Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by.

Entergy, is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

Who's telling Louisiana communities what's in their air?

And are they getting the full story?

And from summer fun to future success, how Camp Fast Forward is giving kids a head start on careers in medicine.

Plus Meachum, young authors helping kids understand complicated feelings.

And the Louisiana bakery stands the test of time.

What's the secret to the success?

Let's get started.

Let's do it.

Hi everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Johnny Atkinson.

Much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana The State We're In.

But first, next week, Governor Jeff Landry is expected to announce that space is coming to Louisiana.

Elon Musk's aerospace company wants to build a multibillion dollar launch facility along the coast of Vermilion Parish.

Governor and Economic Development Secretary Susan Budget invited elected officials and business leaders to join them to announce a, quote, defining moment for Louisiana's future.

The space facility has faced pushback from people in the community, were worried about its impact on coastal restoration and wildlife in the area.

How much do Louisiana communities really know about the air they breathe?

A recent investigation found ten of the state's largest industrial air polluters are more than five miles from the nearest public air monitor, and distance isn't the only issue.

Some chemicals residents are concerned about aren't part of the state's routine public monitoring network.

What can those monitors really tell us, and what might they miss?

I'm taking a closer look.

We are walking along.

The fence line.

What does that mean to you?

Well, I'd like to let everyone know what it is.

When we say fence line in frontline communities, this is what it looks like.

On one side.

Home on the other.

Industry.

And in between the air they breathe in reserve along a stretch known as Cancer Alley.

Residents are tracking what's in the air.

Tish Taylor, program manager with Concerned Citizens of Saint John, is one of them.

These air monitors are so important because we deserve answers.

Louisiana's air monitoring system really isn't set up to detect what people are breathing in these communities near industrial plants.

Ames Alexander, an investigative reporter with floodlight, recently mapped the state's public air monitors against its largest industrial polluters, using data from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, L.D.

and the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency EPA.

We found that ten of the state's largest industrial air polluters are more than five miles away from the nearest public air monitor.

Look at Plaquemine at Dalles Plastics plant.

The nearest public monitor is about eight miles away.

But eight miles is only part of the story.

Three of the chemicals that are most responsible for the elevated cancer rates in that industrial cadre aren't being monitored by the state at all.

We need to know what these chemicals are, how much is being released, and we need to know the health effects because our children matter.

Those chemicals are ethylene oxide, chloroquine, formaldehyde.

All three are hazardous air pollutants associated with serious health effects, including cancer.

And other communities have used public air monitors to measure some of these pollutants.

California, for example, monitors ethylene oxide and formaldehyde in community air.

Illinois and Colorado have also conducted monitoring for ethylene oxide.

So we asked LDN why these three aren't part of its routine public monitoring network.

The agency did not directly answer that question.

Instead, LG pointed to 19 monitoring sites that measure 59 volatile organic compounds.

The fact that those particular compounds are not being monitored by those community air monitors does not by any means, mean that they're not being regulated or tracked.

The Louisiana Chemical Association and the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance say facilities have their own requirements for monitoring chemicals at the source.

These facilities have facility specific regulations that they have to abide by.

They monitor at the source.

They have waves of technology and teams of people whose job it is to make sure that those materials and all the materials they handled are being handled safely.

But what's being measured at the source isn't necessarily the same as what's being measured in the community.

Outside the fence line, residents are collecting their own data.

We collected data 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We are not feeling safe about even letting the community know what's in the air.

This air monitor shows chloroquine, ethylene oxide, VOCs, volatile organic compounds, and PM 2.5 particulate matter 2.5.

But in 2024, lawmakers passed the Camera Act, restricting how community generated data can be used by regulators.

That rule does not say that community based organizations can't go monitor as they please.

It only says that the information from those community based monitors can't be used to levy fines or penalties.

But for people living along the fence line, the question isn't just whether the air is being monitored, it's whether it's close enough, whether it's measuring the pollutants they're worried about and whether the data can answer one basic question.

What are we breathing?

Everyone deserves to breathe clean air.

We deserve to be healthy.

