over Louisiana remaining as one of two states allowing cockfighting.

April Guests and Topics

April 27, 2006 Guest: George Kennedy, Roy Fletcher Topic: Political consultants George Kennedy and Roy Fletcher analyzed the New Orleans mayoral runoff campaign pitting incumbent Ray Nagin against challenger Mitch Landrieu. April 26, 2006 Guest: Joe Traigle, Smiley Anders Topic: Joe Traigle of Sterling Studios revealed plans to build a major film studio in the Baton Rouge/Lafayette area; Smiley Anders of the Baton Rouge Advocate discussed his life as a daily newspaper columnist. April 25, 2006 Guest: Jeff Pearlman, Dale Brown Topic: Jeff Pearlman, author of "Love Me, Hate Me," discussed the subject of his latest work, Barry Bonds; Dale Brown advocated positive thinking as a necessary ingredient of life. April 24, 2006 Guest: National Book Award winner Kimberly Willis Holt showcased her latest book, "Waiting for Gregory;" Baton Rouge Symphony Director Tim Muffitt previewed upcoming events for the BRSO. April 20, 2006 Guest: Andrei Codrescu, Frank Vincent Topic: NPR commentator and author Andrei Codrescu assessed changes in New Orleans nearly eight months after Hurricane Katrina; Author Frank Vincent previewed his book, "A Guy's Guide to being a Man's Man." April 19, 2006 Guest: Lisa Phillips, Ellen Johnson Topic: Author Lisa Phillips previewed her book, "Public Radio, Behind the Voices;" Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, voiced her support for separation of church and state. April 18, 2006 Guest: Donna Brazile, Stacey Simmons, Karey Kirkpatrick, Eric Bell, Howard Dean Topic: Political consultant Donna Brazile of Louisiana detailed efforts of the Louisiana Recovery Authority to comeback from Hurricane Katrina; Eric Bell remembered his father, sculptor Emerson Bell, who died on April 11; Howard Dean addressed the return of New Orleans after Katrina; Stacey Simmons and Karey Kirkpatrick previewed a film animation festival in Baton Rouge. April 17, 2006 Guest: Charles Boustany, Doug Lee, Karin Anderson, Beth Roberts Topic: Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany spoke of Hurricane Rita relief efforts; Doug Lee of the Louisiana Technology Park saluted the 16 businesses in the park; Karin Anderson and Beth Roberts revealed their accounts of finding true love on the internet. April 13, 2006 Guest: Chris Whittington Topic: Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington defended the record of Gov. Kathleen Blanco and predicted a strong push from his party in upcoming elections. April 12, 2006 Guest: Al Ater, Mike McDaniel Topic: Secretary of State Al Ater detailed efforts by his office in preparation for the April 22nd New Orleans mayoral election; DEQ Secretary Mike McDaniel updated attempts to clean up an estimated 25 million tons of debris related to Hurricane Katrina. April 11, 2006 Guest: Sean Reilly, Mike Wolf, Lauren Artress Topic: Sean Reilly of the Louisiana Recovery Authority previewed community meetings in New Orleans and Lake Charles; Libertarian Mike Wolf voiced opposition to a proposed law requiring DWI license plates for repeat offenders; Lauren Artress promoted labyrinths in Baton Rouge. April 10, 2006 Guest: Charles Pickering, George Miller Topic: Retired Federal Judge Charles Pickering complained of judicial politics at the federal level; George Miller of Cenikor discussed a non-profit organization's goal to assist chemically dependent people in Baton Rouge. April 6, 2006 Guest: Jim Donelon, Beth Erickson Topic: Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon opined about the insurance crisis in Louisiana prompted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; psychotherapist Beth Erickson theorized that the personalities of Presidents Bush and Clinton were shaped by relationships with their fathers. April 5, 2006 Guest: Amy Goodman, Susan Roesgen Topic: Amy Goodman of Democracy Now conveyed her belief that the national media are more conservative than liberal; Susan Roesgen, CNN Gulf Coast Correspondent; talked of her experiences in covering Hurricane Katrina. April 4, 2006 Guest: Cecil Picard, Mark Potok, Joe Dean Topic: Education Superintendent Cecil Picard addressed changes in Louisiana's educational system after two catastrophic hurricanes; Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center expressed concern about vigilante actions against immigrants to the United States; Former LSU Athletic Director Joe Dean reviewed disappointing Final Four performances for Tiger coaches John Brady and Pokie Chatman. April 3, 2006 Guest: Walter Boasso, Randy Lanctot Topic: State Senator Walter Boasso discussed legislative efforts to streamline government, including his bill to consolidate the state's levee boards; Randy Lanctot of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation analyzed proposed measures to halt expropriation of property in Louisiana.