Louisiana

Book TV has helped Louisiana authors thrive

Published

2 years ago

July 14, 2024

Book TV has helped Louisiana authors thrive

When my daughter was small, she’d sometimes announce to the rest of the house that her dad was watching Book TV in the den. I once asked how she knew about my viewing choice without entering the room.

As she quickly explained, Book TV was easy to recognize by sound alone. “It’s always just one person talking at a time,” she told me.

That simple practice, letting someone express an opinion without interruption, was so rare on TV back then that it got my daughter’s attention. Civic life has now grown even angrier, which is why Book TV, a weekend block of literary programming on C-SPAN 2, is all the more important as a forum for civil discourse.

All of this came to mind a few weeks ago when Book TV host Peter Slen chatted with me through Zoom about the value of revisiting classic books as we get older. I’d written on the topic, and it led to my conversation with Slen, part of a recent episode of his “About Books” program. You can easily find the interview online.

Slen finished our talk by mentioning my home state of Louisiana, which got me thinking, after we’d signed off, about the many other local voices featured on Book TV over the years. C-SPAN crews have covered major literary gatherings in our part of the world, including the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge and the New Orleans Book Festival on Tulane’s campus.

Book TV has helped many Louisiana writers, including Walter Isaacson, John Barry and the late Stephen Ambrose, reach national audiences.

C-SPAN is also scrupulously nonpartisan, giving authors along a wide range of the political spectrum a safe place to discuss their work. Scanning the Book TV schedule recently, I spotted segments devoted to books by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade and Cary Clack, a Texas newspaper columnist who frequently criticizes GOP policies.

Thanks to Zoom, C-SPAN producers can easily get even more voices in the mix. About a dozen years ago, a Book TV interview with me was canceled after its roving production van broke down, unable to reach my corner of the state. These days, hosts and guests can conveniently talk through a laptop. The only challenge with my recent Book TV appearance was a morning thunderstorm that threatened to drown out my remarks.

The digital revolution has meant more tools for Book TV, but the rise of online technology has also complicated its business model. C-SPAN is a nonprofit funded through license fees paid by cable and satellite TV providers. As more viewers cut the cord in favor of streaming services, C-SPAN and related projects like Book TV are having to look elsewhere for money, including donations.

In a country rattled by sharp divisions, we need to strengthen and sustain places where people can exchange ideas without rancor. The sound of one person talking at a time shouldn’t be the exception.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

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Louisiana

AI regulation clashing with business lobby in Louisiana

Published

3 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

AI regulation clashing with business lobby in Louisiana

Nolan Mckendry
| The Center Square

(The Center Square) − Louisiana lawmakers have filed more than 20 bills this session touching on artificial intelligence, but only a narrow slice of them has moved so far.

The clearest momentum has come on bills dealing with child exploitation. Senate Bill 42 by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, which prohibits using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse materials, passed the Senate 36-0 and was sent to the House the next day.

Senate Bill 110 by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, bars using a child’s image to train an artificial intelligence model to produce child sexual abuse materials, also advanced out of the Senate and is now pending in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. But the broader regulatory push has moved far more slowly.

Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, told The Center Square the efforts have run into familiar resistance from business groups wary of state-by-state regulation.

“Anything that effects business they say is bad for business,” Carlson told The Center Square.

Carlson has a bill that would create a Louisiana AI Bill of Rights, restrict certain chatbot uses involving minors, create disclosure rules for bots and AI-generated advertising, and bar the state from contracting for AI products tied to foreign countries of concern. Carlson is still working to get his bill added to the Commerce committee’s agenda.Another bill that has managed to make progress is HB190 by Rep. Laurie Schlege, R-Metarie. It passed the House 98-0. Two days after, an op-ed submitted to The Center Square from Citizens for a New Louisiana charged the law as “one that threatens to stifle innovation, burden small businesses and startups.” The op-ed suggested amending the bill, but Schlegel hasn’t budged so far.

Senate Bill 246 by Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, was scheduled for Senate floor debate Monday but was postponed twice, first to Tuesday and then to Wednesday. The delay followed Luneau’s promise to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry that he would amend the bill after the group sent a memo warning it could create “unnecessary compliance burdens for businesses operating across the state.”

“AI systems are inherently interstate and global, making them better suited for a consistent federal framework rather than fragemented state oversight,” the memo continued. “SB246 risks placing Louisiana at a competitive disadvantage while duplicating efforts more appropriately handled by Congress.” The memo mentioned a December executive order from the Trump administration which instructed federal officials to identify “onerous” state AI laws and said states with such laws could be barred from receiving certain remaining BEAD broadband funds, to the maximum extent allowed by federal law.

Louisiana has $800 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funding that could be revoked. Responding to questions about concerns that his bill might violate that order, Edmonds told The Center Square, “I don’t see this as over regulation.” He said that, so far, he has heard no concerns with his bill.

Edmonds acknowledged concerns that overregulation could inhibit the use and development of AI, but said that his bill was specific and would not.

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Louisiana

Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

Published

15 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – The Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron has been cleared after a bomb threat was made Sunday, according to a spokesperson from Venture Global.

The bomb threat came in around noon on Sunday, according to officials. Louisiana State Police hazmat and bomb squads were called to investigate.

No shelter in place was deemed necessary and no roads were closed, according to the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office.

A Venture Global spokesperson released the following statement:

“Venture Global was made aware of a bomb threat at our CP2 site and immediately activated our established emergency response protocols. We are coordinating closely with state and local authorities as they investigate. The safety and security of our employees and the surrounding community remain our highest priority.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — For the fifth consecutive year, the Louisiana Children’s Museum hosted its annual environmental festival, Mud Fest, on Saturday, March 28.

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., parents and their little ones had the opportunity to have fun in the sun and enjoy the “highlight” of the museum’s spring season.

This event was inspired by the iconic New Orleans festival culture which includes good food, live music and a nice, high-energy atmosphere. Mud Fest is tailored for the “youngest environmental stewards” to have fun and make all the mess they want with mud.

Due to the Crescent City being surrounded by wetland habitats, we interact with water daily in both our rural and urban communities.

The festival generates positive associations with our region and also builds critical thinking skills for future educators, engineers, fishermen and farmers. According to LCM, engaging with nature, water and plants “builds a child’s confidence and fosters a lifelong connection to the Earth.”

“As the Louisiana Children’s Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, events like Mud Fest reflect our long-standing commitment to hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and connects children to the world around them,” LCM CEO Tifferney White said.

This year, Mud Fest had performances from young musicians of the School of Rock, the Louisiana Sunspots and more. There were also a storytelling stage and various family-friendly activities for visitors to engage in.

Mud Fest partnered with Pontchartrain Conservancy, STEM NOL, Whimscapes and Sugar Roots to put on the event.

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