LDL also says it's always looking to add more air monitors while weighing resources and staffing needs.

In a federal appeals court heard arguments this week over the fate of a $744 million judgment against Chevron for coastal damage in Plaquemines Parish.

Chevron is asking the Fifth Circuit Court to throw out the state court judgment, after the U.S.

Supreme Court ruled the case could be moved to federal court.

State says the judgment should still stand the Supreme Court's April ruling, but not decide whether Chevron is liable for the alleged coastal damage.

It decided the company could move the case to federal court.

Now, the Fifth Circuit must decide what happens to the state court judgment.

As the case moved forward.

Let's take a look at what's going on this week in the world of sports.

Sports correspondent Victor Howell joins us now with more.

How's it going, Victor?

Very well almost.

And of August we have football coming.

We're going to talk about that in a moment.

But remember one week ago very emotional day.

We now have a celebration set for the skipper himself over the last seven days.

Baton Rouge, much of South and even on the national scene, there have been countless stories shared of Skip Bertman impact on so many people following his death last Friday.

We now have a date and time for the community as a whole to come together, to reflect and to pay tribute.

There will be a celebration of life for Skip Bertman this Tuesday, August 25th.

Inside the Mayor of Assembly Center on LSU's campus, it will start with a private ceremony for family and former players.

Then doors will open to the public at six, with the ceremony starting at 7 p.m.. I know it's hot outside, but if you're planning on attending, here's a tip.

It'd be a good idea to get there early.

Now let's shift gears where this time next week we will have actual football being played with two of our state schools in action next Thursday night to start off all the seasons in Thibodaux.

The Colonels from Nicholls are looking to build off of the end of last season that saw them win three of their final five games and finished tied with McNeese in conference with a four and four record.

Two of their leaders this season are young men who grew up just down the bayou and talked about what it means to be playing so close to home for the Colonels.

People from down there, tough, gritty.

So we kind of I think both of us as players, embodied that mentality in that aspect of the game.

And then, like you said, it's same people that's been watching us since we were young, playing football, the same people that are there on Saturday supporting us.

So it's an amazing feeling to play for them.

You play.

For the community.

They come out every Saturday to support us and watch how we work, so it is awesome to see when we work.

The community come out and support us.

Well, the Colonel certainly had fun playing at home last year.

All four wins came at John L Guidry Stadium.

They'll open the season there Thursday night against Mississippi Valley State and look for the defense to lead the way.

Last year, Nichols ranked seventh in the country for FCS teams with 17 interceptions.

Now, also playing Thursday night will be the demon from Northwestern State.

When they opened the 2026 campaign at home in Natchitoches against Louisiana Christian last season, the demons won their season opener, and a win on Thursday would give them back to back season opening wins for the first time since the 2007 2008 seasons.

Now, to do that, head coach Blaine McCorkle knows it's time for his younger players to step up.

I think these guys are hungry and they're growing and they're maturing, and they put themselves in a position and they're earning the right every day to start winning football games, and that's the bottom line.

That's what we're here to do.

And I think that's the next natural progression as we go.

And I can truly see this year us having six, eight, maybe nine, ten games that come right down to the fourth quarter, last play of the game.

And that's what we've got to prepare for with that type of intensity every single day.

All with games kicking off.

That means we're about to do the same.

Join us next Saturday, August 29th for season two of Game Notes.

Here on LPB, we'll preview the three other state games being played on week zero, and look ahead to the first full week of the season.

We'll see you on Saturdays for game notes and Mondays for post-game notes.

All season long, only right here on LPB.

Finally, one year after making the college football playoffs, there's a lot of anticipation around two lane football, both for the on the field product under a new head coach and what the team will be wearing specifically in the Wave home opener.

Week two Tulane has released their City Edition uniform for this season with a tribute to Mardi Gras, and the Threads Are Fire, a three color drop down shadow on the numbers, the wave logo wearing a jester's cap on the helmet with beads.

The home opener now is week two and it's against South Alabama from mobile.

Conveniently a location that also likes to claim to be the home of Mardi Gras.

So nice shot across the bow there, Green Wave.

And if you want a jersey, sorry, too late.

The link went up for purchase and they are already sold out.

I mean, the last couple seasons Tulane has made a statement with that city edition.

It has gotten national attention.

That'll be their home opener.

It looks great.

I can't believe it's sold out already.

Oh, people want it.

It looks just like last year and they're making a statement.

I like it, they're very much one I did not.

I was a little too late.

I'm sitting there working on the story.

Try to go buy one.

Already sold out.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Victor.

Across rural Louisiana, finding and keeping health care workers can be a challenge.

Now, one program is introducing students to health care careers and giving them a chance to see what their future could look like.

Let's take a look.

I want to be a nurse practitioner.

Avery Reed isn't just learning CPR.

She's taking her first steps toward a career in healthcare.

Kent, fast forward is a good experience for kids to learn about the medical field and be prepared for when they want to make decisions about what they want to do, and they decide in their careers in life.

At South Louisiana Community College's Opelousas Campus, students got a hands on look at what it takes to work in health care.

The program, Camp Fast Forward, is hosted by the Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, or Swallow Heck.

The goal introduced students to health care, careers and one day help build the health care workforce their communities need.

Heck is a it's part of a nationwide organization of area health education centers, and our goal is to increase health access to rural and underserved areas.

Inside the classroom.

That mission becomes hands on.

Students ask questions, practice lifesaving skills, and explore careers they may not have considered before.

I've learned about the forensic testing of drugs and opioids and crime scenes, and I feel that's very interesting.

And that might make me want to go into the medical field to help treat people who have been addicted to opioids, or who are suffering drawbacks from using opioids, or going to the forensic field and test opioids.

And that exposure matters right here in rural Louisiana, communities across the state continue to face shortages of health care professionals, including doctors, nurses and other primary care providers.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, nearly three out of four Louisianans live in an area with a shortage of primary care providers.

Many of those communities are rural.

You don't have to leave home.

You can stay right here.

You can go to school here.

Research shows that students that are trained here stay here.

So we want them to come back here.

That's the idea behind starting early.

Heck offers programs for students at different stages of their education, from middle school to college, with the goal of exposing them to health care careers before they have to choose one.

We have different camps at different levels for them, so we have middle school, high school, college students and then health professionals, and our goal is to get them in the camps, start them young.

They go through all of our pipeline programs, and then they come out the end as a health professional, and then they go back to the beginning of the pipeline, and they help become mentors and preceptors and guest speakers for our students that are just entering the pipeline.

I was thinking about becoming a radiologist or an occupational therapist because I like math and science, and I have elderly grandparents who have suffered some injuries in the past few years, and I feel like occupational therapy could help me to help them or help other people who are in the same situation.

For Ian Camp, fast forward, open the door to possibilities he hadn't considered before, and he's not alone.

It's like fun.

You learn a bunch of new stuff and it can help you.

Especially like if you want to have a career in healthcare, just like really help you get like the job.

And the possibilities for these students are just beginning and for communities across Louisiana.

The hope is that these campers will become tomorrow's healthcare professionals.

Louisiana is putting millions of dollars behind an effort to get more health care workers into rural communities.

A new $5.6 million program will help rural providers recruit and retain health professionals.

The state says finding and keeping qualified staff is one of the biggest challenges facing rural health care.

Well, helping small kids manage big feelings is a struggle that many parents go through now.

Two young students from Ascension Parish have stepped up to help their peers navigate emotions like anxiety.

Most kids are usually busy with their homework and sports.

I'm joined now by a couple of kids who added author to their resume.

Joining me now is Willie and Willow Grace and their mom, Jasmine.

Hi.

Thank you for being here.

Guys.

Thank you for having us.

So how do these kids start writing a book?

So at the beginning.

Of last school year, Willie was officially diagnosed with anxiety.

And so that's been a battle as a family that we've tried to conquer.

And just one day he came home from school.

He ran inside and he was like, mom, I have this idea.

And he's like, I want to write a book.

And so I was like, okay, this is new.

You know who's going to help you write a book?

What is the book going to be about?

And he was just like, I want to help other kids that have anxiety, just like I do.

And so he literally went in his room, came back out, and he had all of these loose leaf pieces of paper where he had tons of ideas down.

And so the teacher and me, I just pulled out my Chromebook.

We started typing it up, and then we found a local publisher and the book came to life.

So how did you get this idea to write a book?

I wanted to help kids and families in need because I know a lot of kids don't know how to deal anxiety.

So I wrote a book to help them.

Yeah.

So you just started writing on paper.

Have you ever written anything like that before?

Not really, but I always one like I like to write, so I and then when I came to school, I looked at all the books and then I was like, oh, I want to add to the book collection in my school.

And then I wanted to help kids.

All right.

Willow Grace, you're a coauthor of this book.

How'd you get involved in this?

So I got involved because I am his little sister, and I love to help him with all this stuff that he do.

Yeah.

So which parts did you write and which parts did?

Will write?

Willie wrote when he was at school and he was writing.

He got nervous because the words look bigger than before.

And my part was that I had a fear that I was scared, that the slide looked taller than usual.

The taller than usual, Well, Jasmine, how did you come up with the idea of putting this into a book and getting it published?

What I really did was just look on social media for any local publishers or thing, or anyone who had helped with writing children's books.

And I put the idea out there.

And of course, we had tons of people reach out, and the publisher that we actually went through is a Christian publishing company, and everything she said was right in line with what his ideas were and where we wanted to take the book.

Now, I want to get you guys to to read a little excerpt from the book.

Can you do that?

Yes, sir.

Okay, let's hear it.

Let's hear a little part.

Which part would you like to read?

Paul Breese, big Ben Saul I feel anxious, would love, he tells Mrs.

K, saying out loud makes a wall seem smaller, just a little together.

Mrs.

K helps him right once in that time.

Okay.

Across the playground, Willow Graves faces reach as well.

The slide looks taller than usual.

Her tummy swirl.

Her knees wobble.

Butterflies flutter her tummy.

Now, Jasmine, I read about this.

You've created the Ivy and Grace Foundation.

Tell me about that.

What do you guys do?

So the foundation was actually created before the book for Willie's ninth birthday.

He told his dad and I that instead of presents or gifts or anything like that for his birthday, any money that he received, he wanted to purchase toys for the children's hospital.

And so that's exactly what we did with his birthday money.

And we decided as a family that we wanted to help adults, help kids, just help the community more.

And both of my children, they are givers by nature.

And anytime we pass by and see someone on the side of the road, they want to stop and give.

And so this was our way of giving back to the community.

And so the foundation, it promotes mental health, it promotes kindness.

And then just showing that little hearts can do big things in their community.

So, Willie, you think about writing another book.

Got any ideas?

Yes, sir, I have.

I have a couple ideas.

What book, like the title is.

One page is about me playing football and how excited he can benefit in sports, because I know a lot of kids like, like, playing sports and stuff like that.

So soon I'm going to have a sports book, wings in it.

All right.

And Will a Grace.

You got any ideas for a new book?

No, sir.

Not yet.

But you're thinking about it.

Okay.

So I want to congratulate you guys for for the writing the book and for all the viewers out there.

If they want to get a copy, what do they need to do?

The book is available on Amazon.

If you type in Bravehearts, Big Feelings or either of the children's name, it comes right up on Amazon.

It's also available on Walmart.com.

All right.

Thank you guys for joining us on LPB.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Bye bye.

Well, it's the oldest bakery in Louisiana, and it's the seventh oldest bakery in the United States.

This week I traveled to generate Louisiana to taste some old fashioned French bread.

French bread became.

Popular.

In the 17.

Hundreds and slowly made its way across the ocean and down the Mississippi River.

And with the heat and humidity in south Louisiana, that French bread developed a new style.

Located in the small town of general, Louisiana, there's a bakery that starts making the bread at two in the morning, and that bakery smell starts at 7 a.m.. It's very unique, made by hand with no preservatives, all natural ingredients.

Ricky Legend is a sixth generation descendant carrying the torch and operating in the same building that his great great great great great uncle built in 1884.

The ownership was Oscar legend.

First he handed it down to Zim, which was a nephew, and he went down to sons and grandsons.

And I'm the sixth generation as a cousin that took it over to keep it going.

So this is an old history book, this picture here.

This is from 1884.

Yes, that is correct.

This is the.

Horse and buggy.

This was the first motorized vehicle that they delivered bred in Louisiana.

Farms were operating overnight and local workers were always smelling that freshly baked bread.

How do they know it's fresh?

We have a red light outside that is on.

It tells them, you know, it's hot and fresh.

The bakery used to run 24 over seven, seven days a week, 24 hours, and they came up with the red light is when the bread would come out the oven.

They would turn on the red light.

And all the locals knew.

What makes Legends Bakery different is an old secret recipe that didn't come from the family heritage, but was actually won in a simple bet.

How do you get the recipe for this?

My Uncle Zim, which was the owner of this place at the time, was a professional card player.

They came down to a card game and the other baker owner want to see on hand, but he was out of money.

Uncle Zim agreed that he would make that final bet in exchange for the secret recipe for the French bread.

And he won the baker from the other baker shop, and he's the one that had the recipe for this bread.

And he started making the French bread over here.

We couldn't get details on that secret recipe won in the card game, but we did get a breakdown of legends long standing baking process.

So you're one of the bakers?

Yeah.

What time do you get here?

In the morning.

I get here two.

Two in the morning, and you start mixing flour, I guess.

Yeah.

I get everything ready and they come.

When we ready to start making bread?

The secret ingredients are mixed together in a large tub.

Workers then began kneading the dough, trapping air to make the dough soft and smooth.

The dough is put into a covered bowl as the yeast feeds on the CO2, causing the dough to expand and built flavor again.

The dough is gently pressed and shaped into a low for a bun, so it will rise evenly.

Then a second rise lets the dough rest as it rises again.

Shallow slits were cut on top of the French bread so the bread can expand and become lighter.

The bread is then baked in a preheated oven, making the dough expand more and browning the crust before coming out fresh, just one loaf at a time.

That fresh French bread is sold to walk up customers and shipped out right from the oven.

This bread is going to go out to some of our local stores, restaurants.

And this was cooked this morning.

So about how many French bread loaves do you cook a day.

A couple hundred.

This is regular sliced bread that's made here too.

Yes.

We sell only to a few local grocery stores, but mostly restaurants and in bakery.

Here.

Rather large assortment of breads are cooked daily at the bakery, from the French bread and garlic buttered bread to the pistol lets and hot dog buns.

We well known for hot dog buns around here.

It's very large, but all our restaurants use it.

We sell over a thousand of these a day.

And this is big bread for boys.

Yes.

Legends.

Everything.

Nothing small about us.

We make all everything big.

Another signature item sold at Legends Bakery is their old fashioned ginger cake.

Another secret recipe, virtually unchanged since 1884.

We have a big sugar industry around here, and there was a lot of molasses and sirup with the factories around here, so they would make this ginger cake to feed the labor in the field.

Every day.

The gender cake dough is manually rolled out and precisely cut into individual portions and even uncooked.

It's absolutely delicious.

Some people tell me that they eat them with cheese on top.

Some people say they put sirup.

Some people say they warm them in the microwave and have it with a glass of milk or even coffee in the morning.

Today, legends operates as a first class bakery, shipping bread around locally to grocery stores and restaurants, and a walk in counter operation.

You know, I like the golden bread.

I like the crackling, especially this right here.

And, you know, in the end, the bread is good, the bread is fantastic.

What do you think about the bread?

Well, it's hard to beat.

Nobody makes bread like us anymore.

Whether you're stopping.

In for gingerbread or legendary loaves of French bread, you can't go wrong at Legends Bakery.

Last week you were playing the fiddle.

Now you're serving up some bread.

There you go.

Very good.

Very delicious.

All right, well, that is our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LBB app.

And you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs that you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram.

For everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Jonny Atkinson.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

Louisiana, the state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.